Harry-
"Oi! Get your bloody hands off my sister!" Ron's voice breaks apart our perfect moment. One look at Ginny's face tells me she doesn't think this will end well. I see Hermione lightly pulling on Ron's arm, trying to stop this before it goes too far. But it's too late. Ginny's parents and some of her brothers come into the living room to see what the problem is. So much for telling them slowly.
I try to reason with him. "Ron, I swear—"
"No. Don't even start. I bet you don't even realize how much you hurt her last year. I trusted you last year, but this time I'm not going to." Ron's face is red and he walks a few steps closer to me.
"Last year?" Echoes Mr. Weasley from across the room. I look away from Ron and see that now almost all of Ginny's brothers are looking angrily at me.
Ginny ignores them. "Ron, I never asked for you to protect me. I know what I'm getting myself into!" She yells back.
I look over at Charlie, who is watching the situation with an amused face.
"What do you mean he hurt Ginny?" Bill says, walking up to where Ron, Ginny and I am standing.
"He didn't hurt me!" Ginny yells back. I wince a little at that, because we both know that's a lie.
Ron rolls his eyes. "Damn right he did. And both us us know it." Now he is stepping even closer to her.
I figure it's my time to step in before wands are drawn and this gets even more out of hand. The redheads really do tend to have a temper. "Ron, I was only doing it to protect her! I thought you understood. Would you have wanted her name out there like ours? On the undesirable list, where she would be tracked every day?"
"You heard McGonagall. She almost died at Hogwarts! That doesn't sound too safe for me!And don't even pretend that you didn't hurt her. I'm sure you don't even know." Yells Ron again.
"I didn't want to do it, Ron! It was just something that had to be done." I say again, trying not to yell this time.
Ron follows my lead, and stops yelling. "You disgust me." He comes up to me and punches me square in the face. It's not enough to hurt, but it's the thought of my best mate punching me that makes me wince.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ginny pulling out her wand, ready the strike. I step in front of her and grab the wand quickly, trying to look into her eyes which are glaring at Ron. She tries to grab it back, but I place my hand on her arm.
"Ronald Billius Weasley, you come back here this minute!" I hear Mrs. Weasley say, after gasping. Ron doesn't listen and continues to storm up to his room.
Bill looks over at Charlie. "You're okay with this?" He used his hands to gesture at me and Harry.
Charlie just shrugs. "I trust the poor bloke. If he can save the whole world, he probably deserves a girl as good as ours."
Bill furiously turns back so he's facing us. "How exactly did you hurt her, Potter?"
Before I can answer, Mr. Weasley speaks up. "Harry and Ginny, can you two please talk to us in the other room for just a moment?" I look at Ginny who has a nervous expression in her eyes.
As we wander into the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley gestures for both of us to sit down. We do, and they shortly follow their lead. "We just wanted to know the full story before we made any conclusions." She says.
"So, Harry, how long have you been dating my daughter?" Mr.Weasley asks, looking me straight in the eye.
"We started dating near the end of last year, when I was in my sixth year." I answer quickly, trying to not mess up my words.
"Ginny, why didn't you tell me?" Mrs. Weasley asks.
Ginny just shrugs. "I'm not sure. I guess to stop a scene like this from happening."
Mr. Weasley cuts back in. "And Harry, what exactly was Ron talking about when he said you hurt her?"
I fidget nervously in my seat. "Well, I knew ahead of time that the next year would be a dangerous one for me. And I also knew, from my past experiences, that Voldemort often uses the ones that I love for bait." I shift again in my seat. "I didn't want to risk Ginny getting hurt, so I broke up with her at the end of the year."
Mr. Weasley frowns, as if he is expecting more. "And that's what Ron is mad about?"
"Yes, the little git. Of course I will be a little sad after a breakup. That's only normal. But he was doing it to keep me safe." Ginny replies.
"Harry, I want to thank you. It must have been a hard decision to put the safety of Ginny over your relationship. We will have a talk with Ron and Bill later. I trust you to keep her safe." Mr.Weasley states. I can't help but smile. He trusts me with his daughter.
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley." I say. Ginny looks at me with a grin.
Mrs. Weasley gets up out of her chair and heads toward the stove to start cooking. "Now, don't forget about the banquet at 1:00. Go clean yourselves up." As she turns away, I see a small smile playing at her lips and briefly hear her whisper, "About damn time" to Arthur as we walk out.
Ginny and I get up and walk into the living room, where Bill is sitting on the couch. Both of us focus on making sure our eyes aren't looking at him.
"So, Potter, you better start explaining." Bill says, while standing up.
"There's nothing to explain. Harry and I make each other happy when we're together. Isn't that enough for you?" Ginny asks softly. I try not to smile as I realize that she is trying to guilt him into accepting our relationship.
It seems to work, as Bill nervously fidgets. "Of course I want you to be happy, Ginny. You already know that. I'm just curious about what Ron was talking about. It's in my blood to feel the need to protect you. I'm your oldest brother, and—"
"And what? Bill, I'm going to be turning 17 soon. I know who I can and can't trust." She interrupts, in a pleading voice.
Bill nods, but I can see that he's not finished yet. "I am willing to accept this relationship, and I trust Harry, but first, tell me how he hurt you!" His voice is rough and demanding.
I feel like I should say something instead of watching their exchange in silence, but Ginny starts before I have a chance. "Basically, when I was in my fifth year, we started dating, but he had to break up with me at the end of the year to protect me while he hunts Voldemort, and I mean, who isn't a little bit sad after a breakup? That's only natural. So I guess Ron thought I was sad and now is blaming Harry, even though what he did was the right thing." She talks quickly, only hitting the important stuff.
I see realization dawn on Bill's face. "And that what Ron is mad about." He runs a hand through his hair. "Well, I think you did the right thing Harry. Ron seems to be overreacting." He pats my shoulder.
I breath a sigh of relief. "I think Ron's problem is also mixed with the fact that his best mate is dating his only sister, and he just doesn't say it. But thank you, Bill. I promise I won't hurt her." I tell him sternly.
"Damn right. If you do, I'll come after you." He responds. I nod.
"Thanks Bill." Ginny says, as she gives him a hug.
Mr. Weasley steps out of the kitchen. "There you guys are. Bill, can you please go get Ron? You, Ron, and I need to have a conversation."
Bill quickly turns and runs up the stairs.
"Would you two mind going upstairs and getting ready so we can have the living room to ourselves? I have a feeling this won't be pretty." I hear Ginny sigh as she heads towards the stairs, with me following close behind. We decide to sit next to each other on the windowsill at the end of the hallway, hoping that it would be far enough away to not hear Ron yelling.
"Harry, how have you been? I know you might feel guilty, and I just want to know where your mind's at." Ginny asks quietly, as she locks her beautiful eyes in mine.
I notice my hand start fidgeting anxiously as a habit. "I don't know, Gin. So much has been happening that there hasn't been enough time for me to breath. But now that there is time to relax, I can't keep these damned dark thoughts out of my head." I breath out a sigh. Something about Ginny makes me so comfortable. I would normally never be able to open up like this.
"But you do understand that none of this was your fault, right?" She asks, still in a quiet and comforting voice.
I don't answer. Instead I just look away from her and stare at the ground. I feel a soft hand start to stroke my arm. "I'm sorry. I uhh—" I try, but the words don't come out.
"Oh, Harry." She says with a sigh, before wrapping her arms around me and practically laying on top of me. I just gently stroke her hair, hoping she doesn't ask more questions about my mental health. She seems to understand and stays quiet.
I want to ask her some questions too. She has just lost her brother, for merlin's sake, and is pretending to be alright. "Ginny, I love you. You know that, right?" I tell her. I feel like I will never be able to tell her enough.
"I love you too, Harry." She says, and for once, the happiness in her voice doesn't sound forced.
"Earlier today, I told you that you can tell me anything. And I mean it, Ginny. And I really want to know the truth behind your shoulder injury." She stops laying on me and sits up and faces me.
"How did you know I was lying? Was it that obvious?" She asks, her voice tense and anxious.
"I could just tell. Every time you talk about, there's something in your eyes that just doesn't seem right." I reply quietly.
She takes a deep breath and looks at the floor as she starts talking. "Two days before the battle, I had detention with Professor Carrow for merlin only knows what. As my punishment , he um- he—" She winces as if just remembering that night gives her pain.
I gently put my hand on her neck. "It's okay, Gin. You can tell me whenever you're ready." I whisper to her, trying to take the pressure off her shoulders. I had already gotten a very important piece of information: this injury is older than I thought.
She then embraces me in a tight hug. When she lets go, her voice is steadier. "He tried to rape me, Harry. But I- I fought against him and so he never got to actually..." her voice trails off. "On my way out, he got me with some spell I hadn't heard before. And well, that's how it happened." She stares at the ground, with a tear going down her face.
I feel fire in my veins. I want to murder that man. But not with the killing curse, Merlin no. I want to slowly rip him apart limb by limb and beat the leaving hell out of him until he is unable to breath another breathe. My vision blurs white with rage, and I feel my chest begin to rise and fall rapidly. I clench one hand into a fist, but I feel Ginny's soft hand come over it gently. It makes me realize that right now, Ginny doesn't need me to murder him. She just needs some emotional support. "Oh, Ginny. I'm so sorry." I tell her quietly before wrapping her in a hug.
"You're the only person I've told." She whispers in my ear. I hug her even tighter and make a vow to myself to never let this beautiful girl away from me again.