Hermione woke the next morning later than usual. Ron was already out of bed. She crawled out of bed and showered quickly. As she dressed she whistled a tune that she remembered hearing on the Wireless Network.
“Hermione?”
Hermione jumped at the voice coming from the crack in the bedroom door. “Yes?” She looked from the closet as she put on her robes.
“Hey” Harry walked in slowly looking a bit apprehensive.
Hermione smiled. “What brings you up? I figured you and Ron would be up to something.”
“Nah, he’s in the kitchen.” He put his hands in his pockets and looked almost nervous. “I just wanted to talk. We haven’t had a good conversation in awhile.”
He was right. She and Ron had been so wrapped up in each other, they hadn’t spent much time together like they had in school. “Come on Harry, sit down.”
They sat down together in two chairs that sat side by side in front of the fireplace. She had spent a lot of time here reading when Ron and Harry were gone.
“It’s not anything really. It’s just since the announcement Ginny has not stopped. Hermione,” He looked into her eyes, “I really think she is jealous.”
“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brow.
“She’s so crazy about Rose. I think she’s wanting children right away.” He looked a bit pale. “Don’t get me wrong. I want children too…but I’m - scared.” He didn’t know why he was so nervous talking about this with Hermione. He knew she would understand. “Look at how things turned out for my Mum and Dad…and me.”
Then she understood. “Harry” Hermione put her hands on his trying to comfort him. “Things are different. Voldemort’s gone. Besides if anything should happen to you or Ginny your children would have plenty of LOVING people to take care of them.” She knew that this is what was really bothering him. His life with the Dursley’s had been awful. He had told them stories of being forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs. The embarrassment of wearing his very large cousin Dudley’s clothes. The names he was called and the horrible references constantly made about his parents had made his childhood a nightmare.
“I just think that I needed reassurance from someone that could really understand. Without the Weasley’s you and I are just about the same. The only difference is Voldemort took my parent’s long before he took yours.” He noticed Hermione’s face making the connection. Outside the Weasley’s she was the closest thing to family he had. He trusted her with his life, and he would trust her with his child’s. “What I really need to know is that should anything happen to me, Ginny or the both of us, that you will look after our children.”
“Harry, you didn’t have to ask that. You should know that I would. Just like I would expect you and Ginny to look after mine.”
“Thanks.” Was all he needed to say.
“Come on Harry, we are wasting a beautiful day up here. Let’s go find the others. Maybe you all could get in a game of Quidditch.”
“Hey, you know we have a game to attend tomorrow. The Chudley Cannons are back in town. Ron hasn’t shut up all morning.” Harry grimaced at the thought of Ron during the game.
“Yeah, I know, I’ve heard it for the last few days.”
*******
Hermione and Harry walked into the kitchen. Sitting at the large wooden table was Ron and Rose. Ron had a book opened in front of them. “You see Rose, you’ll need to know these things. When you get to Hogwarts this history will be important. Every student that attends the school should at least know how it was established.”
Harry couldn’t resist. “Is that right Mr. Headboy who has never cracked a book unless forced to?”
“Shut up Harry, my daughter has a reputation to uphold.” He held his head high.
“I’m sorry, who’s daughter?” Hermione crossed her arms in front of her and threw her weight to one foot.
“Our daughter, dear.” He stammered. He then turned his attention back to Rose.
“Hey all.” Charlie came in looking for a drink. “My girl’s back. She’ll be here tonight. She’s going with us to the game tomorrow.”
“Right, I’m excited.” Ron had been so involved with Rose he hadn’t thought about it in the last hour.
“Daddy, can I go as well?” Rose looked up.
“Of course, I wouldn’t go without you.” He brushed her hair back behind her ear.
“Amazing.” Charlie said under his breath. “The things that will change people/ I thin that this has been the best thing for you Ron.”
“Well, yeah, her and her mum.” he shot Hermione a loving smile and winked at her.
*******
Fred and George stood on the second floor of the new house looking over the railing at Percy and Bill. They were putting some finishing touches on the ground floor before working their way up to the upper floors. They believed that the house should be christened in style. In honour of Peeves, the original water boy, they began pelting Bill and Percy with their supply of ammunition.
“Fred! George!”
They didn’t need to see the culprits. They knew immediately who was behind the mayhem. The Weasley twins had quite the reputation of causing disaster wherever they may be. They found this type of behavior highly entertaining. Peeves, the practical joking ghost of Hogwarts, had been their idol. They owed most of their knowledge to him. During their sixth year at Hogwarts they had caused such chaos chaos during the reign of the horrible Professor Umbridge, that it had taken weeks to clean up. Fireworks had gone off for ages. Professor Umbridge had been such a horrible person the other professors had refrained from assisting her I the cleanup. Fred and George left the school that night, and until this day, they remained legends.
Bill began racing up the stairs to get to the two of them. “When I get my hands on you.” But it was to late. Percy had shot a hex in their direction causing them to be suspended in mid-air, up-side down.
“Hey” They both yelled.
Percy stood at the bottom of the stairs, wand pointing directly at them. “When will you two learn? Crime doesn’t pay, but you two will.” He flicked his wand causing them to float pass Bill and right out the front door.
“What are you dong with us?” Fred demanded.
George tried reaching for his wand. “Let us down Percy!”
“Oh no, you have a lesson to learn. We’re going to have a little fun.” He had Bill remove their wands and continued to lead them to the front garden of the Burrow.
When Percy finished he stepped back securing his spell and lowered his wand. “What do you think Bill?”
Bill had lost his breath and tried hard to breath correctly again while still laughing hysterically. “And to think, I didn’t believe you had a sense of humor.”
There, in the largest tree in the front garden, Fred and George were posed and dressed like fairies. Percy had dressed them in tutu’s and leotards, topping it off with fairy lights.
“One can only remain civil for so long before they crack.”
“Okay Percy, we get it, let us down.” Fred pleaded.
“Now that wouldn’t be fun. We have to wait for Angelina. And George, Ginny has a cute little lady to meet you. We need to let her see what she’s in for, now don’t we?”
As Bill and Percy walked into the Burrow they could hear Fred and George yelling profane things at their older brothers.
*******
Hermione and Ginny sat at the kitchen table with Fleur discussing some arrangements for the wedding.
Mrs. Weasley raced about the room bewitching boiling pots and hexing dishes to the table. “Charlie will be here any minute with his new girlfriend.” Mrs. Weasley stated nervously. “I wonder where Fred and George are? Fred had said earlier that Angelina was to meet him here.”
“Yeah, she’s bringing George’s surprise date.” Ginny smirked.
“Oh, you found someone.” Mrs. Weasley looked thoroughly thrilled. She picked up a tea tray and headed for the lounge. “Let’s have tea while we wait. Ginny will you grab the tea cups dear?”
The three ladies gathered their things and cups and followed Mrs. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley sat in his armchair with Rose on his lap and a herd of boys at his feet as he went on about the house elves and their refusal to take holidays.
“Face it Dad, they just can’t adjust.” Ron went on.
“I think that it may take a generation or two, but they’ll eventually come around. “Bill had agreed with Hermione when it came to magical creatures. Nothing could be as bad ad working with the goblins at Gringott’s. They were about the foulest, greediest creatures alive. If they were free, then every intelligent creature should have the same opportunity.
Knock, Knock
The entire family looked in the direction of the front door. Ron walked over and flung it open. There in the door stood Angelina with a beautiful girl who looked vaguely familiar.
“Hi Ron,” Angelina smiled half heartedly, “Um, could someone help us? It seems that Fred and George are having some trouble in the front garden.”
Percy and Bill looked at one another trying to stifle the laughs that desperately needed to be released. Mrs. Weasley knew right away that her normally calm children had done something that normally would have been expected of Fred and George.
“What have you done?” She scurried to the door and passed Angelina and her friend. Everyone looked at one another and soon followed.
“Oh my, get them down now”
“Mum, they had it coming,” he said trying the defend himself like he was a child, “You should have seen the mess they made.”
Fleur glared at Bill. “I suppoz’ you had sumzin’ to do with thiz’?”
“You didn’t have to live with their practical jokes, honey.” Bill tried to explain.
Percy reluctantly let the twins down, but not before he hit them on every branch coming down.
Crack, Crack
There, appearing beside Fred and George was Charlie and a petite figured woman. Ron elbowed Harry. It was Cho Chang.
“Well?” Charlie looked confused at Fred and George’s attire. “I don’t think I want to know. Everyone, this is Cho.” Almost everyone knew Cho from school. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley had seen her during their trips to Hogwarts to watch Quidditch matches.
“Um, We’ll go change.” Fred and George raced into the Burrow and up the stairs.
*******
Fred and George were actually laughing when they came back down the stairs. They really couldn’t believe that Percy had it in him. The family sat around the room. It was really quite amazing how many people could fit in their once small house. Bill and Fleur sat side by side chatting with Percy and Penelope. Harry sat with Ginny talking with Charlie and Cho. Ginny was laughing while Cho told stories of the recent games. Ron and Hermione were huddled in the corner watching Rose setting the boys straight on something that they had obviously done wrong. Although P.J. (Percy Jacob) and Cash (Bill and Fleur’s oldest) were older than her, she found it her duty to keep them in line. The younger of the boys Hunter and Jaeger (The other twins; Percy and Penelope’s) and Buck (Bill and Fleur’s other one) didn’t seem to mind as much. They didn’t know any better. Percy and Penelope had yet another boy, but he was only a few months old, so he didn’t know much of anything yet. But this didn’t keep her from trying. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley were talking with Angelina and George’s date. The entire room noticed the two of them coming down the stairs and they stood and began to applaud. They had found it quite amusing. They took their bows and walked towards the women that await them. Fred kissed Angelina. Ginny raced to them wanting to be the one to make the proper introductions. George immediately set his sights on the red-head standing next to Angelina.
“George, this is Susan.” She looked to see if he noticed her yet. “She was in the same year as…” She didn’t get to finish.
“Ron, Harry, and Hermione.” George finished for her. “Hufflepuff, Right?”
“Yes” Susan looked excited that he had remembered her.
Susan Bones was the plain red head from Hufflepuff. She wasn’t accustomed to being noticed much, but she had always noticed George. She had secretly cheered for him during Quidditch matches. When she ran into Ginny at the Ministry she had never anticipated that Ginny was looking for someone to go with George. Things had a funny way of working themselves out.
“You…look different.” George was trying not to trip over his words. She had definitely changed. She had curves now that he had never noticed before. He had always been attracted to red heads, but there had never been much choice outside his family. The skin on her face was silky white and smooth with a few small freckles scattered along her nose.
“You haven’t,” she said, “still up to the same old tricks I hear…and see.”
“Well,” he stammered, “you can’t take life to seriously.”
Everyone had now dispersed, leaving them to talk alone. George took her arm and led her to the sofa, where they sat, quietly talking and laughing.
“You planning to go to see Chudley tomorrow?” George asked.
“Actually, Ginny did invite me to stay and accompany the family tomorrow.”
“I’d like that.” George felt his face heating up.
A/N How about it? Did they have it coming or what? All these years and they finally get a taste of their own medicine. And what about George and Susan. Not predictable but very believable. (I think) Thanks to all of you that have contacted me personally. Reviews are by far the thing that makes it all worht while. Thanks Again to you all.