Chapter 4
I had only taken a few minutes for Charlie to pack her things with magic, but it had taken over an hour for Mari to show Arthur how everything in the room worked. They left the hotel and went to Diagon Alley. She was so excited about getting her wand, and Charlie had told her that she could get some robes too. This morning she had thought that magic was something from children's books, but now she had seen it for herself.
They visited Gringotts so that she would be able to visit her mother's vault, and collect some money. Then they headed toward the shop where she would get her wand. It took over an hour to find the wand that was meant for her, but when she held it in her hand the feeling was indescribable. After a quick stop for ice cream, the headed over to get her some robes.
Mari hated shopping, so she ordered three robes one each of blue, black and brown. The woman in the shop told her that they would be ready in an hour, so Charlie took her to meet two of his brothers.
They walked into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and she was quickly drawn to the displays. She walked over to one and held up the product that was sitting on the shelf. "Does this really turn you into a canary?" she asked.
Two red heads popped up from behind the counter, "Everything in here does exactly what the signs say they do," one said.
"Here, I'll show you," the other added.
Charlie stayed behind the large display for Whiz Bangs, and motioned for her to not let them know that he was there. Fred walked out from behind the counter and ate one of the canary creams, and was instantly turned into a large yellow canary.
George stepped out from behind the counter, "It only lasts a few minutes," he explained. "Tried these out on fellow classmates while we were at Hogwarts," he told her. He walked up and put out his hand. "George Weasley, the canary is my twin brother Fred."
Mari shook the extended hand, "Marietta Grant, very nice to meet you," she said.
"Where did you go to school," George asked her.
She smiled at him, "I attended school in the united states. I was sent there to live with my aunt when my mother died," she told him.
"Interesting, maybe you could tell me all about it over dinner," he said.
She laughed to herself silently, "I'm afraid that I can't do that. George, you did say your name was George right?"
He smiled at her, "Yes, George Weasley, half owner of this fine establishment." He led her over to the counter, "Why can't you have dinner with me?"
She leaned against the tall counter, "Because my mother promised someone that I would marry her son."
"It's just one dinner, he would never have to know," George told her, leaning in toward her ear. "I'm sure that the bloke couldn't be half as handsome as me."
She laughed, "I hate to say it, but I think that he's more that twice as handsome as you," she told him.
Charlie stepped out from behind the display, "And you would be wise not to keep hitting on the woman that was promised to me."
George stared at his older brother with his mouth hanging open. "Charlie, what are you doing here?"
Charlie walked up and put his arm around Mari, "I brought Mari to meet you and Fred, but when I saw how quickly the two of you came running out to assist her, I figured that I would see if you tried to pick her up."
Mari laughed and watched Fred loose his feathers and with a pop, return to his normal form.
"It was all George," Fred told them. "I already have a girlfriend."
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Charlie led Mari back to the Leaky Cauldron and they flooed back to the Burrow. She fell out of the fireplace and onto another red haired man.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She giggled and stood up, "I'm fine," she told him.
"And you are?" he asked, pulling himself up from the floor.
"Marietta Grant," she said and held out her hand.
He took the offered hand, "I'm Bill Weasley, what brings you to the Burrow?"
Just then Charlie stumbled out of the fireplace and right into Mari. They landed in a tangle of limbs, the sound of Mari's laughter ringing through the room. "Now Charlie, aren't you supposed to be better at this than me?" she asked. "I mean, it's understandable that I landed on someone when I came out of the fireplace, but haven't you done this enough that you should at least land on your feet." She stood up and put a hand out to help him up.
"Who did you land on?" he asked as he pulled himself up. He looked around the room and spotted Bill. "Bill, what are you doing home?"
Bill clapped his brother on the back, "I have a few days off then I have to bring Harry to Gringotts to sign some papers. The goblins figured that since our family knows him so well, that I would be the perfect person to bring him in for his meeting. They said something about shares in one of the wizarding world's newest and fastest growing enterprise."
Charlie turned back toward Mari, "Mari, I would like you to meet my brother Bill." He pulled out a chair at the table for her and conjured a tea set. "He works for Gringotts as a curse breaker." He leaned over to Bill, "Mari visited the wizarding world for the first time today and got her first wand."
Molly bustled into the kitchen her arms loaded down with photo albums. "Mari dear, I'm glad that you're back." She noticed her oldest son sitting at the table with her and Charlie, "And that you've met Bill," she said as she dropped the books on the table. "I pulled out all of the photos of you that I have. There are quite a few of you and your mum, and of you and the boys."
"I never had any pictures of when I was young, I guess I know why now. How would you explain moving pictures to anyone that hadn't seen them," she said as Molly handed her the first of the books open to a page with a picture of two small red haired boys and a dark haired girl. They were all standing in the Burrow's garden, one of the boys was holding a broom and the other had his arm around the girl's shoulders.
"The one with the broom is Bill, and the other two are you and Charlie," Molly told her.
She leaned close to the picture and watched as her younger self kissed Charlie on the cheek. "Charlie, you were just the cutest little boy!"