authorsnotes: took me a while to get this right to lead into the next direction, but I'm happy with where it has gone

do enjoy, do review

songrecs: centre of attention - jackson waters

Much like the chaos they'd left that morning, was exactly what they came back to.

It wasn't quite the normal chaos of the Weasley house, with Molly cooking up a storm, Arthur fixing something that had gone bust, the twins experimenting (and problem the ones breaking things), Ginny thudding down the stairs chasing after Arnold, and more, it also wasn't quite the chaos that had broken out that morning (terror, fear, yelling), but somewhere in-between.

Molly as always continued to cook, her catharsis and best comfort as she roasted veg, stirred the gravy with her wand and set knives cutting up thick bread, but there was a frantic edge to it. Arnold the Pygymy Puff continued to hop about, but everything else was oddly subdued.

No Ginny, still locked away in her room and Harry felt a twinge of guilt at that, for her to be the one stuck with a Slytherin, it seemed unfair. Sure, he had his worries about things with Hermione, (about himself ruining things), but it was nothing compared to the worry of being paired with one of their childhood enemies.

Almost like him being paired with Pansy Parkinson or Hermione with Malfoy, he wrinkled his nose at the thought.

"Are you okay?" Hermione whispered, squeezing his hand then, as the twins tried to make conversation she whispered underneath them, and he offered her a smile, always checking he was okay.

God, he hoped he didn't screw things up, he just had a horrid, creeping sensation he would.

"Yeah, all fine" He said with a nod, but then he continued, to stop Hermione asking again, as he wasn't fine and she likely knew it, "No Ginny though"

"No" Hermione said biting down on her lip, as Ron came into the room and made a beeline for them, he saw her steel herself, "I'll go see her"

"Do you want me to come?" He asked, and he saw Hermione flinch, he raised an eyebrow in worry, but she shook her head and looked determined again, the flicker of something he'd seen ghost her expression gone.

"No, best not" She said and he nodded in understanding, gave Hermione a smile as she released his hand with a squeeze and then headed for the stairs.

"Ginny?" Ron asked as he came up to him and Harry nodded; he imagined if anyone would have any luck comforting his ex it would be Hermione … his betrothed. He shook his head at that, that sentence alone had been weird, the thought of it in practice weirder. He was no alcoholic but wished he'd bought some firewhisky to take the edge off things.

"Oh Harry dear!" Mrs Weasley rushed at him, and he accepted her hug with a smile, feeling a twinge of worry at what she would say. The Weasley's and Hermione were the only family he had left, he didn't want to lose either as a result of this law.

"Mrs Weasley" Harry said, and he smiled as she bundled him into a hug.

"Are you alright my dear?" She asked, and the genuine concern on her expression near made him cry; he'd never had a Mother, Mrs Weasley had been the closest thing to a parent he'd had, next to Sirius, and so keeping here in his life was important, he hoped the marriage law didn't change that.

He knew Mrs Weasley had always imagined him marrying Ginny and becoming an 'official' part of the family, but Harry knew that had been impossible long before the marriage law, he and Ginny just hadn't worked, he knew Mrs Weasley had been disappointed when they broke up, he hoped she wasn't upset with him now.

Was that what she thought? If not for their breakup, Ginny wouldn't be stuck with a Slytherin?

Guilt crept up his spine, and yet where would Hermione by if he was with Ginny? With Ron? Harry doubted it. He loved both of his best friends, but they had not been good together, with someone else then? He felt something stir in his chest at that, at the idea of Hermione being with someone else, though he shoved that aside, as Mr Weasley came into the kitchen.

Would he rather Ginny or Hermione be stuck in a bad match? Would he rather Ginny or Hermione be with him?

Deep down he knew the answer.

"I'm fine" He said with a forced smile, Ron stood next to him, also with a false smile, what a horrid day for all of them, though with another pang of guilt, he knew it was worse for some more than others. "Okay I mean"

"Well Ron has Lavender at least" Mrs Weasley said with a nod, though the veg chopping sped up, Ron had described her as 'flapping' and the gleam in her eye spoke to that, this wasn't what she wanted for her children, biological or taken-in; no parent would.

Yet, he and Hermione had no parents to look out for them, not anymore.

Only each other.

Fuck, he hoped he didn't screw it up.

"Yeah" Ron said, clearly uncomfortable, as they all were, a bad day indeed, "We've seen the Ministry Rep, Lavender went home to freshen up, she'll be back in a bit"

"Good" Mrs Weasley said with a strained smile, "That's good, it went well with the representative?" She asked, clearly each meeting was private for the couples.

"As well as it could" Ron said with a nod, "He explained the timeline and stuff, it was funny listening to Lav yell at him for being pompous when he was forcing through the law" He grinned then, Harry did too, Ron was already calling his old girlfriend by a nickname, that was a good sign.

He had to hope for happiness for them all, far fetched as it may seem. He hoped for happiness with Hermione, he already loved her, maybe not in the right way (maybe…), but he just had a horrid deep-down fear that he would ruin it, and no conversation could assuage that yet.

"Harry, have you seen the Ministry Rep yet?" Mr Weasley asked then, "You and Hermione?"

"Yes" He said with a nod, "Kingsley came to see us" Mrs Weasley gasped then.

"I suspected as much" Mr Weasley said with a grim expression, "They want you to go along with it?"

Harry nodded then, "We don't plan to"

"Good" Was all Mr Weasley offered, and Harry managed a good smile.

"Harry…" Mrs Weasley paused then, "We'll always consider you and Hermione family, even if you don't officially become Weasleys" She said, and he managed a smile, something in his chest untightening, "Though I do wish you and Ginny had been paired, and Ron and Hermione, that was how it should have been"

Something in his chest retightened at that, Mrs Weasley didn't mean any harm, and yet the idea of that made him angry for some reason … would they be happier in those pairs? He didn't think so.

Yet, he mainly cared about Hermione's happiness over his own; would she be happier with Ron? He didn't think so but maybe she did? Would she resent him for not getting to be with Ron?

He'd never felt so confused over his feelings as he was now, maybe because nothing had ever felt as important. Cho, Ginny, needing them was nothing compared to how much he needed Hermione, the thought of losing her…

He needed her.

Would he push her away?

"Well, we can all commiserate in a bit" Mr Weasley said as a moderately awkward silence had fallen over them, "I'll get some wine out of the basement" He said and hurried away, Harry couldn't blame him.

"Mum, I think the pot is bubbling" Ron said, always an effective distraction technique, and Mrs Weasley hurried to deal with it.

"Come on mate" Ron said with a clap on his shoulder, Harry smiled, Ron's acceptance made it all easier, "Everyone will be piling in soon, lets have a drink"

That was easy to nod at, though as they went to the living room he heard a wail, and the sound of something breaking from upstairs.

That couldn't be good.

Hermione didn't hesitate as she reached Ginny's room, didn't knock, just waved her wand, undid the lock in one and stepped inside.

Some would see that as rude, as barging in, but she knew Ginny, she knew her dearest girlfriend would be hiding away, would refuse anyone to see her, and Hermione would need to be forceful to make sure the youngest Weasley didn't make a run for it.

Though she was tempted by it herself, she would never do that to Harry.

She did pause then, hand on the doorknob; Harry, a second alone and she allowed herself to breathe, to think, at just how monumentality screwed up everything was.

Harry of course was being great, but she had her own fears, especially after Kingsley had revealed they had been shoved together by different means, her own fears she'd be the one to ruin their friendship, ruin it by being his wife, and Harry coming to realise how annoying she could be.

It was stupid and silly, and she chided herself for her lack of faith in her best friend, but the thoughts were there swirling in her mind, and they would not dissipate.

Almost like the flash of awful, horrid jealously she'd felt when Harry had asked about Ginny; how stupid of her! And yet it had been there, uncontrollable, just for a second.

She imagined Harry would much rather be betrothed to Ginny, and that killed a little something inside of her.

Still, it was no ones fault, certainly not Ginny's, and though she knew she could stand in the hallway raking over her own thoughts forever (and almost did so), she knew her friend needed her right now, they all needed one another in the face of this mess.

"Ginny?" She spoke her name first as she pushed the door open and stepped in warily, with six brothers she knew Ginny had often booby-trapped her room. "Ginny?"

But there were no booby-traps this time, just a sobbing Ginny in the middle of her bed with its cheerful blue sheets, and Hermione forgot all her own worries for a moment, including her ugly jealousy and ran to her.

Ran to her, and the youngest Weasley, turned her face red, tears on her cheeks and buried herself in Hermione's arms.

They stayed like that for several moments, no words, just Ginny clinging to her, sobbing, wretched cries leaving her lips. Hermione just stroked her long red hair, almost treating her like a little sister. Her and Ginny had become close after the war, and yet there had been a little distance when Harry and Ginny had broken up, Harry being her best friend of course, she had worried there would be more distance with the announcement she'd be marrying Harry and yet Ginny clung to her.

Yet, as Hermione held the girl close, she realised … Ginny likely didn't know.

She stiffened a touch, but Ginny didn't seem to notice. Fuck. Hermione wasn't a prolific swearer and yet she felt it was warranted, even just in her mind, considering she was here to offer comfort and yet may just cause more pain.

She remembered Ginny and Harry's break up, the tears, the acceptance, the shouting, the drama.

'He left me' Ginny sobbed, on the same blue sheets, hands in her hair, 'Said we didn't fit'

'I know Gin' Hermione said, after all Harry had told her what he was planning the day before.

'How do we not fit?' She cried.

'I think he was upset you fought a lot' Hermione was trying to be diplomatic, but both she and Ginny knew where her loyalties were.

With Harry, always, unquestionably.

'Its just our passion!' Ginny retorted, 'I love him'

She flinched at that, before bundling the younger girl into a hug, she didn't realise why she had flinched, and wouldn't for a while, as Ginny cried.

It had been hard, and as good a friend as Ginny had become to Hermione, Harry would always come first to her. She had spent the time after with him and a bottle of firewhisky, not with Ginny, she had been there for Harry, not Ginny, and now she would have to tell her she was marrying Harry.

Part of her regretted not fleeing.

"Oh, Hermione it is just awful" Ginny said as she wept, rubbing at her eyes, but fresh tears continued to fall, "I mean Zabini?"

"I know" She said, and Hermione felt a shudder at the idea of being placed with a Slytherin, she supposed Zabini was one of the least bad, having fled abroad during the war, but he was still a pureblood supremacist, had still sneered 'blood traitor' at Ginny. "I'm so sorry Gin"

"Why me with him?" She asked, "Why, why, why?"

"I don't know" Hermione said, as in truth she didn't. After reading the archives she could see why the Ministry felt their needed to be a marriage law (not that she agreed with it), but she called BS on their methods of pairing, compatibility spells? She imagined that was true for the vast majority, but if her own pairing had been manipulated, what about others? Fred and George with Parvati and Padma making twins much more likely for example? "I don't know"

What else was there to say? She had nothing.

"Its just awful" Ginny sobbed, and Hermione felt her heart break a little to see fiery, feisty Ginny so defeated.

She felt some anger bubbling up then, at this awful marriage law, ruining it for them all, Ginny in tears, Ron awkward and uncomfortable, and then her and Harry, their friendship at risk, and she felt near sick at the thought.

This was wrong, completely wrong.

"Who did you get Hermione?" Ginny asked then, "Tell me at least you didn't get some awful Slytherin" She interrupted Hermione's furious thoughts before they could truly spill over, stored away … for the moment.

"I…" She stumbled then, anger fading as fear clawed back up at her, time to break the news, she just hoped Harry already had to the other Weasleys, "Ginny I…" She said, no turning back after this.

For the first time Ginny stopped crying.

Instead, she lifted her head, eyes widening, and Hermione didn't even need to say, as the youngest Weasley's face went pale white.

"No"

"Ginny…I" What was there to say? How had everything gone so wrong?

Would it all go wrong with Harry too? Her deepest fear, it didn't even compare to her worry about telling Ginny, that seemed trivial in comparison.

She couldn't lose Harry, couldn't. She was sure it would kill her.

"Tell me it isn't him" She said.

"I can't" Hermione said, biting down on her lip, "I'm sorry"

"Why?" She whispered then, "Why you, and not me?"

"Ginny, you guys broke up" The wrong thing to say, she realised immediately with a wince.

"Not him" Ginny repeated, "Don't say it"

"Do I need to at this point?" She said, winced again at her bluntness, hands shaking a little, this was as worse as she would have thought it could have gone, "I'm sorry"

"Don't" Ginny said with a wail so sad it near pierced Hermione's heart, her best girlfriend … or perhaps no more jumped up then, another cry leaving her lips, the lamp on her desk knocked as she quickly jumped up, rolling, and smashing to the floor, "Don't" She repeated, and then fled.

And yet, Hermione didn't follow, instead stayed sat on the cheerful blue sheets, where her own tears started.

That was where Harry found her, and when his arms wrapped around her, she didn't hesitate to lean into them.

this broke my heart a lil to write ;-;

do feel for ginny here, she is confused and upset, though that doesn't mean there won't be drama...

next the rest of the weasleys and their partners descend...

speak soon