Slight change of plan: I divided my initial chapter in two parts.

I hope you'll enjoy this one.


Chapter 14

Father, Mother, Sons and Daughter

The departure for Hogwarts was making Arthur Weasley nervous. There were the obvious reasons – Order's business was never to take on lightly and today was the scene to another assignment requiring, yes, constant vigilance.

Moody's paranoia was growing on him in a way he had not believed possible.

He inwardly recapitulated the plan: Moody and himself were the carriers. They were about to escort the kids to King's Cross. Tonks and Lupin were posted on Platform 9 ¾, disguised in Merlin knows what. They had been instructed to stay completely anonymous and not to approach the kids.

Clearly, Dumbledore had still in mind Sirius' shenanigans.

McGonagall and Snape were exceptionally posted on the Hogwarts Express. Dumbledore had the perfect pretext to assign them there: the O.W.L.S were finally delivered after the mayhem that paralyzed the Ministry for months following the Death Eaters' attack. The two professors were there officially to deliver the O.W.L.S to their respective students, but they were keeping a close eye on Harry. Molly was staying home to let in the owl Charlie was sending: apparently, a suspicious magic-induced uproar had been recorded in Romania.

Molly's eyes prevented him from uttering certain words he had tried to unsuccessfully eradicate from his sons' vocabulary as he heard the aforementioned Moody stop the car in front of the Burrow in a loud squealing sound. "Don't worry, honey. I'll drive the damn – I mean, the car this time," he mumbled to his wife, who had already a reproachful look on her face.

Lately, to his astonishment, he had to scold his precious daughter about her use of dirty words. "Talk to her, Arthur, please," his wife had urged him, "she's turning into Fred and George."

Arthur Weasley had watched his two youngest children this summer change in an unsettling way. He thought he had seen it all after Fred and George. Bill had not been much trouble at that age. He was an excellent student, serious, self-assured, even if he was also the object of devoted feminine attention the same way he – Arthur had been a long time ago, as Minerva McGonagall once pointed to him with what may have been a smirk.

Arthur was still not sure after all those years if she was mocking him.

Mr. Weasley smiled to himself as he remembered the frequent visits from owls during those previous summers: they were carrying a suspicious number of perfumed parchments adorned with a lot of different handwritings… all for Bill.

His firstborn son used to read them with a perplexed eye and shrugged with an embarrassed smile when he teased him about all of it. Bill did have that rough patch right after graduating from Hogwarts when he had slammed the Burrows' doors from anger during the first few weeks of the summer and Molly had mouthed to him, "Broken heart, Arthur. It will mend." And Molly was always right about those things; Bill had regained his usual composure after a while.

Charlie – brave, strong, even-tempered Charlie - had been too busy with Quidditch and studies to be truly rebellious, and Percy…

Arthur Weasley closed his eyes as he gulped a small sip of his boiling hot tea, wincing more from the sting of the memory than from the drink scorching his tongue.

Percy was a good student and a good boy. He still was, but Arthur had discovered the hard way Percy was easily blinded by power.

That idea sent a shiver down his spine. Arthur would have never believed it if someone had predicted him this son of his would turn his back on them and become the unlikely rebel of the family.

Arthur's mother used to say each time he announced the birth of a son, "Don't forget, Arthur dear, boys are like Boggarts: if you fear they'll become toads, they will become toads. Take good care of your boys." He had thought his mother was trying to scare him: he never feared anything for Percy, as he was obedient, smart and ambitious.

Was he proud when Percy was hired at the Ministry! Arthur had realized soon enough that they were not the same, not at all, and maybe Percy was a little too much of a good boy, a little too much obedient to other people but his family. Mr. Weasley had a sinking feeling for a while, believing that he had failed Percy by not advising him better.

But would he have listened to me? I don't have the kind of power he's looking for.

Arthur half-heartedly understood Percy's desire to distinguish himself. After all, Percy came to Hogwarts after brainy Bill and Quidditch star Charlie. Arthur wondered if that had been difficult for his son, living in the shadows of both his brothers, even if Percy had nothing to be shameful about.

The thing Arthur Weasley could not accept was how Percy turned against him, against his mother, against his brothers and sister to fly in those high spheres, how Percy decided that they were wrong and therefore rejecting what made him a Weasley.

He believed Percy would come to his senses one day, that he would understand why everything had to be done the way it was. Molly needed him to be strong and confident about this.

His heart was bleeding as he looked at that small wrinkle between her eyebrows, a line that was not there before Percy left.

And then there were Fred and George, his infuriating twins, always plotting some kind of incredible scheme…Merlin, he loved their guts. Arthur could not count the times he secretly tried the confiscated inventions in the marital bedroom. He was always impressed and almost drunk with amazement, "Molly! The twins are unbelievable! Can you believe that they invented a potion that colours the nails red/that dissolves undergarments/that turns nose hair pink? Look! They are geniuses!"

Molly would answer with an annoyed voice, "Honestly, Arthur. Come to bed now. You'll poison yourself one day. Geniuses need to do their homework too, dear. And you're not going to work tomorrow with pink nose hair."

And now, Ron had developed multiple personalities. Ron was in the midst of teenage angst in a man's body. Arthur could not make head or tail of it. Ron had always been the simple, uncomplicated child, shrugging okays and following the flow. When did he turn into an explosive mix of shyness and buoyancy?

Ron who always shared his stuff without a peep with Ginny was suddenly secretive and skulking in a corner. Ron who was not the most articulate of his sons was unfolding to be the most sensitive of them all under his bravado.

Ron who was the best friend to Harry Potter…

Ron was loyal and unafraid, as much as a naïve teenage boy can be, thought Arthur. To his opinion, Ron was foolishly convinced that nothing could touch him or his friends if they stuck together. And now of course, Ron who was friends with Hermione Granger was not so innocent anymore.

Arthur had seen him ogling her this summer. He knew what was coming Ron's way.

Heartbreak.

Molly did not share his opinion about this, but it was crystal clear to him that they would be forever at each other's throat. "Ron is stubborn as a ram and Hermione is so… bossy," he had told his wife this morning in the kitchen. Molly had stared at him with that look that still managed to raise goose bumps on his skin, even after seven children and a load of hardships. She had a twinkle in her eye when she softly said, as she surrounded him with her arms, "That's what your mother thought about me." Arthur had chuckled and had tried to defend his mother, "She never said that, Molly. She said that you were assertive." Molly's giddy laugh had filled the kitchen and Arthur had felt perfectly happy for a moment.

Arthur swallowed a piece of toast as he waved Moody in. "Hello, Alastor," smiled Molly, "would you care for some breakfast?" As Moody's magical eye swivelled in its orbit, the ex-Auror answered, "It would be more than welcomed, Molly. Thank you." A thump in the stairs made Mr. Weasley lift his gaze and he faced Ginny.

His daughter sprung to the table, her eyes still clouded with sleep and her red hair draping her shoulders like a cloak. Arthur had seen her change in a way that he was not ready to acknowledge - not at all. "Good morning, sleepyhead," he smiled to her as she let herself fall on a chair. The huge hairy beast that answered to the name of Crookshanks jumped on her knees with a purr but she made it go down from her with a small pat on its behind.

Ginny smiled back to him and she helped herself to some tea. Arthur studied her face as she poured a cup. He could not help but feel immensely proud when she held out the cup for Mad Eye, "Would you like a cup of tea, Mr. Moody?" The man took it with a crooked smile and Arthur scratched the tip of his long nose. Ginny seemed to lure people under her spell with a simple smile these days.

Where was his baby girl? At Christmas last year, he had bounced her on his knees with mock effort to make her laugh. Whenever she had a serious face on her, he tickled her chin and said, "So what's bothering you, sweetie darling?" And she used to laugh it off and kiss him on the cheek with an overflow of giggles that made her brothers snort, "Nothing, sweetie daddy."

It was in the past now. He had tried it once this summer, one night she had eclipsed herself from the living room and he had found her sitting on the steps of the porch, a quilt around her shoulders. He had tried his dad trick and instead of her usual banter, she looked him in the eye, "I'm thinking about the war."

Arthur had felt his knees buckle under him: he sat besides her, stroking silently her hair as she curled up to him. He had tried to soothe her by saying comforting words, by saying that he understood why she was afraid. Arthur's stomach had shrivelled up into a knot when she bluntly said, "I'm not afraid for myself, Dad. I'm thinking that war is going to happen whether I want it or not and I wonder how we will all live through this."

After what happened in her first year at Hogwarts – raw anger flooded him - he would have almost wished that Ginny were afraid for herself. She would have taken another path instead of the one she seemed to be engaging herself onto. Seeing his daughter so strong this summer had terrified Arthur Weasley: he knew now that Ginny was not going to recoil or to dodge what would come her way. She was willingly bringing herself into it.

Arthur Weasley had two sons already up to their eyes in the Order: he had not told Molly about how Fred and George were working in their spare time on devices that would be useful to the Order, therefore making them unofficial members. With their Ministry adventures last spring, Ron and Ginny were now colliding head first with the war too. He had been so close to loose them…and Harry…and Hermione…

What would have happen if Dumbledore had not been there?

All his children were stubborn but Percy and Ginny were unmovable, "almost as much as you are" emphasized Molly whenever he complained about it.

And now, his daughter had tied herself to Harry Potter with a smile and unexpected softness in her eyes– nothing more than innocent kisses, he hoped with a tinge of concern, she was too young - but he had seen her determination, her fierce resolution to be a part of the tight trio Ron, Harry and Hermione had knitted through the years. She wanted to be the fourth Musketeer.

That was the other reason why Arthur Weasley was nervous about their departure for Hogwarts. His concerns for Harry's safety were also for his own children; they have bounded themselves to the boy in a way that was more than simple friendship now. Learning about the DA had made him see his youngest children in another light. He could not protect them anymore;he could notkeep them out of that reality.

It had crystallised the second Harry had opened the door in Privet Drive, Arthur had disguised his shock behind a smile: the boy was turning into James Potter. He had the same fearless, manly expression on his face but soon enough, Arthur had seen Harry-the-boy pierce back through the confidence armour. The poor boy was wounded deeply by Sirius Black's death, it was obvious and it broke his heart.

What am I suppose to do? Would he think I'm an old snoop if I tried to comfort him?

Arthur had seen him around the Burrow, smiling and laughing, but the usually startling green eyes had a new quality to them: uncertainty. Arthur believed that Harry knew now how much he had to loose.

The kids are not kids anymore.

Arthur Weasley cleared his throat as Moody addressed him a sinister wink, while Ginny casted a suspicious glance upon him, "Lupin and Tonks have completed their delivery. It's safe."

Arthur Weasley's blood froze in his veins. He hated the idea: that woman, that creature was going to teach his children. He hated the idea that something as foul as a Bearer, this Bearer would be in contact with his flesh and blood, with Harry, for Merlin's sake. He had exposed it in a very passionate way to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore had dumbfounded him after his tirade, in front of Snape, McGonagall and Lupin, "Now Arthur, I admire your devotion towards your family. Nevertheless, I have to admit I'm surprisedyou are unawareabout the previous friendship between that young woman and your flesh and blood, as you say. I believe Bearers are greatly misunderstood; I encourage you to ask Bill about her. I am hoping you will trust him on this. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"

The candy had left a bitter taste on his tongue, as he had felt snubbed.

Dumbledore cannot be thinking that I'll swallow this like a piece of candy

Arthur had felt betrayed when McGonagall nodded with her usual seriousness. Snape had almost brought him to his knees when he gave him an astonishing piece of information, in a low, silky tone that made Arthur's hair raise on his arms, "You must be very proud, Arthur. Your son is certainly courageous. Befriending a Bearer and now a Veela. How fitting for a curse breaker."

The Potions Master had not said much more but was adamant about bringing the Bearer in for her own protection – well, Snape never openly disagree with the Headmaster's opinions, did he? - and Lupin, who had seemed to be on his side to this moment, looked like he was now going Dumbledore's way.

Everything around the Bearer was rotten, including playing-with-fire Tonks: her Obliviating charms on poor Mrs Maddigan at the archives section of the Wizarding Workforce Bureau were such a disgraceful way to get information. She could have done it another way, he was sure of it.

His own wife had turned her back to him about this, but Arthur Weasley felt his intuition was right and he stubbornly attached himself to it. Doing business with a Bearer would contaminate the Order: she would bring discord and gloomy plans. It had already started. His usually easygoing relationship with his firstborn child was now tense.

All this because of her.

After the meeting with Dumbledore, Arthur had stormed back home and he had gestured at Bill, compelling him into a room under Molly's astonished expression.

They had a heated discussion where Bill admitted that he knew her and that she used to be his girlfriend. "Your girlfriend? You went out with a Bearer and now you're going out with a Veela! What's the problem with you?" had asked Arthur, his eyes betraying his irritated disbelief.

Bill had crossed his arms, "Fleur is part Veela. Why do you care about the Bearer, Dad? It's been years now. I didn't know she was one to begin with. And furthermore, I'm not a kid anymore, I don't owe you justifications about -"

Arthur had interrupted him, "Do you know the saying, Bill? A Bearer's kiss is a –" and Bill had stammered back, tilting his head in a provocative stance, "- a kiss from death, yeah, I know that ludicrous piece of rubbish."

Bill had sneered, his eyes glistening, "But so you know, if this stupid saying was true, I would have been killed lots of times. It's been ages since I've seen here and I'm still alive. I thought you would know better. You tolerate Lupin, do you, and he's a werewolf."

He's decent, son.

Don't scold me. You may be a curse breaker, but you haven't seen war yet.

Arthur tried really hard to avoid patronizing speeches– his sons and daughter would never allowed him do so anyway – but he had the aching feeling that his kids did not understand how serious that second war was, the extent of it, and how illusions they may have about the wizarding world would shatter.

He had survived the first war: he remembered how naïve he was, how he believed good would triumph with simple willpower and an efficient organization. Then he had seen Molly's brothers die: he had seen duplicity, immorality, and how temptation to flirt with power lured people into Voldemort's web.

People I thought I knew.

He was shocked when he had realized how good can be tainted with trivial matters, personal agendas and fears of being cheated.

He had seen Sirius Black discreetly ostracize Remus Lupin for a head-scratching reason, and then turn wild –they all thought he was a traitor at the time, how could Sirius forgive them from letting him down? - and he remembered Alice and Frank Longbottom being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange and… The list was interminable.

Arthur Weasley had gritted his teeth and had held his head straight, trying not to look too closely at the Order's members that were falling before him and holding Molly's hand as tight as he could. He tried to keep his gaze high, over the dead bodies, over the pained families: he focused on the arrival, the victory.

Images flew in his mind and he took his glasses off; he wished sometimes that his memory could be as myopic as his eyes.

He had watched his sons become men and making their own choice to follow his stance, all of them but Percy.

When they all believed that Voldemort was destroyed, after James and Lily's death, Arthur was almost as shocked to learn that their son had survived. Rubeus Hagrid had rescued the poor kid from the ashes and when Arthur saw him after that, he could not force any details from him. The only words Hagrid could utter were, "Terrible, terrible..."

And everything was starting again. It had started, and he had almost not survived the second war.

Arthur pushed back his plate with unnecessary strength. Molly had an inquiring look on her tired face and he managed to smile to her as he said, "We're leaving in two hours, Gin. You should go wake up your brother, Hermione and Harry." Ginny muttered, "Blimey…Thanks for the chore, Dad. Ron and Hermione. We're in for a glorious and happy ride to King's Cross."

Arthur would never have admitted it, but sending those two back to Hogwarts, war or not, was a relief.

OOOOooooOOOOO

Harry watched with apprehension a fed-up to his eyes Mr. Weasley shovel into the car trunk their luggage and their brooms. Mr. Weasley opened the door leading to the backseat of the car and pushed in an indignant Crookshanks, the insulted owls in their cages and his brooding son before turning towards Moody who looked disappointed, "I'm driving today, Alastor. Come on, you guys. Get in." Harry sighed with relief and he smirked at Ginny, who smiled gratefully at her father. As he climbed into the car and sat beside Ron, Harry felt a tinge of shame about his unwilling part to this never-ending drama between his friends.

The breakfast must have been awful to witness for Ron's parents – well, it had been a torture for him. Ron and Hermione ate their food without looking at each other, going to stupid lengths to avoid speaking to each other. Ron had even asked Harry with an uncharacteristically polite voice, "Would you hand me the preserves, Harry?"

They were right in front of Hermione and Harry had to draw his arm in front of her to fetch them for him.

Hermione had not lifted her eyes upon Ron. She then said to Ginny, "They're announcing strong winds today." Ginny had stared at her with a puzzled look on her face, "Really?" Then, Hermione had smiled to Harry and she had enounced with a frightening voice, "Yes. And it's blowing in my face right now."

Of course, Ron's face blazed in all its crimson glory and he had shot back in an equally frightening voice, making Harry wonder how his friend managed to keep his cool this time, "Wow, I just remembered something so very interesting that only brainy witches usually remember, Harry. Did you know that today is Lame Insult Day?"

Harry had gritted his teeth and scowled as Mrs. Weasley said with a surprisingly dry voice, "Enough, you two."

They were all crammed in the back of the car, Harry sandwiched between Ron and Ginny, Hermione at the other end of the seat. Mrs. Weasley had decided to stay home and Harry would have sworn he had heard Mr. Weasley whisper to her as he kissed her goodbye, "Lucky woman."

Just before leaving the Burrow, Mrs Weasley had kissed him on the cheeks and she had whispered under her breath, " I know you can make them speak again to each other. Take care of my daughter, will you, Harry dear?" Harry had frozen on the spot as Mrs Weasley fingers flattened his collar. He had swallowed hard, his ears flushed and a weight sank from his stomach to his toes.

Now that he was sitting on the car seat, he was very aware that Ron and Hermione were looking into opposite directions. Harry asked himself if he was qualified for the high-level diplomacy that would be required from him in the next hours.

As Mr. Weasley was engaging the car on the paved road, Harry was overwhelmed by the urge to ask him to turn back and to plead Mrs Weasley on his knees to keep him for a few days.

Alone, so I can take a break from those annoying, annoying snog-deprived idiots

Ginny was glancing at him frequently with this stern look he had seen on her, and she seemed to be oscillating between annoyance and fatigue. Harry felt the car was too small when she whispered to his ear, "Well done, Harry. That plan was a winner."

I deserve this one.

He must have look downright pathetic because Ginny's eyes softened; she covered his fingers with her left hand.

Pink, warm, soft and freckled skin

Harry absorbed himself in the sight, indulging into an egoistical recollection of one perfect cupboard snog, but Ron and Hermione burst his bubble when they turned and looked at each other. They slowly asked in perfect unison, ogling the other with mistrust, "What plan?"

Harry skulked in the car seat and Ginny gnawed on her nails. As a heavy silence loomed over their head, Harry thought that there was hope.

Maybe I could loose them in King's Cross.


Chapter 15 will bring you into the Hogwarts Express.

To be continued.