Chapter 3
Hermione adjusted the sundress she was wearing as she and Harry appeared in front of the Burrow. She’d spent half the morning rushing around in a tizzy attempting to tame her hair back into a braid and trying to determine which dress to wear. She would have normally thrown on some comfortable jeans and a blouse or t-shirt but since she hadn’t seen everyone in so long, Molly (Harry had warned her) had invited home the whole Weasley clan for a “surprise” lunch. So she’d attempted to look her best; put together but not trying too hard ( yeah right she remarked to herself). The first dress she’d tried had been a creamy orange colour. It cinched below her breasts and had another cinch right above the knee. She’d decided against that one as the high neckline felt as though it was choking her. The second dress she’d tried was a peasant blouse top with a skirt line that fell right above the knee in front and halfway down her calves in back. Unfortunately, the white design seemed to only be a good idea in theory. In reality, she could basically see her pants through the skirt. Plus, with the way the older Weasley’s tended to play she could practically see the stains already. Onto the ‘No’ pile it had gone. She’d tried on seven or eight different dresses and each one had been unceremoniously discarded for one reason or another (it made her look bloated, the colour was too bright, it hung weird on her frame, the pattern was laying on her bizarrely, etc., etc.). In the end, she had decided on a sea-foam green/blue dress with spaghetti straps and soft spots dotted about it. It hung at her knee in a modern yet conservative way (not too “slaggy” as she’d heard Molly whisper about in the past, yet not so long as to be considered prudish), and she’d been fortunate enough to find it in a pile of clothing Ginny had given her that she’d only just unpacked from a Christmas gone by. She had paired it with some white ballet flats and lip gloss before she and Harry had left for the Weasley abode. Even standing on the front lawn she could hear the boisterous crowd inside and she smiled to herself as they headed to the door.
“- and another thing, they hadn’t even gotten to-” She could hear one of the Weasley boys saying as Harry opened the door.
“We’re here!” Harry called out as he let them in and headed to the kitchen to see what kind of food Molly had ready to eat.
“Mione!” She heard Ginny call and looked over to where the girl stood with a strawberry-blonde toddler in her arms. Hermione smiled and made her way over to the duo.
“Hey Ginny,” she replied, giving the redhead a careful hug. “And who’s this little girl?”
“Mini say hi to your Aunty Hermione. Can you say 'Aunt Hermione', Mini?” Mione studied the precious thing, ascertaining this was the younger daughter of Bill and Fleur Weasley.
“Ammy Hermy,” the hazel-eyed blonde babbled. Hermione grimaced as Ginny laughed, knowing that Teddy and Victoire had both called her Hermy and she’d absolutely despised it.
“Hermione, dear one.” A very pregnant Fleur corrected, waddling over to them with a flannel and a jar of something mashed. “How are you, Hermione? We haven’t seen you in forever, I hope Australia has been kind to you.” She added as she took her young daughter from her sister-in-law.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Fleur, Australia has been great. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get home more often and that I missed the birth of this little one,” Hermione replied as she shook one of Dominique’s little feet. The baby smiled toothily, giggling and kicking out.
“Such is life, Hermione, such is life. We are glad to have you home now, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances may be. Who knows, with luck, you will be here for the birt’ of this one,” The older woman told her with a smile as she took her child off to eat.
“Come on, Mum’s dying to see you.” Ginny gestured as she started heading out the back. They got to the yard and Hermione could see that everyone was already there for the most part. Fleur was settling in next to Percy at the table. On the makeshift quidditch pitch, little Victoire and Teddy Lupin flew around on child brooms with the assistance of Bill and George. Ron was already talking to Harry and sent her a wave and a smile as she and Ginny made their way over to where Molly, Arthur, and Andromeda Tonks sat. Well, Arthur and Mrs Tonks sat. Molly stood anxiously rearranging amazing-smelling food on the extended table. Arthur smiled at her as he saw them approach.
“Hermione! So good to see you,” Arthur called out, causing heads to turn in her direction all over the yard as he stood to shake her hand.
“Hey, Mione!” Bill called.
“Nice to have you back, Hermione,” George said as Percy and Andromeda nodded to her.
“Aunt Hermione!” Teddy cried as he jumped from the little broom on slightly wobbly legs.
“Teddy!” Hermione cried back, opening her arms and leaning down so the little four-year-old could launch himself into a hug.
“Aunt Hermione, where has you beens? I hasn’t seen you in fowever!” Teddy accused as he nuzzled into her neck.
“I know, Teddy. I’m sorry I’ve been away so long.” She smiled as she petted the child's now curly brown hair (his metamorphmagus abilities helping the boy’s naturally straight blue hair to match her own locks). She hadn’t seen the boy in person since she’d left for Australia. Harry had fire called her a few times when he’d had Teddy for a weekend or something but it wasn’t nearly the same thing. “I promise to come over and play with you soon, but I have to speak with the other grown-ups first, ok?” Hermione pinky swore to the little boy. He pouted for a few seconds before putting his own pinky in her outstretched one and squirming to be let down.
“Ok, I’w’ll see you soon Aunt Hermione!” He cried, his hair already returning to the Weasley red he’d been sporting when she’d arrived.
“Oh Hermione,” Mrs Weasley exclaimed with tears in her eyes as she rushed to hug the girl. “I’m so sorry you’re all in this mess. That Ministry has no clue what they’re doing, don’t worry dear we’ll fix this. Have you eaten yet today, you look thin? Tell us what you’ve been up to while you’ve been gone. Any new boys in your life? You know I wish you and Ron would get back together, a mother can dream. Well, I suppose it won’t matter now, will it? Oh, all of you stuck in this mess, just you wait till I get my hands on that Kingsley Shacklebolt, we will be having words. I’ve half a mind to send the man a howler-” Hermione stared over Molly’s shoulder, still trapped in a hug, at the varying sympathetic and amused looks on her friends faces as Molly chattered on and on without an end in seemingly a single breath. “-I did, I told him right there in front of the ministry building that this was all bollocks, not that he could do anything about it but surely he could-”
“Molly dear, let the poor girl breathe.” Andromeda butt into Molly’s tirade as she attempted to go off on another tangent. “She’s only just arrived and is probably overwhelmed as it is. Hermione, come sit down dearie and have some tea.” Mrs Tonks pulled Hermione from Molly’s arms.
“Thanks, Mrs Tonks, I’d love some tea,” Hermione said with a forced smile at both the women as she and Mrs Weasley made their way to the table.
“How many times must I tell you, Hermione, to call me Andy or Dromeda. Mrs Tonks makes me feel so old. Like my mother in law,” the woman grimaced good-naturedly. Hermione chuckled.
“Sorry, Dromeda,” She replied sheepishly. “How have you and little Teddy been doing?”
“Teddy and I have been just fine. I do so love having him in that empty house with me. Especially since Ted’s passing and poor Nymphadora and Remus being lost to us in that blasted war. Having my grandson around fills me with a joy that is quite hard to come by,” the woman said wistfully as she took a sip of cooled tea. Hermione squirmed uncomfortably at the topic, thankful when Molly changed the subject.
“I hope you enjoyed our little surprise, Hermione. I know that we won’t have much to celebrate come July, what with all of you being forced into these sham marriages. Really, I feel so awful not being able to do anything for any of you. Poor George and Angelina have been trying to get Ministry approval for a wedding but they haven’t been having any luck, and Percy and his girlfriend Druella had to break up just a few weeks ago because of this decree. I do so wish that you and Ron would petition the courts to marry each other, are you sure you don’t want that dear? I’m sure you’d be much happier with him than any other man the ministry could choose for you, and besides you know Ron loves you deeply,” Molly prattled on.
“Mum, Mione and Ron broke up over two years ago, I really don’t think they are going to get back together,” Ginny grumbled, much to Hermione’s relief.
“Ginevra, why don’t you go get the rest of the pies out of the kitchen?” Her mother replied coolly. “Now, Hermione, I know my boy isn’t the brightest pixie in the patch but he’d be a good husband. You’d be well cared for, and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything other than keeping house and caring for the children. I really wish you’d consider his offer,” Molly turned to her and grasped her hand as she pleaded.
“Mrs Weasley,” Hermione started, being extremely careful to choose her words and not hurt the older woman’s feelings. “Ron and I broke up because we were too different. We want different things out of life, and we don’t belong as anything more than very good friends. I do love your son, but not in the way you and possibly he wants me to. I’m sorry, but I can’t marry him just for convenience sake. If we were still together? I’d potentially marry him then. But I can’t just force both of us to stay in a relationship when neither of us would be happy. You must remember all of the fighting we did? The plates we broke, the screaming, the accidental magic outbursts when we would fight that normally only come from young children, and not to mention the window that had to be replaced,” she hedged, trying to change Molly’s mind.
“Oh, my yes but you did have such chemistry,” Molly tittered. “Are you sure you can’t be persuaded, dear? If it truly is a lost cause I’ll drop it, seeing as the deadline is in three days anyhow, I just wish you’d be more open to the idea.” The frown that graced Mrs Weasley’s ageing features was enough to sway a more gullible girl, but Hermione wasn’t going to budge. Not on this.
“I’m sorry, Molly, it’s just not going to happen.” She said with a sad smile and a sip of her tea. Suddenly a commotion drew her attention across the lawn. She gasped at the sight of the elusive Charlie Weasley and a brown-haired man (both clad in dragon handling gear, and with one of them smoking lightly) making their way toward the tent. She had only met the second eldest Weasley boy two or three times before, one summer during her Hogwarts days, again at Fred’s funeral and a few weeks after Victoire’s birth. As far as she knew, he almost never came back to the Burrow, preferring instead to work and stay with his dragons in Romania.
“Mum! So sorry I’m late, one of the kids was having trouble hatching and I didn’t want to leave until she had fully come out.” He said, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek.
“Charlie, dear, I’m so glad you could make it! You remember Hermione,” She turned to the girl in question as Charlie smiled.
“Of course, how could I forget a member of the Golden Trio! Oh, right, and one of Rony’s best friends,” he goaded, earning an ‘oy, that’s not my name you tosser,’ from his younger brother. “You know you’re even famous in Romania, the lot of you. Nice to finally see you again, how long has it been, four, five months?”
“Try three or four years,” Hermione replied with a laugh as Charlie turned pink and chuckled with her.
“Guess I was a little off then, huh?”
“And who’s this?” Molly asked with a sweet smile aimed at Charlie’s brunette companion.
“Ognyan, it is nice to meet you finally. Charlie has told me much about his family and his pretty Mama.” The stranger replied with a kiss on Molly’s hand. Hermione could see tattoos poking out of the man’s sleeves. His hair was a similar length to Bills and back in a ponytail. Where Charlie was lean muscled and had a softer face with a bit of patchy five o’clock shadow, the other man, Ognyan, was built more solidly like Victor Krum had been in his quidditch days and had a neatly trimmed moustache and beard that were flecked with dark red hairs. He was quite attractive in a rugged kind of way.
“You flatterer,” Molly scolded playfully with a chuckle. “Do you work with Charlie then?” Ognyan got a weird look on his face as he looked over at Charlie.
“You have not told them yet?” He accused.
“Mum,” Charlie shifted uncomfortably. “I did meet Ognyan at work, he’s one of the tamers we work with. Um, he’s...” The second eldest Weasley seemed to be at a loss for words. A dawning of realization grew on Hermione’s face as she guessed that maybe Charlie Weasley wasn’t as interested in women as his brothers may have been.
“He’s what dear? Are you the one he’s been living with, then? I am so glad he’s found a roommate to help pay the outrageous amount they’re asking for that tiny flat he’s been living in,” Molly said as she started to apply jam to a crumpet.
“He’s my husband.” Charlie finally got out.