Chapter One: The Weasley Secret
"Ron, what was Bill talking about just then?" Harry leaned over to his best friend and whispered it, being fully aware of Mrs. Weasley's reaction when Bill said, "But that was after El--Nevermind."
"Well, we're not really supposed to talk about it." Ron whispered back.
"What're we whispering about!?" Fred entered into the conversation. George kept one ear listening to the table talk (wisely) and another on the secret conversation.
"Eli--Elizabeth." Ron replied.
"Well, mate." Fred said, looking at Harry, "We're not allowed to talk about her. But if you want to know-"
"Bill would be the one to ask." George finished.
"Why would he be the one to ask?" Harry inquired, very curious now.
"Because Bill knows better than anyone else. He lived it. He's part of the reason no one's allowed to talk about her." said Fred, in a matter-of-fact tone. He grinned at his twin, enjoying that three other people were enraptured at what he was saying.
Ginny suddenly yelled, "I'm going down to the Lake!" The Weasley family had a small pond in part of their yard, that's further from the house, that had been orginally dubbed the Sea but later changed.
"Oh, Bill, dear, will you go with her? Make sure she won't get hurt?" Mrs. Weasley asked, nicely.
"Bill nodded and smiled and walked after the running teenager. Harry, Ron, Fred and George then got up and said, "We're going too!"
"Bloody brilliant, Ginny is!" George exclaimed.
"We've taught her well!" Fred continued.
"She's...growing up!" he faked tears and had the whole party roaring with laughter until they made it to the Lake. Bill sat in a loveseat that was swinging back in forth as he held a wine glass in hid hand. Ginny was spread eagled on the ground, giggling.
"Hello, mate!" Fred said to Bill."
"Can you do us a favour?" George piped up.
Bill laughed, "What kind of favour?"
"Bill, we want you to tell us--" Ginny started but was interruptted by Ron who said, "--About Elizabeth?!" Virginia elbowed her brother. And Bill's face darkened. "W-Why do you want to know about her?" He grew tense and nervous.
"Because! We have a sister we don't even remember! And aren't allowed to talk about. Please Bill?" Ginny begged.
"Well...all right." Bill sighed. He took a swig of wine and continued, "Okay, Elizabeth was very un-Weasley-ish. She...didn't look like one. She didn't act like one. And she didn't like the things that Weasley's like."
"Was she really a Weasley then?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, she was. She was Weasley through and through. She didn't have red hair. She was pale. She didn't have freckles. And her hair...god, her hair was so black that it was blue. And her eyes were like the ocean. Twice as deep and just as blue. Elizabeth was like a pearl among pebbles, as mum used to put it." Bill's eyes darkened in memory.
"Why aren't you allowed to talk about her?" Harry asked quietly.
"Because... of me. It started in the summer when I was about to leave home for Egypt and she was going to enter her final year at Hogwarts. Everyone left the whole house to us because you went to the Carribean. Remember?" he addressed the Weasleys. They nodded. "We were sitting here, on this very bench. Now, you see the Lake? It was called the Sea then. But mum changed it because Elizabeth had named it.
"The whole sky was on fire. It had been a lazy day, you know the kind..."
Everyone surrounded Bill in anticipation.
"Ron, what was Bill talking about just then?" Harry leaned over to his best friend and whispered it, being fully aware of Mrs. Weasley's reaction when Bill said, "But that was after El--Nevermind."
"Well, we're not really supposed to talk about it." Ron whispered back.
"What're we whispering about!?" Fred entered into the conversation. George kept one ear listening to the table talk (wisely) and another on the secret conversation.
"Eli--Elizabeth." Ron replied.
"Well, mate." Fred said, looking at Harry, "We're not allowed to talk about her. But if you want to know-"
"Bill would be the one to ask." George finished.
"Why would he be the one to ask?" Harry inquired, very curious now.
"Because Bill knows better than anyone else. He lived it. He's part of the reason no one's allowed to talk about her." said Fred, in a matter-of-fact tone. He grinned at his twin, enjoying that three other people were enraptured at what he was saying.
Ginny suddenly yelled, "I'm going down to the Lake!" The Weasley family had a small pond in part of their yard, that's further from the house, that had been orginally dubbed the Sea but later changed.
"Oh, Bill, dear, will you go with her? Make sure she won't get hurt?" Mrs. Weasley asked, nicely.
"Bill nodded and smiled and walked after the running teenager. Harry, Ron, Fred and George then got up and said, "We're going too!"
"Bloody brilliant, Ginny is!" George exclaimed.
"We've taught her well!" Fred continued.
"She's...growing up!" he faked tears and had the whole party roaring with laughter until they made it to the Lake. Bill sat in a loveseat that was swinging back in forth as he held a wine glass in hid hand. Ginny was spread eagled on the ground, giggling.
"Hello, mate!" Fred said to Bill."
"Can you do us a favour?" George piped up.
Bill laughed, "What kind of favour?"
"Bill, we want you to tell us--" Ginny started but was interruptted by Ron who said, "--About Elizabeth?!" Virginia elbowed her brother. And Bill's face darkened. "W-Why do you want to know about her?" He grew tense and nervous.
"Because! We have a sister we don't even remember! And aren't allowed to talk about. Please Bill?" Ginny begged.
"Well...all right." Bill sighed. He took a swig of wine and continued, "Okay, Elizabeth was very un-Weasley-ish. She...didn't look like one. She didn't act like one. And she didn't like the things that Weasley's like."
"Was she really a Weasley then?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, she was. She was Weasley through and through. She didn't have red hair. She was pale. She didn't have freckles. And her hair...god, her hair was so black that it was blue. And her eyes were like the ocean. Twice as deep and just as blue. Elizabeth was like a pearl among pebbles, as mum used to put it." Bill's eyes darkened in memory.
"Why aren't you allowed to talk about her?" Harry asked quietly.
"Because... of me. It started in the summer when I was about to leave home for Egypt and she was going to enter her final year at Hogwarts. Everyone left the whole house to us because you went to the Carribean. Remember?" he addressed the Weasleys. They nodded. "We were sitting here, on this very bench. Now, you see the Lake? It was called the Sea then. But mum changed it because Elizabeth had named it.
"The whole sky was on fire. It had been a lazy day, you know the kind..."
Everyone surrounded Bill in anticipation.