A Brother's Point of View

A Brother's Point of View

June 1985

"Bill!"

A red-headed blur erupted from inside the kitchen and Bill Weasley, freshly arrived home from his sixth year at Hogwarts, whuffed out a huge breath as the blur slammed into his stomach at high speed.

"Hey Red," he wheezed.

"I miss you," his little sister squealed, her arms clutched tightly around his waist. Bill smiled as he looked down at his sister, her feet dangling inches above the floor as she held tight to him. Reaching down, he lifted her up so that he could hug her properly.

"I missed you too, Red. But I'm back now. We've got the whole summer together."

Ginny smiled, but then looked sad.

"You'll go away again," she said.

"Yeah, I will," Bill admitted. "But I have to go to school, Red," he added, ruffling her hair. She giggled.

"Will you come back after?"

"Of course. I love Hogwarts, but I love you even more, little'un."

"I'm NOT little," she pouted. "I'm three foot one inches."

"You're over three foot now?" Bill asked. "You're getting big, Red. You'll be taller than any of us soon."

"Yeah!" she grinned. Then a thought struck the young girl. "If I get big enough, can I come with you to school?"

"Oh Red, you know you can't come to Hogwarts yet," Bill said. He always felt slightly sad that he'd miss out on his younger siblings time at Hogwarts. It was nice to have Charlie there, but he would have liked to see the others as well.

"When can I go, then?" she asked persistently.

"You're going the year after Ron does," Bill said. It had become the standard answer, as they didn't want Ginny thinking too much about the seven years before she could go to school. It was bad enough that Percy was already counting the days, and he only had two years left to go. Bill felt slightly bad for Charlie as well, who'd have to spend a year alone at school without any of his brothers and sister around. Bill had fit in well enough during his first two years, but it was only when Charlie had come to school at the start of Bill's third year that he felt really at home at Hogwarts.

I started in nineteen seventy-nine,

Bill thought. Ginny won't finish there until nineteen ninety-nine. Twenty years of Weasleys. Old McGonagall should be ready to retire after that. If she isn't in the mental ward at St Mungo's first.

Looking down at his sister, who was still held in his arms, Bill grinned.

"Want to hear about Hogwarts, Red?"

"Yeah! Tell me e'ryfing, Bill."

"Okay," he said. He carried Ginny all the way up the stairs to the room he shared with Charlie, and made sure that his bag was on the good bed. When Charlie returned from his friend's house in a few days, he wanted there to be no doubt who was sleeping where. He shifted Ginny onto his back, which she loved, and stuck his head around the door of Percy and Ron's room, but neither of his brothers were there. In fact, the whole house was quiet.

"Where is everyone, Red?"

"Fred and George are in trouble," Ginny answered. "Mummy made them chuck the gernomes 'cos they made Ron cry."

Bill grinned in spite of himself.

"What'd they do this time?"

"They made his teddy turn into a spider again," Ginny sighed. "They silly."

"Mum must have gone bananas."

"Yeah. She gone to town with Ron."

"Where's Percy?"

"Reading."

"Okay. Well, let's get a drink and I'll tell you all about Hogwarts."

Bill carried his sister all the way down to the kitchen where they poured themselves big glasses of milk and raided Molly's biscuit jar.

"Hogwarts is great, Red," he said. "Every year you learn new spells. They teach you all kinds of things."

"Like what?"

"Well, this year I learned how to turn a chair into a dog," he said.

"Show me!"

"What's the magic word?" Bill grinned.

"Abber Cedaber?"

"Close enough," Bill laughed. Waving his wand at one of the spare chairs, he turned it into a black Labrador that licked Ginny's face and made her giggle.

"Slobbery doggy," she said, patting it. She looked sad when it turned back into a chair.

"Nice?" Bill asked.

"Yeah!"

"That's the sort of thing that we do at Hogwarts."

"I want to go!"

"I know, Red. I was the same as you when I was your age. You'll be there before you know it."

"Okay," she said. "Tell me more, Bill!"

"Okay, Red. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me 'bout the teachers. Are they as nice as my teachers?"

"Some of them are," he said. "Some are horrible. Professor Snape teaches us Potions. He's not very nice."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I don't think he was hugged enough as a child," Bill grinned.

"You very silly, Bill," Ginny giggled, before turning serious. "Do I get hugged enough? I don't want to be horrible when I grow up."

"Well, there's always room for another hug," Bill said, holding his arms out. Ginny jumped off her chair and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck.

"You nice, Bill. You musta got lots of hugs."

"Well, if you ever think you're running low on hugs, I'm always happy to help," Bill smiled.

"Yeah! Then when I go to Hogwarts I be really nice to evvyone."

"I'm sure of it," Bill said. "You're going to love Hogwarts, Red. Absolutely love it."

*

August 1991

"Ron?"

"Hey Ginny," Ron said, hunting under his bed for a missing pair of socks. What's up?"

"Nothing. . ."

Ron came up from under his bed. "Really?"

"I don't want you to go, she said. "I'll be all alone. Bill and Charlie have moved out. Percy's at Hogwarts, Fred and George are there. And now you're going."

Ron sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him. "Come here," he said. She sat down obediently next to him.

"You know it's only for a year," he said. "This time next year you'll be hanging out with all of us. There'll be five Weasleys at Hogwarts, can you imagine?"

"Yeah. I still wish I were going this year," she sighed. "You're not even a year older than me, Ron. It's not fair."

"Ginny, come on," Ron said. He put an arm around his sister's shoulders. "You know it has to be this way."

"Yeah. I've known since I was two and Charlie and Bill went off and I missed them a lot. It just seems like every year I lose another person, and now you're going."

"I'll write you all the time, Ginny," Ron said. "It's okay. Once you come it'll be great, and you won't have to worry about settling in, 'cos you'll already know everything about it."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. If you want, I'll find you a boyfriend and every-"

"Ron!" she squealed. She slapped him on the arm. "As if I want a boyfriend."

"Not unless it's Harry Potter, right?"

"Harry Potter wouldn't look at me," she said. "He must be really famous and handsome and he'll have loads of friends."

"I dunno," Ron said. "You know he has to live with Muggles. They probably don't even know he's famous where he lives. You heard what Mum said, though, he's the same age as us. He's probably going to start at school this year or next year. I wonder what house he'll be in?"

"I bet he's in Ravenclaw," Ginny said. "I bet he's really smart."

"Won't be there with me then," Ron said gloomily. "Have you seen my wand?"

He held up the battered looking object. Unicorn hair was poking out of the end.

"I'd kill for a new one. They work better if they're your own."

"I bet you're in Gryffindor," Ginny said, suddenly.

"Why?"

"Well, you beat up Fred last night, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but Fred's an idiot. He knows I hate spiders, but he still does that stupid trick. I hope he gets suspended next time."

"Maybe when I come next year we can get him back?" Ginny said.

"Yeah, that sounds good. It's a deal, Ginny. I'll find out all about the place, and then we can go mad when you come."

Ginny grinned. "Yeah. It's a deal.

*

November 1991

Dear Ginny,

Sorry I haven't written for a few weeks, but things have been mad here. Me and Harry fought a troll on Halloween. We saved this girl called Hermione, who's a real bossy type. She thinks Percy is great, so that's all you need to know about her. Still, she does help us with work, so I guess she's not too bad.

Anyway, just wanted to say to you that the plan's still on. Fred and George are being pretty quiet for a change. I think Fred fancies one of the girls on the Quidditch team. Can't tell which one, though. They're all much the same.

I'll try and write soon. Harry needs help with his Potions, so we're going to try and find Hermione. She's probably in the library. I reckon you'd probably like her, she reads a lot, same as you.

Oh, Harry says he isn't expecting anything for Christmas. D'you reckon Mum could send him something?

I'll write soon,

Ron

*

June 1992

"Ron?"

Ron looked up from his Charms essay. Hermione had already sent him an owl asking how he was doing with his work.

"What's up?"

"Tell me about Harry Potter."

Ron sighed. "I already told you, Ginny, he's a nice bloke."

"But what's he like?"

"He's an idiot, okay? He does stupid things because he thinks they're the right things. He nearly got killed at the end of the year. He'd better not do that again. I don't want a dead best mate."

"He doesn't seem too bad," Ginny said. "He was very polite."

Ron gave up on the essay. "Yeah, he is polite," he said. "Except when he's talking about Snape."

"He's the Potions teacher, isn't he? Charlie and Bill told me about him."

"Yeah. And he's a git."

"Ron, mum would kill you-"

"Well don't tell her then," Ron grinned. "Really, he's a nasty bloke, always picking on the Gryffindors."

"Even on Harry?"

"Especially on Harry. Harry said that his dad and Snape didn't get on when they were at school, and now Harry's dad's dead, Snape picks on him instead."

Ginny looked at the carpet for a moment.

"Does Harry talk about his parents often?"

Ron shook his head. "No. He never knew them. I know he misses them, well, misses having a real family, but he doesn't say much. He's pretty quiet, really."

Ginny sighed. "It'd be nice if we could be his family. You're his best friend, and he's a nice person, he deserves someone to love him, not being stuck with those horrible Muggles."

Ron smiled tightly. "Yeah, you're right. We're trying to get him to come stay here this summer. I haven't heard from him since we left school. He's got this great owl, really big and white, but nothing yet. Maybe the Muggles are being nice to him. It'd be good if they were."

"Do you think he'd like it here?"

I dunno. He says he lives in a proper house with the Muggles, not a rickety old heap like this. I hope he'd like it, though."

"Is he really brave?"

"Yeah. Brave, honest, loyal. Typical Gryffindor. Just like me, really."

Ginny slapped Ron on the arm. "Idiot."

"Hey!"

Ginny fell quiet. "Do. . . Do you think I'll make it into Gryffindor? I don't want to be in Slytherin, I don't think I'm smart enough for Ravenclaw. . ." she tailed off.

"Ginny, who do I go to when I need help with the twins? It's always you, even if they are three years older than you. You're the bravest person I know, well, you and Harry."

Ginny brightened immediately. "You really think I'm as brave as Harry Potter?"

"Yeah, really," Ron grinned. "You'll be in Gryffindor, just like everyone else."

Ginny hugged her brother.

"Thanks, Ron."

*

August 1993

"Percy?"

Percy looked up from the letter he was writing. The ghost of a smile flickered across Ginny's face as she realised she'd caught him writing another letter to Penelope Clearwater, his girlfriend.

"Ginny? What. . . What are you doing up? It's after three in the morning."

"I had a nightmare and I couldn't sleep. Why are you awake?"

"I. . . I couldn't sleep either. I thought I'd write to Penny."

"At three in the morning? Won't she be mad when Hermes shows up with your letter."

"I'm, er, using Errol, not Hermes," Percy said. He looked very uncomfortable. "This way it should get to her tomorrow afternoon."

Ginny looked at her brother critically. "Percy, do you know that your ears go red when you're lying?"

"It's the middle of the night! You can't see my- Blast," Percy said, realising that his little sister had caught him out.

"Right then. Why are you writing to Penny in the middle of the night?"

Percy stood up from the kitchen table and made his way into the front room, his letter lying forgotten on the table. Ginny followed him.

He was siting on the sofa, his head in his hands. His posture, normally so confident and upright, spoke of a world of worries on his shoulders.

"Percy, what's wrong?" Ginny asked.

He didn't reply for a long time. It slowly dawned on Ginny that Percy, the calm, rational, least Weasleyish member of her family, was crying.

"Percy. . ." she said. He raised his head and looked at her, an infinity of sadness tracking across his face like cloud obscuring the sun.

"Ginny, I was so scared," he said. "I thought we'd lost you, I really did."

Before Ginny knew what was happening, Percy had wrapped his little sister in a bone-crushing hug. She gasped for air, but didn't say anything. Finally, Percy released her. He dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief. Despite the emotion of the moment, Ginny couldn't help but smile. Percy was the only person she knew who actually kept a handkerchief in his pyjama pocket.

"When I heard that you'd been taken," he began, returning her to the moment at hand. "When I thought you were dead. . ." his face screwed up again as he fought back tears.

"Oh God, I was so scared. I felt like I should have been doing something, but there was nothing I could do. For all my intelligence, for all my pride in being a prefect, I was unable to do anything. I couldn't help you; I couldn't fight for you; I just had to sit there and wait.

"I honestly thought that I'd been looking out for you. I thought you were ill, so I took you to Madam Pomfrey. I chased off Fred and George when they were trying to make you laugh, and then I ignored you when you were trying to tell us something was wrong. And then, when you were taken, I thought I'd never again see you smile, never hear you laugh, never see you hexing Fred and George when mother's back is turned."

He laughed. It came out as a choke.

"Despite everything I did, despite every example I tried to set, it was Ron and Harry who saved you. A pair of second years who broke every single rule in the book, and probably lots more that aren't in the book, while I sat in the common room with no idea what I could do for you.

"Well, thank Merlin for Ron and Harry. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here, Ginny. I really am very fond of you, you know that?"

"I do now," she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tightly. The bad dream that had caused her to awaken was already fading from her memory.

They held each other for a long time, until the sun was peeking over the horizon and the birds were beginning to awaken. Percy released his grip and sighed.

"I should finish that letter to Penny," he said.

"Why were you writing at three in the morning anyway?" she asked.

"Mother and father suggested we not be too, well, that we not be. . ."

"They thought I'd need you walking on eggshells around me?" she asked. Percy laughed, and nodded.

"I shall tell them that it isn't necessary," he said. "By midday Fred and George will be blowing their room up once more."

"Well, maybe don't tell them first thing," Ginny suggested. "I'd quite like to get some sleep.

Percy smiled. "I'll talk to them after lunch tomorrow."

"Thanks, Perce," she said. He stood up and straightened his pyjamas.

"I think I'll finish that letter to Penny before I go up," he said. "It has a happier ending now."

"I'm glad," Ginny said. "I think my dreams will be happier now, too."

Percy took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm glad. Glad for everything. Truly."

"Me too, Percy, me too."

*

August 1994

"George?"

Ginny's brother had burst into her room -something he'd generally avoided doing since she'd, as he put it "started growing up on us"- and waved a handful of parchment slips at her.

"Dad got the tickets! Dad got the tickets! We're going to the World Cup!"

Ginny grinned madly. They were going to the World Cup! Hermione would be coming to stay! Harry would be coming to stay!

"D'you want your ticket now, or shall I keep it with the rest of them?" George asked.

"Um, best hold on to it," she said. "I'll only lose it. I'm not Ron; I won't keep it locked in a safe deposit box in my school trunk."

George grinned. "You are looking forward to the match though, right?"

"Of course. You know I love Quidditch."

"Yeah, but you like it best when Harry's playing, right?"

He ducked under the pillow that Ginny threw at him, and emerged grinning from behind her chair.

"Be honest, Ginny."

Ginny sighed. Of all her brothers, Percy and George were the only ones who didn't tease her about Harry. Instead George had decided that Ron liked Hermione, and was teasing his younger brother about that instead.

"So, come on, own up and I'll give you some juicy gossip that you can't tell anyone."

"Really?" Ginny looked sceptical.

"Really," George replied, his face deadly serious. He looked around the room, shut the door and pulled the curtains closed. Sitting on Ginny's bed, he turned to her and whispered: "It's so secret I can't even tell Fred."

"That's pretty secret," Ginny admitted.

"Too right," George said. "Listen, you know when me and Fred went to Lee's for Katie's birthday party?"

"Of course. The house was quiet all day. It was very nice."

George smiled ruefully at having been caught by such an easy line. "Yes, well, apart from that, guess what happened?"

"Well. . . I don't know."

"Angelina got drunk," George said. "Fred spiked her Butterbeer with firewhisky for a joke, and she got absolutely plastered."

"That's not very nice, George. And it's not exactly a secret if Fred did it, is it?"

"That's not the secret. And I know it's not very nice. Katie had a right go at him for doing it."

"What's the secret, then?" Ginny asked, beginning to wonder if George was pulling her leg.

"Angelina kissed me," he said. He smiled a little anxiously.

"She what?"

"She kissed me. That's why I can't tell Fred. You know how crazy he is about her."

"Of course. Everyone does. It's so silly."

"Yes, well, you're a fine one to talk."

"Never mind that now. What are you going to do about Angelina?"

"Nothing. She thought I was Fred when she kissed me, and she didn't say anything the next morning so I don't think she remembers."

"You hope."

"Yeah, I hope. Maybe she's just embarrassed."

"Why not write to Alicia or Katie and ask them?"

"Not a bad idea, little sister mine," George said thoughtfully. "Might be better if I wait to see them face to face. I don't think Angelina would appreciate there being a permanent record of, well, of that."

"How do you feel about it?" Ginny asked, eyeing her brother shrewdly.

"Me?" George laughed heartily, but Ginny could tell he wasn't as happy as he made out. "Hey, have you seen Angelina? She's drop dead gorgeous. I wasn't complaining."

"Until she called you Fred," Ginny said, struggling to keep the grin from her face.

"Yeah," George admitted, with a laugh. "Bit of a downer that. Not quite how I imagined my first kiss-"

"Your first kiss?!?" Ginny gasped.

"Okay, okay, no need to make such a big deal of it," George said, making shushing motions with his hands. "Besides, I was saving myself for the right girl."

"Yeah, Alicia," Ginny said, without thinking.

George's face fell. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, kind of," she said. "Listen, I'll do you a deal. You lay off Ron about Hermione, get Fred to shut up about me and Harry, and I won't say anything about you, Angelina and Alicia."

George's eyes narrowed. "And to think I was going to be all caring and understanding about you and Harry."

"You can still do that," Ginny said, with a wicked grin. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yeah, deal," George said, slumping backwards on her bed. "When did you grow up again? I don't remember you being so evil and cunning last year."

"I was taking special lessons from Professor Snape," she said.

"That would explain it. Now, you were saying about Harry?"

"We don't need to talk about that now," Ginny said, blushing suddenly. George sat up, sensing weakness.

"Oh yes we do. You've just got me to give up half the fun I've been having this summer. You can give me something to make it up to me."

Ginny sighed. "Okay, I'll tell," she said. "I mean, it's not like it's a secret how I feel about Harry."

"Maybe not, but I've never heard you say it out loud," George said. He had turned around so that he was sitting close to his sister, his body language mirroring hers sympathetically.

"I just. . ." she began, before shrugging. "I want to help him, George. Not just me, but all of us. He should be here, not with those horrible Muggle she has to live with. It's ridiculous.

"Sometimes. . ." Ginny paused and thought for a moment. "Do you remember when we first met Harry?"

"Sure, his first year at Hogwarts, we bumped into him at Kings Cross."

"He was so shy. I couldn't believe that was Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived, I thought he'd be famous, but he was there on his own. Everyone else had their family with him, and I thought Harry would have had someone with him."

"Well, Hagrid went with him for all his school stuff, but those Muggles he lives with dropped him off at the station."

"He seemed so alone, George," she sighed. "He's so quiet, so withdrawn. Sometimes he's sitting in the common room and you can see him just go away. It's like, I don't know, like somehow he can see what his life should be like, what it would be like if he still had his family, and sometimes it just swallows him up.

"And when he plays Quidditch, it's the only time he's free of that. The way his face lights up when he's flying. . . That's how he should be all the time. He shouldn't have to worry about the way the Muggles he lives with treat him, or about You Know Who or saving people's lives."

Ginny shrugged. "I just wish I could help him feel better about himself."

George nodded. "I know. Harry's quiet, and I think you're right, he does go away sometimes. You can see it when Ron and Hermione start arguing, or when he's in the common room on his own. Sometimes I think there's a lot we'll never know about him. He's a great guy, and a good friend, but he keeps himself closed down to almost everyone. He's been hurt pretty badly."

"You think he's been hurt so bad that he's scared of being cared for?"

"Everyone who loved him is dead, Ginny," George said soberly. "He's got us, though."

He gave Ginny a quick hug, and stood up. "Anyway, Fred's whipping up the next batch of Canary Creams. I'd better go help him."

He opened the door, and slipped out, before sticking his head back into the room.

"By the way, I take it that it's okay for Fred to tease Ron and me to tease you? You didn't say that it wasn't, after all. . ."

This time the pillow caught him directly in the face.

"I'll take that as a 'maybe', then?" he grinned before vanishing.

Ginny laughed as she lay back on her pillowless bed. She stared at the ceiling for a long time.

"Not everyone," she said at last.

*

July 1995

"Fred?"

Ginny's older brother turned and put his finger to his lips. She tiptoed closer to him and put her head alongside his.

"Anything?" she mouthed. He shook his head.

"They've charmed the door again," he said, standing upright. "We can't hear anything that's going on in there. On the plus side, they can't hear anything that's going on out here."

Ginny grinned. "Is everyone in there?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Tonks is wandering around somewhere, but she's safe."

Ginny nodded. "I like Tonks."

"Yeah, well, just 'cause she taught you the Bat Bogey hex. . ."

"Not just that. Besides, it's nice to have someone to talk to about stuff."

"Like an older sister?" Fred asked. Ginny nodded, surprised that Fred had picked up on the way her relationship with Tonks had evolved.

"Listen," he said. "I know everyone thinks I'm about as mature as, well, as the day I was born, but I'm not a complete idiot. Not all of the time. Honestly."

Ginny grinned. "Yeah, I know."

"I just wanted you to know, if you need to talk about stuff, you can come to me. I know that you used to talk to Charlie and Bill a lot, and you and Ron were as close as me and George when you were kids, but. . ."

"I love all of you," she said. "Really I do."

"And we love you, Ginny," Fred said seriously. "It's just, with Percy being an idiot, and things being so serious, I'd hate you to think that we don't have time to talk about stuff."

Ginny grinned. "Even about growing-up, female stuff?"

"If you really, really need to," Fred said, a pained expression passing across his face. "I was thinking more something like the war, or school, or whatever."

Ginny looped her arm through her brother's and led him towards the kitchen, where Sirius had been making a start on dinner before Professor McGonagall's sudden arrival.

"I just think sometimes that George and I have been pretty horrible to you, winding you up about Harry and stuff."

"I'm used to it," Ginny said. "Really. Besides, I got to see you running to the toilet every five minutes before meeting Angelina for the Yule Ball last year. That made up for a lot of it."

Fred scowled. "You said you weren't going to say anything about that anymore."

"And you promised not to mention Harry anymore, not since I started seeing Michael, anyway."

"We're not even allowed to mention this Corner bloke in front of Ron, Ginny," Fred said. "You're not leaving us a lot to play with."

"And look at what it's done for you," Ginny smiled. "You're all grown up now. Look, we're having a proper conversation and everything."

"Yeah, well, having You Know Who back kind of does that for you," Fred smiled sadly. "You learn that there's a time and a place for joking around."

"I know. I didn't feel much like laughing for a long time after my first year," Ginny said.

"He won't come after you again," Fred said, looking earnestly at his little sister.

"I know," she said. "He'll go after Harry again. And again. Until he gets what he wants."

"You still care for him, don't you?"

"I always will," Ginny sighed. "I know I don't feel the way about Michael that I do about Harry, but what can I do? I need to move on, I need something in my life that means I don't worry about him coming back all the time, coming for me again. Michael does that. He makes me laugh."

"Not Harry's strong point, I'll admit," Fred said. "Nice kid and all, but a bit quiet. Not many great one-liners."

Ginny slapped his arm with a laugh. "I think I prefer funnyman Fred," she said.

Fred laughed. "Me too," he replied, before turning serious again. "So long as you know that whatever Fred I am, I'm always here for you. We all are. If we don't stick together, we're screwed."

"I know," Ginny said. She gave Fred a quick hug. "And I'm grateful. You're right. We do need to stick together. I'm glad I've got such nice brothers to stick together with."

*

June 1996

"Charlie?"

Charlie looked up from the table where huge rolls of parchment were laid out. He waved his wand, and they rolled themselves up neatly.

"Hey kid," he said wearily.

"Is this a bad time? I can come back."

"No, you're good," he said. "I always have time to spend with my sister."

"Glad to hear it," she said. "Who else is going to keep me out of trouble?"

"Isn't that Ron's job?"

"I think Ron has someone else on his mind these days," she said. She looked around the front room of number twelve, Grimmauld Place and shuddered. "It feels so wrong to be meeting here without Sirius," she said.

"Yeah. He was a good man," Charlie said. "Funny, too."

"Harry must be going through hell," Ginny sighed. Charlie looked at her, concern on his features.

"He's got people watching over him," he said. "They'll make sure he's okay."

"Like last year? The Dementors nearly got him."

"Yeah, well, trusting Dung Fletcher to keep an eye on him was a bit of a misstep on Dad's part, but he got by. Besides, Dung's had the fear of Moody put into him now. I don't think he'll slip up this summer."

Ginny smiled. "He doesn't deserve it, Charlie," she said at last.

"Harry?" Charlie asked. "No, he doesn't. He's a wonderful person, and no one should have to go through the things he's had to go through. But, and I know you'll hate hearing this, he could be a lot worse off."

"How? His parents dead, his godfather dead, and Voldemort is still after him. How could things be worse?"

"He still has people to care for him, people who love him. Mum and Dad would have him living with us in a heartbeat if Professor Dumbledore didn't have his reasons for sending Harry back to those Muggles every summer."

"I don't think many people understand Harry," she said quietly. "How does someone who's been treated so badly turn out so good?"

"Who knows?" Charlie said. "Maybe when his mother died to save him, maybe that much love, that much goodness, well, it did more than save his life, it shaped who he'd grow up to be."

"Do you really think so?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Charlie said, running a finger over a burn on his arm. "It's hard to believe that he turned out alright the way he's been treated, but he's not perfect is he?"

"No," she smiled. "He's got a filthy temper, he's impatient, he can be arrogant and self-centred, but-"

"He's a boy?"

Ginny laughed, and nodded.

"Most people are good," Charlie said. "I reckon Harry turned out that way because it was the only way he could spite those Muggles he lives with. No matter what they do to him, he's always a step ahead. He'll be okay, I reckon. He's got power, anyone can tell that, but he's got more than that. He's loved by a lot of people, even if he doesn't realise it. Not just because of what he did, but because of who he is. He's arrogant, impatient, bad tempered self-centred-"

"-kind, loving, loyal and brave," Ginny finished.

"Exactly. He's had a lot to deal with in his life, Ginny, but he's strong enough to survive. Even if the worst comes to the worst, he'll have the Weasleys beside him. We can never pay him back for saving you, but we'll spend our life trying."

"If it helps, even a little, then it was worth all I went through," Ginny said quietly.

"That's why Harry will be okay," Charlie said, hugging his sister. "Because he has people who love him as much as you do."

Ginny returned the hug, and for the first time since returning from Hogwarts that summer, she felt relaxed.