Warning minor Harry/Ginny ship
Chapter 15 - Facing the Weasleys
"Hello?" the face in the fireplace called, "Mr Weasley?"
"Harry!" Mr Weasley said as he walked in front of the fireplace. "Is something wrong at the school? What has Ron…"
"No, Mr Weasley, everything's fine. Ron's fine. Ginny is… Well, that is who I want to talk to you about. You see I have asked Ginny to do something for me and she thought I should ask you… well to ask you if its okay and everything." Harry stumbled over his words nervously.
Mr Weasley was looking more worried as he heard Harry continue. "Just what did you ask my daughter to do, Harry?" There was no missing the hard tone in Mr Weasley's voice.
Harry suddenly knew what Mr Weasley was worried about. "Nothing improper I assure you Mr Weasley. I would never do that to Ginny."
Mr Weasley merely stood there studying Harry closely.
Harry chose to continue. "No, it's this business with Malfoy, sir. I guess Dumbledore has told you by now about the veela thing." Harry watched Mr Weasley to see if he knew.
Mr Weasley face looked puzzled.
"Right, should have guessed Dumbledore would have kept it all quiet even though most of the students know about it by now. I bet the old man is censoring the owl mail to boot."
"Harry, what are you talking about?" Mr Weasley asked as he moved closer.
"Sorry well the short version is that Draco Malfoy is a veela and thinks I am his life mate. It's a plot of Voldemort's though, so I am not having a bar of it but in order to stall Malfoy off long enough for him to declare another his life mate, I have announced my intent to wed the best candidate from the traditional selection rituals with Mrs Longbottom as my Matriarch of Ceremonies. And I… I … I have asked Ginny to be one of the candidates." Harry stopped at that point and watched as Mr Weasley struggled to absorb everything Harry had told him. When the last bit had sunk in he looked up at Harry intently.
"Let me get this straight, you have asked my daughter to take part in a process to find you a bride?" Mr Weasley said. The tone of his voice made Harry wince.
"Basically, yes." Harry replied. "She has agreed to do it sir."
"My daughter is not yet sixteen, Mr Potter" Mr Weasley said with the hint of anger on his voice.
"Yes Sir I know." Harry gulped. He could never remember seeing Mr Weasley angry before.
"She is far too young to be married." Mr Weasley stated bluntly glaring at Harry.
"I know sir. So am I but I have no choice." Harry replied, "And if Ginny isn't one of the candidates now, she will never get a chance again. You know how she feels. I'm sorry we don't have time to do this properly but there it is."
"Arthur, who are you talking too." Mrs Weasley's voice came from the direction of the kitchen. She appeared in the doorway and spotted Harry's face in the fire. "Harry dear, is everything all right? Has Ron…"
"Oh everything is just peachy!" Mr Weasley angrily commented. "Harry just fire called to ask for the hand of our daughter in marriage."
"WHAT!" Mrs Weasley yelled. She then rounded on Harry. "You are both far too young to be considering… Wait nothing is wrong with Ginny is there?" the dangerous look in Mrs Weasley's eyes scared Harry.
"No, Ginny's fine Mrs Weasley. Why would you… Oh Merlin! Mrs Weasley, its nothing like that, Ginny is not pregnant or anything." Harry replied horrified.
"Ginny's pregnant!" Bill Weasley voice rang out as he entered the room. He glared at Harry and move to get at him.
"No!" Harry yelled becoming a little more annoyed than scared now. "Ginny is not pregnant. We haven't even… Look, I want her to be a candidate in the courtship rituals. It will be a long drawn out affair to stall for time until Draco Malfoy declares someone else his life mate. It'll be sometime next summer before it concludes. If, I mean, when Ginny is announced the selected candidate by Mrs Longbottom we'll be married."
Silence hung in the air heavily at the burrow.
"And you want my permission for this insanity?" Mr Weasley asked.
"Well, yes" Harry replied.
"Arthur I don't understand…" Mrs Weasley said.
"Dad?" Bill said.
"Harry we'll get back to you. Tell Ginny to write us in the morning. You better go now." Mr Weasley said gritting his teeth together.
"Yes Sir." Harry replied "Sorry." Harry pulled his head out of the fire back into Professor McGonagall's office and sighed heavily. That did not go well at all, he thought to himself.
"Tea, Mr Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked handing him a cup. "You look as though you could use it."
"Thank you, Professor." Harry said accepting the cup. "I take it you heard all that."
"Yes Harry." She replied kindly, "They will come around. I will have a word with Mr and Mrs Weasley when they have had a chance to calm down and digest what you told them."
"Thanks Professor." Harry replied still with the uncertain expression on his face.
"Why don't we call it a night, Harry." McGonagall said, "Head back to the Gryffindor tower now and get some sleep. Something tells me tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you."
Harry nodded and without another word headed for the portrait of the Fat Lady. Soon he was in his bed having avoided any conversation with his friends. He pulled the covers over his head and not wanting to think about his problems anymore, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning the tower was almost empty when Harry stumbled into the common room.
"Mate," Ron said seeing Harry, "I thought you were going to sleep forever. Not like you. You are usually up before all of us."
Ginny moved up to make room for Harry to sit next to her on the couch in front of the fire. Harry sat heavily and frowned, "I talked to your parents last night." He told Ginny.
"How did it go?" Ginny asked.
"They thought you were pregnant." Harry replied surprising everyone.
"They thought I… that we… Oh Merlin." Ginny said.
"Hell's bells Harry what did you say?" Ron said looking pale.
"I said we had never… you know, done it." Harry replied blushing.
"You better not have Potter." Ron replied seriously.
"Ron, mind your own business." Ginny snapped angrily.
"This is my business." Ron told his younger sister bluntly.
"No it bloody well isn't." Ginny yelled back at her brother.
"Stop it you two!" Hermione interjected, "What happened then, Harry?"
"Well things got a little confused after that. I thought Bill was going to leap through the fire to get at me." Harry said.
"Bill was there. Oh no!" Ginny said.
"He arrived just in time to hear the pregnant comment. What's wrong with Bill being there?" Harry asked.
"Hah!" Ron laughed, "You think I'm overprotective of Gin, you should see Bill in action, eldest son and all that. He'll be onto Charlie and the twins in no time. He'll even probably contact Percy! You're in for it now Potter."
"We'd better get to lunch." Hermione said after a few minutes of silence. "We'll talk more later Harry." She said smiling at her friend. "It'll be alright, Harry. You'll see."
With that they all left for the Great Hall, except Harry of course. Harry could hear Ron and Hermione's argument about him start up as soon as they had passed out of the portrait. They voices faded away and silence returned.