January 2003

When Ron walked into work on Saturday morning, George eyed him warily.

"You got yourself sorted out then? No more blowing up the shop? I mean, we're usually about to blow up, but we don't need you making it worse." George clapped Ron on the shoulder as he teased him.

"Yeah, I got it sorted," Ron said, trying to avoid the conversation.

"Is 'it' a girl then?" asked Angelina.

"Not going to talk about it." Ron went to feed the pygmy puffs, refusing to make eye contact with his brother or Angelina.

"Anyone we knoooooow?" asked George with a teasing tone.

Ron sighed. "Not going to talk about it!" he repeated.

"So it is someone we know," Angelina stage whispered to George.

"Not going to talk about it!" Ron repeated again as he refilled the puffs' water dish. "Just drop it."

"Just a little hint, dear brother? Do we know her or not?"

"Fine!" Ron spat at him (although he was really only half annoyed), "you know her, in that she is a witch, close to our age, who went to Hogwarts. That narrows it down to about 400 people. Better start making a list!"

For the rest of the day, George and Angelina randomly yelled various names at Ron, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Romilda Vane! Right? Wasn't she that girl in Ginny's year?"

"Oh, maybe he tried again with Susan Bones!"

"Who's that girl who works with Percy? The one with the thing on her nose? I bet it's her!"

"He finally gave in and went after the Bulstrode bird. You make a beautiful couple, Ron!"

At one point they even guessed correctly.

"What if it's Loony? They can have a gaggle of Humdingers or whatever she's into…"

But Ron schooled his features and didn't respond, just as he hadn't responded to the rest of the teasing. They'd find out at some point, but he'd rather it be on his terms, not theirs.

When Sunday dinner came around, Ron's palms were sweating. Luna would come, of course. And so would Bill, Percy, George and Harry. And all their various families. Ron also hadn't told his parents about his date either, and he wasn't sure how they'd react. Plus, outside of a quick note the day before, he hadn't talked to Luna since Friday, and was unsure about her feelings. How did one even bring it up? Oh, Luna, by the way, my entire family is going to take the Mickey once they found out we went out, except my mum. She's just going to cry because she thinks that going on one date means we'll get married and pop out babies next week. Oh, and Ginny will lose her mind.

Then Ron spend a half hour wondering if Luna told Ginny about their date, and how Ginny responded. And what Luna thought about it.

Maybe the whole thing had been a mistake.

"Ronald Weasley, I asked you hours ago to please expand the table and put a warming charm on the porch!"

"Sorry, Mum," he said as he drug himself down the stairs. A whole morning, wasted on worrying about something he couldn't change.

After expanding the table and warming the porch, Ron distracted himself by melting the patches of ice which had sprung up on the walk. Sure, it was amusing when the gnomes slipped their way into the ditch, but it would be much less funny if it was Fleur or Angelina. Or one of the children.

As often happens, nearly everyone showed up at the same time, just as Ron was drying the steps. Inside the house, Percy and his family stumbled out of the floo, followed by Bill, Fleur and Victoire. George and Angelina preferred apparition, despite Molly's protests that it wasn't good for the baby.

"Honestly, Molly," Angelina said as she went in the house and Molly started clucking at her, "things have changed. The Mediwitch says it's preferable to knocking around in the floo all day…"

"Oui," added Fleur, helping Angelina with her coat, "ma mama says zee same, zee floo eez much rougher…but Shell Cottage eez so far to apparate…zee bebe will be alright eizer way. Angie eez a strong witch, Mama Weasley."

Shortly after, Harry and Ginny apparated onto the front walk with Teddy in tow, and Ron followed them into the house. Everyone stood in the hallway, taking off their hats, gloves and scarves, when there was another pop on the walk.

Luna glided through the front door and greeted everyone, hugging Ginny and Harry. She picked her way around the boots and hats littering the hall until she got to Ron.

Then she kissed him, right in front of everyone.

The friendly chatter (and Molly's argument with Angelina and Fleur) died out, and everyone from Arthur to Baby Molly stared at them. Luna, oblivious, started unwinding her scarf from her neck.

Then Ginny made that skrewt sound again.

"Ginny…" Molly chided, sounding confused.

"Don't 'Ginny' me! I told him not to do this, I went out of my way to keep him away from her, but no. Ron has to go after the one friend I have to myself. I have to share Harry. I have to share Hermione. But Luna is my friend."

"Oh, shove it, Ginny. You told me to get my thumb out of my arse, not to stay away from her. Not that it's your business, remember?"

Harry looked between the two and said quietly, "I think I was the one who told you to get your thumb-"

"The children!" scolded Audrey.

"Sorry." Ron looked to his mum.

"Sorry." Harry looked at the ground.

"ARGH!" screeched Ginny again, and she ran up the stairs.

Everyone was quiet, staring at Ron and Luna. Even Teddy's eyes were wide, and Harry seemed unsure of where to put his hands.

"Well that went well," said Ron to break the silence.

Luna looked at him, brows furrowed. "Really? I don't think it went well at all."

Molly seemed to snap herself out of her shock and wiped her hands on her apron. "Well, I'd better go check on her. Luna, do you think you should come with, or…."

"No, I'll come. I didn't know she felt so strongly about the situation. I do apologize." She gave Ron an apologetic glance and followed Molly up the stairs.

Better her than me, thought a very un-Gryffindor part of Ron's brain.

Arthur ushered everyone into the living room and summoned some butterbeers and pumpkin juice from the other room. As everyone settled in, Ron found himself the object of curious gazes and murmurs. Every once in a while a raised voice (Molly's? Ginny's? The two were indistinguishable lately) broke through the walls, the words indecipherable.

George was the first to speak. "So…I owe Angelina 10 galleons."

"Whatever for, dear brother?" asked Bill, an impish smile on his usually serious face. Apparently Ron had been the subject of many floo-calls.

"Well, you see, we reckoned he'd found himself a lady friend, and Angelina was sure it was the dotty blonde up there. I, of course, was pulling for Millicent Bulstrode, as we all were…"

The remaining Weasley men and Harry murmured their agreement.

"But Angelina was so sure it was Loony-"

Ron narrowed his eyes. "Luna. Alright? Take the Mickey out of me, not her."

"Okay then…anyway, I can't be too heartbroken, because we share a vault, you know. But I'll have the goblins move it from my corner to her corner or something like that."

"We could get some buckets to keep in there," added Angelina. "Bets I've won, bets you've won, antes we've put up…"

"I've still got 5 Galleons on Charlie actually marrying a dragon," added George.

The room lapsed into silence once again. Female voices floated down the stairs every few minutes.

Audrey, who was usually the quietest person in the room, broke the quiet. "So…anyone care to fill me in on Ginny? What's that about?"

Heads swiveled to look at Harry. He raised his hands in defeat. "Bugger if I know! She was totally normal until we got here. She's fine unless Ron and Luna are around."

Arthur chuckled. "Yep, you married a Prewett woman alright!"

"Luna thinks it's about Quidditch," supplied Ron.

The women in the room looked at him in confusion. "Quidditch? Really? I mean, I like it and all, but it has nothing to do with you or Luna, or Ginny's mood," Angelina said.

"No, zee men zink it eez always about sports….you must have misunderstood 'er."

Ron shrugged. The whole thing was a mystery to him.

Percy laid a hand on Audrey's arm and cleared his throat. He said quietly, "you know, she never really had a breakdown about…everything. We all did, but Ginny was just…"

Harry nodded as if pieces were falling into place. "She was strong for everyone. She moved on so fast."

"Yeah, we couldn't all be basket cases. That was my job," added George. Angelina nudged him in the side, then laid a head on his shoulder.

"And she was there for Hermione when she fell apart that first semester back…" said Ron.

"And that first Christmas when I…well…you were there…" added Harry.

"And when Ron and Hermione broke up and he didn't sleep for 3 days and drank all the firewhiskey in London, she insisted on checking on him every few hours" said Percy.

Audrey stroked the back of Percy's hand. "Hey, she didn't have to support everyone. I was the one who talked you out of quitting the ministry and moving to France."

"George and Percy came to bail out Bill when he threatened to bite zat reporter who asked me on a date. Zee Aurors were quite upset."

"You were 9 months pregnant!" protested Bill, "and besides, you were the one who convinced the Goblins to chase the reporters away."

"Weel, even so, eet was a good sing zey let you off work when Victoire was born. Gave you some time to grieve, finally."

Arthur gave the group a sad smile and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Well, we've all made it through, one way or another…you think it's all catching up to Ginny?"

Ron thought about how neither of his parents functioned for almost six months after Fred died. His father puttered around the shed, never accomplishing anything, and his mum stared off into space. They hadn't protested when he moved in with Harry, or when Ginny spent most of the summer at Grimmauld. They hadn't fought the trip to Australia. Their grief was something Ron hadn't been able to understand. But he'd spent almost 2 years avoiding his grief, and it had caught up to him after he and Hermione broke up.

And he didn't want his sister to feel that way.

"Yeah," said Harry, his voice thick, "she's been stressed about everything, and after the World Cup…I don't know how to explain it, she seems lost. She'll have good days, but then get upset about something insignificant."

"Think I should go talk to her?" asked Ron, hoping someone would tell him no.

Arthur snorted. "Son, if you're the object of a woman's ire…any woman…you stay far away and let someone else deal with it."

"Thank Merlin," Ron replied, looking to Harry with relief.

"I sink zat Harry should be zee one to talk to 'er," added Fleur. Every man in the room gave him a sympathetic look.

"Me?" The girls nodded. Harry sighed and stood up. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" chorused the Weasley brothers as Harry drug himself up the stairs.

A few minutes later, Luna came back down and stood at the threshold of the living room. "Molly says we should just start eating. Save a plate for her and Ginny and Harry." Luna beckoned Ron to come in the hall with her.

"Everything okay?" he asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.

"Yes. I think she'll be okay…she's not mad at me, or you really. She's just…mad. Life would be much easier if people just had their feelings instead of having the feelings they think they're supposed to be having."

Ron nodded, despite the fact that he didn't understand what she said, or how it applied to Ginny. Instead of puzzling it out, he bent to kiss Luna again before saying, "my brothers are probably going to tease you a bit. They don't mean anything by it, it's just how they show people they like them."

"Exactly what I'm talking about," said Luna, leading him into the kitchen.

Ron followed, bewildered as usual.