Disclaimer: Potterverse belongs to J.K. Rowling
Chapter 3: A Hurricane
Harry was pacing awkwardly in the garden behind the Burrow while Ginny sat inside with his family. It seemed that two halves of his head were yelling at each other. The one half, the one that was making him pace, was coming up with all sorts of terrible, nightmarish scenarios. He could see the elder Weasleys talking Ginny out of her engagement. He pictured Mrs. Weasley fainting at such a terrible prospect, and Mr. Weasley chasing Harry off of the property. A frightening picture of a teary eyed Mrs. Weasley informing Harry that he just wasn't good enough for her daughter, and could he please stop coming around so often. Shaking his head Harry tried to clear himself of all of these images.
A smaller voice at the back of his head, the voice of reason that sounded eerily like Hermione, was telling him that he was worrying for nothing. The Weasleys had as good as welcomed him into their family already. They had never done anything but smile and voice approving words towards his relationship with their only daughter.
But then the fearful emotional voice would counter back that maybe the problem was that Ginny was their only daughter. What if they wanted her with someone who had a normal childhood, who hadn't spent more than half of his life so far tainted by Voldemort? What if they were afraid Harry would leave Ginny again because he had to go chasing after some other dark wizards? What if they thought that his job was too dangerous, and he just wasn't the kind of guy that they wanted for their daughter?
His Hermione voice told him to calm down. That not a single Weasley, not Ron, not Bill, not even Ginny herself had ever blamed him for leaving. He had only left her in the physical sense, his heart had belonged to her since he was sixteen years old and they knew it. They knew that he had done it only to keep her safe, and never was it because he didn't love her. They knew that Harry would put Ginny, both her heart and her safety, above all else.
"Or maybe," his scared brain argued back "only you know it Harry, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley simply think that you are just a waffling fool when it comes to their daughter."
While Harry was having his inner battle an argument of a different type was occurring inside The Burrow.
"Seriously mum! It's not that big a deal!"
"How would you know? Have you been through anything like this before? Do you think that just because you lived through the Great War that means you suddenly know how to live?"
"But mum you are always trying to control me and now I finally have something I want to do and you are just preventing me from do it for your own selfish reasons!"
"SELFISH! You dare call me selfish when I was the one who raised you? When I brought you up to the responsible, respectable human being who you are now?"
"But that's just it mum! You call me responsible and respectable but you don't actually mean it! If you did you would lay off and let me live my own life!"
"This is ridiculous! Where is your father? Arthur! ARTHUR?! Come talk some sense into your son. He thinks he can just fly off to America because it will 'aid his career.' Please come and speak some reason into Percy!"
As it turns out Arthur was busy sitting upstairs in one of the old bedrooms. He was watching Harry pace back and forth in their garden, muttering to himself. Arthur could have sworn he saw him come up the walk with Ginny so where was she? Something about this sight seemed awfully familiar to him, but he couldn't place his finger on what it was.
As he sat considering his could-as-well-have-been-son's sojourn in the garden he heard Molly hollering for him. He figured that Percy's proposition didn't go over as well as either would have liked. Given his experience with his family's temper Arthur figured it would be best to let both of them cool off before trying to rationalize either. Arthur knew that Percy was simply acting on old ambitions and that America was the best place to pursue a career in international wizarding law. He also knew that Molly didn't want to hold Percy back but only wanted to hold her family together. With Fred gone Molly had clung to her children even more tightly than she had. It was subtle but Arthur knew that Molly blamed Fred's death on herself and wanted to ensure that her children were all healthy and happy in the best way that she knew how. Sighing, Arthur resigned himself to face the hurricane in the living room. As he turned and started down the stairs he left one fleeting thought on Harry's peculiar and somehow familiar behavior in the garden.
Before Arthur had even reached the living room the front door had slammed and Molly was left alone at the foot of the stairs, shaking and tearing up. "Oh Molly," Arthur soothed as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, "he's not going to hurt you, you know."
"I know Arthur," Molly's voice answered from somewhere in his chest, "but I just wish that I could keep them all safe and home forever. Why do children have to grow up? It would be much easier if they were all babies and little children who never wanted to go anywhere without their mummy."
Arthur smiled. He couldn't help it. His wife simply imparted too much love. "Molly just think about what extraordinary children you have raised. And you already have two grandchildren! Percy's leaving isn't going to separate the family, with any luck he'll bring home more Weasleys!"
"Oh Arthur," Molly sighed. And Arthur could feel that even though she still had his face buried in his chest, she was smiling too. "Come on, Ginny's been sitting in the kitchen for nearly half an hour."
Drying her eyes and leading the way, Molly led him straight into the kitchen. It was amazing how Ginny stood out against the backdrop of her home. She had grown up there, she had lived there all of her life yet suddenly it seemed she didn't belong there anymore. And that's when Arthur knew. For years to come he would never be able to explain how, he just suddenly saw his daughter, and thought to her boyfriend pacing in the yard. And he remembered how nearly 30 years ago he had done the exact same thing. He had paced in the backyard of Molly's parents' home while she sat in the kitchen, doing all of the talking.
"Hi," Ginny said, offering a tentative smile, "is this a bad time? Because we can always talk another time."
"Don't be silly!" Molly countered sharply "You will sit and talk with us. My fight with Percy was just me being old and not ready to see all you kids grow up even though," she took a staggering breath, "it seems you all have. Now eat! You look as if you haven't any food all day."
"I suppose I haven't" Ginny thought wryly to herself. "Well now's as good a time as any. Besides, they love Harry. This should be easy right?"
She took a deep breath and said, "well mum, dad I have some pretty big news for you myself. I um… I um…"
Molly gave her a piercing stare, "you haven't taken a job in America have you?"
"What? No! I just," Ginny stammered.
"It's all right" Arthur soothed his daughter. "No matter what it is your mother and I love you very much and we want the best for you. Don't we Molly?"
"Well of course we do!" Molly replied. "Ginny dear, I am sorry. Please continue."
Ginny nodded. She would take another deep breath, another try. As she looked up she saw her father's beaming face a crazy thought popped into her head. For a split second she thought he already knew what she was going to say, but that was foolish. How could he possibly know?
Ginny began again, "mum, dad I love you both very much and part of me wants to be a little girl and live at The Burrow forever. But I'm not a little girl anymore, much as you want me to be and I have to accept that. And as much as I love you both so very much the thing is, my heart's different now. And it's different because I love Harry. I love Harry so much that sometimes I think it's going to explode and all that will be left of me is the part that's clinging onto him. I love Harry so much that when I look up at the sky it doesn't look big enough to put all my love for Harry into. He's the most wonderful, caring person I know. And above all else he's my best friend. He's the person that I want to talk to when I am sad and laugh with when I am happy. And so when Harry asked me to marry him this morning, I said 'yes.'" Ginny had said her piece, and dared to glance at her parent's faces.
"Oh Ginny! Of course you are going to marry Harry! Oh we always knew it would happen and now it is! Oh I love you both so very, very much! Where is he?"
"Out fretting in the garden, I'll go talk to him," Arthur answered.
"Thank you dad! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ginny squealed as she hugged him.
"Of course Ginny, you are my little girl and I want you to be happy. If Harry makes you happy then of course you will have Harry. Now, I have to go see to my future son-in-law."
As Arthur walked out towards Harry's pacing spot in the garden he could only catch snippets of what Molly and Ginny were saying in the kitchen. "Wedding plans no doubt," he thought to himself. "Ah, and there is the man of the hour!"
Harry heard Arthur's footsteps before his voice, calling out his name. "Harry, how have you been?"
"Oh not bad Arthur, not bad" Harry choked out. "Erm, has Ginny spoken to you yet?"
"Yes, she has." Silence hung in the ear for only a few seconds but it was more than Harry could bear.
"Mr. Weasley I love your daughter more than I have loved anything in my entire life. I want to spend every morning waking up to her and every night falling asleep with her. I want to dry every tear she has and see every smile she has. I will do everything in my power to make her happy. If she wants the moon I would give her the moon and if she wants the sea then I would give her the sea. Because your daughter means the world to me and if I wasn't a part of her life then mine would be worth nothing. I love her."
"Well Harry," Arthur smiled, "far be it from me than to keep two people apart who simply want nothing more than to be together. I can't imagine a single man who I would rather see my daughter sharing the rest of her life with. You have my blessing of course."
"Thank you Mr. Weasley! Thank you!" Harry gave Mr. Weasley a great bear hug, as if he had never heard such wonderful words.
"Just one more thing Harry."
"Of course Mr. Weasley, anything."
"Call me Arthur." Harry and Arthur shook on it and walked back to the kitchen together, as their futures were waiting for them both.