Harry was looking forward to seeing Ginny, but was apprehensive about a day with the rest of the Weasleys. He'd asked Draco to go with him all morning, but they both knew that Draco hadn't received an invitation. Funny, Harry thought, previously he'd always considered Draco a party crasher.

"Wing man," Harry mumbled, and threw his handful of floo powder into the fireplace, steeling himself for a full day with the Weasleys. He really wasn't sure what to expect. Ron and the twins seemed ok with him now, or at least they had while they were digging the well, but he did not want to stand up against Molly Weasley's wrath should she still be holding a grudge. "The Burrow, Quidditch," he said loudly, announcing both his destination and the secret password. Draco spun out of sight and before Harry knew it, he was being thrown out of the Weasley's living room fireplace forcefully. His glasses snapped as he hit the floor, and he grumbled.

"Sorry," Ron said as he mended Harry's glasses with his wand and handed them down to him. "Dad put extra charms on the fireplace... just in case somebody breaks the password. He reckons this way we'll have a few seconds to curse whoever comes through." "Brilliant," Harry said sarcastically as he hauled himself up off the floor. He looked around, hoping to find Ginny, but he and Ron were alone in the darkened living room. Sensing the question in his friend's eyes, Ron said, "Mum has taken Ginny shopping for maternity clothes on Fantasia street and everybody else is in the yard setting up. Ginny will be back soon I reckon. Mum's been driving her mad."

Harry raised his brows. "Fantasia street?"

"Oh," Ron said, realizing again that his friend had not grown up in the wizarding world and still did not know all the little nuances of it. "It's like Diagonalley, but shorter, and only women are allowed. It's in Bristol between a doctor's office and a lingerie store." He averted his eyes downward, as if he were embarrassed to even say lingerie, and Harry chuckled. "Come on," Ron said, embarrassed, and they made their way out to the front yard where Fred and George were setting up a tent over a large wooden table, Mr. Weasley was levitating a large pink and purple cake, and Hermione was setting the table.  Bill and Charlie were there as well, working on something Harry couldn't see down on the ground, but they seemed determined not to even acknowledge him, and so he ignored them as well.

"Hello Harry," Mr. Weasley said quietly. "I expect Molly and Ginny will be back soon. You can help Hermione set the table if you'd like."

"Ok," Harry took a deep breath. Nobody seemed to be angry with him, except Bill and Charlie maybe. At least nobody was berating him, yet. This only made him more anxious about Mrs. Weasley returning. Harry sat down on the end of the bench while Ron moved to help Fred and George with the tent because it was hanging precariously as if it would collapse at any second.

"Hi Hermione," Harry said, taking a stack of silverware. He was still sore from digging and preferred to sit, so he pulled out his wand to levitate things across the table to their proper positions.

"Hello," she said stiffly, not bothering to look up at him. Harry frowned... as far as he knew, she was still talking to him at the end of the school year, so he must have done something between then and now. He and Ron had learned early on not to get on Hermione's bad side.

"Alright there?" he queried carefully. He hated feeling anxious. Living with the Dursleys there was never a time with them that he didn't feel as though he was walking on eggshells, just waiting to be falsely accused of something or do something wrong and feel their wrath. She set her silverware down and looked at him plainly.

"Perfectly," she said, and then left him there at the table to go into the house without another word. Harry sighed. He could never do anything right. He only had a moment to dwell on it however when the tent above him finally did collapse, and he struggled with it for the next ten minutes along with Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley, to get it untangled and set up again. When it was finally finished, Harry looked for something else to do, but could find nothing.

Nobody was talking to him except Ron, and suddenly Harry felt lonely for the company of his father and Draco. He never felt judged at his dad's house, and he hadn't felt anxious around his father in a long time, which felt nice, to have an adult to be around where he didn't have to feel anxious.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Harry turned at the gentle voice behind him and wrapped Ginny up in his arms, breath taken away because he had forgotten how beautiful she was. But not before Mr. Weasley caught the way Harry's eyes lit up.

"Alright, break it up you two," Fred laughed.

"Yeah, better watch out, because Bill and Charlie look murderous over there," George said, nodding to where Bill and Charlie were now looking up at the reunited pair, anger in their eyes.

Ginny looked away, face red. "I'm sorry Harry. They're very upset. They haven't gotten over it like the others have... well, Mum still hasn't really, but she's starting to I think."

Harry nodded.  "Don't apologize, its ok. This is your birthday, just have fun!"

She gave him a warm smile then and said, "I'll try." Harry returned the warmth and then looked down to the small bump in her belly, just barely beginning to show before Mrs. Weasley called to Ginny, telling her to come put her things away.

"I'll be back," she promised, making Harry feel at ease.

"Good, and then you can tell me what's up with Hermione." Ginny leaned in and gave Harry a hurried kiss as Mrs. Weasley called to her again, impatient, and she hurried off.

Taking his turn to be called away, Harry turned as Mr. Weasley called out his name and waved to him from the side of the house. Curious, and being sure to keep tabs on Bill and Charlie and that they were in plain sight and not hiding for him round the bushes near Mr. Weasley, Harry made his way over. Mr. Weasley wasn't glaring him down though, so he felt confident he wasn't leading him into a trap.

"Would you help me get some more tent stakes from the shed by the thicket?"

"Sure," he nodded and put his hands in his pockets as Mr. Weasley smiled and said, "'Atta boy," and lead the way. The Weasley property was big, and they had several sheds in various stages of decay. The one by the thicket was the farthest from the house and required walking across a field and over a small stream.

"How have you been then Harry?" Mr. Weasley enquired when they were well away from prying ears.

"Good," Harry said. "Did Ron tell you about the well?"

"He did. Have you finished it then?"

Harry nodded. "Stayed up half the night last night tidying it up, and we put the felix felicis in this morning."

"Be sure that Ginny doesn't have any water from the well until after the baby is born. They say if a mother has that potion while she's with child then the child will be born unlucky."

Harry nodded. His father had already told him, and he wondered yet again if Neville's mother had taken the potion when she was pregnant with him.

"I heard you asking about Hermione," Mr. Weasley said as they neared the far side of the field. The shed was still not in sight, but Harry knew they'd be there in a few minutes.

"She seems... tense?"

Arthur nodded. "She's been here for a week already, and she's been listening to Molly go on about how a young woman needs her mother in situations like this. I believe Hermione has taken her side. Although," he added thoughtfully, "it may also be because Molly has doubled the protective charms around all of the bedrooms. Nobody of the opposite sex aside from Molly and I can go into a bedroom. She scolded Ron and Hermione for holding hands at dinner the other night as well."

"Oh," Harry said. It appeared then that he and Ginny had ruined things for Ron and Hermione whilst they were still at the Burrow. At least they could move away now if they wanted, although Harry knew the Burrow was well protected with charms and a lot safer than any place they'd find on their own.

Nearing the shed now, Mr. Weasley stopped walking and turned to Harry. "You've got some rough times ahead of you young man. Trust me when I say I know. Molly and I were only eighteen when we were getting ready for our first child. Nothing can really prepare you for that, and I think that's what Molly is afraid of the most. Bill and Charlie are angry that it happened in the first place, but Molly is worried that you and Ginny won't be able to handle things after the baby is born."

Harry sighed, hands still in his pockets, and scuffed the dirt with his shoe for a moment, before looking back up at Mr. Weasley. "You mean she thinks I won't be able to take proper care of my family?"

"You're still very young. I know you're a responsible lad Harry, and I know that you love Ginny very much. I can see it in your face and I could see it when you disregarded your own wellbeing to make sure she was ok after you came back from being captured." Harry looked away, not liking to think about the time he'd spent captive under Voldemort, but after an appropriate pause, Mr. Weasley continued. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, we'll be there to help. I know you've got plans to live close to Hogwarts, but there will be times, trust me," he added, "when you will need help. You can always call on Molly and I to watch the little one when you need. You're family now Harry."

Harry looked right into his eyes and remembered how he'd once thought of Mr. Weasley as a father. He sort of still did he guessed, but he wasn't sure he could get over the fact that they'd dropped him so quickly once Ginny had become pregnant.

When they neared the house with the tent stakes again Harry saw that more guests had arrived. Neville and Luna were sitting across the table talking to Ginny and Hermione, and an elderly woman with bright orange hair was stirring something in a pot at the serving table next to Mrs. Weasley.

"Hey Harry," Neville said with a bright smile as Harry approached them and took a seat next to Ginny.

"Hello," Harry said, trying to put on a smile for Ginny but feeling in a mood. He wished Draco was there and thought it was actually rude that he hadn't been invited. No matter, he'd take Ginny home at the end of the day in any case and be away from all of this discomfort. He glanced sideways and noticed that Bill was at the other end of the table staring intently at him again.

After the last of the guests had arrived, which included several of Ron and Ginny's cousins which were a few years older than they were, or who were not yet old enough to attend Hogwarts, the large purple cake was served and Ginny blew out the candles, making a silent wish, though she whispered into Harry's ear after the cake was taken away what it was. She wished for a happy ending, and Harry vowed silently to give it to her.

Everyone brought presents to Ginny then, some of which were for her like books or clothes, and others which were for their baby, including a few stuffed animals, books on parenting, and a soft baby blanket that Hermione had sewn in Gryffindor colors.

Harry heard something being mumble down the table by Charlie about how the blanket should have been Slytherin green, but tried to ignore it when he felt Ginny's hand tightening around his below the table. He made an effort to relax then as Mrs. Weasley brought over two pieces of cake and set them down in front of him and Ginny. Harry knew there was no birthday party planned for him next week, so he pretended that this was also a celebration of his and that this cake was for him too.

Over the next hour Harry engaged his friends in conversations about what their plans were, and about his potential plans to join a Quidditch team.

"I'd love to join a team," Ron said, "But I haven't gotten any letters."

"You can always go to tryouts for a team," Harry said, and Ron looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, I don't even know what else I'd like to do. I don't fancy a desk job much."

"What about auror training?" Neville asked with a sparkle in his eye, as if he fancied doing it.

Ron shrugged. "I think I've had enough of fighting bad wizards for a while." Ron caught Harry and Hermione's eye then, as if to communicate to them what they all knew. They weren't done fighting yet, because Voldemort was still around.

"Well I think a Ministry job would be just fine," Hermione said, "but they're not taking on Muggles these days."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Death eaters have filtered into high up Ministry positions and they won't even review applications for Muggleborns now."

"Hermione's applied for five jobs since school got out," Ron said then seriously. "Each time she got a letter saying she wasn't the type of person they were looking for."

"That's a shame," Luna said then in her dreamy voice. "You can come and work for my father if you want Hermione. He's looking for a new reporter to travel around and investigate strange occurences."

"Maybe that's what you should do Ron," Ginny said then with a little laugh.

Sun shining down on them as they ate lunch later that day, Harry was starting to feel relaxed finally when someone said out loud, "And where's your gift for her?"

Harry turned from where he and Ginny sat on a blanket on the grass with their friends to find Bill and Charlie both with their arms crossed standing above them and blocking out the sunlight.

"Her present's at home. It's a surprise."

Charlie sneered. "Don't you think you've done enough of that already?" It wasn't a joke and Harry could feel the malice dripping from the older boy's words.

Ginny gripped his hand again to calm him, but it was still a struggle for Harry. He was tired of being blamed for this as if it were all his fault. They had only been involved one time.

"No answer?" Bill said then, and Harry took a deep breath to himself noticing that Ron was determinedly not looking at Harry or his brothers.

"Not for you, no," Harry said. Before he knew what was happening though, one of the men had gripped his shirt and hauled him to his feet, startling Harry along with the other guests there.

"Boys!" they heard Mr. Weasley shout from the distance, but no one was paying attention.

"You're lucky we don't wipe that smirk off your face with a fist," Bill said, holding tightly to Harry's shirt. "You had no right."

"No right? I have every right to do what I want to do," Harry said. "You don't think I've earned it saving your family from Voldemort time and time again? You don't think Ginny has the right to make her on decisions?"

Granted, Harry had to admit to himself later that it might have been the wrong thing to say, but he'd been feeling on edge all day and he just wanted to take Ginny and go home to people he felt understood him. As Bill threw Harry to the ground and he and Charlie began throwing fists at Harry, Harry wondered, almost amused, that two Slytherins understood him, and several Gryffindors did not and were angry and ready to kill him. What an upside down world he'd found himself in.

It took Ron, Fred, George, Neville, and Mr. Weasley to pull Bill and Charlie away from Harry, who now had a black eye and a nice bloody nose and fat lip to go with it.

"Charlie, how could you?" Ginny was screaming, and Harry had to agree. This was her day, and they'd ruined it, and try as he might have not to, he had helped them do it.

"You're making a mistake Ginny!" Charlie shouted as Fred and George dragged him away backwards towards the house.

"But it's mine to make!" she cried out towards him as he disappeared into the house, and something unpleasant settled into Harry's stomach then. Did she think they were making a mistake?

"Harry, perhaps it's time to take Ginny with you now," Mr. Weasley said looking tired. "I'll have Ron bring her things through later this evening."

Harry nodded and took Ginny's hand, and they were gone. He didn't want to take her back into the house to use the floo, so he apparated her away there on the spot, leaving the disturbed party behind them.

Ginny was crying quietly when they landed just outside the boundary of his father's property. Harry thought a secret code, a long string of numbers and then held her hand as they walked through the barrier. He knew his father would change the password as soon as they got back now that they had used it. He changed it each time someone had to go through the barrier.

"I'm sorry," Harry told her, stopping inside the boundary to pull her close.

"It's ok Harry," she said. "I know you tried."

"Yeah but I disappointed you. It was your party and I messed it all up."

"No, no it was them. They ruined it all. I wish I could have said goodbye to mum though." She wiped a tear away from her eye then and Harry held her out at arms length to look at her.

"I'll take you back."

"No, no, I want to stay."

With a frown, Harry sighed, feeling much older than he really was. Then he remembered her gift, and took her hand with a smile and lead her off at a jog. "Come on, I've got something for you!"

"What is it?"

"Come on."

They walked quickly through the woods for several minutes before a little stone well came into view, and Ginny stopped in her tracks, just staring at it.

"Is that a-"

"Yup. Dug it out all week. It's got the potion in there already so you can't drink from it yet until after the baby is born."

"Oh Harry."

Harry thought she would stop and throw her arms around him again, but was surprised when she ran over to the well and peered into it instead. Instead of a frown, Harry found himself smiling however as he walked over to her with his hands in his pockets.

"Draco helped, and my dad. And Ron brought Fred and George over and they all helped."

"All for me?"

He nodded. "Of course. I'd do anything for you. You know that."

This time she did throw her arms around him for a moment before the walked back to the house hand in hand.

"Bloody hell," was how Draco greeted them as they walked through the front door. "That's the reason I didn't want to go." He was referring to Harry's bruised and bloody face.

Severus came out from the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish towel and took in Harry's appearance. "We expected you back through the floo."

"Yeah, I know," he said. "You'll have to change the password to the wards. Things got a little out of hand."

"It was Bill and Charlie sir," Ginny said. "Everyone else was fine but they ganged up on him."

Severus lifted Harry's chin with a finger and then motioned for him to follow him to the Potion's lab where he kept all of his healing potions. Ginny followed them in and watched sadly as Harry sat on a stool and Severus began washing Harry's face with a cloth and applying bruise balm.

"I'm really sorry Harry," she said, but Harry waved her apology off.

"Don't be. I knew it was coming."

"I hope they don't stay mad," she said. "Or we'll never be able to visit on holidays."

"We can come here," Harry said. "My dad conjures a living Christmas tree and everything.

When that didn't seem to brighten Ginny's mood, Severus said, "If given the choice between seeing their two eldest sons who are intent on causing trouble, or seeing their daughter and grandchild, I believe they will opt to invite you instead of your brothers."

"But then won't I be causing a family rift?"

"No, that is on the shoulders of your brothers."

Harry was grateful then that his father knew what to say to make her smile again, because he hated to see Ginny frowning.

After Harry's face was mostly healed, he took Ginny to the kitchen and made her dinner, and was surprised to find there was a cake in the fridge with her name on it.

"We made that this afternoon," Draco said as he came in and stole a chip from Harry's plate. "Happy birthday... cousin," he said awkwardly.

"Thanks," she said. "That's right... we are cousins aren't we?"

After Draco left the room after making himself a sandwich, Harry said, "I think he wanted to go to your party, but he wasn't invited."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about it I guess. I forget that you two are friends sometimes. I think Bill and Charlie would have had even more of a fit if he had come though."

"Yeah."

After having been separated from Ginny for so long, Harry couldn't wait to just cuddle her all night, so after Ron and Hermione had brought Ginny's things through the floo and they'd talked briefly, Harry lead her down the hall to his room, watched her unpack her things, and then pulled her close.

"I'm glad you're home," Harry said, and Ginny snuggled close to him.

"Me too," she said, not admitting to Harry that this wasn't home to her yet, and that she was uncertain about the future, and already missed her family.