..:: Chapter 3 – The Trouble With Teatime ::..

PB, "Okay, so I know that Alex really isn't related to the Potters or any of the Weasleys, but since he grew up with them, he calls them all Aunt and Uncle. And since Rachelle's getting to know them, she'll be calling them Aunt and Uncle, too, mkay? Also, is Gred Fred and Forge George, or is Gred George and Forge Fred? I don't know really. Well, in this, Gred is Fred, and Forge is George. Oh yeah, and don't worry, the Widow Dracula, this is not a time-turner fic. The reason behind Rachelle's appearance – well, I'll get to that later."

"You walked out on Ron Weasley?" Rachelle demanded. "Mom, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you stay? Why?"

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's not as simple as that," she said with a sigh. "Ron's not your father, but I ran away because….because of who your father really is."

"And who, pray tell, is that?" Rachelle asked scathingly.

"I can't tell you," Hermione said. "Not yet. When you're older."

Rachelle sighed. "Mom, I'm eighteen years old. How much older do I need to be to know who my father is?" Her eyes widened slightly. "It isn't Uncle Harry, right? Because I know you've said no before, but I'm not so sure anymore, seeing as you've lied to me all this time…"

"No!" Hermione and Harry both burst out simultaneously. Harry had a grin on his face, though; he had noticed that Rachelle had called him Uncle Harry.

"If it's not Uncle Harry, then why is she the spitting image of him?" Alex asked, drawling as usual.

"I-" Hermione opened her mouth, then stopped. "I have no clue," she said.

Ginny glanced at Harry, who glanced at Draco, who glanced at Hermione. They all shrugged. Rachelle and all her new "cousins" couldn't make head or tail of what their parents were doing, and looked at each other quizzically.

"How could that have happened?" Ginny murmured.

"I don't know," Hermione responded.

"Um," Gabriella said. "Mom? Dad?"

Ginny glanced up. "Yes?" she asked in a rather resigned tone; the adults really would have preferred that they didn't all come bursting in like that.

"Well, you remember, um, Uncle, um Ron?" Gabriella said hesitantly, aware that she was starting on a very sensitive subject.

"Do you really have to bring this up right now, dear?" Harry asked, sounding just as resigned as Ginny.

"It's not that!" Gabriella responded quickly. "It's just that-"

There was a loud crack, and none other than Ron Weasley appeared in front of them. Gripping his hand tightly was a woman with auburn-colored hair and dark amber eyes. They both had grins on their faces, which were instantly replaced with shock and disbelief when they saw who else had paid the Potters a visit.

"You invited them to tea," Gabriella finished in a small voice.

There was a moment of shocked silence, which was broken by – who else? – Alex.

"Hey, Uncle Ron," he said. "How are you doing? Heya, Aunt Jamila."

"Hello, Alex," Jamila forced out. "We didn't know you and your father would be coming over."

"Yeah, well, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry got a little surprise. May I introduce Rachelle," Alex said, sounding unusually (and very creepily, Rachelle thought) cordial. "She's a long-lost cousin."

"Um. Hi," Rachelle said, sticking her hand out.

Jamila hesitated, then shook it. "It's wonderful to meet you," Rachelle said.

"So, Uncle Ron," Alex said. "I believe you have met her mother?"

Ron stared. "Hermione?" he gasped out.

Hermione smiled hesitantly and uncomfortably. "Hi, Ron."

"Oh, you're Hermione?" Jamila said, with a hint of frostiness in her voice. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Jamila," she said, holding out her hand. "Ron's fiancée."

"Ron's fiancée?" Hermione repeated. "I'm…very happy for the two of you," she managed.

Ron looked at Rachelle. "Harry…" he began slowly.

"She's not," Harry said quickly.

"Why does everyone think that Harry's my dad?" Rachelle asked, rather annoyed by the repetitiveness.

"Because you look like him," Christine said. "And really, how many people have black hair and green eyes?"

"Well, if I knew who my dad is," Rachelle stressed, glaring at her mother, "I'd tell you why."

"No use trying that with me, Rachelle," Hermione said. "You're too young to know."

"Oh, and I suppose now you're going to send me to my room," Rachelle snapped back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I was being sarcastic!"

Roughly a minute later found Rachelle sitting on Gabriella's bean-bag chair with a scowl on her face.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Nicole said. She and Christine were lying on Gabriella's bed, and James and Sirius were both sprawled on the floor. Gabriella herself was sitting in her butterfly chair; the Potter kids had decided to accompany Rachelle while she was grounded.

"I can't believe she actually sent you to Gabriella's room," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"I didn't either," Rachelle said.

"Mom doesn't even send me and Sirius to our room," James said.

"That's because last time she did, the two of you nearly blew up the house trying to invent powder fire without Uncle Gred and Forge's help," Christine said.

"You two made that?" Rachelle asked.

"Yep," Sirius said proudly. "Flames in a Can." He pulled out a tiny can and shook it; a fine white powder came out and settled on the rug. Within seconds, the carpet had caught fire.

Rachelle gasped, but the Potter girls didn't do anything more than yawn. James laughed at Rachelle's expression and scooped up the flames into his hand. As soon as it touched his skin, it turned back into powder. He then tipped it back into the can. "It took us forever to get it to turn back into powder," he said.

"You can't take all the credit," Nicole said. "Uncle Gred and Forge helped a LOT."

"Yeah, but it was our idea, and we did most of the work," Sirius said. "They just provided the money and the wandwork."

"And all the brainpower," Nicole added. "You guys just came up with it, don't inflate your ego."

"And they took the blame whenever it blew up in your faces," Christine said.

"They were missing their eyebrows for a whole month," Nicole said to Rachelle.

"But it was worth it in the end," James said.

Gabriella shook her head. "They're just like their uncles," she said.

"And our namesakes," Sirius added.

"We're working on something new now," James said. "Click-and-Pick Quick-Quills."

"What they mean is, they came up with the name and the idea, and Uncle Gred and Forge are slaving away trying to get it right," Gabriella said.

"What are Click-and-Pick Quick-Quills?" Rachelle asked.

"They're lock picks!" Sirius said.

"But they look like regular quills," James said. "Except there's a hidden button you press, and the tip turns into a lock pick."

"You mean like a Muggle lock pick?" Rachelle said.

"Only better," Sirius said. "You put the quill in the keyhole, click, and presto!"

"The tip changes into a lock pick designed especially for the lock," James said.

"It's a working progress," Sirius added.

"A long working progress," Nicole said. "Uncle Gred and Forge are having a little bit of trouble making the tip change in the lock."

"It sounds awesome," Rachelle said.

"I like her," James said to Gabriella.

"Yeah, she's way more supportive than you guys," Sirius added.

"Trust me," Gabriella said to Rachelle, "If you've lived with them for as long as we have, you'd get bored of their boastings, too."

Suddenly, there was a thud against Gabriella's window. "What was that?" Rachelle said.

Gabriella got up and wrenched open the window. "Cut that out, Alex!" she yelled.

Alex was hovering on his broomstick at the other end of the yard level to Gabriella's window, tossing and catching a Quaffle nonchalantly. "Sorry," he said with a grin, obviously not meaning it at all. He threw the Quaffle straight at Gabriella's head, zoomed forward, and caught it an inch away from her face.

Gabriella didn't even flinch. Instead, she rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to show off in front of Rachelle," she snapped. Then she grabbed the Quaffle from him and shut the window in his face.

"Hey, gimme that back!" Alex yelled.

"Why should I?" Gabrielle asked. "It's my Quaffle, after all."

Alex kept on yelling, and Gabriella closed the curtains. "He's such a brat," Christine said.

"Well, he's an only child," Rachelle said.

"You're an only child," Nicole pointed out.

"He grew up without a mom," Rachelle said.

"You grew up without a dad," Nicole persisted.

"Well…eh, I give up," Rachelle said. "But he is good."

"Well, he wasn't the best Chaser and Captain on the team for nothing," Gabriella said. "Problem is, it just inflates his head even more."

"What house was he in?" Rachelle asked.

"Slytherin," Gabriella, Christine, and Nicole said in unison. "Just like his dad."

"I wish I had gone to Hogwarts," Rachelle said. "It sounds awesome."

"Where'd you go?" Sirius said.

"Beauxbatons," Rachelle said offhandedly. "It was okay. There were huge ice sculptures, and wood nymphs serenaded us as we ate, and Madame Weasley was the Headmistress. She's your aunt, right?"

"Yeah," James said. "Aunt Fleur. Her and Uncle Bill live up in France."

"You've met their son, right?" Gabriella asked. "He's our age."

"Yeah, Ray," Rachelle said. "He's like, my best friend. Well, until Mom decided to move back here."

"Don't worry," Nicole said. "Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur are gonna be coming down in a couple of days for the wedding."

"When's the wedding?" Rachelle asked.

"In a month or so," Christine said.

"How come they're coming down so early, then?"

"Well, since school's out and all," Nicole said with a shrug. "And it's an excuse to have a big family reunion. Soon everyone will be coming down."

Christine began rattling a list off. "Uncle Gred and Aunt Angelina, Uncle Forge and Aunt Alicia, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Lisa, Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope, Uncle Oliver and Aunt Katie-"

"But they're not even related to you guys," Rachelle said, puzzled.

"Believe me, everyone's considered family," Christine said, continuing. "Uncle Lee and – um, did he get a new girlfriend?"

"No, I think it's still Tonya," Nicole said.

"Okay," Christine said. "And then Uncle Dean and Aunt Lavender, and Uncle Seamus and Aunt Luna, not to mention all of Jamila's relatives. But they won't be coming until the wedding, thank goodness."

"And you don't even want to know all their kids," Nicole said.

The pounding on Gabriella's window got even louder. "Give it up, Alex!" Gabriella yelled.

He didn't. There was a loud crack, and he appeared in her room. "Thought you might like to know that your folks want you downstairs," he said. "All of you," he stressed, looking pointedly at Rachelle.

"Fine, whatever," Gabriella said.

PB, "Okay, I really meant to write more than that, but I will be kicked off the computre soon because of my older sis. So, go review, please! Seriously, it's what makes me want to update."