0o0o0o0
Weasley's in Da House
The halfway house wasn't as depressing as Ron had thought it would be. The residents responded better to Hermione than himself, so he cast the spells discreetly, while Hermione asked the usual questions. The residents lived in a clean, well-maintained building, where the staff assisted them to perform as many independent tasks as they were capable of. The garden was pleasant, and they chose to hold their interviews out there, where the staff could observe them without being too close.
None of the residents or staff showed magical ability, and Ron was pleased that he'd be able to reassure Harry on that point. Though the green-eyed man hadn't mentioned it again, but Ron knew it had to be on his mind. In fact he and Hermione wrapped themselves around their friend in a pretty comprehensive hug the moment they saw him, muttering reassurances and patting him gently. Harry's eyes had been terrible, a sort of sick apprehension and Ron wondered how Harry had been able to hide that so well from them for this long.
Bill's voice drifted out of the front room, the cadence indicating that he was reading Rose a story, and Ron listened to the soothing sound, letting it drain his tensions away and take Harry's with it. The green-eyed man eventually sighed softly and straightened up, breaking their light hold on him and patting their arms as they stepped apart in thanks.
"How long has he been here?" Ron offered the distraction gently, and Harry's eyes lit up in gratitude. A rueful grin crossed his face and he turned to look at the open door.
"He was here when we got home. Rose was delighted of course and dragged him off for a prolonged tour of the house and garden. It gave me a chance to get the salad and garlic bread ready for dinner tonight," Harry shrugged, "Monday is pasta night, and Rose loves garlic bread."
"She'd better share, so do I," Ron replied and went to get his hello hug and kiss from his niece. Harry leaned in the doorway and watched, such a tender expression on his face as his daughter snuggled into Ron's arms that Ron wished the look was as much for him as it was for Rose. He made a determination that he'd tell Harry what he felt soon, and went to wash up a bit before dinner.
Rose went upstairs for her bath with Aunty Hermanee once the story was finished, and Harry extracted from his daughter a promise to behave better this time. Ron and Bill moved into the kitchen and Ron discussed the lack of progress they were making on the case while Harry continued preparations for dinner. Bill had spent his second last day in Britain with a few old classmates, catching up with people who worked at the Ministry or in the London area, and he shared a few stories about what his mates had gotten up to.
"What did you do today, Harry?" Ron asked when there was a lull and Harry glanced over in surprise. It occurred to Ron that Rose would very rarely ask her father that, and when she did, Harry's responses would be tailored for her young ears and shorter attention span. It also occurred to Ron that Harry's response would be tailored now, to be understandable to the two Wizards sitting in his dining room. Ron made a solemn promise to learn more about what Harry did so they could talk to each other about the present as easily as they did the past.
"Nothing too exciting," Harry tossed the comment over his shoulder, "One of my students managed to really foul up in the lab and brought the whole thing to a screeching halt for three hours. I had to cancel a class so I could sort it out, but unlike potions, this wasn't too dangerous, no matter how much the students and faculty carry on."
"Fouling up in potions was often a highlight of the day when I was at school," Bill reminisced, "We could get some truly spectacular reactions, both out of the ingredients and Snape."
Harry laughed at that, and returned his attention to his cooking. The fireplace whooshed with green flames and the twins tumbled out, followed neatly by their mother. Harry wiped his hands and went to say hello, the hubbub alerting Rose upstairs that more guests had arrived. Ron could hear some vigorous splashing.
"Charlie and your dad will come tomorrow with Ginny, if that's ok dear," Molly pecked him on the cheek, "The plumbing in Ginny's flat went out again and they've gone to fix it for her."
"We need to get her a better place, mum," Fred said softly, and George nodded his agreement, chiming in.
"Before the babies arrive."
"Babies?" Harry asked, hurrying to rescue his sauce, "She's having twins?"
"According to Fred and George she is," Ron grinned as Molly went upstairs to find her grand daughter. Harry laughed.
"I suppose they're the experts on twins," he shrugged, and Fred beamed at him, moving into the kitchen to clap him on the shoulder and sniff at the food on the stove. Harry threatened him with a wooden spoon as the pipes gurgled upstairs and Rose gave an indistinct shout. Ron saw him glance up with a frown even as George settled in a free chair and smiled over at the cook.
"Thanks Harry. It's nice to know someone in the family appreciates us."
"Rose Sarah Molly Potter!" Molly's voice rang out and Harry winced. He shook his head and refrained from going upstairs to see what mischief his daughter had gotten into. This did not go unnoticed by the brothers in the kitchen, and Ron noted that they all sat up proudly at this display of trust.
"Speaking of mischief," Fred settled onto a counter top with his usual lack of subtlety, "A sad man named Daniel turned up a the shop today Ron, looking for you. He treated us to a lovely rant about how you'd stood him up on Saturday, and he wasn't going to take that kind of behaviour from anyone, and that as far as he was concerned you were through."
Ron paled and glanced uneasily at Harry, who couldn't have failed to hear, and was stirring steadily at the pasta. He'd only just decided to tell his friend he was gay, and this was not how he'd planned it. In fact he hadn't even gotten that far into his planning at all. Harry put his wooden spoon down and wiped his hands, turning to face them with a curious look on his face.
"How many times had you dated this person?" George asked, aware of Ron's tension and Bill's glare at his twin. Ron sighed and shrugged.
"Once. That was to be our second, and I totally forgot about it," the die was cast now, and all he could do was muddle through and hope for the best. Harry smiled and shrugged, exchanging a look with the now apprehensive Fred.
"Guess you made a lucky escape there, then," Harry told his friend, his tone showing he was at ease with the new knowledge, and Ron nearly collapsed with relief. He nodded dumbly and turned as his niece entered the room, clad in her nighty and a little subdued, glad for the distraction. She said hello to Gred and Forge before coming to lean on Harry's leg.
"Nanny shouts just like you do, Daddy," she said forlornly as Molly and Hermione took the seats that had been emptied for them and Bill went to look at the painting on the wall in the conservatory.
"Who do you think taught me?" Harry asked lightly, "I did tell you to behave for Aunty Hermione."
Rose nodded, and pressed her face into her father's leg for a moment. They gave her a moment to recover by standing up and setting the table. Ron and Hermione knew where everything was, and the twins fetched and carried while Bill drew up extra chairs with his wand. Molly was told to sit down again, something she did with a smile. It wasn't often her meals were cooked for her, and Ron grinned at the appreciative gleam in her eyes. There was a hoot that announced Hedwigs return from wherever she'd been and Rose went to let the owl in, returning from the conservatory with a smile and a skip that announced she'd gotten over her fit of temper.
Ron helped put everything into serving bowls while Hermione gathered drinks, and soon they were all sitting around the table in a comfortable crush, passing bowls and exchanging compliments to the chef.
0o0o0o0
