Chapter 1
Charlie sloshed tea over his hand, "You're looking for Dumbledore?" he asked, carefully setting the cup down and drying his hand on a napkin.
Marietta nodded her head, "I was sent to live with my aunt when my mother died. There was a letter pinned to my blanket and it was signed by Albus Dumbledore. When my aunt died, she made me promise to find him, so that he could tell me all of the things about my parents that she didn't know." She reached into her bag and pulled out the parchment, "This is the letter, I figured that I would bring it with me, just in case."
Charlie took the letter and quickly scanned it, "My mum used to be friends with a woman named Lucy Grant," he stated as he handed the letter back to her.
Marietta looked up at him, "That's what my aunt used to call my mother, Lucy. Do you think that your mother's friend might have been my mother?"
"There's one way to find out," he told her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the bar. "Thanks Tom," he said as he paid for their tea. "Follow me," he said as he walked toward the fireplace. He grabbed a container from the mantle and took a pinch of powder from it. "How much do you know about Albus Dumbledore?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "Just his name. My aunt lived in the states, all she knew was that he was the one to write the letter that she got when I came to live with her." She looked down at the hand that was holding the powder, "What is that for?" she asked.
Charlie watched her as she asked about the floo powder, "It's called floo powder, don't you use it in the states?"
She shook her head, "Not that I know of, what is it used for?"
Charlie laughed, "It's used to travel through the floo network."
Marietta looked at him blankly.
"We're going to use the fireplace to travel to my parent's house," he explained. Marietta laughed. He looked at her, "What are you laughing at?"
"Is this some kind of joke that you play on tourists?" she asked, laughter lighting up her dark chocolate eyes.
"Well, if you have your wand, we could apperate," he said. He watched her face looking for any signs that she knew what he was talking about.
"Well, I don't have a wand. I never saw the point of carrying around toys," she said.
Charlie grabbed her hand, "Marietta, was there anything unusual about your childhood? Maybe strange letters delivered by owls, a school where you learned things that weren't part of regular school programs?"
Marietta shook her head, "No, I grew up in a house with my aunt. I attended school, then college," she paused. "Wait a second, did you just say letters delivered by owls?"
Charlie nodded.
"My aunt said something to me before she died," she said. "I think it was something like, 'The last letter came when you were eleven, I didn't open it, I just scribbled a note on it and sent it back with the owl that delivered it'."
Charlie patted her shoulder and put the pinch of floo powder back into the jar, "I don't think that you're quite ready for floo powder. Just take my hand and close your eyes, I'll make sure that my mum contacts Dumbledore as soon as we get there." She grabbed his hand and closed her eyes, with a pop, they disappeared.
Charlie apperated them both to the burrow, and quickly patted himself down to be sure that he hadn't left anything behind, dual apperating was tricky business. "You might want to check and make sure that we didn't leave any parts behind," he told her as he slowly released her hand.
Marietta opened her eyes and screamed, "Where are we? How did we get here?"
Charlie motioned for her to turn around, and as she did, the most amazing site met her eyes. It was a house, but like none she had ever seen before. It stood at least four stories high, with rooms coming off at odd angles, it even looked as if it was leaning slightly. In front of the door were several pairs of shoes and something that resembled a large cooking pot. Charlie watched the wonder on her face when she first caught sight of his childhood home. She looked from the door to the roof, and back again, her eyes getting bigger as she noticed the rooms that had been added on.
"Welcome to the burrow," he told her. He reached over and put his hand over her arm, "Let's go inside." He led her to the door, opened it and motioned for her to precede him inside.
He closed the door behind him and watched her glance around the room, until she came across the sink. Her eyes grew as big as saucers, and she turned to him.
She was looking around the room as she stepped in the door, she stopped when she saw dishes in the sink, washing themselves. "Charlie," she whispered. "I think that there is something wrong with me," she turned around and faced him.
He smiled at her, "There is nothing wrong with you, there are a lot of things that I didn't tell you." He led her over to the table in the middle of the room. "Let me get my mum to contact Dumbledore and I'll explain."
She nodded her head and sat down in one of the many chairs. "I'll just sit here," she told him. He patted her shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.
Marietta's eyes kept straying to the sink, she watched the dishes for a few seconds and then jumped up from the table and walked over. She touched the plate that the brush was washing, and checked for strings or wires that would make what she was seeing possible.
Charlie found his mother in the living room, she was knitting a sweater. From the color of the yarn, he could tell that it was for Harry. She always made sure that the boy received a Weasley sweater every Christmas, and pestered Dumbledore every summer for him to come and stay with them. His mother had a very large heart, and loved him like he was one of her own. He cleared his throat, "Mum," he said.
Molly Weasley looked up and smiled at her second son, "What do you need Charlie?"
He smiled at her, "Mum, do you remember Lucy Grant?"
"She was my best friend, Charlie. What about her?" Molly's eyes filled with tears at the mention of her best friend.
He sat down on the table in front of her, "Well, I was going into muggle London today to find a gift for dad. I knocked a woman down, and to apologize for it, I took her for tea. She's in London looking for Dumbledore. She has a letter from him that was pinned to her blanket when she was taken to her aunt. Her mother was killed and she went to live with her mother's sister. I figured that I would bring her here and have you contact Dumbledore."
"What does that have to do with Lucy Grant?" she asked.
Charlie clapped his hand to his forehead, "Sorry about that mum, her aunt's last name was Grant and she said that her aunt used to call her mother Lucy."
Molly jumped up from her seat, "What is the girl's name?" she asked.
"Marietta," he said, but his mother was already on her way into the kitchen before he finished.
Charlie sloshed tea over his hand, "You're looking for Dumbledore?" he asked, carefully setting the cup down and drying his hand on a napkin.
Marietta nodded her head, "I was sent to live with my aunt when my mother died. There was a letter pinned to my blanket and it was signed by Albus Dumbledore. When my aunt died, she made me promise to find him, so that he could tell me all of the things about my parents that she didn't know." She reached into her bag and pulled out the parchment, "This is the letter, I figured that I would bring it with me, just in case."
Charlie took the letter and quickly scanned it, "My mum used to be friends with a woman named Lucy Grant," he stated as he handed the letter back to her.
Marietta looked up at him, "That's what my aunt used to call my mother, Lucy. Do you think that your mother's friend might have been my mother?"
"There's one way to find out," he told her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the bar. "Thanks Tom," he said as he paid for their tea. "Follow me," he said as he walked toward the fireplace. He grabbed a container from the mantle and took a pinch of powder from it. "How much do you know about Albus Dumbledore?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "Just his name. My aunt lived in the states, all she knew was that he was the one to write the letter that she got when I came to live with her." She looked down at the hand that was holding the powder, "What is that for?" she asked.
Charlie watched her as she asked about the floo powder, "It's called floo powder, don't you use it in the states?"
She shook her head, "Not that I know of, what is it used for?"
Charlie laughed, "It's used to travel through the floo network."
Marietta looked at him blankly.
"We're going to use the fireplace to travel to my parent's house," he explained. Marietta laughed. He looked at her, "What are you laughing at?"
"Is this some kind of joke that you play on tourists?" she asked, laughter lighting up her dark chocolate eyes.
"Well, if you have your wand, we could apperate," he said. He watched her face looking for any signs that she knew what he was talking about.
"Well, I don't have a wand. I never saw the point of carrying around toys," she said.
Charlie grabbed her hand, "Marietta, was there anything unusual about your childhood? Maybe strange letters delivered by owls, a school where you learned things that weren't part of regular school programs?"
Marietta shook her head, "No, I grew up in a house with my aunt. I attended school, then college," she paused. "Wait a second, did you just say letters delivered by owls?"
Charlie nodded.
"My aunt said something to me before she died," she said. "I think it was something like, 'The last letter came when you were eleven, I didn't open it, I just scribbled a note on it and sent it back with the owl that delivered it'."
Charlie patted her shoulder and put the pinch of floo powder back into the jar, "I don't think that you're quite ready for floo powder. Just take my hand and close your eyes, I'll make sure that my mum contacts Dumbledore as soon as we get there." She grabbed his hand and closed her eyes, with a pop, they disappeared.
Charlie apperated them both to the burrow, and quickly patted himself down to be sure that he hadn't left anything behind, dual apperating was tricky business. "You might want to check and make sure that we didn't leave any parts behind," he told her as he slowly released her hand.
Marietta opened her eyes and screamed, "Where are we? How did we get here?"
Charlie motioned for her to turn around, and as she did, the most amazing site met her eyes. It was a house, but like none she had ever seen before. It stood at least four stories high, with rooms coming off at odd angles, it even looked as if it was leaning slightly. In front of the door were several pairs of shoes and something that resembled a large cooking pot. Charlie watched the wonder on her face when she first caught sight of his childhood home. She looked from the door to the roof, and back again, her eyes getting bigger as she noticed the rooms that had been added on.
"Welcome to the burrow," he told her. He reached over and put his hand over her arm, "Let's go inside." He led her to the door, opened it and motioned for her to precede him inside.
He closed the door behind him and watched her glance around the room, until she came across the sink. Her eyes grew as big as saucers, and she turned to him.
She was looking around the room as she stepped in the door, she stopped when she saw dishes in the sink, washing themselves. "Charlie," she whispered. "I think that there is something wrong with me," she turned around and faced him.
He smiled at her, "There is nothing wrong with you, there are a lot of things that I didn't tell you." He led her over to the table in the middle of the room. "Let me get my mum to contact Dumbledore and I'll explain."
She nodded her head and sat down in one of the many chairs. "I'll just sit here," she told him. He patted her shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.
Marietta's eyes kept straying to the sink, she watched the dishes for a few seconds and then jumped up from the table and walked over. She touched the plate that the brush was washing, and checked for strings or wires that would make what she was seeing possible.
Charlie found his mother in the living room, she was knitting a sweater. From the color of the yarn, he could tell that it was for Harry. She always made sure that the boy received a Weasley sweater every Christmas, and pestered Dumbledore every summer for him to come and stay with them. His mother had a very large heart, and loved him like he was one of her own. He cleared his throat, "Mum," he said.
Molly Weasley looked up and smiled at her second son, "What do you need Charlie?"
He smiled at her, "Mum, do you remember Lucy Grant?"
"She was my best friend, Charlie. What about her?" Molly's eyes filled with tears at the mention of her best friend.
He sat down on the table in front of her, "Well, I was going into muggle London today to find a gift for dad. I knocked a woman down, and to apologize for it, I took her for tea. She's in London looking for Dumbledore. She has a letter from him that was pinned to her blanket when she was taken to her aunt. Her mother was killed and she went to live with her mother's sister. I figured that I would bring her here and have you contact Dumbledore."
"What does that have to do with Lucy Grant?" she asked.
Charlie clapped his hand to his forehead, "Sorry about that mum, her aunt's last name was Grant and she said that her aunt used to call her mother Lucy."
Molly jumped up from her seat, "What is the girl's name?" she asked.
"Marietta," he said, but his mother was already on her way into the kitchen before he finished.