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***********************************ShadowElfBard***********************************

5:49 pm

Weasley Residence

(Willow)

   "The kids are out shopping at the moment-- besides little Ginny that is, she already has her school stuff and is spending the night at a friends house-- so you can pretty much make yourself at home. Molly's already set up a little room for you, and I can take your bags if you'd like…"

   I hardly even hear him as he speaks, so immersed am I in the wonders I see around me.

   I've been around magick, (no duh) and of course I've practiced it, but never before have I been in a magickal home. Everything around me seems enchanted or charmed in some way, and all of the practical uses that this family has gleaned from magick are astounding. And confusing. When I was getting too deep into magick, the Scooby gang had practically banned me from it, worrying that I might do something extreme. (Which I ended up doing anyway, but that's not the point) But this family is not evil at all, and yet they're virtually engulfed in the magick. It's very, very confusing.

   As is my reason for being here actually. When Mr. Dumbledore had told me that Hagrid would be dropping me off at another supervisor's home, I'd immediately thought that it would be a single man; someone isolated and, come to think of it, old. Mr. Weasley is none of these. Apparently he has quite a few sons, and a daughter. He's also only about thirty-five or so. In other words, he's not at all what I was expecting.

    "Willow?"

   Shaking my head slightly and refocusing my eyes, I notice that Arthur's staring at me.

    "Sorry," I apologize, "did you ask me something?"

    "Yes, actually. I was wondering whether or not you'd feel comfortable eating dinner downstairs with my family and I tonight. If not, then I'm sure we can zap a table upstairs in your room."

    Eat downstairs with them? "I don't really have any problem eating down here, if you'll have me that is…"

   He nods. "It'll be fine. After all, you are our guest for the time being." He then gives a small smile. "I'm sure you're about ready to unpack eh?"

   I shake my head in an affirmative nod. "Yeah. Hagrid and I actually bought some, err… some more witch-like robes and such, and I have my own clothes to unpack."

    "I understand." He turns and points at the stairway. "Your room is upstairs and to the left, two doors down on the right hand side. It's already been prepared, and you can fill the chests and closets with whatever you'd like."

   "Thank-you." I shift the weight of my bag, and then start climbing the steps.

                                                            *~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Nice digs," I murmur to myself as my gaze travels around the room. It looks as though a lot of preparation has gone into fixing up this space, and compared to the other decorating throughout the house (which is nice, don't get me wrong) it seems like the bedroom of a rich noble.

   I somehow feel undeserving.

   But with a frown I lay my bag upon the bed, and after opening it begin pulling out articles of clothing that I find places for in the dresser or the closet. As I do so I realize with rue that I haven't brought enough of my own clothing-- barely five outfits-- for this unexpected "prolonging" of my stay here in England, and unless I want to do laundry every three days and wear robes most of the time, I'll have to stock up. Wow. Who would have ever guessed that there would come a day when "Willow-the Wallflower" would have to worry about clothing? Were Xander here I'd never live it down.

    Oops.

   Thinking of Xander brings a sudden pain of longing to my heart. I miss them so much, though I still think that leaving was the right idea. But ever since I've been gone from them nothing seems stable anymore. I can't even judge my own feelings. I'm no longer the babbling brook of optimism that I was in high school, but neither am I the depressed and suffering wraith that had been my image for the past month. I'm… I'm somewhere in between. And yet, I'm also nowhere near either of them. It's all very confusing, and for the moment I've given up on trying to figure it out.

    I sit upon the bed, my unpacking done and my bag in the corner of the room, and I stare out an open window. It's going to be a nice day, I think. The sun's bright and the only clouds in the sky are puffy and white. No rain.

    As I continue to stare outside, I twirl something in my hands. Startled, I glance down, and see that I've pulled out my wand from its hiding place. When did I take it out? Hmm…

    My eyebrows knotted in curious and concentrated thought, I study the tool with a scrutinizing eye. It's such a simple looking thing, nothing really special about it. But I still feel so drawn towards it, and so attached. It is stunning in my eyes; its pure coloring of white and black, and the thin silver rivulet that runs between the two colors, giving the wand a cracked appearance that enchants me.

    I realize that my heart is pounding furiously now, as I become almost lost in its design. I don't even realize that I'm raising my hand, about to perform a spell.

    "Can I come in?"

    Arthur's surprising voice severs the momentary hold that the wand held over me. I put it in my pocket before I answer.

   "Sure," I say, after swallowing back saliva. "Come on in." 

    He opens the door and enters, and then smiles slowly. "Do you like the room? I know it's modest, but we really don't have--"

    "No, no, it's fine," I assure him hurriedly. "It's really wonderful actually. You put a lot of work into it."   

   He gazes around. "Oh you can thank my wife for that one. I'm afraid I'm rather lost when it comes to decorating."

   He clears his throat. "But, what I actually came up here for is to ask you if you'd like to come down. Molly and the kids have just returned from shopping, and I'm sure they'd like to meet you."

    My eyes flare wide. "Do they know…?"

    "It's all right. Molly knows of course, but all the children have been told is that you're visiting Dumbledore under special orders and you'll be staying here until the start of the school term." He raises an eyebrow at me. "I rather not involve them in all of this, you understand."

   I nod. "I get it. Why I'm even here is a mystery to me. I don't think I should be this… this close to kids, you know?"

   He gives a knowing look. "I know perfectly. The very same thought ran through my mind when Dumbledore apparated by and asked for my consent. But, I trust Albus, and if he thinks that you aren't a danger to my family then you are not a danger to my family."

    I'm speechless. That everyone trusts and respects Dumbledore this much… Wow.

   Arthur seems to understand and he nods towards the door. "Are you ready?"

    "Uh, sure. Yeah, okay."

     I follow him out of my bedroom and as we head downstairs I can hear the chatter below growing louder and clearer.

   "--But you said that as long as we experimented in our room then we could continue, mum."

    "Yes George, but that was before I awoke in the morning to the smell of stink bugs."

   "Stink weed, mum, not stink bugs. Me'n George got it at a real low price from a hag near Zonko's. We're using it to create our new Mini-stinks."

    " Fred, I swear that-- wait. Mini-what's?"

    "Mini-stinks. They're pill sized stink bombs that activate the moment the planter says a password that they've chosen. Wonderful thing is that you don't need to be near it for it to work. You can be in Hogsmeade when you say it, and miles away your Potions teacher will be choking on the stench of one that you've planted on his desk."

    "Wicked! Can I get one to use on Snape, Fred?"

    "Oh now don't you start, Ron!"

    "But mum!"

     When I reach the bottom step they all hush and turn. There are five of them in all, four boys and a clearly stressed but pleasant looking woman. Three of the boys are related, as it is easy to tell from their matching freckles and scarlet hair, and two of them are identical twins. The other boy is obviously not a blood relation, with his pale skin and messy black hair, and he's standing near the boy without a twin.

    "Boys, " Arthur says in greeting. "This is Willow Rosenberg."

    The boys gape at me with open mouths, and one of the twins gives an appreciative whistle. It is quickly silenced by an elbow jab from his mother, but I still fight down a blush all the same.

    "Enough of that," the woman scolds. She looks at me and gives a friendly, but still wary smile. "Hello, I'm Molly. These are my sons, Fred and George," (the twins) "Ron," (the almost gangly looking fifteen year-old) "and this," she gestures towards the almost shy looking teen with black hair, "is Harry Potter."

    "Hello," I greet them with a warm smile.

    For a moment, all they can do is stare at me. Every one of them, Mrs. Weasley included, looks positively shocked.

    "What is it?" I ask in confusion.

    Harry stutters a bit. "You've… you've never heard of me?"

   "You don't know who he is?" Ron adds, his eyes large and round.

    I give them a bemused look. "Am I supposed to?"

    Almost immediately, Harry is shaking his head 'no', and I can see a huge grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye. "No, no you're not. I'm nobody, nobody at all." he then murmurs gleefully, still grinning, "she doesn't know me…"

   Did I miss something?

   "Well now," Molly says, positively flustered, "why don't I go zap us up dinner? I know my children are hungry, and I'm sure that what you've been going through today has brought up an appetite. So Arthur, if you'll just come help me in the kitchen…"

     Mr. Weasley furrows his brow in bafflement, then catches his wife's look and pieces it together. "Oh! Right. I'll come help."

    The two of them leave the room, and I stare at the boys, while they stare right back at me. We shift our weight nervously, and gaze around uncomfortably.

   "Oh bloody hell!" The twin, George, yells, throwing his hands into the air. "We're acting like first years, for cripes sake!"

   Fred gives a dramatic sigh. "As usual, my brilliant counterpart, you are correct. We must find something to occupy our guest and ourselves to get over this uncharacteristic silence. Any ideas, Ronniekinns?"

    "Ronniekinns" flushes red to his ears at the obviously humiliating nickname, but doesn't' comment. "Well, besides that miniature Quidditch set, and Wizard's chess…"

    My ears prick up. "What's Wizard's chess?"

    All four of them stare in amazement, before Fred gives a slow smile. "I think we've just found something to do."

                                                       *~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Checkmate."

   "What?" I look at the configuration and then let my jaw drop in disbelief as I realize that I've lost again. "Hey! How did you…?"

   The boy called Harry laughs. "I ask him that every time I lose too."

    "Well I am a Wizard's Chess champion," Ron says smiling, resetting the little pieces on the board. They try to run away at first, but become immobilized once they're placed in their starting square.

    This game is so cool. We didn't really have time to get into it before Mrs. Weasley had dinner prepared (it seems that magick helps really speeds things along when cooking) but we took the game to Fred and George's bedroom and started playing right after eating. I already love this game to death. I've always liked chess, but watching the little pieces knock each other around and insult one another makes the game twenty times more entertaining. I'll have to try and find the formula for the enchantment…. No, wait. I can't. I have to stop forgetting that I'm trying to give up magick, not go plunging back into it head first.

    Sigh.

    "I still can't believe you've never played," Fred says from the corner of the room, stirring a potion as his twin brother jots down notes on the effects of the ingredients in the mixture.

    I simply shrug. "They don't have them in America. At least, not in Sunnydale."

    He shakes his head in an exaggerated motion of regret. "Ah, you poor deprived girl. Next you'll be telling me that you've never drunk a butterbeer."

    I let out a nervous laugh, trying not to meet his gaze. "Uh, yeah… right."

    They all raise an eyebrow at me, and I clear my throat. "Um, why don't you play Ron next, Harry? I'm sort of tired."

    And I am. Mrs. Weasley's warm and very filling food in my belly, plus the new encounters and surprises I've gone through today, have made me dead tired. I'll be lucky if I can reach the bedroom door before I start snoring. That, and I want a little time to read a chapter or two in my new books.

   If their shocked faces are any indication, however, it seems that the boys are wide-awake.

   "Sleep?" George says in surprise and loathing. "But it's not even seven-thirty!"

    I give a half-hearted grin. "Yeah, but it doesn't feel that way to my drained body. Besides, you don't want me passing out on your floor, do you?"

    He winks suggestively. "I wouldn't say that…"

    I gape at him in surprise and amusement. "You're only sixteen!"

    He shrugs, a playful grin on his face. "That may be so, but many have said that I hold wisdom beyond my years."

    His brother, Fred, rolls his eyes. "Hold wisdom eh? You best go looking for it then, because I fear you've misplaced it…"

    I shake my head softly in amusement and rise to my feet. "As flattered as I am, I'm going off to bed. See you in the morning."

   In almost disappointed voices, they all wish me good night, and I'm not more than two feet out of the room when I hear one of the boys say, almost thoughtfully, "I like her… she seems nice."

   I have to stop the tears from springing to my eyes.

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Review Returns:

   Xenocide: Sorry, no Buff pairing. =(  Thanks for the posting suggestion, I've been trying to get it into the section for a while already, but just figured out where it was three days ago. It should appear there now though! =)

   Xann: Thank you! I'm really enjoying writing it!

   Sigma1: Yeah, I do that a lot when reviewing too. I'm reading so many fics that I keep forgetting which ones to check up on. And, yes, I'm glad you've noticed that I am trying as much as physically possible to stray away from the more… the more random Willow@Hogwarts fictions. Thanks for your support!

~*~*

So, yeah, I'm still chugging along, (though not very speedily I'm afraid) but I'm still here. Yep, dependable. That's me. So, anywhoo, I'll try and get my next chapter posted sooner, so just hang on a little longer!

    -----Talk to you soon!