Chapter 2
Harry sighed as he stepped into his newly refurbished house. Appreciating, once again, the sense of peace that surrounded him.
“Master Harry, sir! Yous bes having guests!” croaked Kreacher.
Harry’s eyebrows rose, “Guests? Who is it, Kreacher?”
Kreacher shrugged, “Weasleys. I nots bes seeing before Master Harry! Kreacher bes leaving them in sitting room.”
“Thank you, Kreacher.” With a sigh, Harry walks toward the sitting room, only to stop in the doorway, wide-eyed, at seeing Bill and Charlie. “Bill? Charlie? This is a surprise. What…” Whatever Harry was going to ask was lost as he is enveloped by both men in an enthusiastic hug.
“Harry, it’s been too long.” Is said by Bill into the top of Harry’s head. While Charlie’s “Harry” sounds and feels like a growl in Harry’s ear.
Harry is surprised not only by their welcome, but by the immediate feelings of warmth, care, and safety that seem to flow from both men to himself. With a sigh, Harry relaxes into their embrace, content for a few moments before he asks them to sit. A blush suffuses his face when the two brothers lead him to a settee and pull him down between them.
Bill cups the back of Harry’s head and asks, “Harry, are you well?” While Charlie seems more insistant when he turns to Harry and says, “We’ve missed you! Why haven’t you visited?”
Harry is visibly unsettled when he answers, “With everything that happened, I didn’t think I’d be welcome.” Harry’s blush increases as he feels Bill lightly stroking his nape and notices that Charlie’s leg is pressed against his own. Charlie envelopes Harry’s hand in his own and asks, “Harry, what’s wrong? How could you think you’d be unwelcome?”
Harry hangs his head and whispers, “Ginny, Ron’s reaction to my being gay, Fred…” and his voice trails into a sob.
Bill leans forward, softly kisses Harry’s cheek, and whispers, “None of that is your fault Harry. We all followed you willingly. We wanted and needed to fight with you against Voldemort.” Continuing to stroke Harry’s nape, he asks gently but firmly, “There’s something else bothering you, Harry. What is it?”
Harry rises from the settee and paces to a window. “It’s…You know I’ve been working in the Department of Mysteries on a temporary basis, but I’ve also been working with the goblins for a few hours every day: learning about my inheritances that Dumbledore hid from me. Some of what I’ve found is disturbing.
“Master,” Kreacher croaks from the doorway, “Dinner is beings ready.”
“Thank you, Kreacher.” Harry says as he turns back into the room. “Bill, Charlie will you join me? I’m not fancy; I prefer to eat at the kitchen table.”
Charlie stands and drops his arm across Harry’s shoulder, “We’d like that very much.”
The three men walk down the hall toward the kitchen. They seat themselves at the table with Harry at the head and Bill and Charlie to either side. No words are spoken as Kreacher serves up a thick beef stew with crunchy rolls and a tub of butter. The silence continues as the three men eat and Harry is grateful that it isn’t awkward. The initial sense of warmth and care has continued.
When the three men have finished eating, Bill reaches for Harry’s hand, squeezes gently, and asks, “What is disturbing you, Harry?”
Harry looks intently into Bill sapphire eyes, squeezes his hand tightly, and then turns to stare into Charlie’s sky-blue eyes. He takes a deep breath as he reaches for Charlie’s hand and grips it tightly. The other men are concerned when Harry hangs his head.
“I found something out, financially, about a week ago. I haven’t known exactly how to deal with it, so maybe the two of you here tonight is fate. What I’d like to do is give you the information and let you decide how to handle it.” Gesturing with his right forefinger, Harry wandlessly summons a several files of paperwork. Harry squeezes the hand of both men, releases them, and stands up.
“I’m not really sure why you came this evening.” Harry says as a blush creeps over his face. “But perhaps it’s better if you go through that information first. I will tell you something that you need to know that isn’t included in those files. The summer before fourth year, while we were at the Quidditch World Cup, I gave my vault key to Molly so she could buy my school supplies for me; and she has since refused to give it back, even now I’m an adult.” Harry turns to the door, bows his head, and shudders for a moment. Then he turns around and gives the two men a weak smile. “Bill, Charlie. Go through the files, please. I…I hope we can remain friends afterwards.” Harry turns and flees upstairs.
Both men stare at each other with a wide-eyed expression, but Charlie is the first to speak. “Bill, do we want to know what’s in those files?”
As Bill opens his mouth to speak, Kreacher interrupts. “Master Harry beings good master. Treatings Kreacher with cares and respect. Papers beings on table hurts Master Harry.”
“That decides it,” declares Bill as he picks up the files. “Kreacher, could you bring coffee up to the sitting room?” Bill looks ruefully at the pile of paperwork, “A lot of coffee