Chapter 13

G4 - The Counsel of Weasleys

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The Counsel of Weasleys

By George Michaelson

"Hey, mate. Ginny just told us - probably for the best."

"Hm?" Harry looked over at George, wondering what he was doing here at Hogwarts. Shouldn't he be at his store? "Ginny just told you what?"

"About the two of you calling it off, at least for now," George explained. "Good decision, I suppose."

Harry glumly nodded. "Yeah."

George patted him on the shoulder. "Still, keep your chin up, mate. You know that she still cares about you, and is probably going to be suitably impressed if you take all of this seriously."

"Wait," Harry said, a smile managing to emerge on his face, "You're talking about taking things seriously? That seems a bit out of character for you."

Fred grinned in response. "True enough. Just so you know, Bill thinks you were being sneaky - that you said it because you either didn't want to see Ginny anymore or are just doing it as a stunt to impress her."

"That's crazy!"

"Told 'em the same thing myself, mate."

Harry huffed. "I want to be with Ginny. It's just that her safety is so much more important - we can wait to be together."

"Don't need to convince me." George shrugged. "I know you'd never just... 'give in' and endanger my baby sister. Bill was just being a git."

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"It's my little ickle sister."

"Ugh, Fred, what are you doing here?"

"Well, that's quite a warm welcome for your brother you haven't seen in two months!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hello, Fred, my wonderful brother. What are you doing here?"

Fred sighed. "Sister, you wound me. Your distrust of me is almost as bad as Charlie's of Harry."

"What?" That was the last thing Ginny had been expecting. "Why doesn't Charlie trust Harry?"

"I tried to change his mind - he trusts Harry for most things... but doesn't trust him with his baby sister."

Ginny laughed. "Fred, Harry broke it off - not because he wanted to, but because he wanted to make sure I was safe."

Fred scowled. "You're telling me. But Charlie insisted that when he was a young guy around Harry's age, he was fond of doing these incredibly romantic gestures just like it. Charlie flat out told me that Harry would be asking you back out before You-Know-Who was destroyed."

"That's crazy!"

"Told 'em the same thing myself, sis."

Ginny huffed. "Harry wants to be with me. It's just that he wants to keep me safe more than he wants to be with me..."

Fred sensed the bit of reflection that last sentance brought.

"... doesn't he?" Ginny finished.

"I'd bet on it," Fred said authoritatively. A short pause later, he said, "However..."

"However?"

Fred paused, as if this was something he was considering. "Well, if you're not sure, you could sort of... test him."

Ginny looked scandalized. "Test him? Hasn't he gone through enough?"

"It's not a bad thing," Fred said defensively. "I mean, if - no, when Harry defeats You-Know-Who, the two of you could get back together and you'd always wonder. Or, on the other hand, you could sort of tempt him a bit now and see if he bites. Now, obviously I think he wouldn't - and afterward you'd know you could trust him completely. Right?"

"I don't know." Ginny frowned. "That seems kind of dodgy."

Fred shrugged. "Up to you. I think I can trust Harry, myself - this was only Charlie bringing it up, so take it with a grain of salt."

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Later in the evening, Fred and George met up at their store.

"Did she buy it?"

"Absolutely," Fred answered, smirking. "Heaven help Harry. Honestly, she's quite a distrustful little girl."

"Wonder where she gets that from?"

"My guess is Percy - you never could depend on that git. Did Harry buy it?"

"In galleons, mate. Poor boy puffed up like a rooster at the thought being accused of compromising our little sister's honor."

"Speaking of galleons, do you want to wager a bit on this?"

"10 on Harry," George replied at once. "Nobody can get through Harry's thick head."

"10 on Ginny," Fred agreed quickly. "You really don't know how stubborn your little sister is, do you?"

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