Author's Note:
Thank you so much to everyone that is reading this! I have been getting such great reviews and well frankly (sniffles) they just warm me soul! I love every single one of you and I promise that at the end of the story (which won't be for a while I hope) I will mention everyone's names! For now though, please keep reading and sending those great reviews!
Also, keep in mind for this chapter that Ginny does not know that Ron helped Harry in the war. She knew that he was involved in the last battle, but she doesn't know that Ron and Harry and Hermione have been best friends since the beginning of school. This will be explained.
Love, Bella
Ginny did forget about Harry that night. In fact, she forgot just about everything, including her name and address. She had gone to a local pub with a few of the girls in the ballet company after dinner with her family, and after 5 or so beers, her mind was as blank as if it had been erased by a spell.
Luckily, one of the girls with Ginny, a girl named Riley, happened to be a witch as well. In fact, she was the only witch besides Ginny in the ballet company, and they became friends shortly after discovering this. She had been to Ginny's house a couple of times within the last month and so she was able to deposit Ginny safely at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley helped Riley put Ginny to bed, disappointed in her daughter for getting so carried away.
...
The next morning, Mrs. Weasley was making breakfast when she heard the door open. It seemed a little too early for Ron to come over, but as she glanced at the clock on the wall that told where her family members were, she confirmed that it was in fact Ron. As he walked into the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley immediately hugged him, as she did for all her children.
He had stopped by that morning because he was finally ready to tell Ginny what he had been hiding from her for the past few years. Mrs. Weasley, and the rest of the family in fact, knew all about it, but for some reason Ron had insisted that Ginny not be told. He felt that she was in danger being the youngest and relatively defenseless at the time of the war.
"Ron dear, I'm so glad you are finally opening up to your sister. She has wanted to be closer to you for so long. Now you two can be as close as you ought to be," said Mrs. Weasley, happy that the difficult times of the war were over, and that families were healing again. "I just wish it hadn't taken you so long, it has been 5 years after all!"
"I know mum, but there was still danger, and Ginny only just graduated. I wanted everything to calm down and for her to be ready when I told her, although I admit, she probably could have found out sooner," replied Ron. He had always wanted to share this part of his life with Ginny, but he knew he couldn't until she was ready. The truth was, he had always been overprotective of her because despite all of his brothers, she was his favorite sibling. He regretted having to push her away for so long.
"Oh, by the way mum, I've invited Harry to come over. He has been wanting to see the Burrow for a while now, and I figured he could help to prove to Ginny that I'm telling the truth if she doesn't believe me," said Ron.
"That's fine dear, when do you think he will be arriving?" asked Mrs. Weasley, adding more bacon to the pan for Harry.
The doorbell rang, and Ron went to answer it, shouting back to his mother, "I think that's him now."
He answered the door, and let in his best mate Harry Potter. "Hiya mate, welcome finally to the Burrow," he said enthusiastically, glad to finally be able to share this kind of thing with his friend.
"Thanks," replied Harry. "Glad to finally be here."
"Care for some breakfast? My sister isn't up yet so we have some time to eat," Ron suggested.
"Ron even if there isn't time you manage to eat," Harry joked.
The boys sat down to breakfast and were chatting with Mrs. Weasley who had practically squeezed the life out of Harry when he entered, and welcomed him to what she insisted would always be a home for him.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang heard, like someone colliding with furniture. "BLOODY HELL!" they heard someone scream from upstairs.
Ron grinned and turned to Harry, "That would be my sister, she's not much of a morning person."
Harry laughed a little as he heard the girl mumbling loudly about furniture getting in her way and how bloody awful mornings were as she trumped down the stairs.
"I feel as if my head were bitten off by a bloody dragon," said a girl with fiery red hair, who was now entering the kitchen. Harry's eyes grew wide, it was Ginny, from the night before! She was Ron's little sister?
"Well maybe you shouldn't drink so much that you can't remember where you live, then you won't wake up with such a headache," chided the unsympathetic Mrs. Weasley.
"Ginny, you got drunk!" exclaimed a shocked Ron.
"Don't be such a git Ron," said Ginny before she turned around to look at her brother for the first time that morning. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed her brother was not alone.
"Harry, is that you?" she asked, wondering if maybe her hangover was affecting her vision.
"Hey Ginny, nice to uh... see you again," responded Harry.
"Wait a second, have you guys met?" questioned Ron, utterly confused at the turn the conversation had taken.
"Not really, I ran into Harry, literally, last night and we just chatted for a minute or two after he helped me up." replied Ginny. "But what the hell is he doing here?" she asked suddenly very curious.
"He has something to do with what I came to tell you Ginny, actually a big part," said Ron meekly, not sure if it was a good thing Ginny and Harry knew each other.
"Are you two gay or something?" Ginny teased. She could see Harry and Ron grimace, turn pale, and look at each other in disgust. She cracked up.
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley screeched. "Be polite!"
Ginny ignored her mother and looked over at Ron, raising her eyebrows with a smile on her face.
"God no Ginny, this is actually quite serious though, why don't we go into the other room?" Ron said.
Ginny agreed and the two went to sit in the living room, leaving Harry alone with Mrs. Weasley who was attempting to force feed him several large pastries.
Ron started off by explaining to her that he and Harry had been friends since the middle of their first year at Hogwarts. He was also best friends with Hermione Granger. He didn't tell Ginny he was friends with Harry all those years because Mrs. and Mr. Weasley had thought it best not too at the time, saying it would protect Ginny in the future.
They had been right.
When Ginny started school, Ron was in his 6th year, and he knew that things with Voldemort were turning serious. He also knew that Harry was going to have to fight Voldemort soon, and that Ron and Hermione were going to help him. Ron and the rest of his family felt that it would be best if Ginny did not know, because they feared that if she knew Ron was in the war, than she would insist on helping when she obviously was not ready for that.
They were also worried that if the Deatheaters or Voldemort ever heard about Ron's sister, than they would go after her, and use her against Ron. After the war, Ron had become an auror, and Ginny was still in school. There were still a lot of Deatheaters, who would jump at the chance to harm Ginny, just to get back at Ron which would affect Harry in one way or another, and so Ginny was still not told. All in all, the family had felt it best that Ginny not know about Ron's job and that he was in the war, and best friends with Harry Potter because they wanted to protect her.
To Ginny, it seemed like a rather silly way of protecting her. Not telling her who her brother's friends were somehow protected her? Then again, she could see the logic, after all, she was only twelve when the last battle was fought, and chances are, she would have insisted on helping if she knew Ron was such a big part of it, and she most likely would have been killed.
Granted, she could produce a very nasty Bat Bogey Hex at the time, but how many Deatheaters can you fight when all you know is the Bat Bogey, and one or two simple shields? Yeah, with those odds, you're a goner.
Ginny had sat and listened to Ron's story in silence. It wasn't that she didn't believe her brother, he could be rather noble when he wanted to be, but she couldn't get over the fact that her brother was the best friend of the man she had dreamt of marrying, but had no realistic hopes of meeting.
It seemed very surreal, and a little bit ridiculous. Now Harry was only going to see her as Ron's little sister. She found it ironic that Harry was asking her on a date last night, and now he was only going to see her as Ron's little sister, and would not want to date her. The very thought made her sick. Had she really passed up a date with the man of her dreams for such a petty reason? Who cares if he's only interested in a normal night out, he could have gotten to know her, they could have had something. Now she was going to be like a second sister to him! For Pete's sake, her mother was welcoming him into the family! He wouldn't want to date the little sister of his brother for all intents and purposes. It would be like incest for all intents and purposes. Well okay, maybe that's taking it a bit far, but none the less Ginny, you have missed out on your chance, and now your just going to have to suffer, she thought to herself.
Then again, what do you really know about the guy? You know he is brave, smart, ridiculously handsome, and noble. Yes all right, but is he funny, do you share similar interests? What bothers him, or makes him happy? You don't know any of this. You don't really know him at all. It's no big deal. Just get over him. It's no big deal. She thought to herself as she and Ron walked back towards the kitchen.
She would just get over him, it wasn't like she was in love with him or anything, but she definitely had a crush. She would get over that crush now, and she and Harry could be friends. It's no big deal, he's not for you, she mentally repeated to herself.
Yes, she could do this, she would forget about Harry bloody Potter.
She walked into the kitchen and saw Harry grinning at her from his seat at the table.
Bloody hell, this was going to be difficult.
