A/N: I own nothing. This chapter is rated T for strong language. Thanks so much to my beta, stella8h8chang for her help editing this chapter.
Chapter 1: Weasleys' Worries
"Hey, runt."
Ginny had been looking through the window of the Hogwarts Express as they passed through green trees and rolling hills. The trip back to London and Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station seemed endless, mostly because she had chosen to sit by herself in a lone train compartment. There were so many empty carriages; so many of the students had left Hogwarts before the official end of term.
Now that Dumbledore was—
"Ginny?"
Ginny came out of her trance with a start. Turning her head, she looked over at the source of the voice. Ron had slid the glass door to the compartment shut and sat directly across from her. He had a small, sad grin on his face.
"How're you doin', Gin?"
"Oh, I'm fine and all . . ." her voice drifted away.
Ron chuckled gently. "Ya sound like someone's stabbed your pygmy puff—"
Ginny tried to let a little smirk out, as such a comment in the past would certainly have warranted one.
But she just didn't feel motivated to at the moment, not when she was absolutely certain that her brother would be leaving them and helping Harry with . . . with . . .
With whatever Harry would be doing.
Instead, Ginny merely sighed and gave Ron a small smile. "I mean, when the whole world's falling apart, and so many people have already died, I'm just sitting here, wallowing in my own sadness because I just got dumped." Ginny gave him a sideways glance, and snorted humorlessly. "I'm really quite pathetic, Ron."
"This is really sad."
Ginny cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why? What's sad?"
"You're sounding more and more like me," Ron said, crossing his arms.
Ginny shook her head. "I'm such an idiot."
"Well, now you're really starting to sound like me."
Ginny elbowed him. "St-stop that," she said, and Ginny cursed herself for feeling her eyes watering again. "I . . . I shouldn't l-let it hurt me, y'know?" Ginny swatted at her face. "But he's going . . . you and Hermione are going too, to . . . wherever," Ginny took a great big gasp, and felt a bubble of spit form at her mouth; she wiped at her lower face. She kept staring at the floor, even as she felt Ron move into the seat next to her. "And everyone's dying and hurting and families are being torn apart and I'm losing you guys. I'm losing Harry, my best friend, a-and my b-br-brother," Ginny attempted to stifle another gasp behind her small fingers and turned to look at Ron, who had her in a solid, one-armed embrace.
"Hey, it's all right. I'm still here, yeah?"
"But you're not going to be!" Ginny said suddenly.
Oh how she hated having these emotional outbursts; she hated that she could get all sobbing and soppy and selfish. She had been feeling just fine as she had walked away from Harry after he had broken up with her. She hadn't cried nor had she thrown any breakables like she wanted to.
She didn't want to break things because she was pissed at Harry. No—
She was pissed at the whole situation!
It was all this shit, this darkness and evil that she had faced so many years ago with that diary. It was all coming back, but the scope was far larger than before.
And this darkness, this evil would be separating her from the people that she loved: her family, and her friends.
It would destroy the world she had always known.
"Ron . . . what a-about our family, huh? You're putting yourself on the front line! And I kn-know you. I know what you'll d-do--"
Ron furrowed his brow, like he was confused. "Oh, really, Gingersnap?"
Ginny shook her head. "Ron, don't! Just . . ." Ginny licked and rubbed her lips together. "You'll get hot-headed—"
"What, me? Hot-headed? Never!"
"Ron!" Ginny huffed. "You'll put yourself out there. You'll give up your own life to protect Harry and Hermione!"
Much to Ginny's increasing frustration and growing hysterics, Ron only gave her a condescending, pitiful look. "Ginny, don't worry. We'll be fine. Don't know if you knew this, but Hermione Granger's actually a fairly smart witch for her age. And Harry's practically invincible--"
Ginny punched him hard in the stomach. Ron gasped and winced at the painful physical contact.
"OW!" He rubbed at his stomach where her fist had connected with his body.
"You can't!" Ginny practically screamed. "It'll destroy Mum if she loses you! It'll kill all of us, Ron." Ginny was panting, looking at her brother with wet, and pleading eyes. He averted his gaze and focused on the floor. Ginny had to take a few deep breaths before she could continue to talk. "We almost lost Bill. When I saw his face . . . when I saw him lying in the hospital and when I watched Fleur and Mum wiping his f-face, it was too cl-close," she said, her voice shaking. "W-we almost l-lost Dad too." Ginny was whispering now. "I just feel th-that . . . the family has to stick together, Ron. We have to be together as much as possible. We need to make sure that we don't lose anyone." Ginny turned her eyes back on Ron. "I can't lose you. You're my hero. You've always been—"
Ginny wanted to cringe at the very corny sentiment.
But it was so very true.
And she had to make Ron believe it.
She had to make Ron believe it until he was gone.
Ron smirked at this. "Your hero, Ginny? Thought Harry was your hero?"
Ginny shook her head. "I care a lot about Harry. Hell, I might even be in love with him." She held down a giggle as she saw the humorously disgusted look on her brother's face.
(Well, glad to see there are some things about the git that haven't changed!)
"But before there was Harry, Hermione, or Hogwarts, there was always us. Our family. And you, Ron." Ginny looked up at the ceiling, seeking for more words to say to her brother while pointedly avoiding direct eye contact with him. "You protected me when those Muggle kids from the village were bullying me. You even stood up to Fred and George when they'd pick on me . . ."
"Didn't quite do that all the time," Ron said, with a humble tone to his voice. He shrugged. "'S'not really a big deal, Gin . . ."
"—And you stayed with me and kept me company through my 'Summer of Hell', remember?"
"After all the shit that you went through your first year, Gin, it was the absolute least I could do."
"You've always been there, Ron—"
"'Cause I'm your brother. I live with ya."
"—I always counted on you to protect me, to help me out . . ."
"Because little 'runts' like you do need some extra protection," Ron smirked.
" . . . And if I have to keep saying you're my hero every day this summer until the three of you leave to do what you're going to do, I'll keep saying it. I'll say it over and over again until you believe it."
Ron opened his mouth, but Ginny saw, for once, he had no pithy comeback, no sarcastic retort or phrase. Closing it promptly, he gave a fleeting smile to his sister.
"Okay, Ginny. I believe you. All right?"
Ginny's mouth drew into a firm line and she gave one nod, apparently finishing that particular conversation, even if she knew Ron still didn't buy it.
(Such a stubborn fool.)
"You know," she said, in a softer voice, "I call you a 'prat' a lot."
Ron snorted. "You also call me 'git' and 'idiot' — probably seventy-five to ninety percent of the time you don't actually use my real name."
Ginny nodded and smiled lopsidedly at him. "I'm gonna say this only once," she spoke quietly, "but every time I call you 'prat' or 'git', what I really mean is 'I really love you and you drive me completely mental and crazy, but in a good way, and I don't want to lose you, because you're my brother and you're the absolute best.'" She stopped talking and looked at Ron. He had an awkward expression on his face, almost like a grin bordering on a grimace.
Ginny thought he wasn't quite sure what to make of her sudden outpouring of affection for him.
"I just want you to know that. Who knows what it's gonna be like once we get home. We may not have the chance to talk, and, right now, I want to say things to you that are a bit sappy and sweet." Ginny smiled at him and he grinned in response.
Ron and Ginny sat for a few minutes in silence, listening to the wheels of the Hogwarts Express, letting the conversation they had only moments before hang in the air around them.
"Why aren't you sitting with Harry and Hermione?" Ginny asked him after a few moments had passed.
"Oh . . . erm," Ron shifted uncomfortably next to Ginny. "Well, er . . ."
Ginny sighed.
"Ron, Hermione already told me that you two are taking a break while you're helping out Harry."
Ron looked at her sheepishly. "We're two of the biggest sodding losers at love, aren't we?"
Ginny shook her head. "Hermione couldn't stop crying when she was talking to me. She thinks the two of you have to distance yourselves from each other. Look," Ginny spoke directly to him. "You were in the Hospital Wing that night. You saw Bill and Phl- . . . er, Fleur, Remus and Tonks. Love is it. Love's all we've got to fight against You-Know-Who." Ginny smiled at him. "Just always remember, no matter what happens with you and Hermione, she loves you. I mean, she really loves you."
"This is really quite soppy for you. You've been dipping into those trashy novels Lavender Brown's been reading?"
Ginny snorted. "Let me be a sop. Today only." She arched her eyebrow and wiggled a finger at him.
Ron sighed and once again turned back to face Ginny. "Honestly, I just needed to get some space from Hermione, for right now. And I thought I'd check in on my favorite sister." Ron smiled at her. Ginny nudged him with her arm.
"Your only sister, Ron."
Ron shrugged. "Well, it's true either way, then, innit?"
Ginny blinked and smiled fully across her face. She shook her head in amusement, but the lump in her throat was not going away. "Prat."
She leaned against the pillar, her arms crossed, and her things laying at her feet.
She watched him.
She watched him with his uncle — who rather resembled a planet — and his aunt, who reminded Ginny of a pig wearing a blonde wig. Both were cowering in fear as Mad-Eye Moody, Bill Weasley (his scars still mending and giving him a rather intimidating appearance), Tonks and Remus Lupin dressed them down.
He looked over at her direction.
For a brief moment, she considered abandoning her possessions to throw herself into his arms—
"Ginny! There you are, my girl!"
The warm and familiar sound of her father's voice caused Ginny's heart to leap up into her throat. She turned and saw the tall, thin, balding man stride quickly toward her.
However, just as she was about to throw her arms around him in a tight embrace, he halted her with his right hand.
"You need to remember to ask me my identification question, Ginny," Arthur Weasley reminded her sternly.
"Dad, if you were a Death Eater, I'd be dead already," she blurted out without thinking.
(Ginevra! You idiot!)
Her father's face blanched and his stance faltered a bit.
Ginny shook her head quickly. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean—" she watched as her father's face slowly regained its color and stopped herself, blinked, and then proceeded to ask, "What is your dearest ambition, Dad?"
"To find out how airplanes stay in the air," he said mildly. "Now, Ginny, what was the name Fred and George named your stuffed bear when you were five years old?"
Ginny had to suppress a giggle. "Ronald McPoopyPants Terwillikers Bear, also affectionately known as Ronnie McPoopyPants." It had been a stroke of genius when Fred and George had recommended that bit of information as Ginny's identification question and answer; Ron's face had reddened to twenty times its normal (angry!) blush, and he had vehemently forbidden asking his question anywhere near Harry or Hermione.
Arthur himself smiled and chuckled, which gradually grew into a laugh. "Ah, my daughter!" He embraced her with a tremendous, firm, and strong hug. Ginny happily returned it.
"Ah, there's Harry! Haven't seen him yet--" Arthur was just about to wave Harry over, when Ginny pushed his arm down.
"Dad, please!"
"What's wrong, dear?" Arthur gave his daughter a very concerned look.
Ginny swallowed. "H-Harry and I . . . we broke up."
He let out a small groan of sympathy. "Oh sweetheart," he said softly, and he gave Ginny a squeeze that she gratefully returned. Arthur kissed the top of her head.
"Ron's seeing Hermione off," Ginny said after a moment, hoping desperately to change the subject. There was a fine hint of amusement in her voice, though, and Arthur gave her a sly grin and a wink.
"Well, I wouldn't want to embarrass them now, would I?" Arthur looked over at where Ron stood, saying his goodbyes to Hermione. The two teenagers kept embracing each other, as if no words or actions would be enough for either of them to part.
Ginny sighed and tried hard not to be annoyed at the couple. "They're only gonna be apart for one bloody week!"
Arthur looked over to his daughter and gave a small hum. "How are you holding up Ginny?"
She looked over at her dad and smiled at him with a twinge of melancholy. "I'm fine." She blinked and shook her head. "Well, no I'm not really fine. I'll be all right, though." Ginny's eyes drifted to some point in front of her. "There are others somewhere that aren't nearly as fine as I am. There are others out there that've already lost so much . . . everything. They don't have anything." Her eyes fell to the floor.
"There's definitely truth to that statement, Gingersnap," Arthur said in a quiet voice. Ginny looked up at her dad, and he gave her the gentle smile of a father comforting his only daughter. "Look, whatever's troubling you, whether it be about boys, or a boy, or life . . . talk to your mum or me. Talk to Fleur or Bill or Fred or George or Ron. Don't let yourself think things are too small or too strange or too unimportant, Ginny." He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. "Now is the time that we need to be a family. Don't forget that," he said. It was the unexpected emphasis on the last phrase that made Ginny's smile falter and look at her father without a trace of amusement. Arthur regarded her with a very serious expression, one that demanded total and complete acceptance of his request.
To finish his point, he gave her a small nod and a small peck on her forehead.
Ginny, much to her consternation felt her eyes watering again.
"Dad! Ginny!" Ron huffed at the two of them. He had finally broken away from Hermione, who waved at Arthur and Ginny as she followed her parents to their car. He ran up to his father and let himself be pulled into an embrace.
"Ron. You all right, son?" Arthur asked, as they broke apart.
He ruffled his shaggy red hair. "Yeah, 'm fine, Dad. Just, y'know . . ." he shrugged and his brow creased as if he was holding back the words he really wanted to say.
"Hermione'll be fine. She'll go back home for a week and then spend the rest of the summer with us. Nothing will happen to her. Nothing she can't handle, at least." Ginny guessed that his anxiety over Hermione's well being was at the root of Ron's sudden inability to speak.
"Yeah," Ron said vaguely. "Y-you're, uh . . . r-right. I should stop worrying."
"You should know that Bill and Kingsley set about strengthening the wards around her home while you were at school, and we've got an Order member monitoring the premises." Arthur placed a hand on his son's shoulder to quell his worried and troubled son.
"Yeah. I'm sure they did a great job with her house and all . . . it's just, I need to make sure she's safe."
"She will be. We'll make sure of that, not to worry."
Ron breathed out in a long, drawn-out sigh. Looking down, he saw some parchments his father was holding. "What're those?"
"Huh? Oh, these," Arthur said, holding up the papers. "Your mother and I received some interesting documents a couple of days ago. We were waiting for you and Ginny to get back home because we think you might be able to help us out with this particular, er, assignment."
Ron creased his forehead and brow and looked at Ginny, who was just as confused as her brother was.
"They're from Dumbledore."
Arthur laughed as both Ron and Ginny's eyebrows shot up at the exact same time.
"From Dumbledore?" they asked in unison.
Arthur wiggled his index finger. "Let it never be said you two aren't related." Arthur held his hand out for the three of them to start making their way toward the Ministry car that Arthur had been able to borrow for the trip from King's Cross station to the Burrow. "Mr. Elphias Doge sent it to us, stating there were explicit instructions for us to open it upon Dumbledore's death."
"What's it say, then? And why would it have anything to do with me?"
"It's about Daphne Greengrass, Ron."
Ron's mouth dropped open. Daphne Greengrass was the short, sullen, Slytherin girl who had spent the last summer with the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione -- much to Ron's consternation at the time. Daphne had been the only Slytherin who had participated in Dumbledore's Army in Ginny's fourth year and she had actually fought with the trio at the Ministry. For a very long time, and unbeknownst to Daphne herself, Dumbledore had taken a special interest in Miss Greengrass' upbringing and welfare. He had meddled and intervened in Daphne's childhood, and had placed her in a foster home with a Squib where she could feel somewhat stable. Dumbledore had been overjoyed when Daphne chose to join the DA and to support Harry at the Ministry; the Headmaster had taken great care to make sure all throughout her sixth year that she, Harry, Ron and Hermione would develop a lasting friendship.
Ron and Daphne had had a very difficult time reaching common ground throughout their fifth year and on into the summer months; however, by the middle of September of their sixth year, the Slytherin and the Gryffindor had made amends and became real friends. Ron had even considered Daphne to be like a sister to him.
All of this was information Ginny had gleaned from conversations with Harry, Ron and Hermione throughout the last year. Although she had no idea as to Dumbledore's interest in Daphne Greengrass' welfare, there seemed to be some connection between the Headmaster's research in regards to Tom Riddle's past and Daphne's childhood.
It was because of this connection that Dumbledore wanted to offer Daphne a life full of love and a family, in the hopes that she would choose the path of light, rather than a life full of darkness.
And that was where the Weasleys came in.
"Er . . . okay? What about Daphne, Dad?" Ron asked.
"Dumbledore's asked that your mother and I allow Daphne to move in with our family for the remainder of her time at Hogwarts. It's a bit of an odd request, certainly, since I'm not quite sure Muggle laws would recognize Dumbledore as having any recourse to say where Daphne gets to live or not live, but his letter says that he has 'taken care' of any arrangements on the Muggle side of things regarding Daphne's stay with us. We just need to pick her up."
Ginny sucked in a breath. "Good luck with that. She left school a few days ago, and no one's heard from her."
Ron nodded in agreement. "I don't even know where to start looking."
"Dumbledore's already got that covered, Ron." Arthur smiled at his son. "How about we go back home so you two can have a nice dinner. Fred and George'll be coming by tonight and we'll get our plan going. Daphne could be joining us as soon as tomorrow."
Ron grimaced and smiled at the same time. "Dad, not quite sure you remember this, but Daphne's not . . . well, she's not exactly the most calm or rational person I've ever met."
"What I think Ron means is that she's got the temper if you mated a skrewt with a dragon," Ginny added.
Arthur chuckled and addressed his son. "Well, you seem to have had a way with her. Actually, you, Harry and Hermione all seem to get along with Daphne just fine."
"No, I really like the girl. I mean, she's got a lot of issues to work on, but I'm wanting to help. I just don't know what we're gonna come across when we find her."
Arthur patted his youngest son on the back once again. "Which is why I think seeing a friendly face will help her out and keep her calm. I think seeing you, too, will make her rather happy!"
Ron shook his head, but he couldn't stop a smile from peeking out from his face.
"And, Ginny," Arthur turned to his daughter as they approached the car. "You'll try to get to know her better, right?" There was a sort of hopefulness tinged with a tiny amount of desperation in his voice.
(Well, these are desperate times, are they not?)
Ginny sucked in a breath; she wasn't quite sure how Daphne would react to her, given that the Slytherin girl had been harboring feelings for Harry Potter and Ginny had been the girl to snag his heart. "'Course, Dad. This'll be a good chance to do that."
They finally approached the car, flanked in the front by Bill and Mad-Eye, who roughly slammed his stick into the asphalt. "Too much chattin' and not enough caution! I told yeh to drop off Granger and get to the car as quick as possible—"
Bill cut off Mad-Eye's ranting with a slap on the back. "Oh, c'mon Moody," he said, glancing between the old Auror and his father. "Next thing, you'll be telling them they can't go to the loo without Constant Vigilance!" Bill bellowed Moody's refrain, and Arthur and Ron chuckled.
"I apologize, Moody. I had to discuss a couple of things with Ron, and I wanted to give Ron some time to say a proper good-bye to Hermione." Ron's ears turned bright red at his father's words. "I know you understand the strong pull of young love, right, Alastor?"
Moody glared at Arthur with his magical eye, and Levitated Ron and Ginny's things into the trunk of the car, grumbling all the while about how young love wasn't likely to hold up against the Cruciatus Curse or any of the other Unforgivable Curses.
Once the parties had settled in, and once Tonks and Lupin had joined up with them, looking incredibly happy, the Weasleys and the Order took the long route back to the Burrow.
A/N: For more background on Daphne Greengrass, please see my prequel, Daphne Greengrass and the 6th Year From Hell. Specifically, the Prologue, Chapters, 3, 7, 15, 17 and 23-25 delve pretty heavily into the back story I created for Daphne and Dumbledore's reasons for meddling in her life. I will be weaving the backstory as you read this work too. Also, if you are interested in how Daphne got an "in" with the trio, please check out my one-shot, Hermione Granger: A Second Thought. Fifth-year Hermione flashes back to her third-year introduction and meeting with the odd Slytherin girl.
Please read and review. I do love feedback. And thanks to the readers that have put this on their alerts and reviewed the prologue to this work. I appreciate the support.
