I do not own Harry Potter and co. I am just a fan that does not want the magic to end!
Just One of the Guys
Chapter Ten
A Burrow Home Coming
The few days leading up to Harry's birthday, after the arrival of Hermione, were full of good hearted laughter. The chores divided up amongst the teenagers were completed quickly, and more often then not, Harry found himself delighted to be partnered up with Ginny.
The afternoons were filled with lazy good times, playing in the water, and high flying Quidditch. However, it was soon apparent that Hermione made a better spectator than player. No matter, though; she was enjoying the private lessons from Ron a lot more than she had expected to.
It was the day before Harry's birthday that had the occupants of the Burrow greeting the two eldest Weasley brothers. Charlie was the first to arrive, walking into his childhood home in good humour. It was always the best feeling to return home.
He was about to call out to announce his arrival when he heard giggling from the laundry room. With one eyebrow raised, he headed towards the small room to investigate. Peering through the open door, Charlie grinned widely at the sight before him. It would seem the teasing opportunity would be thick this summer!
Harry and Ginny had pulled laundry duty, and Ginny was presently blushing from head to toe as Harry held up a lavender and lace (not to mention rather skimpy) pair of knickers.
"Bloody hell Gin, you don't wear these under your robes at school do you?" He had a grin so wide that he was sure it would split his face right in half. The image of Ginny dressed only in these particular unmentionables was becoming very vivid in his mind. So much that he was sure he would not be able to look her straight in the eye again.
Ginny reached up to grab at the dangled piece of lace that was hanging on tip of his finger. Unfortunately, every time she attempted to snatch them away, Harry would hold them higher.
"Harry….give them to me!" The giggling escaping the young red head was taking away any kind of firmness to her demand.
"Not your colour mate," mocked Charlie, with a gleam in his eye. The startled look on the two teens' faces was priceless.
"Charlie!" Ginny screamed in delight and flung herself at her older brother with un-masked delight.
Harry quickly shoved the scrap of lace in his pocket without thinking, and moved to greet the older Weasley. It had been a long time since he had seen Charlie, and he felt genuinely happy at the reunion.
The two were shaking hands when the kitchen door swung open to allow Ron and Hermione (arguing, again) into the room. Ron came over to greet his brother, leaving Hermione in mid lecture.
"Charlie!" greeted Ron. "When did you get here, mate?"
"Hey Ron," smiled Charlie, as he turned his head to the side to greet the fuming girl behind his younger brother. "Hermione, you're looking well." The smile and wink were for Ron's benefit; it was so obvious to him that his younger brother was smitten. Oh this summer is going to be loads of fun!
Ron watched in utter amazement as his older brother flirted with Hermione, and she was blushing! What the bloody hell is going on here! Hermione never blushes!
Charlie snickered as he watched Ron sidle back towards Hermione, sending a silent claim towards his brother. He looked around the room with a pleasant smirk. Hermione was still blushing, Ron was puffing up his chest in a possessive manner, Ginny had gone back to folding laundry while sneaking peeks at Harry, and Harry, well he seemed to find his shoe laces a fascinating and spellbinding subject.
Charlie grinned, waving his good bye, and headed up to his old room. Yes, this summer would have loads of teasing opportunities. He would have to consult the twins as soon as they got back. After all, taking the mickey out of their siblings was a matter of pride and responsibility for them.
The laundry was sorted, and the garden tamed of weeds, when the teenagers found themselves once again in their rooms preparing for the afternoon. Harry had just dumped his pile of laundry in the corner of his room when a scrap of lavender coloured material caught Ron's eye.
"Harry, what's in your pocket?" inquired Ron
Without thinking, Harry reached around and pulled at the scrap of clothing that had been stuffed into his pocket. The room was deathly silent as the two boys stared at the delicate lace panties swinging from Harry's finger.
Swallowing thickly, Harry attempted to answer as vaguely as he could. "Knickers," he replied simply.
"Well, even I could figure that out for myself, mate," laughed Ron. "But whose knickers are they?" Ron smirked up into the rapidly reddening face of his best mate.
"Um, well, Ginny's," replied Harry as softly as he could.
"Why in the name of Merlin's baggy y-fronts do you have my sister's knickers in your pocket?" questioned Ron. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel outraged or not, but mostly he just wanted to laugh.
"Long story mate. I was just teasing her, and then Charlie walked in, and well I guess I just stuffed them into my pocket," shrugged Harry rather sheepishly.
Ron shook his head as he headed off towards his own room to 'put' his clothes away before meeting up for that afternoon's fun. Harry sighed with relief. He couldn't stop feeling like he had just missed a bullet.
Ginny and Hermione were putting away their clothes, chatting with the ease of good friends about everything and nothing, when a small knock interrupted Ginny's description of what she felt would be her perfect date.
"Come in," the girls chorused together.
Harry walked in, nodding his silent hello to Hermione, before turning sultry eyes to the young redhead in the room. His eyes instantly took her in from head to toe. It was something his mind did automatically lately; he had no control over it and each image was filed away in his mind for his own private use.
"Hey Gin," he greeted smoothly, while leaning on the wall with his hands tucked into his back pockets. He had a smile that reached his eyes and warned of something more to come.
"Harry." Ginny returned his smile with one of her own, and neither noticed the other girl in the room roll her eyes with amusement. It was so obvious that the flirting pair had it bad for each other.
"I believe this belongs to you?" Harry had pulled a lavender scrap of satin and lace from his back pocket, and was now swinging it back an forth on his index finger, the smile growing on his handsome face as the red glow took over Ginny's composure.
Hermione was just about to ask why Harry had Ginny's knickers when a loud shriek echoed through the halls. Ginny quickly grabbed her underpants and flung them on her bed as she followed Harry out the door and down towards the kitchen.
Hermione was just as fast, however, in her haste to leave the bedroom, she collided with the large red head bolting for the stairs. Charlie and Hermione crashed down in a tangle of arms and legs in the small hallway, each slightly stunned with the air knocked out and unable to move. This was the image that greeted Ron on his way to investigate the screams, and it did not do his temper much good.
"Bloody hell Charlie, what do you think your doing to Hermione!" spouted Ron indignantly "get off her you great big prat!"
While helping Hermione to her feet, he turned to glare at his older brother. His suspicions of just how much Charlie liked Hermione were starting to get to him.
"It was an accident Ronald," sniffed Hermione
"An accident yes, but nonetheless enjoyable," winked Charlie as he ignored Ron's blustering, and headed off to see what the racket in the kitchen was about. He was only slightly disappointed that he could not witness for himself the amazing red glow that had taken hold of Hermione.
Harry came to a sudden stop that had Ginny slamming into his back and propelling her back down to the ground, landing once again with a thump on her backside. Groaning in protest, she began to pick herself up. This was getting old. Maybe I'll get Mum to perform a sticking charm on me with a pillow, at least then it won't hurt so much.
Harry turned to grin down at Ginny and offer his hand to help her up.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?" came the shrieking voice of Molly Weasley.
Bill Weasley, the oldest of the Weasley children, stood in the Burrow's kitchen with a sheepish expression on his face. He had expected a loud response from his mother at his news, but he had hoped it would be more on the happy side.
"Married, Mother. It's what people do when they fall in love and are of age." He smirked a charming grin at his mother, the one that had gotten him out of all sorts of trouble growing up.
"Don't you be flippant with me young man! I know what married means, I married your father for goodness sake! How can you get married? You haven't even introduced your family to the girl! Have you met her family? Where are you planning on living?" Molly was shooting questions off like a Muggle fire arm.
Bill stood cool, as only Bill could; he was without a doubt, the coolest of the siblings. "Sorry Mother. I should hope so, as you had seven children. I asked and she said yes, and she will be here shortly. Yes, I have met her family, and they are delighted. We are not sure where to live, but we might move back to England because she wants to work on her English."
Molly stood still, staring at her oldest son as if he had been talking in Parselmouth. Slowly, it occurred to her that he had answered, in order, each of her questions. Her first born son was getting married to a girl she had never met. Things were getting out of hand. When had she lost control?
"Mum, you'll love her, I know you will. Besides, I think you have already met her once, Harry knows her," Bill stated calmly, hoping to bring some comfort to his shocked mother's mind. He knew things had moved fast between him and Fleur, but he knew without a doubt that he loved her.
"I do?" Harry had heard his name and figured it was safe to enter the kitchen. Slowly the others that had been hiding in the front parlour entered the kitchen one by one. Each was greeting Bill with a cautious eye on the Weasley mother.
Bill slapped a friendly hand on Harry's back, sending him a silent message of thanks for helping defuse what could be a sticky situation. His fiancée was due any moment, and he wanted her first impression to be a good one.
"Hey there Harry, it's good to see you. I know Fleur is looking forward to seeing you again. She hasn't stopped talking about it since I told her you would be here for the summer." Bill smiled kindly into the shocked face of the younger man in front of him.
"You're…you're marring Fleur? Fleur Delacour? My Fleur? The same Fleur from the Triwizard cup?" Harry's voice gradually raised an octave with each question as he became more specific in his description of the unknown fiancée.
"Bloody hell," commented Ron in awe.
Charlie smirked at the expression on his younger brother's face, added with the look of disgust on Hermione and Ginny's face. This situation was looking better and better. All he needed now was Fred and George winding things up, and he could sit back and enjoy the fireworks.
The once quiet kitchen erupted in voices all competing with each other, and questions being fired from females to males. Molly Weasley was demanding to know more about this so called courtship, Hermione was drilling Ron about his starry-eyed reaction, and Ginny was cornering Harry about what exactly he meant by 'his' Fleur. Charlie was softly laughing. Dragons were great, but they held nothing compared to this kind of entertainment.
A soft knock was struggling to be heard over the group in the kitchen. However, a pin could have been heard dropping with the soft greeting that followed it.
"Bonjour!" Fleur was standing, in all her part-Veela glory, at the kitchen entrance, smiling at the stunned faces that were looking back at her.
"Hey sweetheart." Bill greeted her with a quick kiss on her cheek, wrapping his arm around her in a protective manner. "Fleur meet my family. Family, meet Fleur. Of course, some of these faces you already know." Bill winked at Harry and snickered at Ginny's scowl.
"Oh 'arry, I 'ave been zo exzited to zee you again!" Fleur danced across the kitchen to kiss the startled raven haired boy on each cheek. "Gabrielle wanted me to zend you 'er love, iz very sweet, non? I theenk she 'az a petite crush on you." She smiled kindly.
Ginny stood with eyes narrowing into slits, glaring at the blonde draping herself all over Harry. Oh. My. God. Just look at him, practically drooling. Oh Gabrielle 'az a petite crush! I bet she does! Well if she lays one finger on him I"LL be the one doing the crushing and it won't be PETITE!
Sensing the dangerous mood his only sister was in, Bill steered Fleur away from Harry, and placed her in front of his mother praying that she would be greeted in the usual friendly (even if forced) Weasley manner.
"Oh 'ow lovely to meet you, Bill 'az told me so many wonderful stories!" Fleur placed graceful hands on either side of Mrs. Weasley and pulled her into the traditional French embrace. Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes.
"Yes, well, it's lovely to meet you too, dear. I guess congratulations are in order." Molly smiled as kindly as her temper would allow. Bill had some explaining to do, but for now, good manners would have to rise to the surface.
Putting the shock of the last few minutes firmly behind her, Molly Weasley went into her 'mothering' mode and began to make arrangements for an extra sleeping space. Engagement or not, Bill would be sleeping alone in his room while they stayed under her roof, and that was final!
Thanks again to my beta, justloony. She is amazing and a star in her own right! I love all the response this story is getting. I can't tell you how very happy it makes me to see them light up my inbox.
My son has finished his story, and I posted it under my account. Many of you have already reviewed, and if I could explain the look of absolute delight on his face from all the very kind words I would (but I don't think I'm that good of a writer). Anyway, being his Mother, I am so very proud of him and wish to thank you all for your kindness towards him. If you haven't read it and are interested its called Voldemort and the Sandwich.
Same deal as last chapter, all those who drop me a line with a review will get some hints from the next chapter. Thanks for reading and don't be shy, come and say hi!