Chapter eleven
Chapter eleven
Arthur glanced at everyone before he looked back at Charlie, ‘Even when I explained to her how this would affect us, she did not seem to care. I know it’s hard to say this about one of my own but she only cared about herself, not her mother, not me and not any of you. If she didn’t take her own life then she would not have stopped until she took your life Charlie. Right now, I’m disappointed that a child of mine could be so heartless, so selfish that even in death she wanted to stop you being together,’ Arthur looked at his wife before his other sons before finally turning back to Charlie, ‘In my opinion, I would say show her that nothing can come between you two, stick to your plans. Molly dear, what do you think?’
‘They should marry as planned and Charlie should open his shop. I am of the same opinion Arthur, she did not care about any of us. I am ashamed to be her mother, so let’s send her off in a fitting service then all of us can have the life we all fought hard to get.’
Charlie looked back at Harry who was still staring at him, ‘Alright, let’s gets married as we planned.’
‘Ron, Hermione, would you two write to all your friends that were friends with Ginny. Explain what happened and that the funeral will be in two days at Ottery St Catchpole’s graveyard. Bill, Percy, George, you three write to the rest of the family, let them know. I will speak with Muriel so she knows that her home won’t be needed for Ginny anymore,’ Arthur said.
‘Mrs. Weasley, would you mind if I stayed in the twins old room?’ Hermione asked tentatively.
‘Of course not dear, why don’t you take your belongings in now, and I might start dinner.’
‘I’ll help,’ Fleur said kindly as she stood up. So as Molly and Fleur went to organise dinner. All the boys apart from Charlie and Harry, gathered parchment, ink and quills. Arthur nodded to his sons before he left to speak with Muriel.
‘I’m going to speak with a healer, you mentioned it a while ago about being tested and now Hermione mentioned it. If I knew about this when I was younger it could have stopped this from happening.’
‘It would have, so they’ll probably take some of your blood as you are now and as your dragon. Even though it’s rare, no one knows when this could happen again. You dated Cho when you were fifteen so it would need to be done before kids started to date each other.’
‘Yeah, but I thought Cho was pretty when I was fourteen, I asked her to the yule ball but she already accepted Cedric’s invitation. So what Hermione said about the age of ten or eleven, that sounds right, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, I never thought of girls until I was thirteen, all I thought about was dragons.’
‘I was twelve when I first noticed girls, I don’t know anyone that thought about dating before that age,’ Bill said.
‘If a healer can’t do anything Harry, maybe an unspeakable can. We have to go through their department anyway, maybe you could mention this,’ Ron suggested.
‘Good idea, I’ll see a healer first. But Fleur, you’re part Veela, can that be tested to see if your kids will have Veela in them?’
‘It is part of us ‘arry, zo we all know our children will be Veela or part Veela. If zomeone did not know anything about their family, then yes, our blood would show our Veela ‘eritage.’
‘Then maybe it can be tested,’ Harry sighed as he stared down at Charlie’s hand in his, ‘I wonder how it works though, why a Morphixen chooses one person over another. We both said it Charlie, we were seeing girls and now we’re together like it was always meant to be.’
‘We are meant to be but that’s not what you meant is it?’
‘Well, if they could test for the Morphixen then maybe they could test to see if certain people have something inside them that makes them accept the venom. You didn’t hesitate when I asked Charlie, you just lifted your head to expose your neck.’
‘I see where you’re going with this Harry, yes, there must be something in Charlie that is different from the rest of the Weasley boys…or Ginny. It could be something in his blood, something to do with his soul or even his magical core. You two are soul mates, life mates, bonded in every way. Now there are ceremonies that couples can do that joins their souls during their wedding ceremony. Powerful people can also join their magical essence to each other with another type of ceremony, but that doesn’t mean they are meant to be life mates or soul mates. They are doing it artificially, that’s one way to describe it. You and Charlie are pure and natural soul mates in every way,’ Hermione explained.
‘Then let’s both see a healer, if they can determine that I was always going to be the mate of a Morphixen then everyone can be tested. This could have been double trouble in a way, you were dating Ginny, I could have been in a relationship with someone. That Sunday morning I turned up when I haven’t been because of helping everywhere, yet I did. Maybe whatever it was that made me accept the venom gave me a nudge or something.’
‘Then we’ll see if they can find out. I might be the only one for another four hundred years but if they can work on some test then the next couple will know when they are young and have everything explained. Hey Hermione, maybe you could write down everything about us, the way we were on that day, how we reacted, how we’ve been since the Morphixen emerged. It would give a more up to date knowledge, especially with what happen.’
‘I’ll work on sitting down with both of you, probably one weekend when we have time.’
‘Let’s eat for now, those letters can be sent first thing in the morning,’ Arthur said helping his wife and daughter-in-law load up the table. They might know that Ginny deliberately took her life to stop Charlie and Harry being together and they were upset they lost another member of their family. But they all realised they were not going to let Ginny’s plans destroy their lives. They will bury another member of the family then they will support and celebrate Charlie and Harry’s bonding, exactly what a family should do.
Two days later, the cemetery in Ottery St Catchpole was crowded with people, some where there for the Weasley children, some for the parents. But even the teachers of Hogwarts turned up as most of them taught the Weasley’s, Ginny being the last. The aurors apart from Ron and Harry were together, staying at the back to allow the extended Weasley family to stay close together.
When the service was over they all walked slowly back to the Burrow where all the boys helped bring out food Molly, Fleur, Hermione, Arthur and Bill had prepared that morning. Not a lot of people liked the moments right after a funeral, but having everyone join the family at their home is the way the Weasley family wanted to finish the day when they lost a family member.
‘Harry.’
Harry turned and was instantly hugged, ‘Hi Hagrid.’
‘Are you okay mate?’
‘You know, worried about Charlie and the rest of the family, but we’re all doing okay, considering. How’s Grawp?’
‘Good, he’s coming along great. We got word about why she did this and where.’
‘Yeah, my parents place, it’s still so hard to believe she did this and the reason behind it. We get she was hurt but to go this far is just unbelievable. Anyway, how’s Hogwarts?’
‘Not the same without all of you, actually,’ Hagrid glanced around, ‘It’s kind a quiet.’
‘That’s a good thing Hagrid,’ Harry gave his big friend a smile.
‘It’s just not the same.’
‘You always knew we would leave one day, but now we’re settled into being aurors I’m make sure to drop in to Hogsmeade to visit.’
‘Actually, that’s where I’m thinking of having my shop,’ Charlie said as he stepped over to Harry, ‘You can pop in and see me with all the animals Hagrid. But before you ask, no, there will be no blast ended skrewts. Ron told me about those and also no acromantula.’
‘Their harmless Charlie.’
‘Harmless, they tried to eat Ron and me Hagrid. But talk to Charlie for a bit, I want a word with Madame Pomfrey,’ Harry kissed Charlie then hurried away, he really didn’t want to get into a discussion with Hagrid about any of the monster animals he felt was just misunderstood, Harry knew the truth, most of what Hagrid liked were monsters.
‘Hey boss, who is that big bloke with all the hair?’ Jessie asked.
‘Hagrid, or Rubeus Hagrid, he is the care of magical creatures teacher at Hogwarts and the games keeper. He was the first magical person I met, we’ve always been close.’
‘But he’s so big.’
‘He’s a half giant, but harmless, except for his fascination with monstrous creatures. But he’s a great bloke Jessie, go say hello,’ Harry smiled at his auror before stepping over to the matron who was with the headmistress, ‘Hello Professor, Madam Pomfrey.’
‘Harry, considering what has happened, you look well. How are you adapting to auror life?’
‘Great, I love it, the Morphixen side sometimes gets in the way but I’m learning to control it. Actually that’s what I wanted to ask Madam Pomfrey about.’
‘I was not familiar with it until I heard about you Mr. Potter, yet it did not surprise me when I found out you became one.’
‘Because I’m strange and things always happen to me or around me?’
‘Yes exactly,’ she smiled making Harry laugh.
‘This is an idea Hermione and Charlie had because of what happened with Ginny. Even though I am the first one in over four hundred years, it could happen again in fifty years, no one knows. We were wondering if maybe a healer could test for the Morphixen, either by my blood or magical core. We were also curious about Charlie, what made him be my mate. We were both dating girls, yet he never hesitated when I asked if he would receive me. We just figured if they had time they might find some way to test all kids at the age of ten before they get interested in dating. If I knew, I would not have dated Cho or Ginny. Charlie said the same, if anything could show up that he would be a recipient of my venom.’
‘A very interesting theory. It would make it easier and because of what happened with Miss Weasley it could save a lot of heartache. I do have some of your blood from a few years ago so that could be compared to your blood now. Yes, maybe with time, a healer might come up with a test of some kind. Why don’t you drop into Hogwarts and give me some more blood, I will compare it to your blood from a few years ago.’
Harry turned to his old professor, ‘Send me an owl when you can make it and I will allow you entry.’
‘Thanks, none of us wanted this to happen, but we did try to explain everything so she would know we couldn’t change anything. Let’s hope it’s a simple test and can be worked out for all kids to be checked. I’m having Hermione write down everything that happened that day, her memory is freaky, so we know nothing will be missed.’
‘Yes, she is a bright woman. Have you used your Morphixen side on the job?’
‘Yeah, not long after we started. We all went to have lunch, Charlie joined us but within minutes we sensed dark magic. I know we scared a lot of people in the ministry’s dining room, but we caught a bloke that had a dark mark on his arm. Charlie held him with his antlers while I kept gazing down at him in my dragon form, smoke coming out of my nose, kinda freaky.’
‘Yes, I’m sure it would be. So you are a dragon, what type?’ Minerva asked.
‘When Charlie told me I wasn’t surprised. I’m a Hungarian horntail, like the one I had to get passed in the triwizard tournament. I’m curious about something though, Charlie’s stag and my dad’s stag. I haven’t found any pictures of when he changed and I never got to spend time with Sirius for him to show me a memory. Do you know anyone that might have a memory of when my dad changed?’
‘I did see a stag on the Hogwarts grounds one night, I do not know it was your father at the time, all I knew was there are no stags in the forbidden forest. When I found out about James, Sirius and Peter I realised who I saw that night, so when you come to Hogwarts I will show you that memory. Do you believe your dad’s stag and Charlie are the same?’
‘I just seems to make sense, Charlie worked with dragons and I faced a Hungarian horntail, now I change into a dragon. Charlie becomes a stag just like my dad and my patronus.’
‘Yes, otherwise it would be a very big coincidence.’
‘Yeah, it would. Anyway, Hagrid said it’s not the same now we’re gone, it’s too quiet for him,’ Harry grinned making the two woman laugh.
‘It’s true, it is very quiet, which I am happy about. But I must admit that I miss seeing all of you there. It happens every seven years. There are some students who make an impact on the teachers and you lot made a big impact on all the staff.’
‘Wow,’ Harry looked at Pomfrey, ‘Is that her way of saying she misses us and actually likes all of us?’
Poppy chuckled as Minerva pursed her lips, ‘I miss you less when you say things like that…Mr. Potter.’
Harry chuckled then surprised Minerva by hugging her, ‘I miss seeing you all the time as well,’ Harry turned and hurried away from a shocked Minerva McGonagall.
‘So did you speak with Madam Pomfrey?’ Hermione asked.
‘Yeah, she’s still got some of my blood from a few years ago, so I’m going to give her some now. She can do some tests and compare it. I think I would need to give blood from my dragon as well though.’
‘Yes, I believe she would need it, but comparing your blood now to a few years ago is a good idea. I wonder why she kept it now you aren’t a student anymore.’
‘Maybe she just hasn’t gotten around to cleaning out all that stuff. But Harry’s stuff and file, well, that would be the biggest there,’ Ron smirked.
‘Yeah, I even had my own bed in the hospital wing.’
‘Are you serious?’
Harry turned to see Jessie, ‘Yep, the Potter bed was assigned to me and Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t allow any other in that bed.’
‘Because she always knew sooner or later Harry would end up hurt again,’ Hermione said.
‘From Voldemort?’ Jessie asked.
‘Not always, quidditch, giant spiders, giant snakes, inept teachers, dragons, oh and three headed dogs,’ Ron said.
‘Fluffy never hurt me, we put him to sleep.’
‘Fluffy,’ Jessie’s eyes were wide, ‘What was fluffy?’
‘A Cerberus, it belonged to Hagrid, along with the giant spiders, acromantula. He did want to raise a dragon in his wooden hut, we talk him out of that, sent it with some of Charlie’s friends. As I said Jessie, he has a fixation on monsters, yet he’s harmless.’
‘Unless you hurt anyone he cares about, like Harry,’ Ron shrugged.
Harry nodded but shrugged as well, Hermione smiled as she nodded to Jessie, so the girl was getting an education on not just Harry but who else was part of his life during his Hogwarts days. She was finding out that not only was Harry quite extraordinary, but the school he and his friends attended seemed to be very different from her school and their experiences were also very different to what she went through.
Losing Ginny was hard on everyone, even Charlie, but they all kept reminding themselves why she took her own life, to try and ruin Charlie and Harry’s life together. It would make the Weasley family, including Harry and Hermione more determined to make Charlie and Harry’s wedding memorable. One thing they decided to do was have the wedding sooner, so now they were planning on a New Years Eve wedding. At first they wanted a warm day, but decided to have the largest marque you could get so it would cover from the house right down to the small pond, and there would be heating charms on every part. Harry and Charlie thought if it snowed then it would like a winters wonderful.
Harry had basically told Molly she could plan it but he and Charlie did have their own ideas.
‘Hermione, Ron,’ Harry gestured with his head so the golden trio moved away from the rest of the Weasley’s.
‘What’s up mate?’
‘The wedding, I know it’s traditional to have a best man, which you will be Ron, but I want to do something different.’
‘I knew Ron would be your best man Harry, he’s been your friends since we were eleven.’
‘True, but your my best friend as well, so I would like you both to stand up for me.’
‘Me, but…but,’ Hermione couldn’t finished she just stared at Harry making him and Ron laugh.
‘I think we made miss-know-it-all speechless,’ Harry smirked earning a smack on the arm from Hermione.
‘You’re serious?’
‘Very, it’s what I want, so will you and Ron stand up for me while I get married?’
‘You know I will mate.’
Hermione kept staring at Harry then threw her arms around him, ‘Yes, of course I will.’
Harry hugged Hermione but he grinned at Ron over her shoulder, ‘You’re the best Hermione, now you will need to find a great dress to wear. Mrs. Weasley has the key to the vault which is for the wedding, so you and Ron can work on what you want to wear.’
‘Robes.’
‘No, Charlie and I don’t really like robes, so we’re going for some really nice suits. So it’s your choice if you want robes or a suit.’
‘I need to know what colours you and Charlie are wearing so I can make sure my dress doesn’t clash.’
‘It doesn’t matter Hermione. Charlie and I aren’t traditional in anyway, so if you want to wear a ginger coloured dress, that’s your choice.’
‘Oh no, I do not look good in any red colour, makes me look very pale. I will speak with Mrs. Weasley then, work on shopping. When are you boys going to work on your suits?’
‘Soon, I have to work it out with Charlie, again we don’t care about tradition so we’ll be together when we pick them out. One thing though, Ron will have the ring.’
‘That’s traditional, except you and Charlie will be exchanging rings and have a best man each.’
‘We best get back to all these details,’ Harry, Hermione and Ron joined the others then explained that Harry wanted Ron and Hermione to stand up for him. Charlie grinned as he pulled Harry onto his lap, to him, it made sense that Harry would want his two best friends with him the day he married.