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Chapter Fifteen: Stags and Weasels

"Nature is the best teacher."

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The setting sunlight streaked lightly through the dense canopy of the woods, illuminating the path ever so slightly. The sound of gushing water from the nearby stream was heard.

The stream was ever flowing just as the evergreen forest. The water, pure and colorless, was now reflecting off the sun's orange light to the world, showing just how much reflection of thoughts can help improve the person's charisma and behavior.She

Birds were eagerly returning to their nests, to their little ones and to relax for the rest of the day. The sound of an engine added to their happy chirps of homecoming, thereby causing several birds to fly away in fright.

A greenish blue car came to a halt below a huge tree. The sunlight showered its vermilion beams at it, making the car to change the greenish blue colour to that of a emerald one. The door opened and out stepped a lanky man with red hair. Worry, anxiety and guilt was etched across his face as he opened the door of the back seat. Words tumbled out of his mouth as he staggered and fell down to the ground, facing the car.

"G-Ginny?"

On the backseat of the car was his sister. His baby sister. She seemed to be unconscious. Without a second thought, Ron conjured water and sprinkled some droplets of the conjured aqua on her freckled face. Anxiety rose inside him by every passing second as it seemed like hours to him.

"Wake up, Ginny. Wake up, please. Please don't be dead. . . I don't know. . . Ruddy Merlin!" Ron exclaimed as he fell back to the ground as Ginny suddenly sat up in a bolt as if like a robot. She stretched then looked around. When she spotted him, her eyes widened.

"You! You are here?!" she shrieked. Ron put his hands up in surrender as his head involuntarily lowered in guilt and shame.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I shouldn't have fought with you. I made you feel terrible didn't I? I am a terrible person. I made Harry feel terrible too. Truly I think it's because . . . of my damned jealousy. . ." Ron apologized, lowering his hands along with his head. His blue eyes were fixed on the ground.

"No, dear brother. It is my fault. I shouldn't have compelled you but now that I think about it, it was just like the silly fights which we usually do. Doesn't it?" she asked and stepped out of the car. Ron looked at her with guilty eyes. "Don't look at me like that. You know, I am sorry too," she climbed up the car and sat on its roof, her legs lolling around. "Siblings?"

Ron grinned. "Oh, send it to hell. Teddy bears?" Ginny laughed and extended her hand. Ron grabbed it and climbed up too. He sat beside her, watching the burrowing animals dig through the earth to make a new house. "Weasels."

"Oh send it to limbo! Weasels?" Ginny joked.

"Weasels, forever," Ron said. Ginny gave him a side hug which he returned.

"You scared me Ginny," Ron whispered, his voice sounding intimidated.

"Guess I pranked you," Ginny joked. He glared at her then when she stuck her tongue out, he mirrored her. "But I have a revelation. I went to limbo again, if that's how you say it."

Ron looked at her in disbelief. "Again?! How are you here again?! Don't tell me it's that hiraeth."

"Well it actually is one factor, the contributing factor but there is another," she said. Ron nodded, urging her on. "I have a mission here."

Ginny awoke a few minutes later, or was it hours? She sat up and looked around. Everything around her was really bright but she recognised the surroundings. She was in the Potter Manor, her house. The only difference was that everything was white. A door to the left of her opened and Ginny saw another person walk in. He looked like Harry and for a moment, Ginny felt her heart break. Harry could not have died so soon. She thought he was brave. Her heart was relieved when the man walked even closer and she spotted hazel eyes behind a pair of square glasses instead of the usual emerald ones. It was her father-in-law, James Potter.

"Sir?" Ginny whispered as James sat down beside her on the white floor.

"There's no need to call me sir, miss," he said, intending to joke.

"There's no need to call me miss, then," Ginny retorted cheekily. He laughed. "Why am I here again? Shouldn't I have gone to afterlife?" she groaned.

"That's because you cannot leave the earth until that cloaked mental guy says so," James explained.

"Is it my hiraeth again?" she asked.

"It is a contributing factor but you see, Mrs Potter the second, Death says you have a mission on earth. Something which he wants you to complete before you return."

"A mission? Like some errand for Death?"

"No, not exactly. This coward doesn't show himself to this curious lady and sends jokers like me in," James mumbled, hitting his head. Ginny chuckled as she was reminded of Harry through his father. "Just understand that mission is important and that I can't tell anything about it to you. You will know what that mission is as days turn into months and then years."

"It's supposed to take place after years?!" Ginny asked in disbelief.

"I suppose so?" James said, unsure about the answer. Ginny sighed. "Look, Ginny. I sense the true Potter in you and therefore I have long since accepted you as Harry's soulmate. Those kids are cute, mind you. I must thank you for brightening my son's life."

"Mr Potter the first!" Ginny imitated, "Please do not thank me. It's strange to see an elder thanking me for something that isn't even the talk now."

James laughed. "You have the potential of a marauder," suddenly a bell resonated throughout the room alerting James. "It's time to go. That's all the time Death gives us. Use it wisely."

The sound of the rustling of the leaves was the only sound heard as the two siblings sat quietly get deeply in thought.

"I think it's fate," Ron's voice was barely above a whisper. Ginny looked at him with confused eyes. "I think it's fate which wants you here. Fate which wants me to talk to you, feel you and see you. Fate which wants you to see your sons, nieces and nephews to be born and grow up. I think it's high time we forget you even left us."

Ginny smiled and side hugged him. He hugged her back as they sat watching a fawn pass by. "Reckon that's Jamie? He's the one who would run off, away from his family," Ginny whispered. Before Ron could answer, another fawn leaped into sight, followed by a stag with towering horns.

"I guess Al and Harry joined as well," Ron whispered back.

The animals had apparently not noticed their presence or even if they did, they wouldn't have sensed any danger. The two fawns started circling each other playfully as they frolicked in the green grass and wild bushes as the stag sat down and watched them from afar.

The second fawn tripped over due to a vine and Ginny made to get down and help but Ron stopped her and pointed at what his blue eyes were witnessing. Ginny turned to look and found that the stag had gotten up from it's previous place on the grass. It was gently lifting the fawn from the small trench using nothing but its horns. When the little fawn was rescued, its sibling nuzzled and cuddled up to it.

Ron heaved a sad sigh as the sibling of fawns continued playing around.

"Ron. You know you can tell me. . . about that jealousy," Ginny said. Her voice was unsure. Ron signed again.

"Ginny, I am a bad brother, a bad best friend and a bad husband."

"Ron, don't say that! Tell me what happened?"

"First I felt jealous of Harry. . . I basically felt jealous because he was in the spotlight. . . I thought Hermione l-loved him more than me."

"You know it's wrong. Harry looks at Hermione as the elder sister he never had and you are married to Hermione and even expecting a child with her!" Ginny reasoned.

"I just thought that earlier. . ." his voice was so low that Ginny had to strain her ears to listen. "I thought I had gotten over the flaw of jealousy in my life after the war and after our marriage but turns out it is still present in my stony heart."

"Ron-"

"No, let me. I-I got jealous of you because you never had to announce that you were expecting a d-daughter. I-I have been so vile in thinking that! You and Harry. . . he just lost you and even his daughter yet he lives on as if nothing happened. . . He is going through the tough times with a smile but me? I can't even ruddy announce to my own family that I am going to become a father again!"

"You fear mum, don't you? Her smothering?" Ginny asked wistfully. Ron nodded, ashamed. "You know what, brother? Harry and I were so afraid to even utter the words parents after she smothered us when we were expecting James."

"I simply don't know how you got it through twice. It's terrifying the first time it self. She starts lecturing on Hermione's mood swings and her health and how we should keep everything ready for the grand day even though Hermione is just weeks in! Blimey, Ginny," Ron shuddered as the set of memories played through his mind. Ginny laughed instead.

"Everything is worth it in the end, Ron. Jamie is worth it. Al is worth it. Rose is worth it."

"I guess you are right, sis. I will just err. . . try talking to Hermione if we could reveal. . . maybe tomorrow," Ron concluded. Ginny beamed at her brother in pride. "I am sorry, Ginny. I truly am. I put you through unwanted emotional conflicts by my harsh words and now I am guilty of wounding Harry too. Why is my ruddy mouth like this?"

"Apology accepted, brother. Everyone has flaws, even I do. I shouldn't have retorted harshly and gone far enough to try and get back to the afterlife. I'm sorry too," Ginny apologized. Ron smiled and hugged her again knowing that everything between them was as great as it was earlier. "What happened to Harry?" Ginny asked quizzically. Ron looked down yet again.

"I shouted at him, threatened with my wand. . ." Ginny gasped in disbelief. "Just because I found him driving the Angelia. . .driving with you. . ."

"Oh Ronnie!" Ginny joked. She turned serious after Ron's head dropped even low. "You have as much right over me as much as Harry has."

"No, Ginny. Harry is your husband, blimey, I'm just your brother!"

"Brother in blood. Married by love. They are different and I am not telling you have the first right over me. In fact, I think it is myself who has that ruddy right," Ginny joked again. Ron laughed a little this time. "But if I truly know Harry. He would have long since forgiven you and would by now, be brooding about your mental health."

Ron laughed again. "That's for sure, isn't it? That's the Harry I know," replied Ron. Ginny chuckled. "Since I have given us a lot of troubles, why not make it up tomorrow?"

"I'd love to."

The family of stag leaped away and out of sight as the engine of the unusual car roared. The last of sun's rays was barely visible through the little shafts the lush forest provided and the duo of siblings were glowing just like the huge star when they returned to their home, the topsy turvy house of the loving family of the Weasleys - The Burrow.

That's where this chapter ends. Almost reached 2k words and wattpad goes mental after that. Ron is back to normal and his reason for his behavior is explained. I hope to keep him in character from now on. Thanks to lighteningscar for the review on this book! It made me realize about Ron's out of character behaviour and helped me correct it. I hope he felt just like Ron in this chapter.

The reason why I stopped updating was because I was losing confidence that this book did not do well. Since it's mainly focused on family, not many people were interested so I had to put it on hold.

I'm going to continue this book with your support so please help me through it!

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Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x