Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. I'm very sorry for the long wait on this chapter….but I must admit I have had no motivation because of the lack of reviews from the first chapter. I realize that these sorts of things take time, so I will continue writing this story anyway. However, you have no idea how much it would help me if you could just take a minute after you read my story to review. If you are an author, you know how difficult and disappointing it is to work on a story only to find that no one appreciates your work.
On a slightly less serious note, I've noticed that in some of your reviews, you are questioning why the title is only about a certain red-head and not the entire trio. I assure you that if you stick with this story, you will discover the answer. And now onto the story!
Chapter 2: Rabble of Red-heads
If Ron had been wise, he would have known to savour every last bit of his cousin-free week. However, being Ron, his days before the fateful Easter Break at the Burrow consisted of being in a constant state of grumpiness. The playful mood he had been in the day he was at the hospital wing had worn off as quickly as it had come. All Ron seemed to be doing nowadays was complain - about his cousins, about how he never had a break to himself, about how he would be on overload with N.E.W.T. preparation. And this was just in Transfiguration alone that Ron managed to share this information with Harry and Hermione.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she successfully attempted to transfigure the baby seal into a kitchen table. "Honestly, Ron," Hermione began as the squealing animal became rigid and wooden, "You'll be fine. In case you've forgotten, Harry and I are helping too, remember? And you know that I am going to help both of you with your N.E.W.T. studying. For goodness sake, I should be the one losing all rational thought these last few weeks before school ends. Yet I'm not."
Both Ron and Harry were surprised. Every year, at least two months before the final exams, Hermione would draw out study-schedules for all three of them, allowing breaks only for meals. When Harry became the captain of the Quidditch team last year, Hermione almost persuaded Harry to cut practices to one night a week as the year drew to a close, in order to allow more time to hit the books. However, she knew how important Qudditch was to him, so she cut more precious study time from both his and Ron's schedule. These weeks before exams were very tense, and you had to be extremely careful while approaching Hermione while studying. You might as well put a sign on her that said "Dangerous: Proceed with Caution".
And now, all of a sudden, Hermione was very cool and collected about the whole thing. Harry figured that if anything, Hermione would be even more spastic about it then all the previous years at Hogwarts combined, considering it was the most important exam most of them would ever take.
"Yeah, Hermione, why is that?" Harry asked with innocent curiosity.
"No particular reason, I guess…" Hermione said in an off-tone. She didn't quite meet his eye.
Ron interrupted. "Will you two get back to the subject, please? Tomorrow we have to go meet my cousins. All twenty-seven of them. And all ranging in age from just 3-10." The mere thought of it was giving Ron a mild anxiety attack.
The bell rang that marked both the end of Transfiguration and the end of classes until Easter break was over. Most of the kids gave a shout of joy, except for Ron, who gave a shout of terror.
"Well, it's official. This time tomorrow we will be in the clutch of the 27-headed monster."
The next morning, Harry and Ron met Hermione down in the common room with their luggage all packed for the week ahead of them. Soon after, they found themselves on the train back to Platform 9 ¾. Harry thought it an odd experience.
"Isn't this strange? Riding on the train, I mean? It just seems strange for us to be riding it this time of year. We usually only ride it in September and June."
"Well, my first year I went back home on the train for Christmas." Hermione replied. She sighed. "I wish I hadn't. I wish I could have been there with you when you were looking into the Mirror of Erised all those nights…"
They were silent for a few moments. On the rare occasions that anything even loosely connected to Harry's parents came up, it was never awkward. Instead, it was a moment to just sit in respect and memory. The little Harry knew about his parents he shared with Hermione. He passed on to her everything that Sirius, Dumbledore, Lupin, and Hagrid ever told him, and it became a special bond that only the two of them shared. Not even Ron knew these stories of Lily and James and their adventures at both Hogwarts and Godric`s Hollow.
At this particular moment on the train, Ron happened to be snoring, a sure sign that he would be out cold for the entirety of the train ride. Harry and Hermione jumped at the opportunity to talk about Lily and James.
"I wonder what they did on holidays." Harry asked quietly. "Is that stupid? I mean, its a little detail. I wonder what they had for dinner, and if they had family over. Did they eat in the dining room? If we even had one?" Harry paused, then continued. "It's stupid of me. I probably should be thinking of other things, like who they were and what they did for a living."
"No, not at all. I think it's the little things that count. Do you think I'm friends with you because of your evil lord-vanquishing abilities?" Hermione smirked.
Within a split second the mood had turned from bittersweet to light and fun. Soon the pair of them was talking loud and animatedly, and to their great surprise, Ron even woke up to join the fun.
"Oh, what a disappointment," Harry kidded. "And to think I was actually looking forward to a Ron-free journey. Silly me."
"Ha bloody ha ha, Harry." Ron said with a cold tone that didn't quite match his eyes that were dancing with laughter. "See how cocky you are this time next week, eh? Once your clothes are ripped to shreds by the manic Weasley cousins."
When the train arrived in the station, Harry, Ron, and Hermione disembarked and looked around for Mrs. Weasley. Soon they found her plump figure and pleasant face in the midst of the crowd, waving enthusiastically and beaming at all three of them.
"Oh, I'm so glad you could make it!" Mrs. Weasley enthused as she made her way over to them in order to help with bags. She took a look closer at Ron and squinted her eyes. "Ronald? Is everything all right dear?"
"Yes, mum," Ron said with a smile, although it was obviously fake and very forced.
"You look a bit, well…constipated, dear. How about when we get home I'll get-"
"MUM!" Ron shouted, his ears bright red now, as Harry and Hermione cackled in the background. "I'm FINE! Let's just get this bloody ordeal over with!"
"I don't like your tone, Ronald Billius Weasley. You better get rid of that temper before we get back to the house. Your cousins are waiting for you and your friends and I daresay they wouldn't be very happy if they had to be in the company of a tetchy older cousin."
Ron grew pale. "They're already there? But, mum! I thought they weren't coming till tomorrow!"
"Well, you thought wrong, dear. Now come along."
Harry and Hermione exchanged amused looks before they followed Mrs. Weasley to the car.
Harry and Hermione had expected the Weasley kids to be a little bit rowdy, but nothing prepared them for the sight they saw when they first arrived at the Burrow. Arthur was trying rather pathetically to round the children up, all 27 of them, who were all running around screaming, fighting, and basically wreaking havoc upon the house.
"JAMIE!!! GIVE ME BACK MY TOY CAULDRON RIGHT NOW!!!" screamed a small girl about 6 years old with short red pigtails and a nose sprinkled with freckles.
A boy with the toy cauldron box on his head and the actual cauldron in his hand, a boy Harry took to be as Jamie, stuck his tongue out at the girl and ran away.
The girl screamed like there was no tomorrow.
Ron just stood there, lost for words, apparently in shock, and also giving Harry and Hermione a glance that said 'I told you so.'
At that moment Mrs. Weasley screamed at the top of her lungs. "EVERYONE OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW! FORM A SINGLE FILE LINE! QUIET NOW, CHILDREN!"
Harry stared in amazement as all twenty-seven kids abruptly formed a single file line and trampled outside into the backyard without saying a word. He, Hermione, and Ron followed.
"Now," Mrs. Weasley began to say to the children. "Ron and his friends Harry and Hermione will be taking care of you for the week. I'm sure they'll think of plenty of fun things to do and you'll all have great fun."
At this particular comment Ron snorted loudly. Hermione elbowed him.
Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry and Hermione. "I would you two to meet Sarah, Abigail, Christopher, Jamie, Erica, David, Victoria, Natalie, Corrance, Daniela, Emily, Charlotte, Matthew, Samantha, Peony, Prudence, William, Peter, Benjamin, Clancy, Alan, Kirsten, Josephine, Douglas, Cody, Margaret, and Ember Weasley."
Harry was awestruck by seeing so many red-headed children at once. By looking at Hermione he could tell she was thinking that this was going to be a long week. And he agreed.