Defend

Chapter Forty Wedding and Birthdays

 I'm surprised the house hasn't exploded with tension.

Fleur's parents arrived yesterday, and somehow we've all got along fine. The Burrow is nearly bursting. Not to mention Harry's birthday is tomorrow and Ginny is stressing about what to get him, because she can't really afford a big gift.

~~~~

"Eliza, I don't know what to get Harry! It's his coming-of-age birthday! It's important!" Ginny stresses to the point of driving me mad, and I grab her shoulders and sit her down on the bed.

"You want my honest, true, opinion on what I think you should get him?"

She nods vigorously. "Yes please!"

I nod seriously in return. "Here's my opinion."

She leans forward on the edge of her bed, eager to hear what I'm about to say.

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. "You should snog him."

"That's a terrible idea!" Ginny declares.

"If you don't want a material gift, give him something he'll remember. Please, both of you are stressed out enough as it is right now. Both of you would enjoy a bit of snogging. That's all I'm saying." I shrug as if I've just defeated You-Know-Who himself with a single flick of my wrist.

She leans back onto her pillow. "Why am I actually considering this?"

I rip the pillow out from under her head and throw it at her. "Because it's a good idea."

She tosses the pillow back at me, knocking over a candle. We laugh and I pick it up.

"Now I need a present for him, as I am not stealing your gift." I laugh.

I wonder what I should get him. Something that would be helpful for the journey. I decide to go to the twins, as they're wildly creative.

"George? Fred? I need your help."

"Sure Eliza, anything," George says.

"Um, I don't know what to get Harry for his birthday."

"That's easy. Just get him something helpful for his trip," Fred says, packing a crate of pranks for their shop.

"I know! But what?!"

Fred stacks the crate on top of another and leans against it. "Well, what would you want if you went on a trip?"

"Ginny. Although come to think of it, if I put a bow on Ginny and gave that to him, he'd be pretty happy."

George holds back a laugh. "True, but what about something more material," George suggests.

Now it's my turn to hold back a laugh because I said the exact opposite to Ginny.

"Yeah, but what?"

"You're crafty, I'm sure you'll think of something," Fred says, giving me a smile.

I walk out of the room. "You know, I think you're right."

I spend the rest of the day collecting miscellaneous items from around the house. Since Fred and George are of age, I ask them to help me with the magic part.

~~~~

"Good idea," Fred says, giving me a hug.

"Thank you," I prance out of the room for dinner, racing down the stairs with Ginny, who I bumped into in the hallway.

~~~~

The next day we head downstairs and I take a step back at the pile of presents. Based on the joyous faces in the room, it almost makes me wish my birthday was during the summer so I could spend it at the Burrow.