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Right Under His Nose
Chapter Fourteen: What's All the Fuzz About?
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A/N: Well, summer's officially over. School has begun. All hail the class of 2006!
This chapter had a little trouble getting through... at first, it was deleted, because I submitted two chapters at once. Apparently, that's against the rules. :/ Meh.
Be warned... I'm not too big a fan of this chapter. But I really like the next one, and it's completely finished, so check back soon.
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The door to Ginny’s room banged open. She stood in the doorway, her smile fading from her face as she realized who was inside.
“Bill... Harry...” she said, trying to mask her obvious anxiety. “What are you doing in here?” She tossed her head and attempted to speak sternly. “This is my room, you know, you can’t just come in here without permission””
“Oh, I’d say that Harry had more than enough permission,” Bill hissed. Ginny’s mouth fell open.
“What” what do you... mean?” she said slowly. Her eyes flicked to Harry for just a second before she looked back to the ground.
Stomach twisting, Harry watched Bill’s eyes dart from Harry to Ginny and back to Harry again. Ginny remained standing at the door, both hands behind her back, grasping the doorknob. Then, showing an uncharacteristic amount of nervousness, she bit her lip and took a step forward.
“Bill, I””
“Don’t even bother, Ginny.”
Ginny’s teeth released her lip and her eyes flashed. “Don’t even bother what?”
“Don’t bother lying. I know what’s going on.”
Rapidly losing her air of anxiety, Ginny narrowed her eyes. “Oh you do, do you?”
Here it comes.
Harry could sense the battle brewing and instinctively stepped forward. He realized it was unlikely that he would have to hold Bill back from trying to get at his little sister, but one could never tell what Ginny might do. Groping inside his robe pocket, Harry’s fingers found his wand.
“Yeah, I know. You and Harry. You’re...” said Bill, gesturing vaguely as Ginny took another step forward.
“We’re what?” Ginny was looking dangerous, with her eyes flashing and her voice dangerous.
“Together,” Bill growled through clenched teeth. It sounded as though saying the word caused him a great deal of pain.
“And just how do you think you know””
Bill made a vehement noise of irritation and spat “Look, Gin. Harry was in here, alone, expecting you to come in the door instead of me. I’m not stupid, you know.”
“You’re doing a bad job of showing it,” said Ginny, raising her chin defiantly.
Bad move, Gin.
Bill’s eyes flashed, just as Ginny’s had done a second ago. Harry took another step forward, just in case.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” yelled Bill, taking a step toward Ginny. She reciprocated, looking equally angry.
“You barge in here, completely uninvited, and start making unfounded accusations about my love life? Something which, by the way, is none of your business””
Bill’s face was growing redder by the second. “Unfounded accusations?” he spluttered. “Unfounded? Harry just told me the Rita Skeeter article was true!”
Ginny’s furious eyes landed on Harry as he opened his mouth to protest.
“I did not””
Bill continued as though Harry hadn’t spoken. “Well, maybe he didn’t say so, but it’s still the truth! Isn’t it?”
“Isn’t what?” Ginny’s voice had a hard, sarcastic edge to it that Harry had never remembered hearing.
Bill walked forward so he was almost nose to nose (or, in this case, shoulder to nose) with Ginny. He towered over his younger sister and asked, in a hard voice “The article is true, isn’t it?”
Defiantly, Ginny flipped her hair, strolled toward Harry and picked up his hand. When she turned her head to look at him, however, Harry saw that beneath all her Weasley bravado, she was nervous. She looked at him, pleading with her eyes, biting her lip. Harry squeezed her hand and nodded when she raised her eyebrows in question.
Ginny turned her face to Bill. “Yes, it’s bloody well true. I don’t see what you’re so upset about.”
Bill’s jaw had dropped, but he recovered quickly. “I just don’t like being lied to!” he exclaimed, his brow furrowing at Ginny’s hand clasped in Harry’s.
“We never lied, Bill,” said Ginny, rubbing her forehead with her free hand and sounding tired.
“But the art””
“I don’t care about the ruddy article!” Ginny burst. Her grip on Harry’s hand was becoming painful. “I never said it wasn’t true, and neither did Harry. Everyone else just denied it for us.”
Looking incredulous, Bill said “And you” you think that’s not lying? Just because you never affirmed or denied it?”
Ginny tossed her head. “Well””
“And that still doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been here over two days and you still haven’t said anything””
“Just because I didn’t shout it from the rooftops, you think I’m lying?” Ginny’s cheeks were flaming and her hair was flying, but her hand stayed firmly in Harry’s. “I don’t recall you writing letters home about sordid meetings with your numerous girlfriends!”
The color in Bill’s face spread to his ears. “That was different,” he said quickly. “You and Harry””
“How is it different?” said Ginny, nearly snarling.
But Bill didn’t answer. His face had suddenly changed, his brow furrowing into a look of confusion. He turned around and stared at Ginny’s door for a second, before striding forward and wrenching it open.
“Ooof!”
“Bloody””
“Watch it!”
Harry watched in horror as Charlie Weasley, Ginny’s second-oldest brother, fell to the ground, quickly followed by Fred and George. Ron was the only one who managed to stay on his feet. He stood at the back of the group, looking torn. Quickly, Harry shot him a look of desperation, and Ron nodded.
Charlie, Fred, and George picked themselves up and continued into Ginny’s room without permission. Ron followed, shutting the door. The brothers looked oddly out of place in Ginny’s room, with its little feminine touches everywhere. George bumped his elbow on a small vase of flowers and Charlie tripped over a pair of underwear on the floor. He looked revolted.
“Geez, Gin, don’t leave this stuff hanging around…”
“I’m sure I would have had time to put it away if you all hadn’t been tripping over yourselves to come in,” said Ginny coldly.
With Harry and Ginny on one side of the room and Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron on the other, it looked like an odd sort of duel was being arranged. Harry watched as each one of Ginny’s brothers took in the sight of Ginny gripping his hand.
“Run out of Extendable Ears, I see,” said Harry, breaking the tense silence.
“They’re gone. Sold every pair,” said George, rubbing his elbow. “Apparently they’re pretty useful.”
After a few seconds, Ginny opened her mouth, speaking with apparent effort. “How much did you hear?”
“Enough,” said Charlie.
Ginny’s room, which had been Harry’s idea of heaven just twenty minutes before, was quickly spiraling into something resembling an extremely cramped hell. He wondered if Ginny’s window was large enough to make an escape, because Fred and George were blocking the door with their arms crossed. Fred caught Harry’s eye and Harry thought he detected a trace of a grin, but it quickly disappeared.
“Look…” said Harry. “We’re really sorry that we didn’t tell you.”
“Oh, really?” said Charlie forcefully. “It didn’t sound like it two minutes ago.”
Harry flushed, but Ginny flared up. “Honestly!” Ginny had flung up her hand in disgust. “Get over yourselves! You all are acting like we’ve committed some crime!”
Ron grinned at that. Fred and George glanced at each other and seemed to be fighting down some sort of joking remark, but Bill and Charlie still held stubborn frowns on their faces.
Well, they’re more like her fathers than anything, really.
Which was completely true, Harry thought. Bill was twenty-five and Charlie twenty-three… they probably felt paternal feelings towards Ginny over everything else.
Which would explain why they’re two steps away from hexing you.
“Look,” said Ginny, when the silence continued. “I’m sorry… we’re both sorry… that we didn’t tell you straight off. But even if we did want to keep it quiet, can you blame us? Look at how you’re reacting!”
Looking highly affronted, Bill sputtered “Reacting…”
“He’s still Harry,” said Ginny simply, in a quieter voice. “He’s Harry. Every single one of you loves him, don’t pretend that you don’t. Nothing’s different about him, except now he’s my boyfriend. He’s held my hand. He’s kissed me. That’s about it.”
Harry’s face burned, but he still looked at the other side of the room in a kind of defiant way. He squeezed Ginny’s hand.
Bill threw a helpless look at Charlie. They seemed very reluctant to give up their fight. “But you still lied, Gin,” he said. “To all of us.”
Ginny sighed. “I already told Bill, we never lied.”
“You still should have said something,” said George. “I mean, I think we all had the right to know””
“The right?” Ginny said incredulously. “The right? I can’t believe you all!” Ginny was getting angrier by the second. “I’ve kept secrets for all of you, every single one!” She pointed at George. “I never anything when you broke Charlie’s Cleansweep over the summer because he wouldn’t let you on the Quidditch team your second year””
“That was you?” Charlie exclaimed, all manner of being angry at Harry forgotten. “I loved that broom!”
Ginny rounded on Fred. “I never said anything when you spent half your sixth year pining over Angelina””
Fred’s cheeks grew red and George elbowed him, grinning.
“I never said anything, Charlie, when you got that dragon tattoo and had it removed two weeks later because you had an allergic reaction…” Charlie gave up his attempts to get to George and had the decency to flush. Bill looked surprised and stared at Charlie as though examining him for any remaining bits of tattoo. Ginny rounded on Bill next. “I never told anyone about you and Fleur, Bill, even when it was painfully obvious…” Bill blushed.
“And you!” Ginny’s face softened when she got to Ron, perhaps because he was the only one who hadn’t expressed animosity towards Harry. The intensity of her words was softened as well. “I never told her,” she whispered. “I never said a word.”
Harry knew perfectly well who Ginny was talking about. So, apparently, did everyone else in the room, but they didn’t say anything. Ginny had shocked them into submission.
Looks like they know who’s boss.
“That’s not the same”” Bill started, but Ginny cut him off.
“Oh, be quiet. I’m sick of this. I’m not a child; I can take care of myself””
“We just want to protect you!”
Harry could practically feel Ginny rolling her eyes. “Protect me? From who? The sodding Boy-Who-bloody-Lived?”
“Ginevra Weasley!”
Feeling his stomach twist into an even tighter knot, Harry looked at Ginny’s door. It had just opened of its own accord, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley framed in the doorway. Fleur stood behind them, a look of smug triumph on her face.
“We ‘eard yelling,” she explained, smirking at Ginny. “And we wanted to see what all ze fuzz was about.”
Fuzz?
She means ‘fuss,’ idiot.
Ginny’s eyes had narrowed at Fleur and she glared at her for a moment. Harry had never realized that Ginny didn’t exactly like Fleur, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. Not when Mrs. Weasley looked as though steam was about to start coming out of her ears. Not for the first time did Harry notice her resemblance to a saber-toothed tiger.
“What is going on here?” she asked quietly.
“It’s a party,” said Ginny sarcastically. “Come on in and join the fun!”
“Be quiet, young lady,” Mrs. Weasley said sternly, and Ginny fell silent.
The knot in Harry’s stomach was quickly disappearing… possibly because his entire stomach had just dropped out entirely. The pressure on his hand, however, increased tenfold. Harry glanced at Ginny, surprised, and saw that she had dropped her defiant face and was looking at the ground.
“Mum,” she said quietly. “There’s something I would… we would… like to tell you.”
Even Harry could notice her hesitation at the words.
“Mum, Harry and I, we’re””
“Darling, I already know. What kind of a mother would I be if I hadn’t noticed?”
Harry was very relieved to see that Mrs. Weasley’s face had lost some of its color and she was now smiling warmly.
“Oh, great,” said Ginny, again sarcastically. “Well, if everyone knows now, can you just leave us in peace?”
“You’re not getting off that easily,” said Mrs. Weasley, now with quite a benign smile on her face. “I want some answers.”
Harry had been afraid of this.
“A”answers?” Ginny stuttered.
“Just one,” said Mrs. Weasley. “Why?”
“Why… what?”
“Why did you want to keep it a secret? Didn’t you know we’d be happy for you?”
“Not the way this lot’s been acting””
“They’re just reacting like that because they love you, Ginny. But I think we’re all a little hurt that you lied to us. Why?”
Next to him, Ginny took a deep breath. Harry felt her grip go a little weaker.
She’s done.
He knew it. She had already fought her fight. Now it was his turn.
“Voldemort,” he said, quite simply.
Each and every Weasley turned to stare at him, shifting their eyes from their daughter.
“Voldemort?” asked Mr. Weasley in a calm voice. Then, when Harry nodded, he added “Please explain.”
“He… that is, I…” Harry stopped and took a deep breath. Ginny squeezed his hand, encouraging him. “Voldemort’s already tried to kill me more than once. If he knew that Ginny and I were together… that I care about her… he’d use her. He’d hurt her to hurt me. And I can’t let that happen.”
They all stared in silence for a moment. “Oh,” said Charlie, clearly looking a little ashamed with himself. Bill was looking slightly abashed too.
“Well…”
“I suppose…”
“Gin, look…”
“We don’t mean to get so angry…”
“I know,” said Ginny, smiling. “Just, calm down a little, okay? It’s not like the world has changed.”
It was as though something swooped through the air, relieving the room of all its tension. Suddenly, Harry found the Weasley brothers standing in front of him, thumping his back, shaking his hand, and telling him that they were sorry they overreacted. Then Mrs. Weasley gave him a hug and whispered in his ear “I’m so glad, Harry.” Then, one by one, each person left Ginny’s room. Ron was the last to go. He paused by the door, turned, and grinned.
“Just remember, Potter,” he said in a mock-warning tone. “Hurt her, and we’ll kill you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Harry said, bewildered.
Ron shut the door.
He and Ginny were alone together. It was quite surreal. Just minutes before, this room had been full of older Weasleys who wanted to kill him. But now, they had just voluntarily left him alone with their younger sister. Harry and Ginny turned to look at each other, amazed.
“Did that just happen?” Harry asked her, incredulously.
“I think so,” she replied, amazement in her voice. “They never fail to surprise me.”
“I told you they’d want to kill me.”
“Well, they don’t anymore, do they?”
“No. I suppose not.”
Ginny fell back on her bed, bringing her hand up to cover her eyes. “I can’t believe it happened like that.”
Gingerly, wondering if this was even allowed, Harry sat on the corner of her bed. Ginny’s hips were very close and he laced his fingers together to stop from reaching towards her. “At least now they know.”
“Yeah.” Ginny’s hand left her face as she stretched both arms above her head, arching her back and making a little sound of relief. Harry sucked in a breath and bit his tongue. But apparently Ginny hadn’t noticed, because she opened her eyes and beckoned him with her finger. “C’mere.”
“Ginny…” Harry tried to protest, but she reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He put up some resistance, but not much, as he half-fell on top of her chest. He placed his hands on either side of her and held himself up. “They’ll kill me.”
“I think we’ve already decided that they won’t,” she said in a low voice. “And if they come in here without knocking, they’ll be very sorry indeed.”
“But”” Harry’s protest was cut off by Ginny’s finger as she pressed it over his lips. She then followed a path up to the sides of his face, where she grasped the metal of his glasses and took them off.
He didn’t really need those glasses anyway, Harry thought, as his eyes slid shut and he bent his head. Why would he need them, when the world simply made much more sense like this?
***
Disclaimers:
I'm sure there's something in there. If you find it, point it out to me.
I'll submit chapter fifteen as soon as chapter fourteen is approved, all right? Think of it as a Christmas present... in September. ;)