The next morning Charlie woke up to the smell of bacon. When he walked outside after putting on his clothes for the day and taking a shower in the tent, he was immediately greeted by the entire Weasley family minus Fleur, Victoire and Teddy.
"Good morning, Charlie dear, have some bacon". Charlie grabbed some bacon and took a seat between George and Percy. After 2 helpings of bacon and eternal babbling about Percy's new job at the ministry (quills that don't write are a danger to society. What if a promising student fails his exam, or someone can't take notes because of one. I'm glad the new minister trusted me with such an important job…) He finally turned to George.
"So George how is the shop going?" Oh no, Fred. George's expression saddened. Charlie quickly changed the subject.
"So how are you and Angelina doing?" George immediately brightened.
"Great! We're doing great! You know, I want to ask her to marry me. I already got a ring, I just don't know when. I know it's only been a short while. I mean, we've only been together for 3 years, but with her staying with me with the war, and Fred. It really showed me how much she loves me, and I love her to".
Charlie sat through this speech shocked. His little brother, like, George, his LITTLE brother, wanted to propose. When he, Charlie, the older brother didn't even have a proper girlfriend. Damn it, he really had to catch a bird.
"That's great George. Maybe you should ask Bill for some advice, he already went through all that." George looked like a child at Christmas.
"That's a great idea Charlie! Thanks"
"It's no…" But George had already moved over to Bill, leaving him next to Harry "…Problem"
"What about you, Harry? Any plans on asking the question to my little sister" He asked Harry without thinking.
"Wh- what, no. M-maybe in a-a couple of years. B-but."
Noticing the compromising position he had put Harry in he laughed. "Never mind Harry, I was just joking".
"Y-yeah" Harry replied before quickly standing up and helping Ginny with the dishes.
Charlie awkwardly looked around: his dad and mum, well mainly his mum, were cooing over Victoire and Teddy. Fleur and Bill were sitting on a camp bed nearby sharing sweet kisses while keeping an eye on their baby. Sirius was still inside his tent. Ron and Hermione were sitting in a corner of the field doing Merlin knows what. George had an arm around Angelina, talking about something. Percy and Audrey were sitting on a sunbathing chair together both reading and Harry and his sister had mysteriously disappeared into the woods. He really didn't want to know what they were doing.
Looking to his right he saw the other part of the field Mie had disappeared to last night. Their firepit was really close to the woods, just far enough away to not set the forest on fire. Instead of a tent, or multiple tents, there were 3 hammocks tied to the trees surrounding the fire and a kettle on the fire. The kettle was clearly very old, one of the hammocks looked like it was found on a dump and washed it a couple of times, one was, again, very old, and one looked as if someone had made a hammock of marginal plants.
Strangely he saw none of the supposed campers. Until he saw the blonde girl, Angel?, walking towards them.
She was carrying a bucket with a liquid, he supposed water, in it. To his great surprise she walked over to him.
"Hello" she said silently. She had a soft, shy voice he hadn't noticed the previous night when she had 'was standing up' to them for their sister (he assumed they were all some kind of siblings)
"Hello" Charlie answered back awkwardly, he didn't know what to think of this group. They acted strange last night. His gut feeling told him to trust them, but his mind thought it would be kind of stupid to trust people of whom the oldest had put a knife against his sisters throat.
His mum had noticed the girl too now and walked over.(she had a knack for spotting children).
"Hello dear, what are you doing here? You're name's angel isn't it?" She asked in her normal, motherly caring , voice. The entire Weasley family and Sirius were watching now.(except for Harry and Ginny who still hadn't returned from their trip in the woods).
"I was wondering if you needed some water? I always help Mie with getting water and I thought you didn't know your way In the forest very good and…"
Charlie wanted to answer they already had water. A simple aquamenti usually did the trick if they weren't at home. Apparently the mysterious mother of father didn't know that quite simple spell, but his mum answered before he could even open his mouth.
"That's very nice of you dear, but we already have water"
"Oh" the little girl replied who now had red cheeks. An awkward silence fell.
"You're not going to take away Rosie are you? Mie takes very good care of us, and protects us from the bad men, and I would really miss her and…" the little girl started, but was cut off by Ron
"Why would we take her away?".
"I don't know… Mie said the man with the black hair might try…" She trailed of.
"Well, I'm not trying to take her away, and I don't think Harry is either" Sirius said.
"Oh" the little girl said again, humiliated. Another awkward silence fell. "Do you want some breakfast dear?" his mum asked.
The girl looked up "Oh, oh no, really, I don't want to take your food"
"Oh really, it's no problem dear. Look, we have too much food. We would have to throw it all away"
Indeed, his mum always made too much food, especially breakfast, and with the famous weasley stomach, that was saying something.
"Well, it would be a waste but…" The girl hesitated.
"Dig in!" Charlie said with a grin. Earning an approving nod of his mum. He felt a strange need to protect this girl. She looked so fragile. He guessed the others felt it too because George, Angelina, Fleur and Victoire, Audrey, his dad and Teddy and Sirius had all joined them at the table. In other words, everyone who could sit around the small made-up table did so.
They watched how the little girl took a piece of bacon and studied it, smelled it and eventually, slowly put it in her mouth. Her face broke out in a grin.
"This is delicious!"
"What is it?" She asked.
"You've never had bacon?" George exclaimed.
"You poor, poor thing" He continued before piling her plate with more bacon.
When the girl was done eating and the Weasleys had told her a bit about themselves, the girl awkwardly stood up again.
"It was really nice talking to you. But I have to get going before Mie comes back with Rose. Thanks for the food again!"
"Doesn't your mum want you talking to us?"
"I don't have a mum" the girl replied sadly, looking down.
"Oh". The table was silent.
"Well, bye then!"
"Maybe you could come back tomorrow!" His mother exclaimed.
Her little face brightened. "Can I?"
"Sure you can!"
"See you tomorrow!"
The little girl skipped of looking happier than she did when she arrived. The entire table was perplexed. "What did we miss?". Ginny's voice broke the silence. Apparently she and Harry had returned from their little excursion.
(I wanted to stop the chapter here but decided to continue)
"Well, remember the mysterious girl we 'met' yesterday and threatened Ginny? This morning one of the children came over. They don't have a mum. She has never had bacon and her clothes are all ripped. She has a scar on her hand and some bruises. I think she is being abused."
"By who? That Myriam girl? If she hurt Angel I will put her in Azkaban!" Harry groaned while Sirius nodded along. They never did get over their abusive past. Charlie wanted to protect Angel too, but didn't think Myriam had anything to do with it.
"I don't think Myriam did it guys. She looks just as bad, if not worse, herself."
"Then who did?"
"I don't know."
Charlie and his family watched how Myriam, Rose and Aaron came back from the woods with some plants in their hands and cooked them in the big pot. How Angel came back to their 'camp' with more water. How the children played the rest of the day while Myriam seemed to watch and how she tucked them in at night.
The following days Angel visited every morning. The 4th day she asked for some leftovers. His mother off course agreed. Angel told them about how they slept in hammocks in the open air. How 'Mie' and Aaron shared a hammock. How they only ate plants out of the woods and sometimes a bit of meat. Angel never talked about how life was when she wasn't on vacation. The Weasley family noticed how thin Angel was, well how thin they all were. How they never seemed to change clothes or comb their hair.
But everytime Charlie or someone else tried to talk to Myriam she would have a polite conversation, but didn't talk much about herself or the children'. They almost never saw Rose. The entire Weasley family had taken a liking to Angel, especially Fleur, Angelina and George. Most people rather disliked 'Mie'. She was quiet, never initiated a conversation. Even the rare conversations with 'Mie' were cut short at some point. They didn't even knew why, they werre having a conversation and suddenly she looked down as if reminding herself of something before her eyes went back to cold and she stalked away as if she was offended. Nobody could figure out a pattern our certain words that triggered it. The only reason most people didn't think she harmed the children herself (on purpose) was because everytime she looked at them her eyes filled with love.
One night, Charlie was watching her again. It was getting dark and she was tucking a girl in, he thought it was Angel but wasn't sure. The slight shifting of the tree-trunk he was sitting on alerted him.
"Harry and Ron and, well practically all the guys , want to take the children away from her by the end of the vacation"
He watched on how Myriam sat down next to her fire pit and took something out of her pocket, like every night.
"I know"
Silence again
"I think she's not that old herself"
"She can't be older than Harry and Ron"
He watched on how she looked at the kids one last time with those loving eyes before laying down next to the baby, Aaron. For some reason he wanted those eyes to look at him that way. Not with the usual coldness it held. He wanted to know her. He wanted her to know him.
"who is she?" he asked more to himself than to anyone else.
Okay so what did you think? Should I go quicker, slower, reveal everything at once... Thanks for the reviews! Oh and what do you think Mie is/has/hides/whatever or what is going to happen. Off course I know, but would it would be nice to have you guess... :)