(Quick edit: made some grammar changes, no substantives changers were made)
There are times when I loath These past few weeks of being unable to upload my chapter distinctly fall under one of "those times". BUT I HAVE GOOD NEWS!
The GOOD News:
I have finished writing the remaining chapters for this story! It is done. The story ended up being shorter that I had originally envisioned if only because the characters decided to run away with themselves and do things that were most distinctly not in my plans. Regardless, I am pleased with the results and felt it necessary to patch things up with the Ginny-Zabini side of things before I dared start closing things up. Enjoy!
Chapter 27:
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Ginny's Point of View:
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It had taken all of two seconds once they had stepped onto King's Cross Station that Ron Weasley, her less than adorable older brother, decided he needed to spill the beans.
"Mooom!" he whined in a tone comparable to that of a four year old. "Ginny is dating a Death Eater!" Yes, lovely, thank you Ron. I'll be sure to kill you for this, she thought dryly, not in the least bit pleased at the look in her mother's eyes and, what was even more frightening, the rising red anger color in her father's cheeks. Always the more relaxed of the two, Mr. Weasley was usually the Good Cop vs. Mrs. Weasley's all too terrifying Bad Cop routine. However, on really serious matters, those that went beyond the usual pranks and teenage issues, Mr. Weasley could far surpass his wife's temper. And though she had only witnessed the raging color in his eyes once (and, in his defense, the twins had it coming that time), she had learned enough to fear it.
"Ginevra Weasley, in the car, NOW!" said the terse voice of Mr. Weasley, grinding his teeth as though trying to keep himself from exploding in the midst of the muggles at the station. Ginny knew this was not the time to defend her case and, allowing herself the most discreet of kicks at Ron, she quietly followed her parents. This would not be a good day.
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Some time later — the brothers' Point of View:
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"How long have they been in there?" whispered Fred to Ron as they both tried unsuccessfully to understand the muffled scream feast that was under way in the kitchen. Perhaps because of his temper or the sheer intensity of the exchange, Mr. Weasley's silencing spell had not been sufficient to block out the entirety of the noise their little conversation was producing.
"Not long enough" grumbled Ron, who was trying his best to push down his sense of guilt for having brought this on his sister by reassuring himself that it was for her own good. His reply, however, earned him a smack on the head from George.
"I'm sure Miss. Loony would love to hear what a righteous jackass her boyfriend has become" suggested George, his usually light tone infinitely more vindictive than usual if only in sympathy for his sister.
"She sure is battling it out though" commented Fred, as another high pitched wailing from Ginny emerged from the jumble of unintelligible noises coming from the fight arena. One thing was for certain, the youngest Weasley had more than inherited her parent's tempers.
"Never a good strategy" added George, the twins taking on the commentator role as though the battle continued. "Just gives them something else to whine about. Either shut up or joke your way our of it, isn't that right Fred?"
"Or find some suitable means of escape" replied Fred, winking at his twin as they both recalled one very heated parental discussion which had resulted in the twins making a run for it thanks to some well placed explosive charms.
"Shhhh, I think it's over" interrupted Ron, noticing the yells had died down and that the silence barrier was being removed. By his count, the entire thing had lasted slightly over an hour.
Firstly Mrs. Weasley walked out, her face pale from what had clearly been a brutal battle. Her voice had been strangely quiet during the whole affair, and the twins recognized how truly bad a fight it was by their mother's silence. Next came Mr. Weasley with Ginny at her side, and though both looked worst for wear, the youngest girl wore the slightest twinkle of triumph in her eyes.
"You can stop hiding from back there boys" announced Mrs. Weasley, gaining some semblance of her usual control over family affairs by calling at the boys. Ron walked out with his head held high, probably waiting for some prize for having spoken out against his sister. The twins, recognizing the look in their sister's eyes, chuckled at the impending blow out.
"Mr. Zabini will be joining us for the Holidays next week and I expect all of you on your best behavior" managed Mr. Weasley with as much dignity as he could muster what was clearly a defeat. Ron choked at this, though it might also have been caused by the particularly spicy shock tart the twins had handed him but a few seconds before. "I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, which means I expect you not to insult or fling accusations at him, Ron. He is your sister's boyfriend, and you will respect as much. I also expect you to bring your girlfriend over at some point, seeing as she had been curiously ignored in this entire process. If your sister's choice is going to be scrutinized, I don't see why yours shouldn't be too" Almost as if sensing the protest, he added: "End of discussion" with a finality that not even the twins would question.
And though Ginny knew this was a huge triumph, the worst was yet to come. Because though her father had agreed to give her boyfriend the benefit of the doubt, it was all too clear that Blaise would be on her father's radar from the moment he stepped foot into the Burrow. Hoping to warn him and share the half happy news, she rushed to get Pig, her less than remarkable owl, skipping past the stunned face Ron who could not understand how the supposed Death Eater had somehow managed to invade his family holidays.
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Christmas Morning
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"Am I presentable?" asked Ginny to Fred... or was it George?... for the third time that breakfast. The red haired boy looked her over from behind the large piece of toast he held in his hands and gave her a thumbs up.
"Though you really should do something about that piece of bacon you got stuck between your teeth" motioned the other unidentifiable twin, which caused the young redhead to run out to the nearest mirror, only to return to smack both her brothers on the head for the unnecessary prank, which led into one of the usual Weasley fights. Their antics were cut short as the doorbell rang and the usually noisy household stopped in its tracks. Just one moment afterwards, a rather large mass of redheads ran towards the door, each wanting to take the first look at their guest. Some smooth maneuvers dodging the larger men around her, Ginny Weasley made it to the front to receive her boyfriend.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, all at once forgetting the mass of overprotective men behind her at the sight of Blaise Zabini. She launched herself at him and he faked choking gestures in an attempt to get the glaring men to laugh. It worked, or at least, broke the tension enough for the first of them to step up.
"You must be Mr. Zabini" declared Mr. Weasley, extending his hand to the boy who shook it with a strong grip. "Merry Christmas and make yourself at home". The boy nodded, careful to politely step into the house and avoid the two dung bombs that the twins had placed near the door which landed on none other that Percy.
"Fred! George!" intoned Mrs. Weasley, ready to take command of things as she half expected at least one to have hit their guest. However, aside from ruffling the feathers of Percy, which was far from new, Zabini had escaped unscathed. Granted, he had been warned by Ginny to keep his eyes open for such pranks and had himself installed similar ones for his friends. It was good to see that the paranoia Malfoy had taught him had served for something.
"May I say, Mrs. Weasley, that this is a lovely house" he began, bringing out his trademark charm and directing every ounce of it towards the unsuspecting mother.
"Why thank you Blaise" she replied, not used to people complimenting their humble abode, much less in the aftermath of any of the twin's antics.
"It has so much personality, especially with all those interesting muggle pieces. The car in the driveway almost blew me out of my broom in surprise". Granted, not the best approach to getting Mrs. Weasley to approve, but the compliment certainly got a spark out of Mr. Weasley whose eyes twinkled at the prospect of a fellow muggle afficionado joining the family. And as he suavely continued to charm his way into her parent's trust (and even that of the twins once a few embarrassing Ron pictures were exchanged), Ginny allowed herself a deep sigh of relieve at what might actually be a relatively normal Christmas Day.
Author's Note: Sorry to disappoint you for avoiding the touchy gift exchange scene, but they are a little to over done in fanfics. P Regardless, stay tuned for the next chapter!
