One Big Weasley Family

It's one of the biggest nights of the year. The entire family is here. It isn't everyday the entire Weasley family gets together. But then again, it isn't everyday that a child is born into it. I look around the room. Professor Lupin and Tonks are sitting by the fireplace, resting on one another. Bill and Fleur are slow dancing to the inexistent music, taking care of her swollen belly. Charlie and Miranda are trying to get pregnant. Percy and Penelope are speaking in the corner, smiling sweetly to one another. Fred and George are in the other corner, although they're obviously up to no good. Their wives sit at the table, failing miserably at resisting their inexplicable charm. Ron is sitting at the table, apologizing to Lavender yet again and kissing her knuckles. And finally, Harry and Hermione prove to be the most useful couple tonight and are helping mum and dad in the kitchen. I, Ginny Weasley, on the other hand, am holding the very reason why we're all here.

I kiss the top of Lily's head and rock her back and forth. She smiles at me and plays with my cheek. “Oh Lily, are you causing trouble again?” Hermione playfully complains. I raise my head and smiles. Hermione's grown up these past few years. She married Harry last year and gave birth exactly 9 months later. She decided to name her Lily, after Harry's mother. Harry was so proud. The first couple of months, neither of them could stop smiling and smothered their baby with love. It's not five months later and they've finally allowed other people to hold her. I gave Lily to Hermione, who cradles her and kisses her hand. She shakes up and down a little bit, smiling widely when Lily giggles. Harry comes along and wraps his arms around Hermione's waist from the back. He rests his head on her shoulder.

“Hello my darlings,” he whispers, kissing Hermione's ear. Hermione leans into it and smiles. She holds Lily closer and Harry pulls them in tighter. They squeeze and let go simultaneously, breathing together as a family. I smile and snap a mental photograph. Hermione takes Lily's pudgy little hands in hers and waves them slightly. Harry takes the other in his. There's a silence as she squeezes her parents' hands. “Feel that grip,” Harry softly boasts; “She'll be the fastest on the Quidditch fields.”

“Oh nonsense,” Hermione kisses his cheek, “She'll be kicked out of libraries for flipping the pages of books too quickly.”

Harry kisses her back. “Chaser.”

“Author.”

“Beater.”

“Editor.”

“Seeker.”

Hermione is silent for a second. She then turns around to face Harry and kisses his nose. “Okay,” I hear her whisper. I smile as Harry smiles and they hold one another. The moment is too sweet; I turn away and make my way towards the kitchen.

“Dinner's almost ready, darling,” my mum says distractedly. She hands me some plates. “Be a dear and go set the table.”

I set the table, counting the number of chairs. After casting a charm and expanding the table and shrinking the objects around it, there is more than enough room at the table. The Weasley dinner bell is rung soon after and everyone begins swarming to seats. The chatter reaches a maximum level yet dies down once the mum and dad bring in the food. “Eat up, Weasleys, who knows when the next meal will be,” dad half-jokes.

“How many times do I have to say I've got money to spare if you ever need it,” Percy says, filling Penelope's plate, then his.

“Percy's got enough money for the entire family,” George says in spite.

There's a quiet hush as they glare at one another. Harry and Hermione sit down and everyone smiles at Lily for a second. Then the conversation begins again.

“Miranda,” Penelope speaks to Charlie's fiancée, “How is the new dragon training school?”

Miranda is the co-creator of Charlie's new dragon training school in Romania. “It is going quite smoothly,” she responds, “Although Charlie and I are having quite a lot of trouble deciding what to paint it.”

“Fireball red!” Fred exclaims.

“A calm blue,” Hermione suggests.

“Gryffindor colors?”

“Mauve! Mauve would be nice!”

“Mauve, what's mauve?”

“What's wrong with white?”

“Fireball red!”

“Definetely go with Gryffindor colors.”

“Thanks, mate.”

“Mauve is another kind of purple.”

“I said white!”

“Why have a calm blue, it's supposed to be intense.”

“Why have I never heard of this mauve?”

“Don't suggest white, that's just silly.”

“Just because it's a dragon-training school doesn't mean it can't be blue.”

“Thanks, Lav.”

“Perhaps you don't read enough, everyone's heard of mauve.

“Fireball red!”

“Enough!” dad exclaims. The suggestions halt. He points to Fred. “Fireball red is much too hard on the eyes.” He points to Harry and Bill. “Gryffindor colors are encouraging favoritism.” He points to Percy.” He points to Hermione. “I actually like the suggestion of blue.”

There's another silence at the table as he sits back down.

“It's my school,” Charlie says quietly, “And it doesn't really matter what color it's painted.”

Miranda bows her head. “Our school.”

“This family is ridiculous,” Percy spits out.

“Then leave,” Bill says.

“Don't worry, I will,” Percy shovels food into his mouth.

“What a surprise,” Ron grumbles.

“You're one to talk, Bill,” George says.

“Fleur wants the baby born in France,” Bill says calmly.

“What about our family? Or are you choosing her over us again?”

“Please, I mean no `arm. My family is extremement traditionelle. They want la petite bébé to be born in the `ospital where everyone in my family `as been born.” Fleur says.

“I really don't know what the problem is,” Lavender says, “You can all just visit them in France once the baby is born.”

“Not everyone is as rich as you are, darling,” Fred accidentally lets slip.

“Bugger off,” Ron defends her.

“Defending her now?” Charlie says, “I suppose it really is over between you and Luna.”

“Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about!” George leaps up to defend Ron.

“Sit down,” Bill exclaims, “You're embarrassing yourself.”

“You're embarrassing the family!” Ron insults Bill.

“You're all being ridiculous,” Miranda puts in.

“You're only here because you're with Charlie!” Penelope suddenly says to Miranda. “And we all know why you're with him!”

“Penelope, grow up!” Lavender suddenly spits out.

“Leave her alone!” Percy defends, “She knows how to keep her husband happy.”

“Everyone, please!” Hermione says desperately. We turn our heads to her. Harry and Hermione are busy fussing over Lily, who in the first time all night, is crying. “I'll go put her down,” Hermione says to Harry, suddenly not noticing the rest of the table. She gets up and goes upstairs.

There's another silence. Harry stands up slowly. He supports his back by leaning against the table. It's now that I realize the dark circles under his eyes. They appeared after the Second War and have never gone away since. “You're all spoilt,” he says bravely. “You don't know how lucky you all are.”

We all sit down and fiddle with our fingers. He leans up slowly and makes his way upstairs, ever so slowly. The family continues to eat in silence. Professor Lupin and Tonks start talking about their new apartment they've recently bought together. I wipe my lips with a napkin and excuse myself. I walk upstairs to the room and see Harry and Hermione standing proudly, gazing over their sleeping child. They see me enter and smile sadly. “Watch her, will you, we'll finish our dinner and come back up,” Hermione says as they walk back downstairs.

I take a chair and pull up beside the single bed. She's so tiny, all alone on this huge bed. She's dressed in an adorable pink jumpsuit yet sleeping under an orange snitch cover. Her lower lip trembles slightly when she exhales. I smile and try to drown out the rising conversation downstairs. The truth is, we're not only a big family, but we're a loud one. A loud and troubled family. The truth is, we're seconds away from being ripped apart.

Professor Lupin and Tonks are very close to the family and we all try to help them out whenever a full moon comes along. However, Lupin's becoming more and more immune to wolfbane and Tonks doesn't know ho much longer she can deal with it. They stay together, nonetheless, trying ton convince themselves their love can make it through anything.

Bill and Fleur are finding it harder and harder to cope with the unreasonable demands of both families. We're all waiting for them to leave Europe altogether and start their family in Asia.

Charlie and Miranda spend most of their time in Romania, struggling for their lives everyday as they train dragons 10 times their size. Miranda has stuck with Charlie all this time solely for the control of the training center. Poor Charlie is too love struck to realize she'll dump him the second she gains enough money from the school.

Percy and Penelope are seen home once every couple of years if they feel like it. When they're gone, no one misses them. When they're here, they threaten to leave. And no one objects.

Fred, George and their wives are becoming more and more out of control. Dad says they're doomed for failure unless they grow up and get real jobs. Their wives sometimes question why they married them.

Ron and Lavender have been shaky every since they came out of the Second War. He's been with Luna multiple times during their marriage and everyone has different opinions on why Lavender takes him back every time.

Harry and Hermione. What can I say about them? They're perfect. And what are we doing to them? We're threatening to ruin their happiness. With our loud and troubled family, Harry doesn't know what to do. He's always wanted a family, ever since he can remember. But Hermione and now Lily are all that matters. Who knows what they'll do or where they'll go when they can.

I look at Lily again. She's so sweet. So young and caring. She probably doesn't even know what she is. She's the new generation. The first generation born out of war. She'll be great. She'll be a Quidditch player and promote best-selling books on the side. She'll tame dragons and teach French. She'll be a head prefect at Hogwarts and break the rules when she needs to. She'll find friends and share the Marauder's Map with them.

Lily Potter will take every good aspect of the Weasley family and use it. She will be great. She will roll her eyes when the family becomes rowdy and irrational. Because she has Hermione and Harry. And they'll teach her all of this.

I lean closer to the sleeping goddess, philosopher, sports star and popular baby. This cute, little, tiny, sleeping baby. I kiss her cheek softly and ignore the clash of tableware and slamming of doors downstairs.

“You're going to be different. I promise.”


Dedication: This fic is dedicated to my first and only niece, who made me a baffled, lucky and very young aunt on Christmas day, 2006.

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