Disclaimer: Do you think if I owned Harry Potter, I would be on this site posting?
A/N: Oh snap. It's been practically two years since I've last been on Portkey, let alone post a new chapter. I know I've left many of my stories unfinished and many people left hanging. Whether or not the readers who've read my stories are still here, I have begun writing again, spurs of inspiration in my veins!
If you recall, this story was basically a re-write of the seventh book soon after its release and horrific ending of H/G and R/Hr. Some things have changed. So if you need to be reminded of what happened, please read the first two chapters. Thank you!
Book Seven: The Deathly Hallows
By Hermione Potter
Chapter Three
Frustration Comes In the Form of Mrs. Weasley
"I can't stay here." Harry announced as he sat at the dinner table surrounded by the Weasleys and Hermione. They all turned their gazes to him.
"What do you mean you can't stay? You're very safe here!" Mrs. Weasley retorted, scooping more potatoes on his plate. He sighed and looked down on his plate which was once again, refilled.
"I'm putting you all in danger if I do," He argued, leaning against the back of his chair.
"Nonsense Harry. You-Know-Who and his followers have many places that they need to search before they figure out where you are," Mr. Weasley continued on, taking a large bite of the biscuits that lay in a basket on the table.
"No, you don't und-"
"We went through a lot of trouble." Bill countered.
"I know bu-"
"Yeah Harry. I lost an ear for you!" George replied.
"Yes Ge-"
"Mad-Eye Moo-"
"I KNOW! OKAY?! I know!" He shouted, air escaping his lips in shallow breaths. He slammed his fork down and pushed his chair out, standing up. "I just-I just need some time to think." He told them before he walked away from the table and walked up to Ron's room.
"Why can't everyone just leave me alone? Can't they see they're in danger?" He spoke rather loudly, not caring if anyone else had heard him. He flung himself on the bed that was messily made and rubbed his hands up and down his face, trying to think.
And then he heard hooting. He sat up and saw that Hedwig was perched on the sill of the window. "Hedwig!" He quickly went over and stroked the top of her head. "I thought I lost you." She cooed, nipping at her wings and looked up at him, her yellow eyes glimmering.
There was a knock on the door.
"Harry? Are you all right?" It was Hermione.
"I'm fine! I just need to be alone," Harry called back, aware that if he had an outburst like before that it would hurt her feelings.
"All right. If you need anything, I'll be in Ginny's room," She called back. Harry could hear her footsteps retreating to the bedroom down the hall before he heard the door creak shut.
He wasn't aware of how much he had missed Ginny until Hermione had mentioned her. The way her long red hair cascaded down her back. How her freckles were sprinkled over her nose like cinnamon. Her lips-
"What are you doing?" Ron bursted through the door, shutting it behind him and making any thoughts Harry had fly out the window. "Hey! Hedwig's here. I was wondering where she was," Ron grinned, pointing at the window where Hedwig rested.
"Sorry about everyone down there. They're just worried," Ron started, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I know," Harry sighed, sitting down on his cot. He really didn't need anyone else telling him that. It was enough that he had gotten mad.
"They're just bei-"
"RON I KNOW!" Harry shouted, looking at Ron who looked shaken. "I know....I'm really sorry Ron but I just need some time to think," He said in a softer tone. His fingers rose to the bridge of his nose and pinched, trying to relax.
"All right then. I'll just go get a bit more food," Ron excused, walking out of the room with a saddened look on his pale face.
Harry grunted before falling back on the bed and closing his eyes.
"You told me the problem would be solved by using another's wand!"
His scar began to sear with pain as he realized that he was looking through the eyes of Voldemort once again. He clenched his eyes shut and saw a frail man cowering on a stone floor, shaking with fear.
"No! No! I beg of you,"
"You lied to Lord Voldemort, Ollivander!"
"I did no such thing! I swear to it!"
"You sought to help HIM. You sought to help Potter win!"
"No! I believed another wand would work!"
"Then explain why Lucius's wand was destroyed!"
"I cannot understand....The connection...only exists between...your two wands..."
"Lies! CRUCIO!"
Agonizing screams filled his head as he fought to block Voldemort out of his mind. He knew that it could not happen though. These visions had been getting stronger and stronger. He cursed under his breath, realizing that he should have tried harder in Occulemency.
"Harry?" He quickly turned to see Hermione at the door, her face stricken with worry. "Harry! Are you all right? You look like you had a fright," She decided, rushing over and taking a closer look at his face. "You're not thinking of leaving are you?"
"I'm sure I look better than Ollivander." The words came out bitter and torn. Hermiones's hand shot to her lips, covering the gasp that would escape.
"But Harry! These visions were supposed to stop! You were supposed to close your mind off. What if Voldemort's tricking you!" She warned.
"He's taking over the Ministry. Don't let him take over you as well," She added, her voice tender and concerned.
"Ron, honestly, can't you clean your room?" Mrs. Weasley sighed, peeking in to observe the room.
"I don't know why I need to." Ron shrugged, flipping through a wizard magazine.
"Well for one, Bill and Fleur's wedding is soon!" She informed, throwing her hands in the air. She let a large breath out to calm herself. "Ron, clean you room."
"The wedding is not going to be in here!" Ron argued.
"Clean it up this minute! Or you get no chocolate biscuits!" She threatened. Ron's brown eyes widened before he shot up, picking things up that did not belong in that place.
"I'll help. Besides, most of these things are mine," Harry tried, standing up.
"No no. Now Harry, you're our guest. Besides, Ronald was supposed to have this room cleaned up even before you got here. It's only gotten messier which mean he didn't do anything whatsoever. Now why don't you come down for breakfast?," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, patting Harry on the back.
"Yeah. I'll be down in a minute. I just need to wash up," Harry lied, glancing at Ron who was now trying to fold a shirt, but it was unsuccessful.
"Of course dear," She smiled, walking out.
Harry turned to Ron and walked over, picking up the things that he had made a mess out of. "Where's Hermione this morning?" He asked.
"Doing a bit of research I reckon." Ron answered, running a hand through his messy hair. Harry glanced at him once again and looked at the calender that was on his wall.
"It's almost the 31st. The Trace will break and then we can get out." Harry dismissed.
"Well, there's a problem. Fleur and Mum will be furious if we don't go to the wedding," Ron laughed, scratching his cheek.
"Don't they realize how important-"
"No they don't. That's a problem there. Mum's been interrogating both me and Hermione about what's going to happen. It's getting to be a bit hard. I wouldn't be surprised if she tried Veritaserum. She'll be badgering you next." He explained with an exasperated sigh.
Within hours, Ron's prediction had come true. While Harry had been helping Mrs. Weasley clean up the dishes, she casually slipped the statement in. "Hermione and Ron seems to think that you three will be dropping out of school. I'm sure they've just been joking. Isn't that right Harry?" She smiled, her cheeks dimpling.
"Well, actually it is true." He replied dryly as she dropped one of the plates on the floor. The porcelain smashed into tiny pieces that reminded him of Sirius's mirror.
"And why may I ask are you doing this?" She asked, her voice tight.
"Well, when Dumbledore passed, he wanted me to do things. Ron and Hermione know about it and they want to come along," Harry explained. He knew that she would try to pursue information.
"What kind of things?" She continued.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I can't."
"Well, as the parents of Ronald, Arthur and I have every right to know! And I'm sure Hermione's parents would like to as well." She frowned, putting down the dishes before another mishap occurred.
"Dumbledore didn't want me to tell anyone else. Hermione and Ron have a choice of not com-"
"Quite frankly, I don't think any of you have a choice! You're barely under age. Any of you! You're not fit to go out, especially with You-Know-Who on your tracks! I'm sure you misunderstood Dumbl-"
"I didn't misunderstand. Dumbledore wanted me specifically." It was out. Mrs. Weasley knew.
"Well then. You will stay for the wedding. After all, we need all the helping hands we can get," She addressed him sweetly.
"O-Of course." He replied, a bit surprised at the change of topic.
"Lovely." She ended the conversation there before she beckoned him to let her finish the dishes.
From that moment on, Mrs. Weasley had kept the three Hogwarts drop-outs from thinking at all. They were so engulfed with preparations for the wedding that they didn't have time to breathe, much less think. Fred and George were too busy setting pranks throughout the setting. Bill was having a hard time trying to get into his robes. Fleur had cried about how her dress was not off-white, but ivory colored. It was all too confusing.
On the fourth night of Harry's stay, he was helping to set the table. Ginny stood across from him, setting the cups down. "Mum's trying everything to try and make you three stay. She seems to think that if she keeps you three separated that you won't be able to plan your getaway." She explained, looking at him.
Harry laughed at this. Of course he did not think of what he was saying. "Reckon if that happens, someone else will get to Voldemort first."
Immediately, all the color drained from Ginny's rosy cheeks. "I-Is that what you're going to do?"
"Of course not. I was-joking. You think I'd be stupid enough to do that," He laughed nervously, looking at her. Realization hit as he realized that this had been the first time they had talked since he had arrived. Of course there were moments where they would pass each other throughout the home. Or where Harry would see her going down to the watering hole. He thought back to when they would be spending time together in the secluded areas of the castle. From the look in her eyes, he was sure she was thinking the same.
"Har-"
Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, and Remus chose the time to burst through the door. Harry could see Ginny curse under her breath. He was curious of what she had to say before the Order members had interrupted. Since Dumbledore had died, the Secret Keeper of Grimmauld Place, the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix had been changed to the Burrow since the secret was now all of theirs.
"With twenty of us holding the secret, it'll be no time before the Death Eaters try to pry it from one of us." Arthur explained, sneaking a roll from the dinner table.
"Surely Snape would have said something by now." Harry interrupted without thinking.
"Well, Mad-Eye made sure to put curses on Snape so that if he tried to spill a word, it would bind his tongue. Of course nothing is ever a guarantee. It would have been foolish to try and keep Grimmauld as headquarters, the security being so shaky now," Remus explained, looking at Harry who seemed to be turning red.
The kitchen of the Burrow was quite small that the five of them barely fit if no one was sitting. He was standing so close to Ginny that he could smell the flowery scent that wafted through the air since 6th year. It kept everything in his power to not brush his arm against hers as he reached for more plates.
"Has there been any word about Mad-Eye?" He asked.
"No. Not that we're surprised the papers have said anything about his death or the missing body. Quiet these days," Kingsley answered, adjusting his hat.
"Has any word gotten out about me using underage magic?" Harry asked. Mr. Weasley shook his head.
"Because I had no other choice or that they don't want to admit that Voldemort attacked me?" He questioned.
"I think the latter. Scrimgeour doesn't want to admit that You-Know-Who is more powerful than he and that there was a massive break in Azakban," Mr. Weasley explained.
"Course. Who would tell the public the truth?" Harry said in a bitter tone, looking down at the scar that had not faded away for two years. It was transparent, but under a slant of light, the words appeared: I must not tell lies.
"Arry! We must decide `ow you will be disguised for the wedding!" Fleur joined them into the kitchen, not making things less comfortable in the tight space. "Of course none of zee guests are Death Eaters, but we cannot guarantee zat zey will not let something slip after zey `have `ad champagne." She tossed her head back, a laugh sounding like bells.
"Now Harry, you should help Arthur muck out the chickens. Hermione, I'd be grateful if you change the sheets for Monsieur and Madame Delacour. They will be arriving at eleven tomorrow morning,. Ronald you better be cleaning that room of yours!" Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice rang through the household, probably even letting the nearby neighbors hear.
That following afternoon, Harry and Mr. Weasley proceeded to the coop to find that nothing had needed to be mucked out. "There's no need to mention it to Molly. Between you and me Harry, Sirius's bike has been here and I've been doing a bit of tweaking. Fascinating really," Mr. Weasley gave a hearty chuckle.
When the two arrived back out the house, it seemed that Mrs. Weasley was no where to be heard or seen. Harry sought this to be the perfect opportunity to sneak to Ron's attic bedroom. When he walked in, he saw Ron jump from his bed to scurry around the room. "I'm doing it! I'm almo-Oh, it's only you," Ron discovered, falling back on his bed.
Harry looked around the room. It had looked the same it always did. Messy. The only thing that was different was the fact that Hermione was sitting in the corner with her ginger haired cat, Crookshanks and sorting through a variety of books while dividing them into two large piles as tale as Harry. When she had spotted him, she got up and walked over, sitting down on the cot facing Ron. Her cheeks seemed to be flush as she looked at Harry. "Hello Harry."
"How'd you get away?" Harry asked with a bemused tone, taking a seat beside her.
"She forgot that she had asked me to change the sheets yesterday. Lucky, isn't it?" Hermione asked in a rhetorical sense. Harry looked down to see Crookshanks looking up at him. "What?!"
"Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione frowned, looking at him.
"Nothing."
"We were talking about Mad-Eye. I reckon he survived," Ron said, interrupting the staring that Crookshanks had emitted toward Harry.
"But Tonks said he was hit by the Killing Curse," Harry said.
"It could have missed. She wasn't there." Ron countered.
"Even if the Death Eater missed, he fell about a thousand feet," Hermione threw her two cents in.
"He could have used a Shield Charm-"
"According to Bill, his wand was blasted from his hand." She shot him a look, stroking her fingers through Crookshanks's fur.
"Fine, if you want him dead," Ron muttered, fluffing his pillow and letting his head fall.
"The Death Eaters probably did something with the body." Ron decided.
"Yeah." Harry agreed, remembering what had happened with Barty Crouch. "Like when the Death Eaters transfigured Barty into a bone and went to bury it in Hagrid's garden. Maybe he transfi-"
"Don't!" Hermione's voice scolded, looking at the floor. At that moment, Crookshanks jumped from her arms and onto Harry's cot as Hermione's eyes began to tear.
"Oh no. Hermione." He sighed. "I didn't mean to upset you," Harry tried to get up from his cot.
But Ron had gotten their first. He placed his arm around her shoulders and grabbed a shirt from his desk, handing it to her. "It's all right, Hermione." Oddly enough, Harry felt a twinge in his chest, but chose to ignore it.
"Oh Harry, I knew you weren't trying to. You were just too preoccupied by everything that's happening," She smiled through her tears, blowing her nose into the shirt that was offered to her. "It was just so...awful. After Dum-Dumbledore and all. It was-was just so sudden." She choked on her tears, wiping them quickly as they reached her jaw.
In a sudden moment, The Monster Book of Monsters fell from Hermione's arms and proceeded to go after Ron. A yelp escaped his lips as he jumped on top of his bed. "Ha!"
Harry blinked, wrenching the book off the floor and resealing it before he turned to look at Ron again.
"I-I thought I saw a spider. That's all," Ron coughed, coming down from his bed and sitting down as if nothing had happened.
Hermione broke out in laughter, dry tears on her face. Harry and Ron looked at her before her laughs became contagious.
"I wonder if we'll need Spellman's Syllabary. It's possible we'll need to read runes." Hermione thought, putting the book into one of the piles. Then she placed Hogwarts: A History down as well.
"I wanted to talk to you about coming with me." Harry started.
"Not thinking of trying to make us stop, are you?" Ron shot off the bed.
"I wonder if I'll need this book, it doesn-"
"Stop it!" Harry demanded, watching the two look at him.
"No, Harry. You need to stop it. You told us that we could stay or go. And the BOTH of us said that we would come with you. This was decided months ago-Years if you really thought about it," Hermione told him, frowning at him.
"But-"
"Sod it," Ron advised, falling back on his bed.
"-are you sure you've thought this through?" Harry finished, trying to make them understand that it would be dangerous.
"Hm, well I've been packed for days, so we're ready to leave at any moment. You know that did require a lot of difficult magic. And not to mention trying to sneak Mad-Eye's stash of Polyjuice Potion right under Mrs. Weasley's nose. That was even more difficult," Hermione scoffed.
"Not to mention my parents. If I survive the Horcrux hunt, the Order will be able to lift the enchantment. If I don't, well then they won't have to be so sad over a daughter they never knew about," She added in a softer tone. At that moment, tears began to flow down her cheeks.
"I-Hermione-I'm sorry. I-," Harry ran a hand through his hair before he walked over and wrapped his arms around her, sighing as he felt his shirt dampen.
"W-We know very we-well what we've gotten ou-ourselves into Harry. Ron, sho-show him what you've do-done," She tried to calm herself and took deep breaths, her hand clutching at Harry's shirt.
"He's just eaten. I wouldn't want to look at it after I just ate," Ron advised.
"When don't you eat?" She shot him a look.
"Oh fine," He muttered. "Come on Harry," He beckoned walking to the far side of the room.
"Why?" asked Harry, even though he began to walk over.
"Descendo." muttered Ron, pointing his wand at the low ceiling. The tiles among the ceiling began to shift as a hatch opened and a ladder was lowered. Harry looked up in amazement. His amazement was soon shattered as an eerie and horrible moan came from the upper level followed by an awful smell that imitated open drains.
"It's your ghoul," It was a statement more than a question. As Harry neared the creature he realized that the ghoul was dressed in blue stripped pajamas and had a head of red hair. "Since when do ghouls wear pajamas? Or have hair?" He blinked, remembering that they usually remained bald and covered in purple blisters.
"He's me. See?" Ron asked.
"No. I really don't." Harry answered, seeing no resemblance.
"Well, I'll explain when we get back to my room. The smell is getting to me." Ron muttered, descending down the ladder and closing up the hatch as Harry came down as well. "Once we've gone, the ghoul will be living here in my place. I think he really wants to-not that I can tell. Anyways, he'll be with spattergroit. If we don't turn up at school, everyone's going to think that Hermione and I must be with you. Which means that the Death Eaters will go striaght for our families to see if they've got the information on where you are." Ron explained, proud of the plan.
"A lot of Muggle-born families are going into hiding at the moment. Hopefully it'll look like I've gone away with Mum and Dad," Hermione added, sorting through her books.
"Obviously, we can't hide my whole family. Especially since a lot of them have jobs at the Ministry. So we're going to put out the story that I'm really sick with spattergroit, which is why I'm not going to be at school. Mum and Dad can show then the ghoul in my bed, covered in pustules. Spattergroit is really contagious so I don't think anyone's going to come near it. It won't matter that he can't talk because you can't once the fungus has spread to your throat. Wicked, isn't it?" Ron grinned.
"And your Mum and Dad are all right on this?" asked Harry, confused that Mrs. Weasley would even agree.
"Well, Dad is. Fred and George helped transform the ghoul. Mum's not going to come to terms with it until we're gone." Ron shrugged.
It suddenly occurred to Harry that Hermione and Ron had gone through great lengths to reassure their company on the hunt. The measures that they had taken to protect their families had been grave. It had meant a lot to him that they would be by his side. He wanted to put into words of how grateful he was, but no words could be important enough.
The silence became broken as Mrs. Weasley's voice rang throughout the house.
Ron cringed. "I don't know why the Delacours need to come two days before the wedding. Mum's been barking mad."
"Well, Fleur's little sister is one of the bridesmaids and needs to be here for rehearsal. After all, she's too young to come here alone. Especially with everything that's been happening," informed Hermione. "But what's really important now is where we're going to start hunting. After all, we really have no leads. Well, I mean I know you wanted to go to Godric Hollows, but isn't hunting the Horcruxes our first priority?"
"If I knew where they were, I would have to agree with you," Harry sighed. He had a feeling that he would be able to find something there. Though a part of him wanted to see the grave of his parents. There was something pulling at him to go there. He knew there would be answers. He wanted to understand.
"Don't you think there's a possibility that Voldemort's keeping a watch on it?" Hermione asked, not one bit afraid of saying his name. It brought comfort to him knowing that she had started saying his name in 5th year which calmed him in a time of stress. The thought of Voldemort watching over had never crossed his mind as he turned to Ron.
"What about this R.A.B. person? You reckon he's destroyed it yet? It'd be one less to destroy." He asked in wonder.
"Or she," Hermione corrected.
"Whatever. What if he hasn't destroyed it?" He asked.
"Don't you think that'd be difficult to determine since we have no idea who R.A.B. is? Either or, we're going to have to track down the real locket to see if it was destroyed or not." She explained, glancing at Crookshanks who was now clawing at Ron's pillows.
"And if we find it, how do you suppose we'll destroy it?" raised Ron.
"I've been researching it." Hermione informed, receiving looks from the boys. "Don't give me that look. I knwo Dumbledore had the books taken from the library, but a simple Summoning spell worked. It wasn't stealing of course! Dumbledore wanted us to do this. If he didn't I'm sure he wouldn't have kept the books around!" She replied, her voice undeniably high-pitched.
"When did you manage to do this?" Harry asked in awe, a mixture of admiration and shock bubbling inside him.
"Well-after Dumbledore's funeral. It occurred to me that we needed to know more about the Horcruxes before we went looking for them, so when I was alone, I did it out of curiosity. I didn't know it would actually work," She explained sheepishly.
"I got this one which explains quite a lot about how Horcruxes are made," Hermione held up a dark leather bound book entitled Secrets of the Darkest Art. "Awful book really. Most of the darkest magic I've ever read. No doubt Voldemort probably got all the information he needed from it," She finished.
Ron cringed at the Voldemort's name. "So if Voldemort knew how to make them, why'd he go after Slughorn?"
"He went to Slughorn because he wanted to know what would happen if he divided his soul into seven parts," Harry answered. "But I think you're right Hermione. Voldemort could have easily found what he needed in that book."
Hermione beamed at him, missing Ron's cringe and his ears turning red.
"The more I've read about it, the more I feel strange. It says that your soul becomes more unstable as you rip it, but he's made six! Unbelievable." She muttered.
"Anyway of putting them back together?" Ron asked.
"Yes. But it's excruciatingly painful. Apparently, you have to feel remorse and come to terms with what you've done. The pain can destroy you, but I really can't see Voldemort doing that, can you?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.
"No, does it give any notion to how to destroy them?"
"Yes. Apparently what Harry did to Riddle's diary is one of the foolproof ways to destroy a Horcrux," Hermione explained.
"Oh, lucky I have that amazing stash of basilisk fangs. I had no idea what I was going to do with them," Ron answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Well, no Ronald. It doesn't have to be a basilisk fang. It just has to be strong enough to completely destroy the Horcrux beyond repair. Basilisk venom has only one antidote which is-"
"Phoenix tears," Harry finished.
"Right." Hermione beamed once again. "The problem is that there are very few things as destructive as a basilisk fang. That's our main problem. Ripping or smashing it won't do any good." She sighed. "It's the opposite of a human being." Seeing Harry and Ron thoroughly confused, she continued. "Well, if I were to have sword right now and run it through you, Ron, it wouldn't damage your soul at all," She shrugged.
"I'm sure that would be pleasant," He replied with a roll of eyes toward the roof. Harry held back a laugh.
"The diary did sort of die when I stabbed it," He said, remembering the ink pouring like blood of the punctured pages as well as the screams that Voldemort emitted as his soul was destroyed.
"Obviously once the diary is properly destroyed, the soul piece trapped inside it becomes non-existent. When Ginny tried to flush the diary away, it came back brand new," Hermione continued.
"But it possessed Ginny. So how does that work?" Ron asked with a confused expression.
"Well, since it was still magically intact, it can carry out things in and out through someone who is in close contact with it. I don't mean physically, but emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into the pages, making her very vulnerable to the power. I think you'd be one to get in trouble if you got too dependent on a Horcrux," She shrugged.
Before anything else could be said, the door had swung open and Hermione yelped, dropping Secret of the Darkest Art on the floor. Ron quickly tried to get up but stepped on Crookshanks's tale, hearing him his before jumping on top of the bed and scowling at him. Harry looked at the book that was on the floor before pushing it under the bed with his foot.
"Well, isn't this sweet? So sorry to break it up. But I'm sure that you all need to rest. You promised to help me sort through all the wedding presents though," Mrs. Weasley smiled, looking at Hermione who had flushed cheeks.
"O-Of course Mrs. Weasley," She replied, looking back at Harry and Ron before walking out of the room. She followed behind, slamming the door behind her.
"Can't wait till this wedding is over. The sooner it's over, the happier I'll be," Ron sighed, giving looks at Crookshanks.
"Yeah. But then we won't have anything to do besides find Horcrux. It'll be like a holiday," Harry threw, falling back on the cot and reaching under his bed to find the book that he had kicked under.
The following morning, Mrs. Weasley had been in a larger frenzy than she had been the whole week. She had made Ron wear matching socks and Harry flatten his hair, though no avail. The two looked at one another before trudging down the stairs where the rest of the Weasley clan had been standing, trying to compose themselves. Harry looked around, blinking. He had never seen the Burrow look so tidy before. There were no dishes in the sink. The floors were spot-free. There was nothing out of place. It was spick and span.
"Mama! Papa!" Harry turned to see Fleur launching herself at her parents. Monsieur Delacour was no where near the attractiveness that Madame Delacour, but he seemed to be a good natured man. He was plum. A little pointed black beard.
He turned to see Mrs. Weasley happily coming over in high-heeled boots. She turned red as Monsieur Delacour kissed both of her cheeks. "You `have gone to so much trouble. Fleur tells us you `have been working very `ard." The words spilling out in a deep voice.
"Oh! No. It's been no trouble at all," Mrs. Weasley gasped. "None at all! Don't be silly." Her cheeks flushed momentarily before giving a wide smile.
"Darling Molly Weasley, we are most honored to come and make the permanent bond between our families. Please, let me introduce my wife, Apolline," Monsieur Delacour proudly stepped aside to give full recognition to the dauntingly beautiful Madame Delacour.
It was no surprise that she still looked as if she was twenty, her long strands of silvery hair flying behind her as she glided forward and pressed complimentary kisses to Mrs. Weasley's cheeks "EnchantÄ-e. Your `husband `as been telling us such amusing stories! Isn't that right, Arthur?" She smiled gloriously, turning her attention to the head of the Weasley clan.
Arthur gave a laugh which was quickly extinguished as soon as Molly threw him a look. He coughed loudly and bowed his head, avoiding eye contact. A sheen of sweat glimmered on his forehead which he quickly proceeded to wipe away, rubbing its remnants on his wrinkling pants.
"And, of course, you `ave met my leetle daughter, Gabrielle!" Monsieur Delacour smiled. Gabrielle stepped forward, curtseying with all the politeness that seemed to encapsulate the Fleur miniature. Eleven-years-old with waist-length hair silvery blonde that seemed to be a reoccurring theme in the Delacour family, Gabrielle gave Mrs. Weasley a dazzling smile before looking in Harry's direction, battling her dark eyelashes.
A cough came from Ginny's direction.
"Well do come in! No point in standing out in the blistering sun! I'm sure you could use yourself a bit of lemonade? We just made some this morning," Mrs. Weasley explained in a quick breath, moving aside to gesture the three inside.
Over the next few days, the Delacours seemed to be one of the few most helpful and pleasant guests at the Weasley household. Even Madame Delacour was more than happy enough to help around even though Molly had come to plead that she wouldn't because of her guest status. When the families had sat down to go over the preparations for the wedding, Monsieur Delacour was more than pleased with everything from the napkin colors to the seating arrangement. "Charmant!" He would smile, kissing the tips of his fingers in a show of admiration. Gabrielle was completely busy, following after her sister whom, as the bride, needed much assistance in her last days as an unmarried witch.
The Burrow was less than accommodating to the increased family size. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were now sleeping in the sitting room after much protest from the Delacours. Gabrielle stayed with Fleur in Percy's old bedroom while Bill stayed in Charlie's room while he was in Romania. With the little space that was given, opportunities to flock away from the overly crowded Burrow became close to nothing when Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped at the chance to go feed the chickens, hoping to escape.
"But she still won't leave us alone!" Ron mumbled, throwing the chicken feed onto the floor. Immediately, the chickens bounced from their comfortable nests, pecking at anything they could.
Nothing more could be said when Mrs. Weasley appeared once more, foiling their plans to talk to each other. "Oh! Good, you've fed the chickens." She smiled, moving her laundry basket from one side to another. "We should close this off before they get themselves loose…To put up the tent for the wedding. Harry, you should stay inside while Bill's escorting the workers in. It's a bit complicated with all the security spells…," explained Molly, sounding exhausted as she looked at Harry.
"I'm sorry," Harry looked at her, sounding humble.
"Oh, don't apologize! Your safety is more important. Before I forget, I wanted to ask you what you wanted to do for your birthday. You're turning seventeen and we should do something special for it…"
"No, that's fine really. I don't need anything. Really," he replied quickly, shaking his hands in front of him. He glanced at Ron whom gave him a wary look.
"Oh, well if you're sure. I'll just invite Remus and Tonks. And maybe Hagrid. Would you like that Harry?" Molly smiled, moving the basket to the other arm.
"That'd be great. Thanks," Harry beamed. "But I don't want you going through any trouble." He added quickly, rubbing the side of his neck.
"It's no trouble at all! Your birthday is an important day, Harry. It's no trouble at all," Mrs. Weasley softly replied before walking to her laundry line where she began to hang up the damp clothes, using her practical spells.
Harry watched her and soon realized that he knew he would be inconveniencing her and bringing her remorse when the time came. He realized the pain he would be giving her. He suddenly felt someone's hand on his shoulder, squeezing. Turning, he caught Hermione's eye. Giving a small smile, she tried to reassure him without words. He reached to squeeze her hand back, returning the ease.
Turning to watch Mrs. Weasley once more, his shoulders sagged. He didn't seem so reassured.
A/N: How was it? BE BRUTAL! xD Please review. :]
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