Charlie and Ron came running into the Burrow through the kitchen, calling out for Ginny and Harry, only to be met by a very aggressive sound “Shhh!!” They continued more quietly following the sound into the living where they found Ginny sprawled across the sofa, leaning back against the arm, with Harry likewise lying lengthwise down the sofa — and Ginny’s legs — his head propped slightly up on the lower part of her stomach. She she had her arm not against the back of the sofa under Harry’s arm and around his torso, while she stroked his forehead and hair with her other hand.

Charlie guessed that Apparating through the Gringotts wards, not to mention the ones added around the Burrow for his and everyone else’s safety, had sapped Harry of his strength. He further figured Ginny had enough presence of mind to catch her boyfriend and pull him bodily onto the sofa where she now took care of him. That’s was it looked like to Charlie at any rate.

Ron, on the other hand, didn’t bother trying to figure out what happened. Nor did he seem to care that Harry was obviously passed out while Ginny was fully awake and aware of the situation. No. Instead, Ron let out an angry grunt and made to jump at Harry. The only thing stopping him was Charlie’s dragon-handler quick reflexes and strength as he caught Ron mid-stride and clamped his hand quite painfully on his brother’s shoulder.

“Ow! What the-?! Charlie! Are you going to let Harry take advantage of Ginny like that?!”

He was met with a tightening of the hand holding him and an angry glare from his sister on the sofa.

“Ron,” whispered Ginny savagely, “If you don’t shut the hell up, I will bat bogey you until they come out your arse! I can take care of myself!”

“Oh brilliant, observant, brother. Ron. How, would you say, could Harry possibly be taking advantage of Ginny?” asked Charlie, quietly.

Heedful of Ginny’s warning, Ron answered much more quietly, though still angrily, “He’s sleeping with her!”

Charlie took his free hand and smacked Ron good and proper upside his head. “Do you honestly think that’s what that phrase means?!”

“No! I know what it means. But they’re lying down together. And one thing leads to another, and Harry’s a bloke. Of course he’s taking advantage of her!”

Charlie smacked his brother once more, harder this time. “Ron, you’re an idiot. Harry is sound asleep, how in the name of Merlin’s baggy boxers could he possibly take advantage of Ginny like that? Not to mention Ginny is fully awake. If anything, I think we may have to worry about her taking advantage of him.”

His comment had the desired reaction and Ginny relaxed somewhat as her angry face began to blush and she turned her glare onto the elder of her two brothers. Meanwhile, Ron no longer felt like he was trying to leap across the room in a single bound. Charlie spun Ron so that he was facing him.

“Ron, go to the fireplace, Floo the Leaky Cauldron, tell Mum they’re here.”

“Why can’t you send a Patronus or something?”

“Because if I let you stay, I may have to explain to mom why she’s short one son. Go.”

“Fine,” huffed Ron. He glared at Harry, stomped over to the fireplace and Floo’ed away.

“And if Mum is to form,” stated Charlie, grinning at his sister, “Five... Four... Three... Two... One...”

There was a whooshing sound as the fireplace flared green and Mrs. Weasley appeared.

“Oh! Ginny! Thank Merlin you’re okay!” she cried loudly, causing Harry to stir a little. “Ginny?” she asked, much more quietly.

“I, uh... he passed out nearly the moment we Apparated here. It was all I could do to catch him and get him here on the sofa.”

Molly nodded and approached the couple, swishing her wand a few times over Harry. “It’s nothing. The poor dear is exhausted.”

“Well,” said Charlie, “He did manage to Apparate — or whatever — through the wards at both Gringotts and here. That couldn’t have been easy.”

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips as she looked down at the sleeping boy. “Mmm,” she acknowledged.

While she was staring at her daughter running her hands through the hair of the boy who was like her son, a series of pops announced the arrival of everyone else. It was made clear to the entire group what had happened. Ron gave up on trying to convince everyone of Harry’s evil intentions and left, loudly, to sulk in his room. Bill, who happened to be at Gringotts and was tasked to help search for Harry and Ginny, Charlie and the Twins who had been likewise pulled from their store to search merely checked in to make sure that the situation was as advertised.

Bill took his brothers and Moody back out to make sure there was no damage to the protections around the house while Remus took Tonks back to Gringotts to check in with the goblins about the situation. The goblins had been understandably worried when one of their wealthiest clients disappeared right off of their premises. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took the time to speak, quietly, with their daughter. They had not had the time to discuss all the recent revelations: her status as an Elemental, her love for her boyfriend, her new position and responsibilities at school, and now all the revelations about her boyfriend.

Molly, of course, spent more time than necessary — or perhaps not — discussing the behavior she expected from her daughter, especially now that they were going to share a suite at school. Only the dim sound of rolling thunder from outside the house made her understand that she was, perhaps, pressing a bit hard and annoying her daughter. She did, however, close her nagging with one very important question.

“Ginny, I’m just worried about you. You know that.” The rumbling went away as Ginny took a breath and returned to stroking Harry’s hair, something she had not noticed she stopped doing. “I just... Ginny, we talking about it earlier, and all evidence points to it, but you haven’t said it. It would do your mother good to hear you say it; to know it’s true. How do you feel about Harry?”

Ginny looked away from her parents to the boy in her lap. She knew how she felt. When he broke up with her, it hurt. She understood why he did, but it didn’t really lessen the pain. The inference that surrounded the discovery of her nature, that Hermione was so quick to see, was true. And her mother was right. She hadn’t said it. She hadn’t said it to Harry last year, nor since they got back together. It needed to be said; she needed to say it. But Harry deserved to know first.

Without looking at her parents, she spoke it quietly. “I... I love you, Harry.”

I was a surprise to the three of them when, mumbling in his sleep, Harry replied, “Love you, too.”

“Mum, Dad, we checking the wards. Whatever Harry did, it didn’t hurt them at aaahhh! What the bloody...?!” called out Bill as he led everyone into the house only to find a golden glow surrounding the sofa that held his sister and Harry Potter.