Roxanne Weasley, Often Overlooked

by cookiebook

Roxanne Weasley, Smart. Beautiful. Kind. Often Overlooked. As a Ravenclaw, Roxanne was never going to be in the limelight. She wanted to be different and she is. Bestfriends with Olivia Wood, this story begins in Roxanne's fourth year. It's a story about Roxanne's journey, growing up, learning, changing, and loving... And eventually how a certain Malfoy comes into it all.

25. Chapter 25

To those of you who write fanfics, do you ever check your traffic stats and just marvel at all the different countries people are reading your fic in?

I do. And really guys, it amazes me, that little old me here can write this in her spare time and you guys across THE WORLD actually read it. It's so mindboggling to me. Really it is, so thanks guys for reading and representin', because you guys are the ones who cause all the mindboggling happiness.

As per; special thanks to:

LiteratureSoccerEnthusiast, ladyres, kaykay25, tessisbestnz, DarthRag and EtincellesAurore4585 for all the follows and faves. Glad you all like it, it means loads x

And to my lovely reviewers:

SS ~ Okay, let me begin with your review made me smile with each sentence. Glad you like the backstory and the different POVs, I do really like writing them, but sometimes I'm not sure how well it all comes across. Also SO HAPPY you like Scor/Draco I was so nervous about how everyone would react but great to know you liked it at least. And as for Dom? Super happy you like her like I do. She'll definately be back soon! x

Lupin~ *hopes you keep reading to this point* Glad you like it! I'll keep writing if you keep telling me what you think, deal? ;)
Oh, wait you did! I guess I'll keep writing! So happy you kept reading and that you liked Scor's view, as for the baby, I'm thinking a little girl would be perfect too!

Ella~ Thank you! I love that you love it x

Plucie~ Aaah, I feel a sigh of relief. Glad you liked it and that I managed to clear that up for you!

Seriously, guys I love it when you leave me a little review (just incase it isn't obvious). So thank you, keep telling me what you think and enjoy this chapter!

Cookie xx

P.S: This is a long one!

Chapter 25- Burrow Gossip

Roxanne woke up to a strange silence. Not often was her Grandparents' house this quiet. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up squinting at the light coming into her room. Well, it wasn't her room exactly, it was one of the rooms her grandma and grandpa had added to the Burrow to make space for the massive family she had.

There were five sets of parents in the family, with thirteen (or fourteen) kids in total if you included Teddy (and Uncle Charlie), which everyone did. Too many for any normal home. A few years back, Grandma Molly had ordered a complete refurbishment of the top of the Burrow as well as a downwards extension, in order to accommodate all the extra bodies.

There were now two rooms in the attic, a large one in the basement, and a further nine bedrooms across the other levels. Each set of the children's parents had their own room but the rest of the rooms of the house were up for grabs. The cousins of the household were left to sort out who slept where and basically fight for the best rooms. Wands confiscated of course.

Till now, Roxanne had always paired off with Lily to take up the smaller room at the back of the house. Nobody else ever wanted it, because there were much bigger rooms to go for, but of course Teddy had cushioned the ground under their window so they went there all the time. This year though, Lily hadn't approached Roxanne with the idea of sharing their old room, or even with the idea of sharing at all. Lily stuck to Rose for the evening and they took one of the other rooms of the house. So, this holiday, Roxanne was sharing with Dom which she hadn't done before because Dom usually shared with Vic. But this year, for the first time since they'd told the family they were official, Vic was allowed to share with Teddy- they had convinced the household that nothing would happen, after explaining how gross it would be to have sex with your parents and cousins hanging around. If she was honest, Roxanne thought her Uncle Bill had conceded just to get Vic to stop talking.

The reason the house was so quiet? It probably wasn't, it was just that Dom had managed to swing them one of the attic rooms and they were so well insulated, not much noise could reach them.

"Oh, you're awake" Dom spoke from across the room, Rox's vision focused and she looked over to her older cousin who was sitting in the bean bag under the skylight reading. She couldn't have been awake for much longer than Rox because she was still in her pyjamas and had her hair all over the place. Her cousin still managed to look stunning though.

Rox slid out of bed and walked over to her, flopping in the neighbouring bean bag.
"Yesterday was such a long day. Feels like I could sleep for years" she sighed, closing her eyes again.

"Tell me about it, I had a full day of physical training, then had to come back to this place and put up with all of you lot" she laughed.
"I'd forgotten what it was like here" Rox mused aloud.
"You mean when everyone gets together and acts like a proper family?" Dom suggested with a laugh.
"Yeah." Roxanne agreed. "It's just how I remember it from when I was little, noisy, arguing, fighting, but all good-natured. There must be something about this place that just makes us all kids again"
"It's the Burrow Vibe" Dom told her with a wiggle of her brows.
"Yeah. Wait, why is it called the Burrow?"
"You're a clever girl Rox. Why do you think?" Dom winked.
Rox paused, thinking. "Oh" it dawned on her, "Ew. It's been called that for years, so it's not even about our parents it's about-"
"Grandma and Grandpa Weasley breeding like rabbits… Yep. Gross" Dom still laughed.
"Speaking of breeding… I can't believe Vic said that yesterday" Rox laughed at the memory.
"Well, she did ask dad earlier but he said no, so I said just bring it up at dinner in front of everyone and he'll agree"
"You mean you were the one who told her to say, and I quote: 'it's not like we're going to have wild sex with you guys around to hear it'" Rox laughed, remembering the way the table had gone quiet for a few seconds before Ginny had started off the round of hysterics.

Uncle Bill's face had gone completely red and Teddy's hair had the same shade.

"Well, not exactly, I didn't think Vic had it in her to be that open to be honest. But I guess if they're planning to get married, they might as well"
"Speaking of... When are they telling everyone?"
"Not till the New Year at least. They don't really want Mum and Grandma Molly to have more than a few months to plan for it. Ginny's dying to get stuck in too but she won't because Ted really hates all the attention. So it's just Aunt Gin, Uncle Harry, Louis, you and me who know"

"Don't forget Lily" Rox pointed out.
"Ugh, almost forgot about that one. Tell me you don't still speak to her?"
"No, you know I don't. I'd be in our old room with her now if I did."
"Aren't you glad you aren't?" Dom laughed, gesturing to the airy open room they had all to themselves.
"Yeah" Rox agreed, smiling a little.

"Hey, don't get upset on me! She might be your cousin but she wasn't a very good friend to you Roxy and you know it."

"Yeah, but I do miss her sometimes. We grew up together Dom, it's hard to forget that"
"Rox, you don't have to forget that, you grew up with her, but then you grew apart. It's okay that you don't speak in school and don't hang out but that doesn't mean you guys can't now. You're still family."

"Isn't that what you always used to tell me was so bad about her?"
"No, I always used to say it was so bad that she pretended like you were the best of friends at school when you were here and then didn't speak to you at school. As long as you don't act like you have something you don't; I don't see why you can't still speak to her. Though I don't know why you'd want to. She just seems so boring" Dom yawned for emphasis and Rox took in her words.

"Bagsy, the shower" she finished, getting up and running into their bathroom they shared with the other room, which occupied Teddy and Vic.

A Jack-and-Jill suite, another perk of the attic. No wonder Dom fought so hard for this room. ~

"Nice of you two to finally come down" Molly addressed as Dom and Rox walked into the kitchen, well rested and fresh faced unlike some of the others in the brood who looked moody, probably getting used to the downgrade of bed size from Hogwarts.
"Well, you kept the room so lovely, it's hard not to spend time in it Grandma" Dom replied, quickly pecking the Weasley matriarch on the cheek. Roxanne followed with a small hug and they both sat at the table as she busied herself around the kitchen, making them breakfast.

Roxanne and Dom sat at the table, across from Fred, James, Rose, Lily and Teddy. The other late risers of the family.

"Where's everyone?" Rox asked no one in particular, wrapping her hands around the mug of tea that had just appeared in front of her.

"Everyone's working" Lily replied with a small smile and Roxanne noticed Rose look at her, as if to tell her off for speaking to her.

"Oh, when's everyone's holidays?" she followed up, but Rose shifted in her chair and Lily didn't reply.

Teddy took over oblivious to the tension between them, "Last Quidditch sessions are today. So that's Mum and Aunty Angie. Um, Dad and Ron are working up to Christmas Eve. Percy and Audrey too. Gringott's is closed Christmas eve so that's Bill and Fleur till the 23rd. Who else is there? Oh Aunt Hermione. I think she's finished but she'll probably be at the store for a few days. And the Healer trainees finish today, so Vic should be back by five. Louis said he's got to be at the workshop right up till Christmas, but he should be around tonight for dinner"

Rox nodded in thanks, paying more attention to the perfectly buttered toast her Gran had sent her way.

"Cousins?" Fred asked, his speech garbled by food.
"Everyone else is already up. They went to your dad's" Teddy replied.
Fred groaned, swallowing his toast. "You mean everyone went out to Dad's before opening and nobody thought to tell me?"
"You did get told Fred. You just ignored it" Lily laughed at him.
"Hey, Fred. If it makes you feel any better, nobody told me either" Rox smiled.
"I wonder why" Rose muttered and Dom glared in Rox's defence. Roxanne ignored it, instead finishing her toast and leaving the table. ~

She was back in the room before Dom caught up with her.
"You really let her get away with that?"

"She's not worth it. Besides, I don't even know why it is that she doesn't like me" Rox shrugged walked over to her bed, Iridis was curled up on her pillow sleeping and Ginger was at the foot of her bed, watching the small beast through suspicious slits in his eyes.
"I told you, Rox. She's a bitch that's why. Also, didn't you langlock her?" Dom sniggered at the last bit, she'd already told Rox she wished she'd been there.
"Yeah okay, but only because she was being unnecessarily horrible to me before that. But she never used to be. What happened to her?" Rox replied, scooting back on the bed so she could stroke the cat, who was clearly not liking being left in a room with the Parva.
"Nothing. She just chose to be that way; she couldn't handle the pressure so she flipped out." Dom shrugged, but came to join her cousin on the bed, sitting on her other side within reach of Iridis.

"What are you talking about Dom? Are you saying you know why Rose changed?"
"Yeah. I do and Al does. Don't worry about it. She made her choice, and she chose to be bitchy. Don't take it personally" Dom turned to the little dragon and began scratching his head, just between his little horns.

"Dom, how can I not take it personally when my cousin is horrible to me half the time and fine with the rest of the family the other half?"

"Just trust me, it's juts Rose being moody. It really has nothing to do with you. Isn't it baby? Just horrible little Rosie being angry for no reason." She cooed to the dragon, who seemed to be purring, if that were possible.

"Dommmm! Do-"

"Ugh! Fine. Fine I'll tell you" She turned her attentions back to Rox who grinned.

"Okay, so... I was still at school. I think I was just around when they were talking a few times. I just remember her complaining a lot about Professors and students all comparing her to Aunt Hermione and she kept going on and on about unfair it was, and that she didn't want to be her mother or whatever. Ha! Like the rest of us didn't have to deal with that shit too? I'm an eighth Veela and my mum was a triwizard champion, I know what it's like." Rox raised a brow, "Okay, my parents aren't exactly two thirds of the Golden Trio but still, she wouldn't accept she wasn't the only one. I don't know how Al put up with her; he must've had it worse. I mean come on Harry-Freakin'-Potter? Anyway, I guess she just couldn't handle the expectations. She's the way she is because it's the opposite of Aunt Hermione and notice- no one compares them now. I guess it's easier for her with less pressure, but I remember what she was like. She loved being nerdy. She was such a cute little-know-it-all, I guess that was her problem. Anyway, she's not being herself now. But whatever, I don't have time for people who give up. She should have just kept going; she would have realised eventually no one really expects her to be her mum. That, or she should have just showed them they were wrong another way."

"I didn't know that" Roxanne commented.
"Don't feel sorry for her Roxy! This is why I didn't want to tell you. Rose made her own decisions, people see her exactly how she wants them to, don't feel guilty for thinking she was a bitch. She wants us to. She does it on purpose"

"That still doesn't explain why she's like that to me though. She's not at school now, there's no one to act for"

"She can't seem to stop acting that way, I think she feels like she has to keep it up and pretend that's what she's really like, or we'll question her split personality. That being said, she's always been a bit nicer to the family though, I guess that's instinct. If she doesn't like you, it's probably because I like you and she hates me. Though now that you threw a spell at her, I'm sure that adds to it."
Rox laughed, "Why does she hate you?"
"Hm. Possibly because I told her to get over herself and that just because two war heroes got freaky and made her, didn't mean she was entitled to anything. I just told her to grow up, get on with it and deal but she obviously didn't want to. She needed a reality check." Dom shrugged.
"Well…"

"Eh. I'll admit, wasn't one of my most tactful moments, but I've said worse things to other people and they've forgiven me." Dom flashed an innocent smile, "She just has a hard time letting go. Like I care, I've got like a billion other cousins"
"Well, at least I know now. Thanks" Rox laughed.

"Oh anytime. But if you want a list of people I've personally offended, it might take a while"
"No rush. Just heads up if they're going to hate me by extension next time"
"Oh, sure. Maybe best not to walk around with me at all. Stay safe?"
"Sounds great, now come on. Let's go see my dad" she said, grabbing her bag and linking her arm through Dom's.
"And this, is why you are my absolute favourite little cousin" Dom said happily. ~

Fred was in an animated conversation with her dad by the time Dom and Rox arrived at WWW.

"Hey Dad" Rox greeted her father as she walked over to the two.
"Hey Kid" Rox rolled her eyes as she went to hug her dad.
"Er, Rox. I'm talking" Fred told her his arms folded.
"Er, Fred. I don't care" she replied quickly narrowing her eyes a little.
"C'mon now, I thought you two were getting along?" George laughed, pulling Roxanne into his side under his arm and holding her there.
"Oh we are." Rox laughed, Fred grinned at her and launched back into conversation with his dad.

Rox tuned out, turning to look at the shop, as always it was mesmerising to her. There was so much going on and so many colours to take in. Planning her route through it mentally, she stepped to leave but her dad held her back.

"And what did you think of it?" he asked with a grin looking down at her.
"Of what?" she hadn't been listening.
"The Mistletoe I sent Freddie"
"Oh" she laughed, "That was great. I had him come over and make me promise to just wait if I ever got caught in any" she rolled her eyes.
George chuckled, "Well done, son."
Fred poked his tongue at her.
"Don't agree with him dad!"
"Why wouldn't I? I don't want my little girl going round kissing people"
"I'm not little dad" she huffed, folding her arms and probably sounding quite young indeed.
"Anyway, I did get stuck under it." she added childishly.
Fred's eyebrows rose, she almost chuckled, did he think she would really explain that sorry mess to her father?
She winked before adding, "Don't worry, it wasn't red. Got the best reaction from Al when his girlfriend got me out though"
They laughed. "Al has a girlfriend? Interesting..." George smiled.
"And you've spoken to her?" Fred followed.
Rox had forgotten that he hadn't introduced her to anyone yet, Oops.
"Yeah, why?"
"He won't introduce me or James" Fred looked a little offended.
She breathed a sigh of relief, if they knew there was a girlfriend then she hadn't spilled any secrets.
"Well you and James can't keep your mouths shut about anything. I don't think he wants all the family knowing. No offense dad"
"None taken, hun. I won't say a word. Al hasn't got to worry about any reaction from me" He zipped his lips and she smiled.
"Hey, I think I've proved I can keep my mouth shut, haven't I?" Fred asked with a raised brow even more offended.
"Keep your mouth shut about what?" George turned to his daughter.~
"Nothing" They both answered quickly, Fred realising his mistake.
George laughed. Rox looked worried all of a sudden.
"Hm." He shook his head, "Well, whatever it is, it'll come out before the holiday's up. All those Weasley's under one roof? I'll find out." He grinned like he had a plan and Rox thought about how much she needed to tell her mum about her boyfriend before her dad found out.
"You two have fun, and as I'm feeling generous. Ten" he walked back to the counter.
They both grinned at him. Ever since they were little, he would give them a number and they could pick that many things to take back from the shop. As they'd gotten older, the number grew but he rarely let them take home more than eight items at a time. Though, when Fred and James snuck out more, he'd pretend to not notice. Either way, giving them a limit of ten really did mean he was happy today.

"C'mon then little miss-almost-got-caught, I bet I can pick better than you"

"Not a chance, big mouth" they both grabbed WWW baskets and took off into the shop.~

The day had been a long one and by the time Dom and Rox flopped back into the bean bags under the window, the sky above them was darkening. They had started off at WWW with the rest of the cousins and then they had all decided to go off and start Christmas shopping. They had a big family so they all needed to start as early as possible. Dom and Rox had put their minds together and had managed to cross off presents for their aunts and uncles. That left cousins, parents, grandparents and siblings. They still had enough time. Just about.

"Must we socialise, Roxy?" Dom asked, sleepily.

"Yeah. Teddy said there's a pool table and dart board in the basement room now"

"Ah, competition, you got me" she replied, suddenly awake and jumping up before Rox could move.
"Up you get then" Dom smirked down at her. Rox grabbed her hand and allowed her cousin to pull her upwards.
"Do me a favour and arm wrestle James" Rox pleaded, poking at her cousin's biceps.

"Even more reason to go down" Dom replied, leaving the room for the downstairs basement, Rox at her heels.

"Hey Jamsie, wanna arm wrestle your big cousin?" Dom said as she flopped into the sofa next to James. Rox sat on the floor next to the sofa and turned to face the screen the boys were fixated on.

The basement was far enough below the house that TV screens and muggle appliances would work. Every so often there'd be interference, like if Grandma Molly was cooking a huge meal and was using a lot of magic in the kitchen but usually they were fine as long as the basement was kept spell-free. The boys were playing some sort of video game on a Muggle console and Rox turned her nose up at it. She didn't see the attraction in driving games.

Combat games, now that was a different story; Teddy had taught her and Lily to play them a few Christmases ago and Lily had lost interest while Rox had loved them. She hadn't played them since then, instead pretending she didn't want to play when Lily announced she hated them, hopefully this year she could get the boys off for long enough to have a decent go.

"Dom, I'm busy" James told her as he fixated his eyes on the screen.
"Told you he wouldn't agree to it, Roxy"
Roxanne turned back to see Dom lounging across James and Fred. Both boys ignored her as they leant forwards, fingers and thumbs operating their controls.
"I'm not scared Dom, I just want to win this"
"Like you're going to win this" Fred replied with a scoff, not looking away from the screen.
"Oh it's okay. I'll ask Teddy or something. Maybe Al would do it?"

"Ah fine. I'll do it, Dom. Just later, okay?"

Dom grinned and jumped up, walking over to the pool table.
"Roxy?" she asked, holding up two cues.
"Sure" ~

The girls had played two games by the time the rest of their cousins arrived home. Their games consisted mostly of Dom potting all her balls then helping Rox to do hers. They were setting up their third when Lucy and Hugo came over.

"Want to join us?" Rox asked them, pointing to the other cues they had.

Lucy looked to her best friend and he nodded, "Sure" she smiled.

"I call Hugo." Dom said quickly, "Sorry Rox, but you're quite shit at this"

Rox looked over to Lucy who had just laughed, "She's right. Sorry in advance"
"It's fine. Dom doesn't realise Hugo's pretty shit too"
"Hey!" he protested, but then laughed, looking to Dom he shrugged. "She's right too"
Dom sighed dramatically, "It's fine Huey, we will win"

"Oh, did I mention she doesn't like to lose?" Rox added, as if anyone in the family wasn't already aware.

The four played a rollercoaster of a game, it going up whenever Dom or Lucy took a shot and then down when Hugo or Rox tried to.

Eventually, Rox and Hugo decided to leave the table to the more competent players and wandered upstairs to get a drink. They came back downstairs with glasses of juice and sat in two of the many chairs the room held.

The room actually had three beds in it, but they folded away and were used as Sofas during the day when the room basically became the hangout for the non-adult members of the Weasley brood and occasionally Vic and Ted, who didn't receive the same level of comments on affection downstairs as they did upstairs. Oh, and Dom, who was technically an adult but hadn't bothered to advance in family standing yet, as far as she was concerned, she was still a trainee, ergo, not an adult.

Rox looked around the large room absently; her brother was now playing darts with Albus and James; Molly was reading and Lily and Rose were on the games' sofa talking.

She suddenly realised she'd been staring at Rose and Lily for a few seconds longer than the rest of the room.
She shook her head, "Sorry. I was lost" she turned to Hugo.

He had been watching her, "It must be hard"
"What?"
"Not talking to Lily. You guys were so close"
"Well, I thought we were" she shrugged. "We just drifted apart, I guess I never really wanted to accept it, so I went along pretending we were still good friends"
"But you weren't?"
"Yes and No. Like, we hung out all the time in holidays but when we were at school, she didn't really speak to me for anything other than school work."
"Let me guess, she tries to get your notes?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"She asks me and Luce now" he laughed.
"Guess she must miss me for something then" Rox laughed a little.
"I'm sure she misses you"
"I'm sure she doesn't. Once her actual friends were around, she didn't care to talk to me much"
"But she still chose to hang around with you here. Rox, she was your friend, she just probably didn't see any problem with not speaking to you in school and then being with you all the time here"
She sighed, "I guess so. I'll speak to her at some point this holiday. I feel bad for the way I left things. I was just so angry"
"That's understandable, we did forget your birthday. Sorry about that by the way"
"I wasn't angry at you Hugo. I don't expect you to remember my birthday, we have too many cousins to remember them all, it's just Lily would always call me her best friend but it didn't quite match up with how she acted"
"Yeah, this family is a bit strange like that. We never quite act how we should. But hey, you got how you felt out, and she won't be pretending to be your best friend any time soon. I'm sure you guys'll make up this holiday though."
Rox smiled at his words but when she looked over to Lily, Rose caught her eye and glared.
"I'm not so sure. Rose hates me, and Lily seems quite attached to her now"
"Yeah well, Rose is another story…" she'd forgotten she was talking to her brother.
"Oh I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget we're not all cousins" she managed to get a laugh from him.
"Yeah. Well you'd think we were, she doesn't exactly act like my sister anymore"
"What happened?"
"I don't know, Rox." He said sadly, "She went away then was kinda moody over summer after her first year. Next thing I know, when we join Hogwarts she's not the same sister I had at home.
"Something happened to her first year that made her change, but whenever I try to ask she won't say anything. So I don't ask. She can be quite normal with me at times and she's a lot easier to be around during the holidays but she does act differently at school. And not in the way that Lily does, it's nothing to do with her friends. I can tell she knows what she's doing because she slips back into her old self every so often and she's so much more real when she does. It's all calculated, I just don't know why"
"Have you ever asked Albus?"
"Once. He said he didn't really understand it himself so I left it at that. Everyone else in the family seemed to accept it so I just left it alone." He paused. "Sometimes I forget what she used to be like. But she wasn't always a bitch, Rox. She's my sister she used to be lovely" he took a sip of his drink.

"She must have had a reason, Hugo. I'm sure she'll open up to you eventually" Rox offered her support now.
"Yeah I guess. I just wish I knew why. I wonder if she's told Lily"
"Hm" Rox pondered the thought, she knew Lily had started to hang around with Rose a couple years ago, as they drifted more, but Lucy had said that they had gotten closer once Rox and Lily had their argument. She would have suggested Dom's explanation but it still seemed a little vague and she wasn't sure she could explain it in the same way Dom had.
"Maybe. Maybe that's why Lily is the only one of us who really spends time with her at school. But it doesn't matter. Let's just forget about it okay? The main thing is, she still speaks to you and she still cares about you. Nothing else matters"
"Yeah I guess. Merlin, we're so depressing. Just talking through our family issues when we could be-"
"Gossiping?" she asked with a grin.
"Male, Rox." He gestured to himself.
"Don't pretend you don't gossip. Most of my friends are guys and I know you gossip"
He laughed, "Shhh. Don't tell. We just don't call it gossip"
"Fine. Let's talk about, news?"
"That'll do I guess"
"We're gossiping now are we?" Lucy asked as she dropped to the floor in front of them.
"Perfect" Dom added, dropping next to Lucy.
"Lucy beat me." She announced.
Lucy grinned and bent forwards in a little bow.
Dom pouted, "I need cheering up or alcohol. But you're all underage and I'm responsible. So I'll settle for the first one"
They laughed, "So, cousins… Tell me some Hogwarts gossip. Auror trainees are so boring. Can't wait till I graduate"
"Well, I heard Rox had a boyfriend?" Lucy half asked, half accused. Rox blushed.
"Fortunately for her she told me already" Dom replied folding her arms.
"So it's true?"
Rox nodded and Lucy grinned. "Oh Rox, it is Logan Williams right? He's so hot! You have to tell m-"
"So, as great as this gossip stuff is to you. I'd rather not hear how dreamy he is" Hugo interrupted.
"Sorry Hue" Lucy laughed.
"Just come up with us later, Rox owes me some details anyway" Dom told Lucy and Rox cringed. She was going to be questioned by Dom this evening apparently.
"Fine. What else is there? Give me some manly gossip Hugo" Dom laughed.
"Gossip isn't manly"
"As good as you can manage then, because you're with us now"
He sighed, "Well, if we're going for relationships, Albus has a girlfriend"
"Ooh, that's new. What's she like?"
"Really nice actually" Lucy added.
"Has he introduced her to everyone?"
"Nope. Just me and Lucy and Rox I think"
"How do you know that?" Rox asked.
"He was helping us with some work and she came over and demanded he introduce us" she laughed.
"She said she'd only met you and that Al didn't want her to meet anyone else"
"Why not?"
"He doesn't want grief from Uncle Ron. She's a Parkinson" Lucy explained.
"Oh, and a Slytherin I take it?" Dom smiled.
"Yep. The rest know he has a girlfriend because they've seen her. But he never introduces her to them and I don't think they've noticed her uniform colours yet"
"Ooh, this is good gossip Huey."
He rolled his eyes, "It's not gossip. Just news"
He looked at Rox and they shared a smile.
"Okay, what's next then?" Dom said, clasping her hands and rubbing them together.~

The four sat there for a while exchanging 'news' stories. Sometime after six, Teddy came down.

"ALRIGHT GUYS, LISTEN UP!" He shouted, unnecessarily loudly.

"We can hear you!" Dom shouted back and Teddy grinned.

"Quiet. Okay, so I've just been told by Grams that all the adults are going out tonight. That means were all staying here and I-"
"Er herm"
Ted grinned, " I mean Vic and I are in charge-"
"Whipped" James coughed.
"So you all have to do what we say. If you don't, James, I'll tell mum" Teddy smirked and that shut James up. The only person who really scared him was Ginny.
"Have they left yet?" Lily asked.
"Not yet, they're about to."
"What do we eat?" Fred asked as a true Weasley boy.
"Grandma Molly made lasagne for everyone before she knew the adults were going out so-"
"KIDS!" They heard Ginny shout from upstairs.
"Coming!" Teddy shouted back, waving them all up.
They assembled in a loose circle around their parents. Ginny spoke.
"I'm sure Teddy already told you but we're all going out tonight to get away from you kids. Now I expect you all, to listen to what Teddy, and Vic tell you. If you don't, well, I'll know about it. Won't I Ted?"
"Yep" he smirked at James.
"We'll probably be back some time after twelve"
"No need to wait up" Charlie added with a wink and they laughed.
"The lasagne is in the oven, Victoire, darling make sure they don't blow anything up" Molly told her eldest granddaughter, she had become less strict over the years, and just wanted the simple things in life. Like a kitchen that remained intact.
"Oui, Grand-mére" Vic agreed and Molly smiled fondly.
"Suck up" Dom muttered and Vic poked her tongue out at her sister discreetly; Vic always melted Molly's heart when she addressed her in French.
"Anything else?" Harry asked the group of adults.
"Oh, no friends over" Ron told them seriously.
"Bu-" James began.
"Oh James hush, Elliott will be here. Katie and Oliver are coming out with us" Harry told his son.
He grinned. And Rox did too, that meant Liv would come.
"Luna is also coming so, the boys should be here too" Ginny told them, looking at Roxanne in particular.
"What the hell?! Roxanne gets three friends and we can't invite anyone?" Rose moaned, mostly to her dad who had set the rule but she had been looking at Ginny. Her aunt raised a brow.
"Rose We-" Hermione began.
"It's okay 'Mione" Ginny assured.
"Rosie. Honey, I don't care what you're like at school. But now, you're at home and we expect you to speak to us with respect, remember where you are, and who you are talking to, okay?"
"Yes Aunt Ginny. I'm sorry"
"Good girl. I've forgotten it." Ginny smiled and Hermione nodded a small thanks at her.
Arthur took over and addressed the group. "Be good kids"
"Especially you James" Harry told his son.
"You too Freddie" Angelina called.
"We off then?" Charlie asked, having no child to warn or threaten. Ginny nodded and he disparated on the spot. She laughed and held her husband's hand before they followed her brother's actions. In a series of consecutive cracks, the adults disappeared and the children were alone.
They all looked to Teddy as if waiting for him to give orders or something. He grinned wide, clapping his hands together and rubbing them swiftly.
"Night time Quidditch anyone?"
They cheered, they actually cheered.

As the family changed and retrieved their respective brooms; Lorcan and Lysander stepped through the had Floo'd in to find the family sitting room empty.

"Kitchen?" Ly asked walking towards the most likely place to find a Weasley.

Albus was sitting on a kitchen chair, tying his shoelaces. He looked up and nodded to the boys.

"Hey, Ly, Lorc"
"Hey Al" They replied.
"You two up for a game?" he gestured to the broom by his feet.
"Only if you're up for being beaten" Ly smirked and Lorcan walked back into the living room and brought back their brooms they had come with.
"How'd you know?" He nodded to their brooms.
"A bunch of Weasley-Potter kids at night time and no adults?"
"Quidditch or a house party. We figured they would come in handy for either"
"No house parties I'm afraid" Teddy said from the doorway. "You guys ready? Elliott and Olivia just apparated in"
"Liv's here?" Lorcan asked straightening up and brushing his clothes down. Lysander laughed.
"It's okay bro. You look fabulous"
"Shut up" Lorcan punched him and Ly laughed more.
Lorcan left the room and made a beeline for the back garden.
Teddy raised his eyebrows, "Are we missing something?" Albus asked.
"Oh, yeah. They're a couple now"
"Hah! I knew it" Albus cried. "Pay up, Ted"
"You made bets on my brother?" Ly laughed, pulling his beaters glove out from his pocket and putting the well-worn leather over his hand.
"Yep. Saw him kiss Liv at the station but Ted wouldn't believe me"
Teddy begrudgingly handed money over to Albus.
"I'll win the next one"
"Which one's that?" Al asked.
"No idea, I'm sure we'll draw a few up this holiday" he told them.
"Well, if you do, you know where to find me" Ly told them both. Betting on things, he was good at.~

"You guys actually disgust me sometimes" Vic addressed the table of assembled Weasleys, Potters, Scamanders and Woods. They had managed to get through all the lasagne their Grandma had cooked, it had been for the whole family, and that was taking Uncle Ron into account.
"Like you didn't just have two plates!" Freddie shouted to her as she started to clear the table.
She smiled and flicked some water at him from the sink.
"Bad Idea…" Ted began as Freddie retaliated with an aguamenti in her direction.
It hit Rose so of course she fired back, as Fred jumped behind James.
"STOP!" Dominique shouted, just before a full on wand-water fight ensued.
"Okay. Sis, Ted. I respect you two but really?"
"First thing you do in charge is wand confiscation. Now guys-"
"You can't take our wands" James fired back. As Dom turned to the group.
"Beat me in an arm wrestle and it's yours"
"I'm not wrestling to keep my own wand Dom"
"Fine. Beat me and you can have mine for the night, and you get my desert for the week."
"And if I lose?"
"I get your wand, Fred's, and you give me your desert for three days"
"No deal."
"Fine. You and Fred can have mine and Rox's room, if you beat me"
He turned to his cousin and best friend, asking his permission to gamble their wands.
Ly was by Rox's side, "I'm betting Dom'll win" he whispered.
"Correct" she muttered back with a smile.

The cousins crowded the table as the two competitors sat opposite each other.
"Ready?"
They nodded, Dom smirked. James laughed.
"Go!" Fred shouted.
Thud
James' hand hit the table before he'd noticed the beginning of their match.
The family laughed as James protested, "No fair!"
"Fine" Dom agreed, having stayed in her seat.
"I'll be a bit slower this time" she winked.
He narrowed his eyes and clutched the table top with his free hand.
"No holding on" Ted commented.
"Hands in the air?" Dom asked, putting her free hand on her head.
James obliged and Teddy grinned.
"Okay, you sure you're ready mate?" Fred asked, sounding worried. He'd agreed to let his cousin fight for desert, a new room and his wand and was regretting it a little.
"Yes" he hissed.
"Go!"
James started on the offensive, pushing Dom's hand halfway down. She looked relaxed and composed, and let him struggle for a little while, he gained no ground. Frustrated he pushed harder, leaning with it. She smiled, and slowly brought his hand up, he struggled more but managed to only delay her win, she pushed his hand to the table-top with a satisfying knock.
Elliott was the first to cheer and he slipped James' wand from out his back pocket and handed it to Dominique.
"Traitor" James muttered at him.
"Shithead" Fred told him as he gave his own wand up to his cousin.
Dom sashayed over to Teddy and handed him the two wands.
"And hey presto, they've forgotten there was even a water fight"
"As much as I love you Teddy, I think we should leave Dom in charge."
"Now when you say leave…" he pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck.
She giggled and batted him away, Dom rolled her eyes.
"Alright then, cousins, Listen up!" They looked up from teasing James back to Dom.
"Looks like I'm taking over now."
James groaned and she laughed, "Oh don't be bitter"
"Boys, go downstairs and unfold the beds, move the TV, cushions people. Girls, up here with me, we're doing popcorn"
"Movie night?" Albus asked; glee in his voice.
"Yup. That okay Jamesie?"
He grumbled loving movie nights as much as the rest of them, but not wanting to forgive his older cousin just yet. She had wounded his pride. He conceded though, "Yeah".
"Alright then, let's go!"
Fred, James, Elliott, Albus, Hugo, Lorcan and Lysander descended.
"You two, go do whatever it is you wanna do for a couple hours." Dom turned to the engaged couple who were clearing the table together.
"Dom…I meant what I said at the table, we're not going to have sex in this house"
Dom laughed, "Head out of the gutter, Vic. I just meant you guys could go up and chill" she winked.
"Domi-"
Teddy wrapped his arms around her waist before Vic could reply.
"See you guys later then" he laughed as he carried Victoire off and up the stairs over his shoulder. His hair, his favourite bright turquoise.
"They're so going to have sex" Dom told the girls. Lily, Rox, Lucy and Olivia laughed and Molly shook her head. Rose stayed stony faced.
"Oh, Mols, lighten up!"
"I'm sorry Dom but that's gross"
"Why, Molly? They're two consenting adults who love each other, what could be more appropriate?"
"I'm not a complete prude Dom. I have nothing against it, but they're in the house with us!"
"You can say 'sex' you know" she told her as she moved to the cupboard to get out the popcorn. She put each bag in a large mixing bowl and pointed her wands at them. At that point she noticed Rose had left the room, but she didn't care enough to comment.
"And besides, I bet you were in the house when your parents made Lucy" she winked.
"Dom!" both Lucy and Molly shouted, causing the remainder of the room to fall into more laughter, followed by 'ews' when they realised that was also their aunt and uncle she was talking about. ~

Charlie tiptoed down the flight of stairs to the kids' bunker/den/pit. He noticed the TV was on and stuck on a single screen, with a small loop of footage, just playing annoying music. They'd fallen asleep. He counted them, all there minus Teddy and Vic. He chuckled to himself softly. He retreated back up the stairs to the remaining adults.
"All asleep and accounted for." Charlie hoped none of them would check, mainly his slightly-less-fun older brother Bill who'd flip if he noticed his daughter and her boyfriend missing.
Those who had work in the morning and were tipsy to say the least; nodded and wandered toward the stairs and their respective bedrooms. Only Luna, Hermione, Ginny, Katie and Angelina sat down, in other words; those who didn't have work in the morning. Oliver kissed his wife on the head before apparating away.

"Charlie come join us" His little sister called with a giggle. He laughed, waving his wand at the door to the basement steps to save the kids their parents' drunken laughs. He made the women coffee as they sat down, sobering up for a good ol' natter.

When he was done, he placed the mugs on the long table in front of the women around one end. He kissed his sister on the head, "I'm going to go to sleep, Gin. Have a nice night girls" Charlie may not have work in the morning, but he didn't want to sit up with some of the worst gossips of the family and chat all night either. That was best left to them. ~

"What about Roxy? Does she have a boyfriend yet?" Katie asked Angelina.

She laughed, "I hope to Merlin she doesn't, that girl gets so emotional sometimes she'd be all over the place"

"Hm, remind you of anyone?"
"Emotional, me?"
"Oh, you might pretend not to be, but we all know what a softie you became after you had Fred" Ginny pointed out, jabbing her friend.
"It was under there all along, waiting to come out!" Katie laughed.
"Back to the children, shall we?" Angelina laughed.
"What's your take on Lorcan and Olivia, Luna?"
"Well of course, Lorcan hasn't told me yet. Though I don't expect he will; but I knew there was something, he had that glint in his eyes when I saw him at the station. I think he's in love"
Katie spat her coffee back into her mug, "You can't actually think Lorcan is in love with Olivia?"
"They're… just… she's not even fifteen for another week! He's seventeen, for Merlin's sake! Wait, should I even let her date him?"
"Katie, love. Calm down. How much older is Oliver than you?" Angie asked.
"That's not the po-"
"And when did you have your first crush on him?" Ginny interrupted.
"But-"
"Katie, I do think my son is in love with your daughter now, but I'm not sure he knows it yet. Lorcan is smart, but it often takes him a while for things that should be simple. I wouldn't worry, my Lorcan is such a loving boy; he won't hurt her."
She grumbled, " He'd better not."
"Oh, don't worry. If Lorcan is anything but gentlemanly to Olivia, he'll have me to deal with too"
Katie smiled, "Thanks Luna"
"Not a problem." Luna sipped the last of her tea and stood. She pulled on her jacket, "I'm going to be off now. Rolf is due home tomorrow and I want to welcome him back"
"Would you like us to keep the kids here for the day?" Ginny winked, making Angelina snort. Hermione stifled a giggle.
"Actually, that would be much more convenient than silencing spells" Luna replied, with a small smile, before apparating away.
The three women stared slightly open mouthed. Ginny had heard Luna mention her and Rolf's relationship a few times but never that openly, she usually had to enquire a bit more. Clearly Ginny and her innuendos were making Luna more comfortable on the subject.
"She was joking right?"
"I have no idea, Ange. But I think we'd better keep Romeo and his brother here for a bit tomorrow just to be sure. Don't want him getting any ideas" Ginny laughed.
"Oi, that Romeo is dating my daughter!"
"Yeah, and your daughter is smart, sensible, stubborn and tough like her mother"
"Plus she has a scary famous dad, an older brother who's head boy and us aunties looking out for her"
"She'll be fine, Katie, stop worrying." Hermione told her, agreeing with the other two.
"I'm going to have to watch this Lorcan boy more closely."
"Kay, they've been friends for years!" Angie reminded her.
"That makes it worse doesn't it?"
"Nope. I'd much rather Roxy date a boy she'd known for ages than some new, cute guy she's only just met"
"Would you really? I'd rather Lily date someone new." Ginny told them. "Well, of course I'd rather she didn't date at all, but new is better. I think a new guy is less likely to hurt. If a relationship with a friend goes badly, that's the friendship over too…"
"True, but a relationship with a friend goes more slowly, because it takes a while to realise feelings and all that teenage rubbish. I do worry that if Roxy started dating a new guy she'd get taken up by it all and do something she'd regret. "
"She's smart, sensible, stubborn and tough just like her mother" Katie laughed, "She'd be fine"
"Yeah well her mother doesn't always make the best choices…" Angelina sighed.
"You're right, Angie. I hate to say it but that dress really doesn't do your figure any justice"
"Gin! I'm talking about my daughter's well-being here!"
"Okay fine, fine. But after this, no more kid talk; we talk about them enough every day. I'll tell you this Angie; you have nothing to worry about. That daughter of yours may be a magnet for teenage boys, but she's hands down more sensible than any of us were at her age, and even if she did get involved with a boy; she'd tell you. You know it. So stop this fussing and be more like me, calm until you get wind of a relationship and then you can blow up and hex boys when you do." ~

"Dammit, Rox. We fell asleep." Rox was woken by a whisper and nudge. Groggily she opened her eyes and looked around. She was aware of being very warm and cosy, probably to do with the fact she was nestled between her older cousin and big brother. One of which had waken her, the latter still snoring. She giggled, Fred's and James' snores were almost in time. Dom stood and Rox followed her lead, she didn't know what time it was but she knew that if she stayed huddled up in that cocoon of Weasleys she'd overheat. Also, having been woken she just realised she really needed a wee.

Dominique moved around all the sleeping bodies like it were an assault course, she must've been good at them by now because Rox struggled with just not stepping on fingers, she failed and received a few sleepy protests, but no one really woke. Weasley's were notorious for sleeping quite heavily too.
The two crept up the stairs and turned when they heard a further 'ow' behind them, stopping as Lucy stepped on someone's hand, coming to catch them up.
She laughed quietly, "Couldn't miss the goss"
The two girls followed their older Auror-in-training cousin as she made it to the top of the stairs and pushed the door open.
They stepped out into the bright light of the kitchen, not expecting to see the three women still up and chatting.
"What are you doing up?"
"Gossip. You?" Dom answered plainly.
"Same" Ginny laughed at her niece.
"Come sit." She waved her wand and flicked out four chairs.
"Gin, I know you might be a bit tipsy but there are only three of us"
"Surely they teach you to count at 'Auror School', Dommy?"
Dom turned and Liv looked at the door. Liv had just come through it.
"Dying for a piss" she told them.
"Hey me too" Rox added, the girls hi-fiving ridiculously.
"We'll be back!" Rox called, as it seemed the gossip session would be taking place with her mum and aunts. She hoped Dom and Lucy weren't still expecting to hear about Logan. ~

Liv looked to be the more desperate one so Rox waited outside as she relieved herself in the downstairs bathroom. Once both girls were done, they stood by the bathroom door for a while.
"I told mum about Lorcan" Liv admitted, the night had been hectic and they hadn't had time for an alone chat.
"How did she react?" Rox asked with concern.
"She was… calm"
"I mean, it was kinda nice because she's already met him, so there were none of those demands and well… then she got a Floo invite from your mum so, I guess she didn't really have time to lecture me. She got changed and they basically left straight away."
"Are you expecting more of a reaction?"
"Not too much. She did say she wouldn't tell dad until I wanted her to so there's a bonus. She could have just been in a good mood"
"Well, at least you've told her. I've still got to tell mum"
"Hm. Roxy, you should tell her now"
"Are you mad?"
"Nope. But your mum's probably happy, a little drunk and my mum and aunt Ginny will stick up for you if she flips out. What've you got to lose?"
"Very good points. But I expect you to jump in front of a spell for me if she fires Liv"
"Of course, Rox. Wouldn't I always?"~

When Rox and Liv re-entered the kitchen, they must have interrupted a joke because Dom, Lucy, Angelina, Ginny, Hermione and Katie were practically crying with laughter.
"What'd we miss?" Liv asked as she went and sat across from Rox's mum, leaving a seat for Rox between her and Dom.
"Dom was telling us about how Ron tries to intimidate the trainee Aurors."
"I thought Ron wasn't involved in training?" Rox asked, it was common family knowledge that the first year Ron had tried to train Aurors he had been terrible. He was too impatient for them all.
"He's let loose on the third years" Dom laughed, "He does this thing where he deepens his voice and talks really slowly"
"He sort of puffs out his chest too" She added, imitating him and making them all laugh again.
"He does that when he wants people to respect him" Hermione laughed. "He tried it with Rosie when she was younger. She just turned to me and asked why Daddy was being so strange"
"It's the exact same thing he used to do with me when we were kids" Ginny told them.
"The worst thing is the trainees are actually scared of him!"
"Why?" Angelina laughed.
"He's a Weasley" Dom shrugged.
"So are they scared of you too?" Katie asked.
"That's got nothing to do with me being a Weasley" she smirked.
"A woman after my own heart" Katie responded, placing her palm to her chest.
"Just don't frighten away all the cute ones, Dom"
"Oh please, Aunt Ginny. None of them are cute"
"Yeah 'cos you punch them in the face too often"
"Lucy! I wouldn't dream of it. It's much better to kick people in the face, that way you still have your hands to fire spells" Dom ruffled her hair.
"Dominique I think you should give our girls a few lessons"
"You want your niece to teach our girls to fight?" Hermione asked a little shocked at Ginny.
"Yeah why not, 'Mione?
"That way if anything happens they can defend themselves"
"They're brilliant witches, Gin"
"And if their wands are taken?" Ginny asked, now slightly serious about the idea.
"Wandless Magic" she responded with the folding of her arms.
Ginny laughed, "We're not all you, 'Mione. I could never get that good at it. These three here could probably manage it, but I'm not sure it would be as easy to learn."
"You're right, I just don't think Rose should be encouraged to be violent…"
"Don't worry Aunt Hermione, there's no way Rose would want to learn a thing from me" Dom assured.
"I'm so-"
"Don't apologise, I wouldn't teach her a thing either"
"Dominique" Angelina sighed.
"It's true Aunt Angie." She shrugged.
"They're not exactly each other's biggest fans, Mum" Rox told her.
"I think you should all try to get along a little more" Hermione said.
"The most of us do, Aunt 'Mione. It's just –"
"It's Rosie, isn't it?" she asked sadly.
"Yeah, well whatever issues Rose has she obviously doesn't want any of us getting involved. She's a good girl Hermione, it's a phase. She'll be back to that sweet girl again before you know it" Ginny told her friend with a supportive hand on her shoulder.

The original Weasley girl glared at Dom as she said it, daring her to contradict her. Dom Weasley wasn't stupid, she knew when to keep her mouth shut.
"Aunt Ginny's right Aunt Hermione, Rose will get over it, it'll just take her a while, and in the meantime, we're fine with her hating us" Dom tried to lighten the mood and Hermione actually laughed.
"Let's talk about something else shall we?" Katie suggested.
"How about Liv's new boyfriend?" Dom suggested with a laugh.
"Er, first of all, can we not? And how did you even know Dom?"
"Oh, I could tell by the way he was looking at you" she smiled, "He's very cute, Liv" Ginny nodded with agreement.
She blushed, "Um, can we not talk about it please?"
Rox laughed, "He's downstairs guys, what if he walks up?"
"Oh, you think you being downstairs would stop us talking about you?" Angelina winked at her daughter.
"What have you got to say about me, Mum?" she laughed.
"Oh, your mother has lots of inside goss on you that she told us all earlier" Katie laughed.
"Liar" Rox accused, poking her tongue out her 'aunt' Katie.
"Nope, it's true, we've got all the goss on what you've been up to at Hogwarts" Ginny joined in.
Lucy and Liv were laughing, if only they actually knew.
"Uh huh, and where would you have gotten all this gossip from?"
"All your friends of course"
"Yep, Liv told us everything" Katie laughed.
Liv rolled her eyes with a smile; her mum thought she was funny again.
"And what was it Liv told you?" she directed the question at the three of them with a small smirk.
"Well, for starters she told us about your new boyfriend" Katie replied with a laugh.
Liv and Lucy gasped. Rox felt Dom's hand on her leg under the table and before she'd thought about it, Rox had whirled around to Liv. Of course she knew Liv wouldn't say a thing, but she acted on the impulse. Stupid Impulse.

The gasp came from Katie next as she put her hand to her mouth. Ginny's face was half amused, and Hermione's mouth formed a little 'o'. Angelina looked across the table at her daughter. Rox felt her cheeks begin to flare as she realised she had just given herself away. Dom's warning hand turned into a supportive one as she gave Rox a little squeeze.

"Roxanne Katherine Weasley, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
Roxanne laughed a little nervously, "Uh, funny you should mention that mum…"
"Keep talking"
"I was going to tell you, but we only just got back!"
"You couldn't write a letter?"
"You know I couldn't! Then dad would know! Besides, we only just started dating a few weeks ago"
"How long exactly? And who is this boy? It's not your friend Scorpius is it?"
"Unfortunately, no" she heard Dom mutter. Rox ignored her cousin.
"No mum, I'm not dating Scor. His name is Logan, he's the year above me, I met him in my OWL classes, we've been dating since the end of November."
Her mum was silent for a while as she stared at Roxanne, sussing her out. Angelina seemed to be satisfied she was telling the truth.
"Is he hot?" Ginny leant forwards and asked across the table, bored of all the seriousness.
Roxanne laughed, and looked to her mum first.

She huffed a little and then smiled, "Don't think we're not going to talk more about this. But go on, answer your aunt, she's dying to know" Angelina gave Rox a little smile then poked Ginny in the side. She squirmed to the side a little but recovered and turned her attention back to Rox quickly.

She raised an eyebrow and Rox grinned. "Yeah he is"
"Olivia? Lucy?"
"Yeah he is" the two repeated.
"Details girls, details"
Rox covered her face with her hands.
"Looks like I'm getting my gossip after all, Roxy" Dom teased as Roxanne groaned.~

A/N:

Hopefully this one was long enough for you to all get stuck into, and I hope you liked it!

Let me know what you think!

Take Care,

Love Cookie xx