It was late in the afternoon when a loud double crack echoed from the front hall of Grimmauld Place. Harry looked up from where he was sitting in the kitchen chatting to Sirius as Fred and George Weasley sauntered through the door.

"Well, well, well," Fred (or possibly George) said. "If it isn't the mysterious stranger who has stolen our Ginny, awake at last."

Sirius sat back in his chair, smirking back at Harry as he watched Harry cringe almost imperceptibly under the twins' stares.

Ginny?

Yes, Harry? Oh, those two have finally shown up, have they? I'll just tell mum, then I'll be there.

"Fred, George, how are you both?" Harry said, keeping his voice level and calm.

The twins both flopped down into chairs opposite Harry, maintaining rather off-putting manic grins.

"Well, you know how it is," one started.

"Boosting moral where possible, fighting death eaters," the other continued.

"All in an average day," the first finished.

Harry rolled his eyes at the way the twins handed sentences back and forth between each other. Say, Ginny? Want to freak them out a bit?

Let's do this, Ginny sent back as she snuck quietly into the room behind the twins, holding her mother back from talking just yet.

"You know, - "

" – back in Harry's world, - "

" – you two got enough money – "

" – to actually build that shop –"

" – that you've told Ginny about," Harry and Ginny said, bouncing the sentence back and forth between them, watching as the twins spun around to see Ginny behind them.

"Wicked!" Fred and George said in unison. "You two are worse than us!"

Ginny shrugged as she moved around to sit next to Harry, "It is fairly easy, but it just seems weird to do all the time."

Mrs Weasley didn't look nearly as impressed as the twins, and frowned slightly as she greeted Fred and George, shooting a glance over at Harry and Ginny. Harry noticed the look and sighed quietly.

I don't think your mum likes being reminded of our bond much, yet.

She will have to get used to it. Ginny fired back, sounding unimpressed.

"So, ickle Gin-Gin, how is it that we hear you're having a bonding ceremony to a man you've just met?" George said, sounding suddenly more serious.

"And what is a bonding ceremony anyway?" Fred added. "Isn't that just a marriage ceremony?"

"Ickle Gin-Gin?" Ginny said, narrowing her eyes. With a subtle wave of her fingers, the twins' hair suddenly grew down long around their shoulders and turned a bright neon pink that didn't nothing to help the horrible clashing between their hair and clothes.

Noticing their new hair styles, the twins just grinned widely and turned back to Ginny.

"You haven't hexed us in years, Ginny," Fred said. "Good to see someone else in the family is finally trying to carry on the legacy."

Ginny shook her head, and made to answer George's earlier question.

"You saw how we talked just now?" Ginny asked.

The twins glanced at one another briefly, before turning back to Harry and Ginny.

"Well, yeah. Bit hard to miss when your quiet, shy sister starts to talk about other worlds and seems to be, overall, rather more cheerful than normal," George said.

"Not to mention, you threw that sentence around so much, it became hard to follow," Fred said, trying to look sternly at Harry and Ginny. "That's meant to be our thing, not yours."

"Anyway," said Ginny, obviously used to the conversation getting so derailed, "We're already sharing a soul bond, so having the ceremony should just help make it official. And besides, we've known each other for years in our respective separate dimensions."

Fred and George shared another glance before shrugging.

"Fair enough, little sis. If he can tolerate you, we say, good on him!" said George, grinning.

Ginny just smiled sweetly back at them, "Why thank you, brothers dearest."

If anything, the look of innocence on Ginny's face at that point, coupled with the smile on Harry's served to make the twins more uncomfortable, rather than at ease. Shaking his head at some of the prank ideas running through Ginny's head, Harry stood up.

"Does anyone know where mum is?" Harry asked of the room in general.

"Yeah, she is in that sitting room on the first floor, where I just was," Ginny said. "Why don't you go find her, and I might go see if I can talk to Rose for a bit."

"Thanks," Harry said and, with a quick smile at Ginny, he left the kitchen where the twins were being mothered by Molly while they tried to discuss pranking ideas with Sirius.

Harry walked up the stairs from the kitchen and down the passageway until he came to the sitting room. He hesitated just around the corner from the door, suddenly struck by how bizarre everything was. Just a few weeks ago, he had been completely alone, with no hope left and now, here he was, happy and about to talk to Lily Potter. To his mum. He felt a pair of arms snake around his middle and hold him tightly as Ginny made her presence behind him known.

Don't question it, Harry. Just be glad. I know I am.

Harry just smiled and squeezed Ginny's hands where they rested on his stomach gratefully. He took a breath, shaking off his pensive mood, and walked into the room in front of him.

Lily looked up from where she seemed lost in thought staring into the fire and smiled at him.

"Busy day then?" she asked.

Harry shrugged and sat down on the opposite chair.

"Busy week, really," he replied.

They both sank into silence, just watching the flames flicker over the logs in the fireplace. Harry was peripherally aware of Ginny finding Ron and Hermione again in the library, and asking where she could find Rose.

"Are we just wasting time?" Harry asked suddenly.

Lily looked at him, confused.

"Ginny and I, I mean. We know how to take down Riddle, but we're wasting time with a bonding ceremony just because we want our families to be able to attend. It seems…selfish," Harry elaborated.

Lily sighed, "I don't think it is selfish at all, Harry. When James and I left school, there was still a war. We both knew we wanted to fight, and so we joined the Order. I didn't go do the further study I had planned to, and James didn't get involved in Quidditch like he planned to. But we didn't just fight. We got married, went on a honeymoon, and then later, we had you. And I don't regret it for a second. At least our friends were all able to be there. By the time Riddle fell to Neville Longbottom, some of those people were dead."

Harry shifted uncomfortably as Lily broke off, apparently reminiscing about friends that hadn't survived the war.

"Where is Remus?" he asked quietly. "Is he…"

"He's off on a mission for Dumbledore. Not that it will do any good, but he would insist on trying," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"He's off with the werewolves?" Harry asked, remembering vaguely something similar happening in his old world.

"Yes, he's trying to convince them to help us, or at least not get involved at all," Lily replied.

Harry fell silent again, trying to phrase his next question.

"What is it, Harry?" Lily said suddenly. "You look just like you always did when you wanted to ask a question, but didn't want anyone to laugh at you," she continued, smiling softly at him.

"Umm, well, about me and Ginny," Harry started.

"Ginny and I," Lily corrected idly.

"Err, yeah, Ginny and I. Are you happy? About us?" Harry asked, uncertainly.

Lily smiled, "We all used to believe you two would end up together when you were both young and inseparable. Then you died, and she was so distraught. From what you've said, you lost her in your world too. It seems to me you've both got the chance to both be happy here, so how could I not be happy for you?"

"But Molly and…and Dad don't seem so happy. And I've barely seen Rose at all."

"They'll come around, don't you worry."

At that point, Ginny walked into the room looking troubled. She flopped into the seat next to Harry, half crushing him in the process.

"Ginny?" Harry said aloud, mostly for Lily's benefit. "What's wrong?"

"I tried talking to Rose about you," Ginny sighed as she snuggled into Harry's side. "But she thinks you've corrupted me so nothing I say means anything anymore."

Ginny said it all very casually, but Harry could feel the pain of rejection as one of Ginny's close friends refused to talk to her. He rubbed her back with one hand, and placed a gentle kiss on her hair.

"I'll go talk to her," Lily said, standing up. "I think she is just scared to get close again. She was hit very hard by your loss, Harry."

Smiling at the two of them, Lily left the room, ruffling Harry's hair as she passed.

Earlier, Ginny watched Harry enter the sitting room to find his mother. She smiled at the joyful feeling Harry got every time he realised he could just talk to his mother, despite the many years of being an orphan in one world.

Ginny quickly moved back up the stairs in search of Rose. She poked her head into the Library to find Ron and Hermione, the former looking exasperated, while the later was, predictably, looking through several large books that surrounded her on a table.

" - so important, Hermione? He doesn't seem to want to go back to his world!" Ron said as Ginny heard their conversation.

"It isn't a matter of sending Harry back, Ronald, it is just the principle of whether we can select the right dimension to send somebody to. If we can summon someone so effectively, we need to know how to return them!" Hermione replied heatedly.

Ginny cleared her throat loudly cutting off Ron's response.

"Ginny!" Ron said. "Where's Harry?"

"He's talking to Lily, why?" Ginny said, taken aback at the sudden question.

"We just haven't really seen him," Ron said, shrugging. "And I'm curious about what the last world was like."

Ginny sighed, "You can ask me too, you know. I remember everything from that world too. Mostly from my point of view, but only from Harry's after I died, obviously."

Ron went pale.

"Y-you died?" he said. "But, how?"

"Riddle got me personally. Harry and I were about the only two left fighting him, and he got a lucky shot in. I was stupid and didn't dodge fast enough. And as to why nobody saved me, well, everyone else was already dead," Ginny said flatly. "Any other questions about how screwed up the world was in the end?"

Ron shook his head, still pale.

Ginny turned to Hermione, "Have you seen Rose? I want to talk to her."

"Umm, I think she locked herself in her room," Hermione said. "She seems very confused about the whole situation."

"Thanks," Ginny said, smiling weakly. "And sorry Ron. I didn't mean to bite, I just don't like the memory of dying very much. I'm sure Harry would be happy to chat to you about the more normal aspects of our old world at some point. You two were best mates, after all."

With that, Ginny quietly left the library and climbed up a further flight of stairs, and headed to Rose's bedroom. Sure enough, the door was shut and the handle stuck firm.

"Rose?" Ginny called, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

After a pause, there was a click and Rose appeared in the doorway, looking at Ginny. She glanced around briefly, checking it was just Ginny before nodding and standing back. Ginny wandered over and sat on the end of the bed, leaning up against the wall in much the same way as she had done in the past when seeing Rose. The girl in question curled up at the head of the bed, with a guarded expression on her face that immediately put Ginny on edge.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Ginny asked quietly. "I haven't seen you lately."

"You've been too busy with him," Rose said flatly. "Mum says you're getting married to him now too."

"Well, yeah," Ginny said, alarms by the bitterness in her friend's tone. "But I'm still your friend too, right? Harry and I are soul-bonded, it only makes sense for us to get married while everyone can be there."

"Are you still my friend though?" Rose asked harshly. "You talk more, you're smiling all the time too. You don't seem like the Ginny I've known for years."

"I haven't exactly been myself for years, Rose," Ginny said starting to get annoyed with the younger girl's tone. "I've been sad and lonely and I've had a great big hole in my mind where I should have had Harry. Living with half of a soul bond is hell, Rose. Why are you so determined to dislike him? He's your brother!"

"My brother died!" Rose snapped. "And now this person shows up, trying to look like him, and pretending to be him, but I knew my own brother! And this, whoever he is? He doesn't act or even look the same! Harry never looked so tired, or so old."

"You're being irrational," Ginny snapped in reply, standing up off the bed. "You're just afraid of being hurt, so you'd rather hurt Harry."

"Well, he's clearly changed you to the point I don't know you anymore, Ginevra," Rose growled back. "Now get out of my room."

Letting her temper get the better of her, Ginny wasted no time in marching out of the room and slamming the door shut. She was halfway back down the stairs before she stopped and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. Whatever she had been expecting when talking to Rose, it hadn't included complete rejection from someone who had been a good friend for most of her life. Ginny sighed to herself, wishing she had tried to be more understanding of Rose's point of view. But the way Rose had attacked Harry like that, Ginny simply couldn't let that go.

Pushing herself back off the wall, Ginny went back to the sitting room to find Harry again. Upon walking in, she promptly sat down in the same chair as Harry, feeling the need for comfort. After relaying her lack of success talking to Rose, Lily soon left the room to talk to her youngest child leaving Ginny to burrow closer into Harry's side.

You're upset, Harry noted.

Yeah, Ginny thought back, sighing. I didn't expect her to be so cruel.

She and Dad are rather similar, I think. Neither of them want to believe it is me, in case I turn out to be some kind of trick. Harry reasoned.

Will they ever come around?

From what I remember of Rose, she'll probably come around faster than Dad will. Mum will talk to her and that will help a lot.

Mmm, Ginny thought, as she closed her eyes again, resting on Harry. Harry rested his own head on top of Ginny's and closed his eyes, feeling the most relaxed he had in years. Just as his was starting to drift off, the door to the sitting room opened again and Lily walked in, followed by Rose.

"Harry?" Lily said. "Rose here would like to say something to you."

Rose rolled her eyes at her mother briefly before looking back at the ground somewhere in front of Harry.

"Umm, I'm sorry. I've been rather rude and haven't given you a chance, Harry. Mum said you have all your memories from before you…from when you were here, so I guess you're just older than I remember."

Harry smiled brightly, despite the words sounding like half of them had come directly from Lily.

"It's okay Rosie. I don't expect it would be easy seeing me alive after so long. And, if it helps, I can still tease you like I used to. Like about that time you decided you were going to marry both Fred and George because they were funny."

"Don't you dare!" Rose spluttered, turning red as Ginny laughed. "And I was only six!"

Harry grinned back before letting the smile fade off his face.

"But, it isn't me you need to apologise to, Rose. I haven't been around, it's understandable that you'd be upset with me. But Ginny has always been your friend," he said seriously.

Harry, it's fine…Ginny protested silently.

"Umm, yeah, sorry Ginny. I was just used to you being on my side, I guess. And you haven't been around much this week," Rose said awkwardly.

Ginny smiled half-heartedly at Rose.

"S'okay," she said quietly. "I may head off to bed though."

Goodnight, she said as she kissed Harry gently.

Goodnight Ginny. I may stay up and chat to Rose for a bit.

At that, Ginny quietly went back to the room she shared with Hermione and got changed into her pyjamas. Just as she dived under the covers, the door swung open again to admit Hermione as she called goodnight to Ron over her shoulder.

"Ginny!" Hermione said, sounding surprised. "I assumed you'd be with Harry."

"I wish I was," Ginny grumbled. "But I know mum won't let me stay with him just yet."

"Is that why you're getting married then?" Hermione said, frowning slightly.

"Partially," Ginny deadpanned.

"But it isn't the only reason, is it?" Hermione said carefully.

Ginny sighed.

"No Hermione. We've known each other for years now. And we've been together since he was sixteen in the last world. And in this world, he was always my closest friend. And we're soul-bonded. Getting married is really just a formality given the bond."

Hermione nodded, looking thoughtful as she absentmindedly got ready for bed herself.

"Are you excited?" the older girl asked.

Ginny grinned and nodded.

"I can't wait," she said. "And I know Harry feels the same."

"So, do you mean to tell me, all those times I tried to get you to go on dates with any of the guys who asked you, you were never going to say yes?" Hermione said, sounding affronted. "You said you were thinking about it."

"To be honest Hermione, I was mostly humouring you," Ginny said with a laugh. "I knew I couldn't bear to date anyone while I had one half of a broken bond still echoing in my head. I was very thankful that you cared enough to try though."

Hermione dropped onto the foot of Ginny's bed with a huff.

"You might have told me. I would've helped keep that Corner bloke away from you," Hermione said.

"I was fine," Ginny said, smiling at her friend. "And besides, I didn't fully know what it was and didn't feel like talking about it. I didn't want people to think I was damaged somehow."

"You weren't damaged, Ginny!" Hermione said, shocked.

"I was," Ginny argued. "I had more magical ability, but at the cost of half of my own mind. Technically, I was actually crazy."

Hermione looked at Ginny through narrowed eyes until Ginny couldn't hold back anymore and accidentally let out a snort of laughter.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and got up off Ginny's bed and got under her own covers.

"Well, goodnight then," she said.

"You too, Hermione."

Harry? Ginny sent, finding Harry just heading upstairs from chatting to Rose.

Yes?

I'll see you in the morning.

I'll be there, Harry sent back, smiling.

I love you.

I love you too. Goodnight Ginny.

Night Harry.

A/N: I am very sorry this chapter took quite so long to be finished. I had a lot of trouble getting all the interactions right in this on.

For those wondering, next chapter will see us getting back to the main story arc again, enough of the fluffy stuff. And we should start moving pretty quickly from there, given my planned outline.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and any feedback or questions you may have, feel free to let me know.