Maybe it's All for the Best
Chapter4: Back
Mayhem broke out at the Burrow as we walked into the kitchen. The twins jumped on me as soon as they saw me, almost suffocating me with their hugs. Molly started poking my waist, telling me I was too skinny and she'd fix me something to eat. Hermione screamed, dropped her cup of tea and also jumped on me.
By the time all the hugs were finished, I was about to pass out. It felt like every bone in my body was crushed and that wasn't even everyone!
"Oh my god I've missed you all so much!" I laughed as I fell into a seat around the table.
"How long has it been, Riles?" George asked, sitting backward on the seat next to me.
"Three years. Have I missed much?" I asked with a laughed.
"Oh no nothing much" Fred rolled his eyes and sat next to Avery, across from me. "Just a couple of birthdays... Christmas's... a war... but that was small and insignificant" His face broke out into a grin.
"Oh yeah, a small and insignificant war" I laughed.
"You're lucky you weren't here" Hermione sighed. "It was awful"
"Probably the only reason I let you stay in New York" Mum spoke up. "It was bad enough with Avery and Roe involved... I didn't want you here too"
"It's over now and I'm home!" I squeezed her hand. She gave me a small smile and I felt a slice of guilt go down my stomach. I should have been here for them.
"So tell us about New York dear" Molly smiled, placing a cup of tea in front of me, bringing me from my thoughts. I took a big sip and sighed. It was lovely and milky, the way tea was meant to be. "Are you living with your aunt in Haven?"
"No, no" I shook my head "I actually live in the muggle city itself. I have my own apartment that I share with my friend Katy" I explained. "Although, Nate would like me to move in with him..." I picked up my tea cup again.
"Nate?" Avery asked.
I bit my lip. I hadn't told them about Nathaniel yet.
"Boyfriend!" Roe squawked, cutting me off. "What boyfriend?"
"Oh yeah... Nathanial Carter. We've been together for almost a year and a half now" I nodded.
"Why haven't you told us about him!" Avery wrinkled her brow.
"Because I keep forgetting you guys don't get the muggle news..." I shrugged.
"I knew" Ginny smirked. Roe stuck her tongue out at Ginny. "Nathanial Carter is a muggle actor. Tall, blonde, very very good looking" She winked at me.
"A muggle?" Roe snickered.
"Yes. A muggle. There's nothing wrong with that Mrs Malfoy" I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Someone say my name?" I heard Draco's drawling voice from the door behind me. I jumped up and hugged the pale-faced Slytherin. "Hello Riles... Long time no see" He kissed my cheek.
"Really long time" I agreed. He'd gotten taller and he looked different. I couldn't explain how but it was like he'd aged three years in... well three years. I guess everyone was different now. He let go of me and moved around the table to sit with Roe. He kissed her on the cheek and brushed some hair off her face.
I smiled. They were still so very in love. I was happy for them. Once upon a time I hated that boy, but then he put himself on the line to save me from his psychotic father and I realised he wasn't the bad guy. I still have to repay him somehow.
"So, loving New York hey?" He turned and smiled at me. Even with the scar running down his cheek, made by his father so many years ago, he still looked very handsome. Just... older. Everyone looked older.
"I love New York..." I nodded "I get to wear the most amazing clothes and my job is to smile and have my picture taken... It takes me all around the world as well and I get to see so many different things... It's really the best job in the world" I grinned and took another sip of tea. Oh god the English made good tea!
"But you miss home, right?" Mum bit her lip. I glanced at her. She looked like she was about to cry.
"Mum! Of course I miss home!" I grabbed her hand. "It's just... I love New York. I've always loved New York" I added.
"Oh my baby is so grown up!" She exclaimed.
"I was the same when Charlie left..." Molly said, a slight smile on her face.
"Worse with Bill" George sighed.
"Didn't even bat an eye lid when we moved out" Fred rolled his eyes. Molly smacked him softly with the news paper. "It's true!"
"So where is everyone? Who's coming over tonight?" I asked, looking at the big clock on the wall. There were so many hands on it now it was impossible to see anything on it.
"Everyone's coming tonight" Roe grinned.
"Bill is in the vaults and Sirius and Moody are probably in the office... Sirius is the Head Auror down there now" Fred listed off on his fingers.
"Fleur is due over any minute with baby Victoire" Mum said, glancing at the same clock I was looking at.
"Charlie's still on the Dragon Reserve" Draco added. "Finishing up with the Welsh Green we caught yesterday" He explained.
"Ron and Harry are..."
Two loud cracks from the living room cut Roe off.
"Mum! We're HOME!"
"In the living room" Roe continued without missing a beat.
"MUM!" Ron yelled again.
"I'm in the kitchen Ronald! Don't yell!" Molly yelled back. "Guess who's home!" She shot me a broad smile.
I held my breath, feeling like the butterflies were going to erupt out of my throat. This was the moment when I saw him. This was that moment that I'd been half dreading since I remembered it would happen.
"No! Couldn't be... Riley Vanderbilt has come home at last!" Ron strode into the kitchen, a huge grin on his face. I started grinning uncontrollably again and stood up. He, like Draco, also looked different. His hair was shorter, he'd grown about 6 inches and he'd lost that gangly boyish look about him. Standing in front of me was a very grown up Ron Weasley.
"RONALD!" I squealed and jumped into his arms.
"Three bloody years! It's been too long, Riley!" He hugged me so tight I thought my bones would break. "Merlin, don't they feed you in New York?" He put me back on my feet.
"That's exactly what your mother said" I rolled my eyes and slapped his shoulder lightly.
"Mum, haven't you made her anything to eat yet?" He looked at Molly. I laughed. He was still the same old Ron Weasley.
I glanced behind him as Molly started to answer and stopped breathing. I stopped listening, stopped moving, stopped everything. Harry Potter was standing in the doorway rubbing the back of his head, looking awkward and out of place. My breath caught in my throat as I looked him over from top to toe.
He was grown up. His face was no longer round and boyish, but angled and defined. His hair was still the same mess it had always been, but now it was longer and fell in his eyes. He glanced up at me through the mess of black hair and studied me with his sparkly emerald green eyes. I took a deep breath in and out.
"Hiya Harry" I smiled and waved my hand lamely.
"Riley... hey" He smiled back. "How are you?" He walked over and hugged me. It was a very quick hug, no more than a second before he pulled away from me.
"I'm great" I exclaimed. "Glad to be home!" I sat in my seat. Roe kicked me under the table but I shot her a look and picked up the sandwich Molly had made for me.
"That's good... Listen I'd love to stay and chat but I left Teddy with a baby sitter today... I'll see you tonight at dinner" He waved his hand and walked outside. I heard a crack and he was gone.
I stared at the back door, puzzled. "Who's Teddy?" I asked, turning back to everyone.
"Teddy is Teddy Lupin. Remus and Tonk's son" Molly explained. I glanced at my friends but no one wanted to meet my eyes. "Harry took him in after..." She trailed off. That was the only explanation I needed. My stomach dropped out of my butt.
"Oh no" I whispered softly, placing my sandwich back on the plate. "I'm so sorry"
"Nothing we can do about it dear" Molly patted my hand sadly. "We lost a few people in the war"
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" I gulped. I could feel tears behind my eyes and I quickly blinked them away.
"Well because it all happened to fast, in the middle of the war... there was no time to do anything" Mum shrugged.
"I'm... I'm so sorry" I whispered. I stood. "Excuse me" I mumbled before pushing the door open and going outside. I looked up at the purple sky of dusk and took a deep breath. How could I have completely missed everything?
I was too busy living like a muggle to miss important things back home a voice in my head said in a snarky voice. I never realised how out of touch I was in the muggle world, how much I would miss. Guilt ran through me like poison.
I should have been here for my friends. I should have been here but instead I was too happy to be away from one boy.
It sounded so stupid now.
"Don't beat yourself up over it Riles" I heard Ron behind me. "We lost a lot of people but you should be glad you weren't here"
"But that's just it Ron, I wasn't here for people... for my family" I turned around and looked at him, tears in my eyes. "You know I didn't even realise I missed this place until I was standing in front of it" I sniffed. A tear ran down my cheek and I swallowed. "I'm just... sorry I wasn't here"
Ron walked over to me and put his arms around my shoulders, pulling me in close "Don't worry about it. You were safer away from the war, trust me. But we did miss you... he missed you too" He added. I drew in breath through my teeth as my gut clenched. I didn't want to hear about him missing me. I'd rather not know at all.
"Don't Ron. I moved on, it's been two years, I have a fi- boyfriend. I don't need to hear he missed me" I shook my head. Ron shrugged.
"Suit yourself" He guided me back toward the house and I wiped my face. "We're so happy to have you home, I promise" He smiled at me before opening the door.
The night continued like nothing had changed and soon the house was filled with EVERYONE; Bill, Fleur and Victoire, Charlie, Marie (Charlie's fiancée), George, Angelina, Fred, Avery, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Theodore Knott, Draco, Riley, Sirius, Dumbledore and of course Harry and little Teddy.
I was so happy to be surrounded by friends and family again. It really started to feel like I'd never left.
"So tell me about this boyfriend of yours that Ginny seems to know everything about. We need all the details, right now!" Fleur said as the girls and I curled up on the couches while we waited for dinner.
Roe nodded from her spot next to me, Victoir on her lap. "I can't believe you never told me!"
"You never told me about Draco so I guess we're even" I smirked at her.
"That's different... You're the baby. I need to know things about your boyfriends and stuff so I can kick their asses" She made Victoir kick her leg and the toddler giggled.
Over by the fire where he was talking to Ron and Sirius, Harry turned his head slightly as if he heard us but didn't look over. He's been back at the burrow for a little while, but he hadn't said anything to me since he arrived. I turned away from him and grinned at the girls.
"Well...He's a muggle. An actor... very famous and totally gorgeous" I sighed. "Tall, blonde with these sparkly blue eyes and of course lots of muscles" I bit my lip as Hermione, Roe and Riley laughed. "You're gonna have to come out to New York and meet him"
"Or you could bring him here" Roe suggested. I looked around at the house. The first three things my eyes fell upon were magic objects; Molly's knitting knitting itself, a broom sweeping itself in the corner and a disguarded chess piece that appeared to be yelling at us.
"Huh uh" I shook my head. "Nate would freak out" I snorted. "He's a muggle. I've never told him about being a witch because I like him not knowing... for now anyway" I added.
Harry glanced at me and I caught his eye. One eyebrow was quirked as if questioning me, so I looked away quickly.
"So don't you use magic at all?" Ginny sounded shocked.
"Of course I do! How do you think I get my hair looking perfect?" I rolled my eyes.
"I knew it!" She shrieked. "When I saw you in the June Cosmo I was like 'she used my charm on her hair'" She reached beside the couch and grabbed a copy of the magazine. I cringed. Why did she have to pull it out now?
"Oh is this Riley in action?" Fred asked over our shoulder as he passed.
"Yup" Ginny nodded, flipping to the fashion pages. "There" she pointed her finger on the page. I laughed. It was a picture of me standing on a bed in a while Marilyn Munroe style dress with my hair perfectly wavy with a small tiara perched on top.
"Yeah, that's your charm on my hair" I laughed, glancing at the pictures. I was so glad she'd pulled THAT magazine out and not any of my underwear shoots. That would have been embarrassing.
"Give us a look then, Gin" George joined his brother and snatched the magazine from Ginny's hands.
"Yeah, gotta see what's so fantastic about her that she left us behind for the muggle world" Fred nodded, leaning over his brother's shoulder to look at the magazine. Within seconds everyone was crowded around and commenting on my article.
"Woaahhh... Riley in her underwear!" George whistled with a cheeky grin. I blushed. Looks like some snuck in anyway.
"Riley! Why are you in your underwear in this photo?" Mum snatched the magazine from Fred and closed it. She looked horrified. Oops.
"Busted" Roe snickered beside me. I slapped her arm lightly.
"Well you see Mum – "
"EVERYBODY OUTSIDE! DINNER IS SERVED!" Molly yelled, cutting me off. I took this opportunity to scamper past my mother.
"Saved by the bell" I breathed to Fred and George as they followed behind me. They chuckled behind their hands and agreed.
Harry walked past me, not even acknowledging I was there. Wasn't going to lie... it stung just a little.
Plea's Note:
Here it is. Number 4... I just want to let you know that the feelings in this story (coming back home after being away, seeing a first-love who broke your heart into pieces... most of the emotions) is all pretty much true. It happened to me so I'm writing this as a sort of... bittersweet tribute to that. I'm sure we've all been there right?
Anyways, let me know what you think... also there's pleaofinsanityfiction . tumblr . com OR formspring . com / pleaofinsanity Feel free to follow and ask as many questions as you want
Xo Plea