THE LETTER

A/N: This chapter is a mostly fun excursion into the wonderful world of Weasleys, including a wizarding version of the old Muggle game "Truth or Consequences." However, be prepared for a huge shock at the end when we climb back up the cliff for a hanging you probably didn't anticipate.

Chapter Fourteen

They called it "Weasley Weather." Every year when the family gathered at the Burrow in August, the sun seemed to shine continuously, the nights were clear and full of stars, and any hint of rain or fog vanished instantly, as if by a banishing spell, regardless of the forecast. This was why no one paid any attention to a severe storm warning that had been issued a few days prior to the gathering that year. It was August, it was time for the entire family to be together, and Weasley Weather was the order of the day.

It was a good thing that sunshine usually prevailed, for that many Weasleys in one place was enough of a logistical nightmare without throwing adverse climate conditions into the mix. Molly usually went into a frenzy weeks ahead of time, recruiting children, grandchildren, and in-laws to help with preparations, and ordering everyone around like a general with a regiment of highly resentful soldiers. Ron and Hermione had started sending over a small platoon of house-elves to handle the serving and cleaning up, but Molly still had to oversee everything. In addition to providing food and drink for fifty people, there was also the question of where they would all sleep, as tradition required that everyone stay overnight. This was a purely practical arrangement as most of the adults were usually too inebriated to Apparate anywhere without splinching themselves, which was primarily due to Hannah and Neville's annual contribution of several barrels of ale, a couple of casks of mead, and enough bottles of elf-made wine to christen a fleet. Not only did this add to the overall merriment, but even if the Longbottoms hadn't been like family, it would have been more than enough to assure them a return invitation every year.

The Burrow could not hold so many, but with sleeping bags, camp beds, and several tents pitched in the paddock near the orchard, everyone had a place to lay their aching heads. The festivities always included games, jokes, lots of conversation, displays of WWW fireworks, and a series of toasts that grew progressively sillier as the night wore on. There was also plenty of food, for Molly spent days in the kitchen beforehand and everyone brought something, from Fleur's artfully prepared Mousse au Chocolat, to Olga's spicy Romanian koftas, to Katie's best Shepherd's Pie. Hagrid's contribution was usually a large joint of beef which he roasted in an earthen pit in the garden, while others brought breads, rolls, and puddings, vegetables and meats, sauces and soups, and sweets of every possible variety.

The delicious smells wafting out from the kitchen were the first thing Harry noticed when he, Ginny, and the children, along with Teddy who had been their recent houseguest, arrived at the Burrow early Saturday morning. Hagrid was already there, digging his barbecue pit in the garden, and Andromeda Tonks had turned up at the crack of dawn to help Molly direct the house-elves. The Potters' early arrival, however, was due to Harry's determination to double-check the protective spells around the Burrow and to ensure that the Aurors he'd sent ahead were patrolling their assigned areas. Leading the team of Aurors was Rob Wilkinson, who had volunteered for this duty out of a sense of culpability at having failed to prevent Scrimgeour's escape. "If I'd only gotten there a minute earlier!" he kept saying, and nothing either Harry or Teddy said seemed to relieve his guilt.

"He's a good bloke, Wilkinson," said Teddy, who was released from St. Mungo's two days before the gathering at the Burrow and had been prevailed upon by Harry and Ginny to stay at Grimmauld Place in the interim, as much for his safety as his continued recovery. "I've had a chance to get to know him while we've been working on the case, and he seems a very decent sort. He shouldn't blame himself for what happened."

"Nor should you," Harry said, for Ted had done his own share of penance, as had Harry himself. But there was no point in anyone second-guessing themselves. The important thing was to find Scrimgeour, and toward that end the Ministry had pulled out every stop. Complex spells had been put in place to prevent anyone with magical ability from leaving or entering Britain without the Ministry's knowledge. It had already created a hue and cry among those who wished to travel abroad for business or pleasure, but the stakes were much too high to leave anything to chance.

Kingsley Shacklebolt had spent an extremely uncomfortable hour with the Muggle Prime Minister who became apoplectic when informed of the plot to sell magical potions to terrorists, and Shacklebolt's assurance that everything both humanly and magically possible was being done had accomplished little in the way of bolstering his confidence. So serious was the situation, in fact, that Harry considered sending Ginny and the children on to the Burrow without him, but Shacklebolt dismissed the suggestion out of hand.

"There's nothing more you can do at this stage, Harry," the Minister said when Harry offered to stay in London over the weekend. "Scrimgeour can't leave the country without our knowledge and if he's already escaped, there are people from the Department for International Magical Cooperation working with their counterparts all over the world. We'll track him down eventually, but you've been working day and night, and it won't do anyone any good if you collapse from sheer exhaustion. Go enjoy your family over the weekend and when you get back we'll talk some more. In the meantime, if I need to reach you, I certainly know where to find you."

So Harry went to the Burrow, though he felt uneasy about it. Fortunately, Charlie and his family had arrived in England before the emergency measures went into effect, though he was a bit concerned about how they were going to return to Romania.

"It's not as if you can't leave," Harry explained to Charlie while Ginny cooed over baby Stefan and the children exchanged pleasantries with their Romanian cousins who spoke with thick, eastern European accents, though all had the trademark Weasley hair. "There may be a certain amount of red tape to cut through, but it's really more of an inconvenience than anything."

"What's going on, Harry?" asked Charlie. "Dad wouldn't tell me anything. He says it's very hush-hush, but I gather Percy knows something about it and Hermione too, for that matter."

"I can't really say anything either," said Harry, who agreed with the Minister that relaying too much information would only create a panic. "Suffice it to say we're on top of the situation and hope to have it resolved soon. So tell me, Charlie, how's the dragon business?" And Charlie launched into a detailed account of his latest encounter with an especially vicious Hungarian Horntail, and soon the other matter appeared to be forgotten.

The family began to arrive, first in trickles and then in floods. Ron and Hermione turned up just before noon, followed by Bill and Fleur, Percy and Penelope, and finally George and Katie, each with their respective broods in tow. The arrival of Neville and Hannah, laden with barrels, crates and casks, inspired enthusiastic applause, while Arthur, who had invited several friends from the office, mostly bachelors without families of their own, went to greet them when they Apparated at the end of the lane. Sadly, Luna Lovegood, who had become a famous naturalist, was unable to join them as she was in hot pursuit of the elusive Knarladillo, a rare cross between a Knarl and an armadillo which had been spotted somewhere in North America. Luna had written to announce that she'd become engaged to Rolf Scamander, grandson of Newt Scamander who wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Her letter had gone on to say that they were all invited to the wedding the following spring. It would take place at Stonehenge on Beltane Eve, and promised to be both unusual and highly entertaining.

One of the advantages of a family gathering at the Burrow was that all Weasley children looked a little bit alike, and if anyone was targeting Harry and Ginny's kids, they probably would have had difficulty picking them out of the crowd. Even Albus, who looked remarkably like Harry, had a scattering of freckles that helped him blend in with his cousins, and once they all began to mill around together it was difficult for even their own parents to distinguish them. Victoire and Teddy immediately disappeared together (everyone pretended not to notice), but her brothers, Romy and Remy, grabbed an armful of broomsticks and took off for the paddock near the orchard. They were quickly joined by George's sons, Fred, Gideon and Fabian, with James and Albus right behind them. Hugo tried to join in too, but was told that he was too little and returned to his mother in a right old funk. Hermione managed to distract him by starting up a game of Exploding Snap between Hugo, Lily, Artie, Adam, Molly and Magda, though Charlie's two sets of twins needed to have the rules explained as they apparently didn't have the game in Romania.

Percy and Penelope's children, Prewett, Prudence, Prescott and Priscilla ("Try calling that lot in for tea without spitting all over yourself," Ron said), had brought several wizard's chess sets. Rose challenged each of them in turn, and beat them all so soundly that her father was hard pressed not to gloat. "The Four P's in a Pod," as George called them, decided to change into swim gear and take a dip in the frog pond where their dignity was forgotten amid splashing and screaming when Romy, Remy, Fred, Gideon, Fabian, James and Albus dove in to cool off after their Quidditch match. They were soon joined by Rose, Hugo, Lily, and the Romanian twins, while baby Stefan and little Alice Longbottom stirred up a patch of dirt with a pair of sticks. Arthur was in the chicken coop with his Ministry friends, showing off his latest Muggle contraptions ("It's called a clackulator. See? It adds and subtracts and things!") Neville acted as barman and dispensed drinks while Hannah struck up a conversation with Charlie's wife, Olga, who, as it turned out, was also in the early stages of pregnancy.

"Again?" said Ron, pointing at the eight month old baby who was sucking on his dirt-encrusted stick while Olga looked on indulgently. "You just had one!"

"Not all of us are as backward as you, Ron," Charlie said with a fond look at Olga, a pretty, albeit big-boned girl, with what Molly called 'good birthing hips.' "You've only got two kids. That's barely a family for a Weasley."

"Even so, Charlie," said Bill, shaking his head mournfully at his younger brother. "You keep going at this rate and you'll catch up with Mum and Dad. Another set of twins and you'll be there."

"That's one of the reasons our family has always been considered so daft," observed George. "Wizards just don't have large families. Except for Mum and Dad, of course, who apparently couldn't stay off each other." He gagged, contemplating it.

"No self control," said Ron, who was one of the most impulsive people Harry knew. "It's embarrassing, really."

"Don't listen to them, Charlie," said Neville, coming over to replace Charlie's empty tankard. "I think it's brilliant. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Neville," said Charlie, clanking tankards with him. "The same to you!"

As soon as Neville had gone, George said, "Charlie, you obviously need something to fill your time. Ever think about getting a second job?"

"Or a hobby?" suggested Harry.

"I think he's already got one," Ron snickered.

"Shut it, you," Charlie said. "You might be taller than me, but I can still pound you to a pulp."

"I'd like to see you try!" retorted Ron, who was well into his cups and had clearly reached the belligerent stage.

"Boys, boys!" said Molly, coming out of the house and recognizing the danger signs. "Why don't you all stop drinking so much and help set up the tables?"

Percy, who was annoying Hagrid by offering suggestions on the proper way to season roasted meat, was put to work alongside his brothers. Teddy and Victoire finally wandered in from wherever they'd disappeared to and, after being stopped by Ginny to pull leaves and twigs out of Victoire's hair before her parents spotted her, they were put to work as well. Soon several long tables were standing end to end in the garden and chairs arranged around them. Someone conjured tablecloths out of thin air, and the children, still dripping from the frog pond, began laying plates, glasses, and silverware. The house-elves paraded out of the kitchen with steaming platters, chilled bowls, and smoking tureens and soon the tables were groaning with enough food to feed an army of starving giants.

With a great deal of scraping and only a little shoving, everyone took their places, with Arthur and Molly at either end of the long tables. Arthur looked down the long rows of grandchildren, of his children and their spouses, and raised his glass for the first of many toasts.

"To family," he said. "May we always stay together!"

"To family!" everyone said before taking a drink.

Molly was next. Smiling at Andromeda, to whom she had grown very close after the Battle of Hogwarts when both had lost a beloved child, she raised her glass and said, "To good friends. Whatever would we do without them?"

"Good friends!" everyone repeated as somebody pounded Neville on the back and several people patted Hagrid who was wiping his eyes on one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs.

Then it was George's turn. He did the same thing every year and it never failed to get everyone crying into their beer. His eyes glistened, and in a voice that was half laughter, half choky whisper, he gazed upward and paraphrased the words Fred once shouted at Peeves when the twins escaped from Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts: "Give 'em hell for us, Fred!"

There was a shivering silence, then a snuffle, then a sob. Then everyone stood, even the children who had never known their uncle but had heard so many stories about him that he seemed as real as any of the living people around the table. Raising their glasses with George, they all echoed, "To Fred!"

Everyone sat back down and tucked in at once. As the food went round the table, there were more toasts and a lot more drinking, though Harry switched to pumpkin juice halfway through the meal. He wanted to keep a clear head, just in case, though everything had been blissfully uneventful so far. He'd checked with his Aurors periodically throughout the afternoon, but there had been no sign of anything out of the ordinary, either sinister or otherwise. Even the ominous weather forecast appeared to have been mistaken, for there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun beat down so brightly that Ginny claimed she could feel freckles popping out on her exposed arms and legs. She was wearing a sleeveless top and shorts that showed off her still shapely limbs, and Harry thought, not for the first time, how lucky he was, not only to be married to a woman like Ginny, but to be part of this boisterous, loving family. They had always been his favorite family in the world, but now he was linked to them by a blood tie through his children. Not that they had ever made him feel like an outsider, but it was nice to know that as long as James, Albus, or Lily lived, or any of their children, or their children's children, then Harry was a Weasley too. They were as much a part of him as the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

The evening came on with a star-studded sky and the smells of grass and honeysuckle filling the air. After a brief but spectacular fireworks display put on by George with Ron's assistance, several of the smaller children went indoors with their mothers to join Molly, who held court over a teapot in the sitting room. Teddy and Victoire wandered off again, and the older children all grabbed brooms for a nighttime fly round the paddock. James and Albus, however, were spotted by Ginny, sneaking out of the kitchen with a pair of glass jars, and she knew immediately what they were about.

"You are not going out to the orchard to catch fireflies!" she said, for the fireflies around the Burrow had the ability to actually start fires, and the last time the boys caught some they'd almost burned down the broom shed.

"But, Mum!" James began.

"You heard your mother!" said Harry sternly. "I don't want you going that far anyway. Stay within the paddock where everyone can see you."

The boys went off to join their cousins and Ginny took Lily inside. Hagrid was sitting under a tree, singing "Odo the Hero" with Arthur's office friends. Arthur joined in too, though for some reason he was singing it to the tune of "Rule Britannia." Neville was curled up on a patch of grass nearby, his head pillowed on his arms, snoring loudly.

Ron stared at Neville in amazement. "You'd think, living over a pub, he'd have learned to hold his drink by now," he said as Harry joined the little group sitting on kitchen chairs in the garden

"Never mind that," said George. "Now that you're here, Harry, you can help. I have a new product that I'd like to test market. You're to be my guinea pigs."

"What sort of product?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Nothing dangerous or bad," George assured him. "It's just a simple parlor game. You'll love it." He pulled something out of his pocket. It was palm-sized, with black and yellow stripes, and it was buzzing.

Charlie leapt up from his chair and started backing away. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a Bee," said George. "Oh, not a real bee. Charlie! Get a grip!"

"Charlie's terrified of bees," Ron explained to Harry. "All flying insects really. Can't even stand dragonflies. And he works with real dragons!"

"Getting back to the subject at hand," George said. "The game's called 'Bee-ware.' It's a Bee. Get it?"

"I'm holding my sides," Bill said dryly.

"The way it works is this," George explained. "I let the Bee go and it flies round until it selects someone. Whichever one it selects has to answer a question, and you have to answer truthfully, because it'll know if you're lying."

"How will it know?" asked Harry.

"It's a spell," George said. "It knows whether or not you're telling the truth."

"So it's like a lie detector test?" Harry said.

"A what?" said Bill, Charlie, Percy, George and Ron together.

"It's a Muggle thing," Harry said. "Never mind."

"Anyway," said George. "If the Bee selects you, you can choose either to answer a question or take the challenge. If you answer untruthfully, you get a double challenge."

"Who asks the question?" asked Charlie, who was still keeping his distance.

"Whoever's turn it is," George replied. "I'll take the first turn so I can show you how it works." Holding the Bee in his open palm, he said, "Bee-Ware!"

The Bee flew round in a circle and finally stopped in front of Percy where it hovered, waiting. Percy stared at it for a minute, looking cross-eyed, before saying, "Now what?"

"Now you decide whether to answer a question or accept the Bee's challenge," said George.

"You're asking the question?" Percy said. "You, personally?" George nodded. Percy looked at the Bee, then at George, then at the Bee again, and said, "Challenge."

"Good man!" said George. "Give us the challenge, Bee."

The Bee spat out a strip of parchment which George grabbed and read aloud: "Strip down to your pants and run round the house three times."

"You're joking!" Percy said.

"The Bee never jokes, Perce," said George, as the buzzing grew louder. "You chose the challenge, so either do it or accept the consequences."

"What are the consequences?" Percy asked, as the Bee swarmed threateningly round his head.

"You don't want to know," George said ominously.

Percy tried swatting at the Bee, but this only seemed to anger it. Finally accepting his fate, he took a long swig of ale and whipped off his robes. Everyone stared, then started to laugh.

"Percy," Bill groaned. "Pin-striped boxers?"

"Three times round the house?" said Percy, setting off in that direction. He'd only run a few steps, however, when he stopped and looked around. "Just out of curiosity, what would you have asked me?"

George paused for the space of a heartbeat before saying, "Did Mum actually give birth to you or did she pluck you out of a Savile Row tailor's arse?"

"Glad I took the challenge then," said Percy, while Bill howled, Charlie slapped his thigh, Ron fell off his chair, and Harry's glasses fogged up, they were all laughing so hard.

Penelope came out of the house just as Percy jogged past. "Percy!" she cried. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Sorry, Penny, got to run!" said Percy and he disappeared round the corner.

The laughter had died down by the time Percy completed his rounds. Everyone patted him on the back for being such a good sport. "Now I get to ask the question, right?" he said, once he'd pulled his robes back on.

Even as he uttered the words, the Bee settled on the palm of his hand. Percy said, "Bee-ware!" and the Bee flew off to circle the group again. Charlie kept his head down, scowling ferociously as though daring it to come closer. Bill and Ron looked a little nervous too, but the Bee flew right past them and stopped in front of Harry.

"So what'll it be, Harry? Or perhaps I should say, 'What'll it bee?'" said Percy with a pompous little titter.

Harry, who had no desire to run anywhere in his boxers, said, "Question."

Smiling broadly, Percy drew himself up to his full height and asked, "Did you shag our little sister before you got married or did you wait till after the wedding?"

The Brothers Weasley, all looking mightily impressed, stared at Percy in stunned surprise. George wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and said, "I think - yes, I really do think - this is the proudest moment of my life!"

"Shut up," said Percy. "Go on, Harry. Answer the question."

Everyone looked at Harry whose first instinct was to say, "None of your bloody business!" But even as he thought this, the Bee buzzed louder. His next thought was to remind everyone that he and Ginny had been engaged for three long years, but as Harry didn't particularly fancy being disemboweled by his wife's brothers, this seemed a poor choice too. Finally a third option occurred to him and it was the best one yet, so he pulled out his wand and calmly blasted the Bee into rubble.

"Hey!" George said.

"Sorry," said Harry, as his brothers-in-law shot him looks of immense gratitude. "Auror's instinct."

"Oh, well," said George. "I have another prototype back at the shop." He gazed sadly at the smoking remnants of his invention which were curling into ash on the ground. "Still. . ."

Harry and Ron wandered over to Mr. Weasley who was propped against the broom shed with an empty tankard in his lap and a look of dreamy unconcern on his face.

"Hello, boys," said Arthur with a lopsided grin. "Pull up a patch of grass, why don't you?"

They both sat down beside him. "Great party, Dad," said Ron. "One of the best."

"It has been a lovely day, hasn't it?" Arthur agreed. "How have you both been? Haven't had a chance to talk with you in ages, Harry."

"Things have been a bit hectic," Harry said. "Today was a nice break, though."

"Ah, yes," said Arthur. "Such dreadful goings on at the Ministry. I had a long talk with Kingsley yesterday. He decided to brief me on the situation as he seemed to think it might affect my department." Arthur headed up the Muggle Liaison office, a department formed immediately after the war to develop better understanding of Muggles within the wizarding community. Arthur was in his element in such an environment, though even some of the Muggles with whom he liaised had difficulty understanding his fascination with plugs.

"Shocking news about young Scrimgeour," Arthur went on. "Rufus must be spinning in his grave. Hard to believe a boy from such a good family could have turned out that way."

"Kingsley said something to me about Rufus Scrimgeour's widow," Harry said. "Rowan's mother, I presume. He said she was very bitter after the Death Eaters killed her husband."

"Well, yes and no," said Arthur. "She was very grieved over Rufus's death, of course, but that's only part of it. Vivienne remarried after the war and her new husband didn't care much for Rowan. The marriage broke up eventually, but by that time the damage was done. It caused a tremendous amount of bitterness on all sides, especially as Vivienne's second husband got on very well with young Robert. He never could seem to stomach Rowan, though. Looked too much like Rufus, I suppose, whereas the younger son looked more like his mother."

Harry frowned. "I never knew the Scrimgeours had another son."

"And I never heard of a Robert Scrimgeour," Ron said, also frowning.

"Well, you wouldn't, would you?" said Arthur. "Vivienne's second husband adopted him. His surname is Wilkins, or something like that. So it'd be Robert Wilkins."

Harry froze as shock waves rolled over him. "Harry?" said Ron. "Are you all right?"

"You . . . you . . ." Harry stammered. "Arthur, are you sure . . . are you sure it wasn't Wilkinson?"

"Wilkinson!" said Arthur. "That's it. Robert Wilkinson. Well done, Harry!"

Several things happened simultaneously. Harry sprang to his feet as a flash of lightning rent the sky, followed by a clap of thunder that made several people start up in surprise. Neville woke in mid-snore, groping for his wand as he said, "Whazzit?" Harry ran for the house, nearly colliding with several of the women who had just come out to call the children indoors before the storm hit.

Ginny was among them. Harry grabbed her by the shoulders. "Where are the children?"

"What?" said Ginny, blinking in surprise. "Lily's asleep in the sitting room."

"The boys? Where are the boys?"

"They were outside with all the others," Ginny said. "Oh, no. They didn't go to the orchard after I specifically told them not to, did they?"

But Harry was already running toward the paddock. He met Romy, Remy and Fred coming from the opposite direction, all carrying brooms slung over their shoulders. "Where are James and Albus?" Harry demanded.

"We were just coming to tell you," said Romy. "We saw them heading off toward Stoatshead Hill with that blonde Auror."

"Fred told us it was probably all right," Remy said uncertainly. "But we thought, with the thunderstorm and all. . ."

"It was that bloke who came with you to the joke shop that day," Fred explained. "You know, the one who's a friend of Teddy's?"

"God," Harry whispered, as an overwhelming weakness washed over him. "Oh, God!"

"Harry, what is it?" asked Ron, who had followed his erratic progress from house to paddock. "What's going on?"

"Wilkinson," Harry gasped, trying without success to catch his breath. "That's Rob Wilkinson. Scrimgeour's brother!"

"Merlin's beard," Ron muttered. "Bloody hell, Harry!"

"Er, Uncle Harry?" said Remy. "You too, Uncle Ron. There's just one more thing."

"Yeah," Romy said. "Rose saw them. She knew they weren't supposed to leave the paddock, so she. . ."

"What are you saying?" Ron demanded, looking even paler by moonlight. Even his vivid Weasley hair seemed washed out.

"She went after them," Fred told him. "And when she caught up with them, well, they took her along too."

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A/N: My extended family is not unlike the Weasleys and though none of us has the ability to conjure tablecloths out of thin air, we certainly create our own brand of magic when we get together. It's kind of a dirty, rotten trick to end the chapter this way (I keep TELLING you I'm evil!) but I promise to get the next one out soon. Meanwhile, a review to let me know that you don't hate me too much (or even to let me know how much you really do hate me) would be appreciated!