A/N: Hello to all. I realize that this fic is not nearly as wide-read as my other, but I'm looking forward to this one so much. I get to write what I love best: putting my favorite characters together. Anyhow, there has been some confusion as to the timeline of this fic. It is important for me to tell you that this fic is NOT in any way affiliated with "The Wedding" or "Life Goes On." I simply fell in love with the character I created—Brooke—and wanted to use her in this fic as well. So, that being said, on with the chapter!
Harry waited. Would she completely snub him? Not even give him eye contact? Perhaps she would be cold and distant. He knew in his mind that it wouldn't be like Ginny to be uncivil. But, what did he know, really? He had never fathomed that they would break up, so how could he have known how she would react.
But, Ginny walked towards them with a bright smile on her face. And she gave Harry a hug saying, "Harry, I'm so glad you got here safely!"
Harry didn't know how to react. This was not the hug he was used to. Nor the chipper attitude. It wasn't simply that he hadn't expected any sort of pleasant reaction; it was that he knew that Ginny was putting on a show. This was false happiness. Hermione seemed to be able to tell, but Ron was oblivious.
Ginny released him, apparently not requiring a response to her perky greeting, and turned to Ron and Hermione as well as Harry saying, "So, what happened with George? I could hear some of it from upstairs, but I missed the important parts. Oh, you know what, wait until after lunch to tell me. I don't think Mum'll want to talk about it again, so I suppose it should wait. I'm starving, aren't you? I guess we should get in there."
She said all of this very fast with a bright smile and a cheery tone. Harry saw right through it, and it cut him deeper than any blatant disdain would have. Ginny pranced into the kitchen leaving Harry stunned in her wake. Hermione glared at Harry as though she knew exactly what was going on. Ron just chuckled.
"She's been like that all summer. She's on full speed all the time now. Good luck with that, mate," Ron said, shrugging it off and following his sister into the kitchen.
Hermione turned to Harry with a hard glint in her eye, "She won't tell me what's wrong, Harry, but I'll bet anything I can guess. Now's not the time, but believe me, we will be talking about this."
And, turning on her heel, she walked into the kitchen. Harry was left standing alone and feeling just as such. So alone. How could he make them understand that his reasons for breaking up with Ginny were sound? He shrugged it off and went to join his friends at lunch. He just hoped he could get through the day with Ginny's mock exuberance mocking him at every turn.
The day passed in a slow crawl. As Harry crawled into the camp bed in Ron's room, he thought that if he had to endure one more minute of Ginny's squeaky new personality and one more second of glares from Hermione, he would just have to leap from the nearest cliff. He sighed and thought that at least Ron seemed to have no idea that anything was wrong. Tomorrow, he, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Fred and George were headed into the village to pick up a few things. Fred and George had decided to tag along under the pretense of helping, but they all knew George was going to see Brooke and that Fred was going along for moral support, or whatever it was that the twins offered one another by their mere presence.
Harry lay down, but did not sleep for some time as images of Ginny filled his head.
"All right, you have the list, right? The list? You six! Do you have the list? Honestly, it's like talking to a brick wall!"
"I have it, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione finally answered Mrs. Weasley's strained questions. It was, after all, the day before the wedding, and Fleur was lurking about causing trouble and making Mrs. Weasley much more irritable than usual. All in all, the group was glad to be getting out of the house.
They set on their way with warnings from Mrs. Weasley to be careful. She had many reservations about sending them all out in these dangerous times, but Fred, George, Hermione, and Ron were all Of Age, and they could defend them all if the need arose.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were walking a few steps behind Fred and George. They were listening to Ginny's jubilant retelling of a letter she'd received from Luna the day before detailing how Luna and her father were still on their excursion searching for something called a Cluckstoppis. They did not ask any questions, as they did not really want to know about the Cluckstoppis, but Harry was increasingly disturbed by Ginny's tone. After she had finished, she gave a giggle, and moved up to talk to Fred and George.
Harry was surprised to look at Ron and see him watching Harry through narrowed eyes. He had expected this from Hermione, but not from Ron.
"What?" Harry asked, flabbergasted
"She's awfully happy. What've you two been up to that she's this happy?" Ron asked.
Harry would have laughed at Ron's incorrect assumptions except that it hurt him to think that he was, indeed, the cause of the "new" Ginny. Before he could answer, however, Hermione had jumped in.
"Oh, honestly, Ron, wake up!" she said bitterly.
"What?" Ron asked, confused.
"Don't you see? Harry and Ginny aren't even together anymore. He broke up with her. That's why she's acting this way. She isn't really happy. This is all fake, Ron!"
Harry glared at her. He had not wanted Ron to find out this way, but upon further reflection, he thought that he really did not want him to know at all. It didn't matter, though. He had not wanted Hermione to be the one to tell him.
"What?" Ron was dazed.
"Yeah, I did break things off with her," Harry said, "But I did it to protect her!"
"Please, Harry!" Hermione said, "I know you think you're protecting her, but look what she's been forced to become!"
"Listen, can we wait till we get home to talk about this?" Ron managed, looking a bit pale.
"Yeah, let's wait a bit," Harry groped at the chance to think through what he would say.
"Let's just forget it for now, and we'll bring it up again later," Ron said.
Harry thought this was a brilliant idea. Hermione did not seem to agree, but for Ron's sake—or so it would seem as she looked concerned at his lack of color—she nodded.
The walk into the village was silent and uneasy so when George invited them all to come and meet Brooke, they all seized on the opportunity.
"Just don't say anything about magic, or I'll find a way to slip some Choking Chocolate to you," George said.
"Ooh," Fred said, "That stuff is not fun. It isn't fatal. Just gives the one eating it a bit of a scare."
Harry made a mental note not to accept anything ever again from Fred and George. The six of them entered the small paper shop where Brooke worked. There was no one else there, and so Brooke came around the desk smiling.
She was very pretty with long, straight brown hair and blue eyes. She wasn't tall, but seemed to command almost a regal air. Her smile made her look so kind and approachable that Harry instantly liked her.
"George!" she exclaimed, "Fred!"
She walked to George, giving him a hug, and turned to Fred, "Why aren't you two working today?"
Harry knew that Brooke was aware that Fred and George owned a joke shop. She obviously did not know that it was a magical joke shop located in Diagon Alley. Brooke waved off the answer saying, "You know what, I don't want to know. You're probably up to something. I just hope I'm not the target of whatever you're scheming."
George feigned a shocked expression, "There are no words!"
Fred smiled, "Let me help you out here, brother. She's accusing us of a crime that we would never even consider committing. Do you see what you've done to him, Brooke? There are no words. He has no words! Has that ever happened before?"
"No," she admitted, laughing, "I'm quite enjoying it, actually. Now, Fred, since my boyfriend appears to be mercifully mute at the moment, you can introduce me to the small army that's walked into my shop."
George gave her a playful squeeze as Fred began introductions.
"Right, now, all the ones with red hair are related to us. That's our baby sister, Ginny, and that's our younger brother Ron. That's Ron's friend Hermione and his friend Harry who, incidentally, is also dating Ginny."
Harry's stomach dropped. He had thought he might get through the day without thinking about this again.
"Actually," Harry said, "Ginny and I—I mean, we aren't together anymore."
Ginny's happy demeanor dissipated and Fred and George looked shocked.
"Uh oh," Brooke said, "Looks like you stepped into some drama there, Fred. Listen, it's nice to meet you all, no matter who is or is not dating one another."
Ginny managed a small smile. Harry thought that at least, now, she would drop the falsely chipper attitude. Hermione looked worried about Ginny, but smiled at Brooke nonetheless.
Fred and George still looked as though they wanted to talk about the whole thing, but Brooke gave George a significant look and he said nothing. This did not stop Fred however, "Why?" he asked.
"Fred, stop," Ginny said so quietly that Harry almost didn't hear her. It was this quiet voice, more than anything, that stopped Fred. He nodded, but Harry knew he would have to face interrogations from the twins, Ron, and Hermione. For now, however, he was saved.
"So, where do you all go to school?" Brooke asked. George stiffened.
They had already reached the unanswerable questions.
"Oh, they're at our old alma mater," Fred said.
"The boarding school you and George went to?" Brooke looked puzzled, "I thought that was an all-boys school."
"Did George say that?" Fred showed no signs of visible panic, "He lied. I'm sure he wanted you to think that he'd never looked at another girl before you. Where the truth is that he looked, but until you, no one had the brain damage to look back."
Brooke laughed, "Your words are so endearing, Fred. George, your brother believes me to be brain damaged."
She was laughing loudly when all of a sudden a feeling of intense panic reached Harry. No one else seemed to feel it, but as he saw the owl flying through the door of the shop, he knew it bore bad news. It was Errol, and he was carrying a letter. Harry caught Fred's eye, and he attempted to distract Brooke. It worked until, just as Errol flew through the door, it slammed shut behind him. They all turned to stare at the door, and as Harry subtly pulled the letter from Errol's leg, he pulled on the door only to find his worst fear confirmed. They were all locked inside.
A/N: Why are they locked in, and how will George continue to hide his true identity from Brooke if owls are appearing delivering letters? Please review if you want to find out! REVIEWS!