The Difficulties of Avoidance
by dead2self
A/N: Hello readers (if I have any left!). I'm currently in the middle of my Read-through-all-the-HP-books-before-the-new-movie ritual, and it has put me in quite the Harry Potter mood! I cracked open the dusty old HP fanfiction folder on my computer, and lo and behold there was a chapter finished from this story that had not yet been posted on FF. net! I can't claim that much happens in it, nor can I promise a quick update any time soon, but if you've been waiting on this story, I hope you enjoy it anyways.
Edit 06/23/12: Because I remembered that Bill and Fleur exist and should probably be included in Christmas.
After a disastrous first term, things were finally shaping up for Ginny. Luna was no longer visiting Riddle, so the stress of worrying about her had been lifted off Ginny's shoulders. Slowly, as she adjusted to the knowledge that Tom Riddle was not an imminent threat, Ginny began to climb out of the slump into which she had sunk.
Quidditch practices began to look like an organized affair, and Ginny was coming into her own as captain. She found herself often pouring over more game strategies than schoolwork, but she was determined not to lose Gryffindor's winning streak. If her inattentiveness in one match cost them the Cup, Ginny was sure Harry, and certainly her own brothers, would never let her live it down. The odds were in their favor; Ravenclaw had flattened Hufflepuff, and were projected to win against Slytherin for the first time in nearly twenty-five years. Luna was ecstatic, but Ginny was now doing all she could to guard her team against the two brilliant Beaters the Ravenclaws had uncovered.
Just as Ginny was getting into the swing of things, Christmas holidays were upon them. The professors rushed to squeeze in the last of their lessons before the break, and in the deluge of tests, Ginny hardly had a mind for anything else. Luckily, a ferocious winter storm disrupted the owl post, because if she had received Harry's letter any earlier than the last day of term, her head would have been in the clouds for the lot of it.
"YES!" she shrieked when she got the letter at breakfast, startling her classmates out of their studying-induced drowsiness. Ginny kept the exact contents of the letter a secret, grinning stupidly at anyone who asked, until she got a hold of Luna in the hallway.
"Harry's coming to the Burrow for the holidays," she exclaimed in an undertone.
"Delightful," Luna answered, flashing Ginny an airy smile. "If your family would allow it, I would be quite happy to see Harry, Hermione, and Ronald again after Christmas."
"You're welcome anytime," Ginny told her, giving Luna's hand a quick squeeze before running up to her dormitory to read Harry's letter one more time.
The Hogwarts Express had never seemed to take so long to pull into Platform 9¾. When she unloaded from the train, her luggage in tow, Ginny was surprised to see a smattering of Aurors and Order members scattered across the platform, watching the passengers disembark. All of that was forgotten, of course, when she spotted the bespectacled man grinning broadly next to her parents.
Beaming fit to light a Christmas tree, Ginny dropped her luggage and pounded across the platform. Harry caught her with a satisfying 'thud,' and wrapped his arms around her waist as if he would never let go. Ginny buried her face in his neck and relished the moment with every sense, content to cling to him.
"Ginny?" Harry pulled away, worry shining behind his glasses. "What…?" Belatedly, she realized she was tearing up.
"It's nothing, sorry," Ginny said, scrubbing at her eyes, slightly confused herself. "I'm just… there's been a lot. I'm so happy to see you again, Harry." Harry smiled softly and cupped her face in his hands, moving to kiss her, but—
"That's quite enough, Harry," Mrs. Weasley tutted. "I want a hug from my only daughter as well."
Ginny could not help but laugh as she released Harry and turned into her mother's arms. Over her mother's shoulder, she could see Ron and Hermione exchanging a knowing grin. Her father collected his hug next, and by the time they collected her luggage and piled into a taxi cab, Ginny was exhausted, and she spent the remainder of the trip home napping on Harry's shoulder.
Ginny should have known better than to think that she would be allowed to rest the remainder of the evening.
Christmas at the Burrow was always a tumultuous affair – the way the entire family regrouped in their small home for a few days – but this year Mrs. Weasley was in a particular frenzy. Ginny suspected it had something to do with the new arrivals to the family, as well as the arrivals that were not technically related to them, but invited to Christmas dinner all the same. The second Ginny had towed her trunk up to her room, her mother called her down into the kitchen.
"That's a good girl, get out the Christmas china and clean them, won't you dear? Very good, mind you don't break any—RONALD WEASLEY, don't you think about going upstairs!"
After sending her shame-faced son off to de-gnome the garden ("Ridiculous, even in winter!" Ginny heard him mutter on his way out), Molly Weasley set her sights on Harry and Hermione. To Ginny's humor, her mother no longer had any qualms with putting them to work like her own children. Hermione was soon dusting the living room, while Harry trundled upstairs to change all the sheets in the empty bedrooms.
"What's all this about?" Ginny hissed to Ron when she was on her third round of polishing and he shuffled through the kitchen, pink from the cold.
"Fleur and Bill have other plans for Christmas Eve," he grumbled. "And they've set a date."
"Phlegm!" muttered Ginny, and polished with renewed fervor.
Things continued in this vein for three days, and Mrs. Weasley worked them almost nonstop. Charlie arrived in the midst of it, and Ginny barely got to give him a hug before their mother sent him off to the shed to fix it into another makeshift room. At the end of an exhausting day (Ginny never wanted to see another potato in her life), Ginny was granted a brief reprieve before dinner to relax in the living room.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their heads together, and Ginny could hear their heated discussion trail off as she entered the room. Harry moved to intercept Ginny with a quick kiss while the other two sprawled out on the couch. Somehow, Ginny knew better than to ask questions.
"I have to admit, I miss Hogwarts," Hermione said, forcing conversation once Harry and Ginny broke apart. Despite not being in much of a mood to talk about school, Ginny collapsed in her father's favorite armchair and sighed.
"I'd rather be in your place any day," Ginny confessed. A barely perceptive glance passed between Hermione and Harry, and just as subtly, he shook his head. "It's just not the same without you," she added quickly.
Silence hung in the air while Ginny tried to get a purchase on the conversation. "Same old Hogwarts?" Ron asked suddenly.
"There's not much that's different," she answered. "Luna's as strange as usual, but she's still good company. I don't see Hagrid all that often – not in Magical Creatures, you know; dropped it for N.E.W.T.s. – but he sends his greetings. I have his present in my trunk, but it can wait until Christmas." She caught Harry's smile at the mention of Hagrid, and she suddenly felt more inclined to talk.
"Luna got Head Girl, did I tell you?"
"Yeah, crazy!" Ron laughed. "Has she been turning the place upside down?"
"I've seen her take away points for standing under mistletoe," she said, and was surprised when Harry snorted. "She's not bad, though. The Head Boy does his best to keep her in line."
"Are you doing well preparing for your N.E.W.T.s?" Hermione asked with obvious concern.
"As well as can be expected," Ginny answered, shrugging. Considering the circumstances. She was surprised none of them had asked about Riddle yet.
"That, I do not miss," Ron said pointedly. Hermione looked affronted, but Harry piped up before she could reprimand Ron.
"There's something I don't miss about Hogwarts," he said. "Snape."
"Ugh, he's the Defense teacher now, right? Can't say I'm upset about missing that," Ron said. "Must be a nightmare."
"Honestly, school wasn't my biggest concern for the first part of the year, so by the time I got around to caring whether or not Snape's class was any good…" She grinned at Harry haphazardly. "Don't get me wrong, he's the same unfair git as always, but he had us creating our own jinxes and counter-jinxes… it was kinda cool."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, clearly thinking she was crazy. Ginny leaned forward playfully.
"And I think he actually enjoys teaching it, contrary to Potions," she said, trying to prove her point. "His lessons are very practical, a lot like Professor Lupin's, but with more of a focus on dueling. I'm not bad at Defense, myself, but I was shite with a Shield Charm until Snape got a hold of us. And he's very knowledgeable, which is more than I can say for most of our Defense professors." Unfortunately, she did not notice Harry's expression hardening.
"I'll bet he is," Harry muttered darkly, and abruptly the mood of the conversation plummeted. Ginny frowned slightly, and nearby, Hermione tutted from behind the book she had taken up.
"There's no need to be touchy about it, Harry," Ginny said. "I just said he's better at teaching Defense than Potions."
"Excuse me if I don't like to hear you gush about Snape, of all people."
"You asked about him," Ginny said sharply, glaring at him for being so ridiculous. Ron shifted uneasily and then muttered about leaving something in the kitchen.
"I didn't ask for you to write him a bloody sonnet."
Ginny was rather taken aback by the acidic tone in Harry's voice; frankly, it scared her. "All I did was say he was a good Defense professor. Is that so bad?"
"Well, we all know where he got all that experience with the Dark Arts, don't we?"
"Oh, please, Harry, he's with the Order."
"And he's a Death Eater. As far as I'm concerned, he's as much foe as friend." Harry's voice was escalating, and Ginny matched him decibel for decibel.
"He risks his life—!"
"He doesn't risk anything! He's the safest of all of us, no matter who comes out on top. Why do you keep defending him?"
"Why are you so intent on believing he's for the other side? Just because he doesn't like you?"
"That has nothing to—"
Ginny shot to her feet, cutting off whatever excuse Harry had formulated, and glared down at him. "However much you may want it to, Harry James Potter, the world does not revolve around you!" Spinning on her heel, she stomped out of the room and up the first flight of stairs, slamming the door to her room so hard that the whole house shuddered uneasily.
Ginny sat on her bed, still trying to get her head around the argument. Her heart was still pounding in her ears, and her face was hot and red. It all seemed rather surreal that she had been defending Snape to the point of fighting with Harry over it.
There was a soft knock on the door. "Ginny, can I come in?"
At first, Ginny considered ignoring her, or even throwing something at the door. But Hermione had been one of her best friends ever since the summer at Grimmauld Place, and she could not very well turn her away.
"Come in," she called softly.
Hermione poked her head through the doorframe, and then approached the bed apprehensively. She took a seat next to Ginny and put a hand on her arm, getting straight to the point.
"Look, Ginny, I know Harry's being a git – he always has been when it comes to Snape – but what you said about him… it isn't true at all. We're all wound a little tight at the moment, and… well, what you said probably hurt him more than he let on."
Ginny did not say anything, and looked away instead. Hermione frowned.
"If you don't mind me saying, Ginny, you're acting a bit childish now. The world doesn't revolve around you either."
"Excuse me?" Ginny said, drawing away her arm. She had not let Hermione in to be chastised.
Hermione faltered, and shifted her gaze to Ginny's sheets. "Well, I mean, you had to know what we were doing… The entire time you were sending us owls, we were searching for Horcruxes and attempting to avoid detection. Voldemort has people in the Ministry now. What we're doing isn't exactly safe, and having Pig show up countless times a week…"
"I was—"
"Perfectly safe all semester," Hermione cut across her. "Dumbledore told us all about the enchantments he had on the room. Tom Riddle wasn't exactly chasing you through the corridors."
"You have no idea what I've been going through," Ginny snapped, shooting to her feet.
"I think I do, since you documented it in about three years worth of letters!" Hermione answered hotly.
"Those letters were for Harry," Ginny exploded. "You had no right reading them!"
"Well, fine." Hermione's lips pressed together in a fine line. "I was just trying to clear some things up. Excuse me." Stiffly, Hermione rose to her feet and walked out of the room; she only betrayed how upset she was when she slammed the door.
Dinner at the Burrow that night was not a pleasant affair. Ron sat as the buffer between Ginny and Hermione, who had somehow become more upset with each other in the short time since they had talked. Harry sat somewhere on the other side of Hermione, looking now slightly more sick than angry. The adults traded uneasy glances, and made stabs at conversation, but the tension between Ginny and Hermione suffocated most of their attempts.
The flare that accompanied the twins Flooing into the Burrow went off like fireworks in the silence.
"Hullo, Mum!" said Fred, planting a kiss on the crown of their shocked mother's head.
Molly Weasley waved him off with some effort, fussing about as she rose to set their places. "Didn't expect you—wonderful surprise!"
The twins turned their attention to the rest of the table, only to discover the heavy atmosphere.
"Merlin's beard, what's this?" George cried. "Has someone died?"
No one answered, and the twins exchanged a cautious glance. "No one's really died, have they?" Fred asked.
"Someone's been in a bit of a row," Charlie supplied helpfully, motioning to the four sitting across from him. Hermione sniffed, and directed her gaze to a photograph somewhere by George's right ear.
"Before Christmas?" Fred asked, summoning a pair of chairs from a nearby room. "Budge up, Ron, there's a mate—seems impractical to me."
"At least wait until you've secured your presents to go at it." George turned conspiratorially to Harry and whispered, "That's our strategy, anyways—Mum, let me help you with that!"
With a wink in their direction, George whisked the plates out of his mother's hands. Ginny glanced over at Hermione, who was also having trouble not smiling at the twins' antics. The older girl caught her gaze, and immediately forced a frown. Ginny did the same and looked away. Across from her, Ginny's father sighed.
"You children are being ridiculous," Arthur said abruptly. "You haven't seen each other for months, and suddenly you're at each other's throats. We all realize we are in difficult times, but it is times like these that you must cherish your loved ones more than ever." He spared a glance at his wife, who was settling into her seat again, and took her hand. "After all, there is no guarantee that our whole family will be together at once ever again."
A dark pall set over the table, and even the twins started to look serious. Ginny fidgeted guiltily in her seat and sneaked a glance at Hermione again, who did not look too comfortable either. There was a mumble from Mrs. Weasley that sounded suspiciously like, "If Miss Delacour even allows Bill to come home for Christmas."
Arthur shot his wife a short glance, and spoke a bit louder. "I'm not saying this to be pessimistic, but in light of what has been happening lately… Please, if only for the sake of an aging old wizard, make this holiday a good time to look back upon."
There was a short pause until Mrs. Weasley prodded a platter of ham at Harry, urging him to get some more meat on his bones. Ginny caught Hermione's eye and shrugged; Hermione smiled back and turned to berate Ron for his table manners. To Ginny's annoyance, Harry still avoided her glances.
Ginny caught him in the hallway after dinner just before he went upstairs. "Look, Harry, I'm really sorry. I—"
"No, I mean… yeah, me too." Harry toed awkwardly at the floor. "I didn't have to get so mad."
"And I shouldn't have said… what I said." Ginny fiddled with the hem of her sweater and then burst out, "Why haven't you asked me about Riddle yet?"
Harry looked up into her eyes abruptly. "Honestly? I thought you wouldn't want to talk about him since you just got past all that."
"Well… I don't want you to think that I'm overreacting about him," Ginny said. "You're at least concerned, aren't you?"
"Of course I am," Harry answered, reaching for her shoulder. "But you know Dumbledore's got everything under control."
"I know…" Ginny sighed.
"And, you know, however much Hermione gripes about it, we all do enjoy getting letters from you and hearing about Hogwarts."
"Just maybe not more than one a day?" Ginny asked with a small smile.
Harry grimaced, and ventured, "Maybe not one every day."
"I'll try to restrain myself," she said, surprised to find she was not disappointed. Away from Hogwarts, away from Riddle, all her paranoia seemed ridiculous and unfounded. Something about that realization made her feel lighter, and she was abruptly more aware that her boyfriend was standing across from her in the empty hall at the base of the stairwell.
A sly smile curled on her lips, and she took a step closer to Harry. "But all that lost time when I'm restraining myself… perhaps we should make up for it now?"
Catching on, Harry cupped her face in his hands and grinned. "Couldn't agree more."
They had not been more than a few seconds into the kiss when a loud bang broke them apart. Ginny almost panicked, thinking the Burrow was under attack, but she quickly came to her senses when she heard laughter and saw Harry clutching at his face. The twins abruptly slung their arms around Ginny shoulders and leered over at Harry.
"How do you like our new Anti-Creeper Critter?" said George. "Guaranteed to stop any unsavory public displays of affection before you can say 'animalistic teenage hormones'!"
"George!" Ginny shrieked.
"That's what you get for investing, mate," the twin said with a wink toward Harry.
"And I thought investment would make me safe," Harry muttered as he tried to pry the octopus-like invention off his face.
"No such thing as immunity at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Fred said. "And hands off our little sister—"
"At least until we can't see the two of you." George winked and the twins cackled as they mounted the stairs.
"Is one moment of solitude so much to ask for in my family?" Ginny sighed as she attempted to help Harry. Once they finally succeeded in freeing Harry from the prank – and properly destroying it – Harry and Ginny found a more private location and Harry demonstrated a very handy detection spell that he had picked up from Hermione out on the road. No one bothered them again.
Even with more people in the house than the Burrow could hold, no drama escalated to the degree of the incident at the beginning of the holiday. The entire Weasley family was in residence, minus Percy, and Remus and Tonks had joined them the day before Christmas. Ginny was delighted to see Tonks again, and although Remus looked as ragged as ever, there was a quiet, nervous happiness about him. Ginny suspected it had something to do with the subtle bump on Tonks' stomach that never seemed to morph away, no matter what form she took. She still caught her mother looking sadly between Tonks and Bill, and could not say she blamed her. She and Hermione were expected to share a room with Fleur, and when the couple left for their own Christmas Eve plans, Ginny found herself relieved.
On Christmas morning, Ginny gave Harry his present, a stationary set, though she made sure he understood it was tongue in cheek. She gave him Hagrid's gift as well, but everyone present was wary of opening it in the house, and so Harry agreed to wait on it. Ginny did not actually see much of Harry on Christmas, which was understandable. She could share him, especially with the likes of Remus and Tonks.
Thus, Ginny was in the kitchen helping her mother when a loud crack startled the air and Dumbledore burst through the side door, Snape in his wake. Mrs. Weasley, though surprised, bustled over to greet them with all her usual hospitality until she spotted Dumbledore's hand. She froze, and peeking around her, Ginny's heart nearly stopped as well.
"Do not be alarmed," Dumbledore said, though he sounded more tired than she had ever heard before. "The worse of it is taken care of, thanks to Professor Snape." Snape scowled, and Ginny was surprised that, along the same lines as Dumbledore, he looked even more sour than usual.
There was a clamor as Harry and Hermione burst into the kitchen, trailed closely by Ron and Remus. "Professor Dumbledore!" Harry cried, rushing over.
"Harry, hello." Subtly, Dumbledore drew his hand further into his sleeve. "I was, ah… overconfident." Harry's eyes flashed with understanding, and Ginny struggled to keep up. Meanwhile, Dumbledore turned his attention to her. "However, this was not the direct reason for my visit. I intended to talk to Ginny and Miss Lovegood about a matter of high importance."
Ginny froze and glanced quickly at Harry.
"I do so hate disturbing the festivities, but as I'm sure you can assume, it may be better to address this while a portion of the Order is present. Do you think you could fetch Miss Lovegood?" Ginny nodded and walked stiffly toward the door, but Harry cut her off.
"I'll get her," he said, turning on the spot and Disapparating. He returned a moment later with Luna, who looked barely phased at being snatched out of her Christmas festivities. She was wearing a multitude of flashing Christmas lights that made it difficult to look straight at her.
"Has something gone wrong, Professor?" she asked, her eyes wide, unblinking, and almost disturbing.
"A moment of privacy, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. Snape's eyes flashed with displeasure, but he allowed Mrs. Weasley to sweep him genially from the room after she rose from her stupor.
Ginny and Luna watched Dumbledore expectantly as he heaved a sigh and lowered himself into a chair in the corner. Harry and the others drifted closer so that he could speak in a hushed voice.
"Ginny, Luna… I'm afraid I have an unfavorable task to ask of you," he began. "And realize, I ask you this as members of the Order."
Instant pride swelled up in Ginny's chest, and she was relieved her mother was not in the room; she would have surely objected at this point. Her joy was not meant to last long.
"Activity on the enemy's part has heightened as of late and it more important than ever that Harry's task be accomplished. As such, I will not be at Hogwarts quite as often as I would like during the next semester, and although I can entrust most of the duties at the school to Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, there is one thing with which I can not entrust them." He paused, and Ginny tried to ignore the sick feeling in her chest; her mind worked double-time trying to will away what she thought he would say next. "Or more specifically, one person."
Ginny realized she had been holding her breath only when she gasped, "But Professor…" and a pounding headache exploded in her ears. At her side, Luna said nothing at all, but could have easily passed for the Grey Lady. "Why not McGonagall or Snape? They're both Order members."
"Minerva knows too much of the breadth of the Order, and although I trust her implicitly, our young ward is already an accomplished Legimens. As for Severus, when dealing with Voldemort, it is best for him to know as little as possible in some matters. Severus knows nothing of who we are keeping in the Room of Requirement.
"If I did not have to ask this of you, I would not. But we have no other options." Dumbledore reached out as if to clap Ginny's shoulder, but faltered when he realized that he held out his blackened hand. The pause was short, but the gravity of the situation suddenly fell on Ginny; this was not only about her. "Will you do it?" he asked.
"Dumbledore—" Harry said in a quiet, hard voice, but Ginny already knew what she had to answer.
"Yes."
Ginny looked over in surprise at Luna, who had spoken first. Her face was still pale, but her blue eyes shone with the resolve that only Luna could have.
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, catching her friend's eye.
"Aren't you?" Luna replied. Ginny nodded and Luna took her by the hand. "Then we'll take him on together this time." Ginny tried to smile, but it did not seem right.