Greetings all you lovely people who are giving this budding start of a story a chance. I've been ill for quite a while, but I finally feel good enough to write something for the first time in about a year. And I know I've still got stories that need finishing, but I wanted to start afresh, with something new. Anyway, after about a 15 year break from being a fan of Harry Potter I decided to go back to the franchise and fell in love with it all over again, so please bare with me while I get back into the swing of writing. Any feed back, comments or reviews would be truly welcome, and I promise things will get more interesting from here on in, I just wanted to introduce you all to Erin and the important people to her. So please, let me know what you think! :)
P.S I don't own any rights to harry potter or any part of the franchise, just my own characters and twist on the story line.
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"Again, thank you so much for this Molly, we were beginning to think they'd have to miss the train until we got back."
Harry watched the man who was shaking Mrs Weasley's hand with interest. He wasn't short, but he wasn't tall either. He looked about the same age as Ron's parents, but the odd crinkle surrounded his eyes and his dark hair was beginning to thin at the crown of his head. His soft Irish accent was almost lost in the evening commotion of the busy pub.
"Don't be so silly, David, you know we'll always happily take them. The more the merrier." Mrs Weasley smiled kindly.
"We know you have more pressure on you at the moment, with . . . everything. And you have your own children and Harry to think about."
The man nodded and stuffed his hand into the pocket of his overcoat, pulling out a small pile of galleons. He proceeded to press the gold into Mrs Weasley's palm as she protested, trying to return the coins.
"We don't need that dear. You do enough for us as it is." The man shook his head and pulled away.
"Think of it as expenses Molly. I know my children can run up some rather large bills. Just please take it."
Harry chuckled to himself as Molly opened her mouth to protest again, the Weasley family never had much in the way of money, but they were the most generous people harry had ever had the pleasure of knowing.
"I won't hear of it Molly. Take the money." He checked his watch, an intricate gold and emerald pocket watch that was attached to a chain on his waistcoat. "I really must be going. I have to be at the airport in half an hour."
"For heaven's sake, David, go, you don't want Arthur to hear you talking about muggle transport or you'll definitely miss your flight. Don't worry about everyone. And I'll make sure they owl you as soon as they get settled." Molly Weasley ushered the man towards the door where three figures had just entered. He hugged each one of them and murmured some instructions that harry couldn't hear, even when he strained his ears. With a final nod and a wave to Mr Weasley who returned the gesture eagerly the man left the Leaky Cauldron heading for the busy London streets.
"Come on now dears, let's get you settled." Molly urged the three people forward and harry smiled as they stepped into the light. Harry didn't know them well at all, but he definitely recognised the elder two.
"You didn't tell me the Fallon twins were coming here." Harry whispered, as he dug elbow into Ron's side. Ron who was playing exploding snap with Percy looked up and waved happily at the twins. Erin, the younger of the two grinned and waved back, shaking her long red hair out of a low ponytail.
"Oh yeah, their parents are something big in the department of international affairs. They're needed out of the country, so they're coming with us in the morning." He went quiet for a second as his eyes lingered on the red head as she threw her arm around their younger brother who looked decidedly uncomfortable with the situation.
"I don't know how, but I think she's got more beautiful over the summer."
Harry laughed as his best friend gawked at the girl, who was being squished in a Fred and George sandwich. Her laugh bounced off the walls and was echoed by her twin brother, Nick. Harry had had plenty of contact with Erin, as she was so close to the Weasley twins, but he had barely spoken a word to the burly Hufflepuff keeper off of the quidditch pitch.
"You'd better watch it. Don't let Nick hear you saying that, he could snap you in half." Ginny laughed as she hopped up from the plush arm chair she had been occupying, "though he probably wouldn't. He's all bark." She crossed the room and hugged each of the twins before linking her arm with their younger brother and leading him off towards a spot beside a book case.
"Still . . ." Ron persisted, ignoring Hermione's annoyed huffing. "We should probably go say hello."
xxxx
"Mikey it's just for one night, and it's not like you don't know anyone, Ginny will be there. You sit with her in astronomy right?" Erin tried to console her younger sibling whose scowl scarily resembled a smacked backside.
"Yeah, I suppose." Mikey huffed, folding his arms.
"Are you going to owl dad, or do I need to when we get there?" Nick asked as he pushed the door to the magical pub open, bathing them in warmth and the delicious smells of butterbeer and fire whiskey.
"I'll do it, Sherlock will need to spread his wings anyway. He's been cooped up for too long." Erin said glancing at her barn owl who was snoozing against the bars of his cage, little snuffly snores ruffled his chest feathers.
Erin felt the familiar sting of years pricking at the back of her eyes as her father enveloped her in a big bear hug, pressing a kiss into the top of her head.
"Behave for me you three. And let me know you're safe as soon as you get there." All three nodded and murmured in acknowledgment, watching their father disappear into the busy London night.
"Come on now dears, let's get you settled." Mrs Weasley bustled over to them, her cheeks flushed and a large, welcoming smile on her face, that Erin instantly returned. She had always felt like Mrs Weasley was a second mother to her, and she greeted her eagerly.
"How was your summer Mrs Weasley? Did you enjoy Egypt?" She asked, accepting the older woman's hug.
"Dad showed us the article. It's still in the breakfast room somewhere." Nick finished, as he too hugged Mrs Weasley.
"Oh it was wonderful thank you dears. Very warm."
"I thought you were looking a bit brown." Erin cast her eyes across the busy pub, scanning the scenery for any familiar faces. Harry Potter sat at one of the long tables, beside the youngest Weasley brother. He elbowed Ron and whispered something that caught Ron's attention. He looked up and waved frantically. Erin chuckled to herself, Ron was always such a sweetheart, he was easily one of her favourite members of the family. She waved back grinning from ear to ear.
She hadn't yet seen the identical red hair of the Weasley twins, and that worried her. Their prolonged absence usually meant they were in the midst of plotting something. And that something was normally a prank, possibly verging on dangerous.
"Hello puffsicle!" Fred yelled as he snuck up behind her, wrapping her into a bone crushing hug, he pinned her arms to her sides.
"How's our favourite little badger?" George asked as he appeared, hugging her from the front, a grin splitting hid face ear to ear. She laughed, trying to wiggle her way out of the twin sandwich. Nick laughed along and joined in the hug bundle.
"Hi Erin, Nick." Ginny greeted, and Erin managed to wiggle her fingers in an attempted wave, she tried to turn to face the only Weasley girl, who had taken Mikey by the elbow but only received a face full of George's sleeve for her trouble. Mikey looked instantly more relaxed at having someone he knew speak to him.
"Come away George, let the girl breath" scolded Mrs Weasley, dragging her son away by the collar of his over sized, knitted jumper. "Did you hear our news my dears?"
"Ahh yes, Percy is now head boy isn't he? I'm sure he's proud." Erin ignored Fred and George's snorts as they giggled with each other.
"Yes, yes, we are indeed very proud. The second head boy in the family."
"And last." Murmured Fred
"Well, I don't doubt that. I notice they didn't make you two prefects." Mrs Weasley narrowed her eyes at her middle sons. "But I see you have, Nick. I'm sure your parents are proud."
Nick glowed and nodded modestly. "They are, mum says I take after her."
"It's a shame you didn't Erin, dear. I'd have thought you'd make a wonderful perfect."
Erin's cheeks coloured and she narrowed her eyes at the twins as they made faces at her. "I'm happy about it actually, I've still got a couple of students that I coach on herbology, and that tends to take up a lot of time time when I'm not in classes."
Mrs Weasley nodded along.
"I will never understand why Fred and George don't take a leaf out of your book. Or perhaps just about anything to keep them out of trouble at this point."
"Oh mother why didn't you come up with such an idea before?" Fred started, clapping his hands to his cheeks in mock surprise.
"There's so much we could teach the little firsties!" George finished, he grinned and rested his elbow on his petite mother's shoulder.
"I'm sure that'd give the new head boy more than even he can handle." Erin grinned as Ron and harry joined the little group.
"We're offended Ronniekins!" Fred cried, clutching his chest.
"You wound us, baby brother!" George agreed.
Erin rolled her eyes at the twins antics and pulled Ron into a hug. His cheeks quickly turned as red as his hair and he avoided the humoured gazes of his brothers and best friend.
"Ignore them honey, I'll protect you from the big bullies." She waved harry into the greeting hug.
"I heard what you did to your aunt, harry, you really must teach me how to do that, for when those two get to full of themselves." She nodded towards Fred and George. Harry laughed and pulled away.
"It's great to see you harry, I trust you'll be trying out for the gryffindor quidditch team again this year?" Nick asked, grasping Harry's hand in his, shaking it firmly.
"Of course."
"Good good, one of the greatest seekers I've ever played . . . don't tell Cedric I said that."
Harry chuckled and nodded accepting the compliment gracefully.
"Well my dears, it's getting late. We'd better start getting your things ready. Dinner should be in about half an hour." Mrs Weasley proclaimed, as she ushered all the children into the main room of the pub.
xxxx
Tom, the Leaky Cauldron's barkeep, had outdone himself, pushing three large tables together to house Weasley family and their companions. Their loud chatter and laughter bounced off the walls as they ploughed their way through five heavily loaded and luscious courses.
"Ugh I think I'm going to be the size of a house if I have one more mouthful of this crumble." Erin said waving her laden spoon around. "But it's just sooo good!" She shoved the spoon into her mouth and her eyes closed in pleasure. She groaned a little out loud, poking her tongue out a little to catch a bead of custard that had tried to escape.
"Want us to give you some space?" Fred asked, as he leaned back in his seat, a hand resting on his full belly.
"Shurrup" she said a few crumbs falling from her mouth onto the table.
"Say it love, don't spray it!" George cackled, exaggeratedly wiping some non existent specks from the shoulder closest to her.
Erin grinned and stuck her middle finger up at him under the table so Mr and Mrs Weasley couldn't see.
"Well, that's rude."
"Dad, how're we getting to king's cross tomorrow?" Fred asked, changing the subject while he helped himself to another dish of chocolate coated poached pears.
"The ministry are sending a couple of cars." Mr Weasley answered, leaning forward so he could see them from the other end of the table.
"Why, father?" Percy asked haughtily, sipping a cup of tea.
"It'll be because of you Perce, and there'll be little flags in the bonnets with 'HB' on them." George started
"Yeah, for humongous big head!" Fred finished with a gleaming grin.
Erin's youngest brother Mikey giggled at the banter, and shied away, blushing when Percy scowled at him. Fred and George looked proud of themselves for getting the him to laugh, the most communication he'd had with anyone but his siblings, Ginny and Mrs Weasley all evening.
Percy sneered at his brothers and turned his attention back to his parents, "why are the ministry sending cars father?"
Arthur cleared his throat and clattered his spoon into his empty bowl. "Well, seeing as we don't have one any more."
Erin chuckled silently and looked between harry and Ron who has both turned red and tried to shrink into their seats.
"And as I work there, ... They're doing me a favour" Mr Weasley sounded calm, but the tips of his ears has tinged pink. Erin kicked Fred gently beneath the table and quirked an eyebrow in a silent question, replied with an equally bemused look and a small shrug.
"Good job too, do you realise how much luggage you all have between you? A nice sight you'd be on the muggle underground." Mrs Weasley interjected. "You are all packed aren't you?" Her eyes flit across the faces of all the children at the table.
"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet. He's dropped them all on my bed!" Said Percy. He eyed his youngest brother disdainfully. Erin rolled her eyes, Percy had always been a stick in the mud. The minute he got his head boy badge it was like his head had expanded to twice it's regular size. Letters from Fred and George over the summer had outlined a series of pranks to take him down a peg or two, but it seemed their plan had had no effect, except perhaps to make him even more nauseatingly straight laced.
"You'd better go and pack properly Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning." Ron scowled and tried to turn his back to Percy as much as he could without leaving the table.
xxxx
The hours slowly ticked by and everyone sat in comfort in the homely pub's common area, letting their food go down with heavy lidded eyes and sleepy voices. More than once a wave of yawns overtook the whole party.
Erin sat on a couch in front of the wood fire with Fred and George, her legs thrown across their laps. Nick sat beside them in an arm chair, his nose buried in a magazine with the Irish Quidditch team posed on the front cover in a haze of swirling green shamrocks and gold coins. One arm was propped under her head, enabling her to look at the twins while they told her stories about their holiday in Egypt over the summer.
"You should have seen him! Percy was livid!" George started, animatedly waving his hands.
"He came storming out of their room all red faced and blustering, you know the face we mean" Fred continued. Both twins did matching uncanny impressions of their brother, that made both Erin and Nick laugh. "Yelling about how his Head Boy badge had been stolen and how we'd suffer when mum found out!"
"He's a load of hot air really. He found it hanging in the bathroom ten minutes after he told mum, and she forced him to come and apologise to us." George looked immensely proud.
"It was extremely satisfying." Agreed Fred, yawning and letting his head fall back onto the cushioned back of the sofa. "Anything good happen with you this summer?" he asked, tilting his head so he could only see Erin.
"Nothing really. Just the usual gumph. Fudge has been at the house an awful lot though. I actually thought we were going to have to start calling him Uncle Cornelius and including him in our annual floo correspondence at Christmas." she laughed. She yawned and raised her arms up over her head in a long stretch that clicked the tension away from her tired bones.
"I wonder why he was around so much?" George pondered, scrubbing a hand across his tired face.
Erin opened her mouth to say she thought it had something to do with Harry and the search for Sirius Black, but quickly closed it again when she caught Nick's warning glance and nod at Mikey as he made his way over to them. He was twelve and in his second year at Hogwarts, but Erin and Nick had decided to try and keep him as far away from any danger as they could.
"Hey" He yawned tiredly and perched himself on the edge of the seat beside Erin. She wrapped her arm around him as best she could.
"What's up, chicken?" She asked him, giving his shoulders a little, affectionate squeeze.
"I think I'm going to head up to bed, it's nearly midnight."
Erin raised her eyebrows, she hadn't realised how fast the hours had flown by as she indulged in a little quality time with a few of her favourite people. "Alright hun, leave the door unlocked, Nick and I will be up soon." The dark haired boy nodded and waved good night to his siblings, and Fred and George. He climbed the rickety stairway and headed in the direction of the room the three of them would be sharing.
"We should probably head up to bed soon too." Nick said closing his magazine and running a hand through his shaggy curls. He looked about as exhausted as Erin felt. Her tired limbs had taken on a heavy jelly like feeling. She held her arms out for her brother to help her up once he had heaved himself out of the overstuffed chair.
She leaned over the back of the sofa to press a gentle kiss onto the top of each of each of the twin's heads. "Night you two."
"Night lads" Nick echoed as they walked towards the stairs.
"Night!" George called after their retreating backs.
"We'll see you in the morning, bright and early." Fred added as they two got up fro their seats with the intention of heading to their own beds.