In the Melancholy Moonlight, Part 5: Dark Matter

Chapter 251: The World Can Wait for Me

GINNY:

I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep when I heard rustling.

I opened my eyes and met Fred's. He appeared to have been the source of the noise, because he was awkwardly trying to get to his feet without waking anyone around him, which was rather difficult considering how many of us were packed into the living room.

"Sorry," he whispered, grimacing.

I dismissed his apology with a wave of my hand and glanced over my shoulder at Lucy. She was sound asleep, looking rather peaceful with Harry's arm wrapped around her. Since she was alright, I pushed myself to my feet too and followed Fred out of the room, stepping over Henry's feet and dodging Archie's arm that was hanging off the side of the chair.

Once in the kitchen, Fred exhaled and cast a silencing spell.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said.

"Don't worry about it, the floor was uncomfortable," I replied, twisting back and forth until I cracked my back. "What time is it, anyway?"

"A little before seven. We were planning on keeping the shop open this week, up until the actual wedding day, but with Lucy and George both..." Fred's voice trailed off as his gaze wandered to the window. "I'm just going to update the sign and say we're doing mail order only this week because we're out of town. It'll look suspicious, I know, but I think it would be more suspicious if I was the only one — "

This time, Fred stopped talking because his voice was choked off by the tears that had suddenly risen to his eyes.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly.

He nodded, not looking at me, still staring out the window at the spot where Lucy had miraculously appeared just a couple hours prior.

"You can talk to me, you know," I said. "I'm not your baby sister anymore. I'll be sixteen in a couple weeks. Your adult problems don't scare me."

Fred looked at me then, a small smile on his face for a second. His face fell as he looked back out the window. "It's just that... this is going to sound crazy, but I wish I wasn't okay, I mean, George and Lucy both... George lost an ear, we thought Lucy was dead. Why did I walk away from that fight without a scratch but two of the people I love most in this world nearly died in the same fight? It's not fair, why am I okay but they're not? I should have protected — "

"It sounds like it was chaos," I interrupted. "I doubt there was anything you could have done to prevent any of that from happening. Look, the whole point of that mission was to get Harry here safely, and he's here, safe, so it was a success."

"So why does it still feel like I failed?" Fred choked out.

I shook my head and hugged him tightly. "For the record, in case I forgot to mention it last night in the whirlwind of everything, I'm glad you're okay, Fred."

"Thanks," he replied, a shuddering sob escaping him as he held me. After a second, he pulled away, wiping his eyes. "Sorry, I think I just needed to get that out of my system. I'll be back before you know it, I just have to edit the sign and make sure the shop is locked up extra well just in case anyone comes snooping. The shop being closed after last night will be suspicious, but, well, it's no secret that we Weasleys are Harry's allies anyway. I doubt it'll come as a surprise to anyone who knows anything about us beyond the joke shop."

"You might want to bring back a change of clothes for Lucy while you're at it," I suggested. "I'm sure she'll want to change as soon as she's awake. George, too."

Fred nodded. "Good idea. I'll be back within the hour."

He pulled me to him in a tight side hug, then walked outside, got past the boundaries, and disapparated.