Promises & Reunions

“Oh, bugger,” George muttered quietly, “I was sure they’d take longer to show up here…”

Ginny’s grip on Harry’s arm tightened. Despite all her assurances and certainty, Ginny had been dreading the confrontation with her mother more than anything she could remember. She knew she’d made the right choices, both in marrying Harry and in rejoining the D.A., but she hadn’t wanted to see her parents so enraged.

The rest of the D.A. seemed frozen where they stood, although Fred seemed to be surreptitiously trying to hide behind Angelina. Mr. Weasley, seeing that no one was going to respond to Mrs. Weasley’s furious shriek, spoke up from behind her: “Ginny, we were terrified something had happened to you,” he said, clearly relieved.

“I left you a note,” Ginny said in little more than a whisper.

“And how were we to know it was real?” Mrs. Weasley snapped. “For all we knew you could have been kidnapped by Death Eaters!”

“Mum, that’s pretty far-fetched…” George started, but fell silent when his mother glared at him.

“We forbade you from leaving, Ginny,” Mr. Weasley said. “We forbade you from…continuing to date Harry. And we wake up to find you’ve left to be with him.” He didn’t look or sound angry, just disappointed…which was far worse.

“I know you just wanted to keep me safe,” Ginny said quietly. “But you were keeping me locked away from- from all of my friends! What’s the point in being alive if I’m not living?”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Mrs. Weasley said shortly. “Come with us now, Ginny, we’re going home, and this time, you will stay there.”

Ginny was unable to find her voice, but she did shake her head sharply. Harry reached his hand down and entwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand in reassurance. Mrs. Weasley noticed, and her face whitened with rage. “Ginevra Weasley,” she growled, her voice low and threatening, “you are in far more trouble than you can possibly imagine! Stop this foolishness and come with us!”

“No!” Ginny snapped, her anger overcoming her fear. “This is where I have to be! I’m not leaving!”

Mrs. Weasley strode forward and grabbed Ginny by the arm, pulling her sharply towards the door. “This is not a choice!” she barked. “You’re coming with us now!”

She began dragging Ginny towards the door. Ginny clutched at Harry like a lifeline; “Stop it!” she shouted at her mother, fighting back with all her strength. She managed to wrench her arm free. “Just because you’re willing to abandon Harry out of fear doesn’t mean I am! And as for dating him, that’s my choice, not yours!”

“We are your parents,” Mrs. Weasley responded briskly, “and you will abide by our decisions!”

Ginny barked out a laugh. “Has that ever worked on any of your children?” She turned to look at Mr. Weasley. “Dad, you know this is utter bollocks! Why don’t you admit it?”

“Don’t you dare speak to your father that way!” Mrs. Weasley cried. “We are looking out for your well-being!”

“I can take care of myself,” Ginny stated flatly. She reached out and took Harry’s hand again. “We can look out for each other.”

Mrs. Weasley rounded on Harry, who resisted the urge to recoil. “You! You did this!” she gasped in outrage. “After everything we’ve done for you! We’ve cared for you, stood by you, protected you with our lives! This is how you repay our kindness? By sneaking behind our back, putting Ginny in danger? Wasn’t it enough you took Ron from us?”

“Don’t you DARE!” Ginny bellowed. “Don’t you dare use what happened to Ron as an excuse to hate Harry! Harry’s saved Ron’s life tons of times! You’re so terrified you’re betraying the memory of your own son! Ron is as much Harry’s brother as he is mine, and you know it!” She smiled without humor. “And now it’s even official!”

Harry glanced at Ginny and realized they’d passed the point where they could continue to keep their secret. “Mrs. Weasley,” he said quickly into the silence, “I can never repay you for your kindness to me over the years. The last thing I ever wanted was to disappoint you.” He pulled Ginny close, and they both raised their left hands to display their wedding bands. “But I can’t let you take Ginny; I can’t stand by and let you take my wife away.”

“Wife?” Mr. Weasley finally spoke again. “Don’t expect us to believe that, Harry. Ginny isn’t of age, she can’t be wed without her parents’ consent.”

“And I had it,” Ginny said shortly, catching and holding her father’s eyes. “All pre-signed and legal.”

Mr. Weasley shook his head with a confused look. “That’s just not…” He trailed off as his face went completely white. He gaped open-mouthed at Ginny, who nodded slightly; Mrs. Weasley sensed there was some understanding she wasn’t privy to. “Arthur, what’s all this nonsense?” she demanded. When Mr. Weasley didn’t respond immediately she angrily snapped “Arthur!”

“Come on, Molly,” Arthur said, abruptly turning and stepping to the door.

“What?” Mrs. Weasley gasped. “We are not leaving without Ginny! Surely you don’t believe that ridiculous-”

“Molly,” Mr. Weasley interrupted, “if it turns out to be true then we’d be guilty of kidnapping if we force Ginny to come with us.”

“It’s not true!” Mrs. Weasley said furiously, turning her livid glare back on Ginny. “It isn’t possible!”

“Yeah it is,” Ginny retorted, clutching Harry even tighter. “Ask dad. He knows.”

Mrs. Weasley just stared in utter shock for a moment. “Arthur, what did you do?” she shrieked.

“Come away, Molly,” Mr. Weasley insisted, his cheeks red with shame, “and I’ll explain, or…I’m sure we can nullify it, or something…”

“Oh- ARTHUR! You foolish man!” Mrs. Weasley spun in the door and her eyes blazed red. “If I find out this is true, don’t you ever show your face in our home again- either of you!” she snarled. “And that goes for all your conspiring friends, and those backstabbers you call brothers! Not in our home, not at Bill’s wedding, nothing! We are no longer family!”

The door slammed behind her so hard the glass cracked. Distractedly, Harry waved his wand and muttered “Reparo ,” and the crack sealed itself. He turned to Ginny, who was still staring at the door with an ugly look on her face. “Ginny? Are you-?”

“Forget it, Harry,” Ginny said abruptly, turning her back on the door. “It’s exactly what I expected. I’m fine; I made my choice.”

Harry couldn’t find a response. “Guess the party’s over,” Lee muttered.

“The hell it is!” Ginny snapped. “It’s mine and Harry’s bloody party, we’ll decide when it’s over! I’m going to stuff myself on cake, and then Harry and I are finishing our dance!” Her jaw set with determination, Ginny stomped over to the buffet, where a huge three-tiered cake was sitting as of yet untouched. Ginny stopped in front of it and raised her eyebrows at Harry. “Well?”

The cake-cutting restored everyone’s good mood, especially when Harry got a face full of frosting courtesy of Ginny, and responded by chasing her with a handful of whipped cream (she ended up with a white handprint on the arse of her jeans). After a bit more dancing, Neville had to leave and finish preparing for the arrival of the dangerous Last Rites plant. Harry and Ginny were both fairly tired, and the party began to break up. As people slipped into the shop’s back room to Floo back to the House of Black, Harry saw Ginny draw Hermione aside and headed over to them. As he got closer Harry heard Ginny ask anxiously “You’re sure there’s no way?”

“Yes, I’m certain, Ginny,” Hermione insisted. “Unless your father reveals that he pre-signed that document, there is no way for your parents to prove it wasn’t real.”

“Having second thoughts, Ginny?” Harry asked teasingly.

Ginny spun and stared at Harry. “No! Are- are you?”

“Of course not!” Harry pulled Ginny into his arms. “I heard you asking about that document and I thought…”

“I just wanted to be certain my mum couldn’t do anything to annul our marriage,” Ginny whispered as a few tears dampened Harry’s robes. “You’re my family now, Harry. If you go, who will I have?”

“You’d have me, Ginny,” Hermione promised softly. “I’d be so happy to have you as family.” Ginny smiled wetly.

“And what are we, chopped liver?” Fred asked casually as he went past, using his wand to clean the shop.

“Pretty much, at least in your mum’s eyes,” Harry pointed out sardonically.

“But we always have been, so nothing new there,” Fred said. “Come on now, off with you all! George and I have to restore the shop for tomorrow, and we have to meet Dung when he delivers that killer plant Neville’s been on about. Go do one of those things I really don’t want to know you do.” Harry flushed; Ginny chucked a small piece of cake at Fred with the accuracy of a skilled Chaser. It connected with his forehead with a splat. “Hey!” he cried.

“You should know by now not to tempt fate like that, dear brother,” George said with a grin as he watched Fred wipe off the frosting. “But Ginn, if you wouldn’t mind…we’re trying to clean the place, not coat it in chocolate.”

“Don’t you think-” Harry began, but stopped as he heard a faint tap-tap. Looking over at the door, he noticed an owl outside, tapping the glass with its beak. “Fred, George, looks like you’ve got post,” he said, pointing. George waved his wand at the door to open it; the owl flew right in, but rather than heading for Fred or George, it flew straight to Harry and settled on the chair next to him. “Do you have something for me?” Harry asked. Sure enough, the owl extended its leg, offering the letter it carried to Harry. He removed it and checked the sender. “It’s from Professor McGonagall!”

“Bloody hell, what’s she writing you for?” Fred asked in surprise.

“I wrote her yesterday,” Harry answered, opening the letter. He glanced around to make sure all the others had left. “Fred, George, don’t tell anyone about this, all right? It’s part of the stuff that shouldn’t be widely known.”

“Not a word, Harry,” Fred promised seriously. “Promise.”

“Promise,” George agreed, nodding.

“Right,” Harry said, and read the letter aloud:

Harry,

I was relieved to get your letter. I’d been uncertain how to contact you since Hogwarts closed; once you left your aunt and uncle’s you seem to have disappeared, except for the occasional visit to Diagon Alley, and an empty room at the Leaky Cauldron. While I approve of your efforts to remain safe and hidden from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I do wish you would entrust me with your whereabouts; I promised Albus I would make every effort to help keep you safe, and you are not making it easy.

I do indeed have the box which Albus left to you. If you insist, I will send it to you, but I would much prefer to give you the box in person. Albus seemed to think it was very important, and I’d be happier placing the box in your hands. I also believe there are some things we should talk about face to face. And truthfully, I would like to see you as well, to be certain you are all right.

Send me your reply with this owl. I can be available at any time.

Sincerely,
Minerva

“She called you Harry,” George pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

“And she signed it with her first name,” Fred added. “Is it me, or is that creepy?”

Harry shrugged. “I guess I should meet with her,” he said guiltily. “I really should have at least kept in contact with her, after everything she and the Order did for me.”

“Oh, yes,” Hermione said scathingly. “Kept information from you, followed you without your knowledge or consent…they’ve been as helpful as the Ministry, haven’t they?”

Harry’s jaw dropped. “Er…Hermione?” he said carefully after a moment. “What was that about?”

Hermione looked mortified. “Oh…I’m sorry,” she muttered. “It’s just…the Ministry and the Order have asked so much of you, Harry; and they haven’t exactly been much help, have they?”

“That’s not true,” Harry countered. “Well, about the Ministry it is, but the Order probably kept me alive my fifth year. Not counting Mundungus, who’s worthless. But Professor McGonagall – Minerva – was great, especially when we were dealing with Umbridge. She’s been great to me since I got to the Wizarding World. She was always fair, even if I didn’t like it.”

“Oh, I know,” Hermione said. “I’m sorry, Harry; that was unfair of me.”

“Forget it,” Harry said, and on an impulse hugged her. “I know you’re just worried. Thanks.”

“I’ve got enough indignation on Harry’s behalf to sink the ministry,” Ginny added with a wry grin. “So you’re not alone, Hermione.”

Hermione laughed weakly as Harry released her. “I know.”

“Harry…are you going to see McGonagall?” Ginny asked.

“Yeah, I think I should. We need that box.”

“What is it?” George asked curiously.

“Er…sorry, George, but it’s-”

“Part of the stuff that’s secret, got it,” George finished. “Well, I suppose if you don’t trust us…”

“Are you kidding? I’ve known you for six years; of course I don’t trust you!” Ginny smirked at the stunned looks on Fred and George’s faces. “Ginny, is it…okay for me to go?”

Ginny stared in surprise. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, I just…”

Harry trailed off nervously, and Ginny realized why Harry was asking her. “I’m here to help, Harry; not to be a distraction,” she said. “I know what you’ve taken on, remember? Stop worrying about hurting my feelings and do your job, or I’ll have come back for nothing!”

“Nothing?” Harry said in a mock hurt voice.

Ginny hit him in the arm. “Oh, stop it! Go get your bloody box; I’ll be fine.”

Harry heard Ginny’s words, but he noticed her expression didn’t match them. Despite her confident front, Ginny was more shaken up by the confrontation with her parents than she was admitting. Her words echoed in Harry’s mind - If you go, who will I have? “Ginn, why don’t you come with me?”

Ginny’s face lit up. “Really? Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course. Actually it’s probably better; I really should always have someone around to watch my back.”

“Ginny will be too distracted by your backside, I think,” Fred said, and tried to duck a second piece of cake, but got hit in the shoulder anyway. “All right, that’s it. Out, all of you! George and I would like to have this place cleaned and open again before New Year’s!”