Chapter 37
Monday, April 2, 2012
It had ben decided that there would now be teachers and school aurors riding the Hogwarts Express back to London with the students. A compartment in the center of the train had been reserved for staff.
"Are you and Charlie going to the Burrow for Easter?" Neville asked me. He sat on the bench opposite me, we shared the compartment with the two aurors who were returning to London with us. After some discussion, it was decided that, because some of the younger aurors assigned to Hogwarts found the assignment a bit dull, the school security staff would be rotated every two months. The two returning to London with us were moving on to other assignments. Nevilla and I would have two new companions for our return to Hogwarts in two weeks.
"We're supposed to," I answered him.
"Is he meeting you at King's Cross?"
"As far as I know. But, you never know with him. I never take our plans for granted."
"Understandable," Neville observed, "I've never met a person harder to pin down than Charlie Weasley. How are your trip plans going?"
"I received an owl from Omar two days ago. He rented a cottage for us for the week we'll be at the cape, and a hotel room for the week we're in Boston. He and Danny asked us if we wanted to stay at their apartment, but the place is way to small."
"Can't be any smaller than my flat in London?" Violet, the auror commented, dryly.
"Some of the apartments in metro Boston are smaller than the flats I've seen in London."
"That boggles the mind," Neville added. "You're quite close to this Omar chap aren't you?"
"We met about a month after I returned from my first trip to China, Omar's an obliviator, for Special Operations. He took care of muggle victims. Most of those poor people wouldn't survive their experience with out going insane, for the most part if the victim was a muggle, adult or child, the best thing to do was heal their physical wounds and wipe their memory. There's only so much the human mind can take."
"Professor," Alex Harkness asked. "What made you choose Special Operations for BIMS?"
"I think that my experience on the island chose my career for me. That place was hellish. I promised myself that I would do what I could to prevent anyone else from going through the type of nightmare that I did. To be attacked and abused with magic is horrifying enough for someone who understands our world. For a child, or even an adult muggle, they don't understand, it's all the more traumatic."
"How did you meet Omar?" Violet asked.
"I met Omar and his husband Danny at St Sarah's in Paris."
"Wait a second?" Alex interrupted. "Did you just say that this Danny chap is Omar's husband?"
"Yes," I explained. "In some parts of America, and a good portion of muggle Europe, people of the same gender can get married." That led to another long discussion that I'd rather not get into.
Charlie was waiting for me on the platform, standing next to Bill and Andromeda Tonks. I felt just like one of the children stepping off the train, until Charlie pulled me into a hug and kissed the stuffing out of me.
"Give it a rest, Charlie," I heard Bill say. "There's children present."
"I think it's rather romantic," Victoire commented, with a sigh.
"Of course you do," Teddy retorted tersely. I'd noticed some tension between the two best friends. It started right around Teddy's fourteenth birthday, in March. Ah, the path of young love never did run smoothly.
"Don't give a bloody skrewt's blast end if it's romantic. I don't want to watch my brother snog a school teacher." Bill said as we exited the station.
The motor cycle was waiting for us in the parking lot. Charlie and I said good bye to the relatives and enjoyed dinner at a pub and a nice ride back to the flat. Binks was waiting for us, meowing for Pitch. "I'm sorry Binks," I said to the half-grown cat. "Pitch is having Easter with Hagrid." Against all logic I believed that the cat understood me, he turned up his tail, and walked away in feline disgust.
"I guess he made his feeling pretty clear," I commented, dryly.
"Actually, he's pissed off at me."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," he explained, with a sheepish grin. "Hermiones's mum's been trying to get me to take him to a muggle vet to get neutered. She keeps going on about being a responsible pet owner. Don't quite have the heart to do it, but he's still pissed."
"I can imagine," I said with a yawn.
"You must be exhausted, love," he said, pulling me towards the bedroom.
"Not too exhausted," I assured him, with a grin and a kiss.
Friday, April 6, 2012
"Hello Professor Goode," I was greeted at the visitors' desk at the Ministry. I'd promised to meet Charlie for lunch. I'd spent much of my first week of Easter break relaxing, and enjoying the relative peace and quiet of Charlie's flat. He and I had settled into a somewhat domestic routine, that I quite enjoyed, he'd go to work in the morning, I'd sleep late. I spent my days visiting Muggle London.
With my hair under a scarf and the dark glasses, almost no one stared. I got to see the Tower, and the changing of the guard. I spent such a long afternoon at the British Museum, that Charlie got worried when he came home to an empty flat that he "rang my mirror". I'd enjoyed the week immensely.
"Hello Veronica," I remembered the young blond's name.
She smiled, handed me a visitor's badge, and motioned to an elevator. "They're expecting you, level four."
"Thank you," I said, as I headed to the elevator.
The door to Charlie's office was open when I arrived. Charlie was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, in an animated conversation with someone in the chair across from him. I noticed that there were pictures of his family in the book case behind his desk, and a picture of the two of us next to the blotter. He noticed me in the doorway and smiled, then introduced me to his companion. "Glin, this is Drew."
"It's wonderful to finally meet you," Drew, about my age with a handsome face and slightly thinning brown hair, took my hand and kissed it.
"Nice to meet you, too." I said.
"Well, Charlie," Drew got out of the seat across from Charlie, "I can see that you have much more interesting company than myself now, so, we can finish our conversation later. You can take care of that issue for me right?"
"Sure Drew," Charlie waved him on. At my confused look Charlie explained. "He's been getting requests from Gringotts for new guard dragons. We don't want to give them any because the conditions are deplorable. Sam and I finally put our collective feet down at the idea, we're trying to come up with some sort of alternative. The Goblins are being difficult though." I'd heard stories about Gringotts' famous guard dragons. I didn't blame Charlie and Sam one bit for not wanting to allow it to continue.
"I'm sure that you guys will think of something," I assured him, as I took the seat that Drew had vacated. I noticed a drawing on the desk. "Is that a possible solution?" I asked, grinning.
"Actually," he said, "Teddy drew that picture for me, said he got the idea from a muggle movie that Harry took him to see. Something about cars that turn into people, or some such thing. It seems like codswollop, but... I don't know... Anyway love," Charlie gave me a grin. "Fancy a shag on the desk?" he asked, jokingly.
I just pointed my wand at the door and locked it, then got up and walked over to him, sat in his lap and licked his ear. "I thought you'd never ask," I whispered.
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Sunday, April 8, 2012
"Oh my," Molly exclaimed, as Charlie and I arrived at the Burrow, at noon. "My Charlie, on time for a family holiday, twice in one year. This is amazing!" She kissed me on the cheek. "It must be your good influence, Glinda." I just smiled.
"I love you, too, Mum," Charlie chuckled.
"Nearly everyone is here," she explained, as she ushered us through the parlor. "They're all out on the back garden. Charlie, would you mind helping Bill, Ron and Harry with the tables and chairs?"
"Not at all, Mum."
"George is keeping the little ones occupied with new jokes from the shop."
The entire family had settled in the back yard, sitting on blankets on the ground. Most of the attention was on Fleur and three month old Louis William. We greeted everyone, and I was immediately claimed by Rosie. "Miss Glinda," Rosie said, grabbing my hand, "why don't you come sit with Al and I, while Uncle Charlie helps Daddy and Uncle Bill."
"Sure," I agreed as we sat ourselves down on a Chudley Cannons blanket.
"This was Daddy's blanket when he was a kid," Rosie explained.
"Very interesting," I commented, as we watched tables float and chairs float around the yard.
AN: the usual disclaimers apply, I humbly apologize for the massive lag between chapters. Between my day job, family issues and automotive troubles, my muse temporarily evaded me.