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Back at the Burrow | 18

Ginny woke up the next day feeling her entire body sore. It was the aftermath effects of quidditch, something she wasn't entirely used to. She doubted she would ever do, but she was too happy to actually care. Yesterday's victory was crucial and it was just another step closer to winning the cup. She woke up in a really good mood and was determined to not let anything ruin it for her.

As she cooked breakfast, she remembered her mother's letter. She wanted to visit as soon as possible, although she wasn't sure if today was the right moment. Maybe she could wait another week before heading to the Burrow. No, it would only be worse if she kept postponing it. It was high time she acted like a responsible adult and solved her issues with her family. She hated the idea that she somehow became another Percy. And all this for what? She shook her head.

During breakfast, Ginny informed Dean about her plans. He didn't have any objections, or so it seemed since he didn't say anything for that matter. A nod was all he offered her, which got her annoyed for a second, but she decided to ignore it. She was definitely not going to allow him to ruin her excellent mood. After breakfast, she headed upstairs to get ready.

Admittedly, Ginny was nervous. Her mother was very clear that they missed her, but that didn't erase all the things they had exchanged during their fight. It wasn't as simple as walking back home and pretending like none of this never happened. Molly was always forgiving - after all, Ginny was her only daughter - but she couldn't expect everyone else to act in the same way. It wasn't just the things she had said, it was mostly the fact that she had missed out on a lot of what was going on with her family. She sincerely wished she had been there when Fleur announced her second pregnancy. She didn't like the fact that she had to find out through a letter. A simple apology wouldn't do it. She needed to reclaim an active role in her family's affairs. Truth be told, she missed them. She wanted to make it right. 

When Ginny was ready, she headed downstairs and kissed Dean goodbye before she remembered that she needed to inform the aurors about her plans. Groaning internally, she walked to the phone and called the Potter-Wilson household. They had given her their number for emergencies, but she wasn’t going to just show herself there unexpectedly and announce that they were going to her childhood home. She should have thought of that before, but between the match and the post-game celebrations, it had completely slipped her mind. Athena promised to be ready in no more than ten minutes. 

The auror kept her word and was ringing on Ginny's doorbell a little while later. Ginny opened the door to Athena standing before her, her hands deep inside the pockets of her black, leather jacket. The young woman loved leather apparently, which made look like a rebellious teenager, although she was almost ten years older than Ginny. Pascal, Mr Ivanov's cat, stood on the fence, licking his paws indifferently, ignoring the newcomer. 

"Are you ready to go?" Athena asked in a completely monotonous voice. Ginny nodded and bid Dean farewell. Her fiancé weaved her goodbye before she closed the front door behind her. When Pascal noticed them come closer, he jumped off the fence and ran away. 

The two women walked together silently towards the apparition point. The tension between them was still very high, although Ginny wasn't sure how and if she should address her. The truth was, the silent treatment kind of intimidated her and she didn't want to aggravate the other woman any further by saying the wrong thing. When they reached the apparition point, Ginny offered Athena her hand, which the latter reluctantly took due to the fact that their destination was unknown to her. Ginny hated apparition, but it was the fastest way of moving around places. The next moment, she felt the so very familiar yet suffocating sensation of apparition. When she opened her eyes again, they were standing right outside the Burrow and Athena immediately let go off her hand.