Ron was mumbling darkly to himself. Harry and Hermione kept exchanging glances. They cycled through worried, amused, annoyed, confused, and back again and least three times before he stopped and flopped back on his bed. "If she loves him, he better not break her heart. That's all I have to say." Hermione rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall with a relieved look on her face.
Ron sat up again. "What makes you think she's in love with him anyway? I mean, you're the one who says no one has seen evidence that she is even though they've all been looking." He sounded a little too hopeful.
Harry shook his head and laughed a little. "Face it, mate, anyone can see it. It's practically palpable. Didn't you notice that he wasn't afraid of her today when she was mad at him?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Didn't you notice that she couldn't stay mad?"
"Yeah…" he was beginning to catch on.
"How many people do you know that can stand up to your sister? That are more stubborn than she is and can stare her down?"
"None…" the admission was made reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean that she…"
"She got through to him when no one else could, not even Dumbledore." Harry interrupted him.
"But that doesn't mean she's in love with him! Maybe he's just in love with her or something…"
Harry rolled his eyes. "The energy that flows between them cannot possibly be one-way."
The next day everyone was up early and Draco decided to go ahead and hold the meeting at nine. Nothing had changed but a few minor details that had been overlooked were hammered out. Order members began arriving by eleven and by noon all the assignments had been handed out. Ginevra ordered everyone to take the afternoon and evening off to relax since nothing could be done by those that remained 'til the next day anyway.
After lunch Pansy spoke up. "The topic keeps turning to the war. That means only one thing."
"I am NOT participating." Snape folded his arms across his chest and glowered, daring someone to challenge his assertion.
"Oh yes you are!" Draco laughed as he took the challenge. "Everyone to the study!"
Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at each other in confusion. "It means charades." Ginevra informed them on their way out. "Pansy decided long ago that if conversation kept turning to the war during mandatory down times the only way to prevent it was to engage in an activity that necessitates the center of attention exercise complete silence." They all nodded in understanding.
Once everyone was in the study Charlie stood before them all. "Now, seeing as how we have three new comers, we need to go over a few rules. I know you all know how to play the game but we have had to modify it a little. Rule number one, Draco and Ginevra are on opposing teams. Rule number two, Draco and Snape are on opposing teams. Rule number three, Ginevra and Pansy are on opposing teams. Rule number four, I and Pansy are on opposing teams. Rule number five does not apply since Tonks is absent. Rule number six, I and Theodore are on opposing sides. Rule number seven…"
"Okay okay!" Pansy threw a pillow at him. "Just tell us how the teams stand!"
"Fine!" Charlie pretended to pout. "Ginevra, Snape, myself, Harry, and Hermione against Draco, Pansy, Ron, Theodore, Remus, and Molly."
"You guys went through a lot of trouble to work out these teams didn't you?" Harry seemed impressed and Ron seemed confused.
"Yeah, well, after a few fiascos where the teams were unbalanced," Charlie hissed in through his teeth, "Theodore and I sat down and figured it out. Basically, no couples and no best friends on the same team, we also added mother and daughter when Ginny and Mum cleared up." Molly exchanged a look with her daughter and they both laughed remembering the game in question.
Pansy threw another pillow at Charlie, as of yet no one had figured out where she got her endless supply, "Sit down or draw!"
"Yes ma'am!" He saluted her and did as he was told.
No one would ever forget Snape hopping around like a bunny to illicit the response of Here Comes Peter Cottontail. It would be relived at family gatherings for years to be greeted by much laughter and a scowl from him. Ron kept getting docked for adding sound effects, but Remus made up for it when he drew The Boy who Called Wolf. He signified five words, pointed at Harry, made a fussy face and pretended to wipe his eyes with his fists, and pointed to himself while making a circle in the air above him to signify a full moon. Theodore got it immediately.
Ginevra caught her team up pretty easily, however. She drew Little Red Riding Hood, pointed to her hair, and mimed pulling a hood up over her head. Charlie had guessed it before she had had the hood all the way on.
"We would have separated siblings as well, but there are just too many of them." Theodore leaned over and whispered to Harry as Pansy shrieked in mock indignation.
"He used legillamancy, I saw him!" She couldn't keep a straight face though. Charlie threw one of her own pillows back at her, which she caught deftly and hit him over the head with it. Taking the opportunity to put on a show, Theodore dove between them.
He pretended to be struggling to hold her back. "Quick! Snape, help me separate them before she kills him!" He turned back to Charlie. "Run man! When will you listen to me! Domestic abuse is not a sign of love!" Pansy started tickling him, though, and his last statement was all but lost in laughter.
"Oh, but she'll by flowers in the morning." Charlie leaned over the squirming Theodore to kiss Pansy.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Draco had started jumping up and down, pointing at the kissing couple as Theodore mimed being sick on the floor. "I know! I know! I know! I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus!" He was acting like an over excited four year old. Charlie dove at him and they began wrestling on the floor. Theodore looked over at Bill and they jumped up and acted like they were straining to pull the two apart. Bill fell back panting and Theodore took a step back, whipped his brow with his hand, got an over determined look on his face, and dove back in. Together they pried their way in between Draco and Charlie and behaved as though it was taking all their strength and more to push them apart.
Theodore "accidentally" kicked Bill's foot out from under him and Bill came "toppling" back on top of him as Draco took the opportunity to jump on Charlie who was falling on top of Bill. The rest of the room was roaring in laughter and Ginevra adopted her best school marm air with her hands on her hips and stood before them.
She reached out to pull Draco off the top with a "Now, now boys…" but squealed as he pulled her down and she found herself being tickled by Theodore as Charlie rolled on top of her to hold her down. Pansy began pelting them all with pillows and demanded they release her friend and soon found herself in the pile.
Harry leaned over to Remus. "Are they always like this during down time?"
Remus smiled. "Do you mean this insane or playing off each other like this?"
"Both." Harry was laughing in amazement. He has seen the Weasley siblings together, but it was never anything like this.
"You have to be insane to survive these days. I don't know what you three have been through, but around here we have been hit with tragedy, loss, stress, fear, and danger on every side. Their ability to make each other and everyone else around them laugh is what has brought us through. As for playing off of each other, well, that isn't just in down times. The feed off of each other in everything from battle, to strategy meetings, to games."
"But two of them…"
"Are the leaders? Doesn't matter. That is one of the many things that makes them unique. Most leaders throughout history have found it necessary to separate themselves from the men, so to speak, in order to command the needed respect. They don't. They have the authority, no one questions that. Their ability to lead as they do, make the decisions they do, take on the responsibility they do, live as they do, and still remain real people," he shrugged, "that just adds to the respect they receive. No one envies them the ability they have to see the world they way they see it or the responsibility of acting upon that vision and we are all simply glad that they can continue to live relatively normal lives despite it."
The tussle had died down and they were all lying on their backs panting. "I believe it is my turn." Draco finally stood and held his hand out to Ginevra.
"Indeed it is." She was half way up when she changed her mind and pulled him back down. She stood up and offered her hand out to him.
He eyed it suspiciously as if unsure of whether or not he could trust her before taking it and making his draw.