A/N: All characters (including my Ravenclaws! Sniff sniff!) are property of JKR.


Chapter 41: Molly's Revenge and Bill's Confession

The Friday before Ginny and Daphne were set to return to school, the girls decided to start packing their trunks. It was mostly busy work that kept their minds and bodies occupied so as not to dwell on the state of wizarding affairs.

Daphne grinned as she looked at her D.A. Galleon. Ever since meeting Michael's parents at the safe-house on Christmas, she had taken to using it everyday, several times even to keep in touch with him. She clearly felt guilty about not using it to tell him she was with his mum and dad; Ginny reckoned that it was better to wait until she could see him face-to-face and tell him privately, mostly for Terry's benefit than anything else.

The last message from Michael stated that he had some sort of surprise for her.

"Can't be anything like what you're going to give him," Ginny pointed out. "I'm pretty sure meeting his parents and giving him that letter and photograh'll trump anything."

Daphne blushed. "I didn't think I could be more excited to see him. Turns out I was wrong." She laid the Galleon on Ginny's desk, next to a sealed parchment and the wizard picture Colin took of Michael's parents with Daphne and Ginny.

A dull thud caused Daphne to turn her head; Ginny had dropped a book on the floor. The Slytherin picked it up, frowning as she read the title. "Possession: The Magic That Controls, The Magic that Haunts?" She regarded her friend with a dubious expression. "Bit of light reading for the holiday?"

Ginny grabbed the book from her. "Mine." She shoved it into her trunk without saying another word.

"Sorry." Daphne held her hands up, backing away from the other girl slowly. "Didn't mean to insult your reading skills."

Ginny shook her head. "It's not that. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's . . ." She rubbed the heels of her hands against her shut eyes. "It's—"

"It's something you'll tell me at a later date, when you're ready to?"

"Yeah."

Before either girl could say another word, a muffled BOOM! broke through the air. They looked at each other, and both made for the door, fleeing down the staircase and into the kitchen. Molly was already at the window above the sink. Ginny ran over to stand next to her mum's right, Daphne on her left.

A plume of dark smoke curved into the sky. Molly's hands were pressed against her mouth, and she was breathing in worried gasps.

"Merlin help us! That's coming from the direction of the Lovegood's house."

Ginny ran over to the Weasley Family clock. "Mum, Dad, Bill, and Fred and George's hands are all on 'Travelling'." She turned a pair of wide eyes onto her mum. "And so is Ron's."

A series of Apparition pops echoed from the backyard. Molly pushed the girls back behind her and drew her wand. "I want you two to remain quiet!" She pressed her hand against the door, leaning forwards to catch any sound from the outside. They could hear a number of footsteps, running quickly up the front yard, stomping on the old wood steps of the front porch.

All three witches held their breaths. Molly's hand rested on the doorknob, her wand at the ready—

There was a knock.

"Molly, what do I call you when we're alone?"

Ginny refrained from rolling her eyes as she normally did whenever she heard her dad ask her mum's security question. She was far too relieved hearing his voice from behind the door.

"Mollywobbles. And what is your dearest ambition, Arthur?"

"To find out how airplanes stay in the air. I've got Bill, George and Fred with me."

Molly opened the door and the Weasley men entered, shutting and locking the door behind them. As soon as the final click of the latch sealing the door sounded, she started filling her husband in on what had just happened. "There was an explosion, not more than five minutes ago. It came from the direction of the Lovegoods' house. Arthur -- Ron's hand moved. To 'Travelling'."

Arthur and Bill grabbed two brooms and started towards the door. "Fred and George will fill you in on what we heard at the Ministry."

She grabbed her husband's arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Molly, we have to go see what happened at Xeno's place. We have to see what they know."

"Do you know if Ron's involved? Was that explosion connected to Ron travelling?"

Arthur took her hand in his, and kissed her; the gesture would've normally had Ginny make gagging gestures, but given the circumstances all Ginny could feel surge through her was worry and fear for her father and brother's safety.

"Did you refresh the charms on the ghoul, dear?"

"Yes, of course I did. First thing this morning. But, Arthur, what is this about?"

"We're going to find out now." His voice was soft but firm. "We'll be safe, sweetheart. We'll be back very soon, but I do want this family to be prepared to evacuate the Burrow if we give the signal. Molly."

"Yes Arthur?"

"We might have some guests with us. They'll be hungry." He gave his wife a wink. Ginny and Daphne both noticed the smile — practically a smirk — emerging on Molly's face. "Perhaps a spot of lunch? Only for our guests, though. We'll eat later."

"I think that's a smashing idea."

"Thought so. Love you. Love you all," he said to the room. Arthur gave his wife one more kiss and smiled as he pulled away from her, shutting the door behind him and Bill.

As soon as she cast Locking Charm and Sound-Muffling Charms around them, Molly faced the twins. "All right. Either one of you — start talking!"

Fred and George regarded each other for a few moments. In a swift motion, Fred held his hand out and bowed gracefully at his brother.

"Oh, I see, coward!"

"I've got the looks, George. You've got the voice that can make bad news sound great!"

"Prat—"

"Will one of you please tell me what happened at the Ministry today? George, talk!"

George smiled apologetically at his mum. "A couple of hours ago, Xenophilius Lovegood sent his Patronus to the Ministry claming that he has Harry at his place."

The colour drained from Molly's skin. She clapped her hand over her mouth. "H-Harry? B-but that means . . . Ron!" She fled back over to her family's clock grabbing it in clenched fists. "His hand's returned to 'Mortal Peril'. Ron's hand is on Mortal Peril!"

"Mum, his hand's always on 'Mortal Peril' now. Same as the rest of the family's."

"Fred, your brother could be in actual danger . . . or, or worse!" Molly's voice was harsh and brittle, as if it was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces. All it would take would be the news that the Ministry had captured her son. Or something far, far worse.

The twins stood in front of her; it was rare sight, but Ginny saw the gravity in Fred and George's expressions. "Dad and Bill are going to check it out. They'll let us know what they find out," George said calmly.

"Chances are, if Harry, Ron and Hermione were at Xeno's, for whatever reason, they're long gone by now," Fred added.

"Mum," Ginny piped up, "Ron's hand moved to 'Travelling', remember? That probably means they were able to get away if they were involved. There was an explosion over there. Maybe that was them." She couldn't explain it, but she was feeling more and more heartened that the trio was all right.

Daphne grinned. "It would figure Harry or Ron would be involved in something exploding. Probably something Hermione concocted to help them escape."

Molly sniffled and sucked in a breath. "Okay. Your father was right, though. If there was even an inkling that Harry, Hermione, and Ron were over there, the Ministry officials are going to want to check on the ghoul. If they come over here, they'll want food and they'll be hungry for sure. They're always hungry when they make their unannounced visits. So we do need to make a meal for them — and only them."

Once more, there was an odd, mischievous glint in Molly's eyes. The girls caught it and looked at each other, flummoxed as to what she meant.

"Do you need help, Mum?"

She nodded at Fred. "Yes. You two," she addressed the twins, "take care of our larder. Make sure they won't find a trace of our food supplies. Otherwise, they'll take every last bit of anything that's edible."

"I think George and I can manage making all of it disappear," Fred said with a wink.

"Oh! Here." Molly handed to Fred the Weasley's clock. "Make sure this gets hidden too. I'll not have our guests snooping about and looking at things they've got no business seeing. Especially if it gives anything away." Fred took the heirloom with a grin and placed it inside the Burrow's larder. "And nothing funny, either of you!" She waved a warning finger at them. "A simple Disillusionment Bubble will suffice."

George sighed and shook his head in an overly dramatic fashion. "Always jumping to conclusions, Mum. It's like she expects us to do something bad, right Fred?"

"It's a wonder we've grown up as well adjusted as we have."

"Get to work," Molly said in a stern voice. "Daphne and Ginny — I'll prepare lunch. The both of you set the table."

Molly waved her wand. The two girls jumped backwards as food of all different kinds flew across the room, somehow managing to avoid the twins as they focused on the larder. Bread, containers of broth, meat and vegetables all settled on the counter. They watched, mesmerized, as Ginny's mum used her wand to light the stove, and, with a quick jerk of her wrist, the food flew into a very old and rusty pot. A large wooden spoon began stirring it, and with her free hands, Molly tossed in something that resembled seasonings.

"Here you go, girls." She continued to stir as she flicked her wand again, sending several older metal bowls and rusty forks towards the counter. "Set these out. I want everything to be ready for them once they get here."

Ginny and Daphne hurried around the Weasley's dining table, laying out plates and silverware. In the background, they could see the twins wave their wands and mutter an incantation that was indecipherable.

Suddenly, there was a ripple in the room, similar to the one that had lifted the disguises off of the Burrow's holiday guests for the Christmas Eve holiday. When the girls looked back over at the twins, they jumped, startled as they saw the larder that had been partially filled with food now empty.

"Done and done! Disillusionment Bubble is all set." Fred said, as both twins slapped their hands.

"Let those bastards try to find anything in here to eat." George turned back to appraise their work. "Mum, anything else we can help with?"

Molly kept stirring her pot. She didn't answer George's question, but continued to monitor her cooking.

Returning her attention back to her chore, Ginny picked up one of the spoons, staring at the rusty utensil in the light. It was quite nasty, even dirty-looking. The bowls, too, were bashed and dented in, and it looked as if no one had bothered washing them. She let the spoon drop onto the plate with a loud clang.

"Eurgh! We can't eat on these. They're filthy!"

Molly looked right at her. "Those dishes aren't for us, dear. They're for our guests, as is this fine stew." Se uncorked a small vial and poured something that looked like a dark broth into the pot. She kept stirring. "We give them every last bite of this food, and we will not eat until they're gone. You understand?"

She stared at each of her children and Daphne. They all looked back at her, their expressions serious, but they did not dare not argue with her. No matter that, as if timed to Molly's words, all four of their stomachs grumbled in protest.

Fred clenched his. "Can we at least tell Dad to hurry it up with the Death Eaters? Not sure if our stomachs can last much longer."

Molly took a deep breath over the steaming pot, her face curdling. "P-perfect," she said, coughing, holding back a gag. She killed the heat on the stove and Levitated the stew onto the table.

"Good. No one eat this batch. We'll let them have it all!" She pivoted sharply towards Ginny and Daphne. "Do not talk to them. Do not look at them. If they say anything at all to either of you girls, you swallow whatever you really want to say, and you tell them 'Yes sir,' or "No sir'. Do not smile. Do not do anything to draw your attention. Daphne?"

"Yes?"

"Are you wearing a shirt with your Slytherin patch on it?"

Daphne looked down. She was lucky; she was wearing a black turtleneck with her House's blazon right on the front of her chest. She turned her eyes back up to Molly and gave her a nod.

"Good." Molly gave one last appraising look at the table. The girls and the twins leaned over to the pot to inhale the aroma of the stew—

And they promptly choked. It smelled rancid.

"What the hell's in that?" Ginny asked, her voice spluttering as she coughed to get the stink out of her nose and mouth. "Mum, if you feed that to them, they'll curse you!"

Molly shook her head. "Oh, of course. I almost forgot!" She pulled out her wand and whispered something over the pot.

Ginny caught a couple of words. "Tepesco!" and "Floraroma!" Molly leaned back over the pot and breathed in deeply. She stood back, shrugging, her face showing neither disgust nor satisfaction. "That'll do for our purposes."

Daphne took a piece of bread and banged it on the table; the bread didn't even break, but instead it hit the wood with a dull thud. "It's as hard as a rock."

Molly grabbed it and a couple of other pieces and tossed them into her pot. "The broth should soften it up enough for them to eat. We'll let them have it, and then—"

Her words were cut short as a silvery weasel flew through the air, landing practically on top of the table and the pot of vile stew Molly had just set out.

"Everything's all right. We're coming home to check on Ron. We will have some guests from the Ministry. Five to be exact." And the weasel leapt back into the air, disappearing as soon as it passed through the wall of the Burrow.

In the distance, just past the boundary of the wards that kept the air outside warm, they could hear the whooshing of brooms as they landed in their backyard.

Molly's expression hardened into stone.

"Ready, now. They're here."


Ginny and Daphne stood behind Molly in the kitchen, watching the men feed themselves. The Death Eaters slurped their soup, belching and dripping broth everywhere. They tracked in mud and the outdoors on their boots, not caring to wipe or clean after them.

They never said "Please" or "Thank you". With them, it was always, "More, woman! Now!" Or something many times more vulgar.

But Molly Weasley obliged them, without a smile.

After several grunts and eating up everything that Molly had set out for lunch, without leaving a spot of food for the family themselves, the Death Eaters shoved themselves away from the table without bothering to wipe or clean off their places. The two who appeared to lead the group, Travers and Selwyn, stomped past Arthur, Bill, Fred and George, who stared at them with murderous eyes. As Travers was about to depart, he turned and sneered at Arthur, his eyes flashing at Molly.

"Your son looks like shit! And your food tastes like shit too! Can't afford anything of worth, can you?"

With a disdainful leer, Travers slammed the door behind him. They waited until they heard the sound of pops in the distance.

Bill ran over to the window, his voice filled with relief. "They're gone!"

"Thank Merlin!" Molly flicked her wand, Banishing the used pot and wooden spoon and empty dishes into the unknown and washed her hands vigorously. Ginny eyed her mum suspiciously.

"So, Mum?" Ginny asked. "Care to explain yourself?"

Molly merely smiled at Daphne and Ginny, but she her eyes twinkled exuberantly. "Girls, wash your hands well. Arthur, you and the boys make sure that the floors and table are spotless."

Fred picked up the little vial of dark broth and gave it a sniff, his face crumpling in revulsion. He chuckled as he read the label. "I wondered where our store of doxy droppings had gone to!" He looked over at Molly. "Well played, Mum!"

"I didn't grow up around your uncles Gideon and Fabian for nothing, you know. Now, get to it," she said, her voice more lively and spry than when she made the first batch. "We've got a second lunch to prepare."

She pulled out a shinier stew pot from her cabinet and removed the charm from the larder.

"Yes, and um, Mum? There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Ginny's eyes caught Bill's as he looked over at Arthur. Bill's face was the picture of anxiety.

"What is it, Bill?"

He shook his head. "It can wait until after we eat." He flashed his father a look of resignation. "But make sure those Sound Muffling Charms are secure before I start talking."

Ginny cocked an eyebrow at her eldest brother. "You afraid there's going to be yelling?"

He shook his head. "Later."

Molly caught none of this as she was immersed with preparing a fresh meal for her own family. With a grin that never left her face, she summoned to her kitchen a whole basket of fresh vegetables and Arthur brought over a lovely roast, kept fresh with preservation charms, waiting to be prepared and eaten.


The family stayed silent as Bill finished saying his peace. Ginny couldn't even look at her brother, not after what he had just told them.

"Mum, will you please say something?"

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" There was a chill to Molly's voice, quite unfamiliar to Ginny's ears. When her mum got mad, normally her temper raged, burning out quickly like a Whiz-Bang.

Normally.

But when she spoke cold and chilly like she was now, there was no telling what she was going to say next. It was as if she was a glass, chilled to the frostiest of temperatures. It could break at any moment; all it took was the right tap.

"How dare you! How dare you not tell us that Ron was safe and alive! This whole time you knew and you didn't say anything to the family. To me or to your father!"

Bill stood up and walked towards his mum. Arthur moved to stand closer to his wife and eldest son. Fred and George remained in their spots, their arms crossed, flashing each other slightly worried and somewhat relieved expressions.

"Just glad it's not us this time," Fred whispered.

"Mum, you've got to listen to me about this. You didn't see Ron when he came to Shell Cottage—"

"BECAUSE YOU NEVER TOLD US!! HIS OWN MUM AND DAD!! YOU NEVER TOLD US HE WAS WITH YOU!! DAMMIT WILLIAM ARTHUR WEASLEY, HOW COULD YOU KEEP THAT FROM US?!"

"He would've left, Mum!" Bill said, cutting in before Molly could tear into him any further. "Ron was desperate for help. When Charlie stumbled onto Shell Cottage a couple of weeks ago to surprise us, he saw Ron sleeping. He wasn't supposed to see anything! He was about to tell you; he wanted to tell you. I had to threaten him with an Unbreakable Vow to make sure he knew how serious I was, how serious Ron was that no one knew he was staying with us."

"Wha- . . . you made Charlie make an Unbreakable Vow?" Molly's voice regained that terrifying coldness.

"Almost, Mum. I threatened him, but I didn't go through with it. If Charlie had said something to either of you and Ron found out, Ron would've left. I'm sure of it. And what if he needed to find Shell Cottage again? What if he left, and later on, he needed our help — my help — and I broke his trust. He wouldn't want come back to me! I couldn't do that to him."

Molly pursed her lips together, but her eyes were hard, rigid like stone. Bill apparently thought it was a good sign that she wasn't bolting, and he continued to watch her, thinking about what to say next. Ginny, though wanted to flee; she wanted to shut her bedroom door and throw things at her wall, punch her pillows, kick at her desk. Anything to get rid of this anger, no matter how irrational it was, all aimed at her brother.

"Ron was scared and alone. He came to us in that first week of November, feeling like he didn't have anywhere else to go. And he was hurt and cut up and had just Splinched himself trying to get to our house."

"H-he Splinched . . . b-but what happened? What did he Splinch?"

Bill wiggled his fingertips in front of her. "His fingernails. That's all. But he couldn't find Harry or Hermione where he had left—" Bill coughed, as if he had just caught himself saying too much. "A-after he had gotten separated from them."

"That's not what you were going to say before." Ginny stepped up towards him. "You said Ron left."

Her oldest brother hung his head low. "Shit." Licking his lips, he looked back up and sighed heavily. "They had a falling out. Ron said . . . he said a lot of things that he regretted." He turned a pair of sad eyes towards his sister. "He and Harry nearly came to blows."

Ginny gasped. She stared at Bill, her eyes narrowing at him. "Th-that's not Ron. He'd never do anything like that."

"Look, all I know is that whatever they're doing under Dumbledore's orders put a lot of stress on him. Actually, I think what he said was something closer to making him 'go all mental'."

To Ginny's right, she could hear Daphne snort. But she was barely focusing on the conversation. All she could think about was Ron. Ron leaving Harry and Hermione. Ron almost punching the daylights out of Harry, his best friend.

Sure, her brother could be a royal prat sometimes -- like his fourth year, when Harry was chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. Ron had allowed his jealousy to get the better of him, and for a whole month, he didn't speak to Harry at all.

But they had made up. And Ron had never struck Harry with his fists. Ginny shut her eyes. He was her hero, through and through. She had idolized how devoted he was to his friends, even through his wisecracking and jokes and his proclivity to be a git every once in a while. Percy was the brother who ran away from his own friends and flesh and blood (the idiot!). Ron wouldn't have run away from them. It wasn't in his nature.

Molly made a choking sound and brought her hand up to her mouth. "What in the name of Merlin does Dumbledore have them doing?"

Ginny's attention snapped back to her family.

"I don't know," Bill said in a softer voice. "Ron refused to tell me. Mum, I tried to convince him that I should tell you and Dad. The entire family should've known and had it been up to me—"

"It was up to you!" Molly interrupted.

"With all due respect, Mother, it wasn't." Bill's voice was now starting to increase in volume. "The only way that I could've ensured Ron trusted me was by respecting his wishes and that meant not telling any of you that he was all right."

"Arthur, please tell me you're just as angry as I am!"

One look at her dad, and Ginny knew he wasn't.

"Molly, what Bill did disappointed me, but he was only doing what he thought best."

She stared at her husband, mortified. "You're agreeing with him, aren't you?"

He looked at his son, patting him on the shoulder. "Do I wish Ron had wanted us to know that he was safe? Or that Ron stayed here with us where we could watch over him? Of course I do. But, truth be told, the Burrow is under the Ministry's sharp eye; had Ron approached us, the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who may've caught him." He smiled sadly at his wife. "And how can I stay angry at Bill when he was the one Ron turned to for help?"

Molly's eyes flashed angrily on Bill's face. "You could've told us."

"Mum, I stand by my decision. I put Ron first. I'm sorry that you're angry about it, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. And if he didn't want you to know, I wouldn't tell you."

Ginny watched the entire exchange play out in front of her, trying to keep herself from falling apart. She backed away from her family, shaking her head, staring at some point in front of her. "I can't do this," she muttered. "I-I . . . just can't do this."

"Gin," Bill said softly, turning to reach for her.

"Stay away from me." Her voice was shaky. Ginny hoped she sounded like she was full of anger. She spun away from him, and ran up the stairs, vaguely hearing a girlish voice say, "I'll go check on her."

She didn't care if Daphne or the twins were following her; Ginny slammed the door shut, picking up the first hard items she saw, her Potions textbooks, and slammed them against the wall.

"ERGH! TAKE THAT!" she yelled as the book hit the wall. She took another set of books and threw them and started kicking at her bed and desk. At this moment, all she wanted to do was destroy things.

The door opened, and Daphne and the twins emerged as Ginny threw another book level to their heads. They ducked, missing the projectile as it bounced off the moulding surrounding the door. Ginny panted heavily, her hair wild, falling out of the ponytail that sat high on her head. She watched as Daphne walked into the room, holding her hands up. Fred and George were waving white handkerchiefs, monogrammed with their initials.

"We come in peace, o' beautiful and sweet little sister who wouldn't dare do damage to our precious good looks!" George said. Ginny huffed at them and slammed the door shut.

"I needed to get this off my chest!"

"Just make sure whenever it does come off, you don't hit our heads with it," Fred said smirking.

She made a growling noise and sat down on the edge of her bed. There was silence in the room for a few moments, broken only by the sound of Daphne moving forwards to sit by Ginny. George extended his arm, holding her back.

"But—" Daphne started softly.

"Wait for it."

"HOW COULD HE DO THIS?!"

"And there it is," Fred said, holding his hand out in a flourish.

"Which brother are you referring to, Gin?" George asked. "The idiot that ran away from Harry and Hermione, or the idiot that told Mum he'd been hiding said idiot for almost two months?"

She glared at him. "Try both."

Daphne sat down next to her. "Ginny, I know it looks bad that Bill did this, but Ron's alive. He kept Ron alive and safe. And it sounds like your brother did find Harry and Hermione again, regardless of whatever fight they may have had. Judging from what Bill and your dad said, they bet pretty much everything in the Weasleys' family's vault that Harry, Ron and Hermione were there at the Lovegoods today."

"It makes sense," Fred cut in. "Half his house was blown apart. I'd wager Harry and Ron were involved. Hermione too; that girl has far more bite than people give her credit for."

"See?" Daphne asked feebly. "They're all right. I'm sure of it."

"I-it's not just that, though." Ginny said. "Ron ran away. He abandoned them. Right when they needed him." She looked up at her brothers and at Daphne, practically pleading with them to give her some explanation. "Why would he do that?"

"Ron can be a prat sometimes."

Every head in the room turned to look at Fred, who, for once, didn't appear poised to make some Fred-like quip. "Ron's hot-headed, right? He's impulsive and sometimes his head's not screwed on properly."

"He also has the temperament of a Ridgeback in heat," George added. "Piss him off when he's hungry or tired, and he will not be a happy camper."

"Gin, no one's perfect, right? You know Ron's not."

She replied to Daphne's question with an annoyed shrug and slouched over. "I can't believe he'd do that to them, leave them while they're on Dumbledore's big stupid mission. Am I the only one that's bothered by this?"

Her eyes scanned their faces, waiting for an answer. It was Daphne who spoke up first.

"If anyone knows about mucking things up around here, it's me. I've blackmailed people before—"

"Eh, no big deal. So've we," Fred wiggled his thumb between him and George, who coughed. It sounded mysteriously like "ludobagman".

Daphne rolled her eyes and turned back to Ginny. "I screwed up what I had with Michael last year. Enough that he probably shouldn't have taken me back. And I—" Her voice drifted off.

"What?"

"I almost told Draco Malfoy that Harry had been having lessons with Dumbledore last year."

Ginny stared at her, horrified. "Daphne! How could you?"

"I didn't! But I-I was in a really rough spot at that point; I had just overheard Dumbledore and Snape talking about my past, and all that stuff about Tom Riddle—"

"Tom Riddle?" Fred looked at her, bewildered. "That's You-Know-Who."

"Yeah, and apparently, when Dumbledore first met me, he thought I reminded him of Mister Riddle, bad childhood and all."

Fred, George and Ginny all winced.

"Well, I don't blame you for going through a rough spot after hearing something like that."

Daphne let out a small, humourless chuckle at Fred's statement. "My head was in a really rotten space for the rest of the year, and I wanted to do something truly and horrendously awful."

"Getting in bed with the ferret would certainly qualify as something horrendously awful."

Daphne shivered. "Yecch! You have no idea. But the point is I didn't do it, even though I came painfully close." She looked at Ginny with a slightly shifty gaze, her skin reddening. Ginny knew vaguely that Daphne had had a crush on Harry for most of last year; she wondered if finding out Harry didn't reciprocate her feelings might've played a small role in tempting her to tell Draco about Harry and Dumbledore's private meetings.

"I told Harry what I had almost done, and I told Michael that I had blackmailed people. I fucked up, not just a few times either. But both of them forgave me. Ron might've messed up, but from what Bill told us, he did everything he could to rejoin them. And it sounded like he succeeded."

Ginny sat still for a few moments, not saying a word.

"I never thought he'd try to hit Harry, though. Never thought he'd let himself get so angry with his best mate like that."

"Gin, Ron can be a lot of things, right? He's always been insecure around Harry," Fred said.

"And we won't even get into how insecure Hermione can make him feel."

She looked over at George, nodding. "Yeah, guess you're right. I can't believe Bill kept this from us!"

"You reckon Mum's ever been that pissed at him?" Fred asked George.

"Never seen it before. Bill and Percy, when he was here, usually got spared the brunt of Mum's temper. If she's ever been angry with Bill, it's been completely overshadowed by the countless times she's yelled at us."

"And Charlie." Fred interjected.

"Not to mention how many times she's yelled at Ron and me," Ginny said as she fell backwards on the bed.

"And Dad," all three Weasley kids said simultaneously.

"They'll get past this, right? It's not like Molly can stay mad at Bill for very long, especially for doing what he thought was the right thing."

"Sure, Daphne," Fred replied. "Mum's temper's one for the ages, but she'll calm down. I was a bit scared at first; she was far too calm and collected after Bill spoke. Haven't heard that from her since we signed up to join the Order. But then she started yelling, and we knew everything was back to normal."

"Are you mad at him, Gin?" Daphne asked.

"Oh hell yes I'm mad! Bill could've told us at any time that he was protecting Ron. He could've told the family that he knew Ron was safe! He could've said something—"

"And Ron would've bolted and never, ever have trusted him again, Gin. Yeah, Bill had a real easy choice there."

"George, come on! You're okay with what Bill did? No problems that he never told Mum and Dad, who've been worried sick about Ron and whether or not he's okay—"

"And who have been relatively safe here at the Burrow because the Death Eaters that are currently running the show have no clue Ron's with Harry and Hermione." George replied. "Don't you think that if the Ministry knew that Ron was with Undesirable Number One, they'd be over here tearing the place to shreds? Merlin knows what they would do to Mum."

Ginny's hand flew up, stopping her brother in mid-sentence. The Death Eaters doing anything to her parents was the last thing she wanted to contemplate. "Shh! All right, all right. Fine. I take your point." She looked at the twins. "Still doesn't make me feel better about what he did—"

There was a knock at her door. Ginny stared at it for a beat and, finally, she walked over to open it.

Bill was standing in the hallway. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked at Ginny directly. "You still mad at me, Gingersnap?"

She regarded him with slanted eyes and leaned against the edge of the door. She wasn't about to lie to him. "I am."

He sighed. "Thought you would be. I'm about to leave and despite what you think of my actions, I can't leave without telling you I love you."

Ginny bit her lip. She could feel her chin wrinkling, fighting back tears that threatened to spill out. She gently beat her knuckles against the door. "Love you too," she said in a weak, shaky voice.

"Still mad though?"

She nodded.

"Do you want to thump me?" He twisted, pushing his arm towards her. "Go on. Hit my arm if you want to."

She stared at his offering for a moment; her eyes flashed up at him. "You should've told us that he was all right."

"I understand why you're angry, Gin. But I'm not sorry I protected him. I'm not sorry that I did what I thought was the right thing."

She reared her arm back . . . and lightly tapped him. Bill folded his arms around her, hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"I do love you. You know that, right?"

"Be safe, Bill. You and Fl-Fleur."

"I'll see what I can do about seeing you off at King's Cross in a few days." He pulled away from her and gave her a small smile. "Will that be a start?"

"It might."

He nodded at the others. "Fred, George. Are you coming?"

"Right behind you, Bill!"

He gave Daphne a brief but brotherly squeeze around her shoulders, and Bill, Fred and George made their way down the stairs. Ginny watched Bill approach their mum cautiously, afraid Molly may erupt one last time. And although their mum regarded Bill with a far more stern expression than she normally gave her children, even when they made her angry, her arms wrapped around her eldest son and embraced him as tightly as she ever did.