Chapter 5:These Kids Grow Up Fast, Don't They?

Ginny slowly awoke to a light knock on her bedroom door the next morning. Ignoring the knock with the thought that it was probably Hermione, she casually tossed over onto her other side to face the opposite wall.

The door slowly creaked open and a light patter of footsteps on the hardwood floor indicated that someone was entering the room. Ginny again disregarded the noise due to the fact that she was more inclined on getting more rest. The footsteps stopped abruptly as it had started and not so many seconds later, a loud bang echoed throughout the Burrow.

Ginny winced at the sudden noise and immediately sat up from her bed, instinctively rubbing her eyes to clear her blur vision. She almost nearly screamed when she saw the disapproving look plastered on her mother's face.

"M-mum?" Ginny asked in a mere whisper, wondering why her mum was storming into her room so early in the morning. "What's wrong?"

Her mum didn't reply but simply stared at her.

Ginny cleared her throat and glanced over at Harry, who had a startled look on his face as he reached over for his glasses on the nightstand.

"Mum, is this 'bout the laundry I was s'pposed to fold last night?" she asked daringly, since doing the laundry became one of her weekly chores when she began to live daily at her family home right after Hogwarts. "I was really tired when we got back yest-"

Mrs. Weasley turned a bright shade of red. "Oh it's not that, dear," she interrupted. "I've already gone and folded the laundry for you. I was wondering why-"

"I'm here," Harry interjected as he shifted his eyes between Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. "I can explain, Mrs. Weasley."

Ginny stared at him warningly, trying to remind him that he wasn't to reveal Ron and Hermione's surprise.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "No need to explain." She held up a hand. "Judging by the looks you dears are giving me," she said with a faint smile, "I don't think I have nothing to worry about…for now."

Ginny exchanged curious looks with Harry. "Mum?" she asked in a low voice. "Um, why are my newly washed clothes down there on the floor?"

Her mum looked down, and surrounding her feet, there lay an overturned basket with half-folded clothes spilling out.

"Oh, I…tripped," her mum replied, turning a darker shade of red. She took out her wand immediately and pointed it towards the clothes, placing it all in a neat pile and onto the edge of Ginny's bed.

"Thanks, mum," Ginny said appreciatively.

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly at her daughter. "Well I'm off to make breakfast," she said, picking up the empty basket. "And, dear," she said, looking at Ginny, "Hurry and tidy up, your father and I have plans in Diagon Alley today. Oh, and same goes for you, Harry." With that said, she walked out the room, but not without one more look at Harry and Ginny, seemingly heading for Ron's room.

Ginny glanced over at Harry, who was staring at her with a questionable expression. Upon hearing a scream in the nearby bedroom, they both shared a significant look, and the next thing they knew they were bursting into fits of laughter.

"I wonder what mum saw this time?" Ginny asked with a thoughtful smile as she got off from her bed.

She straightened her nightgown, but then remembered she was wearing the short old nightgown that would make Ron blush. She immediately sprinted to the back of her door, and grabbed her hanging creamy peach bathrobe, putting it on in a quick manner.

"Ginny, are you alright?" Harry asked as he too got out of bed. "Why are you…in a hurry?"

Ginny blushed as he stood next to her. "I…I have to go to…the loo," she lied. She just didn't feel that it would be appropriate to be seen that way just yet.

Harry chuckled. "Well, I'll be going off to check on Ron and Hermione," he said, stepping out the door.

Ginny stood by the dim doorway as he went on his way to her brother's room.

"Harry," she called.

He immediately stopped walking and turned around slowly. She jogged towards him and looked at him, her eyes roaming across his boyish but tired face, and delicately placed the palm of her hand against his rough cheek, her long fingers brushing against it.

"I really can't believe you're back," she whispered.

Harry closed his eyes and slowly opened them.

"I really can't either, " he said, placing his hand over hers.

Ginny smiled as she placed a light kiss on his warm cheek before walking to the loo to take a quick shower. She scrubbed, shampooed, and soaped like there was no tomorrow. She stepped out of the shower and put on her fresh clothes as quickly as she could upon smelling the aroma of breakfast.

She ran down the stairs in an unladylike manner, her damp hair clinging to her cheeks and leaving wet stains all over her light green blouse, and grew to a stop as she reached the doorway to the kitchen. She straightened out her blouse and smoothed her plaid skirt and was just about to enter when she heard her mother and father's indistinct voices seemingly disputing about something. Fortunate for her, her parents hadn't seen her, for they continued conversing. She pressed her ear against the wall, trying hard to listen to what her parents were saying.

"…I saw them, Arthur, with my own eyes…"

"Now, Molly, don't start jumping to conclusions," Mr. Weasley said, sighing. "We haven't heard their side of the story yet."

"But Arthur, they were sleeping on the same bed," Mrs. Weasley said in an exasperated tone. "Don't tell me that doesn't mean anything."

"I've no idea. During our trip, all three of them shared the same sleeping tent. Maybe they just…find comfort sleeping with each other." There was a momentary silence and it seemed to Ginny as if her father wished he hadn't said that.

"But I didn't find Harry sandwiched in between the two of them!" her mother exclaimed. "He was sleeping in Ginny's room."

She heard her father gulp. "They were…were they sleeping on the same bed too?"

Ginny didn't hear her mum's response and so she pressed her ear tightly on the wall but still could hear nothing but silence.

She heard her mum sigh wearily after a few minutes. "I like Hermione. I really do. I think that she'd be just right for Ronald and I can't help but see her as my future daughter-in-law but they're just too young to be dealing with all this."

"It's the war, Molly," her father said seriously. "Though it's done, the war had and still has a toll on its people, especially the young ones. Last time I checked people were getting married left and right, all afraid of how much time they had left or if there was going to be another war. "

Her mum gasped. "You don't s'ppose…?"

"Well, it's possible and I daresay, I won't be surprised. They've been rather too close these few years. Poor Harry, had to deal with it though, being the supposed third wheel."

"I didn't find Harry in a compromising situation as Ron," her mum said in low tone, "but I know there's also something going on between them. All it took was one look between him and Ginny and it told me the answer."

Ginny's heart started to beat faster as she continued to listen in. She didn't know what her mother's interpretation of the looks that she shared between Harry and she wanted to find out. Her parents really never knew what happened in her sixth year with Harry and how he felt towards her at the time.

"Which is?" her father asked.

"That they hadn't done anything."

"You got that from just one look?" her father asked in an amused tone.

"As a mother of seven children, and having been a girl at that age, I know," her mum defended. "I just do."

Don't tell me it's that 'mother's intuition' thing you always talk about."

This was the first time Ginny had heard her mother laugh during this whole conversation.

"It is, Arthur. I know Ginny probably much more than she knows herself, which is quite frightening if you ask me." Ginny nodded, seemingly agreeing with her mum. "I just can't help but face the fact that they love each other." Ginny froze, unsure how her mother could easily catch along.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, Ginny I was always sure of. She always harvested feelings for Harry even if she claimed she hadn't." Her mum paused. "It was Harry I wasn't sure of. Well, yesterday proved it all. Y'know when Harry was talking with Minerva, I saw that he had this look of longing on his face. When I saw that he was looking at someone else and not at Minerva, I followed his gaze, which was on no other than our Ginny."

"I see." Her father didn't sound too convinced.

Her mum continued as if he hadn't interrupted. "Oh and when that Malfoy boy approached Ginny, I saw this rare expression on Harry's handsome face, proving to me that he had something for our little Ginevra. Well, she's not so little anymore, is she?"

"No, not anymore. These kids grow up fast, don't they?"

Ginny heard her mum sob.

"They certainly do. It seems just like yesterday, Charlie and Bill were learning how to ride a broom by the garden, Fred and George were in the shed trying to make something out of nothing, Percy was at the corner reading a thick book, and Ron was sitting on my lap as I rocked Ginny to sleep in my arms."

"Next thing you know they'll be having their own children to worry about."

Her mother laughed again. "But until then, let's get on with breakfast."

Ginny turned around to lean against the blank white wall that separated her from where her parents were presently, trying to digest everything that she had heard for the last few minutes. She swallowed hard and bit her lip as she thought about how her mum could be so knowledgeable about…well about everything. She shook her head to clear her mind thinking that it would be the right time to enter and join her parents. She straightened herself out, tucked a dry strand of hair behind her ear, and stepped inside the bustling kitchen.