Authors Note: First of all, thanking you for reading & sticking with me thus far! I promise, things will pick up for everyone's favourite witches in the next chapter. April is going to be quite the month for them!
Secondly, the Fred spoken about in this chapter is George and Angelina's son, not Molly and Arthur's son. That means that Fred is Victoire's cousin, and likely younger than she is. I always try to stick to the cannon world as much as I can. This means that the marriages and children JKR stated would occur after the seventh book have occured within this fic.
Finally, Mother's Day is celebrated in March in the UK.
Happy reading! Please R&R with the good, the bad, and even the ugly!
Chapter Three - March 30th, 2003
"Maman! Fred kissed me!" Victoire Weasley's voice found it's way to the kitchen of the Burrow before she did. "Make him say sorry!"
"Vhat do you mean, ma chere? Vhy did 'ee kiss you?"
Fleur Weasley, along with her sister-in-laws, Ginny, Hermione, Angelina, and Audrey, sat at the kitchen table of the Burrow. The five women had gathered there to surprise Mrs. Weasley with supper and flowers. It was Mother's Day, and the older witch was currently out shopping with her husband.
"I don't know why. He just did! He grabbed me and kissed me on the lips! And then he said that I'm going to turn into a frog because he kissed me! I don't want to be a frog!"
The women at the table chuckled as the four year old wiped her mouth off in disgust.
"You won't turn into a frog, chere, I promeese."
"Go tell Fred that if he touches you again he's going to have to deal with his mother. That should put a stop to it." Angelina, who always managed to seem surprised by her son's antics, said.
Victoire nodded before heading back into the living room, apparently satisfied with Angelina's threat.
"Vell, at least she von't be the last of her friends to 'et kissed," Fleur commented as her daughter left the room. "I 'ated being the last of my friends."
"I was the first girl in my year to snog anyone, surprisingly. Lavender and Pavarti were so upset in fourth year when they found out that I had my first kiss before they did," Hermione commented, chuckling to herself as she remembered the appalled look on Lavender's face the night Hermione revealed she had kissed Viktor Krum.
"That reminds me of two girls in my house when I was at school," Angelina reminisced. "If I recall correctly they didn't want to be the last of their friends to snog anyone. They had their first kiss when they were in third year, but didn't kiss a boy until fourth or fifth year."
"How does that work?" Audrey asked, her voice in the same mundane tone it had been in all evening.
"They snogged girls, Audrey. Don't be daft." Ginny commented, her irritation with her newest sister-in-law making itself apparent.
Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her chair as Angelina explained that although the girls ended up being extremely confident in their snogging skills, they weren't very confident about anything else. Once news got out that the pair had been snogging each other they were bullied.
"Really though, the boys that picked on them were probably just jealous. They were both quite pretty, if I remember."
"They were asking to be picked on, if you ask me. I would never do such a thing. It's so... bizarre and abnormal."
"I'm beginning to see why Percy fell for you, Audrey. You're both so closed minded." Ginny said, her irritation growing to anger. "I'd be careful what you call bizarre and abnormal though. People could easily say that the shape of your nose is abnormal, or that your posture is just plain bizarre."
Hermione was quite sure that she had never seen anyone's mouth drop so low before. Had she not known it to be impossible, she would've been certain that Audrey's bottom jaw was about to fall off.
"Seems like I hit a sore spot. I'm terribly sorry." Audrey quickly regained her composure, clearly aiming for one last stab at Ginny before putting an end to the topic.
"If you consider my belief that no one should be called bizarre or abnormal because of whom they like to snog to be a sore spot, then yes. Yes, you did hit one."
Hermione couldn't help but notice how offended Ginny seemed. And although Hermione herself disagreed with Audrey's narrow mindedness, she couldn't help but wistfully wonder if Ginny's anger towards the woman was due to personal experience with the subject.
"Honestly, Audrey," Ginny began, the fury still in her voice. "It's no wonder that-"
"Grand-maman est ici! Grandma's home!" Victoire Weasley's voice once again entered the kitchen. This time, however, it was followed by the voice of the senior Mrs. Weasley.
"What are you all doing here? I wish you would've owl'd me. I've been at Diagon Alley all afternoon. I haven't anything prepared for company! Just give me a moment though and I'll whip up some cookies and tea."
"No, no, mom. We're here for Mother's Day!" Ginny said, jumping out of the chair to give her mother a warm hello-hug, all thoughts of Audrey forgotten. "We wanted to have a girl's day to celebrate. Angelina and George prepared stew for supper, Fleur brought some cakes over, and I already have a kettle of tea on the table."
"Oh, Merlin! You lot are so sweet! Thank you all so much! Nothing beats a little girl time, eh?"
"I'm sorry you got called into work." Ginny said as she walked Hermione to the living room.
Shortly after the group had started to eat the stew an owl arrived at the Burrow's kitchen window. It had been for Hermione, who upon reading the letter announced that she was needed at work due to an emergency involving goblins, galleons, and wands.
"Don't apologize. It's not as if you're the one who tried to kidnap a bunch of goblins on the premise that you'd trade them a wand for a galleon."
"Yes well, I'm still sorry you have to leave. I would've liked to have spent more time with you tonight. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate having you around when it comes to dealing with Audrey and good ol' Phlegm."
"Ginny," Hermione said, trying to mask the laughter in her voice. "Fleur isn't that bad. She really doesn't deserve that awful nickname."
"I s'pose you're right. Perhaps we should pass it on to Audrey... My brothers really do have awful taste. Besides Ron that is. And George, I s'pose. Angelina isn't that bad either."
"Well I'm glad you approve of Ron's taste. I can't say I always agree. Last week he wanted to decorate the living room of our flat with Chudley Cannon posters..."
"His taste in women, 'Mione. I definitely don't approve of his taste in Quidditch teams. Had he been thinking he would've put up posters of the Holyhead Harpies."
"No, had he been thinking he would've left my mother's china up on the wall and put the Quidditch posters in the broom closet."
"Does your mother's china feature the portrait of a gorgeous brown haired chaser though?"
"No. No it does not," Hermione laughed. "Although I'd really hope that Ron wouldn't be putting up pictures of handsome wizards in our apartment. It might make me question what he's doing with me."
"The Holyhead Harpies are an all witch team, 'Mione." Ginny said before quickly averting her eyes from the older witch.
Unsure of whether or not she should drop the topic, Hermione simply smiled.
"I really should be going now, Gin. The head of the department is going to have my head if I don't calm down the goblin family. Apparently they're threatening to take the matters to the goblins at Gringotts, which could really set back the progress we've made so far in wizarding and goblin relations."
"Ever the activist," Ginny said with a smile before moving awkwardly to hug Hermione goodbye.
"I'll see you soon, I'm sure." Ginny murmured into Hermione's hair before breaking the hug, leaving Hermione with a sense of giddiness. "Try not to work to hard."
"Oh, trust me, I will." Hermione said, hesitantly breaking the hug to step into the fireplace. "Be sure to enjoy the rest of your night. And do yourself a favour and try your best to avoid the phlegm."