Ginny sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express with Harry and Ron on the journey to Kings Cross, as Hermione had said she wanted to be alone; as far as she knew, getting Cormac to be her companion at Professor Slughorn's Christmas do had been a mistake, but she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Meanwhile, Ginny held Arnold in the palms of her hands, while Hedwig perched upon the luggage rails, and Pigwidgeon flew haphazardly around the space. Ginny leaned back against the seat, taking a look at the Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Botts, while Harry and Ron had a much wider assortment.

"Can't believe you ran after Snape like that, and made Ginny go with you!" Ron said, shaking his head in disapproval at Harry.

Ginny's eyes flashed to her brother, and crossed her arms. "You know as well as I do that your own judgement can't be trusted at the moment," she said, narrowing her eyes. "And besides, I know my own mind, thank you very much."

"My judgement?!" Ron cried out. "How can you call that into question?"

Just then, from outside the compartment, Lavender appeared, and gave Ron a small wave, before she blew onto the glass partition, and proceeded to draw in the resulting condensation with the pads of her fingers. She drew a heart, which she put an R and an L in its center, before breathing onto it again, to ensure that it would stay for a while, along with a handful of what Ginny guessed were snowflakes.

Lavender gave Ron a lovestruck smile then, and whispered, "I'll miss you," before she returned to the compartment she was sharing with Parvati and Padma Patil.

"Lovely," Harry declared.

"I rest my case," Ginny said smugly, and leaned back on the bench, while Arnold crawled up her arm and onto her shoulder.

Ron grimaced uncomfortably. "Just wish she'd be a bit less public about it," he said softly, and his attention was quickly caught again, as none other than Hermione came walking by the door and stared into their compartment. She looked about to come inside, but caught sight of Lavender's little message, and quickly turned on her heel and left.

Ginny gritted her teeth at Ron's crestfallen expression. "You've no right to feel that way," she snapped at him. "If Hermione ever forgives you, you'd better count yourself lucky."

Harry took Ginny's hand in his and squeezed it; his other hand was gripping onto his copy of Advanced Potion Making, which appeared to be out-of-date, as even hers and Ron's copies looked nicer than that. "Can we get back to what happened with Snape now?"

Ginny sighed and nodded. "Right, yeah. Sorry."

"Not your fault," Harry assured her before turning back to Ron. "Ginny mentioned that Fred and George tried to get you to take an Unbreakable Vow when you were kids."

"It was my first memory," Ginny said softly, shrugging her shoulders. "I remember how Dad screamed at them for hours; it was a bit frightening, actually."

Ron nodded, for he remembered it, too. "Yeah. Dad cut their pocket money and threatened to keep them from flying, too."

"Merlin," Harry whispered, and Ginny knew that he was thinking at what a gentle soul their father appeared to be.

"He told them that only Dark wizards even contemplated performing the magic," she said softly to him, taking his hand again.

"Makes sense that Snape would do it," Ron said firmly, and Harry lowered his eyes, while Ginny grimaced at Ron's lack of tact, although he had no way of knowing the full story, really. "Malfoy has always been his favorite, after all, so it's possible that, if he'd even agree to do it at all, it would be for him."

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said defeatedly.

Ginny quietly nudged Harry as Ron shoved some Ice Mice into his mouth; she wasn't being insensitive, but didn't want Ron suddenly figuring out that Harry was in love with the Head of Slytherin House and was in a relationship with him. "At least he didn't see us," she said carefully, and Harry reluctantly nodded.

"Can't imagine how many points he'd have taken for eavesdropping," Ron replied with his mouth full.

Ginny grimaced. "Merlin, I didn't think about that," she said, knowing that Severus likely wouldn't have taken points if he'd discovered them after Draco had gone.

"So, this Unbreakable Vow," Harry said, wanting to get back to the subject at hand, "it sounds really dangerous."

Ginny nodded. "Of course it is. Whenever a spell, hex, charm, or even a vow, isn't executed properly, the consequences could be dire."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between the two youngest Weasley siblings. "What happens if you break an Unbreakable Vow?"

"What else?" Ron said softly. "You die."

Ginny tried her best to keep Harry calm throughout the rest of the journey, but it hardly did any good at all. They gathered up their belongings, and put their familiars into their respective cages, before slipping out with the rest of the students going home. The three of them stepped out and onto the platform, and each breathed a sigh of relief to see Molly Weasley waiting for them within the crowd of parents and guardians.

"Mum!" Ginny called, dashing forward and pulling her trunk—which had Arnold's cage buckled to the top—and threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Ginny, darling!" she cried out, clutching at her only daughter and kissing her forehead. She embraced Ron next, calling him, "Ronny love", and, finally, turned to Harry, calling him her "dear". She shrunk down their trunks, which all three pocketed, and left them to hold onto the cages which housed their familiars. "Come along now, dears," she said, and guided them expertly through the crowd. "You must be tired from your journey."

"Not like we were running here, Mum," Ron groused.

Molly Weasley rolled her eyes, smacking Ron upon the head. "Don't think you're out of the woods yet, young man," she told him firmly as they walked through the wall and out into the Muggle division of Kings Cross. "I completely understand why Hermione changed her plans when she did. The nerve of you, hurting her so!"

"Lavender's a great girl, Mum!" Ron whined.

"That's enough about her," Molly said firmly, narrowing her brown eyes at him. "I don't want to hear about it."

Ginny and Harry smiled secretly at one another at Molly's words. They made their way to the Apparition Point, and clutched onto Molly's hands before they all popped away. They landed in the fields just beside the kitchen door of the Burrow, and snow was steadily falling around them all, creating an ethereal winter wonderland. There was hardly an opportunity to stand around and appreciate it, however, for Molly was quickly pushing them towards the nearest door.

"Get inside now, dears," she said firmly, spelling the door open, and the foursome all tumbled inside the warm kitchen, were savory smells wafted into their noses. With a flick of her wand, their respective trunks came flying out of their pockets, and Molly enlarged them. "Go and put your trunks into your rooms and get washing up for dinner."

Ginny was filled with relief then; it was nearing six o'clock, and she knew that her father would be home soon. Relieved even more that her room was just off the kitchen, she moved towards the door and stepped inside, opening her trunk and beginning to unpack it, and letting Arnold out of his cage. She smiled as he hopped from her desk and onto the window sill, perfectly content to watch the snow falling outside.

"Oh, Harry dear," she heard her mother say, "now that you're nearly officially one of the family, Arthur and I have decided to give you Percy's former room."

"Really, it's not—" Harry began.

"Harry, love, you deserve your own space," Molly said gently. "You typically share a room with six other young men. Think of this as your home away from home, where you truly have your own space, all right?"

Harry sighed. "Mum Weasley, you really don't—"

"Yes, we do," Molly said. "We've already re-decorated it for you, love. Arthur and I really want you to enjoy your time here."

"Thank you," Harry said softly, and Ginny heard a rustle of something, letting her know that they were embracing, and she smiled to herself.

Once she'd finished unpacking, Ginny changed into some more comfortable clothes, and went into the closest bathroom, where she washed her hands and face, brushed her teeth, and ran a comb through her hair. Finally realizing that she should probably head out into the kitchen to help her mother, she made her way down the hallway and stepped into the most common area of the house. She could smell one of her mother's specialties cooking—baked ziti, with fresh garlic bread, and a Caesar salad. Looking around, she also saw a sponge cake sitting upon the counter, and was very pleased at the outcome.

"Smells good, Mum," she said, stepping into the kitchen fully and pressing a kiss onto her mother's cheek.

"Thank you, love," Molly replied, flashing Ginny a smile. "Finish preparing the salad for me, will you?"

"Sure, Mum." Ginny took ahold of the brick of parmesan cheese and the grater, which provided thick slices directly onto the dark green lettuce leaves. "That was really nice of you, you know, to give Harry his own room."

Molly sighed. "Well, I think Percy's lost to us now," she said softly. "And, in any case, given his age and his fierce independence from a young age, I can hardly see him coming back to live with us, even if our relationship suddenly improved."

"It's his blind loyalty for Fudge," Ginny said bitterly, and shook her head. "He's bloody incompetent, if you ask me."

Molly gave Ginny a small smile. "Normally, I'd chastise you for such language," she said. "But, you're old enough now, and you're right about our Minister of Magic, unfortunately."

Ginny grimaced. "I hate what he's become," she said softly. "People think Hermione is an insufferable know-it-all, but that title goes to Percy."

Molly laughed sadly. "He always was a bit pompous with his knowledge, wasn't he?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Ginny said morosely. She continued working on putting cheese onto the salad, before tasting the dressing and adding a hint more of garlic. "Harry said that this was his favorite meal of yours."

Molly sighed, her shoulders slacking as she peered into the oven to check the ziti, and the bread's, progress. "I just want him to be happy here..."

"He is happy here, Mum," Ginny assured her. "He told anyone who would listen about the adoption back at school."

Molly looked askance at her only daughter. "Is it difficult for you?"

Ginny blinked. "No. Why would it be?"

Molly sighed. "Well, your father and I always thought that you had something of a crush on Harry, which would manifest itself into love..."

"No," Ginny said, cutting her off as she shook her head. "None of those feelings exist. I mean, I love Harry, of course, but as a brother." She gave her mother a small smile. "I think that crush was a childish illusion, Mum, which changed into gratitude when he saved my life."

"A knight in shining armor?"

Ginny giggled. "Yes, I suppose so," she replied. "I mean, perhaps one day I'll find my knight, but I know that it isn't Harry." She turned then as the Floo flared from the living room, and grinned at her mother. "Well, your knight has arrived," she declared.

Molly stepped away from the stove and stepped to the edge of the kitchen, just as her husband rounded the bend and beamed down at her. "Hello, love," she said.

"Darling," Arthur Weasley said to his wife, kissing her warmly. "Ah, I see that my little princess has returned home," he went on, pressing another kiss to Molly's cheek as he moved past her, and pulled Ginny into his arms. "How was the train, love?"

"Same, as usual," Ginny replied, holding her father close; they had become much closer ever since Nagini had attacked him in the Department of Mysteries, and she was always fearful whenever his name came up for guard duty. "Just happy to be home."

"Of course," Arthur said, pressing a kiss to her forehead and pulling back, turning to regard his wife with warmth. "The boys upstairs?"

Molly nodded, checking on the ziti again. "They are," she told him, as Ginny put the finishing touches onto the salad. "Want to call them down? Dinner's nearly ready."

"I will," Arthur replied, and opened his cloak, showing off a small stack of parchments, and Molly gasped, which quickly caught Ginny's attention.

"You've brought the papers home, then?" Molly whispered with excitement.

Arthur nodded, smiling at his wife. "Yes," he told her, and threw Ginny a smile as well. "As soon as they've been signed and filed with the Ministry, Harry will be ours officially," he said with pure joy in his voice, before turning around to call Harry and Ron downstairs.

Dinner as served promptly, and Molly and Arthur discussed at length with Ginny, Ron, and Harry all about term, carefully leaving out any mention of Lavender Brown, much to Ginny and Harry's relief; Ron didn't seem to notice. Ginny casually looked over at Ron throughout the discussion process, and saw that Ron was entirely too preoccupied with his dinner. Shaking her head, she contributed to the conversation when she could, or if she had anything additional to add to it.

"Harry, I received the papers from the Ministry of Magic earlier this afternoon, while working my shift," Arthur said, once Molly had nudged him gently. "The formal adoption papers... We were all wondering if you'd like to sign them. Once signed, they'll pop directly into the Hall of Records Office, and you'll officially, and legally, be a member of our family."

Harry quickly looked at Ginny and Ron, who were both smiling at him; Ron had come down a few moments earlier than Harry did, as he had been settling Hedwig. "Are you two sure this is all right?" he asked.

"We are," Ginny assured him.

Harry hesitated for a moment. "But what about Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George?" he asked suddenly, looking nervous. "Shouldn't they be consulted as well?"

"I stopped to see Fred and George during the day, and Bill as well," Molly explained. "We all had lunch in Diagon Alley. I explained that Arthur had gotten the papers, and that we hoped you'd sign them at your earliest convenience. They were all overjoyed; they'll see you later in the holidays, of course, but thought the first few days you should settle in after you sign the papers, of course..."

"And I spoke to Charlie myself during my own lunch break," Arthur said congenially. "I Fire-Called him myself from the Ministry. Of course, it was close to three o'clock, but he was taking a midafternoon break from the preserve anyhow. He expressed disappointment that this entire process couldn't have happened sooner, and I wholeheartedly agreed with him."

"And Percy doesn't get a vote, mate," Ron said quickly, earning him dirty looks from both his parents from across the table.

"Mum, Dad, Ron's right," Ginny said gently, and both of them sighed.

"He can't just walk out on the family and expect to get a vote in whenever something important comes up," Ron said levelly. "Harry's my brother, and that's that."

"I think it's something Harry needs to decide for himself, son," Arthur informed his youngest son thus far. "We can hardly force him into a decision."

"Well, we could," Ginny said with a small shrug. "Granted, it would probably earn us a stay in Azkaban, plus loathing from several parties, but, technically speaking, we could force Harry into becoming a permanent member of the family."

"Ginny!" Molly gasped.

Harry laughed aloud at that. "She's not wrong," he said, and allowed his laughter to die off naturally. "My answer is yes," he went on, and the four Weasleys sitting with him all stared at him with happiness. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to be a part of a proper family, and, while you offered your home, and your hearts, to me from the beginning, I hoped that, one day, we could make it official. Now that that day is here, I... I just..." Harry's eyes filled with tears then and he grinned at them all. "Where do I sign?"

Arthur summoned the documents, as well as a phoenix quill. "It's the most proper quill for official documents in the Wizarding World," he explained.

Ron nodded at that. "Births, deaths, weddings, adoption... All of them have to be made with phoenix feather quills," he said.

"How do they know if it's done with a phoenix feather quill?" Harry asked, taking in the impressive plumage, and wondered if it had come from Fawkes.

"They can read the quality of the ink with a simple charm," Ginny explained. "Phoenix feathers can only be dipped in, and then wrote with, a special ink called Stygian ink. It's the topmost quality of ink out there, and all households are provided with both phoenix feather quills and Stygian ink, but must be kept locked away at all times, save for special occasions, such as the ones Ron just mentioned."

Harry nodded, and looked down at the parchment that landed in front of him, taking in the language of the official document as the phoenix feather quill fluttered into his hand. He signed his name where appropriate, and spoke the words of the adoptee. "I, Harry James Potter, do take you, the Weasleys, to be my family forever," he intoned, and signed his name.

Arthur was next, and the document and the quill went to him next. "I, Arthur Septimus Weasley, take you, Harry Potter, to be my son forever," he declared, and signed his name.

Molly was the last to go, and she had tears in her eyes as she took up the quill. "I, Molly Charlotte Weasley, take you, Harry Potter, to be my son forever." She signed her name with a flourish and a small smile.

"So say we all," they all said together, and a red ribbon appeared out of thin air, wrapping itself around the document, while quickly became a scroll, and vanished into thin air.

Molly beamed across the table at Harry. "Our eighth child," she whispered.

Ginny clutched Harry's hand and kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome to the family officially, Harry," she said brightly.

~*~

Ginny spent the next several days with her mother—and, by extension, Fleur, Alicia, Angelina, and Tonks—as they all prepared the Christmas feast. All of the girls were invited, and Remus was due to come for the holiday as well, much to Harry's happiness. Ginny was amazed that her mother was being on her best behavior, even with Fleur, and Ginny herself was beginning to question if she had misjudged the young Veela witch.

"Sorry about just dropping in like this, Molly," Tonks said softly; her hair, typically a more vibrant shade, was instead a shade of mousy brown. "Remus isn't comfortable yet dining with my parents..."

"Think nothing of it, dear," Molly assured her with a quick smile. "Meeting the in-laws, or even potential ones, is always a nerve-wracking experience."

Ginny was hard at work decorating the living room; her father, Harry, Ron, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Remus had brought in the tree earlier that day. As Ginny worked, she could vaguely hear Harry, Ron, Charlie, and the twins playing Quidditch outside, while Bill, Remus, and their father watched them. Peering outside the front window as she hung lights around it, she saw Alicia and Angelina handling the rest of the outside decorations.

"And 'ow are you, Ginny?" Fleur asked kindly, walking elegantly into the room behind her from the kitchen, her pale blue eyes warm and inquisitive.

Ginny sighed, shoulders slumping. "I don't know. Everything's so up in the air," she told her, and handed Fleur the other end of the garland, and was pleased that she seemed all too happy to help her out.

"You are still a teenager," Fleur said gently to Ginny, her accent think, as she climbed onto a stool to hook the garland of lights properly. "It will all be figured out in time."

Ginny pursed her lips as she considered it. "I haven't been fair to you, Fleur, and I'm sorry about that. I should have spent time getting to know you instead of avoiding you."

Fleur smiled as she stepped down off the stool. "Who wouldn't want to know me?" she joked, and Ginny laughed. She reached out then and smoothed Ginny's hair, before she patted her shoulder, her kind smile never leaving her face. "But I do hope you will come to me, Ginny, if you ever have need of an older perspective."

Ginny leaned back against the wall as she thought it over. "I've been having some...difficulties, with my boyfriend Dean."

Fleur raised her eyebrows. "I remember Dean," she told Ginny. "'Andsome young man, with kind, dark eyes." She took Ginny by the hand and brought her over to the boxes full of the varying Christmas baubles. "I find that a task 'elps me whenever I need to discuss something weighing on me."

Ginny nodded, seeing how that could work; her father had already sorted out the lights for the tree and the garlands, so all that was left were the baubles and the star. The tree skirt, wrapped lovingly around the trees' trunk, was an old Weasley family relic, with lots of red and green lovingly stitched together, along with many Christmas things—stars, baubles, and the like. It always had the capability of losing the viewer in the loving stitches.

"What is going on with you and Dean?" Fleur asked, standing on her toes and hanging a bauble onto the dark green branches—a glass angel.

Ginny smiled; the angel kind of looked like Fleur. "Things haven't been going well, for either of us, I'm afraid," she replied, selecting a golden ball made out of crepe paper and hanging it on a middling branch.

Fleur nodded in understanding. "I can imagine such a thing," she mused. "'E is a year older than you, and must be studying for 'is final examinations. Plus, you 'ave your own work to do, and Quidditch to take into account."

Ginny smiled, thankful that Fleur seemed to understand about where a portion of their problems were coming from—naturally, if one's schedules did not sync up, it was only natural that tensions would be running high for both parties. "He also thought that Harry and I were sneaking around behind his back."

"Dean should know better," Fleur said firmly, eyes flashing in her defense, as she selected a silver star to put upon the tree. "I knew about your crush on 'Arry. But I also know 'ow loyal a young woman you are, Ginny. Now that 'Arry is your brother, and because you no longer 'ave feelings for 'im, Dean should understand."

"He didn't," Ginny said lamely, digging out a soft teddy bear with a red silk bow around its neck, and beginning to hang it on a lower branch. "He thought that Quidditch practices were just an excuse for us to meet."

"In front of many other people," Fleur said stoutly, shaking her head. She looked out the back window and sighed lovingly when her eyes saw Bill. "I think it becomes easier when we get older, young flame-'aired witch."

Ginny smiled, actually liking the nickname. "Can I ask why you think so?"

Fleur turned and looked at her with a soft smile. "It becomes easier to talk to the ones we love, and we become less afraid of what they will say to us."

Ginny blinked, taking up a green wreath decoration into her hands, the pine needles digging ever so slightly in her fingers before she hung it. "You really think so?" she asked.

Fleur nodded. "I do," she assured Ginny. "Bill and I... Were we unable to talk to one another, I do not think it would have lasted, no matter 'ow much we love one another."

Ginny smiled at Fleur, relief flowing through her then. "I am glad he has you."

Fleur reached out and took Ginny by the hand. "And I am glad 'e 'as you."

Ginny and Fleur completed the living room decorating, chatting amicably with one another, until Fleur was called into the kitchen by Molly—apparently, one of her French delicacies for the Christmas feast was ready. The living room was finished, for now, and so Ginny decided to take a few moments to go into her room and see Arnold. She walked past the kitchen, seeing Fleur, Tonks, and her mother talking amongst themselves, and smiled to herself, before slipping into her bedroom.

"Hello," she said to the Pygmy Puff, who squeaked in delight at seeing her. Ginny smiled and opened the latch upon his cage, taking ahold of the purple ball of fluff and stroking it. She lowered her eyes to the main drawer of her desk, and opened it slowly, retrieving a piece of parchment from within it, and sighed, reading over the words again.

Ginny—

Ireland is full of snow this Christmas, and I'm thankful that I've been able to spend some time with Seamus's mam. She's a lovely Irish woman, even though her health seems to be taking a turn for the worse. Her husband still doesn't understand, and I've tried to tell him, but I don't think he wants to hear it. According to Seamus, he hasn't been the same since he was told by his wife that she was a witch.

I wish you would write to me, Ginny. We left things at a literal standstill back at school before term ended, and I'm worried about us. We need to discuss what happened. I feel like a fool for drowning my sorrows in Firewhiskey. I still don't understand how I got the bottle, though, and that entire night seems to be full of a blur.

The Burrow may be full for the Christmas holidays, Ginny, but I'm positive you can take a few moments to steal Pigwidgeon or Hedwig and write me back. Perhaps you could invest in an owl of some kind. Something useful, instead of that ball of insignificant fluff you insist upon taking everywhere. You should have left Amos in the shop, you know.

I await your reply, Ginny.

Your ever-loyal boyfriend,

Dean Thomas

Ginny narrowed her eyes and crumpled up the letter, shoving it back into her desk. She shook her head—how could anyone dislike Arnold, let alone forget his name?

"Ginny?"

Ginny turned then, plastering a smile onto her face. "Sorry, Harry. Everything okay?"

Harry blinked, and Ginny knew that he'd quickly deduce that not all was right with her, but he was also intelligent enough to know that there was a time and place for everything. "Mum says that dinner's ready..."

Ginny sighed, and nodded. She pressed a kiss onto Arnold's head and placed him back into his cage, before stepping out of her room, hoping to leave her troubles behind her.

~*~

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day had come and gone, and everyone had had a wonderful time celebrating at the Burrow. Charlie left in the early hours of Boxing Day to get back to Romania, while Bill and Fleur left just after breakfast to get to their cozy flat in Diagon Alley; they would be Apparating to France to see Fleur's side of the family later in the morning. Fred and George slept in, and left just after lunch to their flat above their shop, while Alicia went to her parents' house and Angelina to St. Mungo's to do some paperwork.

"Shame that Angelina had to go into work so quickly," Molly said softly.

Arthur smiled at his wife. "Remember, love, I go back tomorrow."

"Until New Year's Eve," Ginny said brightly, breezing into the kitchen after her shower. "How many for dinner tonight, Mum?"

"Us, Harry and Ron, and then Remus and Tonks are coming again," she replied.

Ginny leaned against the counter and sighed. "I can understand why Remus may think he's unwelcome at the Tonks' house, but it's so unfortunate. He's so kind."

Arthur smiled and pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead. "You know that and we know that, love, but we also know that there are stigmas for being different."

"Shame, really," Molly sniffed, shaking her head. "They'd be losing out on such a wonderful relationship if they can't accept him..."

Ginny sighed, hoping that changes would come eventually, once Fudge was out of the Ministry and some reforms could be built up. Of course, what with You-Know-Who still terrorizing all the parts of Britain he could, with his followers in his wake, there was no telling how soon that would turn out to be. She threw herself on cutting up apples for an apple pie she intended upon making for pudding that night, and her mother was pleased to see her so productive.

"Have you done your homework yet, love?" Molly asked.

"All except Astronomy," Ginny reported, tossing her a smile. "We need to report on the new moon, but that's not for another three days."

Molly nodded in understanding. "Do tell me how it looks," she responded. "All I really remember is that seeing a healer then for any surgery is not recommended."

"Full moon, too," Ginny said softly.

Ginny was still putting the finishing touches on her pie just as supper had ended; she had made the crust herself, sliced up the apples, and mixed up a wonderful cinnamon spread for the apples to rest within. Dinner that evening had been cottage pie, and everyone had seemed to enjoy it, in particular Remus. As Ginny worked, she remembered that Arthur was in the living room with Harry, Remus, and Tonks, while Ron was upstairs doing his homework, and Molly was cleaning up the dining room.

"I'm sure I heard Snape say that he made an Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco," Harry hissed from the living room. "Why don't you believe me?"

"While I do believe that Snape could potentially get mixed up in Dark magic," Remus replied levelly, "I don't believe that he would go that far."

"But why not?!" Harry demanded.

"Because Dumbledore trusts Snape, so, therefore, I do, too," Remus told him.

Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head; although she had seen the man behind the mask that Severus Snape was forced to wear, there seemed to be a lot more going on here, and Remus seemed to refuse to get with the program.

"I mean, maybe Harry's right, Remus," came Tonks's calm voice after Remus had spoken. "I mean, to make an Unbreakable Vow..." She sighed. "We have watch teams in the department to try and track them..."

"Snape is a very talented wizard," Arthur put in. "It's entirely possible that, within the location that the vow was made, that there were measures in place to block Ministry influence."

"It wouldn't have happened," Remus interrupted.

"Remus..." Tonks began.

"No. I trust Snape because Dumbledore does. Harry, you must've heard wrong," he said, and launched into an explanation.

Ginny sighed and bent down, placing the pie into the oven as she heard footsteps echoing softly behind her. Turning, once she'd shut the oven door, she took in Tonks, who looked slightly dismayed at Remus's words. "Hey, come here," Ginny said, setting a timer for the pie and leading Tonks to her bedroom. "This is Arnold," Ginny said by way of introduction as Tonks closed the door behind her.

Tonks smiled. "He's sweet."

Ginny unlatched the cage and offered Arnold to Tonks, who took him, and sat down beside Ginny on her bed. "I'm sorry about what happened."

Tonks smiled ruefully. "Heard that, did you?"

"It would be difficult not to do so," she said softly, looking at Tonks askance. "Do you believe him? Harry, I mean."

"It's difficult not to, especially when he sounded so sure of himself," Tonks told her.

"It's true," Ginny said.

"Ah, so you believe him, then?"

"It's not a matter of believing or not believing," Ginny said softly. "I was with Harry when he heard Snape tell Malfoy that."

Tonks's eyes widened at that. "Were you really?"

"I was," Ginny confirmed. "It was the night of Professor Slughorn's Christmas party, so only a few days ago."

Tonks shook her head. "Harry didn't mention you were there."

"Of course not," Ginny said. "I'm his sister, and his younger one at that. He and I agreed that we wouldn't say I was with him, unless it was strictly necessary."

"And you believe telling me is necessary?"

"Well, given that you were the only one to see reason within the previous conversation, yes, I do," Ginny said softly.

Tonks sighed, leaning back against the wall beside Ginny's bed. "It's becoming more and more difficult for Remus to see reason."

Ginny blinked. "The full moon was nearly a fortnight ago. Is he still coming off of that?"

"I'm afraid so," Tonks said. "It just gets worse and worse as the person afflicted with the curse continues to age."

"Snape will help him, though, won't he?"

"He has been, if that's what you're asking," Tonks said softly. "Of course, combined with teaching, his spying for the headmaster..." She broke off then. "You knew about him spying, didn't you?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Ginny smiled at her. "Yes, I knew. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I have listened in to many an order meeting with Extendable Ears, courtesy of Fred and George."

Tonks grinned at her and shook her head. "Of course you would have," she said with a small laugh. "Anyhow, combined with all of Snape's duties—plus the fact that he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor now—he likely doesn't have as much time as he used to in which to conduct research."

"He still has his own potions lab, plus a private store," Ginny said.

Tonks raised her eyebrows. "And how would you know that?"

"Detention," she said, relieved that she didn't have to lie about this part. "I was caught dueling Draco Malfoy in the stone garden."

Tonks looked amazed at Ginny's blasé attitude. "Who won, then?" she asked.

Ginny gave Tonks a small smile. "I did."

"Must've been Harry's little group that did it," Tonks said with a smile.

Ginny nodded. "I'm sure of it."

Tonks shoulders deflated again as she continued stroking Arnold in her hands. "I suppose I wish for life to be that easy."

Ginny looked interested in Tonks' statement. "Don't you and Remus ever duel?"

"No," Tonks told her. "He's afraid that, if his temper gets the better of him, he'll become the werewolf and hurt me."

Ginny brought her knees close to her chest. "You two seem to have gotten closer and closer these last several months," she mused.

"Spying for the order and the Ministry will do that to a pair of people," Tonks told her.

Ginny gave Tonks a slow smile. "Don't try to hide it from me, Tonks. I've seen the way you look at him, and I know you love him."

Tonks eyes flashed to Ginny's. "Is it really that obvious?"

Ginny continued smiling at her, remembering Luna's words when it came to Harry. "I think if you really know a person, yes."

Tonks sighed. "He won't commit," she told him. "He's always telling me all about my co-workers or someone who appears in Witch Weekly—never Harry, thank Merlin," she said, and both she and Ginny laughed.

"But, you want to be together?"

"We've been...together," Tonks said, and flushed deeply, and Ginny reached out and squeezed her arm encouragingly. "He knows who I've fallen for, but he doesn't want to allow himself to believe it."

"If you were to go to Remus, right now, and lay all your cards out on the table, and tell him what you wanted, what would you say?" Ginny asked her.

Tonks blinked, almost as if she hadn't considered that before. "I'd tell him that I loved him, that I don't care about our age difference, his so-called dangerous nature, and the fact that he considers himself 'too poor' for me. The Tonks family was never rich, and although my mother was a Black, they cut her off when she fell in love with my father."

Ginny bit her lip. "Maybe he's reluctant to tell you that he thinks your parents may end up doing the same, if you were to be with him openly?"

Tonks shook her head. "They would never do that. They want to meet him so badly, the man I'm in love with..."

"Do they know about...what happens at the full moon?" she asked tentatively.

Tonks gave a small nod. "They do. They were initially worried about my safety, of course, but they know I can hold my own. I'm an Auror for Merlin's sake!"

"Maybe he needs evidence of your commitment to him," Ginny said. "I adore Remus, but he's still a man. Some men need to be hit upside the head in an effort to get them to listen."

"My Patronus has already changed," Tonks said in a whisper, and Ginny's eyes widened at the unexpectedness of her statement. "My heart and mind had already chosen for me, so it was bound to happen that my magic would, too."

"So, show him your Patronus," Ginny encouraged her with a smile. "Maybe that can get Remus to listen to you."

Tonks looked unsure. "You think that'd work?"

"I can't tell you one way or the other; Harry knows him better than I do," Ginny told her. "But, what I can tell you here is that you'll never know unless you try." She reached out and squeezed Tonks's arm again. "Remus is an idiot if he doesn't want to be with you anyway."

~*~

Ginny accompanied Harry and Ron to the Hogwarts Express on schedule to return to school, and Hermione continued to avoid Ron like Black Cat Flu. Ginny had sent Dean a letter in response to his, letting him know that, due to their fighting and disagreements, that they should take a break from one another. Much to her surprise, Dean accepted this, and was sharing a compartment with Seamus when they entered the train.

Harry, meanwhile, was distracted for the duration of the journey, and Ginny was determined to get to the bottom of it. Once they were back at school and classes had begun again, Harry had a series of late nights back to the common room, with the aid of his invisibility cloak, and Ginny immediately knew why. When she confronted him about it, Harry whispered to her that Severus's birthday was coming up, and while Ginny told Harry to wish their professor a 'Happy Birthday', she also told him, again, to be careful.

The first second-term Hogsmeade weekend happened on the third Saturday in January, and, after all that time, Dean thought it would be a good time to be seen with Ginny again. Ginny agreed to go with him, albeit reluctantly, and trudged through the snow, down the hill from the castle, and across the stone bridge. Dean did most of the talking, and Ginny hated to admit that she was already counting down the minutes to get back to the castle.

When they walked up to The Three Broomsticks, Ginny was concerned about going inside, especially after what had happened the last time. However, before she could say anything, Dean took her by the arm and pulled her inside. Even though she was reluctant to be there, she had to admit that it was warm inside, and smelled incredible.

"Come on," Dean said, and led them inside, and Ginny very nearly stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that Dean was steering her directly towards a table which housed Ron and Lavender Brown.

"Dean, I'm not—" she tried.

"Come on," Dean said, cutting across her, and all but shoved her into one of the vacant chairs at the table. "Sorry we're late."

"It's all right, mate," Ron said quickly.

"Glad you made it," Lavender put in.

"Yes," Ginny responded through gritted teeth, "this is a nice surprise."

"How was your holiday, Ginny?" Lavender asked, turning to face her, while Ron and Dean talked about Seamus's mother's health. "I hope you got some nice gifts."

"Arnold got a hamster ball," Ginny told her.

Lavender blinked. "A what?"

Ginny wanted to roll her eyes at the Pureblood question, but forced herself not to. "There's a common Muggle pet called a hamster—it's a small rodent with fur that's quite cute. They get their exercise by running about on a wheel in their cage, or in a ball, which can be seen through, and they can run about a small space with it."

Lavender wrinkled her nose. "Not a fan of rodents, but Arnold is sweet-looking."

"Arnold is not a rodent, he is a Pygmy Puff," Ginny said tartly.

"But what did you get Ginny?" she asked. "Something terribly romantic and wonderful from Dean, I'll bet."

Ginny shook her head. "That's one bet you'd lose," she told her.

Lavender sighed. "I am trying here, Ginny," she said petulantly.

"Trying for what?" Ginny hissed. "I clearly don't want to be here, and I certainly don't have to talk to you."

"I'm just glad that the two of you have calmed down your snogging," Ron said to Dean, and Ginny looked over at them. "Really made me uncomfortable, mate."

Ginny looked up then as the door to the establishment opened, and spotted Hermione and Harry standing in the doorway. Both looked uncomfortable, and Ginny sighed, shaking her head as they left the pub. "Yeah, I'm not doing this," she said, getting to her feet—thankfully her outer clothing was still on—and left the pub. "Wait!" she called.

"You can do whatever you want to, Ginny," Hermione told her.

"That wasn't whatever I wanted," Ginny told her. "Dean dragged me down here and didn't even tell me where we were going. I tried to get out of it, but he wouldn't listen."

"Believe her, Hermione," Harry told her, putting an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Before practice last term, Dean put his hands on her."

Hermione's eyes immediately narrowed. "He did what?!" she demanded.

"He was angry," Ginny told her, shivering as she remembered it. "He was still convinced that Harry and I were messing around behind his back."

"So he thought that gave him the right to put his hands on you?!" Hermione screeched. "That's totally barbaric!"

"Very nearly hexed his balls off for it," Harry told her, shaking his head. "And I would've, too, had he not listened to reason."

Hermione's eyes flashed to Harry's. "You came out to him, didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

Hermione sighed. "As much as I want you to be yourself, Harry, we need to contain this. Last thing we need is You-Know-Who catching wind of what you are, and who you're with..."

Ginny turned to Harry. "You told her?"

Harry sighed. "I didn't have to. I mean, I was going to, and then she guessed it."

"And I'm completely fine with it," Hermione assured them both. "Harry just needs to be careful, now more than ever."

"You'd be right," Ginny said, leaning closer to Harry. "The last thing any of us needs is to lose you, Harry. Not just because of You-Know-Who, but because you're officially my brother. I'd hate to lose a family member to anything."

"You're not going to lose me to this war, Ginny," Harry said firmly. "We've all lost so much, so now it's the Death Eaters' turn."

~*~

Hermione was visiting the common room the next Friday evening, and she and Ginny were going over charms together—Hermione to review, and Ginny to learn. Harry and Ron were flying around the pitch, and the common room was quiet. Only a few conversations here and there could be heard, and Dean and Seamus were working on Divination across the room, utterly ignoring everyone else. This was a wonderful reprieve for Ginny, who hadn't spoken to her boyfriend since the events of Hogsmeade last Saturday.

It was when a sea of pink came upon Ginny that she had an unpleasant Umbridge flashback—the scars on her hands a permanent fixture of that time—and she slowly looked up. Gritting her teeth, she saw that Lavender was standing there. She swallowed, knowing that this, in and of itself, would automatically make Hermione uncomfortable.

"I already told you that you can do what you like, Ginny," Hermione said softly, defeated, before promptly gathering her things and heading out of the common room, and towards her Head Girl chambers.

"All I want to do is talk to you, Ginny," Lavender said plaintively.

"No, all you want to do is make Hermione uncomfortable," Ginny snapped. "Why do you insist upon upsetting her?"

"You're upsetting me," Lavender said, crying much too easily. "I just think that, now that I'm Ron's girlfriend, that you and I should be friends." She hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile onto her lips. "We should hang out all the time..."

Ginny slammed her charms text shut, and launched to her feet, facing down Lavender without a care in the world. "You have your own friends for that, don't you?!" she demanded. "Besides, Hermione is my best friend! I'll never be your friend, Lavender, so I suggest that you leave me alone!" she shouted, before gathering up her things wordlessly and stomping out of the common room, and to attempt to spare Hermione's feelings.

~*~

They had their first Quidditch practice the following day, and Ron was glaring at her throughout the duration of it all. Ginny knew exactly what was coming, and she was not looking forward to it at all. Nevertheless, she focused as best she could at playing the game, and managed to score quite a few goals, with Harry telling them that their final match against Ravenclaw would go off without a hitch.

Ginny touched down at the end of things, and made to go to the changing rooms to get out of her muddy uniform, but Ron physically held her back. "What do you want?" she asked, already fed-up with the situation.

Her brother gritted his teeth. "I want to know why you walked out of The Three Broomsticks last week," Ron demanded.

Ginny glared at him. "I walked out because I wasn't given a choice in the matter of going there or not," she snapped.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Dean and I knew that if we told you about it, that you wouldn't have shown up at all."

"So you took away my choice in the matter?" she cried out. "Why are you being so selfish?"

"Why are you insisting upon upsetting Lavender?" he bellowed. "She came to me last night, crying her eyes out. What did you say to her?"

"That she has her own friends and I have mine," she fired back. "I don't care if she is your girlfriend, Ron—I am not going to be forced into being her friend."

"Can't you just—?"

"No!" Ginny screamed, and yanked herself fully away from her brother. "I am not going to just bend to your will—I've had enough of your will! You may be my brother, Ronald Weasley, but you're not my father, and you don't make decisions for me!" she said, and shoved him back and away from her. "As far as I'm concerned, you can leave me alone, too!" she said, and shoved past him, back towards the changing rooms.

"Trouble in the Weasley family?"

Ginny turned then, heart hammering in her breast as she saw Draco fully for the first time since coming back from the Christmas holidays; she'd seen him in the Great Hall, of course, but that was different—there were no people around this time. "Hi," she said, and hated that her cheeks flushed when she spoke.

Draco saw this and raised his eyebrows. "Hello, yourself."

Ginny swallowed, shuffling from foot to foot—she wasn't like this, she was never like this, and the fact that the Malfoy heir, who screamed 'bad news', was rendering her tongue-tied could not stand! "How was your holiday?" she managed to get out.

Draco looked her over then, and there was a faint hint of sadness in his eyes before he allowed himself to tell her. "It was...complicated," he said, and squeezed his arm.

Ginny gasped slightly then, hating that she cared so much about someone who had made all their lives a living hell from the beginning. "I see," she replied.

"How were yours?" he asked.

Ginny swallowed, knowing that she had to give him an answer; she found that she wanted to give him an answer. She hated that there was a war going on, and that they all had to hide behind various masks to protect themselves from the enemy camp. What happened to honesty, and, most of all, uncomplicated pursuits?

"Mine was complicated, too," Ginny told him, and, while she couldn't smile at him, she could continue to stare at him. She wished now, more than ever, that things could be different, and that everyone could just say what they wanted to say. However, there was no time for that now, for lies and deception were officially on the rise.