After the late breakfast was finished the other Weasley children had gone off by themselves, or else returned to their own homes. Mrs. Weasley retuned to Hogwarts with Luna to get her trunk. She also had to visit St. Mungo's to finalize Fred's death in a legal sense and bring his body home and start making funeral preparations. All the deceased from the battle had been moved there for space purposes as it was impractical to keep then at Hogwarts. That left Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione alone together in the siting room for the first time in ages. Ron sat in his father's recliner; Hermione snuggled comfortably on his lap. Harry and Ginny were side by side on the couch, her head against his shoulder, both leaning back lazily, his uninjured hand in hers.

"Hey, Ron Hermione was that breakfast the first full meal we've had since our last night at Grimmuald Place?" Asked Harry absentmindedly.

"I was at the point where I'd forgotten the taste of homemade food." answered Ron with a heavy shrug. "The irony is I didn't eat much while we were separated." Said Ron with a long sigh and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

That's how he came to look at his absence now. Hermione was the one that had planted and reinforced this distinction in his head which meant everything to him.

"What?" Said Hermione and Ginny together.

"You didn't eat!" Wailed Hermione anxiously.

He looked back down again and shrugged his shoulders. "Only small stuff, I wasn't going to eat some giant meal while you two were barely getting by, I kept my portions limited as punishment." His tone was resigned.

"I've told you, the Horcrux separated us, why punish yourself it wasn't your fault!" Asked Hermione with her eyes brimming with tears.

"Penance because it was my fault." Said Ron stroking her cheek with one hand, the words came out softly.

"Why do both of you boys feel the need to punish yourself for your mistakes." Said Hermione, looking between Ron and Harry with sadness before burying her face in Ron's chest.

"They don't know any other way to deal with their guilt." Said Ginny eying Harry's injured hand with sad frustration while still occupying his other with one of hers.

Harry sighed. "Believe me, lately I wish I could just let go of all the negative thoughts and emotions."

"Bloody hell, that would be perfect." Said Ron with a breath of longing as he nodded at Harry.

Hermione lifted her head thinking slowly aloud. "There's a way you could."

"Are you telling me that you suddenly came up with an inconsequential way to stop feeling emotions Mione? That's humanity in a nutshell, even you as brilliant as you are, can't suddenly change one of the fundamental mixed bags of being human."

Hermione sat up straighter with a wry smile. "Of course not, but you can replace human emotions with something else, at least whenever you feel like it!"

"What?" said everyone together, clearly at a loss.

"Animal instinct, we could all become Animagus and change at will once we learn! She said rhetorically, putting her hand under her chin in deep thought. "I don't know all the details, but I know it's both difficult and dangerous, not to mention time consuming, we could ask McGonagall seeing as she is one!"

Harry pulled out McGonagall's letter form early this morning, his response showed he liked the idea. "We could bargain with her to teach us, a favor for a favor." Ron and Ginny raised their eyebrows curiously. "Oh, yeah, haven't had a chance to show you two…"

After Harry showed Ron and Ginny McGonagall's vague letter they mused about what the now headmistress could want.

"Hopefully, it's not a ceremonial thing." Said Harry deeply sighing for a moment. His voice was tight with irritation. "I'm getting that feeling because I received this the morning after Kingsley gave his burden of fame speech." They all agreed.

"When should we go see her do you reckon?" Asked Ron sharing a look with them all.

"I want to wait a day or two." Harry said automatically. I'm just not in the mood for dealing with people outside of our circle right now." They nodded in agreement.

Ginny had been quietly mulling over a nagging feeling in the back of her mind concerning her brother. She addressed him pointedly. "Something doesn't add up Ron, why would you punish yourself for getting separated from them that's just stupid." At his guilty look she narrowed her eyes. "Hang on… Tell me you didn't leave?" Asked Ginny quietly sharp now."

"A Horcrux, Voldemort, messed with my head… "Said Ron downcast. "I tried to come back right off but snatchers cornered me and by the time I made it back they were gone."

"How long?" Asked Ginny incredulously.

"Well over a month." Said Ron bluntly, getting up now.

"Were you possessed!" She asked as if his life depended on what he said.

"No, but Voldemort was in my head and I listened to him."

"He was in everyone's head and you were splintched." Hermione reminded him sternly.

Ginny got up too, for a moment she had an unreadable look… Then just as suddenly, she charged at Ron, punching him square in the face as if magic shot from her fist ignoring their substantial height difference. Harry and Hermione were not expecting it and had no time to react. Ron was left stumbling backwards and falling into the recliner.

Hermione checked Ron's face anxiously. "Looks like it's just a bad bruise." She turned on his sister in exasperation. "Ginny! What did you do that for! The Horcrux poisoned his mind, all of our minds!"

"Yeah and I'll bet he's the only one of you that didn't even bother to fight the effects, because when things are hard prince Ron can only think of himself!" Ginny spat venomously at her youngest brother. Her finger shaking with rage.

Ron recovered jumping back up suddenly, bearing down at his sister angrily. "Hey, you don't know what it was like, half your arm mangled, small arse portions of just passable food to eat, having that monster floating around in your head every third day, it was the worst kind of hell— "

Her voice morphed into a screech that drowned out Ron completely. "Don't you claim it the worse kind of hell with two people standing here who have been possessed by Voldemort, we were sharing his sodding soul, Harry actively for three years!"

"It's not the same— "Ron realized too late he should have kept his mouth shut.

Ginny had kicked Ron squarely in the groin and he buckled over, Ginny's venomous voice still rising dangerously. "No, it doesn't even compare! You think you had it rough because he was in your head? At least you had free will, and I guess you forgot all the times since 14 your best friend felt like his mind was being cleaved in two!" Spat Ginny so angrily it was as though Ron had punched her in the face instead. "Try having no control over your actions, try having him take over your body routinely for a year! Try living frozen in your own body, you can see everything that's happening but can't do anything to stop him, try seeing through his eyes every time his emotions bubble over!"

Hermione cut in delicately. "Ginny please calm down!"

"NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, I HAD TO WATCH THAT LUNATIC SHAG GIRLS AT 11!" Yelled Ginny, the fire in her eyes threatened to scorch her brother.

"What!" Shouted everyone together.

Ginny froze with wide eyes, clearly letting something slip because of her enraged state that she hadn't meant to… Her voice was shaking with something between anger and shame now. "After I stole the diary back from Harry, but before he sent me down to the chamber… He got much more specific about how he broke me… He stripped me of my innocence in the last way he could and pulled me into memories where he was with different girls."

"What did you see?" Asked Hermione delicately.

"Enough that I'm sure I went through puberty earlier than normal. He told me I liked watching it… Took credit for making me a woman so soon and then said that those memories would keep me warm at night… That no one would shag me, especially not Harry Potter and no matter what I would never stop thinking of him, Tom Riddle."

There was an eternity following Ginny's revelation… Ron was completely dumbfounded, his mouth sagging open with his face white as a sheet and he had fallen back into the recliner staring with dead eyes into space. Hermione collapsed onto the coffee table sobbing with her head buried in her hands. Harry was internally boiling with rage though he wore a seemingly stoic look on face, he was the first person to say or do anything…

"Gin…" It was as delicate as Harry had ever uttered her name, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh Harry I am so sorry I didn't tell you, I just couldn't bring myself to mention it!" She said in a shameful whisper that was for his ears only, glad the other two were still too distraught to notice.

"No, Gin don't apologize, it's never easy to bring up things like this. It's reason I don't usually talk about the Dursleys, not the thing, but believe me I get keeping it to yourself." Said Harry whispering back.

"You'd think…" Started Ron in an incredulous tone. "That you wouldn't have been such a prat to me last year then Ginny!" He was glaring at her now.

Ginny glared darkly back at Ron. "Oh please, you got yourself into that mess with Lavender all on your own!"

"Hey how about you try being a big brother instead of a self-centered prat for once Ron, your sister was exposed to shagging at 11 and you don't give a damn!" Said Harry hotly glaring at him.

"Hey, I give a damn, but she was a git last spring!" Said Ron sharply.

"Really? You thought I was a slag and I'm the git in that row! Your head really is fucked up then Ron!" Spat Ginny incredulously. "Don't bother trying to get through to him while he's on his high-horse Harry, he's just like Mum in that way." Said Ginny mockingly. "But mind that row, I wasn't finished with this one! Don't you dare stand there act like you were a victim of Voldemort, like you know anything about what Harry and I have been through living with pieces of his soul attached to us and the things it did to us, to me!"

"I'm not, but he affected everyone Ginny, not just you and not just Harry, it's not fair of you to start a pissing contest over who suffered more!" Said Ron bluntly.

Ginny's voice softened a bit but she was still blunt. "Well, I'm sorry Ron, but do you know what it's like to think about sexuality at 11 years old? I'm not talking about butterflies in the stomach like a first crush, but hormone raging thoughts that happen during puberty, which I'm pretty sure I went through early. I know damn well who was probably in your head most of the time and she's sitting right there."

Ron turned pink and Hermione's face flushed. "We'll just leave while you two work this out, come on Harry." She looked pleadingly at him and he nodded adding silencing charms as they left.

"What's your point?" Said Ron bluntly.
Ginny was resigned now. "That like it or not what we've been through, nobody else will ever understand it, we were forced to grow up so much faster than kids should have to, you can't stand there and say it is anything like what you went through because it just isn't… We were ether too young to understand what we'd gotten ourselves into or didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Alright, but would it kill you to have a little sympathy, suddenly I get no leeway from my own sister!" Said Ron irritably.

Ginny's voice turned shrill again. "You're kidding me? You want sympathy when Horcrux or not, you were in control of your own actions no matter what anyone else said, just like with all your other stupid decisions! you are such a damn hypocrite! You left my future and yours and I will not forgive you as easily as Hermione and Harry!"

"They forgave me! Why are you so angry?" Ron was turning so red his face was hot.

She was looking murderous now, a wounded tone to her voice. "Why am angry, you don't even remember!" Ginny exploded at Ron with terrible fury. YOU PROMISED ME, YOU PROMISED BEFORE YOU LEFT THAT YOU WOULD STAY WITH THEM AND KEEP THEM SAFE! WHAT'S MY PROBLEM? MY PROBLEM IS YOU ARE A BIG FAT LIAR WHO CAN'T BE COUNTED ON YOUR WORD MEANS NOTHING!" Ginny pulled out her wand pointing it between Ron's eyes, her hand shaking violently… A broken promise between siblings was a terrible betrayal especially one of such a serious nature.

Ron's face white as a ghost again, showing recognition of the reason for his little sister's rage… "Ginny…" He said desperately, dropping to his knees in total remorse.

Ginny's rage shifted as she threw herself against Ron in frustration hitting him clumsily. "I came to you— the night before the wedding! You have never— broken a serious promise— that I asked you to keep, but the one I needed you to keep the most, you up and chucked it!"

"I know Ginny, I'm sorry." Said Ron quietly as he put his arms around his sister.

She continued to sob. "The locket couldn't have messed with your head so badly if you would just stop being so bloody stupid and realize that you matter, and people love you!"

"I know." He soothed again stroking her head.

Ginny pulled back looking at Ron worrisomely. "Do you really get it? You still haven't gotten over the same insecurities and selfishness you've had since we were toddlers! What happens when you and Hermione are married and have a family and things get difficult? She's the closest thing to sister I'll ever have, and I swear I will disown you if you still haven't grown up by then!"

Ron held his sister's shoulders; he was uncharacteristically soft. "Hermione knows I'm not leaving again Ginny." "I swore I to her I wouldn't, and now I am telling you I'm not going to break my word on that. Besides, we worked a lot of issues out after the battle ended too, we're in a good place." His words were as heartfelt as he could manage while feeling aftereffects from a kick to the groin. It was a big brother's reassurance to his little sister who clearly feared that his worst flaws would get the better of him again.

"I thought you were with them the whole time. "Said Ginny wiping her eyes her voice had an edge despite the crying she had done.

"That explains why you kicked me in the bollocks. Merlin, even without using magic you were always lethal sis." He said with an uncomfortable smile.

Ginny glared at him. "You deserved it! You're a grown man still having the same knee jerk reactions when you hear or see things that piss you off!" She crossed her arms her voice impatient. "I'm not giving you the Voldemort in your head excuse. You follow the same pattern Ron: Scabbers, Harry's name in the Goblet, The Yule Ball, Lavender, the Horcrux; they all have the same thing in common."

"I suppose you're going to tell me?" Asked Ron feeling increasingly reminded of their mother now.

Ginny sighed with an unapologetic expression. "You were afraid, and when you in particular are afraid it makes you the most stubborn, selfish, insufferable git on the planet!" She softened her expression now. "The shame is you have the biggest heart, but you don't listen to it nearly enough and I don't know why." She was subdued now. "I don't care about the Horcrux or how much Harry goaded you into it. You are 17 not 11, you weren't possessed, you were in control of your actions and left.

"You're never going to forgive me, are you?" Asked Ron dejectedly.

Ginny rolled her eyes impatiently. "Oh, just shut it with that, I punished you enough and I've said my peace… The rest is up to you." Her voice lowered to a threat in his ear. "But… if you ever break your word about not leaving Hermione again, then having Voldemort in your head will be nothing compared to what I put you through, got it!"

"Yeah, and Ginny about the diary— "

"Please don't ask me specifically what I saw…" She said rather painfully. I hadn't even meant to say anything about it because well, who the hell would want to admit that they found out about sex by being forced to watch that psychopath fuck different girls." She looked at Ron pleadingly now. "And for the love of Merlin, don't tell Mum and Dad about this… Just like why we're keeping the Carrows a secret too, it would destroy them… Knowing I knew about sex so early."

"No way, they don't need to know any of this stuff… I just wanted to say that it makes sense now why the rumors bother you so much, but you need to know I never thought you were a slag I was just worried other people did but as usual I did a rubbish job protecting you."

Ginny sighed sounding indifferent now. "Thinking I need protecting from that sort of thing is where you go wrong Ron. I survived being thrown into the memories of Tom Riddle's sex-life and getting possessed by his soul. Gossip is nothing I can't handle no matter how much it hurts." She gave him a hug now. "Just be my brother okay, I already have Harry to protect me."

Ron nodded slowly and Ginny walked away leaving him feeling as though their position as siblings had reversed at some point without knowing exactly when she had turned into his big sister.

Ginny entered the kitchen siting down at the table lost in deep thought… A quiet question from Hermione broke her out of her mind. "Where's Ron?"

"Some self-reflection in his room, I reckon." Said Ginny shrugging.

"Something else is bothering you." Said Hermione delicately.

"Hermione, what if I'm a lesser Horcrux. They long to be whole don't they, being bits of soul? What if that's the real reason Harry fell in love with me?" Asked Ginny in quiet contemplation. "We both shared a piece of Voldemort's soul after all."

"Why would you be thinking something like this?" Said Hermione taken aback.

"It occurred to me too Gin, so you aren't by yourself on in thinking that. Said Harry with a sad smile.

Ginny took Harry's hand; her face was sullen. "I was nearly gone by the time Harry found me, and if the diarywas the largest fragment and it nearly absorbed my soul, and Harry was living with a fragment wouldn't it make sense for us to be longing to be together…" She sighed heavily now. "Besides, I can't help but feel like sharing a piece of his soul did things to me, permanent things I don't have too much control over." Harry shared a melancholy look of understanding.

Hermione didn't miss the subtly of Ginny's words, though she hadn't considered this at all herself until just now. "It's alarming that you thought about this, but it doesn't add up. Harry wasn't in love with you until last year."

Harry confessed quietly. "I definitely stopped seeing you as just Ron's sister fifth year though."

"You did, really?" Said Ginny eying Harry in surprise.

"I look at it now it was little things… We started talking more that year. You helped me keep my head about thinking I was possessed by Voldemort, we sat together on the train, you subbed for me as Seeker and I realized that you're quite good at Quidditch. You were the fastest learner of the DA we taught by miles. You rebelled against Umbridge next best after Fred and George and most importantly you followed us into the department of mysteries. You became my friend, I can see now, why all it took was seeing you snog another guy to fall in love with you so quickly."

Ginny melted at this admission. "That's sweet Harry."

Harry was giving further admission with a guilty tone. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I wanted you to myself from that moment on and was angry at myself for having my head up my arse, focused on Cho just because she was cute. Plus, she was still in love with Cedric and I honestly can't stand overly sensitive girls."

Hermione laughed. "I knew that when you wanted to be around me instead of going after her even though you knew that she was upset. I didn't mind that I was the lesser of two evils for you though."

"You're not awful company in the slightest, it's really just when you are in bookworm mode that I might prefer not to be alone with you. Plus, we had OWL's that year so that side of you was worse than usual." Harry said all this with a defensive tone. "There's just so much I took for granted with you. That's part of why I wanted to make sure you knew that I understand now how much you love me because I never realized it back then… I'll keep saying it, but the sacrifice you made this year, giving up your family to help me. I still can't believe you made such a personal choice Hermione; I owe you so much."

"He's not the only one." Ginny insisted smiling at her. "If you hadn't convinced me to loosen up around him, Harry and I likely wouldn't be together now."

"You two are just like Ron, making more of me than what I'm actually worth." She insisted feeling embarrassed now.

"It's true." They said nodding their heads. Ginny sighed. "I just wonder if somehow we've got traces of those things inside us. We pretty much were a Horcrux. Besides, I was an early bloomer thanks to him throwing me into memories of his sex-life."

Hermione was sad. "I'm sorry Ginny, how did you get through it."

She shrugged. "It was difficult, having the door to my sexuality forced open like that and growing up faster than everyone else does… I felt ashamed and still do honestly. I just can't help but feel like he rubbed off on me, it was part of his soul after all."

Harry looked empathetically at Ginny and thought again of his greatest mentor. "I understand that, you feel tainted and confused. It stays with you, his manipulation, anything he puts you through you think there's something wrong with you like his soul leaves its mark on yours."

Hermione was gently insistent. "There is nothing wrong with either of you!"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe there is Hermione, Dumbledore always said that especially dark magic leaves traces. The scar on my forehead is an example, but Snape aggravated the Horcrux fragment I had by trying to force me to master Occlumency so quickly, I can see why you think that we might have been turned into soulmates by Voldemort Ginny."

"What do you think?" They asked Hermione together.

She sat in contemplation for a while, and then sighed. "Does it really matter to you both?" They nodded.

"Okay, well… I think that it's possible but not probable."

"What does that mean?" They said feeling tense.

Hermione folded her hands and began to elaborate. "The untouched soul is only supposed to have one container, the body and it transcends when that dies. That is the natural cycle of human life, whether or not an untouched soul moves on from a physical existence or stays behind as a ghost… Or in the case of Harry's parents, eventual reincarnation." She squinted her face now. "A Horcrux, a fragment of soul, yearns to be whole because you're not supposed to split the soul into two, let alone eight, pieces. I don't even know if Voldemort had any soul left in his body once he made Nagini a Horcrux."

"We knew all this already, what's your point?" Asked Harry dully.

"I would expect that a soul split eight times would increase the yearning for it to be whole again… She trailed off, uncomfortable about continuing this conversation.

"Please keep going Hermione." Said Ginny quietly.

"I'm sorry I just don't like talking about this especially when you think your relationship was caused by Voldemort." She said anxiously.

"I just can't shake the feeling that us ending up together might be because of Voldemort even though we were never forced to fall in love." Said Ginny, looking at Harry with an emotional gaze.

"You were subjected to the largest fragment of his soul Ginny. That could logically make you a lesser Horcrux like Harry. If we just accept the idea that Harry failed Occlumency because the bit of Horcrux in him was aggravated purposely by Snape so that you could more easily use the link when the time came to start looking for them, then I suppose it explains why you suddenly felt so strongly about Ginny when she was intimately snogging another guy."

"I did feel an intense rage that you weren't snogging me, it was jarring to feel that way." Harry admitted automatically. "When we won, I was so happy that I just kissed you, no thought, I just acted on my feelings and I really did fall in love with you faster than the snitch moves." Harry moved to sit on Ginny's lap.

She threw her arms around him, her voice firm. "Even if Hermione's logic's true, which we can't prove, it just means at least one good thing came out of Voldemort's evil, us."

Hermione reassured them. "I said it was possible, not probable. I really doubt that fragments of the soul are powerful enough for any magic from Horcruxes to retain any trace in Ginny. It might in Harry simply because 16 years is an awfully long time for you to be linked with a piece of Voldemort's soul" She shrugged her tone changing to ironic amusement now. "I think both of you just fell in love at different times and finally came together once Harry pulled his head out of his arse." Hermione gave Harry a teasing smile as he blushed while Ginny grinned. "You are soulmates and it doesn't matter if that's because of Voldemort or because fate demanded it." She smiled as they kissed.

"Thanks Hermione." They said grateful. "Let's go up to my room." Said Ginny softly.

"I'll follow you upstairs. Are you and Ron okay?" Asked Hermione looking at Ginny uncertainly.

Ginny was indifferent and looked tired of her youngest brother's habit of playing the martyr. "Yeah, we're good, just needed to keep him from acting like he didn't have control over his choices or didn't realize what he got himself into, he is almost 18, not 11. No matter what anyone says or does all of his mistakes are his fault." Ginny stood up shaking her head in annoyance at Ron. "I warned him not to screw up like that again or I would make his life hell."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you Ginny." Said Hermione as she sighed heavily and got up too.

"Let's go." Said Harry casually

As they left Harry realized he was in agreement with Ginny… No matter if other people, himself included, were saying things that he didn't like to hear, sooner or later Ron would have to act like an adult and get past his self-esteem issues for good.