A/N: Wow I haven't updated this in a long time! So sorry for the wait, but I promise that I'll be updating more since I'm on summer break now.
Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to or concerning Harry Potter, it all belongs to JKR!
Chapter 4: Danny Boy
The first thing Ginny was aware of when she woke up was the uproar of voices coming from downstairs. Another fighting match, and if Ginny had one guess, she would bet that her mother was involved somehow.
"Ugh," Ginny moaned, rolling over and pulling her sheets up over her ears. "I don't think I can take any more of this!"
Suddenly, Ginny heard two large cracks near the foot of her bed, and she moaned again.
"Ah, looks like our dear sister is having trouble waking up."
"Perhaps we should assist her."
"If either of you come any closer to me I'll hex you into oblivion!" Ginny cried, brandishing her wand from under the covers.
"Just kidding, Gin," a wary Fred replied.
"Yeah, we've learned from previous experience to leave you alone in the morning," an equally wary George added.
Ginny smiled and got up from under the covers as she remembered last summer, where she had ignored the ban of underage magic to give her twin brothers a most unpleasant serving of boils covering their body. While the Ministry didn't catch this breach, her mother most certainly did, and Ginny had paid dearly for it. That wasn't to say that she was hesitating to do it again.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Ginny asked. "Why aren't you at the shop?"
"Closed it today, decided we needed a day off," Fred answered.
"So we thought we'd come and see how our dear sister is faring living in a house with our dear Mum and Phlegm," George teased.
"Not very well, the two of them are driving me insane," Ginny said.
"Ah, well, this should cheer you up," Fred grinned.
"Hurry up and get downstairs, you're not going to want to miss this," George urged.
"Miss what? Mum blowing her top at someone? I figured at first that it was you two she was yelling at, like always," Ginny said. "Besides, Mum's yelled at everyone enough this summer, I don't need to hear it again."
"Nah, this isn't Mum," Fred said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
"Not Mum?" Ginny asked. Who else would be capable of causing such a ruckus besides her mother?
"It's Bill and Fleur," George said.
"Bill and Fleur?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Are you serious? The same Bill and Fleur who can't keep their hands off each other?"
"The very same," George said.
Ginny looked back and forth between her two gleeful brothers, trying to understand what was happening.
"Is this some sort of prank?" she demanded. "Are you two trying out some crazy new product out on them?"
"Ginny, we would never sink that low!" Fred exclaimed.
"And even if we did, I doubt we would ever have been able to manage something this amazingly spiffing," George added.
"Yeah, this is history-book worthy," Fred agreed.
"Old Professor Binns might even wake up during his class to report this one," George said.
"Engaged couple Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour turn from a lovesick vomit-fest to a violent bullfight," Fred joked.
"Alright, I'll be down in a minute," Ginny said between her laughs. With two loud cracks Fred and George disappeared and Ginny got changed, stuffing her song journal in her back pocket, just in case.
--
Ginny entered the kitchen to find her mother nervously cooking something at the oven, with Fred and George standing next to Ginny by the doorway to the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. Bill and Fleur were standing on opposite sides of the table, Fleur looking as though the table was the only thing keeping her from attacking Bill with her bare hands. Fred and George had been right; things were pretty bad down here.
"But Bill, I 'ave already arranged for ze band to play ze song I 'ad picked," Fleur was saying, sounding extremely irritated. "They 'ave been working on ze song for weeks and now you're telling me you don't even like ze song I 'ave peeked!"
"That's not what I said, Fleur," Bill said, trying to remain calm. "I only said that I had come across another song that I would rather have as the first dance we shared as husband and wife."
"And what song would zat be?" Fleur shrieked, looking positively hysterical.
Ginny tried to back up as slowly as possibly, really regretting ever coming downstairs. Why hadn't Fred and George told her why they were fighting?
"A song Ginny wrote," Bill said.
Ginny winced as all eyes in the room turned to look at her. Fleur was looking murderous, and Ginny subtly moved her hand to the wand sticking out of her back pocket, just in case.
"A song zat Ginny wrote!" Fleur screamed. "She eez only a leettle girl!"
"I am not a little girl," Ginny interrupted.
"And besides, the fact zat 'aving ze band sing her song is completely ridiculous," Fleur continued, ignoring Ginny, "'Ow will ze band learn ze song een time? There eez less than a week until our wedding! 'Ow eez ze band supposed to be ready een time?"
"Ginny can sing the song," Bill explained, seemingly the only one in the room unnerved by Fleur's temper.
"But of course!" Fleur exclaimed, completely hysterical by now. "And, I suppose zat you would 'ave Ginny play along with her singing as well?"
"Well, yes," Bill said, "Ginny could play the song on the piano while she sings. Or we could give the music to the band, whatever you want."
"Oh, yes whatever I want!" Fleur shrieked, "Mais naturellement, maintenant il veut que.."
Fred leaned over towards Ginny, blocking out the rest of Fleur's french rant. "Excellent work, Ginny," he grinned.
"Quite impressive, but we always knew you had it in you," George added.
"But, I honestly didn't think Fleur would be that upset," Ginny whispered, eyeing the frenzied Fleur warily.
Just then the doorbell rang.
"Oh, that's probably the band with their instruments," Mrs. Weasley said, ignoring the crazed Fleur who was now pacing the floor and occasionally shaking her finger at Bill while she ranted in french. "Why don't you help me with the instruments, Ginny?"
Ginny nodded in agreement; glad to get away from this scary side of Fleur. "Are you two coming?" she asked Fred and George.
"Are you kidding?"
"And miss this?"
"No way!"
Ginny laughed and followed her mother out of the house into the garden. A kind looking man was handing a paper for her to sign while a few other men unloaded the instruments under a white tent that had been erected in the middle of the garden sometime yesterday. Ginny watched as white chairs and music stands were unloaded from their boxes, followed by an assortment of musical instruments. Then, one of the men pushed over a particularly large instrument and pulled the cover off of it to reveal… the most exquisite piano Ginny had ever laid eyes on.
It was not as big or stately as the black grand piano at Hogwarts, but something about its soft, white texture and perfectly cut shape spoke of a perfect and simple elegance that Ginny had never seen before in an instrument. She longed to play it, but didn't dare touch it with all the other wizards around. Instead, she joined in setting up the stands and chairs, until the men left with their now empty boxes.
As soon as the last wizard had apparated from site, Ginny hesitantly walked over to the piano and sat down. She felt afraid to touch it, as if she would ruin its perfect beauty by disturbing it.
"Play something for me, Ginny," a voice said. Ginny turned to see her mother sitting near her in one of the empty music chairs.
"It's been awhile, mum..." Ginny hesitated.
"Nonsense," her mum said. "You don't think that I know you've found a piano at school that you play at? I used to spend many nights in the Hogwarts music room as well. Now, play a song for me, it's been awhile since you've put on a show for me."
Ginny smiled in disbelief at her mother's knowledge of the school and decided to comply with her request. After a few moments hesitation, Ginny's fingers hit the keys with the confident exactness brought on by the familiarity of an old song, one of her mother's favorites. Soon the whole garden was filled with the sweet melody of Ginny's voice combined with the rich tunes of the baby grand piano.
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flow'rs are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
Ginny smiled as she saw her mother's eyes fill with tears at the classic song. It had been the first song that Ginny had ever learned how to play on the piano, and the first time that her mother had admitted that Ginny was a much more talented singer than she was. As her mum mouthed along to the words, Ginny tried to keep her own tears from ruining the song.
And if you come, when all the flow'rs are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.
And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.
As Ginny ended her song, she became aware that the applause she was receiving was much louder than just her mum could account for. Ginny looked up to see not only her mum, but Fred, George, Bill and Fleur standing around her as well, all clapping enthusiastically.
"That was beautiful Ginny," her mum said, wiping away a few tears.
"Excellent performance, as always," George agreed.
"A perfect ten," Fred added.
Bill smiled and looked at Fleur, who was now intensely studying her hands.
"Honey?" he questioned.
"Zat was beautiful, Ginny," Fleur spoke softly, raising her own tear stained face to meet Ginny's.
"Not exactly the work of a little girl, was it?" Bill asked gently.
"No, not at all," Fleur agreed. "I – I am truly sorry for underestimating 'ou. I 'ope 'ou can forgive me."
Ginny nodded her head, trying to see where Fleur was going to go with this.
With another look from Bill, Fleur wiped her eyes and turned to face Ginny again.
"May I see ze song you wrote, s'il vous plaît?" she asked. Ginny nodded and handed Fleur her song journal, opened to the page where she had written the song that Bill had admired the day before. Her mum moved to stand by Fleur, as did Fred and George, so as to read the song better. By the end of the page, both Fleur and Mrs. Weasley had been reduced to tears again.
"Eet eez beautiful," Fleur cried. "How ever did you come up with eet?"
"Actually, it was what you said to me that night at Hogwarts that got me thinking about it," Ginny said. "You told me about how Bill was that one special someone worth waiting a lifetime for, and the song just sort of came from there."
Fleur gave Ginny a watery smile and moved to envelope her in a hug. Ginny hugged back awkwardly, not really sure how to react.
"Ginny, will you sing zees song for us at ze wedding? I want zees to be de first song zat Bill and I dance to as husband and wife," Fleur told her, pulling out of the hug.
Ginny smiled and held back a giggle at the astonished faces of Fred and George. She could hardly believe that she had managed to make Fleur scream and cry all in one day either, but it had happened. And now, things weren't looking too bad at all.
"I'd love too."