It was a nervous Arthur who portkeyed to Italy with his eldest son. The portkey entry point was still the terrace, so Arthur was faced with everyone else staying there getting ready to sit down to dinner. He was so wrapped up in the reason for his visit that the stunning setting hardly registered with Arthur.
Millie was sitting down to dinner with Susan and Hannah, having told Ron he needed time to deal with this family matter. Arthur approached Harry to apologise for all the trouble this had caused him, he didn't get far.
"Lord Potter…"
"It's just Harry to my friends, and everyone invited to my home is automatically considered at least that. Mr Weasley, go talk with your family. hopefully we can catch up later. Oh, Poppy will be there too. Ginny and her are becoming very close, Ginny probably couldn't handle this meeting without Poppy beside her."
Arthur gladly shook Harry's offered hand, any words he had died in his throat at the mere mention of his daughter's name. Bill led him away to meet with the rest of his children, the elves had transfigured the room being used as an infirmary to hold the Weasley dinner meeting.
Entering the room, Arthur's attention was instantly on his four youngest children. He noticed at once all were fit and healthy, as well as impeccably yet casually dressed. Pulling Ron into a hug, Arthur tried to break the ice from his somewhat frosty reception by keeping things light.
"That's a fabulous shirt, where did you get it?"
"Harry took us all shopping, to muggle shops. you would have loved it, dad."
Nodding in agreement, Arthur then moved on to the twins. "I hope you are both behaving yourselves?"
Pulling them in for a hug, George was first to answer - though Fred was soon backing his twin up.
"Of course we are."
"You've seen this place, it's fantastic!"
"Wait to you see the school Harry's building…"
"Yeah, we wouldn't like to be barred from PI for pulling pranks - before it even opens."
"We had also to promise to do our best…"
"Shows how much we want to come here…"
Shaking his head was Arthur's usual response to dealing with his twins, it felt like a little normality had returned to his life. Arthur then moved his attention to his beloved daughter. Seeing Ginny practically hiding behind Poppy, and the clear apprehension on her face his presence was causing, was breaking her father's heart.
"Ginny, I'm not here to take you back to the Burrow. You have four brothers and Poppy here who wouldn't let me - and don't forget Harry would certainly put a swift stop to that idea too. The Headmaster at this new school of his might actually look after its students…"
Ginny whispered her first word. "We've got a Headmistress… I want to go here…"
"You have my promise there will be no Weasleys attending Hogwarts while Dumbledore is headmaster. I will never trust that wizard again."
A lot of the tension left the room after Arthur said that, Ginny still practically hiding behind Poppy was killing him though. "I think I'll go home now. I just had to see you were all well.." Tears were running down his cheeks as Ginny then tentatively approached her now crying father.
"Stay, have dinner with us…"
Arthur didn't move, rather waited until Ginny began to wrap her arms around his waist before pulling his daughter into a needy hug. There wasn't a dry Weasley eye in the room so Poppy got them all to sit at the table. Ginny ended sitting between her father and Poppy, with Bill sitting across from her, as the Weasley family began to repair bonds that should never have been placed under that amount of stress in the first place. This was merely the first step however, but then that's how all journeys begin.
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