Innocent Eyes

Innocent Eyes

Chapter Six

            Harry and Hermione sat in silence for about two minutes while Hermione decided how to unveil the information she had found at work.  When she arrived at the office she found that Mrs. Weasley had already gotten news of the adoption and ordered that she take off for a while too.  Hermione wasn’t too pleased, but decided not to put up a fight when Charmain deserved a little more attention for the first few weeks in a new environment. 

Then, as she tidied up her desk and prepared to leave it for the long weeks of vacation she came across an envelope with a copy of the official adoption papers.  They had been processed and returned.  Hermione figured there must have been more information in these files that were more private and not kept to be seen by anyone besides her guardians.  She as always, was right, and found two family trees and one file containing written records of each of her advances and signs of magic.  She had performed some form of magic everyday since the day she had been born, and that was very unusual.  The average for a child not having attended school and performing magic was about once a month depending on the child and their MBC (Magical Blood Content).  Obviously Charmain’s was very high, and blatantly abnormal.

            So Hermione went down to find out the cause for such an occurrence and had decided it was imperative she tell Harry the possibilities.  Their little Charmain was a very powerful being.

“Harry I don’t really know how to tell you this,” Hermione started.  She was at a loss for words.

“Hermione as Charmain’s parents we have to communicate for her well being, now just…say it,” Harry said.  He was still a little unhappy about not talking about their kiss and didn’t in a million years think that this thing about Charmain could be so extravagant that Hermione was stalling. 

‘She was a great kid, but what did Hermione find out?  That she was Voldemort’s daughter?’  Harry’s face flashed with fear at the thought.

“She isn’t, um evil, right?” He asked timidly.

“No, Harry, don’t be ridiculous!” Hermione said. 

“Well, then what is it?” Harry asked again.

“She, well first of all I’ve been ordered on a vacation until further notice.  The doings of Molly Weasley, of course, and it isn’t such a bad idea since Charmain deserves to spend quality time with us.  I think we’ll make very good use of it.  We can go to the park tomorrow, and Ginny and I will take her shopping again next week.  By the way did I tell you that Ginny wants to have a baby, isn’t that something.  Charmain would love to play with it…”

“HERMIONE, GET A GRIP!” Harry said loudly to snap her out of her babbling. “Please, just tell me what’s so important before it kills me!”

“Thanks, I’m sorry,” said Hermione sheepishly.

“It’s alright, now spill.”

“I was cleaning my desk since it would be unattended and found that Mr. Weasley had sent us a copy of the legal adoption papers and more information on Charmain.  We had a few, but this contained many files.  So, I sat down with some tea and read them.  There were two family trees, one of the Malfoys and Aiglentines.  The Malfoys aren’t too spectacular, but Draco is Charmain’s second cousin once removed.  In other words Lucius and Ciara Malfoy’s fathers were cousins.  Draco and Ciara were second cousins, and so Ciara’s daughter would be his second cousin once removed.  I know, but it gets even more complicated,” Hermione said when she saw Harry’s face scrunched in confusion. 

All he had wanted to know was that they were distantly related, but she went and confused him.  He liked it though because it reminded him of how smart she was.  She looked absolutely radiant when she was on the brink of discovering something in a Nancy Drew sort of way.

“Harry, are you listening?” Hermione asked when the confusion on his face changed into a cloudy expression.

“What, yes, go on, what else was there?” Harry asked.

“Okay, so as I was saying it gets more complicated.  The Aiglentine family tree goes back much farther than the Malfoy’s.  The Malfoys stay in France and have a long lineage of dukes and so on, but the Aiglentines actually began in England.  They don’t have a long line of knights or kings, but they have ancient magic in them, and I suppose a bit of royalty depending on what your main focus is.  From the old times when the muggle and magical world still coincided, before they segregated and separated themselves from one another.  Do you remember Arthurian Legend Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Uh, which one?” Harry asked knowing there were many, but she had caught his interest with more than her adorableness.  Now he really wanted to know what she found out about their little Charmain.

“It doesn’t matter.  The most important thing is Morgan Le Fay’s deception of her brother Arthur and she conceiving a son with the help of the dark witch Mab; Morgan liked to think herself a witch too, and it got her in all sorts of trouble.  So, Morgan Le Fay’s child, her son, Mordrid, kills Arthur.  Mordrid was the Aiglentine’s last relative in England.”  Hermione said trying to make it as clear as possible.  The family tree had been very confusing, but that’s why she was at work for two hours.  She was deciding the most productive way to make it believable and still have it make sense.  She still couldn’t trust it.

“Ugh, I forgot about the part where she sleeps with her brother,” Harry said making a face, and smiling when he saw Hermione almost laugh.  Then she put on a stern impression that would even make McGonagall proud.

“Harry stop it, this is serious!  Mordrid had bed a servant woman before he died and she ran to her home country of France to sell the baby because she couldn’t afford it.  Especially since it was magical and dangerous, but very valuable.  The baby was given the surname Aiglentine, which was really its father, Mordrid’s, middle name.  The baby was a boy and ended up being raised as a squire.  So, the line continued.  The Aiglentine’s had consecutive sons.  In other words Mordrid’s son married and his wife bore a son, his son married, and they had a son, but the one who didn’t marry bore a daughter.”

“So, is the daughter Charmain?  That doesn’t make sense though, because Marquis Aiglentine and Ciara Malfoy were married.  You told me yourself yesterday,” Harry countered remembering how she had told him on the couch and the impending conversation and tickle-fight it had started. 

“Nice observation, but it must have been before they married.  Marquis wasn’t married to this woman, and that’s why it shamed the family name.  The baby and its mother were killed because he was a coward.  Charmain was his second daughter.  In other words Charmain would’ve had a stepsister.  See this is the interesting part because none of Mordrid’s decedents lived long enough to have two children.  Marquis was the first, and the first to have daughters.”

“How could it have been covered up though?  He should’ve been sent to the French equivalent of Azkaban,” Harry said wondering how something could fly under the French Ministry’s radar.  During the war all law enforcement branches of the ministries were very tactful and efficient.

“All the ancient magic that had gone into creating her very distant grandfather, Mordrid, was put into Charmain’s blood.  That’s the only explanation to why her MBC is so high.  The papers didn’t say anything about her relatives after Mordrid being exceptionally powerful.  It was some sort of recessive gene.  The same magic that made it possible for Morgan to trick her brother and for Mab to create a warrior bold enough to kill Arthur; it had been carried on silently for centuries until Charmain was born and it landed in her veins.  No one can handle that much magic in his or her blood as a baby, and that’s why I’m almost certain…she’s a Fate.  Only females can be Fates.”  Hermione said expecting a big reaction from Harry, but unlike her he really didn’t appreciate History of Magic.

“Yes, but what in the hell is a Fate?”  Harry asked never hearing of such a thing.  It couldn’t have been a magical creature, but surely it wasn’t similar to a goblin.

“A fate knows things.  Now, the Greeks they had three, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos who actually decided the length of a person’s life, but before you fear Charmain is far from any power of that sort. These modern Fates can see the future; they’re better than a seer because they can manipulate people.  As a baby a spell must have been cast on Charmain to shield her from her powers, or some of them.  They couldn’t have possibly hid them all, and that’s why I think she still has the power to manipulate, even though it isn’t as strong as a grown Fate.  Meaning that what she thinks is best for people, she can see that it happens.  Nothing extreme, but if it’s left unattended it could become so,” Hermione said solemnly.

“That sounds like a bedtime story from hell,” Harry answered thinking about being a puppet on a

string for someone to toy with, but not Charmain, she was an angel not a manipulative puppeteer.

“Yes, well it’s something no one should have to bear.  If  her damn father had just told someone of his relative then they could’ve regulated the distribution of the extra magic.  It just isn’t fair!”  Hermione said angrily. 

“Is that all you know, is that she’s a Fate?  How did her parents die then?” Harry asked little parts of the tale not matching or making sense.

“That’s not the most important thing here Harry. The problem is finding out who put the shield on her, and when.  She needs to know what she’ll be dealing with.  Being a Fate is the most horrid of things, and right now she’s enjoying the power she doesn’t really understand is unique.”  Hermione said.  She was very worried about Charmain.  She only wanted to help her.  She wanted to start training her somehow on how to either use her power for good or resist it all together because temptation for a Fate could mean death for another person.  A fully-grown Fate with a temper could be quite a dangerous opponent, and Hermione didn’t think that the young girl should find her history out in the wrong circumstances.  She was young, but she needed to talk to Harry and get him to understand in order for them to take action.

“I know this isn’t the right time, but is that what happened last night?  Was it just her power over us?  Is that why you’re telling me this?” Harry said all of a sudden thinking about what she had said about her manipulating people.  Was she trying to blame a nine-year-old girl on what had probably been brewing for years?

“Oh, don’t be so selfish!  I’m telling you this because we need to help her and find a wizard, not because of some childish snog!”  She regretted it right after she said it because his eyes flared.  At the moment though she hardly thought what was, if anything in fact was happening between them, was hardly more important than the life of someone they were both responsible for.

“You do think that’s the only reason we kissed!  What proof do you have except a hunch and some bloody paper work!”

“Harry, no…” it was no use.

 “Fine, I’ll go right into the ministry and find your damn wizard!  I’m going to prove that you’re wrong, and Charmain is nothing more than a miniature Molly Weasley!  I just can’t believe this codswallop of a story!  Fates haven’t existed for centuries!  You’re trying to tell me because we crossed the miniscule friendship and relationship boundary and enjoyed it that a Fate’s come out of air and we’ve adopted her!  Like I said, I’m off to the ministry.  Send the Weasley’s my regards,” Harry said apparating out of the room so he didn’t worry Charmain as to why he was so utterly pissed.  He hadn’t fully been listening and understanding that Hermione was concerned about Charmain or he might’ve caught that it was certainly plausible.  He knew Hermione Granger better than anyone; he knew she wouldn’t lie to him about something that important.  She never joked about her research.  People sometimes wondered why she didn’t work in the auror department herself, but that just gave her more pride to stay where she was.

“Harry you…” but he was gone.  Hermione slumped down in the chair and put her face in her hands trying not to let herself cry.  She couldn’t imagine what would happen when he found out the truth.  She didn’t know what she was going to tell Charmain, and it was going to hang over her head until she did, but Harry had to be of sound temper and not use his balls for brains before any one of them could make good of the situation. 

She refused to even think about it any more that night.  She decided to owl Ron and tell him that Harry was called in to work so Mrs. Weasley would be warned a head of time and not make a big deal out of him not being there for dinner.  Plus, if Hermione tried to tell it to her face she would probably fail and end up in an emotional puddle in Ginny’s old room.  She couldn’t understand what she should be feeling.  She was upset that Harry was too blinded by some kind of Fate-induced hormones to think about Charmain, who would become the most important person in his life.  Then, at the same time she was torn in knowing that he thought she would lie to him.

‘How could I lie to him about something like this?  But then, wasn’t that what it was?  We only kissed because Charmain’s powers made us, right?  We wouldn’t have if she hadn’t made us, and that’s that.’ Hermione left it at that and stood from her chair.

The first thing she met before getting the owl off to Ron was Charmain.  She immediately ran from her room when she heard the door to the study open. 

“So where’s Harry?” Charmain asked immediately.  She could sense something bad had happened.

“He had to go to work.  It concerned the case we were discussing,” Hermione answered.  She only knew that Harry was an auror.  She never got around to telling her that she worked in Muggle Artifacts. 

“Oh,” Charmain said and immediately Hermione was reminded of how Harry had said it minutes before.

“What would you like to do while he’s gone?” Hermione asked.

“Well, I’m hungry, but Harry said you wouldn’t be happy if I ate sweets.  He made a lot of them, though. You look like you might want them.  They look like de-stressing food.” Charmain said hopefully, and Hermione’s eyes softened.

“You know, I think I could use a pumpkin pastry.  How about we eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then we’ll both have a couple.  We have a while before we visit the Weasleys,” Hermione answered.  She was right, but if Charmain hadn’t been there Hermione wouldn’t have brought out the secret stash of chocolate ice cream she kept for pick-me-up occasions.

“Okay,” Charmain said cheerfully, and Hermione sighed and followed.  She discovered that it was hard having a child.  When you were mad at your ‘husband’ and had to be strong for them.  It really challenged character, and Hermione wasn’t about to let hers falter.  Not in front of Charmain, and she wasn’t going to risk being a good parent for a stupid kiss.

Meanwhile, Harry was busy in the ministry library looking up everything he could about Fates, and then every shielding charm, curse, and spell he could get.  It was terrible doing research without Hermione.  She knew what to look for, and Harry had no idea.  He had been too focused on the absurdity of the whole story.  Merlin was the only connection of Arthurian Legend and magic, right?  What did a kid named Mordrid have to do with anything?  So Harry decided he should start by researching that. 

His conscious knew three minutes after he entered the library and greeted the librarian that was part of a twenty-four hour rotation.  He knew that he had been a complete bastard.  Harry knew if he even wanted so much as a chance to do more than kiss Hermione, he would have to do better than accuse her of lying.

About an hour later he sat with coffee in hand, something he absolutely despised, but the bitterness kept him scanning more books and that was all that mattered. Harry couldn’t go home without finding something to question Hermione’s theory.  It was a matter of pride and not knowing if he could ask her to forgive him.  He thought in some twisted way this could be their first fight as a couple, but then realized that since his temper raged they hadn’t even really gotten around to having a decent conversation about what they were in those regards.  What he had thought before haunted him, and he left the library. A wizard with a woman on the mind couldn’t possibly do any accurate researching.

So, he decided to contact his best friend and go get pissed.

Harry mentally laughed because Ron still talked a little louder than average when using a telephone, but he was still at his own flat so Harry wasn’t worried about it.  Now, if Mrs. Weasley was there to overhear he might’ve had to abort his mission.

“Harry mum will kill me if she found out I missed dinner with the family to go get sloshed!” Ron moaned.

“Ron, this is important!  I want to tell you what Hermione thinks Charmain is because I need help to prove her wrong,” Harry said.  Ron just didn’t understand how important this was.

“Wait a minute, you’re trying to prove Hermione Granger wrong, good luck mate.  I guess it could be a fun try though.  Where do you want to talk?  Your place or mine?” Ron asked.

“Well, since I almost got kicked out of mine it’ll have to be yours.”

“You know my mum’s going to flip out when you and I both don’t show up?” Ron asked.  His mother had called earlier requesting a few of Harry’s favorite foods and a few of his nieces and nephews called to make sure their favorite uncle would be there.

“Yeah, yeah, but I’m hoping we can get too drunk to care.  After we talk it’s straight to that new bar in Diagon Alley,” Harry said.

“So I’m guessing you’re staying the night here too, and I can’t invite Luna over for a shagfest all around the house?” Ron asked.  He didn’t live in a flat; it just wasn’t Ron’s style.  He’d lived in a house with a family all his life, and though there wasn’t any family to speak of for the Cannon’s star keeper he liked the feel of a home.  It was a two-story Victorian styled place about twenty minutes from London in the Wizarding part of the suburbs. 

“Ron, I’m honestly hoping I’ll be too drunk to care if I lick a wild dragon’s dung-covered arse.”

“Wow, I’m gonna have to hear what she told you.  You haven’t called and asked me to come get pissed with you since…you saw one of Hermione’s boyfriends leave your flat the next morning,” Ron said grinning.  It had been, like this would turn out to be, all one big misunderstanding.  The guy had slept on the couch and only because Hermione had hexed him for trying something so hard it knocked him out and she was nice enough to levitate him to there.  Harry had just happened to see him scurrying out the door. 

“Yeah, but this is different.  I’ll be over after I put all these books away,” Harry then levitated each one to their proper place and with a pop arrived at Ron’s front door.

“Hey, you look like hell,” Ron said opening the door.  He was still in sweats and an undershirt even though it was nearing five.  He would’ve gone to shower and dress for dinner at his mother’s, but instead he had to owl her saying the Cannons had called a meeting and sent Luna in his place.  Luna wasn’t too happy, but enjoyed spending time with the Weasleys.  She didn’t have any siblings and her father was always busy running the Quibbler.

“Thanks, she had me drinking coffee Ron!” Harry complained and slouched into the leather couch that was very bachelor style and was just one piece of many in Ron’s home.

“Ugh, that bitch!” Ron said scrunching his face up sarcastically.  He liked the stuff if it had enough cream in it.  Harry was the only auror he had ever heard about hating it, most just didn’t have that option. Harry preferred muggle Pepsi, which gave all the people in Magical Law Enforcement a good laugh, but once they tried it, well to make long stories short a case was kept on hand in Harry’s office.

“Anyways I went to the library because she told me she found out something about Charmain.  Have you ever heard of a Fate?” Harry asked and Ron’s face went pale.  It must have been one of those things you hear about in the Wizarding world that everyone just assumes every wizard knows.  One of the things Harry never seemed to know.

“Are you telling me that Charmain…that girl I just talked to yesterday…is a…is a…”

“Fate.”

“Harry!  Don’t say it likes it’s being a werewolf!  Merlin, being a Fate is ten times worse.  How could a sweet, pretty little thing like her be a…Fate,” Ron asked wide-eyed. 

“Well, how can pretty beings such as a Veela turn into a monster?  According to Hermione she just…is.”  Harry said irritably.

“That’s bullshit, Hermione always has a reason.  Put your angriness aside long enough to tell me the story. Then you can fume all you want over a bottle of firewhiskey.”  Ron said so he could get the story.

“Well, to make things short you remember Arthurian legend?”

“Harry in the Wizarding world it’s history not legend, and yes many a bedtime story was about Arthur and his nights when I was a lad,” Ron said.  They were good memories when he and his brothers hadn’t been close to their teenage years and they used to pile in bed together while their mum held Ginny and told them all a bedtime story.

“Yeah, well that kid that Morgan Le Fay shagged her own brother to have, well that’s Charmain’s great-great-great-a lot of greats-grandfather.  Hermione claims that all the magic used to deceive Arthur got thrown into Charmain’s blood because her father, Marquis Aiglentine, was going to have a bastard child before her, another daughter, but he killed the pregnant mother, and since he was the only one of Mordrid’s kin to produce two kids.  Well, Charmain won the MBC lottery of hell. Anyways Charmain’s a Fate because of all the magic that got put into her blood.  Her sister would’ve carried some of it and they would’ve just had a high MBC, but because she was killed Charmain’s is abnormally high, and abnormal means that they qualify for a Fate’s standards.”  Harry said finishing in a huff.

“Yeah, you’ve been drinking something all right.  You’re sure it was just coffee?” Ron asked wondering if Harry had gotten a hold of some alcohol or something before he called.

“See what I mean it’s crazy!  It can’t be true, can it?  She also tried to tell me we kissed last night because of Charmain’s manipulating powers.  She also said she must have some kind of charm on her and that’s why none of her other powers show.  Don’t you think it’s just a wee bit of a coincidence the thing that could be blamed for us kissing is the power Hermione claims that Charmain can show?  She’s only been in our house for a little under two damn days!  You blame dogs for stuff, not little girls!”  Harry fumed.  Ron didn’t know what he was supposed to say.

“Harry she’s probably just confused.  If Charmain really is a Fate and she was manipulating you, well I know she’s only about ten, but you guys probably would’ve gone farther than kissing.  Hermione’s just being a prude and trying to deny the fact that you two were meant for one another.  She’ll come around and you’ll live happily ever after,” Ron said.

Harry liked how Ron could be so confident and it was a comforting feeling to think that, but Harry knew better.  He also knew that Hermione wasn’t one to make things up like this, so that had to mean she really did think something was up with Charmain and her past.

“Yeah, but Hermione was never good at making things up like that.  Could there really be something wrong with Charmain.  Ron, I just don’t know what to do.  Who to believe.”

“Why don’t you just ask Charmain?” Ron said stating the obvious.

“Oh, yeah, and she’s read all the books at the orphanage.  I’m sure she’s heard the one about the evil Fate.  You obviously make them out to be just that.  I can’t scare her, or make her think that I think she is one.  I never in a million years would’ve thought that, and not just because I had no idea in hell as to what they were,” Harry answered.  He put his head in his hands.  He was getting a headache.

“Look, you’re going to have to talk to someone other than Hermione and get their outsiders opinion.  I’m too much of a middleman.  Why don’t you go to Dumbledore?” Ron asked.

Harry pondered it for a moment and it sounded like an obvious solution.  When in doubt ask Dumbledore.  “I mean there’s also Moony.”  Ron added when Harry hadn’t said anything.

“Both are good ideas Ron, I’ll get around to it, but something more important calls to me at the moment,” Harry said standing.  The firewhiskey sounded like the perfect cure for his growing headache.

“I’ll go get dressed,” Ron, said running to get ready for a night of fun with his friend.  They hadn’t done something like this in a while and he was positively giddy.

Hermione was pacing around her living room.  She had been ready to go to the Weasley’s about an hour early.  She couldn’t wait to get out of the flat.  Every time she sat down on the couch she had to stand up, it brought back too many memories of the kiss.  IT WAS JUST A KISS! Hermione told herself, well if she was counting it would be around a good thousand. 

“Charmain are you ready?” Hermione called.  She came downstairs a few minutes later wearing a fairy green robe they had bought her the day before.  Hermione was wearing her muggle clothing, but Charmain hadn’t gone shopping in London yet, and Hermione thought the Weasley grandchildren would accept her if she looked a bit more like them.  They all wore robes. 

“How do I look?” Charmain asked twirling around.

“Beautiful, and me?” Hermione said doing the same.  She was wearing a pair of khakis and white tank top with a button up shirt over it.  She was casual, but wore a leather belt and shoes to make it a bit dressier.

“Well, I think Harry would say you looked very pretty, so that’s my vote,” Charmain said skipping to the door. 

Hermione sighed the kid was perseverant.  She didn’t want to think about Harry, but she had to know.  Did Harry say that she was pretty when he was at home with Charmain?

“How do you know he would say that?”

“Call it instinct, and the fact that he likes to look at you a lot.  Usually people like to look at pretty things,” Charmain said.  Hermione was just glad she didn’t say it was faith. “Oh, and it’s faith,” Charmain added as Hermione put the key in the lock.  They had to go to the corner to use the portkey she had made. 

Hermione had made a face at her last words, but didn’t show Charmain.

“How many grandchildren does Mrs. Weasley have?” Charmain asked while they walked from the portkey point at Otter St. Catchpole to the Burrow.

“Ten, and two on the way,” Hermione answered.  Fred and George’s wives Angelina and Katie were both pregnant with their third child. 

“Are you sure she won’t mind me?” Charmain asked.

“Oh, no, she’s still after Ron and Harry to get married and settle down, he has a sister that’s going to have a few kids of her own sometime.  Mrs. Weasley absolutely adores children, and she’ll positively love you,” Hermione said reassuringly.  What she said about Ron and Harry reminded her though, that she was supposedly marrying Harry.  They had five years to decide if they were actually going to but it didn’t change the fact that except for a few vows and rings, they were married.

“But you and Harry are getting married,” Charmain said. 

“Charmain, what we have is very complicated,” Hermione tried to reason.

“No it isn’t, you only think it’s complicated because you want it to be.  If you would just get married and accept it, then it would make my task a lot easier,” Charmain huffed.

“Charmain!”  Hermione said like she was still a Hogwarts student. “How…you don’t know…oh I ne…just don’t say anything to Mrs. Weasley!” Hermione finished. 

“Yes mum,” Charmain smiled and Hermione was speechless again.  She had just called her mum.

“You know Charmain I know it’s hard to adjust you don’t have to…”

“But I want to.  You really did sound like a mum a minute ago, all flabbergasted.  I’ll call Harry dad when he has his moment,” Charmain giggled.

Hermione took her hand as she rang the makeshift doorbell Mr. Weasley had insisted on getting and having Hermione explain to him.  He loved when people rang it.  The teakettle turned on and it kind of sounded like the whistle of the Hogwart’s Express, but he loved the invention.

“Hermione dear, come on in, Charmain it’s nice to see you.  Have you been doing well?” Mr. Weasley asked when he answered the door.  Charmain noted that he looked much more like a grandfather than a minister in old robes and a less professional manner.

“Fabulous,” Charmain smiled.

“And you Mr. and Mrs…where’s Harry?” Mr. Weasley asked.  He was ready to tease them about having a marriage license, but it wouldn’t be any fun if Harry weren’t there.

“He had ministry business to attend to,” Hermione stated flatly. Arthur knew something was wrong, but kept his mouth shut.  He would’ve known if Harry had ministry business.  He assumed Hermione only used that as the cover story for his wife and was informing him so he could play along, which he would and find out later what really happened.  He didn’t have time to ask at the moment because his grandchildren were running over to meet the charming girl next to their Auntie Hermione.

The eldest Weasley grandchild was Bill and his Greek wife Valen’s son, Orion, who would be thirteen and was home for the Christmas holidays two days early by special request.  Charlie and his wife Alexandria boasted twin girls that (Hermione thanked Merlin) were Charmain’s age and would be first years with her next year at Hogwarts.  They were Emily and Evelyn and both had a full head of red ringlets and bright blue eyes. 

Percy and his wife Penelope had three kids.  Carolyn was seven, Cynthia would be four, and they had a three-month-old son named Chadwik, but everyone called him Chad because they unanimously agreed Chadwik was too cruel. 

Fred and George’s kids were all the same age.  Their birth dates weren’t more than a month apart, and they were next-door neighbors.  There were rumors about odd things happening between the couples, but no one spoke of them.  Fred and Angelina had two sons, David and Brendon, at ages four and two.  George and Katie also had two sons, Caden and Kieran, at those same ages.  Both women were expecting their third babies around February.  Everyone prayed they would be girls.

            The Weasley grandchildren really didn’t know what to make of Charmain at first.  Orion’s eyes went wide the first time he saw her, and didn’t or couldn’t say much of anything. Hermione wasn’t sure which. Hermione noted to tell Ron he was right, no matter how hard it would be.  He might just have to tell his oldest nephew to watch it.  Emily and Evelyn were very talkative and immediately welcomed Charmain. Carolyn said hi, but wasn’t so sure of herself or Charmain, but more herself hopefully.  All the others were too young to pay Charmain too much attention.  All they knew was that they had a new playmate, and in Caden and David’s case, a new target for practical jokes. 

“Alright dears run along and show Charmain around,” Mrs. Weasley said shooing them out the back door.

Then it was the grown-ups turn to talk to Hermione. 

“So, how did the adoption come about?” Bill asked as he and Valen sat together on the couch.  All the couples were snuggled or at least had an arm around the other.  Hermione kicked herself for letting Harry leave.  She needed support right now, or at least his arm around her. 

“I read an article about it in the Quibbler actually.” Hermione answered.

“You read my article, oh Hermione I’m so glad it touched someone!” Luna squealed.  Hermione hadn’t noticed her before and then she felt a bit better when she saw Ron wasn’t with her.  At least she wasn’t the only woman without a partner.  Hermione figured Harry and Ron were probably together somewhere.