All right, my lovelies! This story was a special request from my new friend, moonserenity089. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

On a different note, this is the last you'll hear from me for a couple of weeks. I'm going on vacation and won't be back until the last day of March...so be waiting for those updates during the first week of April!

Much love,

harrys-girl-4-life

Ron could not believe what he had just done.

He didn't want to.

"Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?" Harry's voice echoed in his head.

He'd walked out on his best mate, he'd shouted at him, said some terrible things to him, and then just up and left.

All in front of the girl he loved, of course.

He winced as he remembered what he'd said about their parents.

"It's all right for you two, isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way..."

Ron shook his head, then let it fall back against the hard stone of the alley wall behind him.

"My parents are dead!"

Ron swallowed hard, tears of shame prickling the corners of his eyes.

"God, Ron. Why d'you have to be such a git?" He muttered to himself. "Rub salt in Harry's wounds, not to mention Hermione."

Hermione.

"Fuck. I am such an idiot."

He couldn't get her voice out of his head.

"Ron, no...please...come back, come back!"

Over and over, she screamed his name, sobbing and chasing after him in the pouring rain, but he never went back to her.

Instead, he was in some dingy alleyway, sitting against a filthy brick wall with the pouring rain drenching him to the bone.

Shivering, he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his elbows on them, covering his face with his hands as he tried to come up with a plan.

He needed a place to go. Somewhere safe. But where?

He couldn't possibly go to the Burrow. After Fred and George found out what he'd done, walking out on his friends like that, he'd never hear the end of if.

Or his mother! Merlin, if she found out, he'd be chumming with Nearly Headless Nick in the ghostly afterlife by the end of the night.

No, there had to be somewhere.

Too bad Ginny wasn't here, she was always helpful.

Oh, who was he kidding, she'd have his hide for leaving Harry and Hermione, not like Ron would blame her.

Charlie would kill him, and Percy was a right git, but Bill...Bill was always level headed and calm. Bill wouldn't be pleased, but he'd still help.

Plus, he and Fleur were living in Shell Cottage, the place where they'd all spent so many summers as children. He knew exactly where it was, surely he could go there!

As much as he wanted to get out of the rain, however, Ron still wasn't sure that he could face any member of his family.

Maybe he would just find a room at some dingy Muggle inn.

"Well, wot do we 'ave 'ere, mate?"

Ron shot to his feet, instinctively reaching for his wand.

Two large, dirty, entirely unpleasant looking men were standing at the entry to the alley where Ron stood, wands in their hands.

"Wot's your name, Red?" One of the men asked him, studying him as if looking hard enough would reveal his name.

"I...er...what?" Ron stammered, taking a step back.

"My friend 'ere asked your name, Red. Or 'ave you forgotten it?" Another one spoke this time, grinning maliciously and showing a great lack of teeth.

"I'm...er...Stan Shunpike," Ron blurted, saying the first name that came to mind.

"Wot?" The first man asked, taking a step forward. "You're not Shunpike, we knows him, we do."

"Someone's lyin' to us, mate!" The second one said.

"Yeah, we don't like bein' lied to. I'mma ask you one more time. Wot's your name?" The first one asked again, walking ever closer.

Ron stared at them, eyes wide with fear as he continued walking backwards. Well, he would have continued walking backwards, if he hadn't ran into the back wall.

"Well, well, well. Look 'oo's trapped?" The second man said, cackling terribly.

"You are, Red!" The first one said, grabbing him and trying to shove him further up the wall. Ron, however, had five older brothers and knew how to handle himself in a fight.

Quickly, he sank his knee into the first man's stomach, then dragged him around by the shirt and ran his head into the wall. That man tumbled to the ground, but the second man had run over and grabbed Ron by the shirt and was now shaking him violently. Ron grabbed the man's arms and rammed him backwards into the brick wall, feeling a sick sense of satisfaction when the man's head hit the wall hard.

There was a clattering sound on the ground and Ron looked down to see a wand rolling around by his feet. Quickly, and while keeping an eye on both of his momentarily disabled opponents, he stooped and picked up the wand, stowing it in his back pocket for the time being.

With one last, panicked look around, Ron grabbed his rucksack, which had been against the wall this whole time, wrapped his hand ever tighter around his own wand, and dissapparated to the only place that came to mind.

"Shell Cottage."

"Shit!" Ron swore, tripping and tumbling to his knees. Apparating made him dizzy, and that didn't help the smoothness of his arrivals. Appearance didn't really matter, though, because as he looked up at the tiny cottage on the cliff, he realized that he'd made it.

Shell Cottage, the whitewashed, shell encrusted, tiny little house that was now his saving grace. He walked toward it gratefully, hoping he wouldn't get yelled at first thing. When he reached the door he knocked sharply, breathing the sea air in deeply and listening to the sound of the ocean waves lapping at the shore.

It would have been peaceful, comforting even, if he hadn't just walked out on his best friends and been assaulted by a couple of strangers. He was very grateful that it wasn't raining, though, and even though it was the middle of the night, the moon was shining brightly and the temperature was mild, instead of freezing.

Ron leaned weakly against the house, a wave of exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks. He raised his hand to knock again, but even as he did so, the door swung open.

"Who's there?" A familiar voice asked, stepping out of the house and looking around.

"Bill? Bill, it's me," Ron said, straightening up and stepping into the light.

"Ron? Merlin's beard, what are you doing here? Get inside, now!" Ron obeyed, following him inside the cottage, right into the kitchen. Bill was already grabbing various things out of the cabinet and putting the kettle on the stove, lighting candles and lamps with his wand as he went. Ron felt a sudden surge of gratitude, and before he knew what was happening, words were tumbling out of his mouth at lightning speed.

"Gods, Bill, I'm sorry for turning up in the middle of the night like this but I had nowhere else to go! First Harry and Hermione, then these men attacked me and I just panicked, this was the first first place I thought of, so I..."

"Gods, little brother, shut up!" Bill exclaimed, sparing him a fleeting glance before turning back to what he was doing. "No explanations until you are seated at my kitchen table with a mug of strong tea and a couple of sandwiches!"

"Yes, Mum," Ron said halfheartedly, a weak smile on his lips. He really did appreciate what his oldest brother was doing for him, even if he was channeling their mother.

"Now," Bill said, once they were both seated at the kitchen table with Ron's promised tea and sandwiches. "What the bloody hell is going on? Where are Harry and Hermione, what is this about you being attacked, and most importantly, why are you sopping wet and turning up on my doorstep in the middle of the night?"

Questions asked, Bill leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on his stomach, waiting for answers.

"Harry and Hermione...well, I'm not exactly sure where they are. Harry and I had a row and I...I walked out on them," Ron admitted, hanging his head ashamedly and not touching his food, or his tea.

"Stupid git. Drink your tea."

Ron's eyes flickered up to his brother's thin, scarred face, then back to the woodgrain of the tabletop.

"It was wrong, I know. You don't have to tell me that."

"Drink your tea, Ron," Bill said, gentler this time.

Obediently, Ron took a sip and relaxed as the comforting warmth spread through his entire body. Spearmint tea had always been his favorite, as of course Bill knew.

"Then, there were these men! These big, nasty looking men, asking me who I was and what my name was, then when I wouldn't tell them, they attacked me!"

"Woah, they asked your name? What did they look like? Did they say their own names?" Bill asked, forehead creasing with worry.

"Yeah, they asked my name, but I didn't give it to them. I said I was Stan Shunpike, but unfortunately, they know the real Shunpike. No, they didn't use each others names at all," Ron said, taking a bite of one of the thick turkey sandwiches. "They were definitely wizards, though they never attempted to use their wands on me."

"Bloody hell, Ron, those were snatchers! They're almost as bad as Death Eaters. They're bounty hunters, of sorts, patrolling around and hunting down 'undesirables', say...Muggle-borns, like Hermione, or blood-traitors, like us. They work for You-Know-Who, just like the rest of the Ministry. How did you manage to get away?"

Ron was nearly finished with his first sandwich, now, and quickly swallowed what was in his mouth to answer.

"I just fought them off," he said with a shrug. "Having five older brothers pays off in a fight."

Bill smiled at this, and Ron finished his first sandwich and started in on his second.

"They didn't disarm you or anything?" He asked, smile disappearing.

"Nope," Ron said around a mouthful of food. "Didn't even try. They didn't seem too bright, kinda like Crabbe and Goyle, actually. They did drop one of their wands, though, here."

Ron pulled the snatcher's wand from his back pocket and tossed it to his brother before taking a swig of his tea and returning to his sandwich.

"I've got no idea what it's made out of, but I grabbed it anyway. After I got them off of me, I grabbed my rucksack and got the hell out of there. This was the first place I thought of, and since only family members can see it, because of the Fidelius charm, I reckoned it'd be perfect."

"Just one question left, why are you sopping wet?"

"It was raining," Ron answered simply, looking down at his still-damp clothing.

"Quel est-il maintenant?" Came a female voice from the hallway. "Bill? What is eet now?"

"In here, darling. Ronald appeared on our doorstep about a half hour ago, but everything is fine," Bill assured his wife as she approached the table.

"Sorry I woke you," Ron said earnestly, for once not tongue-tied as he looked up into her tired, beautiful face.

"Ron! Eet is all right, do you need anything?"

"No, thanks. Bill took care of everything."

"Ah, of course 'e did," Fleur said fondly, kissing her husband's forehead as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Ron finished off his sandwich as he watched them interact, feeling a pang in his heart as he wished more than anything that he was still with Hermione.

"How is our other little guest?" Bill asked in an undertone, as if he didn't want Ron to know something.

"She 'as gone missing again," Fleur replied in the same quiet tone.

"Oh, she's only out in the gardens," Bill assured her, kissing her slender shoulder before turning back to his youngest brother, who was gulping down the last of his tea.

"Well then, little brother, I'd suggest you go shower and put on some dry clothes, then get some rest before we discuss how you're going to handle...this situation," Bill said firmly, his words clearly indicating that Ron was still going to hear it for walking out on his friends, it just wasn't the time or place.

Ron nodded, rising and moving as though to grab his dishes, but Fleur beat him to it.

"No, no. I will get zem, you are much too tired. Go bathe, zen you must sleep," she instructed kindly.

"Thanks, Fleur," he replied, briefly pressing his lips to her cheek. "And thanks, Bill. I'm really sorry for bothering you...waking you up in the middle of the night, and all."

"Don't worry about it, little brother," Bill replied, getting up from his chair. "I'm your brother, it's what I'm here for."

Ron grinned and hugged his brother before grabbing his rucksack off the floor and going in search of the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he was relishing the feeling of actually being clean for the first time in months, rubbing his hair dry with a towel before pulling on a pair of blue flannel pajama pants, a red t-shirt, and a dark grey jumper. He stretched and yawned widely, turning to look out the small window at the beautiful night outside. Suddenly, a form caught his eye and he stepped closer to the window, trying to decide what it was.

It looked a great deal like a person, curled up under the flowering tree that was in Fleur's garden.

"Better go check it out," Ron muttered to himself, flicking the lights out before tucking his wand into the waistband of his pajama pants. He kicked his rucksack to the side and walked back down the hallway to the kitchen, where he was fairly certain there had been a back door.

Bill and Fleur had cleaned up the kitchen, then gone back to bed, from the looks of things. Ron walked over to the other side of the kitchen, where there was indeed a door, and opened it, stepping out into the cool, breezy night. He walked toward the gardens, paying special attention to the flowering tree that he was so sure had a person sitting under it.

"Bloody hell, it's definitely a person," Ron muttered. "In fact, I think it's a girl!"

It was definitely a girl, and now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure that Bill had said something to Fleur along the lines of 'she's out in the gardens'. He couldn't, however, think of who could possibly be there. If only he could see her face...but she was in the shadow of the tree.

"Hello?" He called out softly, squinting into the darkness when he received no answer.

"Hello?" He called again, louder this time as he walked ever closer to the garden.

There was an audible gasp, then the figure could be seen jumping to her feet.

"Ron?" A familiar voice asked.

"Oh my God, it couldn't be," Ron said in disbelief. "Ginny?"

"Yes! Ron, is that really you?" She asked again, now stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Ron grinned broadly as he took in the sight of the one person he had missed the most. The one person he knew he could trust more than anyone else in the world, Ginny.

"It's me," he said, now entering the garden.

"Oh my god!" Ginny squealed, and before Ron knew what was happening, his only sister had run full speed at him and attacked him in a fierce hug. Ron laughed, wrapping his long arms tightly around her waist, picking her up, and spinning her around. Gently, he set her down and buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply as he took in the light scent of her flowery shampoo that always followed her presence.

"Bloody hell, Gin, I thought you were at Hogwarts?" He asked, pulling away to look into her face. She was obviously upset about something, her eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, from crying but aside from that she looked fine.

"It's nearly Christmas, so I'm on holiday," she answered, grabbing his hand and leading him over to the tree she'd been sitting under before he turned up.

"So what are you doing here, instead of the Burrow?" He asked as they settled onto the ground, not hesitating to throw his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. Ginny leaned comfortably back against his chest, throwing one of her legs over his and letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"I'll be there in a few days for Christmas, so I just wanted to come here first for some peace and quiet," she answered.

"I see," Ron said, nodding. "So what's wrong, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your eyes are all red from crying, Gin. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Ginny said unconvincingly, studying the ground in front of her.

"You're lying. C'mon, baby girl, I know you. You know you can trust me with anything in the entire world, so what's wrong?"

Ginny was quiet for a moment as she contemplated how to answer. She didn't neglect to notice that Ron had called her 'baby girl', which was what he had always called her growing up. It had started because he had been teasing her about being the baby of the family, and by the end of the day it had become his favorite pet name for her. It was also a sure sign that he was really worried about her, so she figured that a straight answer would be the best one.

"I just...I hate this war. I haven't seen you or Hermione or Luna in so long, and you're my best friends...I just miss you so much all the time, always wondering where you are or if you're safe or..." She trailed off, clearly fighting for composure. "I miss Harry so much that it hurts. I can't ever stop thinking about him, hoping he's okay, wondering...wondering if I'll ever see him again."

A few tears escaped her eyes and rolled slowly down her cheeks, the wet trails they left shining brightly in the moonlight.

"You will," Ron assured her. "He never stops thinking about you, either. It's killing him, being away from you, the only way he can stand it is that he convinces himself that you're safer away from him."

"But it's not..." Ginny began to protest, but Ron cut her off

"I know, it's dangerous everywhere, but it's ten times as dangerous when you're with Harry Potter. He's going mad without you, I know it. Why, just earlier tonight I was freaking out about you having a detention and he just kept saying how Hagrid had been with you, as if it somehow made him feel better...like you were safer with Hagrid than with him. He loves you, Ginny, and I know you love him. So keep missing him like mad, but please, don't do anything rash."

Ginny was quiet for a few moments, turning onto her side slightly and wrapping her arm around her brother's torso.

"I reckon you're right," she said eventually, snuggling her head into his chest. "And so is he. With Hagrid, I'm totally safe."

"I realize that now," Ron said, more to himself than to her.

"Hey...why the hell are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Harry and Hermione, saving the world, and all that good stuff?"

Ron swallowed hard, he had been dreading this conversation.

"I...er..." He stammered, looking anywhere but at his little sister.

"Oh my God...what did you do?"

"I..." He sighed heavily. "I walked out on them.

"You what?"

"I walked out on them, Gin. I left. Harry and I had a row, I said some really terrible things to him, and then I left. Stormed off, is more like it, actually."

"I can't believe you!" She exclaimed, lifting her head off his chest and sitting up to glare directly into his face.

"I can't, either," he said softly. "I yelled at him for not knowing what to do...as if anyone knows what to do, the bloke's doing the best he can. Then after I freaked out about you I told him that he had an easy time of it, with his parents safely out of the way."

Ginny gasped in disbelief.

"I know. And I knew he was just as worried about you as I was but I was just...so angry! I couldn't help what came out of my mouth, and now I've gone and fucked everything up."

"I can't believe you did that, you git!"

"I know, all right? Gods, I wish I could take it all back. The look on Hermione's face..." He trailed off, swallowing hard. "She couldn't stop crying, she begged me to stay, but I left anyway. I so wish I hadn't...I...I love her, Ginny. But now I've ruined everything."

He tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill over, but one rolled down his cheek anyway. Ginny's face softened and she gently wiped the tear away with her thumb, resting her cool hand against his stubbly cheek.

"You always did have trouble controlling your temper, big brother," she said softly, her face now rather close to his.

"Yeah, damn these Weasley traits," he said ruefully, casually resting his hand on her hip.

"I miss him so much," Ginny breathed, her face coming still closer.

"I know, baby girl. I miss Hermione more than anything."

Their faces were dangerously close now, their lips separated by a mere hair's breadth. Slowly, Ginny's eyes dropped shut, and before either sibling really knew what was happening, their lips met. When they broke apart, Ron hesitated for a split second, then closed his eyes and kissed her again. It didn't even occur to him that he was kissing his little sister, he just needed to be close to someone right now, as did she. Who better to find comfort in that the one person you trust more than anyone else in the world?

Slowly, Ginny swung her leg over Ron's legs so that she was straddling his lap, then brought her other hand up to cup his face. Both of Ron's hands were gripping her waist, now, and his tongue was tracing her bottom lip. Winding her fingers in his shaggy, still damp hair, she parted her lips and allowed him entrance. His tongue leisurely explored her mouth, tracing the hills and valleys of every tooth and massaging her tongue with his.

Ron's right hand traveled slowly down the side of Ginny's body, stopping at her bent knee before running his rough, calloused hand up her smooth thigh, her thin nightgown sliding higher and higher up her leg as he did so. He continued stroking her leg with one hand, pulling her closer to him with the other as he continued to kiss the very breath out of her. Ginny continued playing with his hair with one hand, her other hand slowly creeping under his jumper and t-shirt. She traced the lean muscles of his abdomen with her fingertips, then ran her thumb around his nipple before pinching it lightly.

Ron gasped into her mouth, and suddenly, it was like a switch in their brains went off. Ron removed his hand from her thigh and grabbed her tightly around the waist, crushing the two of them together as they snogged with newfound intensity. He groaned into her mouth and it was then that Ginny realized that she was gently rocking her hips against his, but instead of stopping, she ground her hips harder against him. She knew that she should feel disgusted, repulsed, even, at the thought if what she was doing, but as she ground her hips against her brother's rapidly hardening cock, as she felt the moisture seeping into her knickers, she found that she couldn't even begin to feel ashamed. All she felt was pure, unadulterated need...need for the feeling of his tongue in her mouth, need for the feel of his hands on her body, and above all, the need to be physically close to anyone, even if that someone was her older brother.

Ron's hand was now running up her side, quickly finding its way to one of her pert breasts. He felt a thrill run through his body and straight to his dick when he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra, the only thing that was separating the supple flesh of her breast from his hand was the impossibly thin material of her light blue, cotton nightgown. Her hard nipples were betraying her arousal, straining at the front of her nightgown and just begging to be touched. Snogging her still harder, he massaged her tit for a moment, then pinched her nipple firmly.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" Ginny gasped, pulling away from his lips.

"Oh my God, Gin...I'm so..." he started to apologize, feeling the heat rise into his face as his ears burned.

"Shut up and do that again, you prat," she panted, cutting him off effectively. He complied, attaching his lips to her neck, and kissing his way down to her collarbone, nibbling down the prominent bone when he got there. Ginny was now completely unable to control the motion of her hips, they ground frantically against Ron's rock-hard erection, but it just wasn't enough. She needed more, and she needed it now. Pulling away from her brother's assault of her breast and neck, she stood.

"Bedroom. Now," she commanded, her dark brown eyes swimming with unbridled lust as she looked down at her big brother, his erection clearly tenting the front of his pajama pants. Without hesitation, he jumped to his feet and followed her lead, thanking any and all gods that his brother and sister-in-law were in bed asleep. As soon as they were in the guest bedroom, Ginny magically locked and silenced the door, then turned back to her brother.

She walked over to him and fisted her hands in his jumper, pulling it up and over his head, then tossing it on the floor. Next she tackled his t-shirt, pulling it off slower as she ran her hands up his lean, toned abdomen. Soon that too was on the floor, and she paused in her removal of his clothing to admire what years of Quidditch training and weeks of being on the run had done for him.

"You're so sexy, big brother," she purred, outlining every muscle with her fingertips. Ron merely grunted in reply, his cock was already painfully hard and yet still managed to grow when she called him 'big brother'. It was so sexy, in a terribly naughty, dirty sort of way. He bit down on his bottom lip to keep from moaning as Ginny pushed his pajama pants down his legs, deliberately brushing her fingers against his erection as she did so, leaving him standing before her in just his boxers. He leaned down and captured her lips with his for a moment, his hands making their way to the hemline of her nightgown.

"I need you naked," he growled huskily, gripping her nightgown tightly before pulling it up and over her head. He groaned as he took in the sight of her almost naked body, the only scrap of clothing she had left being her thin cotton knickers. His normally clear blue eyes were cloudy and considerably darkened by lust as he gazed at her ample breasts and the visible wet spot on her seemingly innocent cotton knickers.

Without a word, he led her to the bed and made her lie down on it, then hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her kickers and pulled them down, tossing them on the floor. He then pulled his boxers down, gritting his teeth as the weeping head of his engorged cock came into contact with the cool air. He knelt between his sister's legs, grinning wickedly when he looked between her legs at her rosy, puffy lips, glistening with the juices of her arousal.

He quickly positioned himself at Ginny's slick entrance, bracing himself with his arms on either side of her.

"You ready?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"Gods, yes," Ginny replied.

In one swift movement, Ron had buried himself to the hilt inside Ginny's tight, wet heat. He quickly fell into a steady rhythm, sliding almost all of the way out of her before thrusting all the way back in with a grunt.

"For the love of Merlin, Ronald," Ginny groaned, clearly wanting more than his slow, controlled pace. "Fuck me!"

Ron obliged, quickening his pace and thrusting harder and deeper every time, reaching up with one hand to massage and fondle Ginny's breasts.

The room was filled with an erotic mix of the smell of sex, the sounds of Ron's balls slapping against Ginny's ass, and the various pants and moans of the two siblings as they comforted each other in a way that, right now, only they could.

"Fuck, baby girl," Ron moaned, feeling that familiar sensation in the pit of his stomach that signified his impending climax. He lifted Ginny's legs and wrapped them around his waist, which allowed him to penetrate her even deeper than before.

"Oh, fuck, big brother!" Ginny cried out in pleasure when Ron hit her G-spot, her walls tightening around him as she gripped him tighter with her legs.

Ron's climax was drawing ever nearer, his thrusts grew less precise and more erratic as he quickly became desperate for the sweet release that was looming closer and closer with every thrust. Ginny was all but writhing underneath him, moaning loudly every time he hit her G-spot.

"Gods, big brother...I'm so close..." She gasped, gripping his biceps tightly.

"Me too, baby girl...shit!" He hissed through clenched teeth, using all of his will power not to explode right then and there. It sent a jolt of pleasure directly to his cock every single time she called him 'big brother', and he was quickly losing control. Hoping Ginny was as close as she said she was, he reached between them and began rubbing the hardened nub of her clit in fast little circles.

"Ohh, fuck!" She cried, back arching off the bed.

"Ginny...I...I can't..." he gasped, his balls beginning to tighten as he clung to the very last shred of his resolve.

"Fuck, big brother!" Ginny cried out in ecstasy as her orgasm washed over her.

"Ahh, fuck, baby girl!" Ron cried, the tightness of Ginny's clenching pussy walls proving to be too much for him. With another cry, he buried himself deep within her as his climax ripped through his body. The edges of his vision went white and he all but ripped the sheets off the bed as his body convulsed and he shot stream after stream of hot, sticky cum deep within his sister's womb. Finally, the blinding pleasure subsided and Ron realized that his arms were sore and shaking with the effort of holding him up. Overcome with exhaustion, he collapsed on the bed next to Ginny, slipping out of her in the process.

His brain was already going fuzzy as sleep began to descend on him, and he fought just to stay awake. Ginny pulled the bedcovers up over them and settled down next to her brother, using the arm that was stretched out across the bed as her pillow.

"You have to go back, you know," she said through a yawn, sleepily registering the fact that Ron was lazily tracing patterns in the skin of her shoulder with his fingertips, just like he had always done when they were kids and she'd needed him to comfort her. "You need to go back to Harry and Hermione. You need to make things right. They love you, they'll forgive you. It might take some time, but they'll forgive you. You absolutely must go back to them, Ron."

"I know, Gin. I wish I had never left, but here I am. I have a shitload of apologizing to do, but I'll do anything for them."

"I love you, big brother."

"I love you too, baby girl."

Together, the siblings drifted off to sleep, never to speak of what had just happened between them. In fact, they never even thought about it again. Nothing changed between them, because all they had done was comfort each other at a time when they needed it the most.

They had found some much needed comfort in each other, and that's all there was to it.