A/N: I know, I know…it's taken me forever to get this chapter out, but with midterms and a birthday I was kinda busy. Plus I had a wicked case of writers block. The next two chapters were originally supposed to be one chapter, but they were kinda big so I split them into two.
I also must apologize for the horrendous crimes against commas that I commit in this chapter. My beta recently moved away L *wipes away tear* I blame my elementary school teachers for never teaching me proper grammar.
*In Which There Is a Bet and an Announcement*
Wrapping a towel around her hair, Ginny opened the door to make sure there was no one in the hallway; she didn't need anymore people seeing her wearing just a towel. Making sure the coast was clear she walked down the hall to her bedroom, jumping back once she had opened the door.
"Ginny! Your mother said she thought you were still in the shower, so she told me to just bring my stuff up." Hermonie ran up, giving her friend a hug. As Ginny moved into the room the two girls continued talking, until Hermonie brought up the subject of Harry.
"Hey Hermonie, you haven't actually talked to Harry yet have you?" Ginny was curious as to if he or Bill would mention the little bathroom incident. Hermonie shook her head no.
"I haven't seen Ron yet either, I was just going to go check his room. Care to join me?" She asked.
"Sure, just give me a minute to get dressed and do something to my hair." Hermonie hurried out of the room and Ginny threw on an old pair of jeans and a tank top. She braided her hair into two small pigtails and left to go find the boys with Hermonie.
After finding Ron's room empty, the two girls went downstairs and found them sitting in the living room talking with Bill and Charlie.
"So where's Fleur at Bill? Mom said you two have a big announcement to make…she didn't get knocked up did she?" They could hear Ron ask before they even entered the room.
"Ronald Weasley, you watch your mouth. Honestly, do you really have to be so rude and crass?" Hermonie scolded him for his poor use of language, causing to do nothing but stick his tongue out before going back to questioning Bill. Meanwhile, Harry stood up to give Hermonie a hug and allowed her to take his seat on the sofa.
Sensing that Bill was not going to give up his secret, Ron abandoned his quest and instead surrendered to listening to Hermonie chastise him for not yet starting his Potions essay. Ginny found herself discussing Quiddich with Harry, and Charlie and Bill found themselves watching the two couples with amused looks on their faces.
"Did you know I found Ginny and Harry in bed together? My bed, to be exact." Charlie told his brother with a smile.
"Oh that's nothing. I found them half naked locked in the bathroom together. Ginny flipped out again, claiming they're 'just friends'. They're just lucky it was me who opened the door and not Mum or Dad." Bill laughed.
"And just look at our little brother? That girl has got him so whipped it's not even funny." Hermonie had pulled a rather large book out of her bag and appeared to be lecturing Ron on the finer points of eloquent essay writing.
"How long do you think before they hook up?" Charlie asked his brother.
"Who? Harry and Ginny? Merlin, I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet. Actually, it might have, you should have seen how Ginny denied anything earlier and how terrified Harry was when I walked in on them."
"What those two though?" Charlie pointed over to where Ron, who had taken Hermonie's book and began waving it around, was shouting something they couldn't quite hear through Hermonie's protests that Ron the 'pain-in-the-arse prat' was going to ruin her book.
"I'm not too sure about them. They're completely obvious, but do you really think they would be able to stop fighting long enough for a quick snog?"
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about. Look at him; he hasn't taken his eyes off her since she walked in. Do you know he even straightened his room up? Was afraid of being lectured about his pig sty of a room."
"Care to make a little wager then?" Bill suggested with a slightly evil grin.
"Okay. I'll put fifty on Ron and Hermonie by the end of the day tomorrow and fifty on Harry and Ginny by Christmas Eve" Charlie said confidently.
"Alright, you're on little brother." Just as they were shaking on it Mrs. Weasley entered the room and announced that dinner was ready. Everyone got up and headed towards the kitchen, where the table had been expanded from earlier in the morning to accompany the ever-growing Weasley household and there appeared to be enough food to feed a small third world country.
The dinner was loud, obnoxious, punctuated with laughter and full of stories. Hermonie and Ginny had gotten up to help Molly bring in dessert; a strange muggle treat called 'Deep Fried Twinkies' that Hermonie insisted was delicious, when Ron stood up.
"Well Bill, I do believe you said you had an announcement to make…so out with it then." He said, rubbing his hands together, obviously anxious to hear what the big news was. The rest of the family quieted down as Bill sighed and pushed his chair back from the table.
"Okay, okay…I probably should wait until after the holidays for this…" he began but was cut off by his mother.
"Ooooo, I knew it. Fleur is pregnant! I'm going to be a grandmother. Do you know, is it a boy or a girl?" She asked, grinning crazily and shuffling over to embrace her son in a hug.
"Molly, darling, you need to let the poor boy finish. You don't know that's what it's about." Arthur said in all seriousness.
"Oh, don't be silly. What else could it be? Unless you know? Do you? Oh Bill, how could you tell your father before you told me!" All hell broke loose as Molly began sobbing, upset at the fact that her son had told her husband about 'the baby' first.
"HOW COULD YOU! You know I've been looking forward to this moment since you were BORN! Oh my baby…" Arthur quickly got up to comfort his wife.
"Way to go Bill. Nice way to start the holidays…making Mum cry like that…" Percy scolded him as he also walked over to comfort his mother.
Ron and George began snickering, after all, seeing Bill being verbally abused by their mother was one of their favorite pastimes. Unfortunately both Hermonie and Angela, who George had started seeing earlier in the year, saw and both the boys ended up getting smacked in the head.
By this time Molly was in full hysterics; Arthur, Percy, Penelope and Fred all trying to calm her down before she gave herself an aneurysm. Harry and Ginny were cracking up as they watched Ron and George being pummeled by Hermonie and Angela.
Charlie, on the other hand, was reaching across the table for more mashed potatoes, trying to block out all of the crying, shouting, and arguing.
"First this, then the next thing you know one of the others will go run off and elope, and then…" Molly continued to cry in the background. Bill finally had enough and stood up.
"MUM, I DIDN'T TELL DAD ABOUT 'THE BABY' FIRST! THERE. IS. NO. BABY! THERE WON'T BE ANY BABY! FLEUR AND I ARE GETTING DIVORCED!" He shouted, immediately regretting his tone when he saw the look on his mother's face.
Well, that's one way to get everyone to shut up. Damn, I don't think it's been this quiet here since Fred and George accidentally slipped some of that 'mute tongue toffee' into the well and everyone lost their voice for half the day.
Ginny tried to stifle a giggle, but as she remembered that day and how everyone was trying chase the twins around the house trying to yell at them, her cheeks became sore from holding it in.
Just as her mother hurried over the embrace Bill, she started laughing.
And it wasn't just the normal chuckle that people do during an inappropriate time, but a full gut-busting, laugh-so-hard-you're-not-even-making-a-noise-just-really-creepy-silent-shaking laugh. Everyone turned from Bill to see why Ginny was laughing.
Just as Mrs. Weasley was about to scold Ginny for her unacceptable behavior, Bill began laughing as well. Everyone paused, looking very confused and not quite sure what to make of the situation.
"Bill, dear, why are you laughing? What in Merlin's name is funny about this? Stop it this instance!" Molly attempted to calm her son before turning to Ginny, "And you, young lady, this is a hard time for your brother, it is not a laughing matter. Your brother just lost the love of his life!"
At hearing this Bill began laughing even more.
"Mum, don't you see? It is pretty funny. I mean, hell…we could hardly even understand each other. Last week I told her I was going out for drinks with some guys from work and she thought I said I was going to 'shrink some midgets to relieve their hurt!'" At this point, the tension seemed to ease up a little and the rest of the family began laughing as well…all except for Molly.
"What do you mean? I thought you two were meant for each other? You acted like you were so in love."
"I don't think we were ever in love. I think it was just infatuation…on both parts. We had absolutely nothing in common. Don't you remember what our house looked like?"
While her mother just shook her head in disbelief, Ginny smiled. She did remember their house. In an attempt to help each other learn their respective languages, labels had been placed around the house – le porte/door, le bar-buffet/liquor cabinet, le chaise/chair – it had gotten so bad that no one could walk around the house without getting the fallen signs stuck on the bottom of their shoes.
"Mum, honestly, really I'm fine…" Molly flung herself at her son, crying and mumbling incoherently into his shoulder. He looked up at the rest of the family and sighed.
"Let me talk to her," he whispered, "She'll get over it." He took her and led her off to the porch to talk. As soon as they were out of the room -
"I can't believe it…"
"It makes sense; I think they're better off…"
"Sweet Merlin, Fleur is single again…"
"You insensitive prat…"
"Damn, would that be considered incest?"
"Oh bloody hell; I think I hear her crying again…"
Everyone was talking at once, well all accept Charlie. He was going back for thirds on the potatoes.