Disclaimer: Jo owns em, I just occasionally take them for walkies.
A/N: Wow...guys, I'm sorry. This took even longer than the Ron chapter to write. I realized one: I know just about nothing about Charlie, two: Writer's Block is evil and three: Lemon Poppyseed muffins cure all, including the dreaded Block. Anywho, we're finally getting somewhere in the story...mainly towards the end. I've only got two more chapters planned out, but it may work out to only one, as you've shown that short chapters only annoy you. nn;
Just warning you now, I've started another story. Nothing to do with this one, thankfully. Its a bit more light-hearted.
"Charlie?"
"I'm busy, Mum. Can it wait?"
"Percy, Ginny and Remus are missing."
I may not be the smartest chap in all of England, but I know my priorities. Ginny and Remus have sneaked up the list of late, mainly because Ginny becoming a young woman and Remus is dying. I only met him a couple years ago, and frankly it's been quite heartbreaking to see this man deteriorate into nothing.
Three years after I went to Romania, I saw a dragon die of a heart condition, caused by a wasting spell thrown at it by a spell-happy wizard. It's something like that with Remus, but this monster has a human side, and it's not any easier to watch it fade than it was the dragon. I dare say it's harder. Morbid curiosity makes me wonder about his wolf form.
"Where are they?" I ask looking to the fireplace with my mother's head in it.
"We're at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Floo Network still out?"
"Yes. The Ministry is still retrieving all the wizards and witches who got caught in the limbo Ginny created." She looked rather apprehensive. "Please hurry, Charlie. If they get Percy, we might have a few problems."
"Have you spoken to Professor Dumbledore?"
"We can't get a hold of him. Severus says that he went to the Ministry to help with rescue the people in limbo."
I nod. "I'll be there in a moment, Mum."
Her head disappears. I stare at the empty space for several minutes working out what could be done. Turning aside, I grab my wand, putting it in the inside pocket of my outer robe. One last glance. If they get Percy before Dumbledore does, I doubt anywhere I've been will ever be the same.
With that, I apparate.
Harry sits beside Remus, who is swaddled in blankets like an oversized toddler. All the while, the messy haired boy eyes us warily. Already he's made it clear he'll be helping up with the decisions from now on. Even Hermione and Ron look a bit surprised by his aggressive nature today.
Fleur disappeared with Seamus and Dean just moments before, ushering them off in case the Ministry tries to link them to us. Us, I make it sound like we are bad guys. I guess sometimes the good guys have to be the bad guys to be good. Does that make sense?
Mum tried to make Ginny and Ron and Hermione leave, but damned if those kids didn't fight tooth and nail. I'm sure Seamus and Dean would've fought more if they understood what was going on, what was at stake.
"Are we just going to sit here and wait for them to cart us off to Azkaban?" Harry growls into the silence. "That's what they're going to do if we don't get out of here."
"We can't get back to Grimmauld Place through Floo, and I'm not leaving anyone here, considering not all of us are of age to apparate," Mum says eyeing Ginny.
"We've got distractions," Fred suddenly pipes in, to nearly half the room's confusion.
"Theo's back at the shop, if we can get her back there, he'll make sure she's safe until we can get her to Grimmauld Place," George continues.
"I still don't trust that boy..." Mum sighs.
"'Mere, Gin." George waves her over, and she obeys. He produces a pink piece of taffy.
"Eat up, Gin. It'll help us smuggle you out."
"What about you two?" a concerned voice queries from the back of the room.
"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be fine. We've gotten out of worse scrapes than this," Fred does his best to reassure our father.
George takes a different approach...the truth. "Anyway, twins aren't too common, and the taffy affects us the same."
Meanwhile, Ginny has eaten the taffy and not only become blonde, but nearly a foot taller. Her round freckly face is replaced by high cheekbones and pearly white skin. I stare a moment, this can't be right. A suspicious glance is thrown at the twins, who are smirking.
"What does that stuff do?"
"Gives you exactly thirty minutes to look any way you desire," George announces proudly.
"I can see some trouble in the near future..." I groan softly.
"You want to look like Fleur, Gin?" Bill asks quietly.
She blushes prettily. "Sh-shouldn't we get out of here, before this wears off?"
The twins nod simultaneously, quickly disappearing out the door, Fleur-Ginny in tow. Once the door is again closed, a silencing spell is put up by several different wands.
"Shall we?" a nervous Mum asks. A few nods. A few sympathetic glances at Harry.
"Be careful, Har," Ron whispers, clutching a teary-eyed Hermione's hand.
"Get out of here, before anyone gets hurt," Harry commands, and we all apparate.
The fire was shifting colors and making less than normal noises, and all of us sat around it as if it were the most important thing in the world. Fleur was curled beside me, which isn't to say I wasn't curled back, Ron with Hermione, Charlie sits between Mum and Dad and Gin and Fred.
George and Theo didn't come back like they were supposed to.
We have no news of Harry and Remus.
Not a word of Percy.
All we can do is wait.
My brain feels as if it's imploding with every tick of the grandfather clock. At each chime, my breath catches in my throat, forming a lump I wish I could just weep away.
But that wouldn't be productive, would it?
A sudden crack of the air reveals Severus Snape. "Harry and Remus are back at the castle safely. Percy has not yet been found, though Professor Dumbledore is doing his best to find him before any of the other witches and wizards do."
"H-have you h-heard anything ab-about George, Professor?" Ginny squeaks.
"Was he supposed to come to the castle?" His brow furrows as if he's trying to remember.
Ginny and Fred shake their heads. Fred answers his confused look a moment later, "We don't know what happened to them."
"Them?"
"Theo too."
"The Nott boy?"
"Well he's quite male if you ask me..." Fred attempts a joke, and then paws absently at the couch. "Merlin I hope he's safe." We all know he means George, silence falling after he finishes.
"Hmph," interrupts the sorrowful sadness. "Really now, Fred. I expect you to pull one of those twin telepathy deals."
All eyes shoot up to the two boys in the doorway. Theo looks a bit worse for wear (at least, I'm assuming that's Theo), scratches decorating his thin face, while panting softly. George stares expectantly at Fred, who leaps up from his seat and pounces into the open arms of his twin. The two cling to each other frantically a moment, heads together while they whisper something, that, by the look on Theo's face, is something meant for only them.
Theo slips past my brothers, one hand still clutching his broom, and moves towards closer to our group. A nervous glance makes me realize how out of place he must feel.
"Maybe it would be best if you came back to Hogwarts with me, Nott," Snape murmurs thoughtfully.
"You helped save my Ginny?" Mum asks.
Theo blushes slightly, while Ginny remarks, "He was amazing, Mum. Took a beating, and just kept on. The few Aurors arrived at the shop and said they thought we knew the whereabouts of Remus, and we needed to be taken in for questioning. So Fred n' George, they were all 'We dunno an'thin' and Theo comes up from behind and totally wham! Bang! Boom! Spectacular..."
"Ginny," Theo coughed softly. "When Fred and George talk, you aren't supposed to listen--" A chorused, "HEY!" sounded from behind, along with the giggles of the girls. Theo held out a hand to Mum and Dad, Mum reaching for it first. "Theodore Nott and you are Mrs. Weasley?"
"I'm Molly, and this is my husband, Arthur. It is a pleasure to meet you." She turns slightly when he finishes shaking hands with Dad and points to all of us in turn. "That's Charlie, and you've probably met Fleur-" A nod. "That's Bill over there and you know Ron and Hermione too, I'm sure." He nods again. "Good. Now that you are acquainted with the family, you can become a part of it."
"You need to stop adopting Mum," George chuckles.
"Yeah, or everyone will become a Weasley."
"May not be such a bad thing..." Theo murmurs.
"Then I suppose we should welcome our newest brother," I announce with a chuckle, "Theodore Nott Weasley!"
"Hm..." Bill stares a moment, "I think I rather like the sound of just Theodore Weasley."
"Theodore Weasley it is!"
Theodore, in the meantime, has gained a rather large grin, eyes sparkling. A glance was thrown to Snape, who had an amused gleam in his own eye, before he clicked his heels together, military style and offered a hand to Snape. "I regret that I must turn down your offer, sir, it seems I have a family, who would be willing to let me stay?" A sly look is thrown Mum's way.
"Of course!" "Absolutely!" "Righto!" The replies seemed to make the boy shine even more.
Snape withdrew his hand and nodded. "I will go back to the castle, and inform Harry that you are all quite all right." Another crack and he was gone.
Our family just keeps growing, doesn't it?