Disclaimer- The plot is mine. Jackson, Danny, Emma, Mary, Teddy,
Laurie, Hannah, William, and Deborah are all mine. The rest belong to
JKRowling.
It had been a long time since Ginny and Harry had got married. In fact it had been 20 years. They had gotten married 4 years after Harry graduated and had a baby 3 years later. They named her Emma Lillith Potter. She had Red hair and green eyes. Over the years she grew, now she's 16, which is where we enter
"Emma, Jackson is at the door," Ginny called up the stairs. In actuality Harry was taking Jackson into his study to be interrogated for the umpteenth time. "Dear, you better hurry up, you father is dragging Jack into the study," Ginny called up.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming," Emma said running down the stairs. She was dressed in a knee-length green dress and her hair was drawn up into a bun. She had carefully lined and polished her lips till they were brighter then her hair. She grabbed her purse and ran after Jackson and her father. She grabbed his arm and pulled him out.
"Dad, I'm sorry but we really must get going," Emma said dragging Jack toward the door. "We won't be late, and we'll be careful," she said quickly shutting the door behind her before he could say anything.
"Ginny, do you know what just happened," he asked walking over to her and putting his arms around her waist. He then rested his chin on her head. "I mean, one minute she's running to tell you everything and the next, she slams the door before you can say a word. I didn't even get a chance to look at what she was wearing, I don't know if she's acceptable," Harry pouted a little.
Meanwhile Emma was on her way to a party at her "friend's" apartment. She and Jackson had only been out once and that was at Hogwars where her dad had spies everywhere. Dumbledore, who refused to retire until he died, looked after her, Hermione and Ron Weasley, who were teachers, kept an extremely tight reign on her, and Remus Lupin. She hadn't really got a chance to spend "quality" time together.
As they neared the apartment Emma caught site of her friend and cousin, Mary Weasley. Hermione and Ron's daughter was as overprotected as Emma so they had become friends under those similarities. Mary was latched on the arm of Danial Richardson, the Quidditch Captain for Gryfindor.
"Mary! I can't believe you made it," Emma exclaimed as she came up to them. "I was surprised I got out of the house, my father was trying to "talk" with Jackson," Emma finished, looking fondly up at Jack.
"Tell me about it, when dad saw Danny I think he almost had a heart attack. Mum didn't tell me he was here until dad already had him in the study. Danny could have taken it but I was just worried they wouldn't let me go. I'm glad they didn't know where it was or they defiantly wouldn't have let me," Mary laughed.
"So, what kind of party is it? Is it wild or placid?" Jack asked.
"From what I can see the party's pretty wild, it's good, but wild just the same," Danny answered taking closer hold of Mary. "I don't know about you Jack, but I'm keeping Mary close to me, I don't fancy her dad pounding me in. Plus Mary's also got brothers that would do the same," he put in.
"Believe me, I wouldn't let Emmy out of my sight for a minute with this crowd. Mr. Potter's a pretty menacing figure, even if Emma is an only child," Jack replied, drawing Emma closer to him.
"Come on, you guys are worse then our fathers, let's go in and join the party," Emma cried, dragging Jackson by the arm.
The party was indeed wild. There was dancing and kegs of muggle bear. Girls were taking their shirts off in drunken folly, and guys were latching their teeth onto the bras of those shirtless girls. Mary looked about, an excited look on her face. Emma kept a similar look glued to hers. Jackson and Danny on the other hand looked nervously at each other.
They knew how wrathful the two over-protective fathers, and they could only imagine what they would do if they knew that their daughters were at a crazy party. Danny had an extra thing to make him antsy, Mary also had 2 older brothers who were also over-protective. They were twins 2 years older then she. They just hoped that no one would find out.
The girls dragged Danny and Jack out onto the dance floor. They danced away to their hears content. They knew that it was getting late but they didn't care. Their parents wouldn't be able to find them and they wouldn't have to face them till they got home. This might be their only glimpse of teenage life before they were shipped back to Hogwarts, back under the watchful eyes of their father's friends.
They were quite merry when 12:30 rolled round. They weren't ready to go by any means. The party promised to go on for much longer and jubilant music played nonstop. They had food, drinks, dancing, and boys to occupy their time for the rest of the night. Jack and Danny however did care; they knew they would be the ones blamed for everything if they got the girls home any later. They were supposed to have had them home by 11:30.
Jack and Danny took Mary and Emma by the arm and led them out of the apartment complex. They bade farewell to each other and led their "girls" in opposite directions. Jackson and Emma reached the yard of the Potter house about 12:45. Emma turned to him slowly. She looked deep into his kind blue eyes.
"Jackson, just leave me here. I want dad to be able to cool down before you see him. He'd most likely take your head off right now," she kissed him and walked up to the front door. She took off her shoes and tried to creep up the stairs silently. When she had reached the second stair a strong voice sounded behind her.
"Emma Lillith Potter, what are you thinking getting home so late? I want to know exactly where you were and an explanation of why you're walking in the door at 1:00," Harry said angrily.
"Dad, it's just 12:48. I was just at a friend's apartment and lost track of time. Jack had to take off. Don't worry; Mary was there with her boyfriend Danny. They didn't leave a minute before I did," she answered weakly.
"That's not good enou-," Harry was cut off by Ginny running down the stairs with a newspaper grasped in her hands.
"Oh Emma, where have you been? I read in the Midnight Prophet that there was a party at Susan Hemp's house. It got broken up by the Ministry just a little past 12:30," she said breathlessly.
"Really, that's interesting mum," Emma answered innocently.
"You were at that party weren't you," Harry said, an edge of doom coming into his voice.
"Yes father, we left at 12:30 on the dot," she said, bowing her head.
"Since when are you friends with Susan Hemp?" Ginny asked.
"Well, we aren't really friends. She just gave out a whole bunch of invitations. I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with it," she said.
"Well, in any account, we're all tired and want to go to bed. Emma, go up to bed and we'll talk about this tomorrow," Harry said sternly giving her a slap on the butt with his book and a cool look.
Emma climbed the stairs grumbling. She changed out of her dress and got ready for bed. She fell back on her covers and was asleep in a minute. She never noticed Harry hovering at the door looking at his "little girl" who was not quite one anymore. She had grown into a teenager. Oh how he missed his little girl, the one that thought he knew everything there was to know in the world.
The next morning Emma came down the stairs grumpily. Her parents were already seated at the table. They were looking at each other worriedly. Apparently something else had happened during the night. She through her self into a chair and grabbed a piece of toast.
"Emma, we have some bad news," Harry started. "Voldemort has been sighted, we and a whole bunch of other families are going to be brought to a safe place. We're leaving tonight. I'm afraid we won't be able to embarrass you too much. You are going to Grandmum and Grandpa's house for the time being. Everybody will be there. Your bags are packed and the fire is ready," he finished getting up from the table.
"I don't want to go! I don't want to be put underground or something like that. I want to be with Jack not my family," Emma exclaimed angrily.
"I don't really care if you want to be with Jack right now. My only priority is to keep you safe. You can think about Jackson as much as you want but you're going into hiding like the rest of the family and while your mum and I get things in order here you will go over to your Grandparents house and if I hear about you misbehaving in anyway you will be sorry," said Harry.
Harry escorted Emma to the Burrow. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table in the kitchen. They looked up when Emma appeared. Harry turned around quickly and went back home leaving Emma standing in front of her grandparents in a pare of plad shorts and an old Chudley Cannons T-shirt.
"Hello Emma dear," said Mrs. Weasley getting up and kissing her on the cheek. "Do want any breakfast? I've still got some pancakes and eggs," she asked in her maternal tone gesturing toward a chair next to Mr. Weasley.
"Sure," Emma stammered, tears coming to her eyes. She would probably not see Jack for ages. Her father was very perceptive so running away would probably be really hard. He defiantly wouldn't let her leave if he knew. She couldn't even owl him, he would think that she didn't like him at all and that she was a cruel heartless person.
Mrs. Weasley put a plate in front of her; she could hardly swallow a bite. She just sat there pushing the food around her plate. She suddenly wasn't hungry at all. She almost felt sick. The smell of pancakes and eggs was suddenly nauseating.
"Are you okay dear? You're not eating," Mr. Weasley asked looking at her apprehensively.
"I'm just not hungry. Is anyone else here yet?" Emma wanted to get away even if that meant that she had to play with her annoying cousins.
"Yes, why don't you go into the living room. I think they're in there playing chess," Mr. Weasley answered, not looking up from his paper. Emma made her way into the living room. Bill and Percy were playing chess in front of the fire. They didn't look up as she came in so she sat down in an easy chair to watch.
"Check mate," Bill said seriously looking at Percy. Percy stared at the board in amazement, not believing that he had actually lost. Bill chuckled then caught sight of Emma. "Lo Emma, everybody else is asleep and Ron, Hermione, Lawrence, Theodore, and Mary aren't here yet, there supposed to arrive within the hour," Bill said, reading his niece's mind.
"Oh? Did Uncle Ron seem upset by anything when you talked to him last?" Emma asked innocently, wanting to know if Ron and Hermione's reaction was anything like her parents.
"When you speak of it, yes, Ron seemed a little angry when I talked to him this morning, I thought it was just because he was tired. Do you know what was wrong with him?" Percy said, finally coming to the realization that he had lost the game.
"Maybe," Emma answered edgily. She didn't want to talk about what was still fresh in her mind. She pined for Jackson and was angry with her father for taking her away from him, talking to her uncles defiantly wouldn't help the situation.
"What is it Emma? Did you guys do something you weren't supposed to and got in trouble for it?" Bill asked in a condescending voice. She glared at him but finally broke down and decided to tell them. She mostly wanted to do it to show them that she wasn't a little four year old anymore.
"Yes, we went to a party. You probably saw it in the paper, Susan Hemp's. We left right before it got busted. Dad was mad at first because I didn't get home until like 12:45, then he got even madder when he found out where we were. I went with Jackson, Danny, and Mary. I just wanted to know if Uncle Ron acted like Dad did," she said, trying to look mature.
"You went to Susan Hemp's party? I can't believe you! You could have been arrested! What would that have done to your family? That was SOOOO Stupid!" Percy hissed angrily back at her. "I don't think your parents should let you do anything alone for months if not years, at least your coming with all of us so we can keep an eye on you," he finished, adding to the embarrassment of the situation.
Just then Fred walked down the stairs with a little girl in his arms. She had raven black hair and clear blue eyes. She was the baby of the family at that time. Fred had married a woman a few years ago, her name was Deborah, unfortunately she had died in a car crash two years before. Fred was left with Hannah, there daughter, and William, their son. Hannah and William were the crowns in Fred's crown.
"Emma, it's good to see you," he said looking at her surprised.
"Hello Uncle Fred, Hannah," Emma said, she had tears in her eyes despite herself. Emma cared desperately about her family, and it hurt her deeply that she could have hurt them in any way. She could stand her father's wrath but it was harder when the others were angry. She fought hard to keep her tears inside but they burst out.
She started crying silently. Her tears trickling steadily down her face making trails over her pale face, cutting through the makeup that still clung to the skin. She didn't want Percy to see what effect he had on her so she turned around. Percy did notice this unfortunately and he immediately felt sorry for being so harsh. He watched her for a second. Saw her back rise and fall with her sobs. He went over to her chair and put his arms around her, pulling him into his lap. Penny had been pregnant with their first child when she had died in the car crash that killed Deborah. She wanted to pull away but he was holding her to tightly and she was weak with sobs.
"I'm sorry I was so hard on you. I don't think going to that party was the smartest choice you ever made, but I know you're not stupid. It's okay, nothing bad happened and when your parents are finished with you we can all just forget about it," he whispered.
Her sobs subsided and he pulled her away from him and looked at her face. He smoothed away her tears. Percy had always had a soft spot for Emma. He was her godfather and he thought of her as a daughter. He kissed her cheek and smiled slowly. "I wish you'd laugh, it would make me feel a lot less guilty," he grinned at her sheepishly. Emma always wanted to please people so she smiled weakly which seemed to be enough for him.
"So Emma, who did you go with?" Bill asked, knowing that she would be embarrassed and blush just like Ginny did. Emma was the only daughter of their baby sister so she had moved into Ginny's old spot. Mary shared this spot with her; they were the only girl cousins except Hannah who wasn't old enough to be humiliated.
"Jackson Riley," she said in a muffled tone. She knew they knew of him. Thomas Riley worked in Percy's office. They all hated him and they had met his son, consequently, they didn't like his son either. They had talked about how much of a jerk both of them and they certainly wouldn't want her to date him.
"Jackson Riley? The Jackson Riley, Thomas Riley's son?" Bill asked looking at her with amazement.
"Yes, he's really good to me," Emma answered quietly.
"Right, well I'm glad I didn't meet up with him! Imagine, taking a 16-year- old home at 1:00 in the morning! If I saw him right now I'd ring his little neck," Fred said, gritting his teeth. Emma groaned inwardly, this is what she had feared, now they would relay this over to all the family and would be a constant topic of conversation, doubtlessly resulting in telling her she couldn't date anyone like him ever again.
They talked about it for a while longer till Ron and Hermione came with their brood. They left Mary, Lawrence, and Theodore while they got their affairs in order. Emma let out a sigh of relief. She glanced at Mary. Mary looked at her innocently the grinned a little. Ron gave her a glare and she took the smile off her face.
"Now Mary, stay out of trouble. I'm sure Uncle Harry and I can come up with a punishment for both you and Emma. Laurie and Teddy, look after your sister, I don't want her to get into any more trouble," Ron and Hermione left.
"Come on Emmy, let's go outside. I'm restless," Mary said taking Emma by the arm and leading her toward the door. Laurie grabbed Mary's arm and pulled them back.
"Dad said to keep an eye on you. You don't think we'll let you leave unsupervised now did you," he said.
"Well, one can always hope," Mary replied, looking forlornly at her brother. "I thought that maybe you'd let me have a last breathe of fresh air before I get taken under ground," she put in hopefully.
"Yeah right, you'll be lucky if you get a minute's worth of privacy," Teddy said sternly. "We both love you and don't want you to get into any more trouble. We take the blame for last night since we didn't press you," he said.
Bill, Percy, and Fred looked on with amusement at the scene. It was a lot like the way they had treated Ginny. Infact this scene seamed to be a replay of a past experience. It was funny how history repeated itself.
Mary and Emma sat down on the couch disgruntledly and started chatting about how people had reacted to last night. Mary said that her dad, Laurie, and Teddy had been waiting on the porch with their wands in hand. She hadn't thought of that so Danny was by her side. He walked her right up to the door and tried to giver her a goodnight kiss. Unfortunately for him Ron, Teddy, and Laurie chased him off yelling a bunch of vulgar phrased and threatening to curse him to next week if he ever showed his face there again.
"That must have been pretty bad. It's down played my little escapade quite a bit," Emma said, thinking that what she went through was nothing compared to Mary.
"Well that's not the worst of it. I think I'll laugh back on what they did to Danny but what they did to me? I don't think I'll ever forget what they did to me. First they yelled at me, I could bare that; they've done that to me before. Then they told me all these things. How I'd disgraced the family, how I'd never date again as far as they were concerned. They told me that I had betrayed their trust and how it would never be built up that strong again. Then, now this is getting rather excessive, they went up to my room and through away every bit of clothing that showed a little bit of skin. Ugh, can we just not talk about it anymore, somehow it makes it a little more real when I say it," Mary said looking disgusted.
They played a game of cards while they were waiting. Teddy and Laurie watched them closely. Mary kept glaring over at them. They played every card game they knew and still everybody wasn't here. "Please can we go outside, you can come and watch us just as closely out there!" Mary whined.
"Okay," Laurie replied, exasperated. Teddy grabbed Mary's arm and led her out the door then Laurie grabbed Emma's. They went outside, the dew was still wet on the grass and fog lay over the land.
"Why'd you grab me? I'm not your sister!" Emma exclaimed rubbing her forearm. Teddy rolled his eyes.
"You're as much as our sister. Our parents are not only brother and sister but they're also best friends. Believe me Emma; if you lived with us you'd get it as bad as Mary does. If given the chance I'd beat Jackson up as well as Danny," he replied.
"How can you beat up Danny, you're on the Quidditch team, I thought you were friends," Emma questioned.
"Friends don't shag friends little sisters," Laurie said stiffly. Mary sighed deeply looking up at the sky. "What are you doing Marly?" he asked, looking at her as if she had gone mad.
"I'm taking one last look at the sky," she answered. "And don't call me Marly, I don't like it," she put in.
"EMMA LILLITH POTTER AND MARY JENNIFER WEASLEY COME INSIDE THIS INSTANT!" Mr. Weasley's voice rang out into the quiet morning air.
"I wonder what we did now," Emma groaned.
"It's probably just that he doesn't want you away from the house because of Voldemort. I just wonder why he hasn't called us in," Teddy replied.
"THEODORE ARTHUR AND LAWRENCE WILLIAM WEASLEY, YOU GET IN HERE AS WELL," Mrs. Weasley called out as if to answer their question.
Now you might be wondering why they're so nervous. Why is it dangerous to go outside? Well, for one thing, Mr. Weasley is now Minister Weasley, he was elected last year; for another is that Harry Potter is involved.
They made their way inside the house to wait for their parents.
It had been a long time since Ginny and Harry had got married. In fact it had been 20 years. They had gotten married 4 years after Harry graduated and had a baby 3 years later. They named her Emma Lillith Potter. She had Red hair and green eyes. Over the years she grew, now she's 16, which is where we enter
"Emma, Jackson is at the door," Ginny called up the stairs. In actuality Harry was taking Jackson into his study to be interrogated for the umpteenth time. "Dear, you better hurry up, you father is dragging Jack into the study," Ginny called up.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming," Emma said running down the stairs. She was dressed in a knee-length green dress and her hair was drawn up into a bun. She had carefully lined and polished her lips till they were brighter then her hair. She grabbed her purse and ran after Jackson and her father. She grabbed his arm and pulled him out.
"Dad, I'm sorry but we really must get going," Emma said dragging Jack toward the door. "We won't be late, and we'll be careful," she said quickly shutting the door behind her before he could say anything.
"Ginny, do you know what just happened," he asked walking over to her and putting his arms around her waist. He then rested his chin on her head. "I mean, one minute she's running to tell you everything and the next, she slams the door before you can say a word. I didn't even get a chance to look at what she was wearing, I don't know if she's acceptable," Harry pouted a little.
Meanwhile Emma was on her way to a party at her "friend's" apartment. She and Jackson had only been out once and that was at Hogwars where her dad had spies everywhere. Dumbledore, who refused to retire until he died, looked after her, Hermione and Ron Weasley, who were teachers, kept an extremely tight reign on her, and Remus Lupin. She hadn't really got a chance to spend "quality" time together.
As they neared the apartment Emma caught site of her friend and cousin, Mary Weasley. Hermione and Ron's daughter was as overprotected as Emma so they had become friends under those similarities. Mary was latched on the arm of Danial Richardson, the Quidditch Captain for Gryfindor.
"Mary! I can't believe you made it," Emma exclaimed as she came up to them. "I was surprised I got out of the house, my father was trying to "talk" with Jackson," Emma finished, looking fondly up at Jack.
"Tell me about it, when dad saw Danny I think he almost had a heart attack. Mum didn't tell me he was here until dad already had him in the study. Danny could have taken it but I was just worried they wouldn't let me go. I'm glad they didn't know where it was or they defiantly wouldn't have let me," Mary laughed.
"So, what kind of party is it? Is it wild or placid?" Jack asked.
"From what I can see the party's pretty wild, it's good, but wild just the same," Danny answered taking closer hold of Mary. "I don't know about you Jack, but I'm keeping Mary close to me, I don't fancy her dad pounding me in. Plus Mary's also got brothers that would do the same," he put in.
"Believe me, I wouldn't let Emmy out of my sight for a minute with this crowd. Mr. Potter's a pretty menacing figure, even if Emma is an only child," Jack replied, drawing Emma closer to him.
"Come on, you guys are worse then our fathers, let's go in and join the party," Emma cried, dragging Jackson by the arm.
The party was indeed wild. There was dancing and kegs of muggle bear. Girls were taking their shirts off in drunken folly, and guys were latching their teeth onto the bras of those shirtless girls. Mary looked about, an excited look on her face. Emma kept a similar look glued to hers. Jackson and Danny on the other hand looked nervously at each other.
They knew how wrathful the two over-protective fathers, and they could only imagine what they would do if they knew that their daughters were at a crazy party. Danny had an extra thing to make him antsy, Mary also had 2 older brothers who were also over-protective. They were twins 2 years older then she. They just hoped that no one would find out.
The girls dragged Danny and Jack out onto the dance floor. They danced away to their hears content. They knew that it was getting late but they didn't care. Their parents wouldn't be able to find them and they wouldn't have to face them till they got home. This might be their only glimpse of teenage life before they were shipped back to Hogwarts, back under the watchful eyes of their father's friends.
They were quite merry when 12:30 rolled round. They weren't ready to go by any means. The party promised to go on for much longer and jubilant music played nonstop. They had food, drinks, dancing, and boys to occupy their time for the rest of the night. Jack and Danny however did care; they knew they would be the ones blamed for everything if they got the girls home any later. They were supposed to have had them home by 11:30.
Jack and Danny took Mary and Emma by the arm and led them out of the apartment complex. They bade farewell to each other and led their "girls" in opposite directions. Jackson and Emma reached the yard of the Potter house about 12:45. Emma turned to him slowly. She looked deep into his kind blue eyes.
"Jackson, just leave me here. I want dad to be able to cool down before you see him. He'd most likely take your head off right now," she kissed him and walked up to the front door. She took off her shoes and tried to creep up the stairs silently. When she had reached the second stair a strong voice sounded behind her.
"Emma Lillith Potter, what are you thinking getting home so late? I want to know exactly where you were and an explanation of why you're walking in the door at 1:00," Harry said angrily.
"Dad, it's just 12:48. I was just at a friend's apartment and lost track of time. Jack had to take off. Don't worry; Mary was there with her boyfriend Danny. They didn't leave a minute before I did," she answered weakly.
"That's not good enou-," Harry was cut off by Ginny running down the stairs with a newspaper grasped in her hands.
"Oh Emma, where have you been? I read in the Midnight Prophet that there was a party at Susan Hemp's house. It got broken up by the Ministry just a little past 12:30," she said breathlessly.
"Really, that's interesting mum," Emma answered innocently.
"You were at that party weren't you," Harry said, an edge of doom coming into his voice.
"Yes father, we left at 12:30 on the dot," she said, bowing her head.
"Since when are you friends with Susan Hemp?" Ginny asked.
"Well, we aren't really friends. She just gave out a whole bunch of invitations. I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with it," she said.
"Well, in any account, we're all tired and want to go to bed. Emma, go up to bed and we'll talk about this tomorrow," Harry said sternly giving her a slap on the butt with his book and a cool look.
Emma climbed the stairs grumbling. She changed out of her dress and got ready for bed. She fell back on her covers and was asleep in a minute. She never noticed Harry hovering at the door looking at his "little girl" who was not quite one anymore. She had grown into a teenager. Oh how he missed his little girl, the one that thought he knew everything there was to know in the world.
The next morning Emma came down the stairs grumpily. Her parents were already seated at the table. They were looking at each other worriedly. Apparently something else had happened during the night. She through her self into a chair and grabbed a piece of toast.
"Emma, we have some bad news," Harry started. "Voldemort has been sighted, we and a whole bunch of other families are going to be brought to a safe place. We're leaving tonight. I'm afraid we won't be able to embarrass you too much. You are going to Grandmum and Grandpa's house for the time being. Everybody will be there. Your bags are packed and the fire is ready," he finished getting up from the table.
"I don't want to go! I don't want to be put underground or something like that. I want to be with Jack not my family," Emma exclaimed angrily.
"I don't really care if you want to be with Jack right now. My only priority is to keep you safe. You can think about Jackson as much as you want but you're going into hiding like the rest of the family and while your mum and I get things in order here you will go over to your Grandparents house and if I hear about you misbehaving in anyway you will be sorry," said Harry.
Harry escorted Emma to the Burrow. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table in the kitchen. They looked up when Emma appeared. Harry turned around quickly and went back home leaving Emma standing in front of her grandparents in a pare of plad shorts and an old Chudley Cannons T-shirt.
"Hello Emma dear," said Mrs. Weasley getting up and kissing her on the cheek. "Do want any breakfast? I've still got some pancakes and eggs," she asked in her maternal tone gesturing toward a chair next to Mr. Weasley.
"Sure," Emma stammered, tears coming to her eyes. She would probably not see Jack for ages. Her father was very perceptive so running away would probably be really hard. He defiantly wouldn't let her leave if he knew. She couldn't even owl him, he would think that she didn't like him at all and that she was a cruel heartless person.
Mrs. Weasley put a plate in front of her; she could hardly swallow a bite. She just sat there pushing the food around her plate. She suddenly wasn't hungry at all. She almost felt sick. The smell of pancakes and eggs was suddenly nauseating.
"Are you okay dear? You're not eating," Mr. Weasley asked looking at her apprehensively.
"I'm just not hungry. Is anyone else here yet?" Emma wanted to get away even if that meant that she had to play with her annoying cousins.
"Yes, why don't you go into the living room. I think they're in there playing chess," Mr. Weasley answered, not looking up from his paper. Emma made her way into the living room. Bill and Percy were playing chess in front of the fire. They didn't look up as she came in so she sat down in an easy chair to watch.
"Check mate," Bill said seriously looking at Percy. Percy stared at the board in amazement, not believing that he had actually lost. Bill chuckled then caught sight of Emma. "Lo Emma, everybody else is asleep and Ron, Hermione, Lawrence, Theodore, and Mary aren't here yet, there supposed to arrive within the hour," Bill said, reading his niece's mind.
"Oh? Did Uncle Ron seem upset by anything when you talked to him last?" Emma asked innocently, wanting to know if Ron and Hermione's reaction was anything like her parents.
"When you speak of it, yes, Ron seemed a little angry when I talked to him this morning, I thought it was just because he was tired. Do you know what was wrong with him?" Percy said, finally coming to the realization that he had lost the game.
"Maybe," Emma answered edgily. She didn't want to talk about what was still fresh in her mind. She pined for Jackson and was angry with her father for taking her away from him, talking to her uncles defiantly wouldn't help the situation.
"What is it Emma? Did you guys do something you weren't supposed to and got in trouble for it?" Bill asked in a condescending voice. She glared at him but finally broke down and decided to tell them. She mostly wanted to do it to show them that she wasn't a little four year old anymore.
"Yes, we went to a party. You probably saw it in the paper, Susan Hemp's. We left right before it got busted. Dad was mad at first because I didn't get home until like 12:45, then he got even madder when he found out where we were. I went with Jackson, Danny, and Mary. I just wanted to know if Uncle Ron acted like Dad did," she said, trying to look mature.
"You went to Susan Hemp's party? I can't believe you! You could have been arrested! What would that have done to your family? That was SOOOO Stupid!" Percy hissed angrily back at her. "I don't think your parents should let you do anything alone for months if not years, at least your coming with all of us so we can keep an eye on you," he finished, adding to the embarrassment of the situation.
Just then Fred walked down the stairs with a little girl in his arms. She had raven black hair and clear blue eyes. She was the baby of the family at that time. Fred had married a woman a few years ago, her name was Deborah, unfortunately she had died in a car crash two years before. Fred was left with Hannah, there daughter, and William, their son. Hannah and William were the crowns in Fred's crown.
"Emma, it's good to see you," he said looking at her surprised.
"Hello Uncle Fred, Hannah," Emma said, she had tears in her eyes despite herself. Emma cared desperately about her family, and it hurt her deeply that she could have hurt them in any way. She could stand her father's wrath but it was harder when the others were angry. She fought hard to keep her tears inside but they burst out.
She started crying silently. Her tears trickling steadily down her face making trails over her pale face, cutting through the makeup that still clung to the skin. She didn't want Percy to see what effect he had on her so she turned around. Percy did notice this unfortunately and he immediately felt sorry for being so harsh. He watched her for a second. Saw her back rise and fall with her sobs. He went over to her chair and put his arms around her, pulling him into his lap. Penny had been pregnant with their first child when she had died in the car crash that killed Deborah. She wanted to pull away but he was holding her to tightly and she was weak with sobs.
"I'm sorry I was so hard on you. I don't think going to that party was the smartest choice you ever made, but I know you're not stupid. It's okay, nothing bad happened and when your parents are finished with you we can all just forget about it," he whispered.
Her sobs subsided and he pulled her away from him and looked at her face. He smoothed away her tears. Percy had always had a soft spot for Emma. He was her godfather and he thought of her as a daughter. He kissed her cheek and smiled slowly. "I wish you'd laugh, it would make me feel a lot less guilty," he grinned at her sheepishly. Emma always wanted to please people so she smiled weakly which seemed to be enough for him.
"So Emma, who did you go with?" Bill asked, knowing that she would be embarrassed and blush just like Ginny did. Emma was the only daughter of their baby sister so she had moved into Ginny's old spot. Mary shared this spot with her; they were the only girl cousins except Hannah who wasn't old enough to be humiliated.
"Jackson Riley," she said in a muffled tone. She knew they knew of him. Thomas Riley worked in Percy's office. They all hated him and they had met his son, consequently, they didn't like his son either. They had talked about how much of a jerk both of them and they certainly wouldn't want her to date him.
"Jackson Riley? The Jackson Riley, Thomas Riley's son?" Bill asked looking at her with amazement.
"Yes, he's really good to me," Emma answered quietly.
"Right, well I'm glad I didn't meet up with him! Imagine, taking a 16-year- old home at 1:00 in the morning! If I saw him right now I'd ring his little neck," Fred said, gritting his teeth. Emma groaned inwardly, this is what she had feared, now they would relay this over to all the family and would be a constant topic of conversation, doubtlessly resulting in telling her she couldn't date anyone like him ever again.
They talked about it for a while longer till Ron and Hermione came with their brood. They left Mary, Lawrence, and Theodore while they got their affairs in order. Emma let out a sigh of relief. She glanced at Mary. Mary looked at her innocently the grinned a little. Ron gave her a glare and she took the smile off her face.
"Now Mary, stay out of trouble. I'm sure Uncle Harry and I can come up with a punishment for both you and Emma. Laurie and Teddy, look after your sister, I don't want her to get into any more trouble," Ron and Hermione left.
"Come on Emmy, let's go outside. I'm restless," Mary said taking Emma by the arm and leading her toward the door. Laurie grabbed Mary's arm and pulled them back.
"Dad said to keep an eye on you. You don't think we'll let you leave unsupervised now did you," he said.
"Well, one can always hope," Mary replied, looking forlornly at her brother. "I thought that maybe you'd let me have a last breathe of fresh air before I get taken under ground," she put in hopefully.
"Yeah right, you'll be lucky if you get a minute's worth of privacy," Teddy said sternly. "We both love you and don't want you to get into any more trouble. We take the blame for last night since we didn't press you," he said.
Bill, Percy, and Fred looked on with amusement at the scene. It was a lot like the way they had treated Ginny. Infact this scene seamed to be a replay of a past experience. It was funny how history repeated itself.
Mary and Emma sat down on the couch disgruntledly and started chatting about how people had reacted to last night. Mary said that her dad, Laurie, and Teddy had been waiting on the porch with their wands in hand. She hadn't thought of that so Danny was by her side. He walked her right up to the door and tried to giver her a goodnight kiss. Unfortunately for him Ron, Teddy, and Laurie chased him off yelling a bunch of vulgar phrased and threatening to curse him to next week if he ever showed his face there again.
"That must have been pretty bad. It's down played my little escapade quite a bit," Emma said, thinking that what she went through was nothing compared to Mary.
"Well that's not the worst of it. I think I'll laugh back on what they did to Danny but what they did to me? I don't think I'll ever forget what they did to me. First they yelled at me, I could bare that; they've done that to me before. Then they told me all these things. How I'd disgraced the family, how I'd never date again as far as they were concerned. They told me that I had betrayed their trust and how it would never be built up that strong again. Then, now this is getting rather excessive, they went up to my room and through away every bit of clothing that showed a little bit of skin. Ugh, can we just not talk about it anymore, somehow it makes it a little more real when I say it," Mary said looking disgusted.
They played a game of cards while they were waiting. Teddy and Laurie watched them closely. Mary kept glaring over at them. They played every card game they knew and still everybody wasn't here. "Please can we go outside, you can come and watch us just as closely out there!" Mary whined.
"Okay," Laurie replied, exasperated. Teddy grabbed Mary's arm and led her out the door then Laurie grabbed Emma's. They went outside, the dew was still wet on the grass and fog lay over the land.
"Why'd you grab me? I'm not your sister!" Emma exclaimed rubbing her forearm. Teddy rolled his eyes.
"You're as much as our sister. Our parents are not only brother and sister but they're also best friends. Believe me Emma; if you lived with us you'd get it as bad as Mary does. If given the chance I'd beat Jackson up as well as Danny," he replied.
"How can you beat up Danny, you're on the Quidditch team, I thought you were friends," Emma questioned.
"Friends don't shag friends little sisters," Laurie said stiffly. Mary sighed deeply looking up at the sky. "What are you doing Marly?" he asked, looking at her as if she had gone mad.
"I'm taking one last look at the sky," she answered. "And don't call me Marly, I don't like it," she put in.
"EMMA LILLITH POTTER AND MARY JENNIFER WEASLEY COME INSIDE THIS INSTANT!" Mr. Weasley's voice rang out into the quiet morning air.
"I wonder what we did now," Emma groaned.
"It's probably just that he doesn't want you away from the house because of Voldemort. I just wonder why he hasn't called us in," Teddy replied.
"THEODORE ARTHUR AND LAWRENCE WILLIAM WEASLEY, YOU GET IN HERE AS WELL," Mrs. Weasley called out as if to answer their question.
Now you might be wondering why they're so nervous. Why is it dangerous to go outside? Well, for one thing, Mr. Weasley is now Minister Weasley, he was elected last year; for another is that Harry Potter is involved.
They made their way inside the house to wait for their parents.