Chapter Twenty-Three – The Burrow, Renewal
Harry and Ginny were sitting side by side on the couch in the living room. Molly and Arthur were getting dinner on the table. They were expecting Ron and Hermione over for dinner any minute now.
"I'm nervous," Harry said, breaking the silence. Ron and Hermione didn't know yet that Harry was back. They would find out tonight.
Ginny patted him on the shoulder. "It's going to be fine. They're your friends," she said softly.
"I know. It's just…they have their own lives now. What if they don't want me in it?" Harry asked. Molly had never seen him look so miserable.
Ginny said nothing, just took his hand. Molly was heartened to see them hold hands. Ginny had been back from Africa for a week now. But since that first day, she hadn't seen them kiss, or touch, or really even talk. Arthur and she decided that they were still working through their issues.
Just then, Ron and Hermione burst through the door. "We're getting married! She said yes!" Ron shouted. Molly and Arthur ran over to the pair to congratulate them. Molly wasn't surprised at all. She almost had been wondering what was taking so long.
Then Harry cleared his throat. Ginny stood next to him, holding his hand. "That's wonderful, Ron and Hermione," Harry said, smiling.
Ron and Hermione both froze. "Harry?" Hermione asked, as if she couldn't believe that he was really there. Harry nodded.
"Harry!" Hermione squealed, and then rushed over to him and threw her arms around him. "You're back! I can't believe you're back!" she cried. Molly could see the tears falling down her cheeks.
Ron said nothing. There was a look on his face that Molly didn't like. Harry looked at Ron, who was a good head taller than him. "Say something, mate," Harry pleaded.
Ron gave a dry laugh. "What's there to say?" Then he ran up the stairs in three steps. Molly heard a door slam on the third floor.
Harry escaped Hermione's embrace and sat on the couch. Ginny sat next to him. "Ron's just shocked, Harry. That's all," she told him.
"I better go talk to him," Hermione said.
"No," Molly said, "I'll go." She excused herself and started walking up the steps. She paused outside of Ron's old bedroom. She could hear Ron muttering to himself. She knocked on the door.
"Go away!" Ron shouted.
"I'm not going to go away in my own house, Ronald," Molly said sternly. She went to open the door, but it was locked. Taking out her wand, she said, "Alohamora!" and let herself in.
Ron looked at her in amazement. "I put a special lock on the door! You shouldn't heave been able to get in!"
"Honestly, Ron," Molly shook her head. "Do you really think that your father and I would have let any of our children put those locks on? Every door is charmed in this house. I thought you would have figured that out," she said gently.
"Maybe I'm just too stupid to figure anything out," Ron said sadly, settling himself on his old bed.
"Ronnie!" Molly said in horror, "Why would you ever think that?"
"I don't know," he said mutinously. Molly sighed. Ron was twenty-one years old now, but he was acting like he was eleven.
She sat down next to him. "What's wrong?" she said, putting one arm around his shoulder.
"Why tonight? Why did he have to be here tonight? On the best night of my entire life. And he has to be here, acting like he never left," Ron said.
"Ron, I know this is hard," Molly started.
"What have I done with my life, Mum?" Ron asked softly. "Nothing, that's what. I work in a bloody joke shop."
"You're the manager, Ron," Molly said.
"Only because of Fred and George," he said miserably. He put his head in his hands. "I was somebody once, Mum. I was Harry Potter's best friend, and people looked at me with respect. Just because I was somebody's friend. And now, I'm nothing."
"You're not nothing, Ron," a sharp voice came from the doorway. Hermione was standing there, hands on her hips. "Do you think I would love you as much as I do if you were nothing?"
"Mione," Ron said quietly. Hermione walked over to the bed and knelt before him. She took both his hands.
"Maybe you should think about what we've been talking about," Hermione said softly.
Ron nodded. "I should. I really should. I should make a difference," he said, more confidently.
Molly looked at the pair, having no idea what they were talking about. "Ron's been accepted into Auror training, Molly," Hermione said proudly. "He wasn't sure if he wanted to do it though."
"Auror?" Molly asked weakly. She knew Ron spoke about being an Auror in Hogwarts, but had no idea he still thought about it.
"I'm going to do it," Ron said simply. Hermione stood up and hugged him. "I'm being a prat, aren't I?" he said, a grin on his face.
Hermione and Ron walked downstairs, hand in hand. When they got to the first floor, Ron walked purposely over to Harry. Harry looked slightly scared, as if he thought Ron might hit him.
Ron stuck out his hand. Harry looked at it in amazement, and shook it. Then the two men embraced like brothers.
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"I can't believe they're finally getting married," Molly sighed.
"Well," Arthur joked, "George did say if he and Alicia lived together for another six months, there would be no wedding. They'd be common law husband and wife."
"That's nonsense," Molly said, "They need a ceremony."
George and Alicia had decided to have a small ceremony at the Burrow. So small, that Molly was catering the wedding. It was just the Spinnet and Weasley family. After the ceremony, Molly had cooked a huge dinner for everyone.
"Grammy!" Molly heard a voice cry.
"I hear my little Rina!" Molly said happily. Rina was now almost five years old. Last year, Fred and Angelina had given her a little brother, who they called Albus George. George joked that now he had to have a son, to have his middle name be Fred.
Molly picked the little girl up. Rina was such a striking looking little girl. Very exotic with her dark skin and bright blue eyes. "Grammy, Albus is being mean," she pouted.
Molly laughed. "Albus is only a year old, how is he mean?" Molly asked.
"He won't play with me!" Rina said hotly.
"Rina, Albus can't walk yet," Arthur said, trying to hide a smile.
"That's no excuse!" Rina cried.
Molly put Rina down. "Go play with one of your cousins," she told her.
"Okay!" Rina said happily, running over to Johnny, who had just arrived. Bill and Fleur were walking towards them. Molly almost had to laugh at the pair of them. They were helping each other walk. Bill, using his cane, was supporting Fleur, who was due with their second child and day now.
Bill and Fleur had announced that they were moving to France after the baby was born. Fleur's mother was not doing well, and Fleur wanted to be closer to her. Molly had grown used to Bill and Fleur being near by.
"Too bad Charlie and Danya won't be here," Bill said. Danya was also expecting their second child in less than two weeks, and the travel wouldn't have been good for her. Molly was sad, but she and Arthur planned on taking a trip to Bulgaria once the baby was born.
"Oi!" George called out. "Let's start!"
"We have to wait a few more minutes, George. Ginny's not here yet!" Molly cried. Ginny was on a road trip with the Canons. She made arrangements to be here for the night.
Suddenly, a loud crack was heard. "Here I am!" Ginny cried. She ran over to Harry, and gave him a quick kiss.
"How'd you do?" Molly heard him whisper.
"I'm going to break that record soon. I hit fifteen goals yesterday. I only need thirty seven more," Ginny said proudly. Ginny was trying to break the record of the most number of goals scored by a Canon chaser. Since the Canons had never been that good of a team, it was a pretty east feat. Ginny still wanted the record anyway.
Ginny and Harry were living together in London now. Though with their schedules, they didn't see each other nearly as much as they wanted to. Ginny traveled with the team a great deal. Harry, still an apprentice with Ollivanders, was being sent all over the world, learning how to gather wand cores.
Molly heard Ginny speaking, and suddenly was sad. Ginny had no idea that she was going to become a mother of seven children herself. Molly was sure it would end her quidditch career. She just hoped that Ginny would accept that fate, just like Molly had done.
"Let's go!" George yelled. "I'm only waiting to pledge my love and eternal life to Alicia, you know!"
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Molly couldn't stop grinning. "We're on an actual vacation, Arthur!" she gushed.
Arthur and Molly were taking their first vacation alone together since their Honeymoon. They finally found a good time to go. A month later, and this would have been impossible. In a month, Ron and Hermione were getting married. They waited almost three years after Ron had proposed. Hermione decided that when Ron made a career switch, she wanted one as well. She left S.P.E.W. in some very capable hands and went back to school to become a lawyer. She would be taking her final exam three weeks before the wedding. Harry and Ginny were beginning to talk of marriage as well. Ginny joked she didn't care when, as long as it didn't interfere with the quidditch season.
Charlie and Danya were expecting another child. This would be their fourth in four years. Molly knew she couldn't say a thing, but at least Arthur and she had spaced the children out a bit.
Molly and Arthur were in Paris, celebrating their thirty-fifth year of marriage. They were staying in a small Inn called Le Canard Brun, The Brown Duck, in Paris' version of Diagon Alley. The first day, they decided to go shopping, looking for souvenirs. Molly was thrilled that she could buy something for all seven children and her ten grandchildren, with one on the way.
Molly had insisted on France when they knew they were going on vacation. Her father's side of the family was pure Scotch. But her mother's maiden name was Soir, which was pure French. She wanted to see if she could find her roots.
After a few hours, and countless packages, they came across a second hand bookshop. Arthur started to go inside. "I'm sure we'll find something for Bill here," Arthur told her. Bill was the only left they needed to shop for. Molly hesitated. Since Arthur had his new position, she hadn't been in a second hand shop since. It's not that she thought she was too good for them now, it was that she had spent so many years hunting for bargains, that it was a thrill to buy something new.
Arthur seemed to realize that she was wary. "This is a book shop, Molly," he whispered to her, "It's different."
"You're right," she said softly, "I'm being silly." Hand in hand, they walked into the store. Molly breathed in deeply. Arthur was right, a second hand bookshop was completely different. This was history.
Together, they looked through the books. Molly broke away from Arthur and found herself looking at some French cookbooks. She chose one to buy; maybe she and Fleur could make something together. Molly and Arthur would be visiting them in a week.
"Molly!" Arthur cried, looking excited. Molly walked over to Arthur. He was holding a very old book. "This is perfect."
"Malédictions Célèbres de l'Europe," Molly read. "My French is awful, what's that say?"
"My French isn't much better," Arthur said. "I think it has something to do with French curses. See the cover? That's why this is a perfect book for Bill."
Molly's slide a finger down the spine of the book. It looked several hundred years old. The pages had started to yellow with age, but the cover was absolutely gorgeous. "You're right," she told Arthur, "This is perfect."
That evening, she and Arthur dined with the French Minister of Magic and her husband. Molly closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the sensation of being in a truly elegant place. She could hear soft music playing in the background, with the sounds of other people talking. The smell of the restaurant was incredible. Molly couldn't wait to try some of the desserts.
Molly opened her eyes and put her hands in her lap. There was the crisp linen napkin covering her dress robe, a black silk. Earlier that evening, when Molly looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her hair piled on her head, in a French twist. Luckily, Molly had good genes, and looked younger than her fifty-four years.
She glanced at Arthur. His glasses were perched on the tip of his nose while he read the menu. He didn't have much hair left on the top of his head, but luckily, he was able to joke about it. Thirty-five years, and he could still give her goose bumps. She hardly dared to believe she was so lucky.
After dinner, she and Arthur changed out of their dress robes into muggle clothes. Truthfully, neither one of them felt truly comfortable dressing up. Together, they walked through the city of Paris. After the walk, they went back to their hotel room to continue the evening.
The next morning, while Arthur was in the shower, Molly opened up the book they had bought for Bill. She didn't understand any of the words, but the illustrations were beautiful.
About half way through the book, there was a picture of a woman holding seven children's hands. The woman looked tired. The header on the page said, Sept Fois Sept. Molly was curious what curse that was. The woman in the picture had red hair, just like Molly and her mother. Just as Molly was going to go downstairs to ask for a translation, an official Ministry owl came flying through the window.
Molly put down the book and took the parchment that was tied to his leg. She read the parchment quickly. Madame Bones, the Minister of Magic, had to go to America to see her daughter, whose baby came a month early. They were asking Arthur to cut his vacation short. Molly sighed, disappointed that their vacation was ending so abruptly. She started packing with her usual efficiency, and the interest in the book slipped away.