Hello good people! Sorry to have kept you so long. I'll try not to make you wait for this long for the next chapter, but I make no promises. I'm awfully sorry - uni exams are approaching and I really don't have a lot of time to write. But I'll do my best. Please enjoy this next chapter :) xx
Brothers Reunite
It was sometime in the early hours of the morning by the time the four drunken stragglers stumbled their way inside the Burrow. Hermione felt giddy and lightheaded, as though she was dreaming. It was a bizarre feeling, yet she felt more assertive and conscious than she ever had before. It made her want to accomplish anything and everything that she was currently worrying about – she could pass her NEWTs, learn Mermish and becoming Minister for Magic (at least, that was what her alcohol influenced brain told her). Ron leant heavily on her shoulder as they crossed the landing. Ginny giggled as she tripped over her brother and the four of them fell in a tangle of arms and legs.
"Ouch – " Ron grumbled as someone kicked him in the ribs. "Ginny – gerroff me!"
"I can't move," she snapped back, irritably. "Harry! You're pulling my hair."
"Am I?" he muttered as he fumbled with his glasses. "I can't see anything – "
"Lumos maxima," Hermione sighed, and suddenly the room was lit by a dull, white light.
"Argh," Harry moaned and scrunched his eyes shut. "Bloody hell, Hermione," he complained.
She rolled her eyes and pulled her legs out from underneath him, finally able to see where she was. She gripped Ginny's forearm and heaved her out from where she was wedged between Harry and Ron. Ginny staggered a little, but thanked her with a smile, and ran a hand through her now-knotted hair.
"Are you boys just going to lie there on the ground?" Ginny asked them with a smirk, nudging Ron's side with her foot. The two of them were sprawled on their stomachs, their eyes both shut tight.
They opened one eye and grinned at each other, before shutting them again.
"Yep." They replied in unison.
"Merlin, you lot are noisier than a swarm of Cornish Pixies," a new, husky voice retorted from the top of stairs. Ginny glanced up in surprise and a huge grin spread across her face. Hermione followed her gaze and saw a stocky, broad figure descending the steps. When she saw his chiselled jaw and tousled red hair, she smiled in recognition.
"Charlie!" Ginny cried enthusiastically and threw herself at her older brother once he reached the bottom. He chuckled and hugged her back warmly.
"Hey, Gin." He patted her hair and kissed the top of her head fondly as she pulled back. "Nice to see you again, Hermione," he smiled over Ginny's head. "Harry."
She smiled in response as Charlie hovered over Ron and shoved him, causing him to groan. "Get up and greet your brother properly, you lazy sod!"
Ron scowled and slowly got to his feet, before smirking and crushing his older brother in a bear hug. The two brother's slapped each other's backs in such a masculine way, that Hermione couldn't help but laugh. It was only then, watching their reunion that she noticed how different they were. Ron was almost a head taller than his brother, and a lot leaner, where Charlie was broader and stockier. Charlie's hair was cropped close to his scalp; probably to avoid it being singed by dragon flame; whereas Ron's was shaggier and had a slight curl to it. Yet they both had the same Weasley blue eyes, that everyone but Ginny had inherited.
"What're you doing here?" Ron asked as he pulled away. Hermione noticed that he was struggling not to slur his words together.
Charlie shrugged. "I couldn't get time off for Christmas. One of the Norberta's eggs had hatched and we needed all hands on deck. It was hectic. But it's calmed down a little now, so I could afford to visit for a bit. I felt pretty guilty – especially about mum. I know this year's been hard… especially for her and George."
Ron swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded slowly. An awkward silence ensued and everyone avoided each other's gazes. They knew that Charlie was referring to the first Christmas without Fred.
Suddenly, Ron lifted his head and gripped Charlie's arm. "Well, it's good to see you."
Charlie smiled, "You too, little bro."
"Charlie? Vat iz zis noise?" Everyone turned their heads to the location of the small, foreign accent. There, on the stairs, in a large, white t-shirt with a Welsh Green on the front, was a slim, young woman. She had cropped, black hair that fell just below her chin, large dark eyes and tanned skin.
"Nothing, Danika. Just more of my crazy family. I'll be up in a minute," he assured her.
"Okay," she muttered and traipsed back into Charlie's bedroom.
Ron raised his eyebrow. "Nice," he nodded in appreciation, earning him a glare from Hermione.
Charlie smirked. "She's an intern. Just started working at the reserve in September."
"She must be learning a lot from you then," Ginny drawled, emphasising the innuendo with a wink.
Her older brother blushed and turned away hurriedly. "Ah, it's late. I should probably get to bed. Don't want to wake mum and dad up. See you kids in the morning."
He awkwardly hurried upstairs.
"Blimey," Ron gasped once Charlie was out of ear shot. "Charlie's never had a girlfriend. Not since Tonks."
"Damn," Ginny muttered, looking put out. "I lost."
"What?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses. Hermione thought he looked rather frightful; as though he was about to be sick.
"I made a bet with George ages ago that Charlie would never have another girlfriend after Tonks. The look on his face when Remus and Tonks together at Bill and Fleur's wedding – and now that she's…" She looked over at Harry, who's face had fallen and pointed his eyes at the ground.
"Good on him," Ron nodded, trying to change the subject. "She's quite a looker, if you ask me."
That time, he didn't miss the cold glare from Hermione and he smiled bashfully at her. "You're much better love," he pulled her into the crook of his shoulder and kissed her temple.
A deep groan from Harry broke up their tender moment. He was bent over, clutching his stomach. His glasses were sliding off his nose and his face was a sickly shade of green. Ginny took his arm and patted his back.
"Come on, let's get you to the bathroom," she said gently and guided him up the stairs as quickly, and quietly as she could manage. "See you two in the morning."
Once they were gone, Ron slumped down on the couch to let a wave of nausea pass. His head was pounding – as though he was being repeatedly hid over the head with a Bludger bat. The world spun before him, so he clenched his eyes shut, hoping to keep the dizziness at bay. He felt Hermione sit beside him and curl up against his side. Her bushy hair was fluffier than it had been before they left, and it tickled his chin. He wrapped an arm around her and traced the delicate bones of her ribs beneath the thick fabric of her sweater. It shocked him at how skinny she still was, even after being at Hogwarts for half a term. Her terrible ordeal at the Malfoy Manor had still left its scars on her, and that frightened him.
Somehow, to two of them ended up in Ron's bed, though neither of them could remember moving from the couch during the early hours of the morning. Hermione woke first, but it was Ron who made the first physical signs of being awake. The sound of his mother's laugh made him open his eyes quickly and sit up, causing his head to spin. Hermione groaned next to him and shuffled further beneath the duvet. Ron winced as his head pounded and he was overwhelmed with a sudden head spin that resulted from sitting up too fast. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced down at Hermione. The duvet was pull so far up that he could only see the top of her forehead and the beginnings of her eyebrows. The sight made her chuckle.
Hermione groaned again, her brown eyes peeking up from underneath the hem of the duvet. Her eyebrows knitted together and she looked utterly displeased at being woken up. Ron stretched his arms over his head and gave a great yawn.
"Morning, love," he mumbled through the yawn.
"Morning," she grumbled back and grudgingly sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes. Ron smirked at her appearance. She was quite a sight – her hair was exceedingly bushy and fanned about her face in an exaggerated triangle. Her mascara had run and made her look like a racoon and her eyes were slightly bloodshot.
"I feel awful," she pouted up at him.
Ron grinned cheekily and pecked her pursed lips. "That's called a hangover, Hermione," he told her.
With a huff, she turned away from him and rested her head in her hands, rubbing her fingers over her temples. "I'm never drinking Firewhiskey again," she vowed with fierce determination.
Ron merely laughed. "That's what they all say." He grinned and stumbled out of bed, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor. While he searched for another, Hermione couldn't help but admire the broadness of his shoulders and the slim planes of his back. The morning light that seeped through the thin curtains illuminated the splattering of freckles that decorated the pale skin either side of his spine. She adored his freckles. They were fascinating to her. Sure, she had small brown ones across her nose, but the light, orange dots covered every inch of Ron's skin. Ginny's as well. She couldn't understand why Ginny hated them so much. In ancient folklore, freckles were a sign of being blessed by the sun, and luck and fortune were meant to come to those who were sun-kissed. Hermione thought the idea was adorable.
"Oi! No drooling on my sheets, please," Ron teased, turning around to find his girlfriend ogling him.
Hermione blushed and poked her tongue out at him. "You were the one who decided to give me a show. What's a girl to do?"
She clutched her chest and pretended to swoon, but a searing pain throbbed in her skull and she groaned and clenched her eyes shut. Ron slipped a maroon, long-sleeved shirt over his head and came to sit by her on the bed.
"It'll go away soon, Hermione," he told her and rubbed soothing circles along her back.
"How are you so cheerful?" she grumbled. "You drank twice as much as I did."
Ron laughed deep in his belly. "Practice," he winked.
Eventually, Ron managed to coax Hermione out of bed and retrieved some clean clothes and her blue dressing gown. She clutched the bundle under her arm and stumbled towards the bathroom so she could survey the damage. The reflection that greeted her in the mirror made her gasp in horror. It was horrible. How Ron hadn't jerked away in fright, astounded her. She quickly set to work washing her face in the basin, and cringed as the white porcelain was stained with black from her dripping mascara. I'm not listening to Ginny in future, she told herself as she scrubbed her face clean. There is no point in putting on that much mascara. Grabbing a clean face cloth, she wet it and wiped her face until her tanned skin was back to its normal golden hue. There were still large bags under her eyes, but her eyes were less bloodshot and she no longer looked like a racoon. Her hair, on the other hand, was a different problem entirely. It was so bushy and matted, that dragging a brush through it would be fruitless. So, she piled it up into a bun on top of her head and combed her bangs so they fell around her face nicely. With a sigh, she stripped out of her old clothes and put on some fresh ones. The alcohol on her breath was revolting, so she cast a charm to make herself smell nice, before she went downstairs.
The kitchen was bustling with life as Hermione entered. Mrs Weasley was cooking up a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and sausages. The smell made Hermione water at the mouth. Mr Weasley was already tucking into a few slices of toast as he read the Prophet. Harry, Charlie and Ron were deep in conversation about how terribly the Canons had performed on the weekend, and Ginny was trying to teach Danika how to say 'Pigwidgeon', but it was proving to be quite challenging for the young, foreign girl.
"Ah, Hermione, dear," Mrs Weasley greeted her warmly. "You look a little tired. Would you like some coffee? I just put a new pot on for young Danika. She likes her coffee a lot stronger than us, it must be her Russian blood."
Hermione smiled kindly. "Thank you, Mrs Weasley. I'd love some." She took a seat beside Ginny, who laughed at her appearance.
"Firewhiskey doesn't agree with you, does it?" she joked and took a sip of her coffee. Hermione scowled at her and rested her head on her hand. "Don't worry," Ginny bent lower to whisper in her friend's ear. "Harry made quite a mess of the bathroom last night. I'm just glad Mum wasn't around."
Hermione smirked and glanced over at Harry, who wasn't contributing much to the conversation that was taking place around him. She thought he still looked a bit green and probably needed to take a nice, long nap.
"Hello," Danika greeted Hermione from across the table, her thick, Russian accent making the word sound awfully foreign.
"Hi, you're Danika, right?" Hermione smiled. "I'm Hermione. "I'm friends with Charlie's brother."
Danika nodded slowly, her dark eyes widening as she struggled to understand what Hermione was saying. Hermione felt a little sorry for the girl. She must have been in her early twenties, and obviously didn't speak very good English. But she could definitely see what Charlie saw in her. Danika was extremely attractive. She had an oval face, with large, almond-shaped eyes that were framed by very long, black eyelashes. Her chocolate hair was sleek and pulled back off her face in a tiny ponytail, revelling three delicate rings that decorated her left ear. Through her right ear was a metal bar that was shaped like a dragon. She was tall and slender, with gorgeous brown skin and full lips, making her look a little like a model. There was a tattoo on her left leg that disappeared under the hem of her pyjama shorts that Hermione thought looked a little like a dragon. Obviously, Danika was as obsessed with dragons as Charlie was – the two clearly deserved each other.
"Here you are, dear," Mrs Weasley handed Hermione a steaming cup of coffee. Normally, Hermione was more a of a tea person, but at the present moment, her entire body was screaming for caffeine. She blew on it gently, before taking a sip. Her entire body warmed as the hot liquid slid down her throat and she gave Mrs Weasley a smile of gratitude.
Moments later, breakfast was served, and he only sounds that could be heard were the scraping of cutlery against the china plates, and the grumbling of satisfied stomachs. Only then did Hermione realise how hungry she was. Normally, she only ate small meals, especially at breakfast, but the sight of all this food had inspired a raving hunger as she piled bacon, sausages and eggs onto her plate. Ron was eyeing her, impressed, as he watched her devour every single item of food and reach for second helpings. Once everyone had eaten their fill, Hermione and Ginny helped Mrs Weasley clear the table and clean the dishes. Ron appeared by her side and kissed her cheek, gently.
"I'm going to visit George. He wants me to help him."
Hermione nodded. "Okay, I'll see you later."
"I'll come with you," Charlie announced. "I haven't seen George since the…" he broke off as silence ensued. Mrs Weasley dropped the plate she was holding into the sink and gave a small gasp. Charlie, feeling awful, went to her and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'll see you tonight, Mum," he told her gently. She nodded and gave him a weak, but warm smile.
"Alright, dear."
xXx
It wasn't often that Ron Weasley was speechless. Normally, he was able to think of something to say in any given situation – usually something witty if anything at all – and yet, here he was, walking side by side with his brother, and not a single word had been said. The two of them were walking down Diagon Alley. It was New Years Day, and it was packed with people trying to start their resolutions they had made at the stroke of midnight. Many entrepreneurial wizards had taken advantage of this, and there were dozens of stalls set up outside the shops. One greasy haired wizard, with a thick moustache was selling a range of Weight Loss Potions. Ron snorted as the man marketed his product, claiming that it was guaranteed to work, and that taking it twice a day for 6 weeks would make you reach your goal weight. It was a load of rubbish, but, judging by the amount of witches gathered around the stall – fighting each other to get to the front – it has obviously been a smart business move.
Another stall, just a few shops down, was advertising a range of hair-care products that allowed wizards who struggled to grow facial hair the opportunity to impress women with their luscious beards. Madam Chatsworth, the owner of the stall, who resembled a cross between Professor Trelawney and Umbridge, called out to them as they passed.
"You, young man! You're clean-faced! Do you have trouble growing a beard? Do you want to impress a pretty lady? Madam Chatsworth's Beard-Grow Solution could be the answer to your problem!"
Charlie laughed. "I can grow a beard just fine," he told the woman. "My pretty lady doesn't let me grow a beard."
"I can help you change her mind!" The woman persisted, holding up a vile of purple liquid.
"I work with dragons. It would get singed off."
Charlie's response made her pause, slightly horrified, giving the two brothers enough time to escape her and find Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.
They heard George before they saw him. His voice floated down the Alley, and it sounded like he was having a row with someone. Ron seriously hoped it was Angelina. The last thing George needed was for her to storm out and leave him depressed for weeks. Thankfully, when they arrived at the store, they saw that George was animatedly shooing a stall owner from outside the front of his shop.
"I DON'T CARE IF OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING IT. YOU WILL NOT SELL YOUR RUDDY ITEMS OUTSIDE MY BLOODY SHOP! FIND SOME OTHER PLACE TO RIP PEOPLE OFF! YOU'RE SCARING AWAY MY CUSTOMERS!"
The old man was quivering under George's harsh glare and red face. Many people in the street had stopped to stare at what was unfolding, and many mothers were hastily dragging their children away from the shop. With a quick nod, the man flicked his wand and his pop-up stall disappeared. He hurriedly scuttled further down the street at surprising speed for someone his age.
"Hey, Georgie!" Charlie called out. George turned towards the voice and grinned when he saw his two brother's walking towards him. When they reached him, George and Charlie hugged each other, slapping each other's backs as they did so.
"When did you get here?" George asked as the three of them went inside. "I thought you couldn't get time off."
"Late afternoon, yesterday. I couldn't, because one of the Ridgeback eggs hatched and I was needed to look after it and make sure it didn't get eaten by any of the other dragons."
"He brought a Russian girl with him." Ron interjected with a grin.
George smirked. "Nice one, bro. I've heard things about Russian woman," he added with a wink.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "She's an intern at the reserve. Not some scarlet woman."
"That you know of," Ron muttered under his breath, causing George to roar with laughter and Charlie to punch Ron in the arm.
"Oi, be nice to Danika. She's the first girl I've brought home since Tonks…" he broke off sadly and swallowed a lump in his throat. Ron and George bowed their heads. Charlie and Tonks had been in the same year at Hogwarts. Although he was a Gryffindor and she a Hufflepuff, they had been the best of friends all through school. She had been the only girl he'd ever brought home, and even though they never exclusively dated, everyone knew he was mad about her. After they graduated, he moved to Romania and she became and Auror. The last time Charlie had seen Tonks was at Bill and Fleur's wedding the previous year. He'd never got to congratulate her on her marriage to Remus Lupin – though seeing her with him was the second hardest thing he'd ever experienced. The hardest was seeing her body, lying limp and lifeless next to her husbands, her heart-shaped face void of any emotion or humour that he was so used to seeing.
"Do you want to see my flat?" George asked after a long pause. "I can't remember if I showed it to you last time you were here."
"Sure," Charlie shrugged.
"Hey, do you mind if I stay down here?" Ron asked. "You said there were things you wanted me to do?"
George nodded. "Go find Angelina. She's got a huge list of things that need shelving. We ordered in a heap of new stock for this year. I think she's out in the back room."
Ron nodded as his two brothers headed upstairs to George's flat. He smiled a knowing smile. George hadn't yet forgiven Charlie for being absent during Christmas, and Ron wanted to give the two of them a private moment to sort out their problems.
"Oh, hi Ron," Annie chirped from behind the desk. She looked a lot less cheerful than Ron had seen her last. Her blonde hair was slightly dishevelled and her purple glasses sat askew along her nose as she sieved through a pile of papers that cluttered her desk.
"Hey Annie. Have a big night, last night, did you?" he teased.
Annie tried to answer but was overwhelmed by an enormous yawn, so she resorted to nodding instead. Ron chuckled. George had held a New Years Eve party last night in his flat, and invited a few of his friends along. By the looks of it, Annie had been invited too.
"You can go to sleep if you want. I'm sure George won't mind. I'm here to help now."
She shook her head, looking mortified at the suggestion. "It's not George I'm afraid of," she whispered.
"Ron!" They heard Angelina call from the back room.
"Speak of the devil," Ron muttered under his breath, making Annie giggle. "Yes, Angie?"
"Oh, good, you are here. Could you come and give me a hand, please?"
"Sure thing, Ange. Be right down." He winked at Annie. "I'd take that nap now, if I were you," he whispered, before he joined Angelina in the basement.
So, as usual, please read and review! I love hearing your thoughts. :) xx
