A/N: Well, it's the moment you've all been waiting for…CH 12! Woot! Its not where they were when the final battle started like I said, but oh well, I like it anyway. Oh and here's the Ginny comforting you wanted Mad. Italics are thoughts but really I'm pretty sure you guys will be able to figure out what are thoughts or not. -Sloane
Disclaimer: Its still not mine. It never will be.
Ch 12: Auntie Muriel's
It was Easter before Kit saw Ginny again. She smiled when they picked her up at the train station but something was missing from her eyes. Kit's heart ached for her and the rest of the Weasleys. She promised herself that she would talk to Ginny and try to comfort her once they arrived at their destination.
Destination. She didn't even know where that was. The Burrow wasn't safe anymore. Arthur, Bill and Fleur had even had to leave their jobs. When the danger had gotten too great the Weasleys and the Order had packed up. They were all off to a safe house.
Kit sighed.
She had been with the Weasleys much longer than she had expected. They were all wonderful and insisted that it was no problem, but she still felt useless. And now they were going somewhere else. She hoped that she could be of some help to whoever was to be her host next.
Charlie looked at the house in disbelief. He had no idea why the hell his parents had chosen Muriel of all people.
We must have thousands of relatives. Why Muriel? I mean its not like her house isn't easy to find; its pink for Merlin's sake!
He looked at Kit. She looked like she was going to break a rib suppressing what seemed to be one hell of a laughing fit. Then suddenly her face fell. He turned back to the house and saw why.
Muriel had come out. She was wearing her pink bathrobe 'n' slippers combo and her ever-present scowl seemed to deepen as her beady eyes passed over Kit.
"You're still here then?"
Kit hitched her smile back on. "Yes I am. And thank you for your hospitality. I appreciate it very much."
Charlie was impressed that she was able to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. He certainly wouldn't have been able to.
Muriel only grumbled.
Charlie turned to help the twins and Arthur with the minimal luggage.
Supper was uncomfortable to say the least. What with Muriel voicing rude opinions of every single detail about Kit, the food almost seemed to loose its flavor for Charlie. He didn't know how Kit could take it. First it was that she was foreign, then her laugh was unsightly, and then she got a lecture about how rude and improper it was for a young lady to hiccup. She answered every backhanded comment with a smile and a polite response, but eventually the twins took pity on her and belched so loudly that Muriel quite forgot to be mean to Kit.
After supper they all sat in Muriel's living room. The twins were in a corner discussing what they would do with the business if they had to be in hiding, but keeping their voices down as to not alert Muriel of the plans. Molly and Arthur were talking with Muriel and telling her all of Bill's news, as he had always been her favorite. Charlie came in with the tea he had made. He handed Kit a cup and sat down beside her. She immediately leaned into him and he put his arm around her.
Muriel sniffed disdainfully. "So that is the reason why you are so distracted you cannot make a decent cup of tea. Charles you should not let yourself be distracted by some silly girl." She shook her head. "Young people today, no self control."
Kit raised her eyebrows. "The silly girl has a name you know. It's Kit for future reference, and your right; I don't have any self-control."
And with that she swooped down and kissed Charlie passionately. Muriel gasped. Kit untangled herself, brushed back her hair and said goodnight to everyone.
"Thank you for dinner, Muriel, it was delicious. I'm off to bed."
She exited leaving behind a gob smacked Muriel, a startled Molly and Arthur, a smirking Fred, George, and Ginny, and one extremely flustered Charlie Weasley.
Charlie was so used to being subjected to the creepy smiley-stares that the scorching glare he got from Muriel was almost, almost, a welcome change. He couldn't believe that Kit had done that. Now Muriel wouldn't like her at all, not that she had in the first place… maybe he should have stood up to her. He didn't have time to brood on it though, because Muriel started berating him.
"What were you thinking?" Her jowls were trembling and Ginny was shaking with silent laughter in the background. At least she was happy…
"How could you do that? It's dishonorable! That will not be happening in my house, Charles!" She turned to Molly and Arthur. "You two may allow it, but there will be no necking under my roof!"
Charlie couldn't help it; he burst out laughing.
"See? No respect! In my day we were respectful to our elders and we kept our private business private, unless you were married and then you still were discreet." She took a break in her ranting to look puzzled. "Why is she here anyways? Doesn't Kate have her own family?"
Charlie was getting angry. "Its Kit. K-I-T. And she's with us because I love her and want her- need her to be safe. She's practically family, isn't she, Mum?"
Molly nodded but Muriel wasn't paying attention.
"AHA!" she screeched. "That's it!"
"This should be good." Whispered Fred.
"Yeah, I can't wait to 'ear it." Snickered George.
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"She's pregnant isn't she? That's why you need her to be safe! Another Weasley on the way! And out of wedlock too, I might add. Charles Timothy! I expected better of you!"
Charlie turned beet red. "W-what?!" he was stuttering. "T-That's not true!"
Molly looked up. "It better not be true." She gave Charlie a look reminiscent to Professor McGonnagall's death glare.
"It's not."
"Well," said Ginny, over Muriel yelling. "I'm off to bed, night all."
Charlie chose that moment to try and sneak away. It didn't work.
Kit was just getting into bed when Ginny entered smiling.
"Hey. Why are you so smiley?"
"You will not believe what Muriel just said."
"I've got an idea." Said Kit grimly. "I probably shouldn't have pulled a stunt like that on the first day here."
"No way!" exclaimed Ginny. "It was bloody brilliant! Well, not brilliant, he is my brother so that was a little weird. But the look on Auntie Muriel's face was priceless."
"So did she explode?"
Ginny nodded grinning. "It was hilarious! She started going on about how you two had no respect and then, get this, Charlie try to defend you and she asked if you were still with us cuz he knocked you up!"
"WHAT?"
"I know right? Hilarious. So me, Fred and George were pretty much busting a gut in the background and then Charlie's voice gets all high and squeaky and he's red and stuttering and Muriel just keeps going on and on, ranting about how you two will not be necking under her roof. Necking, honestly that's the exact word she used."
Kit was laughing her head off by the end of Ginny's story. "Wait—Do I look pregnant?"
Ginny started laughing again.
After a while she rolled over on to her back and stared up at the ceiling. "It feels good to laugh again."
Kit smiled. "Yeah. Did you know that laughing is good for your health? We should all laugh more."
Ginny chuckled. "You sounded just like Hermione then…Merlin, I miss them."
Kit glanced at her, smile dimming. "We all do, Ginny."
"I know, but at least you guys are doing something to help!" She jumped off her bed and started pacing. "I was the one stuck at Hogwarts! I was the one always desperate for news! I was the on having to put up with those Death Eaters torturing my friends! I hate being helpless! I hate it!" She wiped away the few tears that had escaped angrily. "I need them to be safe." She whispered.
Kit went over and drew the girl into a tight hug. "Ginny, we all need them to be safe. They are safe I know it. I know its gotta be hard on you, but we all need to be strong. Chin up, you're a Gryffindor, it comes natural to people like you. Me, I need to dig deeper, but you Ginny Weasley, are one of the bravest people I know."
"Kit, I can't help but worry. Ron, he's my brother. We're the closest in age to each other; we grew up doing everything together. Hermione is my best friend. I need her to be okay. If nothing else, then I need her for Ron, and vice versa. If one doesn't survive, neither will the other. You've seen them: you know its true. And Harry. It might be selfish of me, but I worry about him the most." She gave Kit a sad smile. "You know at Hogwarts I used to wake up at night, thinking he was nearby. Just wishful thinking I guess… I just don't understand why it had to be three of the people I love most who were given this job. Its just not fair." She started to cry again.
"I know Ginny." She thought of Hermione, Ron and Harry; they were so young. "It really isn't fair at all."
Kit and Ginny talked more and more over each week. It had long been decided that she couldn't go back to Hogwarts and so she stayed and helped Fred and George with their business in the back room. Kit liked to think that the talks helped, but every once in a while she would come across Ginny who all too often showed the tell-tale signs of someone who had been crying.
She spent her days doing little things for the Order, preparing her segments for Potterwatch, and mostly just trying to stay on Muriel's good side.
Muriel hardly looked her in the face anymore; every time they spoke the old women studied her abdomen. It quickly grew tiresome and she practically begged Molly to insist to Muriel that she was, in fact, not pregnant. Muriel still didn't believe her.
The day Bill arrived with Mr. Ollivander was the day Kit finally lost her patience.
Muriel had accepted the tiara that Fleur had worn at the wedding proclaiming that she had thought it to be stolen. Then she suddenly turned to Ollivander. "Were you at the wedding? It was quite beautiful. I had hoped that all my grand nephews would have a marvelous wedding such as that. It's out of the question for Charlie though. A child outside of marriage, I tell you!" She shook her head. "Its that foreign girl. Bewitched him completely."
Mr. Ollivander looked as if he didn't know what to say. Kit, however, stood up.
"For God's sake, Muriel! For the last time, I AM NOT PREGNANT! Augh!" She left the kitchen in a huff. She stormed out into the garden and flopped down on the grass underneath the large crabapple tree.
Charlie soon arrived beside her.
"Don't worry, I told the old bat off again."
She smiled weakly. "Why doesn't she like me? I mean, I try to be nice and it just doesn't work. What am I doing wrong?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Muriel just isn't happy unless she's making someone miserable. If you weren't here, it would be somebody else."
Kit rolled her eyes. "Well, that makes me feel better.'
Charlie grinned. "Glad to help, Preggo."
Kit punched him lightly. "NOT FUNNY."
"Au contraire, it is really quite funny."
"If we weren't living here I would love to get back at her for that."
"Well, when we get married, how 'bout we just don't invite her?"
"What?" Kit's eyes widened.
"What?" Repeated Charlie going red. "I didn't say anything."
Shit, shit, shit. Charlie you are an idiot! How could you do this to us? What were you thinking? Now she's going to get all freaked out!
Like this?
Yes, like this. Honestly, if you've got nothing helpful to say, don't talk at all.
I think maybe you should focus on what she's trying to day at the moment, we'll argue about how stupid you are later.
"You said when we get married." Kit looked confused.
"Yeah, well. I didn't mean now or anything…just, you know, maybe someday…" He trailed off praying that he didn't sound as stupid to her as he did to himself.
She smiled. "You think about that stuff? I am sooo telling David and Monica! Your lucky your cute, you pansy."
"Of course I think about that kind of stuff. It's important to me. And I may be a pansy, but better a pansy than cold hearted."
Kit grinned. "True. But like I said before, you're lucky you're cute."
"You only want me for my looks!" Cried Charlie. "You fiend!"
Kit laughed. "You love it." She lay down to watch the clouds. "And wh--if we do get married, she is definitely not coming."
Charlie intertwined his fingers with hers. "Kit, if we get married, you can invite whoever you want."
They spent the rest of the day watching the clouds and grinning stupidly.
A/N: Review if Charlie's a cutie. Eww, I just said cutie. Review anyway, even if it's just to tell me off.