Back at the Burrow, the Christmas lunch was the least Christmas-y it had been in decades. All the Weasleys and Hermione sat around the long table of emptiness - there was no food, Molly and Arthur were both in the hospital. The mood was greyer than ever, and it felt like everyone was on the verge of cracking but remained held together with loose strings of "staying strong for my family". Even the kids stopped, sitting quietly.
"Why don't you all introduce yourselves to Ginny while Molly and I whip up some food?" suggested Mr Weasley.
"Don't bother, dad, we'll do it together later. I don't think any of us are hungry..." said Bill, his brothers all nodding. "Mum, do you mind just taking the kids?"
"Sure, dear," answered Molly. "We'll be in the playroom upstairs." With that, Molly carried Victoire, Dominique, Molly, Lucy, Fred, and Roxanne upstairs with a little help from her wand.
Ginny glanced around nervously. All of the men were redheads, whom she assumed were her brothers, and the women next to them were their wives.
"I'll start," volunteered the same man who spoke up earlier. "Hi Ginny, I'm William, but people call me Bill. I'm your oldest brother. This is my wife Fleur and we have two children - Victoire and Dominique."
"I guess it's me now. I'm Charles, AKA Charlie. I work with dragons in Romania and I'm your second oldest brother."
"I'm Percy Weasley, your third oldest brother. This is my wife Audrey and we have two as well - Molly and Lucy."
"I'm George, my wife Angelina, our kids Fred and Roxanne."
"You already know us - Hermione and Ron-"
They were interrupted by the fireplace suddenly turning into a magnificent shade of green in the living room. Ginny gasped quietly, but somehow she knew there was no need to fret. It was something...dare she say, something she had seen before.
Harry walked out of the fireplace and dusted himself off slightly.
"Do come and sit down, Harry!" gestured Mr Weasley, trying to sound somewhat enthusiastic. Harry nodded and walked to the table. Only when he got there did he realise the only empty seat was next to Ginny. Where he usually sits. Between Ginny and Ron. Quickly, he sat himself down.
"Should we start making some food?" suggested George. "How about..."
"Stew-it-solo stew," said the rest of the family together. It was something they made every year.
"I'll go get the dishes and veggies from the kitchen. Do we want to pair up?" said Mr Weasley. "I'll go with Molly and make some extra for the kids."
Everyone nodded, all asking their spouses to be their partners. That left Harry and Ginny.
"Do you mind going together?" asked Harry.
"Let's do it," said Ginny firmly, causing Harry to flash a short-lived smile. "So what do we do?"
"Basically, each pair gets a pot and some veggies. You chop the veggies all up however you like, season it with whatever, and everyone's gets shoved into the oven to simmer until it's a stew. It's supposed to be done alone, hence the 'solo', but we have too many people so we always pair up."
"Sound's good to me! We've got radishes, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, courgettes...they're all gonna be bashed up!" Ginny exclaimed. It assured Harry to see her energetic like before, but it hurt him to think that this wasn't before.
He grabbed a courgette and started chopping, deep in thought, when...OUCH! He looked up and saw Ginny holding a carrot and poking him in the rib.
"A carrot for a piece of your mind?"
"Ginny Weasley, you dare poke me?" He said, grabbing the unchopped end of the courgette and holding it up like a sword.
"Whatcha gonna do?" With that, she started running around the house, Harry chasing after her.
"They look like their normal selves," said Hermione. "Except they aren't."
"Come on, 'Mione," said Ron. "You know she still loves him. The way she looks at him."
"But she doesn't even remember him!"
"Who says you need to remember someone to love them?"
"It's j-" Their conversation was interrupted by a large SLAM! of a door.
What do you think the slam was? Don't forget to vote!
YOU ARE READING
Healers' Ruby
Hayran Kurgu"It had been seven years since the war. Seven years of tranquillity. Some might say they're boring, but to them, this was the peace that they wanted but never got. The peace they deserved. Ginny and Harry were in a serious relationship, both working...
