A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews. You can never have too many. For now, though, read on…
“Well…I have good news all round!” Mr. Weasley said to a nearly silent table that night at dinner.
He had been good naturedly trying to engage the household in conversation for the better part of a half hour. Mrs. Weasley was still weary from her fight with Fleur. The twins were unusually subdued due to the fact that their mother had destroyed a prototype for the joke shop in punishment for their comments about Fleur and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione and Ron were not speaking. Ron sat in huffy silence, every now and then glaring at Hermione so intensely that Harry wondered that Hermione’s bushy brown hair didn’t catch on fire or something of that nature. In contrast, Hermione was completely ignoring Ron, never looking in his direction, even when she needed something passed to her that was sitting directly in front of him. Ginny appeared to be on Hermione’s side of the argument because she kept shooting Ron reproving glances. Fleur appeared to be sulking, probably because Bill had told her she could not have a flying carpet fly them down the aisle. He had tried to explain to her that they were illegal, but Fleur insisted that,
“If you cared at all about zis wedding, you would find a way to make zis happen for me!”
Bill had been adamant, however, and he and Harry were the only ones were acting as they usually did.
“What’s the good news, Mr. Weasley?” Harry asked when it became apparent that no one was going to even recognize that Mr. Weasley had spoken.
Mr. Weasley looked gratefully at Harry; he was oblivious to the events of the day, and did not know why his family was behaving so oddly.
“I’ve had it straight from one of the governors this morning. Hogwarts is going to be opened again!”
There was a moment of unresponsive silence in which Mr. Weasley looked eagerly about for some sign of excitement, joy, even disappointment, just some emotion that didn't suggest that everyone in the kitchen was devoid of feeling.
Finally, Harry spoke up again,
“Yeah, we know, Mr. Weasley.”
Mr. Weasley’s face fell. It was clear that he had hoped to be the first to deliver this news.
“But how? The governor only voted this morning!”
“Fred and George told us,” Harry said, feeling genuinely sorry for Mr. Weasley. He was trying so hard to have a normal meal, and now he didn’t even get to share the news he had clearly been waiting with great anticipation to deliver.
“How did you find out, boys? Surely those Extendable Ears weren’t involved?”
Fred and George looked angry.
“Dad, we don’t use our stuff to do illegal things!” George insisted.
“Yeah, honestly, we cross lines, but listening in on governors’ meetings is generally frowned upon. We try not to break the law,” Fred added, looking disgusted that his father had even suggested that Fred and George had committed a minor crime.
Mr. Weasley was obviously confused and flustered now. Under normal circumstances, his accusations would have been brushed off with a joke and a laugh from Fred and George. He seemed to tire of trying to hold the meal together, and looked around,
“What did I miss, eh? Why are you all sitting there like lumps? Will someone kindly explain what went on today while I was at work?”
There was a mixture of mumbled words in which,
“Nothing”, “Never mind”, and “It’s no big deal” were uttered.
Mr. Weasley shrugged, and changed the subject,
“So, Fleur, when does your family arrive?”
Fleur brightened a bit. It appeared that this was a topic that she was interested in.
“Zey arrive tomorrow evening.”
“Good. That means I need to have a talk with you lot about the sleeping arrangements,” Mr. Weasley said, pointing to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George.
“Arthur,” Mrs. Weasley’s voice had a warning note in it, “We haven’t decided for sure that this arrangement is entirely safe.”
“Molly, don’t worry. We don’t really have a lot of options. Besides, it’s only for a few nights.”
Mrs. Weasley gave him a look that said he was in trouble for bringing this up without her knowledge or consent, but she nodded, just the same.
The six teenagers were sitting up straighter in their chairs. This was going to be too interesting to continue to be sulky. Harry thought to himself that there was no way all the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Fleur’s family were going to fit under The Burrow’s roof.
“As you know,” Mr. Weasley began, “there is not enough room here to accommodate so many people, so Molly and I decided,”
Mrs. Weasley gave a snort which Mr. Weasley ignored and continued,
“that we would have to make arrangements for you lot to stay somewhere outside the house.”
“You mean, like an inn or something?” Fred asked.
“George and I could stay in the flat above the joke shop,” George offered, though Harry noticed that he did it half-heartedly. He and Fred had been so looking forward to witnessing the events in the days leading up to the wedding.
“Yes, that was part of the plan, but that still leaves you four. Seeing as we still want you very close by - you can’t all Apparate-”
“Only perfect Hermione,” Ron muttered. Harry was the only one who heard his sarcastic remark, and he elbowed Ron in the ribs to silence him. Mr. Weasley was still speaking.
“So the backyard was the perfect location.”
Ginny looked horrified,
“You’re kicking your own flesh and blood out to sleep in the yard?” she yelled.
“No, Ginny, I’m not just kicking you out,” Mr. Weasley answered her patiently, “I borrowed Perkins’s tents that we used at the World Cup, remember? So, Harry and Ron will share a tent and Ginny you and Hermione will share the other. Charlie arrives tomorrow as well. He has to put in a full day of work, so he should be in late. He’s taking off work after tomorrow until the wedding is over. This means that Bill and Charlie can take Percy’s room,” Mr. Weasley said his son’s name quickly, but it did not stop Mrs. Weasley from paling a bit, “Mr. and Mrs. Delacour can take Fred and George’s room; that means I want all your work cleared out tonight, boys. And Fleur and her sister can take Ginny’s room.”
“Oh, Gabrielle’s coming?” Harry inquired politely, seeing that Mrs. Weasley was still upset at the mention of Percy, and wanting to steer the topic of conversation away from anything that could be linked to Percy’s absence.
“Ooh, yes, and I can tell you zat she has talked of nuzing for nearly three ‘ole years except ‘Arry Potter.”
This made Harry very uncomfortable, and he felt himself turning red against his will. He had meant to get everyone’s minds off of Percy, but not at the cost of learning that Fleur’s little sister had a crush on him. Harry felt, rather than saw, Ginny watching him.
“Well, um, it’ll be nice to have your family here, then.” Searching frantically for something to say that could not possibly cause him further embarrassment. He settled on the wedding itself,
“So, Fleur, what’s the wedding going to look like? I’ve never been to a wedding.”
To Harry’s immense relief, Fleur was off. She spoke of flowers and gowns and colors, and Harry was no longer required to join into the conversation. Ginny had stopped staring at Harry, just as Hermione had put an end to her distant, cold manner. Both girls and Mrs. Weasley were listening raptly. Harry took this opportunity to ask Mr. Weasley a question he had been longing to have answered since he had formulated his plans to go in search of the remaining Horcruxes.
“Mr. Weasley? When is the next Apparition exam? I need to take it, and so does Ron.”
Ron leaned forward in interest.
“The test is scheduled for the 11th of August. There should be an owl coming shortly to ask if you’ll be taking it.”
This reminded Harry that he had yet to let Hedwig out since he had arrived the night before, and he made a mental note to do so as soon as he got upstairs.
Mr. Weasley became involved in a conversation with Bill, and that left Harry free to whisper unheard with Ron.
“Does that mean we’re staying here until we pass the test, Harry?” Ron inquired, sounding anxious.
“Yeah, I guess so. No point in trying to fly or use the Knight Bus, is there? Too many questions, and we wouldn’t want to carry brooms with us, would we?”
Harry felt both relief and disappointment at having to wait until August to begin his journey. He had at least a month and a half to enjoy himself in peace at the Weasleys, but he also wanted to find the Horcruxes, destroy them, and face Voldemort. He realized now that the people he loved were the most important things in his life, and though he wanted very much to have time to just spend with them, he also wanted to get the inevitable done and over with. Until he did, the people he loved remained in danger. Ron looked a bit less worried,
“I guess that means I have a little while to come up with an argument for Mum.”
“Technically, Ron, you’re of age, so you don’t need one.”
“Yeah, but I hate to leave against her will, you know? I mean, I will, if it comes down to it. I just hope it doesn’t.”
“I know. I hope so, too, mate. I don’t want her to be upset on my account.”
Silence fell between them, and Harry knew they were both considering the odds of leaving the Burrow with Mrs. Weasley’s blessing. They were rather slim odds, very slim, indeed. Deciding not to dwell on this, Harry tuned in to the conversation about the wedding. Hermione was speaking now, and Fleur, Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny were all listening to her, unable to control gasps of joy and approval as she told them what she envisioned for her wedding,
“Well, since my parents are Muggles, I’m quite fond of Muggle weddings. Of course, the ceremony will be a magic ceremony, but I want to wear Muggle wedding clothes. I want a dress with a large skirt, white, with beads and pearls. And I want the ceremony to be at night. The aisle will be lined with candles. Hundreds of candles. And there will be a type of awning where I’ll stand with R- with my husband,” Hermione covering her very obvious mistake, blushing furiously, but she seemed to know that if she stopped speaking, what she had started to say would become even more evident. Ron had not heard her slip up; he was talking to Mr. Weasley about Apparition. Hermione continued,
“So, um, you see, in Muggle ceremonies, it’s traditional that the father walks his daughter down the aisle and gives her away.”
“ ‘E gives his daughter away! ‘Ow cruel!” Fleur looked stunned.
Hermione laughed, her cheeks still pink from her slip-up a moment before, but obviously glad Fleur was distracted enough to ask questions. Hermione continued to explain the basics of Muggle weddings, and Harry looked at Ginny and Mrs. Weasley to see if they had noticed what Hermione had nearly said. Ginny caught Harry’s eyes and grinned. She had most definitely noticed. Mrs. Weasley looked as though she was ready to burst into tears, though she was smiling very widely.
Harry pondered the reasons that women felt compelled to cry, even when they were not upset. Harry quickly stopped pondering, however, and deemed this an unsolvable mystery. He did know, however, that he was ready to go upstairs, and talk to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He hadn’t really had a chance to discuss the possible locations of the Horcruxes with them yet, and he wanted desperately to feel as though he was on top of the situation. He wondered vaguely how he was going to get Ron and Hermione to sit in the same room together. They’d never rowed at the Burrow before, and Harry wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
“Right, well, we’d best get the table cleared, then,” Mrs. Weasley said, her tears gone, and the wedding discussions over. “And you lot had better round up whatever you’ll need to take out to the tents with you tomorrow.” She looked sternly at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and said knowingly,
“Be sure, I’m putting spells on those tents. Girls will not enter the boys’ tent and vice versa, do you understand. If you all want to be together, you will come into the house, or sit in plain view in the yard where I can see you from the window. Understood?” Nods and murmurs sounded from the four embarrassed teenagers, and Fred and George appeared to be in much better spirits. They had not spoken since Mr. Weasley had accused them of using their products to break the law. But their voices seemed to return at this fresh attempt to mock Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.
“Did you hear? There will be no snogging in the yard. Is that understood?” George said with mock severity.
“Oh, but, George, Harry and Ginny aren’t dating and neither are Ron and Hermione. So why on earth would there be snogging in the yard?” Fred asked, screwing up his face in fake concentration.
“Well, let me explain it to you, Fred. You see Harry and Ron are boys and Ginny and Hermione are girls. And you see when boys and girls are left alone together-”
“Fred, George you stop that this instant!” Mrs. Weasley shrieked at her sons, who took the abuse with grins.
“Sure, Mum.” George said.
“Yeah, we were only joking,” Fred added.
“Sort of,” George interjected.
“Well, we were mostly joking. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to gather our things, and go back to the shop, as it appears we are greatly unappreciated by our own kin.”
And they left the room, Mrs. Weasley shaking her head, and muttering to herself. Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur had not heard any of the last except for Mrs. Weasley’s yelling and Fred and George’s departure, so they did not look at the four with questioning eyes. The four had become very silent and suddenly interested in objects such as a spoon, a picture on the wall, a small bug that was creeping unknowingly to its death in the sink, and a plant on the counter. All of these objects seemed to prevent them from looking at one another and Mrs. Weasley.
“So, I’ve got to let Hedwig out.” Harry said finally, feeling that he had to get out now.
“Yeah, Pig needs to be let out too,” Ron joined in.
“I should feed Crookshanks, so Ginny needs to come protect Arnold. Crookshanks is always trying to get hold of him,” Hermione’s voice quivered with embarrassment, and Ginny nodded fervently.
They all rushed from the room. They stopped at the landing next to Ginny’s door. Ron and Hermione seemed to have momentarily forgotten their argument after the shared humiliation of the moment before, but as they stopped, their animosity was quickly remembered. Ron glared at Hermione again, and Hermione made to open Ginny’s door,
“Goodnight, Harry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Harry put his hand over hers on the doorknob,
“Hold on a minute, Hermione. I know you’re angry with Ron, and it’s stupid, but that’s beside the point,” he said quickly as Hermione glared and Ron made a noise like a low growl in his throat, “I need to talk to all of you. So do whatever it is you need to do to mentally accept that you’re gonna have to be in the same room with Ron. I need to ask you guys what you think the next step should be with this whole Horcrux thing, so do whatever it takes, but be in Ron’s room in ten minutes.”
Hermione looked scathingly at Harry, continued to ignore Ron, and walked into Ginny’s room without a word. Ron gave a derisive snort and stormed off up the stairs, leaving Harry and Ginny alone.
“So, that went well. Very smooth, Harry.”
“Well, I’ m sick of dealing with them fighting. They had a row, so what? We know they love each other. Hermione made it pretty clear tonight that she’s seeing herself in a white dress standing next to none other than Ron, himself! She knows it, he knows, it, even your mum knows it! So they had a row! It happens! Especially to them, but they have to be able to be in the same room together. Work whatever magic it is that you have, Ginny, use your feminine whiles or whatever. Get her and yourself up to Ron’s room in ten minutes, ok?”
Ginny’s face darkened,
“My feminine whiles? What is that supposed to mean? Do you think I’m some sort of veela? Oh, but of course, you must be confusing me with the girl you would obviously rather be with. I’m not Gabrielle!”
Harry was so taken aback that he laughed. This was a mistake. Ginny glowered.
“Ginny, Gabrielle can’t be more than eleven years old.”
“You like them young, though don’t you Harry? Look at me, I’m younger then you, but maybe just not young enough.”
“This is insane, Ginny! How can you even suggest that? Especially when I’m-” he stopped himself from saying “I’m in love with you,” and instead finished lamely with,
“still upset over you.”
Ginny looked less angry, though her eyes were still flashing, and said shortly,
“We’ll be up in ten minutes.”
Harry walked up the stairs, shaking his head. Breaking up with Ginny had been hard enough. The aftermath of breaking up with Ginny was ten times worse. She had never acted this way before, and Harry wondered why she was behaving this way now. He reached the door to Ron’s room and thought that this was going to be a very interesting meeting.
A/N: Sorry to end the chapter there. The conversation they’re going to have is gonna be pretty in depth and long, and-quite frankly- I’m so tired that I don’t think I could write it to my full ability. Sry this chapter was pretty crappy, but I needed some transition from the fight to this important conversation. I tried to throw in some entertaining and prophetic bits (like Hermione’s slip up). So, if you have a heart, please review this pitiful chapter. I just wanted to update quickly for you guys. I apologize again.