MetaFic

The remainder of the term passed quietly. Ginny told Hermione of her conversation with the Headmaster but not about her meeting with the man who claimed to be Harry's guardian angel. With Hermione's aid it was easier to hide the early stages of her pregnancy and explain away the morning sickness and the fact that she tired easily.

By the leaving feast Ginny was feeling better. Though still suffering from morning sickness, she was able to hold down food again and was resting better. The color had returned to her cheeks, replacing the paleness that had begun to worry both Harry and Ron.

Fred and George pulled what might have been the greatest prank in Hogwarts' history on that night, cementing their legacy and placing them on the same level of infamy as the legendary Marauders.

Somehow they enchanted all the food to change each student's hair color to that of their house. Only their own Gryffindor House was unaffected. When Professor Snape stood up to bellow at them, his robes suddenly flashed with the words "Kiss me, I'm a wizard!" and changed to sky blue in color. All of the banners, which should have shown Ravenclaw's house emblem as they had won the House Cup, instead unfurled to show the over-sized faces of Fred and George, alternately waving and sticking out their tongues at the crowd, before they began a magical slide show of every embarrassing thing any student had done all year long.

After the chaos calmed down, Professor Dumbledore congratulated them on their ingenuity but seemed relived they were finally leaving Hogwarts.

The train ride was blissfully uneventful. Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron shared a compartment, and other friends such as Neville and Seamus occasionally poked their heads in so they could chat for a moment. The four young Gryffindors were excited that they would be staying together for the first few weeks of the summer. This enthusiasm was tempered by the danger to Hermione's parents, who had been targeted by Death Eaters once already, and the unsure future of Harry and where he would live now that the Dursleys were dead.

Arthur and Molly Weasley met their children and almost-children at the train station. The ministry had provided a car, which Mrs. Weasley failed to notice was enchanted to carry all of them as well as their belongings. Mrs. Weasley immediately set into giving the twins a stern lecture, but by the time the trunks were safely stowed in the boot and everyone was strapped into the car, she had run out of steam.

When her home came into sight Ginny couldn't help but smile. The rambling, ramshackle, oddly tilted structure had been a symbol of security to her for her entire life. She sighed wistfully when the thought occurred that this might be the last summer she would live there, depending on what happened next.

Everyone quickly settled in and life was as normal as it could be in a household that included Fred and George. Ron and Harry spent as much time as they could during the day playing Quidditch in the back paddock with the twins. Hermione and Ginny either watched the boys in their games or assisted Mrs. Weasley around the home. In the evenings after dinner the four young people would stay together in the family room, discussing any number of things. At night Ginny often found herself meeting Harry downstairs, much like the previous summer. From time to time Ginny would catch her mother and father giving them all knowing looks. Ginny realized she'd have to break the news soon.

She suddenly realized she'd been home for two weeks. She decided she would tell Harry that weekend and then break the news to her family. She and Hermione went over the various ways to tell everyone without causing heart attacks or heartbreak all around. Ginny couldn't see any way to avoid a row. She hoped her brothers would at least let Harry live.

That Friday morning the truth began to surface without her help. Ginny was downstairs helping her mother prepare breakfast for the household. She hadn't been eating breakfast much lately, but she enjoyed helping make it. It was her mother who spoke first.

"So, how far along are we, then?"

Ginny looked up in confusion. "Well the bacon's half done, and I haven't started the toast yet."

"I'm sorry, dear, let me try again. How far along are you?"

Ginny turned very pale and dropped the whisk she was using to beat the eggs. "Uh–"

"Come now, Ginny, you didn't think I would notice? I've had plenty of practice at this, you know!" Molly chuckled. "Let's see, you don't like breakfast anymore. You're tired and wanting naps at odd hours. You won't play Quidditch with the boys this summer. Should I go on?" Molly paused to watch her daughter's reaction. "So, how far along?"

"Almost three months."

"And have you told Harry yet?"

"No. I was going to tell everyone this weekend."

The two women sat down at the kitchen table with their tea, and Ginny told her mother everything that had led up to that point. She waited for her mother's reaction.

"Well, it’s no secret I've been wanting grandchildren, I just thought it would be Bill or Charlie who went first, not my youngest." Molly patted her daughter's hand and sighed. "What's done is done and can't be undone. I'll tell your father in private tonight. I suggest you tell Harry this weekend, and we'll break it to your brothers last."

The other members of the household could be heard stirring at that point, so the two Weasley women let the conversation drop, though the look Ginny received from her mother made it clear this would not be the last time they talked about the subject.

The day progressed as normal, with the boys engaging in a thorough de-gnoming of the garden then yet another rousing game of Quidditch. Bill and Charlie arrived shortly after breakfast. They were staying the summer at home and had set to magically building themselves a small apartment in the backyard. Hermione was determined to get a jump on studying for the N.E.W.T.s, although they weren't to take them until seventh year. Ginny spent the day with her mother, doing chores around the house, and occasionally the women would talk about the impending birth.

That evening after dinner, the Burrow received visitors.