An: Thank you for the reviews. This chapter introduces all of the Weasely children and I didn't want it to get too long and confusing so that's basically all this chapter does. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 2 - The Weasley Kids
Harry was very frustrated. His first day back and he spent it running after the Ferret in the attic. To make matters worse the Ghoul was throwing things at him. Granted the initial idea of throwing hexes at Malfoy was very appealing but the actuality of the situation was very frustrating. Malfoy was a lot faster at avoiding hexes than he remembered. He hadn't been able to get a hex within six inches of him and he was supposed to be sick! Another disturbing thought was that a sick Malfoy appeared to be in better physical condition than Harry.
Harry may have been gone for the last seven years but he by no means let his physical condition decline. He was happy to be alive. He wasn't going to become lazy and let his body waste away. He had picked up many muggle sports such as football, cricket, rugby and even tennis. He managed to get Ron into football. Both he and Ron had started playing with a club in Australia. They played for a full season and did quite well. The club didn't want to see them go. But they had spent enough time in Australia and planned on moving on to explore more of the world.
He could hear Ron cursing outside as Draco ran Ron around the garden. He figured Ron had it worse. Draco must have run Ron up and down that garden at least twenty times. There was so much room for him to outmanoeuvre Ron.
Ron's very loud noises woke the children and a very annoyed Arianne appeared in the garden with a series of children running after Malfoy as well. It was a game to them. "Catch Uncle Drake" they screamed as they ran after him. The children's presence made it increasingly harder for Ron to get to Malfoy but Harry did make a curious observation. Malfoy was genuinely smiling and laughing as the children pursued him.
"Now that the children are up he'll stick to the garden only. He won't disappoint them." Ariane said as she came up to get him.
"Malfoy with children, shouldn't there be a huge parental warning on that?" Harry stated disgustedly.
"Warning, nonsense Draco is their favourite uncle. Those children would do anything to please their uncle Drake" Ariane replied in a light tone as they descended the stairs to the living room where Ginny had moved to. She was seated quite content reading the latest edition of Witch Weekly on the sofa. She had missed reading the magazine and decided to catch up on what the latest fashions were. Ginny looked up at them and then out at a frustrated Ron.
"The girl with the blond hair is Nathalie?" Ginny questioned Arianne. The girl playing outside was easily the eldest kid and with her long blonde hair, she was a mini replica for Fleur.
"Yes." Arianne said as they watched Ron fall face first in the dirt as he tripped over some invisible object.
"Are they all our nieces and nephews?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Yes, the little boy with red hair, oh what am I saying all the boys have red hair, the little boy in the blue shirt is Thomas and the boy in the purple shirt is Jonathan. They're both Bill's. The two in the red shirts are Gerd and Forge." Ariane explained
"Gerd and Forge?" Harry questioned.
"That's not their real names but they adopted it after hearing their fathers being called that one day. They won't answer unless you call them Gerd and Forge." Arianne said
"I take it ones Fred's and other is George's?" Ginny asked with a smile
"Yeap. Those two off to the side plotting are Charlie's twins Michael and Mikaela. Now you really got to watch out for those two. Molly has categorized them as worse than Fred and George." Arianne said seriously.
"Mikaela? A girl." Harry asked
"Yes a girl, the second girl to be born in this generation. But don't tell her that. She likes to be considered part of the guys. For a long time we have been trying to convince her to grow her hair but she keeps finding all sorts of ways to cut it short. She is amazingly resourceful!"
"And last but not least are the two sleeping babies upstairs. One is George's second son and the other is Percy's. Molly has been after Penelope for a long time to give her a grandkid. She finally gave birth last month."
Ron came inside with a disgusted look on his face. "I give up! I keep tripping over some damned invisible rock."
Arianne laughed. "That's a good example of the mischief the twins could get up to."
"Fred and George?" Ron asked with a confused look on his face.
"No M&M," Arianne replied.
"You have M&M's?" Ron asked excitedly. He had grown accustomed to a variety of muggle sweets.
"What are M&M's? Hermione keeps mentioning it in relation to the twins but for the life of me I don't understand?" Arianne asked
"It's a muggle sweet." Harry explained simply.
"I guess it was one of those moments where I had to be there." Arianne said sadly.
"You haven't been part of the family long?" Ron questioned.
"I don't think I've ever become part of the family." Arianne admitted making the others fell very uncomfortable. She decided to broach another topic more relevant to their arrival.
"Ron there is stuff you should know before your mother gets here. Draco is an accepted part of this family. Your mother totes on him as if he were another son. You better get used to treating him like a brother." Ariane said as she called the children inside with Draco.
"I will do no such thing." Ron roared fiercely as he looked to Ginny and Harry to support him on this matter.
Ron was utterly disgusted by the thought of having to treat him like a brother. Things between them at Hogwarts had never been `brotherly' and they were in fact bitter enemies. Even though he helped them through the war there was still bad blood between them. Ron still hated him very much and he knew Harry and Ginny shared similar views.
Draco came in with a squealing Thomas in his arms as he mercilessly tickled the poor boy. The rest of the children giggled and Draco put him down and made a fake run at the other children causing them to scream and scamper instantly.
An idea occurred to Arianne and she turned to Nathalie.
"Nathalie would you like to see you Uncle Drake be brave?" Arianne said in a soft kind voice.
The girls pale eyes light up and she looked very much like Fleur.
"Draco," Arianne said with a sickly sweet voice, "Nathalie wants to see a brave uncle, why don't you take a drop of this potion I have here."
Draco stopped chasing Michael and turned around to glare at Arianne. All of the kids stop to look up at him with adoring eyes.
"Don't listen to Aunty Arianne." Draco said in a kind voice to the kids.
"Take the potion uncle, pleassssseeeee." Nathalie said begged with her eyes focused solely on him. Harry could tell that even though she was one eighth Veela, she would have the ability to attract men and use them as she wished. Harry knew that Arianne purposely chose Nathalie so that she would convince Draco to take the potion.
Draco groaned and snatched the dropper out of Arianne's hand. He gave her the most threatening look before taking the drop. Draco's face immediately contorted into disgust and he ran straight to the kitchen.
"Good thing I hid all the firewhiskey." Arianne said with a smug smile as she watched the children run behind him thinking they had started to play catch again.
A very unsatisfied Draco barged back into the living room the children at his heels.
"Now behave, I don't want Elliot or Cole waking up." Arianne said sternly. Harry got the impression that she speaking more to Draco than anyone else in the room.
The children all looked up at her with sheepish faces.
"I have some good news for you. Your Uncle Ron, Aunt Ginerva and Uncle Harry have returned!" Arianne squeaked happily. Ginny flinched at the use of her full name and the children all peered at them innocently.
"Can Uncle Drake come back out to play?" Gerd and Forge asked after they lost interest in the new arrivals.
"No Draco is sick and can't play with you today" said a stern voice from the doorway.
It was a very familiar voice and a voice the three of them had yearned to hear.
Mrs. Weasley shrieked when she realised who was seated on the sofa and she immediately moved towards them and enveloped them in a huge Weasley hug.
"My babies! My Babies!" She kept repeating over and over.
They were overjoyed at seeing her but at the same time they hadn't planned on dying of suffocation.
"Mum … breathe … can't" Ron tried to rasp out.
"Molly, I think he is trying to say he can't breathe." Arianne said interrupting Mrs. Weasley's moment.
"Oh dears, I'm so sorry, it's just been so long since I saw you. Come now, stand up and let me get a good look at each of you." Molly said as she moved back to observe her children.
Ginny stood first and did a little fancy twirl for her mother. The children giggled at her antics and Mrs. Weasley sent them up to their rooms to play. Reluctantly they turned on their heels and headed to their rooms. As soon as the first door closed, two crying babies were heard and Arianne volunteered to check on them.
"Ah my baby girl is looking all grown up." Molly said when she turned back to look at Ginny. She felt a stray tear flow down her cheek and as she brushed it away quickly.
Ginny put her hands on her hips and replied "Mom, I'm not a baby anymore!" Mrs. Weasley tutted at her reply and turned her gaze to Ron.
He stood next to her and he easily looked down on her. Molly started to cry harder. Ron had grown into a handsome man. He was now her tallest son and Molly felt extremely proud of him.
Molly looked at Harry who stood next. He was just an inch shorter than Ron but just as handsome with his jet black hair and piercing green eyes. He was thin with a healthy dose of muscle on his frame. An overwhelmed Mrs. Weasley hugged them all again.
"What have you been eating? You boys could do with a little more food in you." Molly asked through tears as she forced herself some space on the coach between Ron and Ginny.
"We travelled all over the world mum. It was fantastic." Ginny said as her face lit up with excitement at the thought of all the adventures they had to tell.
"We learned so much and I have so much muggle stuff to show dad!" Ron said enthusiastically.
At the mention of his father, a dark look passed over Mrs. Weasley's face. She quickly pushed it aside and went on. "So are you married?" She asked Ginny.
"No mom, I'm not married." Ginny said exasperatedly.
"But surely you and Harry… you have been gone seven years!" Molly said astonished at her daughter's revelation.
"Mrs. Weasely," Harry started before he was interrupted by her.
"I told you before you left to call me mum!" She said crossly.
"Mum, Ginny and I are no longer together. We realised a few years ago that we just weren't meant to be." Harry replied softly.
"So none of you are married yet?" Molly asked with a slight frown.
"Nope mum, sorry." Ron replied happily.
"Children these days, I was married and had Bill by the time I was your age. Oh well, I'll just add you to my marriage list." Molly said as she summoned a piece of parchment and a quill and started scribbling away.
Harry was almost afraid to ask, "Marriage list?" He got out in a whimper.
"Oh don't worry. It isn't that bad. Ask Draco he has been on the list for the last two years." Molly said as she fidgeted with her daughter's hair.
"Mum speaking of Draco, what is he doing here?" Ron said in as calm a tone as he could muster. For as long as he could remember the only tone anyone could ever use with his mother was a calm tone. Nobody ever shouted at his mother and not regret it.
Molly paused for a minute contemplating what to say. "Why don't we discuss this over dinner? I can invite the whole family over. You have plenty of people to meet. I gather you already met most of the children. We'll have dinner at the manor." Mrs. Weasley bustled over to the fire place and in a few short minutes three elves emerged from the fire place. Harry immediately recognized them as Dobby, Winky and Kreacher!"
Dobby's big green eyes lit up as soon as he recognized Harry.
"Harry Potter has returned! Oh how Dobby has missed Harry Potter." He said as he threw his tiny body at him.
"Dobby there is no time for pleasantries. I need the entire Manor set up for a grand feast tonight. My children have returned and I want to celebrate. I need you to invite all the usual people." Mrs Weasley said to the elf. "I'll be there shortly to help with the preparations. Now off you go." She said excitedly.
The three elves disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Manor?" Ginny questioned
"Yes." Molly said not offering Ginny any explanation.
Harry and Ron both observed the smirk on Draco's face.
"Mum surely you don't mean." Ron sputtered
"Malfoy Manor?" Harry finished fearfully.
"The one and only" Draco said with a smug smile.
Instant memories popped into Harry's head. It had been just after they discovered that Draco had been working for the side of the light that he revealed that there was a book on the destruction of horcruxes in the Malfoy library. Harry distinctly remembered telling Malfoy that he would never ever in his entire life time set foot in that manor. Draco had eventually retrieved the book with Hermione and Tonks.
Draco obviously remembered the exchange for his smile couldn't be any wider. Harry felt like hexing that smile off his face and the fleeting thought of not going, passed through his head, but then he didn't want to disappoint Mrs. Weasley. She seemed so happy that they were back. He had a few questions to ask though. Number one on the list concerned a certain smug ferret. Harry also noticed the look on Mrs. Weasley's face as well as the anxiousness from Draco room when Ron mentioned Mr. Weasley. Could Mr. Weasley be angry with them? Would he not be pleased that they returned?
This was something he realised he would find out soon enough.
In a few minutes Mrs. Weasley was gone and Arianne had returned downstairs. Percy soon came tumbling out of the fireplace and Draco wasn't ashamed to let at a hearty laugh at the sight. Percy gave them a kirt nod before he headed upstairs for his baby boy. A few minutes later he came down the stairs with a small bundle in his arms that he was gently rocking and softly humming a lullaby to. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he thanked Arianne for baby sitting and then left through the floo network.
Soon after Percy's arrival a tall girl with brown curly hair arrived at the Burrow. Arianne greeted her warmly and she instantly took to teasing a sick Draco. He detested being teased and instantly redirected her attention to the new returnees.
"So you three are the reason for tonight's feast. You know I have been trying to lose that last set of pounds I put on from Michael and Mikaela." The girl said
"Oh hush child. You're as thin as the day you married Charlie." Arianne replied
"That's my point exactly. I needed to lose five pounds then and I still need to lose five pounds now."
"If you want to lose five pounds Sam, try running around with these kids all day!" Draco exclaimed
Sam frowned, "I thought you were sick!"
Draco groaned and placed his head in his hands.
"I don't have much time for your male ego Draco. Charlie is coming home late today and I need to get the twins ready for tonight." Sam said as she moved towards the steps. Once she was there she called out at the bottom of the stairs and two red heads came running down the stairs towards the fireplace.
"Did you say good bye to Aunty Arianne and Uncle Draco?" Sam said to her children as they flew passed her
"No," they both chorused
Sam crossed her arms over chest and stared sternly at her children. "Well I'm waiting and don't forget to thank them for babysitting you."
Harry watched as the children reluctantly walked up to Arianne and hugged her goodbye before moving on to do the same thing with Draco.
"Don't worry I'll see you later at the manor. We can play all sorts of tricks on Aunty Hermione and Aunty Luna." Draco said with a twinkle in his grey eyes.
The kids faces lit up and they ran back to their mother. Sam moved to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder but before going she looked at the sofa where the three of them were seated. "Don't worry formal introductions will be done tonight." "Westbrook" She shouted and familiar green flames erupted around them before they disappeared.
The next person to grace the burrow with her presence was Katie Bell.
"Hey Ari. I'm in a huge rush. I came to collect Cole. Can you please floo Edward to the shop in Hogsmeade and Danny to the shop in Diagon Alley?" Katie said as she headed straight to the staircase.
They next heard the sound of a baby crying and Katie emerged on the staircase cooing to her baby boy. She glanced over at Arianne and apologized for the noise then explained that she had to prepare for tonight as well as run a few errands for her mom. She threw a smile over at the sofa and then disappeared through the front door.
"Danny and Edward?" Harry querried as he couldn't remember Arianne mentioned those names before.
"Gerd and Forge," Arianne replied simply before she levelled her gaze at Draco. "Can I leave you to behave while I take Gerd and Forge to the shops? I'll only be gone five minutes?"
Draco gave her an incredulous look and Arianne took that as a yes and disappeared upstairs for a few minutes before returning with coloured skin and rainbow hair. Draco laughed when he saw her but was soon silenced by her glare.
"Come on you two. I'll have your father's undo whatever it is you just did to me!" Arianne said sternly as she marched them to the fireplace and disappeared again. As soon as she was gone there was a roar of laughter from Draco followed by three children running down the stairs.
"We got her good uncle Draco!" Bill's eldest son, Thomas said.
Ginny observed Draco with the kids and a strange though occurred to her. Malfoy would make a good father. Ginny promptly pushed the thought away with memories of a self-righteous, arrogant, selfish, pompous Malfoy. Those qualities did not make a good father. She had always imagined Harry being the father of her children but things between them didn't work out and they both agreed that friendship was the only option for them.
She soon found herself staring at the platinum blond as he played with her niece and nephews. There was something very different about him and it scared her. She found herself being attracted to him. He had a light in his eyes, he never had before and the smile he gave those kids was so sexy. Her eyes started moving over his body, starting with his face and then drifting lower. She studied his broad chest and briefly wondered what he would look like shirtless. She could see his taunt muscles moving below his shirt as he used his want to summon a bottle of firewhiskey to him now that Arianne had left. She wondered what it would be like to run her hands over his chest and down the six-pack she believed was hiding under his robe. As her eyes reached the top of his pants she forced her self to stop looking and a voice in her head that sounded a lot like Ron's admonished her for checking out Malfoy. She didn't want to think about what she would have thought if she let her eyes travel further south along his body. She suddenly found that she was very hot and started to fan herself with the Witch Weekly that was on her lap.
Ginny didn't know what to make of the situation. She had been there a few hours and besides the warm welcome from her mother she felt unwelcome. Though she never got along with Percy, she was hoping for a least a welcome back from him. That strange woman, Sam, didn't really say anything to them besides the little bit about formal introductions and Katie barely threw a glance in their direction. She was beginning to feel like an intruder in the house that she grew up in.
An: Stay tuned for the dinner at the Manor. I promise Hermione and Luna will finally make an appearance.
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