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Author: Sovran Story: Meaning of One, Part Two: Chambers and Secrets Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: Completed Reviews: 9 Words: 353,960
Harry and Ginny each leapt away from the sound coming from directly between them. As she recoiled, Ginny overbalanced and fell to the floor. Harry found the other edge of the bed, but he managed to keep from falling off as he made sure that Ginny had not injured herself. They both clapped their hands over their ears, but the cacophony was still overwhelming. What is that? Ginny demanded. I don't… With their equilibrium restored, they were immediately able to tell that the sound was coming from the vicinity of Ginny's waist. It was not the warbling sound they had heard a few days earlier. This alarm began at a low pitch, quickly ascended to a discordant whine, and then started over again. The sound reminded Harry of the air raid sirens he had heard from his cupboard when his uncle had watched war movies at Privet Drive. Nonetheless, the origin of the noise was obvious. Stupid pyjamas! The door flew open, and Percy stepped into the room. His hair was tousled with sleep, but he was alert and grave. He swept his eyes over Ginny where she still sat on the floor and Harry as he levered himself upright at the other side of the bed. Without a word to them, Percy turned back to the hallway. "Mum! Dad! It's Ginny!" he shouted. Thanks a bundle, plonker, Ginny said. See if I do anything nice for you again. It's not like everyone else couldn't have worked that out. The twins arrived in the hallway, followed quickly by Ron, but Percy blocked them all from entering Ginny's room. A moment later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley emerged from the stairwell with looks of surprise and worry on their faces. Percy stepped to the side, and Mr. Weasley moved into the room. After a quick wave of his wand, the alarm mercifully stopped. Ron and the twins still stood in the hallway, peering around Percy to look into the room. All three boys looked startled, confused, and more than a bit sleepy. Inside her room, Mrs. Weasley stared at Ginny with wide eyes, her knuckles white as she clutched the sides of her dressing gown. Just in front of her, Mr. Weasley rubbed his face with his hands. In the deafening silence of the small room, Ginny's father cleared his throat. "That alarm is supposed to go off if you try to take off your pyjamas less than four hours after you put them on." "Well, I didn't," Ginny said harshly, irritated at being awoken and deeply offended at the implied accusation. "We were asleep, and these stupid things woke us up!" Mrs. Weasley's lips pursed, and Mr. Weasley examined Ginny's face with an unreadable expression. Ginny was sure that her own face reflected the indignation she felt, but she suspected that, to others, it might only look stubborn. Harry waited nervously at the far side of the bed, attempting to watch all of the Weasleys without actually meeting their eyes. "Go back to bed, boys," Mr. Weasley said at last. "We'll get everything sorted out." The Weasley brothers looked uniformly doubtful, but they obediently left the hallway. Percy's grave expression was the last Harry and Ginny saw of her brothers as they disappeared. Ginny took the opportunity of their departure to climb back onto the bed, and Harry pushed away the sheet as he sat up behind her. The faint accusation in Percy's gaze had left Harry irritated almost as much as Ginny was by their rude awakening. "Harry, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, "I know this must be really frustrating to you, but do me a favour, please." They both looked up at him and found the tiniest hint of mischief in his eyes. "What's that?" Ginny asked somewhat grumpily. "Don't burn down our poor old house. We're all hard enough on it already," he said with a gentle smile. Neither of them had any desire to damage The Burrow, and they suspected that Mr. Weasley knew that. Still, his words drew their attention to the room, which was significantly warmer than the hottest afternoons they had experienced. Harry stood up from the bed and opened the window, while Ginny lifted her thick braid away from her damp neck. When Harry returned to sit next to her, he and Ginny kept their eyes closed and breathed deeply for a few moments. The temperature did not decrease immediately, but they thought that they were no longer making it rise. Opening her eyes, Ginny surveyed her parents' faces and found that even her father looked less confident and calm than he usually did. "We were asleep," she said again, more softly. "Alright, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, lowering himself tiredly into her small desk chair and swiping the back of his hand across his damp brow. "If you say you were asleep, then I believe you, but I hope you can see that we have no way of proving that." "I know," she said, "but we didn't do anything wrong, and I don't think we should have to prove it. There has to be some other explanation." "Let's see, then." Mr. Weasley leaned towards the bed and waved his wand across Ginny's pyjamas. "Well, the charms haven't changed since I cast them. I suppose there could be something wrong with the way the charm is designed, but it's a pretty standard spell." He tapped the tip of his wand against his chin for a few moments. "Maybe you were moving around and something pulled one of your buttons loose." "They were all done up when I fell onto the floor," Ginny said, "but I suppose I can't prove that, either." Her voice was sour, but she could not manage to refrain from expressing her feelings. Beside her, Harry frowned, but he knew that Ginny could handle the situation best, and he was still too uncertain in the strained household to feel comfortable, in spite of his own opinions. "Well, it's possible that something caught on one of the buttons and tugged it enough to set off the alarm without actually unfastening it," her father said reasonably. "Maybe that's what happened." Ginny and Harry knew from almost a year's experience that they did not move much as they slept unless they were having a nightmare. Because they had been asleep, however, they could not say for sure that what Mr. Weasley had proposed was impossible. His theory provided them with a plausible scenario that did not involve their misbehaving, so they were willing to accept it for now. "I suppose so," Ginny said. She looked up at her mother, and the way the older woman was looking at Harry caused Ginny's temper to flare again. "Mum thinks Harry did it." She reached out and picked up Harry's hand in both of hers, deliberately placing their entwined fingers on her knee. Deeply offended, Harry looked up and met Mrs. Weasley's gaze at last. Her eyes were narrowed in his direction, but as he looked at her she flinched slightly. Ignoring the room's temperature, which was rising rapidly again, Harry whispered, "I didn't do anything." Ginny opened her mouth to defend Harry, but Mr. Weasley raised his hand placatingly. "Your mother worries about what happened, but neither of us know. We just worry. Right, Molly?" Mrs. Weasley glanced from Harry, to Ginny, to her husband, and then back to Harry again. He had not moved his gaze from her face, and when she got back around to him, they thought she looked slightly calmer. "Of course," she said in a strained voice. "I just… worry." What does she think I'm going to do? Harry asked angrily. We know very well what she thinks. It's the same thing Percy thinks. They're just all wrong. Ginny sighed internally. It isn't as though you don't see me starkers just as often as I do. I see you the same way, for that matter. We can't explain that to them, though, without making everything worse. Which is why they still think we distract ourselves every time we get dressed, right? Right. It's just plain stupid, Harry fumed, sweat dripping off of his nose and onto his pyjamas. Why can't they trust us? "Come on, little phoenixes," Mr. Weasley whispered urgently. "You're getting close to setting something on fire. Try to control it. I know you can." Reluctantly, Ginny released Harry's hand, and they moved a few inches apart, squeezing their eyes closed and breathing hot air in short gasps. Mr. Weasley rose to his feet with his wand in hand. "I'm going to put temporary Cooling Charms on you both," he said. "Hold still, now." He tapped their heads, and immediately they felt significantly cooler. Then he crossed to the window, and after a few waves of his wand, a simple four-bladed fan hovered above the windowsill, spinning quickly to blow the cool outside air into the hot room. When he appeared to be satisfied with the fan, he sat on the bed near Ginny and reached out to stroke her damp hair. Harry sat nearby, desperately wanting to be in Mr. Weasley's place but knowing that touching Ginny would only make things worse. Together, they focused on memories of sunny mornings in the pond, flying over the paddock, and the best of the quiet, peaceful moments they had shared since September. "That's getting it," Mr. Weasley said, his voice still low. At the sound of footsteps crossing the room, Ginny opened her eyes and saw her mother approaching the bed with a handful of damp flannels. She handed one to Mr. Weasley, who began to dab Ginny's face and neck with the cool cloth. Mrs. Weasley approached Harry hesitantly, holding another cloth out to him. Harry took the offering and began wiping at his own heated skin. "Thank you," he whispered reluctantly. After a few minutes, the room was still warm but no longer oppressive or dangerous. "We're sorry we can't control it more than that," Ginny said. "Can we please just go back to bed?" "Of course you can, sweetheart," Mr. Weasley replied. He leaned over to hug Ginny, who returned his embrace gratefully. Then, to Harry's surprise, Ginny's father rose from the bed and pulled Harry into a hug also. "You're a fine lad, Harry," he whispered. Mrs. Weasley hugged Ginny as well, but her mother's gesture lacked the warmth and acceptance of her father's hug. When she pulled away, Ginny looked up and met her mother's eyes. "Mum, I'm sorry this is hard for you. We're not trying to make it worse, I promise." "I know you're not, dear," her mother said, although the woman's admission seemed somewhat forced. "We'll get by." After a second round of goodnights for the evening, Mr. Weasley banished the fan, and the two adults left. Harry and Ginny sat together on the bed for a few minutes, staring out through the open window into the darkness, but they were still too warm to sleep. I'll get us some water, Harry said, detecting Ginny's unformed thought. He Shifted down to the kitchen and picked up a large glass, but as he reached for the tap, he heard voices from the living room. "That boy frightens me, Arthur. Sometimes, he looks at me with those eyes of his as though he wishes I didn't exist." "Harry would chew off his own fingers before he so much as inconvenienced Ginny, much less hurt her or let anyone else hurt her. He's proven that time and again, even when it almost killed him." "I know that, but I would never –" Mrs. Weasley gasped, and Harry heard her beginning to sob followed by the creaking and popping of old furniture. "I don't know what to do, Arthur. I just don't know what to do." Embarrassed and vaguely ashamed, Harry Shifted back to Ginny's room with the empty water glass in his hands. Deep in thought, he handed the glass to Ginny, who tiptoed across the hall and filled it from the tap in the bathroom. Ginny, you know I don't – Of course I do, Harry, she said, sitting beside him and putting her arm around his waist. He draped his arm over her shoulders in response, and she leaned her head against his as she balanced the glass of water on her leg. You'd never hurt her, no matter what she does. Not only because you're not that type of person, but also because of how I feel about her. That was precisely the point Harry had been afraid to approach. She said she'd never hurt you, too, but she did. Through me, anyway. And I hurt her worse, Harry. We all just have to be sure not to get carried away. I wish your dad were home more, Harry said. Everything's a lot easier when he's around. Me, too. They shared the glass of water, and then Harry closed the window before they lay back on the bed. Ginny checked the buttons of her pyjamas to ensure that they were all fastened securely, and then she pulled Bun-bun against her chest to keep anything else from catching the buttons. What if you just wore something else? Harry asked. We could bury those in the backyard or something. It's an idea, but I think it would only make things worse. How? Think about how they see it, she suggested. This way, even if they don't fully believe us, they at least know that nothing is happening on most nights. If I wore something else, they'd worry and probably check on us every single night. They might even watch us sleep all night long. It's not fair. Ginny sighed deeply. I know. It's not fair at all. But… You don't want to be anywhere else. I understand that, I think. As long as they let us stay together, they're trying, so I'll keep trying, too, Ginny said. They knew that it was as much a promise to themselves as an unspoken reassurance to her parents. What do we try, though? I feel like there must be an answer, and I wish someone could just tell us what it is. That thought immediately brought Professor McGonagall to mind. We'll call her in the morning, Ginny said. I'm sure she can help us somehow. Vaguely reassured that their professor would know what to do and finally almost comfortable, they drifted back to sleep. The next day was a Sunday, and after Harry and Ginny had each showered and dressed for the late breakfast, they sat together on Ginny's bed. She pressed her palm over the pendant on her wrist. The memory of McGonagall's comfort and gentle presence at the end of the last term was etched permanently in their minds, and it was easy to recall with perfect clarity. After only a few moments, the disc warmed against Ginny's skin. "Ahh… hello, Professor," she said in a low voice. "I hope we aren't bothering you or anything. Harry and I… well, things have been a bit strange here for the last few days, and we're not sure what to do. The alarms on my pyjamas have gone off twice now, and I think everyone thinks we're causing it, but we're not. My mum especially is… err… pretty upset. Dad says the charms are working properly, so we're not sure how to convince them that we're not doing anything wrong. If you can think of something that might help, could you send us an owl? We don't want to disturb your holiday, but… we just don't know what to do, and things seem to keep getting worse. Last night, we almost started a fire in the house again, but we managed to calm down before that happened. Umm… thanks, Professor. We, err, hope you're well and enjoying your time away from school, too." Now I suppose we wait, Ginny said as they rose to go downstairs. They joined the family for breakfast, and nothing was said about the previous day. All of the other Weasleys seemed a bit tense, but they managed a fairly normal if somewhat stilted conversation. As they finished their meal, however, they heard a knock on the front door. "Who could that be?" Mrs. Weasley wondered. "I'll get it," Mr. Weasley said. He stood up and left the kitchen, and then Mrs. Weasley moved to stand in the doorway he had just passed through. Ginny watched her mother's hand slip into the pocket where she kept her wand. The door opened with a familiar creak. "Well, good morning, Minerva," Mr. Weasley's voice said happily. "What a pleasant surprise. Please come in." "Minerva!" Mrs. Weasley said, removing her hand from her pocket. "It's lovely to see you. Is everything alright?" Ginny and Harry sprang up from their seats to stand behind her mother and peer into the next room. Glancing over his shoulder, Harry saw the remaining Weasley brothers also rise, though they did not look nearly as excited as the youngest pair felt. "Everything is fine, Molly. A good morning to you all. I do hope that I am not imposing." "Of course not!" Mrs. Weasley said as she stepped fully into the living room. "Have you had breakfast?" "Yes, I have, thank you." "Well, then, sit down and tell us what we can do for you," Mr. Weasley said. He gestured at the sofa, and McGonagall perched neatly at one end. "Ginny, would you mind bringing the professor some tea?" "Milk, no sugar, Professor?" Ginny asked, smiling warmly. "Yes, please, Miss Weasley." Ginny returned to the kitchen and quickly prepared the tea from the still-hot teapot. Harry sat on the floor in front of the fireplace and saw Mr. Weasley look inquisitively at Professor McGonagall. "Your daughter appears to have an excellent memory," the professor said. "Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter met with me in my office several times last year in an effort to help them learn to control their accidental magic." "Ah," Mr. Weasley said. "I can see that they've progressed in that regard." He turned to Harry and smiled slightly. Ginny returned with the tea and gave it to McGonagall before dropping to the floor next to Harry. "Thank you, Miss Weasley," the older woman said. "I must admit that I am largely here out of my own curiosity. During the last three summers, I have occasionally found myself wondering if your home incurs much damage during the holidays due to your twins' presence. Today, I indulged myself and decided to find out." Ginny glanced up at her brothers and grinned. Unsurprisingly, they seemed pleased by their professor's words. Mrs. Weasley laughed lightly. "Oh, no, Minerva, this old place doesn't suffer too much. Arthur reinforced the walls of their room, you see, so almost anything they can do is contained." "I wouldn't care to display their things or their furniture downstairs, though," Mr. Weasley added. McGonagall's lips turned into the slightest of smiles. "Well, that is good to hear. That aside, I suppose I am simply here for a social call." Percy had been standing straight and stiff near the front door, and Ginny thought that he looked genuinely excited. When there was the briefest of lulls in the conversation, he stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Professor. I don't suppose you've received any of the O.W.L. results yet, have you?" McGonagall turned to face him, her usual professorial manner back in place. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Weasley. You will be notified of your marks by owl in the middle of July." "Ah, yes, of course. Thank you, Professor." Nodding, the tall woman overlooked Percy's slightly crestfallen expression and turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter, I trust that your relatives have not given you any more trouble?" "No, Professor," he replied. "They just leave me alone." The tiny smile reappeared. "That is a significant improvement." "How has your summer been, Professor?" Ginny asked, eager to find a way to speak to the older woman in private but uncertain how to accomplish that goal. "Quite tame, by your standards, I'm sure." McGonagall said. "I've caught up on a bit of reading, and I travelled for a few days to visit old friends. For the most part, I have not had to take a point or give a detention. That is quite enough for me." Harry smiled. "So long as you enjoy it, Professor." "I do, Mr. Potter, thank you. I wish that the weather had been a bit nicer in Scotland, however. Thus far it has prevented me from spending as much time outside as I would like." McGonagall's expression had not changed in the slightest, but Ginny and Harry, alert for any opportunity, did not miss the hint. "It's a lovely day today, Professor," Ginny said, rushing slightly to speak before her mother could. "Would you like to spend some time outside? We could show you Mum's garden and the paddock where we play Quidditch." Mrs. Weasley swallowed whatever she had been about to say, but she did not seem to be upset by the suggestion. "That would be wonderful," McGonagall said. She turned back to Ginny's parents. "Would you mind awfully? It's quite a dreary day in Scotland, I'm afraid." "Be my guest," Mrs. Weasley replied. "You're most welcome to stay as long as you like, and I insist that you have lunch with us at the very least." "I would be glad to. Thank you. Shall we, Miss Weasley?" Carefully curbing her enthusiasm, Ginny climbed to her feet and waved McGonagall graciously towards the back door. Harry followed silently, but he also felt their excitement and relief. Somehow, their Head of House had already soothed them merely by responding to their plea. Ron, Fred, and George had still been lingering near the doorway, and they scattered as Ginny approached with McGonagall. As soon as the door had closed behind them, Ginny reached up and grabbed McGonagall's hand. "Thank you so much for coming so quickly, Professor." "I told you I would help you however I could," the tall woman said softly, "and the drizzle at home certainly wasn't going to stop me." Ginny nodded and led the way into the garden. "Sorry about Percy," she said. "I don't think he understands that you might not like dealing with school things during the holidays." "Don't worry, Ginny. I encounter students with the same question every summer. I'm afraid it keeps me well clear of Diagon Alley." They walked in silence for a few moments, crossing the garden and entering the paddock. Harry noticed idly that the evidence of their punishment was getting harder to see as the grass once again grew unchecked. I hope the snake is happy, Ginny said. "Do you want to see our pond, Professor?" she asked aloud. "Harry's learned to swim this summer, and we spend a lot of time there. It's a nice, quiet place to sit in the sun, even if you don't swim." "That sounds perfect," McGonagall said. Harry stepped forward and led them along the path to the pond. When they arrived, McGonagall conjured a wicker chair for herself and a matching bench for Harry and Ginny. The setting suddenly began to feel quite familiar. All that's missing is more tea. "Now, then," the professor said calmly. "Tell me about this problem of yours." They sighed in unison. "We didn't do anything wrong, Professor," Ginny said, almost reflexively defensive. McGonagall nodded immediately. "I believe you. Tell me why the rest of your family might think you did." Relieved, Harry and Ginny launched into a recounting of the events of the previous five days. They tried their best to recall everything they had heard and said, concluding with the previous night's encounter with her parents. After a few moments of tapping her fingers rhythmically against her chair, McGonagall looked up at them. "I hope you can see that you have not reacted perfectly to all of this." Harry nodded. "We know, Professor." "At the same time," she continued, "I'm sure you know that your family, Ginny, could have handled the situation better, also." Ginny nodded, and McGonagall leaned back slightly as she regarded them. "Do you also understand that your parents know that, Ginny? They must surely recognise their errors just as you do." "We know, Professor," Ginny said, knowing her sadness showed on her face. "We're doing our best. I'm sure that they're doing their best, but things just keep getting worse anyway. We don't know what else to do." "That is, indeed, the crux of the matter. You said that your father has checked the charms?" At their nods, she continued. "Then I am sure that they are working properly. Both of your parents are good at Charms, Ginny, but your father is exceptional." "Do you intend to keep wearing the pyjamas?" she asked after a moment. "Yes, Professor," Ginny said. "I feel like it's the only thing I've done right to convince them that we're telling the truth." "I do not think your behaviour has been that poor, but there is some truth to that." McGonagall leaned forward and caught Ginny's eyes. "Ginny, Harry, you must understand that I cannot give you perfect answers all the time. I certainly wish that I could, but a perfect answer often does not exist. I can only help you to think of ways to approach the issue." "We know," Harry said. "I hope you don't think we're wasting your time with a problem that can't be solved, but…" "Of course I don't," McGonagall interrupted. "I enjoy visiting you for any reason, and to be honest, I have always wondered what the notorious Weasley twins get up to over the holiday. I am happy to be here, and I am happy to help as much as I can." "Thank you, Professor," Ginny said. "What should we do, then?" "My advice is to find ways to reassure your parents without prompting," their professor said. "Don't wait for them to react to the alarm or to ask you to do something new. Think of your own ways to show them that you're telling the truth. Take the initiative." "How?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Well, as a starting point, you said that you have been spending a lot of time by yourselves here at the pond. To your parents, that might seem very suspicious when combined with the erratic alarms." "But we like to swim," Ginny protested. "We shouldn't have to give it up, should we?" "No, Ginny, not at all. Occasionally, however, you might consider doing something else you enjoy. If you can think of an activity that takes place in or near the house, where your parents and brothers can see you occasionally, perhaps you might do that instead of swimming. Of course, if you really want to swim, then you can and should." "We don't need minders," Harry said. "That's the whole point." "No, you don't," McGonagall agreed. "If you want to convince them that you're not doing anything wrong, though, you're going to have to demonstrate that you aren't. It is, of course, not entirely fair, but I believe it is an imposition you may have to accept at this point. Bear in mind that you and your friends have spent ten months adjusting to the new life you both share. Your parents, however, have had only a few letters, which were not truly real to them, and a few weeks of seeing you in person. They have mostly had to guess at how you live based on their own imaginations. Because of that, they do not react as though what you are doing is commonplace. Your existence simply is not yet in their realm of experience." Harry and Ginny pondered this idea for a few moments while their professor waited patiently. We have been wanting to practice flying on two brooms, she said. We don't make as much progress without Charlie helping, but we do get better. And it's flying. That's just as good as swimming, even if we get to do it more often. Ron wouldn't mind if we were around more, Harry suggested. I'm sure we can come up with something to do with him. "Alright, Professor," he said. "We can do other things." "We can invite the others to swim with us more often, too," Ginny added. "I think that would be helpful," McGonagall said encouragingly. After a moment, Harry spoke hesitantly. "Professor, there's one other thing that… well…" "Go on, Harry," she said. "After the alarm went off last night, I went downstairs to get us some water," Harry said. "I heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking from the kitchen. I didn't mean to listen, and I didn't stay for more than a moment, but - " "Never mind that. I'm sure it's happened to everyone once or twice. What did you hear?" "Umm… Mrs. Weasley said…" he trailed off uncertainly and tried again. "Mrs. Weasley said she's afraid of me. Why should she be? I don't mean her any harm." McGonagall sighed. "Yes, I imagine that she is somewhat frightened of you, Harry. Or, rather, what you represent." "I don't understand," Harry said honestly. "Molly Weasley has chosen to dedicate her life to her family," McGonagall said. "She has seven children, and she has done her very best to see that they are happy, healthy, educated, and above all, good people. She has succeeded, I believe, regardless of how many grey hairs her children have given me over the years. "You represent change, Harry. Your presence and your relationship with Ginny are outside of Molly's control, and she is afraid of the ways in which her youngest children might be affected." "So she's like Bill," Ginny said as they realised the answer. "She's not really afraid of Harry for who he is. She'd be afraid of anyone who… who…" She struggled for suitable words but then shrugged. "Anyone who's Harry to me." "Yes, Ginny, that's it exactly." McGonagall smiled knowingly. "Though, to be precise, you should say that your brother Bill is like your mother, not vice versa." Harry nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense. What I did to the Headmaster probably didn't help, either." And Voldemort when you were a baby. I'm sure Mum hasn't forgotten that. "Quite right." McGonagall stood and Vanished her chair. "If you have anything else you'd like to ask, may I suggest that we talk as we go back to the house? We are supposed to be out for a walk, after all." "Okay, Professor," Ginny said. They rose from the bench, and McGonagall eliminated it also. "I don't think there's much else to say. We'll try to be more aware of how much time we spend alone." "Excellent. Let us be off, then, and I will talk with your mother for a while before lunch. Perhaps the two of you can find something to do nearby." "Oh, I almost forgot," Ginny said as they walked. "My friend, Luna Lovegood, came by a while ago, and she worked out that Harry and I are… well, she calls us Alex." "She knows that you are connected?" McGonagall asked. Ginny nodded. "How did she determine that?" "We don't know, Professor. We didn't say anything or do anything. She'd only been here for about ten minutes when she just… guessed it, I suppose. She promised she wouldn't tell anyone, and I believe her." "I see. That's very interesting." The woman looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then she shook her head. "I don't see that we need to or can do anything about that, but I will inform the Headmaster of her awareness." As they approached The Burrow, they spotted Mr. Weasley in the doorway of his shed, and he returned their waves distractedly. When they arrived at the house, McGonagall settled in the living room with Mrs. Weasley. Ginny and Harry did not have anything specific they wanted to do in the house, but they decided to try cleaning the Nimbus so that McGonagall could see that they were taking good care of it. They set the broom on the kitchen table and sat on either side of it, gently rubbing at the polished wood of the handle with old, soft t-shirts. Through the open doorway to the living room, they could hear the two older women chatting amiably about the weather, recent news, and several mutual acquaintances. "Luna Lovegood will start Hogwarts this year, you know," Mrs. Weasley said at one point. "Oh? Is that Xenophilius and Linda's daughter?" "Yes. She's a marvellous girl. So awful, what happened to her mother." "Did you know Linda at Hogwarts?" McGonagall asked. "I can't recall whether or not you were there at the same time." "No, I met her when she moved here with Xeno. I think she started at Hogwarts two or three years after I finished." "Ah, yes, that's right. It was Lily Potter with whom Linda was often seen. Well, Lily Evans, then, of course. I knew it was a redhead." Harry's hands stilled, and he straightened in his chair. After a moment of silence, Ginny's mother spoke again. "Did you know Lily well, Minerva?" "As well as I know most of the more prominent students in Gryffindor. She was closer to Filius and Horace Slughorn than she was to me, but I got to know her a bit better through James." "What do you suppose… what would she have done? This last year, I mean." "I truly cannot say," McGonagall replied slowly. "Lily was a calm and thoughtful person, for the most part, but there were times when her emotions got the best of her. Usually, that happened when she truly cared about something or someone, so, of course, James was often involved. "She was kind," the professor continued. "It is not an exaggeration to say that your son, Bill, was one of the best Head Boys we've had in recent times, but Lily Evans was without question one of the best Head Girls we've had since the position was created. More than one homesick Gryffindor first-year cried herself to sleep on Lily's shoulder while she was a Prefect. I don't know what she might have done today with our young prodigies, but I know she would have done it with all her heart." Harry beamed. D'you hear that, Ginny? My mum was wonderful. It doesn't surprise me at all. "Well, enough wool-gathering," McGonagall said more briskly. "What can you tell me about Miss Lovegood?" Mrs. Weasley chortled softly. "Not much, Minerva. She's indescribable. Luna is smart, as you might expect, but in a way that defies description. She can be a bit hard to understand, but you'll get used to it, and she really is the sweetest of girls. In some small way, she reminds me of… " The women went back to discussing people that Ginny and Harry had never heard of, and Harry picked up the t-shirt to continue rubbing the handle of the Nimbus. Funny, isn't it? he mused. My mum and Luna's mum were friends, and now she's your friend, and I've met her that way. Where would the world be without us redheads? Ginny said, grinning over at him. Dunno. Someplace quieter, I suppose, he teased, borrowing Ron's favourite barb. By lunchtime, the handle of the Nimbus was as immaculate as they could manage with limited supplies, and Harry and Ginny were trying to work dust and bits of grass from between the tail-twigs. Ginny's mother entered the kitchen to begin preparing lunch, and Professor McGonagall stepped into the room also. "It is good to see you tending to Gryffindor's possession, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," she said. The slight lift of her eyebrows told them that she appreciated more than their care of the broom. "Thank you, Professor," Ginny replied. "We've not flown as much as we expected to this summer, but we hope to practice more from now on." Professor McGonagall sat in the extra chair for lunch, and the conversation around the table had a decidedly different tone than usual. Percy spoke more, but everything he said seemed to lead back to his schoolwork in one way or another. The twins were quieter, and Ginny thought that perhaps they were even sitting up straighter at the table. Ron, for whatever reason, seemed almost to ignore the presence of his Head of House. Shortly before one o'clock, McGonagall announced that she needed to leave. The Weasley brothers said their farewells and then rapidly dispersed to other parts of the house. "You're leaving also, aren't you, Mr. Potter?" she asked. "Yes, Professor." "Well, then, we can see each other out. Have a good day, Molly and Arthur, and thank you again for the company and the lunch." "You're always welcome, Minerva," Mrs. Weasley replied. "We hope you'll come by again soon." "Thank you, Molly. Perhaps I will." Ginny hugged Harry, and then he and McGonagall walked out through the front door and stopped on the lawn. "It was good to see you both," she said quietly. "Don't wait so long to call me if you have problems. I want to help as much as I can, but I need to know what's going on if I'm going to be of any help to you at all." "Alright, Professor," Harry said. "Thank you very much for coming. We had a great time." "I did, also. Good afternoon, Harry and Ginny." With a small smile, McGonagall turned slightly and disappeared with a very faint crack. As soon as the sound of her departure had faded, Harry Shifted to Privet Drive. Should I stay near the house even when you're not here? Ginny wondered. I don't see why, he replied. It's us they're worried about, not you. I suppose you're right. After an hour of sitting in the living room, half-listening to her parents' conversation, Ginny went to the pond to relax and provide herself and Harry with as much enjoyment as possible without disrupting his work. As she left the house, Ron stormed past her towards the broom shed, muttering that Percy was "a sodding wanker who should've been born blond." Accustomed to some sort of conflict between Percy and her other brothers, Ginny simply sighed and looked forward to the refreshing solitude of the pond. That evening, dinner was somewhat less stilted, but there were long gaps in the conversation, which was a rare occurrence in the Weasley family. Ron and Percy seemed determined to glare at each other whenever possible, and even the twins' efforts at distraction were half-hearted. After excusing themselves as soon as dinner was officially over, Harry and Ginny sat in her room and attempted to distract themselves from the strained atmosphere by playing simple Muggle card games with Exploding Snap cards, even though they always knew what cards they both had. Unfortunately, the cards burst into flames at the most inopportune moments, and neither of them managed to collect more than two of anything in Happy Families. After that, they borrowed Ron's deck of self-shuffling cards while he was outside, but they quickly discovered that several of them had somehow shuffled off. By nine o'clock, Ginny and Harry had given up on both decks, but they were reluctant to go back downstairs. They could still hear muted conversation between Ginny's parents, and they were hopeful that perhaps her father might make further headway. Resigned to a lack of entertainment options, they moved on to making their own set of playing cards with parchment, scissors, quills, and ink. They started with the spades, and at bedtime, they had gotten up to the eight. We can finish later, Ginny said, stifling a yawn. It's a good way to pass the time inside the house. On Monday, just as breakfast got underway, Ginny proposed a game of Quidditch to fill the rest of the morning. Percy declined to participate, as did Mrs. Weasley with a smile, but Ron and the twins agreed to the match immediately. Ginny and Harry took turns flying on the Nimbus as Chaser or Keeper, and they never thought to ask for the game to end before it had to. Afterwards, as always, Harry left for the Dursleys'. Ginny passed the afternoon by writing to Hermione, continuing their ongoing conversations and telling her that Penelope might visit during their trip to Diagon Alley. Because Hermione was a great friend, they felt obligated to tell her something about their experiences with Ginny's pyjamas. Ginny mentioned only that there had been a problem with the charms and that Professor McGonagall had helped them to straighten it out, and she carefully avoided making any reference to the tense situation within the family. Let's hope that McGonagall really has straightened it all out, Harry said. So far, so good. That evening, not long after dinner, Harry and Ginny were playing chess with Ron in the living room when the fireplace flared green. The room was silent, with Mrs. Weasley once again knitting haphazardly as she kept one eye on Harry and Ginny. Mr. Weasley reclined in his chair, reading a roll of parchment he had brought home from work. A moment later, the head of a sandy-haired man with youthful features emerged from the flames. Luna's dad! Ginny said excitedly. "Oh, hello. Fancy seeing you all here." Xenophilius Lovegood craned his head to look at the three friends and the Weasley parents, and his slightly crossed eyes landed on Harry. "You must be the Harry I've heard so much about." "Err, yes, sir. I'm Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you." "Oh, Potter? Well, that's news to me, but not the right sort of news for others. I'm Xeno Lovegood. Smashing to meet you." He spoke with a certain frantic energy that Ginny knew was normal for Luna's father. He's not nearly as hard to understand as Luna is sometimes, but you can tell that they're related. "Evening, Xeno," Mr. Weasley said, walking over to the fireplace and leaning down to Mr. Lovegood's eye level. "How are you?" "I'm fine, thanks," he replied. "And you all?" "No complaints. What can we do for you?" Ginny's father asked. "Well, I have an errand to run tomorrow that can't wait. It'll take most of the day, and I'm going somewhere I'd rather not take Luna. Could she spend the day with you?" Mr. Weasley glanced over his shoulder at his wife, who was smiling happily, and then he nodded. "That'd be just fine, Xeno. I won't be here, but just send Luna through the Floo whenever it's convenient for you. Ginny's been spending lots of time in the pond this summer, so tell Luna to bring along her swimming costume if she's interested." "Thanks, Arthur. You and Molly are a big help. I'll send Luna over 'round ten." He nodded to the room as a whole. "I've got to get back to work, but it was great to see you all. 'Bye!" "Have a good evening, Xeno," Mrs. Weasley called. With a final smile, the blond man's head disappeared and the fire returned to normal. "Well, that'll be nice," Ginny's father said. At ten o'clock the next morning, Harry and Ginny were waiting in the living room, wearing their swimming costumes and watching the fireplace. For once, the atmosphere in The Burrow seemed almost normal, with Mrs. Weasley bustling about and the brothers apparently all getting along again. Harry and Ginny decided not to ask questions and simply accept the gift of the moment. They had been waiting for ten minutes by Harry's watch when Luna tumbled out of the flames. As he extended a hand to help her to her feet, Harry absently noted that she was wearing a t-shirt of the same yellow as before over what appeared to be the same denim shorts. From her vantage point, Ginny saw the strap of a green and yellow swimming costume through the neck of her friend's shirt. "Morning, Luna," Ginny said. Once she was upright, Luna smiled at Harry, and then she turned her head broadly to look around the room. "Hello, Alex." Her voice shifted to the practised sing-song of a memorised phrase. "Thank you for allowing me to spend the day here." Ginny giggled. "It's no problem. We'll have fun today." "Do you like yellow, Luna?" Harry asked, feeling that he should say something. "Yes, I do," she said, smiling. "It's very easy to spot." "So is pink, if that's what you're after," Ginny pointed out. "You don't like pink." "I don't like pink on me. It would look just fine on you." "Oh, I see," Luna said, nodding. "I'll remember for you." "Err… thanks." "Do you want to swim? Dad said you would." "Sure, if that's okay with you," Ginny said, "and if you haven't eaten in the last hour. Mum won't let you swim if you've eaten." Luna cocked her head to one side. "It's been more than an hour, I think." She turned to look out through the window. "Yes, definitely more than an hour." "Alright, then we can swim." "I'll go see if anyone else is interested," Harry said. He started up the stairs and knocked on the twins' door, leaving Ginny to ask Luna what she had been doing lately. Fred answered with a raised eyebrow. "Want to swim? Ginny, Luna, and I are going." "How did your ink turn out?" Ginny asked. Fred glanced back over his shoulder and then shrugged. "Sure, why not. We'll meet you there." "Quite well, actually," Luna replied. "We haven't got it to do joined-up writing yet, but it's very good at numbers." Hmm, Ginny thought. Perhaps it's better if we don't ask. Harry nodded distractedly and climbed to Ron's room. The youngest boy's door was open, and Harry noticed that Ron's bed was perfectly made, even though it sat in the middle of the usual messy room. Mum must have been after him again, Ginny said. Every now and then, she tries to get him to keep things clean, but it never really takes. I thought Mum had given up trying. "How have you been?" Luna asked in turn. "Hey, Ron. Want to go swimming with the rest of us?" Ginny forced herself to smile. "Oh, not too bad, I suppose." Ron looked up from the floor, where he had been reaching for something under his bed. "Err… maybe later." Harry could not help grinning. "Luna doesn't bite, you know." His friend looked up with a serious expression. "Harry, be honest. Are you absolutely sure about that?" Ginny's smiled broadened into a genuine expression. "Do you bite, Luna?" "Of course," she replied, looking puzzled. "Don't we all? Everyone with teeth, anyway. Why?" "Well… I'd say the chances are really slim," Harry told Ron, suppressing a chuckle. "Exactly. Maybe I'll go out there later." "Oh, nothing," Ginny said, giggling slightly. "Suit yourself." Harry started back down the stairs, but he paused outside Percy's door. Should I even bother? I wouldn't, Ginny said. As far as I know, Percy hasn't been swimming since I was eight. Even then he usually just stood in the water like a lump. Besides, I don't want him to ruin it. Harry nodded and returned to the living room. Together, he and the girls walked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was working. "Hello, Luna," she said pleasantly. "Hello, Molly," Luna said. "Thank you for allowing me to spend the day here." "Oh, you're always welcome, dear," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "Are you three going swimming?" Ginny nodded, too pleased by Luna's visit to dwell on her mother's attitude change. "Yeah. Fred and George are coming, too." Her mother's smile grew as she cast the usual protective charms. "That's wonderful. You all have a nice time and be back before lunch." "Yes, Mum." They left the house and walked out towards the pond. Ginny and Harry considered running along the path and leaping into the water as they often did, but Luna's loose, unhurried gait told them that if they did run ahead, she would simply continue at her own pace and arrive in due course. Not wanting to be rude, Harry and Ginny walked along beside her. The three friends waded into the pond when they arrived, and Ginny saw that her friend's costume was indeed designed in a random pattern of bright yellow and green swatches. Harry and Ginny swam lazily, but Luna was content to wander around the edges of the pond in shoulder-deep water as they talked. A few minutes later, the twins arrived, and a five-way game of water tag ensued. The game ended abruptly when Luna was tagged. Rather than chasing anyone, she resumed her slow laps around the pond's edges. "Err, Luna," George said. "Aren't you going to chase someone?" "Why?" she asked, picking up a leaf from the water and putting it back with the other side up. "I like being 'it'. No one chases me." Not long before lunchtime, Ron arrived. "Do you want to play tag with us, Ronald?" Luna asked eagerly. "Ahh, no thanks, Luna. I think I'll just hang around a bit." Luna nodded and smiled brightly. "Alright." Ginny could not help noticing that Luna had moved into shallower water when her youngest brother entered the pond. As far as Ginny could tell, Ron did not notice. He spent his time playing with the twins and ignoring the blonde girl. Ginny was glad to see that Luna looked thoughtful, rather than hurt, by his inattention. After lunch, which turned out to be surprisingly pleasant as well, Harry went to the Dursleys', and the girls went up to Ginny's room. Inside, Ginny showed Luna the partially-completed set of Muggle playing cards they had been making. "I draw the shapes, and Harry cuts the parchment and does the numbers. We've been working on them a bit at a time, to give us something to do when we… err… when we don't want to be outside." Ginny stood at her desk, gesturing at the cards, and Luna sat behind her on the end of the bed. "Alex," the blonde girl said softly. Ginny turned around and found her friend looking up at her with a concerned expression. Luna took Ginny by the hand and pulled her down to sit on the bed. "You're not as happy today as you should be. What's wrong?" "Well…" Ginny looked off into space for a moment, pulling the ends of her hair through the fingers of her free hand. She won't tell, Ginny decided. They desperately wanted to find some explanation for what was going on, and they knew that Luna would be better than anyone at thinking of new theories. Alright. "Luna," Ginny began, "you remember when I told you about the troll, and I said that we'd be in loads of trouble if you told anyone?" "Of course. I haven't." Ginny smiled slightly. "I know. Well, this is… if you tell people about this, we'll all be in even more trouble, and… err… it might be a lot worse than that." "I won't tell anyone, then," Luna replied. "I can even forget it myself, if you'd like." I actually believe her on that, Harry said with a chuckle. "No, you can remember. You know that Harry and I are… umm… we're…" "Alex. You're Alex. I know that." "Yeah," Ginny said, nodding. "We're Alex. Because of that, we sleep in the same bed at night." Luna blinked, and Ginny worried for a moment, but then her friend spoke in a puzzled voice. "Of course you do. It's only natural. Why would you need to tell me that?" "Err… we weren't sure if you knew." "Of course I didn't know. I'd have guessed that immediately if I'd thought about it, though." "Oh. Alright." Ginny decided to accept her friend's insight and move on. "The point is that my parents make me wear these pyjamas that are charmed to… well…" She took a deep breath. "To keep Harry from… you know… touching me in certain ways at night." Suddenly, the whole situation seemed somehow even less palatable. We've never really thought of it that clearly, have we? Percy has. "That's ridiculous!" Luna said, a trace of animated outrage on her face. "How could you possibly be ready for that sort of thing? How could it possibly matter?" "I know it's stupid," Ginny agreed fervently, "but they're worried about us being too… too grown-up, I guess." "I suppose I can see how they might worry about that, but I still think it's a bit silly." Luna leaned closer to Ginny and lowered her voice. "Do you have breasts yet?" Ginny and Harry both blushed furiously, and he almost dropped the spade he was using. Ginny swallowed and squeezed her eyes closed. "No," she whispered. "I don't either, not really," Luna said at a normal volume. "I was just wondering. Do they know that?" Inadvertently, Ginny glanced down at herself. "They kind of have to, don't they?" "Well, yes, for the most part." Luna sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry you have to deal with that sort of thinking, but I don't think it's what's upset you recently. That would have to be old news, not new news." "No, it's not. The charms on the pyjamas are made to sound a really loud alarm whenever something happens that could mean that we were… you know…" Luna nodded encouragingly. "Right, well, the alarms have gone off twice since the last time you were here. We haven't done anything the charms wouldn't like, but some people don't totally believe us about that." "And they think they would have to believe you, because they can't find anything they would accept as proof?" "Err… yes." Luna squeezed Ginny's hand comfortingly. "It's really nice of you to try so hard, Alex." "Yeah, I guess so," Ginny said, shrugging. "That doesn't make it easy." The blonde girl's face spread into a soft, contemplative sort of smile. "Being Alex is worth it to you, though, isn't it?" Ginny felt her face brighten a bit as she nodded. "You have no idea what's making the alarms go off?" Luna asked. Ginny shook her head, and her feeling of helplessness surged again despite Harry's attempts to be reassuring. Her family was clearly at odds with each other in addition to their mixed feelings about Harry and herself. Almost any remotely plausible theory would be better than having absolutely no idea what was happening. "There are lots of possibilities, of course." "Really?" Ginny asked. Really? Neither of them was able to stop themselves from feeling faintly hopeful. "Really," Luna said, nodding firmly. "You might have vigorous bed mites or some other invading pest I've not seen before. Maybe you and your pyjamas have opposite magical charges." Ginny furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "I've never heard of magical charges." "I haven't either, but that doesn't mean they don't exist." Oh, well, Ginny sighed. We tried. Yeah, I suppose. What would bed mites have to do with it? Don't ask, Harry. Just don't ask. "What's it like?" Luna asked gently. "Which part?" "Knowing you'll always be the way you are. Knowing you don't have to look or wonder or hope. Knowing you just… know." Luna's smile had become a bit distant and wistful as she spoke. Ginny could not help the joy that slowly spread through their minds, displacing the morose mood that kept threatening to overcome them. She turned to face Luna excitedly. "It's wonderful, Luna. I know I'm only ten and that loads of things will happen in the future. We'll probably even miss a lot of things that other people look forward to, but I just don't care. I don't want those things. I've already got what I want, and I know I'll get to keep it forever." "Him, you mean. You'll get to keep Harry," Luna said, nodding. "You love each other." "Yes," Ginny whispered. "More than anything." Luna sniffed quietly. "I'm so happy for you, Alex. For Ginny and for Harry." She looked up and met Ginny's eyes with a certain intensity that they had never seen in the odd girl before. "You just have to remember that. When people don't understand or don't want to let you be what you are, remember how wonderfully special you are." Ginny beamed and recovered some of her good spirits. "We know it's special, but everyone else would call it strange. Some people are even afraid of us." "So what?" Luna shrugged. "They call me strange, too, but I'm perfectly happy with myself. You can be, too." Impulsively, Ginny leaned over and hugged her friend tightly. "Thanks, Luna." Pulling away, she grinned mischievously. "Speaking of you… are you still going to tell me that you don't fancy Ron even a little bit?" Luna coloured, ever-so-slightly, and the corners of her mouth twisted up. "Would you believe me if I said that?" Ginny shook her head emphatically, her grin growing. "Then I won't." "I think it's great, Luna," Ginny said. "I know he seems completely thick, but I bet he likes having you around." "Do you? He doesn't act like it very much." "He came down to the pond with us, didn't he? He doesn't swim very often, but he could swim with the rest of us on just about any day. You're the only thing different about today." "That's a valid point, I suppose," Luna said thoughtfully. "I've been trying to work out what he might like so that I can decide if it's me." Ginny shrugged. "He may not know what he likes yet. Boys take longer to work things out than we do. Except for Harry." Thank you, but I think it's because you worked it out for me. In response, Ginny let her happiness and affection for him bubble to the surface of her mind. Harry decided it was like feeling a smile he could not see. You're welcome, Harry, either way. Luna's voice pulled Ginny's attention back to her room. "So you think I should just wait?" "Yes," Ginny said firmly. "Be yourself and wait. It may take a while for Ron, but when he starts paying attention, you'll be there, and if he does like you, you'll know." Luna reached up and tugged on her untamed hair. "Perhaps I should be sure to wear your hair-band when that happens. He looked at me when I wore it." "Something like that, maybe. Of course, you might find someone else you fancy more before he starts paying attention," Ginny said, grinning again. "I can brush your hair for now, though, if you want. It doesn't hurt to plan ahead." The blonde girl turned to face away from Ginny. "Alright. I can do it for myself, but I don't see the point." Picking up her brush and holding it out for Luna's inspection, Ginny said, "Whatever makes you happy, Luna." The two girls were quiet for almost a minute before Luna spoke in a rush. "Harry's awfully cute, isn't he?" Ginny giggled. "Yeah, he is." I am? You are. Now hush. "Does he hold your hand a lot? I saw you at lunch the last time I was here." Luna sounded almost wistful. "Yes. We're more… err… comfortable when we're touching. It's part of the whole Alex thing, we think." "That must be nice anyway, though. Holding hands is the best way to tell if you fit, you know." "We fit together pretty well, then." Ginny smiled as she worked a tough tangle out of Luna's hair, and Harry could feel her contentment. "That's good. Has he kissed you yet?" Ginny blushed slightly even as she warned Harry to remain quiet. "Well, yes and no. He's kissed my cheek and my hair. Does that count?" "Did it feel wonderful?" "Yes." "Then it counts," Luna declared. Ginny paused in her brushing and leaned over Luna's shoulder to see her face. "Have you ever… you know… kissed a boy on the mouth?" "No, but I think I would like to," Luna said. She furrowed her brow in thought. "I would need a small stool, though." "Or really tall shoes," Ginny said, giggling. She knew that Luna would not seriously consider finding a shorter boy. "Perhaps I could hang from a tree. That would be fun." The girls' conversation continued in the same general vein for the remainder of Luna's visit. At first, Harry was embarrassed that he and Ron were the topics of conversation more often than not, but he relaxed when he realised that talking with Luna was a vital part of the girls' friendship, and somehow, it was one aspect of Luna that he understood was typical of girls. It was also simply another way for Ginny to show affection for both her eccentric friend and for him. Somehow, he guessed that Ron would not have the same reaction at all if he heard what the girls were saying, but Ron could not be upset by something he would never know about. Luna's father Flooed to call her home shortly before Harry returned from Privet Drive, but she hugged Ginny and whispered a goodbye to Alex. On Wednesday morning, Hedwig returned with Hermione's reply to their latest letter. Their friend confirmed that Penelope Clearwater was welcome in Diagon Alley, but other than that she ignored almost everything they said and focused on their problems with Ginny's pyjamas. We should have known, Harry said ruefully. She would never just let that go. What do we tell her? Dunno. Let's wait a while and see how things go. Over the next several days, Harry and Ginny re-established a routine. Usually, they either practiced flying separately or found something else to do in or near the house before lunch. They tried to find at least one brother to join them each day, but about half of the time, they were on their own. Though Mrs. Weasley seemed to be calmer about everything, she continued to keep an eye on them. Ginny tended to spend the afternoons either at the pond or in the house, but she never really got involved in activities or conversations. They found it a little odd that Ron was still openly irritated with Percy, but he never told them what the problem was. Knowing how persistent Ron could be in seeking a chess game or anything else he wanted, how talented the twins could be at blaming others for their mischief, and how much teenage male energy was typically present in The Burrow, Harry and Ginny were aware that there were dozens of possible reasons for the random blow-up. Whenever things became too tense, Fred and George almost always managed to do something to make everyone forget silly arguments and focus their ire on the usual targets. By Sunday, Harry was eager for a chance to swim in person, and Mr. Weasley accepted their invitation to spend the morning at the pond with them while the boys played Quidditch. He did not get in the water himself, but he sat at the edge of the pool reading a Muggle newspaper he had brought home from the Ministry. According to him, it had originally been charmed to contain an incriminating article about whoever happened to read it. The following morning, Ginny and Harry took their usual turns to get dressed in the bathroom. It had become habit for Ginny to wear her swimming costume, which her mother washed as needed, under a sundress or a t-shirt and shorts. Harry simply wore his trunks and a t-shirt unless they were flying, in which case he wore a pair of Ron's old jeans that had been cut off above the knee. As Ginny opened the bathroom door, she heard a noise from the stairwell, but whoever had been coming up the stairs had apparently gone back down again. In a house where six children shared one toilet, it was not at all uncommon for someone to find the bathroom occupied. Carrying her pyjamas, Ginny crossed the hall and went into her room, closing the door behind her. Harry had taken his shower first that morning, and he was waiting in her desk chair. Without prompting, Harry offered Ginny her comb. She tossed her pyjamas onto her pillow and then, with a smile, settled on the edge of the bed with her back to him. You need more practice. As Harry moved to sit behind her, they heard the door downstairs open and close, and a moment later the pop of Apparition reached them from the garden. Dad must have been running late this morning. Usually, Mr. Weasley left for the Ministry before they finished their showers. Sometimes he gets sidetracked in the shed, or someone calls over the Floo Network and slows him down. Nodding, Harry began pulling the large comb through Ginny's heavy, wet locks. From his perspective, as well as hers, the sensation was very different from that of her hairbrush. Ginny remembered the advice her mother had given her years ago. She had repeated it to herself occasionally for years, as part of her routine, and Harry had heard it many times before. You don't brush wet hair. You comb it, because – Their musings were shattered as Ginny's pyjamas, lying on the pillow a few feet in front of her, suddenly began flashing their discordant colours and beeping at incredible volume. Ginny screeched in frustration as soon as she identified the noise. They had desperately hoped that, after eight days and a general decrease of tension in the household, whatever was making the charms malfunction had vanished. They were both angered and disappointed to hear the alarm again. Without hesitation, Ginny snatched up the pyjamas and ran to her door. After wrenching it open, Ginny stepped out into the hallway and threw the offending garments down the stairs with all the force she could muster from her tiny frame. "We didn't do anything!" she screamed as the racket, like the alarm on Harry's wristwatch multiplied a thousand-fold, faded slightly with distance. Unfortunately, the beeping picked up an annoying echo in the confined stairwell. Ginny stood in the hallway, fuming, and Harry stepped out to join her. They knew the air was heating again, and they tried to control their emotions, but they had little success as they waited defiantly for someone to confront them. A few moments later, the cacophony ceased, and they tensed in expectation. Loud footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Mrs. Weasley appeared on the landing with all four of the Weasley brothers behind her. "We didn't do anything!" Ginny repeated, clenching one hand into a fist and tightening her hold on Harry's hand with the other. "That must be the one that means I tried to take off my pyjamas outside the loo, right? Well, I didn't. I took a shower, and then I went back into my room. I was sitting on my bed watching the stupid things when the ruddy alarm went off. And I can prove it this time!" She pulled her wet hair over her shoulder and held it forward. "See, my hair's wet, and I didn't just stick my head under the ruddy tap!" She fell silent, holding her wet hair forward with one hand and breathing hard. She kept her gaze locked with her mother's, watching the confusion and worry play across the woman's features, tinged slightly with anger. At the same time, Harry surveyed the brothers, and to their dismay all of them except Ron looked a bit more suspicious than they had the last time the alarm had gone off. For his part, Ron looked confused, as though he could not understand what the arguing was about. Unwilling to wait any longer for her mother's response, Ginny tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "We're going to the pond!" "Ginny," her mother began hesitantly. "You… you haven't had breakfast." "We're not hungry! We're going to the pond!" Harry Shifted directly to the broad rock near the distant pool, and Ginny followed him a moment later. Together, they dropped to sit on the cool stone with their knees pulled up to their chests. Ginny leaned over slightly to rest against Harry's arm. This can't keep happening, Ginny said, her anger fading to frustration and sadness. Something has to be wrong with those pyjamas, Harry said. There's no other explanation. But what? Dad cast the charms, and he checked them himself. They're working the way they're supposed to. They're not, though. If they were, they wouldn't have gone off at all. She sighed in misery. I just don't know what to do. You know this is going to start them fighting all over again, and this time it will be worse. I just shouted at Mum, too, and we both know that's not good at all. You still want to be here, though. They knew that, if they tried hard enough, they could find another place to spend the summer. They could go back to Hogwarts, perhaps, or take a room above the Leaky Cauldron. They might even be able to stay with Luna for a while. At worst, they could lock themselves into Harry's room at Privet Drive and only emerge to buy food at the shops nearby. Even with those options, though, Ginny did not want to leave, and therefore Harry did not, either. They did not want to give up Quidditch games, chess matches, Ginny's cosy little room, their beloved pond, or even the occasional quiet evenings they spent in the living room. One day of the better times was worth far more of the bad. Unfortunately, the bad days full of suspicion and silent accusations were obviously going to get even worse. I don't know how to make it better, Ginny said, realizing that the false sense of security from the previous week only made the current situation seem more hopeless. What can we do to show them that they should just trust us? What can we do that we aren't doing already? Well, we definitely shouldn't have left like that. Professor McGonagall will be so disappointed, but I just couldn't bear the thought of another day like the last one when those bloody things went off. Their musings were interrupted when they heard footsteps approaching the pond. Ginny leapt to her feet, putting her hand on the pocket that held her wand, and turned to face the path. Harry stood behind her, holding her other hand and already planning their escape in case Mrs. Weasley pushed them too far. Somewhat to their surprise, it was not Ginny's mother who was approaching the pond. Ron ambled towards them on his long legs, carrying a basket in one hand. When he spotted Harry and Ginny, he stopped in his tracks and glared at them with irritation written plainly on his face. "Oi, don't you hex me, alright?" Ginny deflated, and they both sank back down onto the rock. "Mum sent you." "Yeah, kinda," her brother said, nodding. "I brought you some breakfast." She snorted, her irritation mounting again. "What you mean is that you weren't finished with breakfast, so when you were told to come and visit with us, you brought yours with you, and while you were about it you grabbed a bit extra." Ron shrugged, dropping onto a nearby rock himself. "Look, do you want it or not? I'll eat it if you won't." Ginny knew that, regardless of what he thought about the alarms, Ron was not pleased to be forced to mind them. "Sorry, Ron," she said as she pushed away her frustrations for the moment. "Thanks for bringing it." He shrugged, apparently mollified. "It's just sausages and toast. Probably cold by now, anyway." After folding himself more firmly onto his own rock, Ron opened the basket and handed them a plate of jumbled breakfast food. Then he reached back inside and pulled out a large bowl, into which he had apparently dumped his entire breakfast. Finally, he handed out forks, and the three friends ate their breakfast in silence. When they were finished, Harry looked across at his best male friend. "Do you believe us, Ron?" The taller boy answered without hesitation. "'Course I do. I reckon you wouldn't even sneeze if Ginny didn't want you to. She says it's all a mistake, and I know she doesn't lie just for the fun of it." He paused and looked down into his bowl thoughtfully. "Still… Mum's got a point. The alarm's gone off three times, now. I know it's not you two, even if she doesn't want to hear that, but then what is doing it?" "Did she say that?" Ginny asked softly. Ron rolled his eyes. "No, but you don't have to be Hermione to work this one out." "Sorry you have to come out here and mind us, Ron, but we're not really interested in spending time in the house today," Ginny said. Even if we probably should. And get the silent treatment again? With her giving me those 'what-have-you-done-with-my-daughter' looks all morning? I'm perfectly happy right here, thanks. "There're worse things, like having another row with our wanker of a brother. And this definitely beats cutting that bloody grass, doesn't it?" He paused and scowled. "I'm not actually too keen on swimming, though. Should've brought something to do." "We can go and get anything you like from the house," Harry said. "So long as you know where it is." "Yeah? How about my chess book?" "Sure thing, Ron," Ginny said. She Shifted to the hallway outside Ron's room. Where is it exactly? Harry repeated her question to Ron. "Err… on the floor next to the bed. On the left side, I think." Great. There's nothing I love more than looking for something on Ron's floor. Ginny noted in passing that Ron's bed was neatly made again, though that was the only thing that was tidy, and she wondered if her mother was finally getting through to the youngest of her brothers. "Ron," Harry asked while Ginny was rummaging in the highest bedroom, "what's been going on with you and Percy?" "Trust me, you don't want to know." Ron scooped up a few pebbles and threw them viciously across the pond. "Harry…" Ron began again hesitantly, "I know you'd never hurt her, but… well, you still won't do anything… weird, will you?" Daft prat. "All we do is sleep," Harry stated. "That's all we've ever wanted to do." "Okay, okay." Ron held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I get it. I just had to make sure, you know? She's my sister, and… well, I care about her." Ginny finally located Lessons in Chess and Shifted back to the pond so that she landed on her feet just behind Ron. She tapped him lightly on the head with the slender volume. "Here's your book, Big Brother Ronnie. I 'care about' you, too." Ron made a disgusted face. "Ugh. Harry, are you sure you have to share her head? Couldn't you possibly find someone nicer?" Ginny pretended to be offended as she sat back down, and Harry grinned. "'Fraid not, Ron. I'm stuck with telling funny stories from when you were little. Want to hear a few?" "No, thanks. Let me know when it's time for lunch, yeah?" "Yeah." Ron opened his book, and Harry and Ginny lay back on the grass with their hands clasped, doing their best to push away their worries about the morning's events. Their sudden departure could not possibly have made anything better, but the alarm itself was going to cause plenty of problems, and they just wanted to be left alone. After a while, as they waited for the required hour to pass, they began to doze lightly in the warm sunshine. The small noises of nature roused them occasionally, and when enough time had passed, they took off their outer clothes and slipped into the pool. Harry had become adept enough at swimming that he could remain active nearly as long as Ginny could, so they had begun to amuse themselves by racing. It took a lot of concentration, which helped to soothe their combined irritation as much as any single activity could. He was a few inches taller, but she was still a somewhat better swimmer, so they were fairly evenly matched. The process became much more entertaining when they discovered that, if they focused fully on swimming as quickly as they could, they inevitably found themselves moving in sync. Ordinarily, they thought that moving together would favour Harry, with his longer limbs, but whenever they tried it he always found some way to move at the exact same pace that Ginny did. Therefore, in order to race, they had to focus on swimming quickly, but they had to also maintain a minimal degree of separation. The combined effort produced a few really bizarre results. Ginny looked up from the water to find Harry well ahead of her. Blast! I did it again, she said lightly. Without either of them noticing, their focus had shifted to only moving Harry as fast as possible, and Ginny had instinctively begun to tread water when her forward motion stopped. Weasley seven, Potter four, Harry said as he reached the far end of the pond. I'm making a comeback! They played until shortly before noon, when they reluctantly dragged themselves out of the pool. They had completely forgotten about Ron, but he had fallen asleep on his back with his book lying open on his chest and was snoring quietly. After charming herself dry, Ginny walked over and nudged his foot with hers. "C'mon, Ron. Lunch." Her brother woke and rose after stretching out a bit, and they all set out for The Burrow. As they approached, however, Harry and Ginny became more and more pensive. She's not going to like that we just took off that way, Ginny said. Harry could see that she was hunching her shoulders, though she had not intended to. Why should we have waited? he asked. She was just going to accuse us again, and then she'd probably have made us sit where she could watch us all day. Or maybe this time she might pick up where Percy left off and actually try to tell you something. Harry was unable to stop the bitterness creeping into his own thoughts. For all I know, she would have just called up Azkaban and asked if they'd come and get me. Not bloody likely. She sighed. I know that staying wouldn't have been fun, but I shouldn't have just yelled and then left. Mum only gets worse if you let her stew, and I can't remember the last time someone yelled at her and got away with it. I'm not sure it's ever happened. As Harry and Ginny walked, they began to notice the unpleasant warmth of a mild sunburn. We didn't get the charms on, Ginny realised. If we'd been out there much longer we'd look like tomatoes. Harry sighed. I guess that means you'll have to stay inside this afternoon. Good luck with that. Yeah. You should work indoors today, too. I will. They reluctantly followed Ron into the kitchen, where the rest of the family was already at the table and eating their sandwiches in absolute silence. As predicted, Mrs. Weasley's face was tight with anger, but Ginny thought she also saw a flicker of relief as they took their places at the table. She looked around at her brothers, and then she decided to speak in spite of their presence. I suppose I should admit I was wrong now and try to head off the worst of it. Maybe it will help, and it has to be better than letting her stew any more. Ginny straightened her back and took a deep breath. "Mum, I'm sorry," she said without preamble. "We shouldn't have yelled and then left like that. It was… it was rude, and I'm sorry." "Me, too," Harry said softly. "We just…" Ginny continued uncertainly. Knowing what they had done was wrong was easy, but explaining why they had done it was hard. "We just want to be okay for once. Not worrying or startled or scared." Something changed in the set of Mrs. Weasley's mouth, and her eyes softened. "What are you afraid of, Ginny?" Ginny looked down at her plate, and Harry squeezed her hand supportively. "Not having home anymore," she whispered. "Ginny!" her mother gasped. Ginny hunched her shoulders and ducked her head even further, letting her damp hair fall around her face. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, you look at me." Harry was already watching Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny saw that her mother's expression was not the furious rictus she had expected. It contained anger, certainly, but there was much more buried beneath the surface. Slowly, Ginny tilted her head up to face her mother. "You will always have a home here. I don't care if you yell. I don't care if you burn down Hogwarts Castle. I don't care if you marry a stinking Malfoy." She stood up and braced one hand on the table as she waved the other at the rest of the family. "This is your home, and it always will be. No matter what. Do you understand me?" Ginny's face flushed with shame. She knew that, on some level, she had said what she did only to get this reaction from her mother. In another way, however, she had truly needed that reaction, the confirmation that somehow, her mother was still her mother, despite everything else that had happened and was happening. She nodded jerkily. "Harry, too?" Mrs. Weasley collapsed back into her seat. "Yes, Ginny. Harry, too." That still doesn't mean she likes me. No one spoke for nearly a minute. Finally, Fred guffawed softly. "Marry a Malfoy? Yuck!" "Mum must really love the little spitfire," George added. "That's grotesque." "You think it sounds bad to you?" Harry shuddered in disgust. The twins howled with laughter as Ginny somehow managed to shiver, giggle, and sniff all at the same time. Ron looked supremely disgusted, and surprisingly Percy's face almost matched his youngest brother's. Harry, chortling softly himself, glanced up at Mrs. Weasley, and their mirth faded. Her face had stilled, and her jaw was visibly clenched. "Err… sorry," Harry said quietly, certain that he had just negated any progress they had made in the last few minutes. Ginny's mother stared at him flatly for another moment, and then she glanced over at Ginny again. She sighed and shook her head. "You're both burned all over, aren't you?" Embarrassed, Ginny nodded. "Stand up, then." Mrs. Weasley came around the table and tapped Ginny on the forehead, and she felt the slight burning on her face fade. Four taps later, her arms and legs were also healed. The older woman repeated the process for Harry, giving extra taps for his chest and back, and then she settled into her chair again. "Tuck in," she said almost neutrally, gesturing at the sandwiches in the middle of the table. "You missed breakfast, and you both need to eat." I'm not looking forward to when Dad gets home. Maybe not, Harry said gently, but at least your Mum seems to be thinking about this morning a bit. She's not so incredibly angry anymore. We can only hope so, Harry, but she's seemed to come around before, yet here we are once again. Ginny spent the afternoon playing chess with Ron in his room. They hardly spoke at all, and the near-silence of the room was broken only by noises from the twins' room two floors down and the occasional scrabbling of Scabbers in his cage. Though she tried to concentrate on the game, Ginny found her attention drifting to Harry. I didn't mean to upset her with the Malfoy joke, he said finally. I just thought it was sort of funny. I thought so, too, but… Mum doesn't like reminders, I suppose. Luna had it just right, didn't she? We can't very well not be us, so how can we not remind her? I don't know, she admitted. I'm willing to try to make things easier for her, but I just don't know how. Let's ask Hermione, Harry said. She was really nice about… you know… her birthday and everything, and that was just as awkward. We need to write back to her anyway. We've put it off too long as it is. That's a great idea, Harry. He smiled slightly as he scrubbed the Dursleys' bathtub. You can claim it, if you'd like. I'll let you keep that one for yourself. When Ginny lost the chess game, she stood up from the floor and stretched. "I'm going to write to Hermione," she told Ron. "D'you want to say anything?" "Err… tell her I said hello, I guess. Oh, and she still owes me some chess games. Hopefully she'll last longer than you two." "Great, thanks, Ron." "Don't hear you denying it, do I?" "I suppose we need to have Luna come over again, then." Grinning, Ginny went down to her room, leaving Ron spluttering. With careful wording, she wrote a long letter to Hermione, explaining everything that had happened, including McGonagall's advice, and asking if the brilliant young witch had any ideas on how to deal with the entire situation. She tried not to sound too melancholy, but she suspected that Hermione would understand anyway. Hedwig, who had not left The Burrow in over a week, flew away with the letter as soon as it was offered to her. At dinner, Mrs. Weasley announced that Mr. Weasley had Flooed to say he would be working late that night. He was certain that he would be home before ten, but he did not know any more than that. After eating, Harry and Ginny went back up to her room. To pass the time, they worked on the clubs for their set of cards. Harry had just finished cutting out the last carefully-measured rectangle of parchment when they heard a knock on her door. At Ginny's call, the door opened, and Mr. Weasley stepped into the room. "Hello, Firefly," he said quietly as she leapt up to hug him. "Hi, Harry." "Hi, Mr. Weasley." Ginny's father returned her embrace. "Your mum tells me that she had to heal a couple of sunburns today," he told her. "Would you happen to know who had them?" "You already know it was us, Daddy," Ginny said softly, dreading the conversation her father was starting. "I suppose I do. Why don't you tell me how it is you wound up out at the pond without a sunscreen charm? I'd like to hear it from the two of you." Haltingly, Ginny and Harry told her father what had happened that morning. "I know I shouldn't have yelled," she said in conclusion, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall, "and I apologised to Mum, but this is all just so frustrating." Mr. Weasley looked at her with a sad expression. "Your mum believed you this morning, Ginny. She still does, really. That was a tiny little piece of the airplane that you'd got in the right place. When you shouted at her, though, a different piece fell off again. I only hope it didn't take any others with it." "We don't want to make things worse, Mr. Weasley," Harry said. "We just don't know how to make things better." "Keep trying, lad. That's always the best first step." He glanced around the room. "Where are those pyjamas of yours, Ginny?" "I don't know," she said. "I suppose Mum might have put them back in my drawer." She got up and opened her bureau, and indeed her pyjamas were inside, clean and neatly folded. "Here they are." "Let's see them," Mr. Weasley said, holding out his hands. Ginny gave him the pyjamas, curious about what he would do. He set the tip of his wand against the middle button on the pyjama top, and then he twisted his wrist as his lips moved in a silent incantation. "There you are," he said with a sigh when he had finished. "I've turned the volume down. It'll still be loud, but it shouldn't be so painful. I'd like to think this won't happen again, but I'm starting to wonder at it all." "I still have to wear them, then?" "Please do, Firefly," her father said gently. "I trust you, and you too, Harry, but there are some things that just aren't fair in life. Right now, I'm sorry to say that this is one of them." Ginny knew exactly why that was the best thing to do, so she nodded, ignoring the pang of resentment she felt deep inside. Harry, however, hoped to find a different solution and to perhaps ease the sorrow in Ginny's mind. "Maybe you could charm my pyjamas instead, Mr. Weasley," he said. "Maybe they wouldn't go off for no reason." Ginny's father smiled, but they thought they saw a hint of strain in his expression. "It's nice of you to offer, Harry, but I'm afraid that wouldn't be nearly the same thing to us older folks." That's why you got a sunburn on your chest, and I didn't. Harry felt his cheeks heat slightly as he nodded. "Oh, right." Ginny's father chuckled. "You're a fine lad, Harry. Don't ever forget it." He rose to his feet and dusted off his hands. "Almost time for bed, isn't it?" Mr. Weasley waited in the room while they cleaned up their mess and then each went to change into their pyjamas. When they were ready, he hugged them again before leaving the room and closing the door. Ginny and Harry settled into bed, feeling an odd mixture of frustration over the pyjamas and some hope now that they knew both Ron and Mr. Weasley were on their side. I still wish I could work out what to do to fix things, Harry said. Keep trying, Dad said. Yeah, but keep trying what? Ginny shrugged against his ribcage. What McGonagall said, I suppose. Try to stay around the house whenever we can. Even though we really want to be left alone somewhere else? Sounds a lot easier than it is, doesn't it?
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