Celebrate Now

Harry kept reminding himself that Chris was really there with them. It was still hard to believe for him that she was in front of him again. His green eyes followed her as she moved around the living room and the kitchen of Bill and Fleur's cottage, she played with baby Teddy while talking to Tonks, Remus, and Fleur. Chris smiled, talked, grimaced, and chuckled, and Harry just watched her with a stupid smile on his face while nodding to whatever Sirius, Aurelia, and Cedric were talking about without having any clue whatsoever what are they talking about. His focus was completely on Chris. She was back.

Harry's fixation was broken by Bill's raised voice, everyone in the room turned to the corner where the Weasley siblings looked in the middle of an argument.

Harry had an idea what the argument was about even before listening to what were they saying. It was about Ginny faking her death. Harry knew it was going to get messy when Ginny decided to do that without telling all her brothers and parents. Not only that, even when she told Ron, Harry and Hermione, she made them swear, so they wouldn't tell anyone else, which also left Ron in a bad situation with his family. As expected, Bill, Fred, and George were upset and angry at Ginny and Ron . . . and probably at Hermione and Harry too.

Harry thought for a moment about whether he should get involved or not, but when he saw Fleur joining the siblings and Hermione, with a sigh, he walked over to them.

" . . . that wasn't a very nice thing to do, Ginny. Your mum and dad were so upset, and Bill was devastated," Harry heard Fleur telling Ginny in her thick French accent and patronizing tone, which Ginny hated the most.

"I know that, Fleur," Ginny glared at her sister-in-law. "Stop talking to me like I'm a kid who made everyone else suffer because of her impulsive decision."

"Ginny! You cannot talk to Fleur like that. She isn't wrong. Do you have any idea what we went through?" Bill looked tired and frustrated.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Bill and turned to Fred and George, who looked equally sour.

"Maybe we should —" Hermione tried to step in but Fred glared at her.

"Please don't, Hermione. You have no right to tell us how we should feel right now. You knew our sister was planning to fake her death and you thought it would be ok to keep it from me."

Hermione froze.

"Fred, I'm —"

"No! I don't wanna hear it. I know she made you do this. But you should have known what I felt when I thought my only sister was dead! But still, you didn't warn me, in fact, you left. Did you know how I was? I thought my sister was dead, my mum almost got bedridden, and I had no clue if the girl, I'm in love with, was alive or not!" Fred was shaking looking furious.

"I'm sorry," Hermione mumbled with her trembling lips and tears streamed down her face.

"I also didn't know if you all were alive or not, Fred!" Ginny burst out suddenly. "I knew if I suddenly go missing, they would suspect and interrogate you all. Dad still worked at the Ministry, and you all were going out every day, what if they captured one of you thinking you all knew where I was and where Chris was? Telling you all would have put you in more danger and mum would never agree to let me go. Neither would you all if you knew what I was planning."

"But you should have told us, Ginny," George sighed. "We could have handled it."

"No, you —" Ginny looked around desperately for anyone to support her. Harry stepped forward to defend Ginny, he knew how hard it was for Ginny to do that kind of thing, and even though it was a little reckless, it was a smart move on her part. She was related to Chris and if anyone knew she was alive, they would have used her and Weasleys to get to Chris, the same way their enemies would have done with Ron if he didn't fake his illness to go with Harry. But before Harry could say anything Chris reached Ginny and addressed her brothers.

"Bill, Fred, George, I know what you guys went through wasn't right but Ginny was trying to protect you, just like the way I was, thinking that not knowing would keep you all safe. And I was wrong," Chris sighed looking defeated. "I was so close to this fight with Malgino that I forgot this is more than me. It's a war. And Ginny was with me in this since the beginning. She, Luna, and Colin all three of them were, so it was too close for them too. Sorry, we failed to notice the bigger picture and the situation we all are in. And I am really sorry for all the pain I have caused directly - indirectly. I am sorry."

Chris's eyes swept over everyone as she apologized, and stopped at Harry. Harry held her gaze for a long moment, since the moment they met in the graveyard, Chris felt different to Harry, the way she held him, apologized to him again and again, there was a familiar warmth to it but there was something unfamiliar. There was an unfamiliar openness to Chris. A vulnerability. Something Harry only had a few glimpses of before.

"You both are —" Bill sighed looking from Ginny to Chris. "How did you hide your trace?"

"We are of age," Ginny answered.

"That's not possible," Bill frowned in confusion. "When you left we were six—"

"Time Turner," Chris supplied when Ginny hesitated.

Bill looked surprised and was about to say something but Aurelia cut in.

"Bill, I am not going to say how you all should feel right now. But Ginny is alive, and so are Chris, Luna, and Colin, and they came back today. On Christmas. It's worth celebrating isn't it?"

Bill looked over everyone in the room and finally nodded.

"But —" Fred protested.

"Let's drop it for now," Bill told him.

The twins didn't look happy but didn't argue anymore. Sirius took this opportunity and opened a bottle of wine and started pouring everyone a glass. Fleur pulled Bill towards Sirius and after giving Ginny a look Fred and George also followed Bill and Fleur.

Aurelia took a few glasses from Sirius and walked over to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Chris. She handed them the wine one by one.

"Tomorrow morning, you are going to your aunt's house and meeting your parents," Aurelia told Ginny while handing her glass.

"Aurelia —" Ginny's eyes widened in fear.

"No, no excuses. Since you all are adults now. You need to take responsibility for your actions." Aurelia replied seriously and turned to Hermione. "And Hermione, don't worry, Fred will come around. He is just hurt right now."

Hermione nodded slightly, taking her glass from Aurelia.

"But let's worry about that tomorrow, for now – Merry Christmas!" Aurelia shouted the greet loudly for everyone and clinked glasses with Chris, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

"Merry Christmas," Harry smiled clinking his glass with Aurelia and Chris.

⟦To be continued⟧

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