Fire N Gold

Dom sat down across her Aunt. “I’m fine, honestly, don’t worry about me,” she replied quickly. “I can handle myself really. I’m a middle child, it’s what we do.” She moved a strand of her red hair from her face. “I was more concerned about you and your part of the family because of everything.”

“Yes, well, our side does have a flair for the dramatic,” Ginny nodded in resigned acceptance. “We’re coping as best we can,” she sighed, “in our own individually chaotic ways, of course.”

“Gin, all I did was give a press conference,” he sighed. “What am I supposed to do? Have an army of bodyguards following behind me wherever I go?”

“That sounds like like a spectacular plan actually,” Ginny spoke with a strong tone, crossing her arms in front of her. “You could even, oh, I don’t know, stay home and not get into trouble.”

Hermione pursed her lips for a moment and glanced at the door frame as she spoke, “Maybe there’s a charm you could set on the doorway, one that senses the person’s true motives for coming here. If it senses a motive that is less than honest it’ll do something to them, something embarrassing, but if they have honest motives then they’re allowed to come through unhexed.” 

“See, this is why everyone needs a pocket sized Hermione with them at all times,” Ginny grinned. “So, other than helping your crazy friend potentially hex her students, how have you been?”

“I promise I’m not going to keel over and die. Stop looking at me like that.”

“This is the look you get when you make promises you can’t keep, cope.”

“Nosey bastards pretending to be nice when really they just want to get the gossip, are the worse.” Hermione agreed, before laughing as Ginny continued to speak, “Well I have insanely glad about that. I couldn’t think of anything worse than being on the wrong end of your wand.”

“Now, that is a compliment,” Ginny laughed. “Maybe you can help me find some way of hexing only nosey people, so when they enter they can’t talk or something.”

“I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do next year at Ashworth so I thought I should talk to all the professors, even the ones with fields that I may have not considered.”

“Well I can definitely do my best to answer any questions you might have, but I only teach an elective subject, so I don’t know how much help I’ll be.”

“Oh I just wanted to know how you were doing, Aunt Ginny,” she replied.

With a strained smile, Ginny pushed her papers away, beckoning her niece to sit down. “You’re very sweet, Dom, I appreciate it, I really do. I’ll be just fine once things settle down. What about you, how are you doing? There’s certainly been a lot going on since we last spoke.”

“That’s literally the last reason I would ever come here, so if we could leave everything personal at the door, I’d like to receive the same treatment any other potential future student would.”

“Sounds ideal,” Ginny smiled softly. “What can I do for you?”

“You really should look at who you’re speaking too before you dismiss them, Ginny,” Hermione replied before sitting down regardless.

“Hermione,” Ginny sighed with a small smile. “Sorry, I feel like I’ve been plagued with well wishers and reporters. Let’s just be glad I didn’t go with my original plan and just hex you when you came in.”

“When you grow up in this family it’s just common knowledge.” Louis grinned, “Well, those two things are taking up most of my time as of late, I barely even have time for the actually dangerous kind of fun.”

“Good, that’s one less Weasley for your nan to worry about... not that that will stop her, I’m sure.”

“Nah, all the fun things are dangerous, quidditch is dangerous, charms is dangerous, girls are dangerous. Everything is.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re aware just how dangerous girls are,” Ginny laughed. “I think it’s safe to say that I condone both girls and quidditch, Louis.”

“But then I’ll never get to have any fun.”

“Sweetie, the rest of us still have fun without throwing ourselves at danger every second day.”

“Ginny, I’ve tried, okay? Multiple times. He just assumes I’m always the bad guy no matter what I say to him. When he was younger, it was because he was the Slytherin of the family and I didn’t know how he felt, even after I told him the only reason I wasn’t one myself is because I said no. Then a few months ago it was because I didn’t know what it was like being in love at 17, even though i said I did. Now he’s going off about me not telling him what’s going on and he’s pissed at me because they brought him into interrogation, when he did that himself because he got mixed up with Pansy’s son and that mess.’ 

He shook his head, “You don’t think I see myself in him? I do, all the time. He’s got that stupid hero complex. I admire that in him, I really do. Because he came to it all on his own and not because someone forced him like they did me, but I don’t need him getting messed up in something he shouldn’t be. He’s gonna run off and get himself killed trying to do what he thinks is the right thing. And I’m not pushing him away, Gin. I never have.”

“Exactly, he’s going to get himself killed, Harry,” Ginny exclaimed in a desperate tone. “I’m not losing my son, do you understand me, whether it be through you two being idiots or him throwing himself into a fight we don’t even know about.” 

“Well, maybe sometimes it would just be better if you didn’t.”

“Honey, I’m well aware you’re not a toddler any more, I know you’re out there in the world, but if I don’t try and protect you, if I don’t try and keep you happy and safe, well, I don’t know what I’m meant to be doing.”