And just like that the almost perfect evening was dashed as the harsh, dark smoke brought the new ‘ministry workers’ all looking eager to start their jobs. The pop of apparation could be heard in every corner of the tent as frantic guests grabbed loved ones and attempted to flee. Only the Weasley’s and the Order attempted to fight. They outnumbered the death eaters 3 to 1 but still the element of surprise worked in the Death Eaters' favour as people scrambled for their wands, laying aside their flutes of champagne. Tonks and Lupin together battled Macnair as Bill attempted to distract Greyback while Charlie helped Gabrielle and her parents escape. I had heard Harry call my name but as much as I wanted to find him I had to hope he would be smart enough to escape instead of attempting to save me, or at least Hermione would be smart enough. I grinned internally thinking about Hermione lecturing Harry on his ‘saving people thing’. I had already stunned and disarmed the only death eater who had confronted me so now all I could do was flit in between everyone else and hope I could help them out.
Back to back with Tonks we battled Carrow and another death eater simultaneously. Just as we began to make some headway, suddenly mum’s scream silenced us all. I turned to where she was hoping not to see a maimed or dead family member but instead there was a sight almost as bad, Bellatrix with her wand pushed against Charlie’s throat. He did his best to look defiant but he couldn’t control the involuntary shaking of his leg. I felt the urge to run at Bellatrix, my hatred for the woman only grew as I thought of Sirius, of Neville, of Harry. Just as I went to move I felt a hand grip my elbow harshly, I went to pull away but saw George holding on tightly and giving me an unusually serious look. “Now unless you want to turn this wedding into a funeral, I suggest you all put your wands down and sit on the ground, okay?” Bellatrix’s eyes jumped from person to person as a child's would from sweet to sweet. “Now I heard a little rumour that Potter considers you all family. Now I know he isn’t here right now but I bet one of you knows where he is.” I kept my witty retorts to myself as I realised the gravity of the situation. Everyone, my family, Tonks and Lupin, Lee, one of the few non-order members who had remained, all looked almost petrified as they focused on the ground, some whispering to themselves as if trying to distract their minds. I couldn’t understand why, it's not like there was some big Basilisk hiding around the corner but I didn’t dare question why, for once I just did it. I picked a particularly large speck of blood on the dance floor directly in front of me and did my best not to imagine who was bleeding at this exact moment. I could hear Bellatrix’s footsteps as she strutted around the room grabbing people at random and releasing them as if playing a sadistic game of duck,duck, goose.
All of a sudden, I felt my head being turned sharply towards Bellatrix’s sociopathic eyes. If I was a poet I’d compare her eyes to some ominous imagery or something but to me they just looked dark and soulless. Any eyes I had ever looked into had always had a glint, the twins were devious, Dean’s eyes would shimmer when a new art concept struck him, Harry’s swam in self-doubt, Hermione’s shun with determination yet Bellatrix’s were just empty. I did my best to fight her grip but I was already exhausted and just didn’t have the strength left. “Don’t focus on her Ginny!” Charlie hoarsley shouted from where he lay beside Fred and George on the floor. “Oh I see, so does the little one know something that I should know? We will just have to find out what it is, won’t we?” I felt my stomach drop as I realised why everyone had been looking away from Bellatrix, I had heard rumours that powerful witches and wizards could read minds, Leggymints or something it was called. “Legilimens” As Bellatrix stared into my eyes she whispered the incantation, I did my best to focus on anything other than Harry. Out of my mind I pushed those picturesque, sun-kissed moments by the lake, the late-night cuddles where we had shared our dreams and fears in the common room, the steamy kisses in the broom cupboard on the fourth floor, all replaced by images of Harry ignoring me all summer and the tear stained recollection of Harry and Ron fighting on his birthday. Bellatrix blinked furiously as she roared with impatience. As her grip lessened on me I quickly surveyed the room hoping to be met by someone with some semblance of a plan to get us out of this, but instead I was met by nearly a dozen eyes filled with concern. With no way out of this myself, all I could do was look on defiantly at the staggering Bellatrix. “So someone taught the little one Occlumency, I guess we’ll have to use the old-fashioned methods” Mum shrieked in my dad’s arms as Bellatrix raised her wand and performed the Cruciatus curse on me.
I immediately let out a nightmarish scream, which according to everyone else was reminiscent of those which had plagued the burrow after my first year. I felt as though a thousand daggers were stabbing me while a bloody dementor attempted to rip through my chest. The pain felt never ending yet in reality the curse lasted mere minutes. “WHERE IS HE?” Bellatrix screamed, glaring at every captive with murderous intent. I could barely open my eyes but I cast a glance around at my family and saw they all looked as though they had been confronted by a bunch of boggarts. Phle… no Fleur wept beside my dad as he attempted to comfort her and a distraught mum all while holding in his own tears. Bill’s face was red with anger as he clinged to Gabrielle who had puked all over her lovely dress. Fred and George did their best to patch up Charlie but all three of them shook with fear and when I caught Fred’s eye, the once devious glint was gone instead replaced by a sorrowful tear. “Freddie,” I whispered hoarsely. I hated when the twins cried, when any of my brothers cried actually but the twins most of all. I struggled to face Bellatrix but knew I had to do something before my family got hurt anymore. “You can kill me and extract my memories from my cold, dead body but I can’t tell you what I don’t know” A look of pride swept across Tonks and Lupin’s face as they sat slumped against their table. Bellatrix looked ready to do exactly that when her arm began to burn. She cast one last look around the room but swiftly moved to apparate away calling her fellow death eaters along with her.
At the last pop, everyone swarmed around me. I suppose to help although I thought at this exact moment all I wanted was a nap. The rush of adrenaline that had allowed me to speak to the bitch seemed to have run out as I began to feel like I would after a night of firewhiskey in the tower. Bill managed to catch my head just as I fell and just as I lost consciousness I felt him swoop me up and begin to carry me inside.
I was acutely aware of the five sets of eyes upon me. I could feel the slightly itchy Weasley blanket that mum would always pull out when any of us were sick. Thank Merlin for magic or this blanket would be covered in all kinds of substances that didn't bear thinking about by now. Unlike immediately after the curse I could now feel every pain across my body. A dull throbbing encased me and even as I opened my eyes it took ten times more effort than it ever should have. “She’s awake Mum, look.” My eyes looked wearily at mum about to ask for an infamous Molly hug, something I hadn’t willingly admitted I enjoyed for years, but just as I opened my mouth she ran out of the room stifling her sobs until she reached the kitchen and cast a silencing charm. Everyone’s eyes returned to me as they did their best to give mum some privacy. People might think she cries a lot but that's only the last few months, before mum was the rock of our family, a shoulder to cry on no matter what. Now she weeped constantly and we all just felt a bit uncomfortable. “Dad just go check on her, we will watch Ginny,” Bill moved to take dad’s place at my feet, holding my leg as if afraid I might disappear. I did my best to act put out by the fact that they felt the need to watch me as if I was a baby, but just this once I felt the need to keep as much family as I could close.
I did a quick headcount of who remained, Fred and George sat on the floor with Gabrielle doing their best to distract her with muggle card tricks, Fleur tended to Charlie who from the looks of it was competing with me for most injured Weasley this evening, Tonks stood beside Lupin holding her stomach [she must have been injured as well] giving out to Charlie for being “the stupidest man alive, honestly what was the plan were you going to take her place.”, Bill watched Fleur closely as she weaved through the chaos with a bottle of dittany fixing any marks left from the fight. Her wedding dress gone in its place, a pair of joggers and an old hoodie of Bill's. Four brothers out of six were here surrounding me yet I couldn’t help but miss the other two, yes even Percy the git. I mean I’m not surprised he didn’t show up. But Ron, I mean, me and Ron had only ever been apart really once, his first year of Hogwarts and other than that it had been me and him forever.
“You alright Gin” Charlie shouted across the chaos, everyone immediately turned back to me as if I was about to cry my heart out in front of the lot of them. As if, I had a reputation to maintain as the headstrong younger sister and if I cried now they’d never leave me alone again. “Don’t call me that Charlie '' I hoped this very obvious deflection was less obvious than I thought it was because well the real answer to that question would never see the light of day. It was at points like this I wished I could write in a diary like a normal girl without getting.. oh what did Hermione call it PSFG or something. “Why not Gin, I distinctly heard Harry call you that the other day during dinner.” Dinner had been a bloody disaster, I’d been sat by Harry which I’d strategically managed not to do so far, yet here we were holding hands covertly under the table, interlacing our fingers until he realised what he had done. Realising I hadn’t responded to George’s allegation, I quickly said the first thing I thought of. “That’s different.” Probably not my best comeback but I’m tired and injured so it’ll have to do. “Why not, oooh do you only like it when childhood crushes call you your nickname” George and Fred shared a mischievous grin as they burst into verse of that blasted poem I had written. Fleur was complimenting my lyrics, Gabrielle was humming along, while Tonks, Lupin and Charlie did their best not to laugh, I looked to Bill pleadingly to end the embarrassing chaos. “Alright, alright enough, Gin.. I mean Ginny, are you actually okay?” They all quietened as they remembered the reason we were all here. “Well I could probably count every muscle in my body right now but I’m fine… I mean it stop staring like I’m gonna break.” “You held up well Ginny, I’ve seen Aurors crumble quicker than that.'' Tonks looked me directly in the eye as she said it as if knowing how I was feeling. Ashamed for screaming, guilty for causing my family pain. But of course she knew how I felt, outside my family and friends at Hogwarts Tonks and Lupin were some of the few people I trusted. In my second year Lupin had helped me cope with well everything that I’d fallen behind on or ruined in my first year, friendships and classwork. Tonks was the only female I had other than mum really to write to who could help me out. In fact in this whole room those two were the only ones who knew about me and Harry.
The whole me and Harry thing is a bit of disaster. It’s not that I was keeping it from my family but I had wanted to tell them all in person to allow for their toxic big brotherness to take place in private instead of a mortifying howler to Harry in the Great Hall. Mum would have gushed and planned a wedding while the boys would have planned Harry’s untimely demise, so we had agreed to tell them this summer. But instead we had broken up and not that that was a secret but the reason he had done it was, so unless I wanted the family to hate Harry for breaking up with me I had to keep it secret as well. Tonks and Lupin seemed to understand what had happened and the only other people who knew that were in contact with my family were McGonagall and Hagrid but somehow I don’t think that gossiping about me and Harry is at the top of their heavily coded letters.
The next morning I woke up in my own bed instead of on the couch. I didn’t need to guess as to who had carried me up, Bill the only one who felt the need to pick me up constantly not in a jokey way like the twins but in a ‘I am here to protect you o-frail-and-weak-one’. Still I had to admit it was nice to wake up on a comfy mattress instead of a lumpy couch. I got up and dragged my dressing gown on and sludged down the stairs where hopefully a mug of tea and a bacon butty waited for me. Surprisingly everyone was still here, except the Delacours. Apparently they had an aggressive shouting match with Fleur last night which ended with her in tears and mum telling them to leave her daughter-in-law alone. Now Fleur helped mum with breakfast while Dad, Charlie, Lupin and Bill whispered in a huddle. Fred and George bounded to my sides as I stepped off the last step. “Ginevra how are you feeling this fine morning, still counting those muscles or are you up for some light mischief” I was about to answer with a definite yes when mum whirled on us and started to spout something about no mischief or quidditch or even light joking unless we wanted an early funeral. I sat down at the table and started assembling my bacon butty. I could feel Charlie and Bill’s eyes flitting to me every few seconds, but did my best to ignore them because if they wanted to believe I was a little girl who couldn’t handle a few curses, that was their issue not mine.
However as this continued for the rest of breakfast I finally reached my limit. “Alright what the bloody hell is the matter with you two” I jumped from my seat knocking my mug which was swiftly caught by my mum’s wand. “LANGUAGE Ginny” I ignored her lecture on proper etiquette and instead narrowed my eyes on Charlie. Bill I knew wouldn’t crack, he was all about protecting me but Charlie enjoyed being the fun brother with dangerous ideas and stories to share with his adoring sister, he would tell me what was up. “Don’t Charlie, it's too soon we can ask her later” Bill murmured at Charlie doing his best to avoid my agitated stare. “Charlie please” I practically whispered, channelling my five year old self best I could hoping to break his weak little heart. “Where’d you learn Occlumency?” Charlie practically shouted the question at me. Bill just sighed and muttered something about a bloody soft spot. It seemed this is what they had been whispering about as dad and Lupin both looked at me expectantly. “Is that what that bitch accused me of last night?” I remembered Bellatrix raging about something after she leapt back but I was slightly busy staying conscious at that point. “LANGUAGE!” Mum looked ready to explode as she glared at me. “Cmon mum you have to admit if there is a time to curse it's when you're describing Bellatrix Lestrange.” Mum began berating the twins again as the rest continued to stare at me. “What did you do Ginny when she tried to enter your mind?” Lupin asked this question and unlike my brothers with their blunt questions, Remus spoke in his usual calming tone. “I pushed all the good memories of me and Harry out of my mind, I focused on any bad ones instead. After that I just thought about getting out of my own head.” The rest looked confused and I knew they were probably wondering when me and Harry had become close enough to have meaningful shared memories but Lupin and Tonks both looked at me with a look of tenderness, seemingly understanding what I meant. “Well Ginny I think you have somehow learnt a form of Occlumency by accident, because not only did you focus on bad memories you forced Bellatrix out of your mindscape” Mum seemed startled by the fact that I was powerful enough to do that but my brothers thankfully didn’t look shocked. “I don’t like people in my head” This statement seemed to quiet the room again of all discussion. They all were undoubtedly feeling guilty over my first year again but I didn’t care it was true, no one other than me was allowed in my head ever again.