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SIYE Time:22:40 on 28th March 2024
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What Goes On
By notadryeeye

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Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Other, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley
Genres: Angst, Drama
Warnings: Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations
Rating: R
Reviews: 47
Summary: Instead of bringing about a well-deserved era of peace and healing, the end of the war has split their lives in two. Choices and secrets have thrust our heroes into chaos and forced them down paths they could never have imagined.

Note: This is the companion piece to Restless Heart Syndrome and covers those years and the stories between the final battle and where that story picks up.
Hitcount: Story Total: 26640; Chapter Total: 3079





Author's Notes:
Hello, all! I apologize once again for the length between updates. As I'm hoping to alternated POV with each chapter--you're getting a Ginny chapter with this one.

And just to note, I did change the name of this story. I noticed that another, more recent story on here had titled it the same--and not wanting to have any confusion--I just went ahead and changed it to "What Goes On." Enjoy!




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Her father had been right.

Over the course of the next few days, Ginny found it in herself to reenter the land of the living and spent more time away from the solitude and protection of her room. She found it in herself to join her mum in the kitchen and to spend some time curled up in the window seat with a book–enjoying the rare winter sunlight.

She’d even gone for a walk in the chill air on the grounds around The Burrow–enjoying the fresh air and the quiet of the land around them.

Ginny only had to wait until the next day before she came face to face with her brothers for the first time since finding about the pregnancy.


Bill and Charlie had been the first to show their faces. The visit had started off fairly awkward–her brothers not knowing exactly how to broach the obvious elephant in the room. But after a few minutes of skating around the more serious conversation–they’d both finally been able to voice their shock. After a lot of head shaking and comments of disbelief, the three of them had finally let the tears flow freely.

Her brothers–however knocked for a loop they were about their little sister’s pregnancy–had vowed their support and their love and promised to be there to help in whatever way they could. The siblings had embraced, sharing words of encouragement and love before her two eldest brothers had departed.

The meetings with George, Fred and Percy had gone much the same way as the first. They’d all responded in their own ways as their particular personality dictated. Percy had been reserved at first, but after a few minutes he’d wrapped her into a warm and comforting hug. He’d never been one to display an abundant amount of outward, brotherly affection, but Ginny felt nothing but love as he held tight, whispering of encourage and support.

And much as she expected, her interactions with her twin brothers had not stayed somber or sad for long–by the end of their conversation, the two of them had succeeded in making her laugh for the first time weeks. The smile on her face that they left as they said their goodbyes that evening did not feel foreign or forced, and for the first time since this nightmare began, the helpless feeling did not seem so overwhelming. She felt so loved by her family.

It was the last meeting that she had been most worried about, however…

He hadn’t come alone. Hermione was with him when they visited her in her room.

They were together most of the time these days–partially out of habit–but mostly because Ron was having an incredibly hard time dealing with the aftermath of the war and she imagined Hermione was purposely keeping an eye on her boyfriend.

Ginny had heard whispered conversations between her parents and some of brothers about the youngest of the Weasley sons. She’d only caught snippets, but apparently they were all becoming increasingly concerned about his drinking and new penchant for disappearing for periods of time.

So they had come together to see her–Hermione engulfing her straight away in a sisterly hug before joining Ginny as the two sat cross-legged on her bed.

Ron however had chosen to move towards the window that overlooked their front yard without so much as casting a glance at the bed where his girlfriend and sister sat.

Ginny cast a worried glance at Hermione, who could only manage an unsure shrug in response before launching into her own particular line of questioning about how Ginny was feeling.

Ginny tried to stay in the moment, quietly answering Hermione, while trying to keep an eye on her brother, who continued to stand with his arms crossed over his chest–staring out over the darkening land.

“Your mum said you’ve talked about finishing your last year…when they open things back up in a few weeks…” Hermione probed gently.

“I’ve thought about it,” Ginny admitted as she picked at a stray thread on her quilt. “I’m not going to actually go back….I thought about possibly completing the year by correspondence. Seeing if they’d allow me to study on my own, send me some assignments or something and take my N.E.W.T’s sometime this summer…”

“That’s a good possibility,” Hermione mused. “They’ve always allowed students were home-schooled or didn't attend Hogwarts to schedule their own exams. You could always wait until after…the baby is born…”

Ginny nodded, but before she could bring herself to respond, she was cut off.

“I just want to punch him in the face.”

The words were gravelly and oddly stark in the quiet of the darkening room.

Both Hermione and Ginny jumped just a bit at the sound of them and their eyes automatically travelled from one another, to the figure still standing by the window, facing away from them.

“Ron…” Hermione began worriedly. But Ron began to shake his head.

Slowly, he turned away from the window and back towards them.

“It’s not supposed to be like this. You’re not supposed to be alone,” he continued as his face contorted.

“He should be here–for you and to make this better--easier,” Ron added as he looked upwards, as if he were addressing the heavens themselves.

“We should be able to be scared and, at the same time, weirded out that you two are having a kid. And as your brothers we should have the chance to be overprotective--to rough him up and take the piss out of him and then wrap the both of you in hugs and stuff…”

“But we don’t fucking get that,” he said angrily as he shook his head again.

“He’s gone. And I miss him. And as crazy as it is–all I can think of is how much I wish I could beat the shite out of him right now…because that would at least mean he was here,” Ron finished in a flurry as his emotions threatened to get the best of him.

There was a stunned silence that followed in the wake of Ron’s words.

She could see now the cracks starting to show in her brother. Ron was broken.

“I know you miss him,” Ginny said quietly. “I miss him so much it hurts.”

“But he’s not here,” Ginny said with a sort of finality she hadn’t expected. “I’m having a baby and he’s not going to be here for that and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“That’s the point,” Ron growled angrily under his breath. “It’s not fair–“

“That doesn’t matter,’ Ginny cut him off. “There’s no dwelling on whether or not things are fair or not anymore. It just is.”

“And I’m going to try my best to get on with life as it is now,” Ginny added quietly. “But I’m going need my family…we’re going to have to lean on each other.”

“And I’m going to need you–both of you,” Ginny added as she threw pointed looks at both her brother and his girlfriend. “So no matter how angry any of us are or how much we’re hurting, it isn’t changing anything. Please don’t let this consume you, Ron.”

“I can’t make it go away,” Ron said quietly as he finally moved from his spot near the window and came to sit on the edge of the bed where the two women were. “I thought that after a while I would start to be okay again…that I wouldn’t feel like this all the time.”

“It’s going to take a lot more than just time,” Ginny admitted quietly as she put her hand over her brother’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. “And it’s not ever going to be the same. But maybe one day it will be okay again…” she added as she locked eyes with her brother.

His usually clear blue eyes–that were so like their dad’s–were clouded with tears and the whites bloodshot. Being this close to him for the first time in weeks she could see just how worn and drawn his features were. He looked so much older than his 18 years.

“Love you, Gin,” Ron said quietly as he swallowed heavily. And then, with much more grace than she would have expected from someone with as long of limbs as he, Ron spanned the space between them and pulled his sister into a huge hug.

Ginny let herself give in completely as her brother enveloped her in his arms. Nestled up against Ron’s shoulder she found she was breathing just as raggedly as he was–both of their emotions starting to bubble over. Both of them were struggling to choke back deep, heavy sobs.

They stayed like that for a few minutes as Hermione sat next to them–silently wiping away her own tears.

“This kid’s gonna be so spoiled,” Ron finally whispered in her ear when the two were composed enough again to speak. His voice was low and gravelly, but Ginny could find the attempt at humor in his words.

“And as mind-boggling as this all is,” he added as he pulled away, swiping at his face to clear away the moisture still residing there. “I’m going to be here for you–both of you,” he added with a nod of his head.

“Thank you,” Ginny replied as she attempted to wipe away her own tears.

Hermione produced two handkerchiefs with a wave of her wand, handing one each to Ginny and Ron, who used the fabric to clear up their faces.

“Blimey,” Ron offered as he blew his nose loudly on the handkerchief. “You’re having a baby,” he added, as if he’d never heard of such a thing.
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