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“I am going to kill you all! You are the most abominable brothers in the history of mankind! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”
This was the welcoming Harry received as he stepped out of the Burrow’s fireplace. It seemed his secret girlfriend’s brothers had nurtured an atomic bomb of a trademark Weasley-Woman-Temper-Tantrum. They were never this bad, something must have gone seriously wrong for Ginny to be screaming ‘I hate you!’. After Fred’s death she would never dream of saying something like that.
It was a July Sunday. Today's roast dinner was particularly special for the reason that he and Ginny were going to finally announce their relationship and plans to move in together. Ginny had chased her brothers into the kitchen (where the rest of the family was situated) and Harry assumed she was about to remind them why she had been admitted to the infamous Slug Club. Knowing it would likely become incredibly dangerous if not sorted immediately, Harry disarmed her and petrificus totalus-ed every other person in the kitchen.
“Gin what’s going on?”
“Harry James Potter!” She screeched, causing everyone but the boy in question to wince. “Who do you think you are disarming me? Give me back my wand, now!”
He walked towards her, not in the least intimidated by her glare and obvious rage.
Ginny held out her hand expectantly. Though quiet and calm, her tone was as venomous as Nagini. “I swear, Potter, if you don’t hand it over I will hurt you in ways not yet known to wizardkind.” Instead of handing her the wand however, he simply took her hand. And to the shock of those watching, the second his skin made contact with hers she broke down into sobs and collapsed into his strong, protective arms.
“Harry, I'm so sorry! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” He held her close and whispered comforts into her ears as she repeated her apologies again and again and again. When she quieted he asked her again.
“Gin what’s happened? What have they done now?” Indignant noises surfaced from the group as Harry's spell began to weaken, but they were ignored.
“I was in the shower,” Ginny said, struggling to speak with her heavy breathing. “They were doing their last official Weasley Brotherhood Annual Room Inspection-”
“How do you know about that?” Said George incredulously.
“I’m not an idiot; I’ve known they were going on since I was twelve! I’ve just been hiding all my important stuff ever since I found out.”
Her shocked brothers just stared at her impressed.
“What on earth is the Weasley Brotherhood Annual Room Inspection?” asked Harry quizzically.
“The Weasley Brotherhood is an association where they all gang up to protect me, mainly from boys, and the room inspection is something they do every year to find out my secrets and stuff. It’s kind of pathetic really.” More indignant noises were ignored. “Anyway, they were doing their stupid inspection and when I came back to the room… it was on the floor, one of them must have knocked it over or something and stepped on it…”
She broke down sobbing once again.
“It was the locket wasn’t it?” Ginny nodded and fell into his arms once again.
“Oh, bloody hell! All this over a stupid locket? That’s ju-”
“Silencio!” Harry brandished his wand over the group. “That was my mother’s locket actually. I gave it to Ginny last summer and I would very much appreciate it if you didn’t call one of the only heirlooms I have of my mother stupid.” Harry turned back to Ginny, “Do you have it?”
Ginny pulled a fist from her pocket. Inside was a small gold locket. On the clasp was a minute emerald that glinted up at the light. It was badly dented and as Ginny opened it you could see the broken windows. There were two photos, the first being one they took some time around the world cup, with everyone smiling happily at the camera. The second was of Harry and Ginny, holding a sleeping Teddy and gazing at each other lovingly. The first was torn from the dent smashing into it.
“Reparo.” Harry said quietly and the locket returned to its former glory. The photo, however, was damaged beyond repair.
“Now Ginny, I know you care a lot about the locket, but I don’t think it’s the reason you got upset.” He cancelled his silencing charm. “I think this anger and hurt has been accumulating over the past year. Am I right?”
“What does Ginny have to be so upset about?” Percy asked scornfully, mildly surprising himself and everyone else with his ability to speak.
Harry looked at Percy with a quiet rage in his eyes. “Ever since the war everyone has been so caught up in themselves and their grief that no one has even paid the slightest attention to Ginny. She got barely any letters from you at school and was leaving regularly during the holidays to see me but not a single person noticed.”
Everyone looked back in their minds in the past year, it couldn't have been that bad, could it? Bill and Charlie had always been close so it was taken for granted that they'd comfort each other, and when Charlie left Bill had Fleur. Percy had taken it upon himself to do anything possible to bring George back and had basically pushed him onto Angelina for comfort. That left Ron, who had Hermione, and Mr and Mrs Weasley, who of course had each other. Ginny had no one. Except Harry it seemed.
"Right. So you remember her now, do you?" He flicked his wand and they found themselves unable to speak once more. "So Ginny, what did your darling brothers find on this unfortunate escapade?"
"Nothing. Naturally I had seen it coming and had hidden all my most private things."
"So they didn't find out about your secret boyfriend?"
The Weasley brothers at once began screaming silently, begging for answers.
"No. Although it's quite a shame. Would've been a far more entertaining dinner, don't you think?"
"Well we should probably let the cat out of the bag then?"
"Yes, I suppose we should."
And with that she pulled Harry into a kiss. When the two were finished with their display of affection, they burst out laughing at the gobsmacked faces of the Weasley family.
Ron sat down silently as he watched his brothers puff up in preparation to fight his best friend.
“Bloody hell.”