A/N: This picks up pretty much exactly where we left off in the last chapter, so there's still a good amount of pain and heartache, so definitely TW for that! But there's also some flirting and banter in there.

ooo

The next morning Ginny woke up to the creaking of wooden floorboards under tentative steps. It took her several seconds to realise that this was not her bed, and another few, before the memories of the day before came flooding back and she remembered that she was in Bill's old room, and that Gregory had been there, holding her and stroking her hair, until the suffocating ache in her chest had finally subsided and she had drifted off into a deep sleep.

But he wasn't there now. The spot next to her was empty and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Last night had felt nice, and she wouldn't have been opposed to the idea of waking up in Greg's arms, so strong and comforting as they held her close to his chest.

She let out a soft sigh and stirred a little; a tight, needy sort of feeling settling in her lower belly as she imagined what it would have been like to wake up next to him; His firm body pressed tightly against her, as his strong hands roamed across her skin.

It wasn't until the old floorboard creaked again, that Ginny realised she wasn't alone in the room, and with a jolt in her stomach, her head whipped around, eyes growing wide, as she spotted the cause of the noise.

Greg was standing in front of a small mirror on the opposite side of the room and it was very obvious that he had just got out of the shower. His hair was still damp and he was wearing nothing except for pair of black joggers, which sat mouth-wateringly low on his narrow hips.

Ginny's pulse quickened as she let her eyes travel across his upper body, the aching feeling in her lower abdomen growing stronger as she took in every inch of exposed skin. Greg was all strong arms and broad shoulders, with heaps of muscles under smooth skin, tensing and shifting tantalisingly with every single one of his moves.

Her breath grew shallow and erratic as she stared at him; so mesmerised that she didn't even notice the soft moan that slipped from her lips, but it was enough to get Greg's attention.

"Oh, shit!" he breathed, eyes wide, as he walked over to his trunk and pulled out a t-shirt. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"No, it's fine." Ginny yawned, feeling slightly disappointed as she watched him pull the shirt over his head and tuck it down until he was fully covered. "What time is it?"

"Uhm…almost 10 am." Greg replied, a sheepish expression on his face. "You looked so comfortable; I didn't want to wake you."

"That's because I was." Ginny returned, stretching on the bed like a lazy cat. "I might have to trade rooms with you. This bed is much better than mine." She looked at Greg and for a fleeting moment she thought she could see his gaze linger on the strip of exposed skin around her midriff, where her t-shirt had ridden up while she was stretching. She bit her lip to hide a smug grin and pushed herself up into a seated position. "Unless you prefer to share, of course."

Greg tore his gaze away from her and cleared his throat, a bashful expression on his face.

"I don't think I'd get much sleep with you in my bed." He murmured, and Ginny could have sworn she saw a hint of pink sweep across his cheeks.

"Oh yeah?" Ginny breathed, her heart pounding as she got up and stepped right into his personal space, her chest almost touching his as she looked up at him with big, innocent eyes. "And why is that?"

Greg's Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes locked firmly with hers, as he swiped his tongue across his bottom lip, before pulling it between his teeth.

For a moment Ginny was sure he was going to kiss her. He was so close; - if she moved just a little bit further…

But then his gaze dropped and his expression changed into something boyish and playful. "Because you snore louder than an Erumpent with a bad head-cold." He laughed, his mouth splitting into a teasing grin.

Ginny's jaw dropped and she let out an incredulous gasp.

"I DO NOT!" she scoffed, glaring at him with reproachful eyes and swatting his chest several times. "That's a complete lie and you know it!"

"How do you know?" Greg laughed, dodging her hands and swiftly grabbing her wrists in order to stop her half-hearted attempt to assault him. "You're usually asleep when it happens."

"You're lying." Ginny repeated, feeling terribly embarrassed all of a sudden.

Greg looked at her for a long moment, his hand still wrapped tightly around her wrists, before his expression morphed into affection and his gaze grew soft. "Of course, I'm lying. I just like to wind you up."

Ginny let out an annoyed huff, but didn't say anything, her face still feeling uncomfortably hot as he let go off her hands and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You sleep like a princess. I promise. …You did miss breakfast though."

That quickly brought Ginny back to reality, as she remembered the events from the day before.

"Mum!" she breathed, a sudden urgency in her voice. "Is she alright?"

"Err… I think so." Greg shrugged. "I think she's still feeling a bit out of sorts, but you know… at least she's up and doing things."

Ginny bit her lip, but nodded. "Okay…" she sighed. "I guess I should get ready for the day. I'll see you downstairs in a little bit."

By the time Ginny entered the kitchen, Molly was already busy preparing lunch, a delicious, savoury smell coming from a happily bubbling cauldron on the hob. Ginny ignored the way her stomach growled and, instead, walked over to her mother and gave her a firm hug from behind.

"Oh." Molly exclaimed, startled, before she turned around and smiled at her daughter with tired eyes. "There you are, Ginny! I was beginning to think I'd have to send the house ghoul to wake you up."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I couldn't sleep last night. Storm was too noisy."

"Yes, it was rather bad, wasn't it?" Her mother said, returning to stirring whatever was cooking in the cauldron. "And I'm afraid we're entirely snowed in for the day. But you know how it is. It never lasts long down here."

Ginny hummed in response and cast a quick glance out of the window, where the white snow stood in stark contrast to the grey of the dreary winter sky; before returning her focus to her mother.

"How are you feeling mum?" She asked, trying for an innocent, conversational tone.

"Oh, I'm fine." Molly replied, waving a dismissive hand. "I think the cold weather just got to me, but you'll see… a couple of Pepper-Up potions and I'll be right as rain again."

"Mum…" Ginny said, unwilling to play along. "You're not very good at lying, you know?"

Molly stiffened for a moment, before she let out a shuddering sigh and turned around to face her.

"Well, if you really want to know." She started, a bitter line appearing between her pale eyebrows. "I am finding it a little difficult to get into the holiday spirit this year." Her eyes began to swim with tears and she sniffled quietly before she continued. "I think we all miss your brother dearly, and with the news that George won't be coming either, I just –"

"What?" Ginny interrupted, a cold, sinking feeling in her stomach. "What do you mean George isn't coming?"

Molly's posture stiffened, her jaw working erratically as she seemed to contemplate her next words.

"Your brother…" she began carefully "Is struggling to accept what happened, and he feels… " a heavy swallow. "He feels that coming here would make things more difficult for him."

She let out a pained gasp and added "Now, I do understand his reasoning and I think it's very important that we all try to be supportive of his decisions, but…" she sucked in a shaky breath and pressed her lips together, a small whimper escaping from her throat before she shook her head and sobbed "I just can't bear the thought of not having all my children here for Christmas."

Ginny's heart broke into a million pieces as she fell into her mother's arms and began to cry.

They both stood there for a long moment, desperately clinging to each other as they wept, until their tears subsided and Molly finally pulled back, eyes swollen and red blotches on her cheeks, as she clasped Ginny's face in both of her hands. "I am, however -" She began, a brave smile forming on her lips. "- so terribly grateful that you are here." She put a wet kiss on Ginny's forehead, before pulling her into another hug. "You have no idea how awfully quiet it has been these past few months."

They stood and hugged for a while, and Ginny revelled in the comforting warmth of her mother's embrace, until they were interrupted by Percy and Charlie, who stomped through the kitchen door, looking frozen; their cheeks and noses red from the cold, and a thick layer of fresh snow covering their coats and woolly hats.

"Well, we've cleared the path to the shed, and-" Percy froze, a small crease forming between his eyebrows as he spotted the hugging women. "What's going on?" He asked, looking back and forth between them.

"Oh, nothing, dear." Molly reassured, offering him an affectionate smile before she let go of Ginny and turned back to tend to her cooking. "Did you check on the chickens while you were out there?"

Percy didn't look quite convinced, and Ginny was sure he could tell that they had both been crying.

"Err, yes." He said, casting a questioning look at Ginny behind their mother's back. Ginny shook her head to indicate that it was best to just move on, and to her relief he didn't press the matter any further.

"We put a warming spell on the coop." Charlie jumped in to help diffuse the situation. "They're all snug and warm, mum."

"Yes." Percy confirmed, finally getting back into motion. "That's right…But if I were you, I wouldn't go outside today, mother. It's miserable out there." He shivered slightly as he pulled his gloves off and walked over to the stove to warm his hands.

Charlie snorted. "You should see the kind of snow we get in Romania." He countered, giving his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, before pulling his hat off and dropping onto one of the many mismatched kitchen chairs. "This is nothing compared to that." He winked at Ginny, who smiled warmly and walked over to the table, where she took a seat beside him.

"Either way." Percy continued, casting a pointed look at his older brother. "I think it would be much better if we all stayed in today. If you desperately need something, I guess we can send Charlie out on his old broom to get it for you. Seeing as he's so accustomed to this kind of weather."

"Sure!" Charlie chuckled, an impish gleam in his chestnut eyes. "Or…maybe you could think of an even better way to get to the shops, Mr 'Head of the Department of Magical Transportation'. Ever heard of something called Floo Powder? It's brilliant really. Connects you straight with your destination without you ever having to go outside."

Percy narrowed his eyes in irritation and Ginny couldn't help but giggle, as she nudged Charlie's arm with her elbow, who, in return, flashed her a boisterous grin.

"Oh, I'm fine!" Molly cut in, before the situation could escalate. "Now, you're a good boy for worrying about your mother like this." She said, patting Percy's cheek affectionately. "But this isn't the first time we've been snowed in, you know? And I'm sure we can all appreciate an excuse to stay in and make ourselves a cosy day at home, don't we?" she smiled warmly at all three of them, before turning back to the stove. "Now go and get yourselves cleaned up. Lunch will be ready in ten minutes."