Elisabeth watched silently as her father put the kettle on the stove
and then joined them at the table. Elisabeth sat between Anna and one of
the redheaded twins.
"You can move over you know, I won't bite." Elisabeth blushed deeply and edged closer to the twin.
Hermione rolled her eyes; "I wouldn't count on it." All of a sudden the mans hands were on her shoulders and he was pretending to gnaw on her neck. Elisabeth screamed and knocked her chair over. "GEORGE!" Hermione yelled, but everyone else was laughing, even her father.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, come sit down, it's all right." He was smiling kindly and nodding at the righted chair, but Elisabeth edged over nervously.
"You might want to chew someone else's neck, eh George? She's not used to it."
"A little late for that." Hermione said dryly.
"Hermione! Shut up, he's trying to sound fatherly."
The man named Sirius snorted. "He's trying to cover up the fact that he was laughing at her a moment ago.'
"And failing miserably." The man called Remus said.
Her dad shook his head and looked at Elisabeth, who seemed close to tears. "It's all right pet, every one of us have been attacked by Fred and George."
"Some people more than others." Neville said.
"We were going to start a club but there were to many of us." Lavender said, smiling.
"AHEM!" the other twin, Fred, blasted, "the real reason we're here, if we could get back on topic people."
Harry got up and poured everyone tea, and after a moment of confusion in which everyone but Fred and George got bitten by a tea cup (much of the confusion caused by Elisabeth who was not used to such workings) they settled down for business.
"Why are you guys here?" Harry asked, "I mean, I know why you're here but why all of you?"
"We figured you would through us off more successfully if there were more of us." Ron replied.
"Harry, we want you to come back, you've had sufficient time to brood over Susan's death and the war, we need you back."
Elisabeth was surprised at Sirius' bluntness, even her father's best friend, Uncle Rosco, had rarely mentioned her mothers name. And never with full force, only in the barest of whispers, when her father had tried to drown his misery in whisky and Elisabeth had had to call Rosco because he wasn't making any sense. Her father had never hit her, he seemed absolutely horrified at the thought, but his incoherent mutterings when he was drunk was like a blow in itself.
She gaped openly at the man, but he was not looking at her, only at her father.
He swigged down his tea (I say swigged because it wasn't really tea, but scotch) and looked at the man. "Say I do go back, what's there for me?" There was a sudden whirling from the front room and a tall, burly man dressed in robes even wilder than Sirius and Remus' burst into the kitchen.
"Ah, Oliver, fashionably late, as usual." George said, grinning. He pulled a up a chair and set it between himself and Elisabeth, "Come, sit, I don't think Elisabeth really wants to sit next to me."
Elisabeth started to protest, not wanting to hurt George's feelings but Oliver sat down and smiled at her, "Hello Elisabeth, I don't blame you in the least."
"Oliver." Harry said, he seemed to be lost for words.
"Long time, no see old friend." Harry poured the man a cup of tea and sat back down.
"So Harry, this answer your question?" Ron asked.
"What?"
"Harry, if you come back you have Quidditch, that's what's there for you. I'm captain and Keeper of the Wasps (this explained the yellow and black robes, Elisabeth noted) and we just lost our Seeker. She went and got pregnant."
"Oliver! She didn't just go out and get pregnant, they've been trying for years."
"Yeah, well, you know Oliver. Remember when Harry was almost killed and he got mad because we lost the Cup?"
Everyone laughed and agreed that, yes, Oliver was a fanatic, but that's why they loved him and they wouldn't have him any other way.
"ANYWAY." Oliver started again, "What do you say Potter, will you come back?"
"I haven't been on a broom in thirteen years, you can't expect that I'll just go out there and be as good as I was before."
"Like hell! If you're half as good we might make it into the finals. But that's beside the point Potter, if we train you up, get you on the pitch regularly, you'll be as good as new."
"Somehow I can't help but thinking that you didn't come over here to bring me back because you missed me, I think you want me back because you want a good Quidditch team."
"Not even close, if we had just wanted a good team I would have dragged Charlie Weasley over by sheer force." Elisabeth looked at the man and decided that he probably would do just that.
"What about Elisabeth?" this did not sound to Elisabeth like genuine concern, but rather, a last ditch attempt to get out of whatever it was they wanted him to do.
"What about her?" Fred asked, "She'll be in school most of the year, and when she's on holidays she can go to a friends house while you're working. That's what everyone else does."
Harry looked at his daughter and saw that he would be getting no help from over there.
He sighed and looked around the table, "so how do you suppose we do this?"
Elisabeth smiled.
"You can move over you know, I won't bite." Elisabeth blushed deeply and edged closer to the twin.
Hermione rolled her eyes; "I wouldn't count on it." All of a sudden the mans hands were on her shoulders and he was pretending to gnaw on her neck. Elisabeth screamed and knocked her chair over. "GEORGE!" Hermione yelled, but everyone else was laughing, even her father.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, come sit down, it's all right." He was smiling kindly and nodding at the righted chair, but Elisabeth edged over nervously.
"You might want to chew someone else's neck, eh George? She's not used to it."
"A little late for that." Hermione said dryly.
"Hermione! Shut up, he's trying to sound fatherly."
The man named Sirius snorted. "He's trying to cover up the fact that he was laughing at her a moment ago.'
"And failing miserably." The man called Remus said.
Her dad shook his head and looked at Elisabeth, who seemed close to tears. "It's all right pet, every one of us have been attacked by Fred and George."
"Some people more than others." Neville said.
"We were going to start a club but there were to many of us." Lavender said, smiling.
"AHEM!" the other twin, Fred, blasted, "the real reason we're here, if we could get back on topic people."
Harry got up and poured everyone tea, and after a moment of confusion in which everyone but Fred and George got bitten by a tea cup (much of the confusion caused by Elisabeth who was not used to such workings) they settled down for business.
"Why are you guys here?" Harry asked, "I mean, I know why you're here but why all of you?"
"We figured you would through us off more successfully if there were more of us." Ron replied.
"Harry, we want you to come back, you've had sufficient time to brood over Susan's death and the war, we need you back."
Elisabeth was surprised at Sirius' bluntness, even her father's best friend, Uncle Rosco, had rarely mentioned her mothers name. And never with full force, only in the barest of whispers, when her father had tried to drown his misery in whisky and Elisabeth had had to call Rosco because he wasn't making any sense. Her father had never hit her, he seemed absolutely horrified at the thought, but his incoherent mutterings when he was drunk was like a blow in itself.
She gaped openly at the man, but he was not looking at her, only at her father.
He swigged down his tea (I say swigged because it wasn't really tea, but scotch) and looked at the man. "Say I do go back, what's there for me?" There was a sudden whirling from the front room and a tall, burly man dressed in robes even wilder than Sirius and Remus' burst into the kitchen.
"Ah, Oliver, fashionably late, as usual." George said, grinning. He pulled a up a chair and set it between himself and Elisabeth, "Come, sit, I don't think Elisabeth really wants to sit next to me."
Elisabeth started to protest, not wanting to hurt George's feelings but Oliver sat down and smiled at her, "Hello Elisabeth, I don't blame you in the least."
"Oliver." Harry said, he seemed to be lost for words.
"Long time, no see old friend." Harry poured the man a cup of tea and sat back down.
"So Harry, this answer your question?" Ron asked.
"What?"
"Harry, if you come back you have Quidditch, that's what's there for you. I'm captain and Keeper of the Wasps (this explained the yellow and black robes, Elisabeth noted) and we just lost our Seeker. She went and got pregnant."
"Oliver! She didn't just go out and get pregnant, they've been trying for years."
"Yeah, well, you know Oliver. Remember when Harry was almost killed and he got mad because we lost the Cup?"
Everyone laughed and agreed that, yes, Oliver was a fanatic, but that's why they loved him and they wouldn't have him any other way.
"ANYWAY." Oliver started again, "What do you say Potter, will you come back?"
"I haven't been on a broom in thirteen years, you can't expect that I'll just go out there and be as good as I was before."
"Like hell! If you're half as good we might make it into the finals. But that's beside the point Potter, if we train you up, get you on the pitch regularly, you'll be as good as new."
"Somehow I can't help but thinking that you didn't come over here to bring me back because you missed me, I think you want me back because you want a good Quidditch team."
"Not even close, if we had just wanted a good team I would have dragged Charlie Weasley over by sheer force." Elisabeth looked at the man and decided that he probably would do just that.
"What about Elisabeth?" this did not sound to Elisabeth like genuine concern, but rather, a last ditch attempt to get out of whatever it was they wanted him to do.
"What about her?" Fred asked, "She'll be in school most of the year, and when she's on holidays she can go to a friends house while you're working. That's what everyone else does."
Harry looked at his daughter and saw that he would be getting no help from over there.
He sighed and looked around the table, "so how do you suppose we do this?"
Elisabeth smiled.