Sweet Like Cherry Wine

The decree, Chapter 1

Ginny Weasley stared out the window of the burrow, dishes beneath her hands which were covered in suds of lavender scented soap. Her hands were raw from the overwhelming amount of work she had done the past month since that dreadful day at Hogwarts.

She was for some odd reason thankful to be underaged still, it gave an excuse to put her hands to work. Out in the garden, cleaning for her mum, organizing her dad's shed of muggle items, cooking for George whilst then trying to feed George as he sat staring into space rocking slowly back and forth in that dreaded chair he hadn't left in a month.

Ginny's favorite pastime, even still was flying. Up in the air nothing mattered. In the air, her broomstick vibrating under her, the quaffle tucked tightly in between her arm and rib cage, she soared high and fast. Scoring points after points, rolling, dodging imaginary players. It felt good to push her limits, feel herself breathe deeply, and her heart rate rise. It felt good for a few minutes and then she'd start to think of how Fred wasn't breathing deeply. He never would again, his heart would never beat again either. Then she would fly down to the ground, hunch over off the side of the practice pitch, and wretch out all the food in her system.

That was how the past month had gone.

Ron was usually with Harry and Hermione, Grimmulad place she assumed. She never asked, avoiding the subject of Harry.

Charlie went back to Romania after the funeral. She wished he would've stayed, giving mum something to worry after.

Bill, Percy, and Dad were all busy constantly with helping to rebuild the Ministry taking on every task possible. "Far too overworked" her mum would say. And Fleur would usually nod her head, her thick french accent would agree.

Ginny continued to scrub the cast iron pan for another few minutes, flaking off the crusting food before calling it done. Drying her hands on the ratty old dish towel she took the stairs two at a time, heading up stairs before she could hear Hermione's laugh upstairs, deciding to poke her head into Ron's room and say hello she headed up past her own room.

Turning around the corner she swung herself into the room, door propped open already.

"Ginny!" Hermione had said excitedly, the most joyful tone the house had heard in a month Ginny thought to herself.

Ginny's eyes quickly darted to him. Harry. Sitting there looking perfectly content, perfect even she would say. His hair was sticking out oddly and attractively. His eyes were duller green than she remembered them being, although everything had dulled after the war she thought. His glasses are still the same speckly pair. He was wearing a plain red t-shirt under a brownish red flannel.

"Hey Hermione, I heard you up here. Figured I would say hello." Ginny smiled, her lips pulled tight showing her uncomfortableness.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay Gin. Sure you're not just escaping mum?" Ron asked her, raising an eyebrow

"I'm not escaping anything, she needs company. Not like you're here ever to help with anything around the house." Ginny said passive aggressively.

Ron seemed to get a little pink in the ears, it clashed horribly with his abundance of Chudley Cannons merchandise. Ginny was pleased.

"Hey Ginny." He spoke quietly, shocking her completely. He didn't even glance at her during Fred's funeral. Hadn't spoken to her anything other time he had been over to the burrow. Not even during the forced family dinners, or the war memorial that Kingsley had thrown at the Ministry, she had caught him staring at her in her tight fitted black dress. But nothing more had happened in the past month.

She simply raised an eyebrow at him in response.

"What have you been up to the past couple days?" Hermione asked, breaking the tension that even Ron was able to pick up on. Harry looked away towards his laced up, high top trainers.