The Sky on Fire

Ginny woke early the next morning, sat up, and looked over at her brother. His normally peaceful face was contorted by pain and sadness, and Ginny knew he was dreaming of that afternoon again. She brushed a loose hair from his face, but dared not wake him. He hadn't slept in a long time, and whether he would admit it or not, he needed this sleep. Ginny slid from the covers, and sat down at her desk, pulling a sheet of parchment from the stack in the corner. Taking up a quill, she wrote quickly, and, having sealed the edge with wax, called Pigwidgeon to her. He hopped onto the windowsill, and held out his leg. Ginny tied the letter to him, and sent him out the window without a word. She turned back to the bed, and was surprised to find Ron sitting up, watching her.

"Ron, I--" He cut her off with a shake of his head.

"Ginny, you don't need to explain. There is only one person who you would be writing to at five in the morning, and I have no right to stop you." He lay back down, and closed his eyes again. Ginny returned to the bed, and lay down next to him. For a moment no one spoke.

"Since second year, if you must know." Ginny smiled. To anyone else, Ron had just answered something that hadn't been asked. Yet she knew, and it made her smile to know, that now Ron did remember the connection, and could still use it to read her mind. She clasped his hand gently, and he squeezed it in response.

"I didn't tell Hermione, but I asked her to come visit, Ron. You miss her, I know you do, and I guarantee she misses you too. And, for what it's worth, I think you should tell her." Ginny squeezed Ron's hand again, and he began to chuckle.

"You two have had a sneaking suspicion about this for a while, haven't you?" While he phrased it as a question, Ginny knew it was a statement. She laughed, and shook her head.

"We knew there was something, we just didn't know what. You were very good at hiding it," she tellingly commented, "although, you always have been good at keeping secrets..." she trailed off, and Ron hugged her gently.

"Don't you worry; I will always be good at keeping secrets." He hugged her again, then sat up, and moved towards the door. "Come on, Mum will have breakfast started by now." He held back his hand, and, taking it gently, Ginny let him lead her downstairs.

Breakfast was a silent ordeal in The Burrow now, punctuated only by murmurs of compliments, and requests for salt or honey. Ginny, who missed the chaos the most in the family, was the first to interrupt the forth silent breakfast. "I invited Hermione to come stay, I hope you don't mind, just I thought she might be missing us all. And her parents have been trying to get away on a holiday for a while now." Molly nodded, and looked over at Arthur, who nodded as well.

"It will be nice to see Hermione again. I wonder if she could ask her parents to send some Muggle toothbrushes over for you, Arthur?" Molly glanced at Arthur, who merely nodded. He hadn't spoken since Fred had been killed, and had lost all interest in his hobbies.

Molly looked at Ginny. "I asked Hermione in my letter, and she said she will bring some toothpaste as well, and something called an 'electric toothbrush', Dad. She says that 'they are the latest in Muggle hygiene technology.'" Ron grinned, at Ginny's obvious quotation of Hermione.

Molly smiled sadly, and cleared away the plates. As she did so, Ron heard a small voice in his head. Ron...thank you.

He grinned at his sister, and smiled. You too, Ginny.

He watched his sister's face light up when she heard him. Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Ginny, do you want to come de-gnome the garden with me?"

Ginny smiled. "Of course, Ron."