A Matter of Time

We all jump, turning our heads toward the kitchen door to see what the commotion was about.

I have certainly heard my mother yell before, and have definitely had more than my fair share of Mum's patented high-volume rants. But if you were a Weasley (or even a certain Boy-Who-Lived), you learn fairly quickly that in a few minutes she calms down and eventually sees reason. Although, she never did let me go to those Order meetings. But between me, Fred and George, we eventually managed to figure out what was going on during my sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts.

What we knew wasn't enough to save my older brother Ron, though.

She didn't rant after he died. She was almost too quiet for about a year. No rants, no Howlers. I think she felt like she'd spent most of Ron's life giving him a hard time. I finally got a mouth-full from her about two years after his death when I announced that I was going into the Auror Training program at Hogwarts six months ago. I was almost relieved.

But if she was quiet when Ron died, she might as well be a statue now that dad's gone. She screamed just now, but I don't feel relief. Just this feeling of dread. But it was nice to have some kind of normalcy. That was the first I'd heard her rant in almost a year.

I know that this isn't her usual quick anger, and that's why I'm more worried than relieved. I knew from the way she said those words that whomever emerged from that door wasn't going to come back.

My heart drops to my feet when I see Percy leave. He has an unreadable look on his face, but his jaw is clinched and his ears are red and he is walking in jerky steps as fast as his feet can take him.

"Percy!" I call out, running after him. "Percy, you git! Come back here!"

I am not going to loose another brother. Not like this.

But it is too late. I hear a small 'pop' and Percy is gone.

Then I hear another small 'pop' behind me. I whirl around, but I'm alone.

I decide to go inside and figure out who was missing.

"Percy's just having a rough time of it," Charlie says in an obvious attempt to smooth the situation over.

From where I am standing at the doorway, I scan the room for everyone who had been at the funeral, trying to get a headcount.

There is Fleur and Hermione (or rather, Fleur sitting as far apart from Hermione as possible while still sitting on the same couch), and Tonks, who is showing off her pregnant belly. "Too bad the changing hormone-levels affect the morphing abilities," she says. Then a wry grin spreads across her face. "But at least I'm color-coded now and Charlie can tell just by looking at my hair when I'm feeling frisky!"

Everyone laughs like it is a breath of fresh air, and I can't help but smile a little. It seems so wrong to be laughing less than an hour after my father's funeral. But then, my father made cars fly. I think he'd be disappointed if we weren't having a bit of fun in his honor.

I make myself concentrate on my task at hand. What happened?

At first glance, everyone is accounted for. I know that my mother hasn't left the kitchen. Cooking is her coping mechanism. There is my old Potions Master, Snape, looking like he'd just sucked on a lemon. On the opposite side of the room is Remus Lupin, who is talking with Headmistress McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt. My brother Bill has just come from the kitchen looking worried. Fred and George are there, acting unnaturally serious. I have to remind myself that Ron isn't there anymore. That left...

"Has anyone seen Harry?" I ask.

My mind races with possibilities. 'I was just talking with him a moment ago,' I tell myself. 'He couldn't have gone far!'

All ten pairs of eyes were on me.

"I thought I saw him by the kitchen," Hermione said. "But then he said he was going outside for a moment."

Charlie had a look of dread on his face. "You don't think he heard..."

I feel my face grow hot with anger. "Heard what?" I said in the same tone my mother used when we were in trouble. Then it clicks. Mum screamed. Percy left. Harry is nowhere to be found. They don't have to tell me anything else. I just know. Two people are never coming back to The Burrow. "What just happened with Percy?" I demand, trying to make myself look as tall as possible.

"He said some things he shouldn't have," Bill replied. "Don't worry, Gin. We're better off. Besides, he'll cool off, so will Mum. Things will return to normal soon."

"Percy or not, he's our brother, Bill," I said.

"Mum wanted him gone, Gin. There's nothing to do for that just now."

"I have no idea what Percy said, Bill," I reply, not caring who was watching, "but I'm not stupid. Percy left and now Harry's nowhere to be found. Whatever he said must have upset Harry, because now both of them are gone. I am not loosing anyone else in my family. Not today."

"Harry's doing what Harry does when someone he loves dies," Professor Lupin says, all though we are all becoming expertly familiar with Harry's methods of dealing with grief. "He finds the deepest hole he can find and crawls into it for a while. Then he's beating himself up for doing or not doing whatever it is he thinks he could have done to prevent it. Then he pours himself to whatever project he invents for himself at the time. Let him be, Ginny. He'll come around eventually."

My brain knows he is right. Harry, like most people with a brain and two ears, is eventually capable of reason.

My heart, on the other hand, is in firm disagreement.

And besides, I don't have that much time to waste. My Auror training begins in earnest at the Oxford Chapter in two days.

I march over to the fire-place, glaring at my brothers and grab a fist-full of Floo Powder.

"Percy Weasley's!" I shout.

And I'm sent up into the blackness.

* * *

Percy and I were never close before Ron died. After that, he kind of took over as the Youngest Big Brother. As much as Percy and Ron didn't see eye-to-eye, Ron was still Percy's brother, and things like that have a way of putting things (like old family arguments) into obscurity.

But this time, it was different. This time, the same old family argument came back with a vengeance, and I wasn't going to let Percy off that easily.

"Percy!" I shout again, this time all covered in soot, but I don't care about that. He's walking back and forth ignoring me the way Tonks ignored the Muggle car alarm the other day.

"Percy, LISTEN TO ME!" I'm running to keep up with him, but from the way he is acting, I might as well have Harry's Invisibility Cloak on.

Harry...

I push his name out of my brain. Later, I convince myself. Worry about him later. He can't have gone far. "Percy, she's just..."

"No, Mum wasn't just," he roars, finally facing me. I flinch. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I won't be shoved into the corner by The Boy Who Fucking Killed My Father and Brother. If she...no if they are choosing him over me, it's fine. It's their choice to make."

"You think Ha..." a light finally comes on in my head. "So that's what this is all about. You're angry."

He stares intently at the carpet. I see his chin flatten and it's white like he's biting his lip very hard.

"And Harry's just the first person you can point a finger at," I say softly.

"No," he says, looking me straight in the eye. "he's the only person I can point a finger at."

"You mean besides Rodolfus Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy?" I retort.

"Miss Weasley, kindly leave before I call the authorities," he says stiffly.

"Fine, Mr. Weasley," I say matching his tone. "Way to be the mature, Big Brother."

My mouth opens and I want to tell him what an idiot he is. I want to tell him that I am not about to loose another brother. I want him to know that his family doesn't hate him. But the look in his eyes and the color of his face tell me he isn't going to be moved, and I finally realize there is no point in wasting my energy.

Sometimes, brothers were so incredibly stupid.

"Harry Potter's!" I say and am sent into soot and blackness.

* * *

"Harry!" I plead, covered in even more soot than I was before.

My voice is beginning to get hoarse but it doesn't matter.

"Look, my Auror Training begins in a few days and I'm not going to be unable to salute my superiors because I'm hoarse trying to knock sense into you. So I'm going to sit here and wait. I know you can't Apperate out of here because of the wards and..." I take his Floo Powder and dump it into the fireplace. I blink as the logs cackle and glow a bright green. "Now you can't Floo out of here, and I don't have anywhere to be for a few days. I can wait," I tell the air.

I make myself comfortable on Harry's overstuffed red leather couch. An hour later, my bum's getting numb and I'm coming to the realization that it's not just brothers who were incredibly stupid. It's the male gender in general.

The leather makes a soft squishing sound and there's an impression beside me.

"I'm sorry about what I said back there," he mumbled. At first it used to

I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "it's okay, I..."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's not. Look, I'm going away on assignment, and I think this is a good time for..."

Don't say it, Harry. Please don't say it. I pray to whatever deity might be listening. Not Good-bye. Not now.

"Harry, don't you think what's best for me and my family is for us to decide?"

"I just think that you and your family need some time to pick up the pieces, is all."

I turn around to face him this time. "Harry, you're as family as anyone else at The Burrow." I felt my face stretch into a grin. "You just don't have the red hair and freckles to show for it."

"Gin, one minute you're telling me I'm family and the next you're saying it's not my decision to make as to what's best for you and everybody? Make up your mind!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

He gives me an apologetic nod. "I've got this assignment tomorrow and I have to go..." he's making an intense study of his couch, fiddling with one of the folds in the leather.

"You're using that as an excuse," I tell him bluntly.

"Look, Ginny," he says in low, dangerous tones with renewed anger, "has the thought ever entered your brain that maybe, just maybe I don't want to be an honorary Weasley right now? Has it EVER occurred to you that maybe I need some time?"

I feel my nostrils flare as I take a deep breath in an effort to steady my voice. The anger and frustration make it impossible to control the volume of my voice. "Then. Get. A. Bloody. Time-turner!" I seethe, getting to my feet and marching out the door before he can say anything else.

I storm down the hallway. Then I make the first step on the first of the five flights of stairs leading to his apartment, and I stop.

No Harry at the Burrow, I think miserably. No Harry helping me with my Auror Training.

No Harry...

I almost turn heel then and there, ready to swallow my pride and beg forgiveness.

But then, the embarrassment still lingers from the first time I made a fool of myself for him. I promised myself that Valentine's card would be the last time I fall over myself for anyone.

Even him.

Besides, he'll come to his senses. He has to.