By the Fireplace

Chapter 2; The Plan Begins

~*~

"How could you be so irresponsible?"

Ginny opened her mouth to reply to the question then shut it just as quickly, realizing that her mother didn't want an answer.

"These are serious times, Ginevra Molly, and you shouldn't be gallivanting around the countryside all alone! Who knows what scalawags are waiting to prey on young girls like you!?"

Scalawags? Oh Merlin, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Sneaking a glance at the twins showed they were shaking with silent laughter, mouthing the words "scalawags" betwixt themselves.

So much for showing everyone I could handle myself, Ginny thought. This wasn't how The Plan was supposed to go...

The Plan, as she had termed it in capitals, was the key to getting everyone to accept that she was going Horcrux Hunting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. For two weeks she had softened her mum and dad by doing chores without complaint and hinting at what a mature young woman she was. She had planned to ask them tomorrow, after convincing Hermione she would be better off with Ginny coming than not.

If she could get Hermione on her side, then Ron would be easier swayed, especially since Harry hadn't arrived yet and couldn't argue against her coming. Two determined girls against Ron. He had not a chance.

"...what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" Her mum always ended her rants with a what-do-you-have-to-say-for-yourself question. And no matter what your answer was, you couldn't win.

Ginny looked down, pretending to feel ashamed of her behavior, and meekly said, "I'll never go out bounds without a fully trained wizard to protect me from scalawags."

The twins didn't even have the decency to be quiet.

Molly glared at her youngest child.

"No, you will not, because until further notice you're grounded."

Ginny widened her eyes in protest. "But mum--!"

Molly cut in. "No buts, Ginevra. Next time you wander off without telling anyone, you think of the consequences. Now go to your room."

With a stomp of anger, Ginny comically huffed, shot a wink at the twins (who could, of course, see right through her theatrics since they had taught her them), and marched up the stairs to her room.

Being grounded was a step back in her plan to convince her parents, but it could move along her plan on getting Hermione on her side and Ron.

What had she been thinking anyway? It was true that she was getting bored staying in the boundaries her mum had put up, but it was a moment of immature weakness to broach them so close to when Harry was coming. It was just a sign that her nerves were wearing thin from waiting so long. Patience might be a praised virtue, but not one Ginny had ever been accused of having.

The stairs creaked as she raced up them and slammed shut the door to her room. If her mum believed she had learned her lesson then she wouldn't be grounded all that long. Her mum might even be over it by morning if Ginny played her cards right.

All she needed was some suggestions on how to do that...

"Oy, Ginny! That was a bloody funny display down there. Brought tears to my eyes, it did." Fred walked into her room without knocking, his red rimmed eyes showing that there had indeed been tears.

"Tears of laughter," she shot back, taking a seat on her bed and waved a majestic hand for them to be seated.

George came in right behind his twin. "No doubt about that, dear sister."

"And since you've impressed us ever so much with your handy work, we've decided to give you a get out of jail free card," said Fred.

Ginny's face was blank. "A what?"

Fred sighed sadly. "You poor deprived child," he said with an air of condescension.

George mimed the sigh. "So much you missed. You should've taken Muggle studies."

"I did," Ginny snapped.

"And you didn't learn about the ultimate game of Monopoly?" Fred was skeptical.

"Monoplea? No, can't say I have." The air was heavy with sarcasm.

"Do you that maybe they stopping teaching it after us, George?"

George considered it thoughtfully. "Quite possibly, dear brother, quite so. After we lost and...uh, yes, it's possible."

Their sisters' face brightened. "What happened?"

Fred and George exchanged a telling look. "Nothing that you need to be aware of," George said.

"Ah, c'mon!" she whined.

After twenty minutes of alternately whining and threatening them, she gave up with an irritated groan. She hated losing.

Just get back to the topic at hand, she ordered herself.

"So, what is a get out of jail free card?"

The twins took turns explaining the basics of the game and how useful the card was. She pretended to understand (who named a game Monopee?) so they could get back to the real topic.

"Now what was this bargaining chip you were talking about?" she asked swiftly before they could launch into which game piece was more advantageous (the hat or the shoe? What depths her brothers had).

"Ah, yes. The personal get of jail free card we're giving you. Such nice twin brothers you have." Fred patted her knee.

Ginny wasn't buying it. "What do you want in exchange?" she asked warily.

George tried and failed at looking innocent. "Only a promise."

"I'm not slipping anything in Hermione or Ron's food or drink." Ginny firmly stated, knowing her chances at getting them to see she was mature would be shot if she did, then added cheerfully, "but I'm open to anything else."

"You make us so proud!" Fred exclaimed in a false high-pitched voice.

"But the fact of the matter is," George started seriously, "we know what your up to."

"Indeed."

"Well," Fred hedged, "no. But we've noticed you have been flavoring mum up for weeks and we want to know why. We have our suspicions but we'd like for you to tell us."

Ginny, who knew the twins almost as well as they knew themselves, knew exactly where the conversation was going. "I don't know what you're talking about," she declared. "But I might remember...if I knew how telling you would benefit me."

Fred and George high-fived each other. "We've taught this one well, Fred."

"Indeed, brother, we have."

"It makes my heart sing to witness such a display of manipulation by my lovely sister!"

"A model of cunningness!"

"So conniving!"

"And deceitful!"

"Completely canny!"

"Beyond redemption!"

"The only thing beyond redeeming are your bloody tongues, you bloody prats!" interrupted the girl in question, knowing the twins could go on 'til they were blue in the face.

Giving what might've passed for a sheepish smile, if Ginny hadn't known her brothers so well, George said, "Right then, where were we?"

"My benefits," she supplied with a smirk.

"Our support," Fred replied, bouncing slightly on the edge of the bed.

Leaning back against her over-used pillow, Ginny raised a brow (something that had taken WEEKS of staring in the mirror to get perfect, not that she had been practicing, mind you). "What would I need your support for?" she inquired.

"You tell us," said George, hunching closer.

Ginny mulled over the pros and cons. She had wanted to keep the entire scheme to herself so nobody could accidentally overhear anything or try and stop her from going through with The Plan. But, then again, these were the twins...

"Okay," she finally agreed, shifting slightly and taking a deep breath, "It's like this..." She proceeded to explain about The Plan, which included how she was going to convince everyone to let her go Horcrux Hunting (She didn't say Horcrux Hunting, of course, just that she wanted to go with the trio. She, more than most, knew the dangers of telling too many people what was going on), and about her special plans to persuade Harry.

Despite their own manipulative tendencies, Fred and George looked mightily impressed after she explained her plan. "You sly dog," they complimented once she was through.

"But of course," she lifted her head haughtily, sipping the glass of water Fred had conjured for her midway through explanations.

"There are a few, uh, glitches," Fred, either being braver or foolish, started cautiously, knowing his sisters' reaction to any sort of suggestion, be it good or bad.

"Glitches?" her nose flared, similar to her temper.

"Nothing major," Fred hastily plowed on, receiving a sympathetic and piteous gaze from his brother. "Just your way of handling mum...it's a bit, well, she'd take it offensively, is all. She'd think you'd have chosen Hermione over her."

Sighing with resignation, Ginny rested her head on the edge of her knees and decided, "Fine, tell me, Oh Great Ones, what I should do to give The Plan further advantages." She refused to say to improve The Plan because that would be admitting it had a problem that it didn't.

Ginny, she said to herself, you'd be better off listening to them. They are more experienced whether you accept that or not.

Fine, she answered back, knowing that talking to ones self was a sign of insanity, but not caring in the least, I'll be patient and listen.

So, with Ginny's attention fixed upon her brothers, the Weasleys plotted.

~*~

"Mum," Ginny peeked her head into the kitchen the following day, her shoulders swooped, expression contrite, and voice meek. "Can I talk to you?"

The three Weasleys had decided that convincing Mrs. Weasley first was the best route.

Molly scowled, proving that she was still sore about the events of the day before. "Ginevra Molly, you should be in your room!"

Ginny bowed her head in a submissive gesture that the twins had suggested she use. "I-I know," she tried not to over embellish her apologetic voice, "but I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. It was completely out of line and irresponsible of me to disobey your rules," she finished, biting her tongue to keep from saying something snappy. Keep your pride in check, she reminded herself silently.

"Yes, young lady, it was. Do you know what could've happened to you? Death Eaters are roaming about now, looking for any chance at all to kidnap foolish girls like you! You put yourself at grave danger, and I won't stand for having my baby hurt."

"Yes, mum." At least she didn't say scalawags again; otherwise this would've been over before it was started.

"Furthermore," Molly continued, starting to get worked up, "you shouldn't even be getting into such dangerous situations! With Albus gone--oh, Merlin, I still can't believe it--no where is safe enough!"

Ginny found her opening. "Exactly!" she proclaimed, straightening and lifting her head slowly. "No where is safe enough. Including Hogwarts, right?"

"Well..." Molly spluttered. "Yes, but it's safer than most everywhere else."

"No," Ginny said softly, "what about my first year?" She really hated to drag that event into her persuasion but the twins had said their mum still felt guilty about it, so use it to her advantage. Oh Merlin, how she wished she wouldn't have to. "I was possessed. Possessed! Right under everyone's nose. I almost died, mum. If it hadn't been for Ron, Hermione, and Harry, I surely would have."

Molly was silent.

Ginny took this as a sign to push on. "Hogwarts is going to be Voldemort's," her mother winced, "first target. It isn't safe to go back next year even if it is reopened."

Finding her voice, Molly protested. "You can't stay at home all year. Now that Moody is running the Order, everyone is on field duty. It would be even more dangerous for you to be here!"

"Yes," Ginny agreed, and then gently took hold of her mum's hand, "it would. But I wouldn't stay here."

"Then where..." Comprehension dawned. "Absolutely not! I forbid it! I have plenty of regrets in agreeing to let Ron go but I will not stand it for you to! No!"

She was losing her. "It would be safer! Isn't a moving target one harder to hit? We'd be searching for, uh," Ginny abruptly remembered that Ron hadn't told mum about Horcruxes. "Well, I'm honestly not quite sure," she lied, "but I'd be safer with them than at Hogwarts or here."

"How do you figure that?" the furious mother screamed. "None of them of fully trained wizards, and they don't even know how to Apparate completely!"

Ginny kept her voice low and steady. Losing her temper would just turn the debate into a screaming match. "Hermione is the smartest witch in centuries. She could teach me sixth and seventh year material while we were on the move. Ron is my brother and would protect me with his life, as I would for him. Harry...well, he's too noble for his own good. But he is the best chance at defeating Voldemort (another wince) that we have.

"I want to make a difference. I want, no, I need to help. Harry can't do it alone. I have to be there to cover his back and give him a reason to live." Ginny swallowed back lump in her throat.

"Ginny..." her mother pleaded.

"I love him," she whispered.

All the fight went out of Molly, then. She gave a defeated sigh and glanced in despair at her only girl. "Does he know this?" Her voice was choked up.

"No," Ginny immediately shook her head, "but he will."

They sat in silence for a few moments. It wasn't a comfortable one. Finally, after a few minutes, Molly stared into Ginny's eyes. In that moment, she knew her mother was finally seeing her as an adult.

"Fine. I will let you go..." Molly started, her eyes suspiciously bright. "But you have to keep up your studies and floo call me once a week. I expect a letter almost everyday, too."

"Of course," Ginny restrained herself from raising and jumping with joy.

"And," her mum's eyes threatened to leak, "you aren't going to put yourself in any unnecessary danger. You'll help Harry do whatever he promised Albus," So that's what Ron told mum! Harry is fulfilling Dumbledore's last wishes... "Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mum," Ginny said instantly, inching back towards the stairs and planning to make a run for it before her mum could change her mind.

Halfway there, Ginny changed her mind. She ran back, and threw her arms around her mum. They embraced tightly for a few minutes then stepped away from each other slowly.

"I love you, honey, don't ever forget that."

"I love you too, Mum."

"Now...go upstairs and clean your room." Molly waved a hand dismissively, obviously wanting to be alone.

Not a second was wasted as Ginny raced up the stairs and to her room.

"Don't think this exempts you from being grounded until you leave!" Molly's voice floated up as Ginny ran up the stairs two at a time.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she shouted back.

Ginny reached the last step and went straight into the room at the end of the hall instead of right into her room.

"I assume you heard everything," she stated, more than asked, as she stepped into the twin's old room.

"Of course we did, dear sister." Fred assured her, grinning.

"And what a wonderful performance it was!" George clapped.

"Simply..."

"Oh, no! You start that again and every last one of your ex-girlfriends is going to get an apology letter saying how sorry you were that things didn't work out but it wouldn't have anyway because you don't swing that way. Every one of them. Including Angelina."

A violent shudder went through Fred.

George shivered.

"That girl has a nasty right hook." Fred unconsciously touched his eye.

George nodded and patted his jaw.

"So do we agree that starting up your list of endless adjectives is a bad idea?" she asked sweetly.

Both boys nodded hastily.

Ginny smiled serenely.

"You're a bloody menace." Fred informed her.

"I know." She beamed, incredibly flattered.

Fred shook his head. "So, who is next?"

"Hermione."

~*~

"Hey, Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?"

Hermione, who was watching Ron and the twins fly around and hit each other with apples (substitutes for Bludgers), smiled cheerfully and stood up. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

The lavender summer dress Ginny was wearing twisted around her legs with the breeze and reminded her to shave her legs before Harry came in two days time.

Focus, she scolded herself.

Ginny lead Hermione to a somewhat secluded area around her favorite oak tree and said bluntly, "It's about," she lowered her voice discreetly, "searching for the you-knows."

She knew. Hermione sighed. "Oh, Ginny, I thought you understood. I sincerely wish you could come with us but there are so many reasons why you can't."

"Like what?" Ginny challenged, curious to know if there was an angle of reasoning she had missed.

"For one, Harry would never agree," Hermione pointed out. "He cares about you too much to put you in any unnecessary danger."

Openly scoffing, and then cheering on the inside that she had guessed Hermione's reasoning correctly, the redhead countered. "Harry will just have to deal with it." She said with a perfect curl of her lip, and then distracted Hermione by jumping to a different issue. "Doesn't it make sense to have an even amount of people, though? Everyone's back is covered, and four sets of eyes are better than three. And do you honestly want to be stuck with such guys for the entire year?"

"No, but that can't be helped..."

Ginny cut in. "I've fought with by your side for two years now. If that isn't enough to prove my worth, then I don't know what is. I'm just as good in a fight as any one of you is. And you know that Harry needs me."

Hermione thoughtfully considered the other girl. She was leaning against the oak with her arms crossed and chin high. Hermione thought she looked like a lioness defending her station.

Still, Hermione was hesitant. After Bill and Fleur's wedding, which would take place on August 3^rd, they would be leaving to scout for Horcruxes. Harry had been writing back and forth with Hermione and Ron (in a secretive code that Hermione had invented, of course) about their plans. In one of his very first letters, he specifically stated (after Hermione had written that Ginny would probably want to come along) that there was no chance in hell that he would allow her. Ron had agreed with Harry. And knowing that the two stubborn boys wouldn't budge, Hermione let it go. If Ginny wanted to come, then she would have to convince the boys herself. That didn't mean, however, that she was against the younger girl joining them. Quite the contrary, in fact.

"Well," the older girl finally began cautiously, "I know that, of course. But it isn't me you need to convince. Ron and Harry are...passionately against you coming. Don't mistake their intentions," she said hastily, seeing the bitter expression on Ginny's face, "all they want to do is protect you."

"Protect me?" Ginny laughed with not a little bit of bitterness.

"Yes," Hermione firmly said, knowing that if anything was for sure in this world, it was the fact that Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter would always protect what was theirs.

"It's just that everyone wants to protect, thinks I should be isolated, doesn't want me in any danger! I'm so sick of this hogwash. It's my right to defend my home and family and no one can take that away from me!" The last three words were shouted.

"Yes, it is. I'm not disagreeing with you, Ginny. Did you hear what I said? It isn't me you need to convince. Buy two, get one free. Understand?" Hermione emphasized, confusing Ginny into calming down for the moment.

"Yes. I get it," she lied.

Hermione gave her a look that conveyed her doubt of such a thing.

"Hey!" she said to the silent insult of her intelligence.

Hermione sniffed.

"Ok, let me get this straight," Ginny began slowly. "If I convince Ron and Harry to let me come, then you'll have no further problems on the subject?"

"Correct," Hermione nodded.

A bright smile broke across the redhead's face, her entire face lighting up.

"I'll hold you to it, then!" she laughed and hugged her friend.

They broke apart and started the trek back to where the boys were just finishing up.

Ginny took a last, and much savored, breath of fresh air. It was a handy trick she'd learned from growing up with six brothers. Always breathe out of your mouth when sweaty boys are near. The stench alone could easily kill you. Ginny had once suggested they make the scent into a dungbomb. Her mother, the one she had been conversing with, told her to bit her tongue and never speak of it near the twins.

Ginny took that bit of advice to heart.

"Oh, lord." Hermione choked, clasping a hand over her nose and falling back a few steps, "get that horrendous smell away from me!"

Ron looked confused. Ginny was positive that it was a state of being for him. "What smell?" he asked dumbly, in his sisters' opinion.

"It's you, ninny." Ginny rolled her eyes sky high.

"Go take a shower!" Hermione shouted, for she was a fair distance away by now.

"Yeah!" Fred mock shouted, "In the shower with you ninnies." He shoved Ron and George, both of whom didn't take too well to being pushed around.

In the middle of their wrestling around, George knocked into Ginny, who roughly elbowed him back and caused George to have to tackle her.

In the end, all the Weasleys there were rolling around on the ground, muddy and in hoots of laughter.

Hermione watched them with a lot of disgust and a little envy.

That is until Ginny pulled Hermione into the fray.

Then there was just a lot of laughter.

~*~