Reviews
To: scrappy8: Thank youuu! :) I am glad you enjoyed it! I also hope they're okay!
To: Quill will 1981: Thank youuu! That makes me happy to hear :) It might have been, who knows ;) There might be some more characters appearing in this chapter! This week's Chapter is also a bit longer! I hope you enjoy it! :)
Thank you all for your reviews! They mean a lot to me and keep me motivated to continue the story :)
Notes
This week's chapter is a bit longer, but I managed to finally edit it, I hope you enjoy the craziness of the Weasley household :D
Please review and tell me what you think about it! :)
Chapter Summary
After the horror of the Troll attack and discovering Ginny's mysterious powers, they make their way to the Burrow, where Lily is greeted by an interesting family of red-heads.
Chapter Four. The Weasleys
Ginny watched the dust slowly settle, the last few late evening sunrays making it glimmer in the air.
Her eyes fell over the giant troll, lying motionless next to the stone it had just been flung against.
She still couldn't believe what had happened, all she knew was, that whatever this power was, it had come from her, her alone.
She had felt it, like a current traveling through her body, uncontrollable and mighty.
It seemingly shot from her fingertips, striking the towering creature with such incredible force…
She swallowed, her mouth feeling dry, she didn't know she possessed such powers, to say that magic was a rare gift was an understatement. She had never met someone magical in her life, only heard the stories of old, mighty witches and wise sorcerers.
She knew it ran in her family bloodline, she had heard the tales of Catherina Weasley, a powerful witch once upon a time, serving on the royal court, far away from here.
But that was many hundreds of years ago, since then no one one in their family had shown any signs or inclination of magical powers, her family was incredibly ordinary.
But her mind drifted off, to the many times she had overheard her parents or brothers talk about the fact that something about her was special.
The first girl in seven generations as well as the seventh-born child…
But that didn't have to mean anything, it could just be a big coincidence, she was just Ginny, a little ordinary girl from St. Ottery.
"G- Ginny, a- are you a- alright?"
Lily's shaky and whimpering voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Goodness, they were still in the middle of a forest with another forest troll lurking around, she could sulk over all of this horrible mess later.
She spun around, now facing a still cowering Lily, the girl was shaking, her face was tear-streamed and ghostly pale, her green eyes watery and puffy.
To Ginny's delight, she otherwise seemed to be unharmed though, not being able to make out any blood or superficial injuries on the sitting girl covered in dust.
She quickly closed the distance before kneeling down in front of her, not caring about dirtying her clothes anymore, if more was even possible.
"Are you alright? I mean, neither of us is alright, but are you hurt or injured?" Ginny shakily asked, still checking over the trembling girl before her.
Lily took a few more deep breaths until she finally spoke up.
"I- I think so." She stuttered. "It c- couldn't get to me in time." She slightly raised her chin it was covered in dust, her eyes still wide. "You saved my life!"
Ginny's lips curled into a small smile as she replied, hoping it comforted herself as much as it did Lily. "I guess that makes us even."
"How do you mean?" Lily asked in confusion, the colour of her face slowly but surely coming back, as her cheeks flushed to the familiar red Ginny knew.
"Well, if you hadn't screamed earlier, with me and Luna trapped in that valley, the trolls would've torn us to shreds, they were just a cat leap away until you lured them off," Ginny explained a full smile spreading over her features now, as Lily seemed to think about what she had heard, still looking a bit unsure.
"See, with that, you saved our life too!" Ginny stated matter of factly. "Without you, Luna and I would've been troll dinner!"
Lily's lips curled into a small smile before she frowned. "Wait? Did you say Luna? Where is she? Is she hurt?" Her voice was concerned.
Luna! Ginny thought.
They had decided that it was best if she quickly ran home, to get her father for help, in case things went even more south than they already had.
Before she could speak up to explain their decision to Lily, a familiar dreamy voice sounded out from behind them.
"Hi, Lily. I am alright, thank you for asking."
Ginny's mouth fell open as she spun around to see the blonde-haired girl in question skip into the clearing, a dreamy smile plastered on her face.
"L- Luna? Why are you here?" Ginny asked, her eyes still wide in surprise. "I thought we agreed that it would be best for you to go back to tell your father?"
Luna chuckled as she stopped next to them. "Yes, but I felt like you would need me more." Her dreamy blue eyes took in the two dirtied and scratched red-haired girls sitting before her.
"Now come on you two, I'll show you the quickest way out of here, it will get dark soon and you don't want to meet the tree spirits at night, they aren't pleasant to be around!" She smiled as she reached out a hand to each of them.
Ginny and Lily only shared a quick look, both equally happy and confused to see the dreamy girl, before they each took one of her hands and she pulled them both to their feet.
It was only then that Ginny noticed that some of her worse scratches and wounds seemed to have mended on their own, it must've happened when that weird magic erupted from her earlier.
Did that mean that she could heal herself, to a degree at least?
The thought only made her head spin even more, and she decided she would keep that part to herself, for now at least.
Now was just not the time, to waste any more thoughts on this.
Lily slowly felt herself calming, as Luna led them through the forest. The Sun had finally disappeared behind the surrounding hills, bathing the forest in a gloomy dark mood. Crickets played their beautiful evening concert, but other than that, silence had come over the woods, no singing birds, no buzzing insects, only the sounds of their footsteps on dry leaves.
To their relief, the second troll hadn't shown up, it must've stayed in its little valley probably equally confused.
And Lily was glad for that, she never wanted to experience anything like this ever again. The memory alone, of how the tall creature stood there, mouth open, teeth bared… It made her wince and she felt goosebumps pebble on her skin.
They had been such idiots, going out there on their own like some fairy tale heroines, mother and father would be livid, to say the least, her eyes wandered to the roof of the forest where the sun had disappeared a good while ago, she should've been home over an hour ago.
And also the state she was in, her clothing coated by mud, dirt, and grime, scratched and ripped in places.
If it got out that some little girls had faced two full-grown forest trolls, and that in Catchpole forest…
The whole village would be in total disarray.
But that would be a problem for another time, right now they needed to get out of those blasted woods.
And to be quite frank, Lily wasn't sure if she ever wanted to set foot into any form of forest again. She would keep to her nice grassy hills and wide open plains from now on.
She glanced to her right where Luna was silently walking next to her.
The two girls had exchanged some quick words earlier, and Lily had asked how Luna came to be trapped by the two trolls in the first place.
The story the blond girl had recited to them was just as unbelievable, as it was… Luna.
Lily smiled to herself, as she elegantly leapt over a branch blocking their way.
Yeah, The story was simply Luna, that was the best description her mind could come up with.
Apparently, Luna had encountered the two trolls on the exact spot where Lily and Ginny had first discovered their footsteps earlier today.
And Luna being Luna hadn't been scared in the slightest, simply asking the trolls if they were lost, and if they needed directions back towards the far bigger, far deeper Albion Forest, where creatures like them normally dwelled.
After Luna had simply been taken by the two trolls, she had apparently still tried to help them, even giving them little nicknames.
Hollie and Ollie she had called them, and Lily honestly wasn't sure who was more confused, the two trolls at the time, or herself and Ginny now, while listening to Luna telling her story.
They had used old rope and tied her up loosely, with— according to Luna at least —no intention of hurting or eating her at any point.
Lily and Ginny had both only shaken their heads as they stared at each other, but decided to keep their mouths shut in the end.
Ginny had also told Lily how she had stumbled and rolled down into the little valley, landing in blackberry bushes and all kinds of thickets, badly scratching and bruising herself in the process. Of which Lily weirdly could spot no signs or remnants on her friend's body though.
Ginny had also explained how she had eventually found Luna, sleeping and not even really tied up, totally relaxed. How they decided to go after Lily and eventually split up, Ginny quickly finding the clearing Lily was trapped in, and how then everything lit up in a blinding brightness, ending with a knocked-out troll on the floor and two shaking and confused red-haired girls.
The whole story was so insane, if Lily hadn't been there to witness it with her own two eyes, she wouldn't have believed it herself.
But she shook her head, trying to focus back on the now, it had been a good twenty minutes since they left the clearing, and Lily could see the southern edge of the forest ahead of them, where trees finally parted and the bright, freshly raised moon bathed hills and plains in a bright silvery gown.
"Finally, get me out of this hell!" She exclaimed, relief in her voice but slightly out of breath. Her body wanting nothing more than a nice comfortable bed to lie on.
"How far is it to your home, after we're out of this blasted forest?" Lily asked, glancing at an equally panting Ginny who was steadily hiking to Lily's right.
Ginny turned toward her, scrunching her eyebrows. "I'd say another fifteen minutes, maybe less if we keep up our pace!"
They had universally agreed that Lily would come with Ginny to their little farm, since the St. Ottery was too far away, and Lily wouldn't be able to find there on her own anyway, especially not at night.
While Luna would leave them to head home as soon as they had finally made their way out of those woods, her home wasn't far from here either, just down south, past a few wheat fields and windmills.
The moment they finally stepped out of the forest, Lily took a deep breath of fresh air, she felt the wind blowing on her face and it instantly calmed her, the night sky greeting them as it lit their way, no longer hidden away behind a thick green leafen roof.
They hugged Luna goodbye, before wishing the dreamy Girl a safe journey home, telling her to steer clear of any trollen footprints she might encounter on her way.
Watching after her as she happily skipped off into the distance, her blond hair reflecting the bright moonlight, until she eventually disappeared behind the tall wheat plants that framed the small dirt trail they finally found themselves on.
"This girl truly is an enigma to me…" Ginny murmured, and Lily's lips curled into a small smile.
"I guess it's one of the things I love so much about her." She added, now fixing her gaze on Lily who nodded in agreement.
"Come on now, we've been out and about for long enough, and I can't wait for Mum's and Dad's wrath waiting for me at home." Ginny sighed, "I am already sorry for what you'll have to witness."
Lily laughed as she patted Ginny's shoulder, grinning at the other girl. "Ah, I've been in worse trouble, I am used to it!"
"We've survived two forest trolls, and we will survive our parents' wrath!" She joked, earning her a snort from Ginny.
"Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that." Ginny shook her head. "But let's hope so!"
With that the two red-haired girls took off, Lily closely trailing after Ginny, who knew the way to her home, finally leaving the now still and silent forest behind them.
Ginny enjoyed the walk to the Burrow, she knew the landscape, the fields, the green apple trees and shallow rolling hills under the silvery moonlight. It was home.
But another feeling steadily grew in her chest and she swallowed thinking about what would await her there, her parents would be more than livid, they must be worried sick, probably already packing to venture out to search for her.
It was the calm before the storm, yet no clouds were visible in the open night sky, the irony of it making Ginny snort.
She felt a small breeze on her skin, she was shivering, with the sun gone it had cooled down swiftly, her dirtied summer clothes not giving much protection against the elements.
She gulped again as the brightly lit windows of the Burrow appeared behind the majestic willow tree Ginny and Ron used to play under when they were younger.
She heard faint calls, it was her name, her parents and brothers, they were calling for her, already searching for her. She hadn't even told them that she left for the pond, only saying she would be outside, playing, so they were looking for her around their grounds.
She stopped abruptly, reaching out her arm towards Lily.
"Okay, this is going to be a mess, just try to stay behind me, they will have my head on a platter." She already felt defeated. "I will try to explain what happened and you can chime in to add some details if I miss any."
Lily only nodded in understanding, she was looking nervous and Ginny couldn't blame her, meeting your friends's parents for the first time was always a daunting experience, and adding all the current special circumstances only ten-folded that whole thing.
"Ready?" Ginny asked, locking eyes with the other girl once more.
"Ready!" Lily answered, only straightening her back.
Ginny took one more deep breath as she closed her eyes, she had survived two giant forest trolls today, she could master this as well, they were worried and in panic, they had all reason to be angry at her!
Her eyes fluttered open and with a last glance at Lily, her feet started moving in the direction of the panicked shouts that belonged to her more than worried family.
She quickly sped up her steps as a faint silhouette appeared behind a bush, not far from the Burrow garden.
"Ginny? Is it you?" The figure spoke, now stepping out from the shadow, revealing her youngest brother, Ron.
He looked tired, his short red hair messy and tousled, as if he already had been in bed before.
"Ginny! It is you!" He called out, surprise in his voice.
"Mum! Dad! Ginny is here! She is with me!" He shouted out over the grounds of the Burrow, as the rest of her family silenced, now seemingly making their way towards them.
Ron looked at her in disbelief, his blue eyes sleepy but aware. "Where in Godric's name have you been? Mum and Dad are worried sick, they were about the send word to the City council that a young girl was missing!"
Ginny grimaced as she replied. "Shit! I will explain everything, let's just wait until the rest is here." She swallowed, and Ron only shook his head, this would be a great mess.
Before any of them could say anything else, an all too familiar voice rang out over the orchard, the tone of it making Ginny wince.
"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!" Her mother's voice was like venom, yet she detected a hint of worry in it.
"Where in Godric's name have you been!" She basically sprinted towards them, swiftly closing the distance.
"We were so scared something had happened!" Her voice now fully changed to one of worry, as she simply ran at Ginny embracing her in the tightest motherly hug.
Ginny couldn't breathe as her mum's hands came around her firmly, clutching her tightly.
"Oh my little princess, I was so, so, so worried." Molly cooed.
"Your dad was about to take Mr Hooves and ride into the City to get help and report you as missing!"
After what seemed like an eternity she finally pulled back now taking in Ginny's dirty and tattered appearance.
"What in heaven's name have you been up to?"
Her eyes now traveled over Ginny's shoulder, where Lily stood, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation unfolding before her.
"And who are you, young Lady?" Her eyes snapped between the two girls, confusion and worry etched onto her face.
"Mum! Calm down!" Ginny cut her off. "We will explain everything, but lets go inside first and tell the others, before Dad really rides out on his own on some Hail Mary Mission to find me, you know he and Mr Hooves both shouldn't be doing that anymore!" Her voice was loud and clear and Molly as well as Ron nodded in agreement.
On the way in Fred and George also joined them, as well as a glaring Percy who was already starting to lecture her on all the possible dangers and ways they could've died out there, until their mother finally shut him down, waiting for the rest of the bunch to trickle in.
They sat in silence, only the noise of her mother preparing them a cattle of Tea on the fireplace breaking the deafening silence.
Ron looked like he just wanted to go to bed, Fred and George looked rather proud and Percy was still giving her his signature glare. The silence was suddenly broken as Molly spoke up.
"So, while we wait for the rest to arrive, I need to ask who this young Lady— you brought with you —is."
She looked at Lily, who was sitting at the end of the table, seeming extremely uncomfortable in the unknown home, surrounded by a group of strangers, her eyes fixed on her hands on the kitchen table.
"Because her family will be worried sick and looking for her!" Her mother explained, which Ginny had to agree with.
"She's my friend! I met her today, and we went through a lot together." She turned towards Lily who was staring at her, emerald green eyes wide open in uncertainty.
"Where do your parents live?" Ginny asked, before facing her mother again. "Maybe Bill can ride out and tell them she's safe and alright here?"
Just as she had finished her sentence the door opened and the man in question stepped in, her oldest Brother.
Bill was wearing his brown leather coat, his hair shoulder long like always, a troll tooth dangling in his ear, painfully reminding Ginny of their earlier encounter.
"Of course, I'd do that!" He smiled at the other girl. "Hey, I am William but you can call me Bill. I am-"
"-Ginny's oldest brother. Yes, I know!" Lily cut him off, now seeming a bit more comfortable, smiling sweetly at him.
"Ginny has told me about you, and how cool and totally awesome you are!" She explained, making Ginny blush as Bill winked at her.
"True that, I am indeed the most awesome brother!" He joked, earning him a collective groan from the four other Weasley boys currently in the room.
"Now this is all nice and good, and I am sorry to steer the conversation back to the original point.- Molly chimed in.
"-But we should really inform your parents, darling!" She exclaimed sweetly, looking at Lily with her big Mumma Bear eyes.
Lily only nodded, reciprocating her smile. "They live in St. Ottery, my dad is the first assistant to the mayor and my Mum has an apothecary, they live on Cokeworth Road 30, from the main square it's just past the town hall, and maybe like five or six houses down!" She outlined, her eyes snapping between Molly and Bill, who nodded in recognition.
Bill gave his mother one more look. "I'll be on my way, with Dragon Fang it will be a fifteen-minute journey at most, he is itching for a ride out anyway." With those words he spun around, about to leave the House before he abruptly stopped, turning around once more-
"-Oh it might be helpful knowing your full— as well as your parents —name." He stared at Lily who nodded in understanding.
"Oh, you're totally right!" Lily agreed. "My last name is Evans, my dad is called Deacon, and my mum Marinnia!" She quickly told him, as he gestured her thanks before quickly leaving the room to ride towards St. Ottery.
Ginny watched as he left through the kitchen window before turning around and facing the room again.
"While we are still waiting for Dad, I think some introductions are a bit overdue." She glanced at Lily, who gave her a grateful look.
"Starting with my youngest nuisance… I mean, brother!" She gestured towards Ron who shot her a rude hand gesture in return, earning him a glare from their mother.
"This is Ron, I told you a bit about him earlier today, I love him until I see him." She teased, as everyone laughed, Ron only shaking his head.
She now gestured towards the twins. "Those two are called Fred and George, it's not that easy distinguishing them." She closed her eyes into slits. "But I do recognise a few key differences, so I always know who's who." She explained as they feigned shock.
"Oh-"
"-You don't-"
"-You're-"
"-Totally-"
"-Clueless!"
They interchangingly replied, and Ginny giggled at how Lily already looked like her head was spinning.
Molly seemed like she was about to step in and stop the fooling around, just as the door fell open and their dad stepped in.
Arthur Weasley was breathing heavily, but his eyes lit up and a relieved smile crossed his features as he spotted Ginny sitting at the table.
Wordlessly he shoved past the other chairs, closing the distance to his only daughter before he simply embraced her in a father bear hug.
Ginny simply felt safe and loved in his embrace, he was so much taller than her, and for the first time today, she could truly take a deep breath as she felt her entire body slowly calming down, from everything that had happened.
"Oh Ginny, we were so worried!" Her father breathed, relief obvious in his voice.
They stayed like this for a short while, Ginny continuing to relax in his embrace, all the horrors and the fear from earlier seemingly being pulled from her.
As they finally broke apart, she gave him a grateful look, his warm blue eyes looking at her with so much love.
She sat back down, her father plopping himself down on the big red armchair in front of the living room fireplace, as it made a loud creaking noise, earning him a few giggles from Fred and George that were quickly shot down by their mum's stern glare before she spoke up.
"So, now that everyone is finally here, tell us what happened, where were you, and how did you meet Lily?"
Molly asked, her brows furrowed.
Ginny glanced at Lily in asking, and the other girl only nodded in recognition as they gave each other one more look before Ginny turned towards the room again, taking a deep breath.
"Well, it all began earlier today, after I decided to take a little trip to the Lake" She started.
"I thought it was finally warm enough to go hunting for some Bullfrogs." Ginny outlined, already earning her an annoyed look from her mother.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley! Can't you find something better to spend your time with, than wailing in waist-deep mud, looking for slimy disgusting frogs?" Her mother shook her head. "And I thought your brothers were enough trouble on their own."
Ginny only grinned. "Sorry mum! But yeah, anyway, that's where I met Lily."
She outlined how they first met, how she taught Lily to catch Bullfrogs, how they ran away from the enormous Frog Momma, and how they eventually found out Luna was missing and had failed to show up at the pond, and their subsequent decision to go looking for her on their own.
To say her parents weren't excited would be an overstatement.
Her mother looked possibly livid, and even her father, who normally was a bit more relaxed when it came to stuff like that only shook his head, while she explained how they had taken off into Catchpole forest on their own.
"Ginevra! You could've gotten kidnapped, hurt, or even worse, encountered some form of dangerous creature out there!"
As soon as her dad had finished his sentence Ginny and Lily both winced. Earning them an even more suspicious look from Ginny's parents.
"What did you discover out there, what happened to Luna?" Her mother's voice now fully clear and slightly accusing, her eyes in slits.
Ginny swallowed looking at Lily once more, the other girl was pale and looked more than nervous before she simply burst out. "Forest Trolls!"
The room fell dead silent as Ginny saw all colour drain from her parent's faces, she really wasn't sure if she was ready for what was coming next.