Chapter 25- Mrs. Weasley's Ire
A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers for the past few chapters! Special thanks to Mini Luna who's reviewed each chapter since Chapter 6 and to I am Pandora and Bookygurl for reviewing the last five chapters. Also thanks to all those who have labeled this story as their favorite or put the story on alert.
Thanks once again to my sister for pruning another long chapter. The chapters now will usually be above 7000 words so my update pace is slower(also because of school starting). Thanks to all of you for being patient and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: Besides Kalissa and Natalie, I own nothing of the wizarding world.
"What happened to you two? Why is there an Auror with you two? And where are Remus and Tonks?" asked Mrs. Weasley irately.
Williams had accompanied Natalie and Hermione back to the twins' shop. They navigated their way through all the way to the back of the store where an extremely worried Mrs. Weasley seemed to be pacing.
"Molly, I thought Remus sent you a Patronus, informing you of the, er, incident," replied Williams, flinching slightly under Mrs. Weasley's irate glare. Natalie would have laughed at Williams' clear discomfort but she did not think Mrs. Weasley would like that humor.
"He just said they ran into trouble and Tonks had somehow become injured," snapped Mrs. Weasley.
Williams laughed shakily. "There's slightly more to that. Is there a more private place we can talk?" He glanced around warily at the wave of people surrounding them who thankfully were too enamored with all of the little gadgets and toys to notice the furious look on Mrs. Weasley's face.
"What happened?" asked Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising.
Williams shrugged his shoulders, receding slightly as Mrs. Weasley seemed to slowly step towards him. "I don't know the entire story as my Auror team only arrived in Knockturn Alley after the –"
"You two were in Knockturn Alley?" shrieked Mrs. Weasley, her face a scorching red.
"Silencio!" Mrs. Weasley's voice suddenly went quite.
Natalie, Hermione and Williams immediately jerked their bodies, their wands pointing at the caster of the spell. Behind them, one of the twins raised his wand in mock surrender while the other looked at Natalie and Hermione in amazement.
"We heard Mum practically yelling. Didn't want her to scare the customers," explained the twin who cast the spell. Natalie was almost certain that he was George.
"But seriously, you two were in Knockturn," ogled Fred, looking at them in admiration. Natalie could not stop herself from shaking her head.
Williams wiped his forehead. "You two the owners? Scared the bloody hell out of me."
"Yes we are," chorused the twins together.
"Brilliant store," said Wiliams, earning a proud smack on the back from each of the twins. Williams gazed uneasily at Mrs. Weasley who seemed to be trying to find the counter spell. "Er, why don't we take your mum to a more private place where, er, the two girls can explain?"
Mrs. Weasley glared furiously at Williams. Natalie did not want to imagine the pure madness of Mrs. Weasley's reaction when she realized what actually happened.
"Very well then," announced George. He flicked his wand, causing the outlines of a door to appear in the wall behind them. "Come on young ones, let's go upstairs to our flat." He cheerfully grabbed Natalie and Hermione with each of his hands, leading them through the door. Natalie saw Fred firmly wrap his arm around his mother's waist, taking her into the flat while Williams followed. Natalie could not help but smirk at Mrs. Weasley vehement struggling under her son's grasp.
Surprisingly, the daring, brash exoticness that embodied the shop did not extend into the flat. Looking at the twins' entrance and sitting room, Natalie noticed plain brown walls outlined by the typical scarlet and gold colours of Gryffindor. A few pictures adorned the walls, many of the twins' together at Hogwarts and the joke shop as well as family pictures from what Natalie presumed to be the Weasley home. Comfortable, brown leathered couches lined the side wall and to Natalie's immense surprise, a Muggle televison set lay opposite the couches.
"I see Natalie that you have noticed our little Muggle contraption," said Fred, eying Natalie keenly.
"You two know how to use that thing?" asked Natalie. She and Hermione sat together on one of the couches. Williams, looking cautiously at the television set, sat down on the armchair furthest away from it.
Both twins looked appalled. "Of course we do. We're not as idiotic as we seem," replied Fred in feigned anger as he led a still irate Mrs. Weasley to one of the couches.
"Muggle shows are far better than Wizarding wireless," said George nonchalantly.
"I definitely have to agree with that," said Hermione laughing.
Williams cleared his throat, causing the other five to look at them. "I gather that, er, your mother does not know the counter spell for the Silencing charm." He raised his wand, but Hermione waved her hands frantically in protest.
"No!" Mrs. Weasley glared at Hermione, her hands crossed her against her chest. Hermione winced. "Er, no, I did not mean it that way, Mrs. Weasley. Williams, you can take the Silencing charm off, er, after we've told our story. I, er, don't want to get Mrs. Weasley too, er, excited."
"Very well then. Go on." Mrs. Weasley looked positively outraged. Her fists were clenched and her eyes sparkled with incredibly frightening intensity.
"I don't think that was one of your better ideas," muttered Natalie to Hermione.
Hermione chuckled grimly. "I've seen her when she's mad. We probably would not have been able to finish the story if she had her voice."
"So what is this story?" asked Fred curiously as he and George sat on the couch with Mrs. Weasley.
"Horribly life threatening?" posed George, a playful smirk crossing his face.
"Well not for us," replied Natalie, instantly wincing. Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened so much that Natalie feared they might actually break out of their sockets. Both of the twins glanced at the two girls in absolute bewilderment; an expression Natalie had yet to see on their faces. Even Williams' interest seemed to be taken off the irate Mrs. Weasley.
"Natalie, seeing as you said that, I think you should begin," said Hermione coyly.
Natalie gritted her teeth. "Very well then. While we were in Flourish and Blott's, Remus said Tonks had to leave because she got a message from one of the Aurors, likely you," said Natalie, gesturing towards Williams.
Williams nodded slightly in comprehension. "I never sent her the message. So that's why Remus asked me where I was."
"Exactly," said Natalie, turning towards the slightly confused twins and a now alarmed Mrs. Weasley. "When Remus saw Williams outside of the store, I guess he immediately guessed Tonks was in trouble. Hermione, I think you can do the rest."
Hermione nodded. "He went into Knockturn Alley, looking for Tonks. He told us not to follow, but we were too stubborn to listen so he decided that we could follow at a distance." Mrs. Weasley's face, if possible, turned an even steamier read.
"So Remus found Tonks in that shop in Knockturn, I suppose," asked Williams.
"Yes," answered Hermione. "With three Death Eaters holding her captive."
"Bloody hell!" jeered one of twins.
Hermione raised her hand to silence the twins, eerily reminding Natalie of Minerva. "We knew Remus would not be able to handle the three Death Eaters by himself. We managed to secretly enter the store and then we surprised the Death Eaters and along with Remus, managed, er, to defeat them. The Aurors came shortly after."
"You defeated a bunch of Death Eaters!" exclaimed the twins in unison, their eyes wide open. Mrs. Weasley looked ready to faint.
"They had them apprehended when we arrived," affirmed Williams, smiling at the two girls.
Natalie blushed under the incredulous gazes of the twins. "It was only the three of them and they weren't the smartest of wizards anyway."
"So I believe that's all there is to it, girls?" asked Williams.
Natalie and Hermione nodded. "You can, er, take off the charm," said Hermione, motioning to Mrs. Weasley.
Natalie looked at the ghastly pale Mrs. Weasley in undisguised fear. She noticed the twins starting to slide away from their irate mother.
Williams nodded rather glumly. With a slight grimace on his face, he swept his wand across Mrs. Weasley and returned her wand to her. The other three simultaneously cringed, waiting for the outburst.
"WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING? WHAT IF BOTH OF YOU HAD BEEN KILLED? HOW WOULD YOU EXPECT US TO EXPLAIN TO HARRY AND RON?"
"In all honesty, ma'am, they were a great help to Remus and Tonks," blurted Williams. Natalie shook her head in amazement at his almost comical clumsiness.
"Do you think they should have barged into the shop and faced those Death Eaters? Two 16 year old girls, do you, Mr. Williams?"
Williams retreated back into his chair, his face becoming extremely red. "Well no, Molly I of course do not condone those actions but without them, those Death Eaters, er, would have still been at large."
"They could have been killed or taken to You Know Who. Did you ever consider that? Or do the Aurors only care about capturing Death Eaters and not the lives of innocent children?" snapped Mrs. Weasley, her gaze burning upon the terrified Auror.
Natalie balked at the labeling of children. She and Hermione had shown that they were anything but a pair of foolish and naïve schoolgirls. She saw Hermione out of the corner of her eyes also stiffen. The twins were strangely inconspicuous, gazing at the floor and avoiding each other's eyes and more importantly their mother's wrath.
"Answer my question Mr. Williams. Because from what you've said, it seems that you're more concerned with putting Death Eaters in Azkaban!"
Natalie decided that the Auror did not deserve such a harsh and vehement attack. "Er, Mrs. Weasley?" Mrs. Weasley's head jerked to Natalie. "Yes, Natalie," answered Mrs. Weasley, her voice dramatically dropping to a dangerous low tone.
Natalie cleared her throat. "Hermione and I chose to follow Remus and face those Death Eaters. Mr. Williams had nothing to do with it. And quite frankly, and I know I'm speaking for Hermione when I say, we do not regret our actions. Tonks very well could have been killed," stated Natalie, trying to prevent her voice from quivering.
Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows at her. "You two are 17 year old girls," said Mrs. Weasley disapprovingly, that scrutinizing and menacing glare piercing right through Natalie. "It is not your responsibility to save lives. Hermione, I thought you would have learned from last year that you all have to be far more careful."
"And let Tonks die?" asked Hermione defiantly.
"Well no, of course not," replied Mrs. Weasley, flustered at Hermione's challenging tone.
"Then what do you expect us to do, Mrs. Weasley?" said Natalie sharply. "We knew Tonks was in trouble. The Aurors were unaware, the Order wasn't there and Remus surely couldn't handle the three Death Eaters by himself."
The twins lifted their heads to look at Hermione and Natalie in carefully reserved admiration.
Mrs. Weasley gazed at the two girls in exasperation. "Listen, the two of you were brilliant. I am extremely proud of you two. But seeing as both of your parents are not here, I take it as my duty to ensure the safety of both of you. And when you go into Knockturn Alley chasing after Death Eaters, it absolutely infuriates and terrifies me. Forgive me for being a worrying mother, but I do not want to stand over the dead body over either one of you."
Natalie gaped in shock at Mrs. Weasley. The explicit declaration of a motherly concern for Natalie extinguished the harsh and curt retort Natalie had been ready to utter.
Natalie also could not help but feel guilty at the pugnacious and belligerent stance she had been fully to prepared take. She sensed Hermione squirm uncomfortably beside her.
Natalie met Mrs. Weasely's worried gaze. "We're sorry for worrying you, Mrs. Weasley," said Natalie sympathetically. "But these are dangerous times and I think we will all have to face situations like this one."
"We don't want you to be standing over our bodies – that will never happen," said Hermione firmly. "Natalie's right though. We're not children anymore. We have to fight too."
Mrs. Weasley breathed heavily, evidently trying to placate herself. "I know Hermione, goodness knows we need all the help we can get. But you two as well as Harry, Ron and Ginny are still at Hogwarts. You may not be young children but Merlin, there's still an education to be had before you decide to go running off after Death Eaters! When all of you charged into the Ministry of Magic last year not only was I absolutely terrified for the safety of my own children as well as those who I consider to be my children, but for the fact that all of you seem to have little regard for your future. As a mother, such a thought is not comforting at all. Perhaps I am being too paranoid, but I daresay it seems to me that the same brash attitude underlined your girls' actions today. "
Natalie sighed, grudgingly acknowledging that Mrs. Weasley had a point. Although she was not part of their "invasion" of the Ministry last year, having been both comforted and annoyed by Kalissa's very protecting and controlling nature, she could appreciate Mrs. Weasley's concern for the fate of her children beyond Hogwarts. Voldemort had not gained so much power in the Wizarding world that there should be complete desperation bordering on maniacal panic to require students at Hogwarts to forfeit their final years of magical education to join in the fight against him. However, that point had little relevance to their encounter with the Death Eaters. Contrary to Mrs. Weasley's implication, she and Hermione had not spontaneously decided to storm through Knockturn alley and attack the Death Eaters. An innocent person who found herself in a fatal situation required their help and it would have been apathetic and immoral of them to not follow Remus. Yet, Natalie realized with a strong pang of resignation that such an argument had already been presented and seemingly dismissed by Mrs. Weasley.
Natalie glanced towards Hermione, whose expression took a grave turn. Natalie supposed that Mrs. Weasley's remark about a loss of education as well as her implicit inclusion of Hermione as her daughter resonated with Hermione, arousing a combination of alarm and guilt. Seeing the sympathetic expressions on the twins' faces, Natalie supposed that they would merely have to silently disagree with Mrs. Weasley. Though she found the woman's concern for them very reassuring and soothing, such protectiveness unfortunately lent itself to an almost unbreakable obstinacy and intractableness that any rational reason could not dissolve.
Mrs. Weasley breathed again, perhaps sensing that she had finally made the girls appreciate the gravity of the situation. "And as I know both of you are also very conscious about your future –"
"Mrs. Weasley, we understand what you're saying and we agree," interrupted Hermione forcefully, her voice quivering slightly. Mrs. Weasley, being stopped in mid sentence, appeared indignat. The twins' heads had now jerked towards Hermione in apprehension. Even Natalie could not contain her surprise at the resolved clip to Hermione's voice.
Before Mrs. Weasley could speak again, Hermione stared directly into Mrs. Weasley's cross eyes, "The fact that you consider me your daughter – I cannot say how gratifying and content it makes me," said Hermione, a genuine smile on her face. "I am very sorry to cause you such distress – you have plenty of things to worry about as it is. Last year, we decided to go into the Ministry because we feared Sirius to be in serious danger. We were hoodwinked by the Death Eaters and we paid severely for the mistake. I can assure you that after losing Sirius, all of us, Harry included, will seek for help first and proceed with much more caution before we try to do something so dangerous. But today's situation is very different from the Ministry – Tonks needed our help, Remus was there and he was up against three Death Eaters. Natalie and I are very sorry for giving you so much worry, but we do not regret our actions."
Mrs. Weasley looked like she was ready to maintain a rigid stand against Hermione's firm sentiments, but then atypically pursed her lips and did not speak. A vehement fierceness and vexation still dominated her features, but Natalie could also detect the smallest hint of pride in her eyes as she stared at Hermione. As Mrs. Weasley continued to remain unusually quiet, a distinct uneasiness swirled among the other inhabitants in the room. The twins seemed morbidly resigned to an outburst from their mother. Williams, still recovering from Mrs. Weasley's verbal attack upon him, clasped and unclasped in his hands in a twitchy and nervous manner that would seem rather comical in most other circumstances. Even Hermione, who had managed to send Mrs. Weasley into this agitated silence, was biting her lower lip, a definite sign of uneasiness on her part.
After what Natalie perceived as five minutes but in actuality, likely was less than a minute, Mrs. Weasley broke the disquiet. "Hermione, I appreciate you words." said Mrs. Weasley warmly the belligerent expression on her face slowly dissipating. "This entire situation has made me very agitated. I am very proud of both you and Natalie, but I admit that I cannot look at what you have done without a disapproving thought. You must know that I do not view either of you as naive schoolgirls and I trust you all to act with caution especially after what happened to Sirius at the Ministry. But I am a mother first and foremost and worrying is in my nature."
Hermione nodded, a sincere and affectionate smile returning to her face. "I wouldn't have it any other way Mrs. Weasley. I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree."
Mrs. Weasley returned the smile. "I'm glad that you have chosen to be rather blunt with me. I could not imagine having this conversation with either Ron or Ginny. And to have this conversation in front of Fred and George seems almost appalling."
"I think it to be quite funny," replied Hermione, laughing with Mrs. Weasley as the twins blushed. Natalie could not help but think that they truly did resemble a mother and daughter.
Williams stood up abruptly, anxiously fidgeting with the buttons on his coat. "I think I have intruded for too long." He looked at Natalie and Hermione. "Thank you for helping Tonks – the Auror department is sincerely in debt to you." In a lighter tone, he added to a still embarrassed Fred and George, "I must say your joke shop looks to be doing very well."
He nodded to Mrs. Weasley, still afraid of meeting her eyes before proceeding to exit the apartment.
As they heard him hurriedly descend the stairs leading to the shop below, Mrs. Weasley lifted herself from the twins' settee.
"We should return to the shop. The others should have arrived now from and I daresay you girls have some explaining to them," stated Mrs. Weasley, sternly looking at Natalie and Hermione.
Natalie sighed as she stood up with others. "I can only imagine Harry's reaction to this one."
For the first time since they had entered the apartment, both of the twins gave equally mischievous grins. "I do hope he doesn't scream at you. He does know how to give a right fit," exclaimed George as Fred sniggered.
"You two were rather quiet this whole time," observed Hermione amusedly, ending the sniggers between the two as they all left the apartment.
"I believe their delicate tempers are a bit too fragile for all that emotion," commented Natalie airily.
"Delicate? What a load of rubbish!" exclaimed Fred indignantly.
"We just know when to keep our mouths shut, isn't that right, Fred?" cried George dramatically.
"I do say so, my dear Fred. But I have to say whenever we tried to argue like Hermione, Mum definitely did not 'agree to disagree'."
Mrs. Weasley huffed in annoyance as she walked behind them down the stairs to the shop below. "There's a difference between saving a friend's life and setting off stupid attention-seeking pranks in school."
"I agree with Mrs. Weasley," acknowledged Natalie. "Making vomit inducing sweets isn't what I'd define as righteous and noble."
Both twins simultaneously clicked their tongues while shaking their hands in disbelief.
"Clearly Natalie, you cannot grasp the pleasure and fulfillment we bring to Hogwarts student's lives by reducing the amount of time they have to spend in class, cowering under –"
"McGonagall's gaze,"
"Covering their ears from Flitwick's squeaky voice,"
"Running from Hagrid's creatures,"
"And last but not definitely least, seeing the ball of grease that is Severus' Snape's hair."
"Ah George, I would go with that big, hooked nose. Having to stare at that thing was definitely vomit inducing."
Before Hermione, Natalie or Mrs. Weasley could utter a sharp and caustic retort to the twins, both of them rushed through the door leading into the shop, immediately blending in with the crowd that still engulfed the store.
Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes as they also entered the store. "I honestly do not know where they learned to be so disrespectful. I can for one tell you I was never like that in school."
Hermione looked absolutely livid. "The nerve! Professor McGonagall is surely not that scary and I happen to find Professor Flitwick's noise very melodious."
Natalie had to stop herself from laughing as she patted Hermione consolingly. "I believe they were joking Hermione about those two, though the insult against Snape was pretty genuine."
"We should go outside," stated Mrs. Weasley, her eyes wandering through the store. "Though I am proud of the success of the store, seeing all these people is slightly suffocating."
Natalie and Hermione assented their agreement. "We'll also be able to find the others outside," said Hermione.
"Though I don't know how much of a relief that will be once we tell them what happened," muttered Natalie acidly.
Hermione smiled at her grimly. The three of them walked along the side of the store, fighting against the throngs of people that somehow managed to get larger and larger. Natalie wondered briefly whether the twins had cast an engorgement charm on the store that allowed it expand as people entered.
Once they had finally managed to the shop and step into the alley, which was not as busy, Natalie turned to . "What time were we supposed to meet again?"
"At 4'o clock," answered Mrs. Weasley. She looked at her watch. "It's ten to 4 now so unless they're unusually early, we'll have to wait for 10 minutes."
"Where did they go, anyways?" asked Hermione.
"Quidditch shops, though I do not possibly know how you can spend three hours looking at a broomstick," replied Natalie.
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I gather that you're not an avid Quidditch fan, Natalie."
Natalie shrugged her shoulders. "It's never something that's caught my interest, probably because I don't really like flying."
"To really like the sport, you have to play it. Watching Quidditch, I have to admit, is not nearly as exhilarating as actually playing it," remarked Mrs. Weasley wistfully.
"Did you play Quidditch at Hogwarts?" asked Hermione curiously.
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "From my fourth year onwards, I played Beater for the Gryffindor. It's a really nice experience to be part of a team, but the house pressure could be unbearable."
"The animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor seems to make Quidditch like the greatest validation of which house is the best. It's almost ridiculous," remarked Natalie disdainfully, remembering how before the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch house, members of each house were constantly attacking one another.
"I suppose at Durmstrang though, Quidditch is very competitive as well," said Mrs. Weasley to Natalie.
Natalie shook her head. "Surprisingly, no. The school obviously produces some excellent Quidditch players, but the house rivalries are not nearly as strong at Durmstrang. So Quidditch, I should say, just remains a sport."
"That's what Quidditch should be at Hogwarts," stated Hermione matter of factly.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Hermione, I'm sure you know that house rivalries are one of the defining features of Hogwarts. It's impossible to make Quidditch into just a game."
"Then, why can't we at least make an attempt to promote inter house unity? Surely, some people must realize that all that anger and contempt between Slytherin and Gryffindor cannot be productive in a school," answered Hermione defiantly.
Natalie rubbed her forehead contemplatively. "I agree with you, Hermione. But the Slytherin-Gryffindor animosity is not just because of a house rivalry. Historically, as you know, it's more indicative of the battle between the traditional Purebloods in Wizarding society who want to maintain the status quo and not allow Muggleborns to become a part of this world and the more cultured and modern Purebloods as well as Muggleborns and half bloods who do not favour discrimination against Muggleborns."
"And of course, Hermione, you have to remember that the presence of Voldemort has done quite a bit to really augment the animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor into something more akin to a hatred," noted Mrs. Weasley.
"But can you not say, also Mrs. Weasley, that the lack of house unity at Hogwarts was a contributing factor to graduating Slytherin students joining Voldemort, becoming Death Eaters and ultimately turning him into a tyrant?" asked Hermione. Natalie smiled at the sheer determination and insistence in Hermione's expression; she was definitely out to make a point.
"I suppose you're right about that Hermione, but people who went to Hogwarts before Voldemort became powerful have said that the Slytherin-Gryffindor dislike was not as strong."
Natalie suddenly noticed a throng of redheads eagerly heading their way. "Oh, here they come," said Natalie, motioning her head to the oncoming group. She could make out Bill and Mr. Weasley at the front with Harry, Ron and Ginny following behind with numerous parcels in their hands.
Mrs. Weasley smiled at Hermione who looked a little disappointed that they could not continue their argument. "I guess we'll have to leave our discussion for another day, though I have to say I prefer arguing with you about these subjects than listening to Arthur drone on about whatever new Muggle gadget has caught his eye."
Hermione and Natalie laughed as Mrs. Weasley waved at Bill and her husband. They arrived with rather enthusiastic smiles on their faces.
"You two look to be quite happy," remarked Hermione dryly.
Bill shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a long time since I saw Diagon Alley like this." He looked around at the streams of people shuffling from store to store with a fervent optimism.
"It is rather nice and cheerful, here" commented Mrs. Weasley, glancing at Natalie and Hermione as she emphasized her last word. Natalie and Hermione immediately looked away from the puzzled looks of Mr. Weasley and Bill.
"Where's Remus and Tonks?" asked Mr. Weasley, glancing around.
"Oh, don't worry, they're alright, but there's a nice story to that," replied Mrs. Weasley cryptically. The veiled remark only aggrandized the confusion of the two Weasley men.
As Ron, Harry and Ginny arrived, Natalie tried her best not to make eye contact with Harry for he would easily recognize the apprehension on her face. But upon second glance, she realized that she had little need to worry about Harry scrutinizing her. He and Ginny were engaged in a thoroughly energetic and animated discussion. Ron nodded along to their gesticulations, bouncing on his feet. Natalie presumed they were talking about Quidditch, the only subject that she surmised could arouse that level of interest in Ron.
Natalie sighed. Whenever Ginny and Harry interacted, a contemptuous dislike for Ginny abruptly arose within her. Natalie supposed these sentiments to be born from the memories of the heated encounters she had with Ginny at the beginning of the year. As those memories faded and lost their sharpness of emotion, Natalie presumed that eventually, it would be much more difficult for Ginny to trigger such strength of contempt. However, what scared Natalie were the feelings of futility and hopelessness stirring within her when her cynical side ruminated over the notion of a more attractive girl with greater passion and vivaciousness also pining for Harry.
She recalled Hermione mentioning that over the summer, Ginny had finally managed to become comfortable and develop a friendship with Harry as previously, she had difficult uttering a few words to him without breaking out in embarrassment. Over the past few months, while the tension between Natalie and Ginny slowly dissipated, Natalie could not help noticing that Harry and Ginny had become closer. A dynamic yet relaxed enthusiasm always imbued their interactions whether they were excitedly discussing Quidditch strategy, needling Ron or generally talking about any subject. Harry and Ginny somehow never managed to reach a moment of palpable tension in which someone's insecurities were breached like she and Harry frequently did. Natalie knew jealousy inevitably obscured her judgment and felt guilty and foolish for essentially not wanting Harry to develop a close friendship with a girl who he could always trust. Nevertheless, as much as she tried to continually convince herself that Harry did not reciprocate Ginny's romantic feelings, the fear persisted that a repressed attraction for the redhead did exist. Such fear continually augmented the hollow and slightly terrifying sensation that with Harry, she was plunging herself into a situation that would always be slightly out of her grasp and control.
"You alright?" muttered Hermione, nudging Natalie.
Natalie suddenly awoke from her depressing reverie. She saw Harry smiling amusedly at her. "Oh yeah, sorry about that Hermione," mumbled Natalie, embarrassed by what she had been contemplating.
The others, she thought with relief, had not noticed her daydreaming and were busy informing Mrs. Weasley of all the items they had purchased and bought at the Quidditch shops. Mr. Weasley apparently looked pretty excited at acquiring a digital watch from a Muggle store just outside of Diagon Alley.
"So where are Remus and Tonks?" asked Harry to Natalie and Hermione, repeating Bill's earlier question.
Natalie cringed. She should have prepared for his question instead of immersing herself in self deprecation. "Er, Harry, well, er, Mrs. Weasley can tell you."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at her. Harry definitely sensed something was wrong as he was now glancing suspiciously between the two of them. "What happened?"
Natalie exchanged a resigned glance with Hermione. She motioned her head towards the other Weasleys, wondering whether they should wait and tell them all at once.
"Natalie?" said Harry, his voice rising.
To Natalie's dismay, Bill heard them. He looked at Harry. "What's wrong there?"
Harry swiveled his head towards Bill. "You don't know what happened to Remus and Tonks, do you?"
Bill glanced at his mother curiously. "Actually, Harry, they were about to tell us before you three came along." He nudged his mother. "What did you say you needed to tell us about Remus and Tonks?"
Mrs. Weasley looked slightly flustered at being addressed the question. Even she seemed slightly apprehensive at describing the dangerous encounter with the Death Eaters.
"Hermione and Natalie can tell you about that."
Mr. Weasley, Ginny and Ron had now stopped their conversation to look in bewilderment at Natalie and Hermione.
"Er, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione, rubbing a hand anxiously through her hair. "Is it safe to be talking about that out here?"
"I don't see any reason why not, Hermione. It's not like this is important information about the Order and anyway there are so many people that the chances of us being overheard are very low," replied Mrs. Weasley, clearly wanting for Hermione to just describe what happened.
"Very well then," said Hermione, her voice trembling slightly. Realizing how nervous she was, she quickly paused to gather herself and cleared her throat. The attention of the all the Weasleys were now fixated fully on her. "While we were at Flourish and Blotts, Tonks received a message from an Auror to investigate some trouble further down the street-she obviously went to go meet that Auror. However, when we left Flourish and Blotts, Remus saw that same Auror walking around the shop and Tonks was not with him. This Auror said he had never asked Tonks to come investigate some trouble."
"Oh no," gasped Ginny. All of the other Weasleys and Harry now bore very grave and concerned expressions on their faces.
Natalie nodded at Ginny, deciding to tell the rest of the story. Hermione's composure seemed to be rapidly deteriorating.
Natalie continued, cutting off Hermione. "So as you all can surmise, Remus feared that, er, well, Death Eaters had managed to get hold of Tonks. He rushed into Knockturn Alley and we followed him."
She winced, noticing the astonished and slightly outraged expression on Harry's face. "Why would you follow him to Knockturn Alley?" Harry.
Natalie glared at him. "Let me finish," she said, trying to sound as authoritative as she could. "Anyway, we followed him to a really dodgy looking shop and in the shop we saw three Death Eaters did have Tonks held captive. We knew that Remus could not take all those Death Eaters by himself so we slipped into the store and surprised the Death Eaters, and attacked them. There were some spells fired and eventually we managed to knock them all unconscious. The Aurors arrived shortly afterward and arrested the three Death Eaters. Remus took Tonks to St. Mungo's, I believe. She was doing fine – only a few minor injuries."
Natalie exhaled, waiting for the onslaught of questions.
Mr. Weasley began, shaking his head. "So you two were in a duel with three Death Eaters who had managed to subdue Tonks, a powerful and respected Auror."
"Us and Remus took on the three Death Eaters," corrected Hermione.
Bill was looking at them with a combination of admiration and exasperation. "Honestly, do you lot not know how to avoid trouble?"
"Tonks and Remus would have been in far worse condition had we not been there," replied Natalie defensively.
"As would you two had they seen you coming," said Mr. Weasley, running a hand across his forehead. "While I'm still shocked at what happened, I have to applaud you two for arresting three Death Eaters. It was reckless and dangerous, but Tonks is safe."
Mrs. Weasley stared at her husband in disbelief. Natalie perceived that later tonight, he would be receiving a mouthful from her.
"Who were the Death Eaters?" asked Harry, finally speaking. Natalie, who was standing beside him, could almost feel the heat radiate off him.
Natalie really did not want to answer the question. "Um, er, well, Harry, you know it's hard to see when you're, er –"
"Answer the question, Natalie," snapped Harry.
Natalie looked at him in astonishment. She noticed that Ron and Ginny, who had been staring at her and Hermione in stunned silence, now turned to look at Harry with slightly alarmed expressions on their face. She heard Hermione on the other side mutter "Muffliato". Natalie hoped with all her might that another Harry outburst would not occur.
Before Natalie could mutter a sharp retort to him, Hermione answered quietly, "Rabastan Lestrange and a few other Death Eaters."
"Rabastan Lestrange!" shouted Harry, his face now a very bright red. "Do you two know who he is?"
"Yes, we do," replied Natalie vehemently, slightly cross that he would fail to see her connection to the Death Eater. "Tonks needed our help Harry and we do not regret our actions. And please don't shout at me, Harry." She made sure to stare directly into his eyes.
Harry looked at her in disbelief. "What if one of their spells, which I'm assuming included some Unforgivables, managed to hit one of you? Did it not occur to you that maybe you could have gone to the Aurors instead of jumping into the situation and playing hero?" There was no doubt as to the seething fury underlining his harsh tone.
"Don't you think this is a bit hypocritical, coming from you of all people?" said Natalie angrily. "The Aurors would have taken some time to get there and by that time, Remus and Tonks may have been dead."
"I don't care if it's hypocritical. What you did was stupid and reckless," said Harry venomously. "How would you like me telling Kalissa that you died on a casual trip to Diagon Alley after all she's done to keep you safe?"
"She'd tell you she was proud of the way I acted. Unlike some people, she's doesn't let your own feelings turn her into a stubborn and irrational git," responded Natalie contemptuously.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" cried Harry.
"Harry! Watch your language," reprimanded Mrs. Weasley, who had stepped towards them and position herself firmly between the two of them.
"The two of you need to calm down and stop behaving like schoolchildren," said Mrs. Weasley sternly, turning her head to stare once at Natalie and then at Harry.
Natalie could feel Hermione pulling her arm, and whispering in her ear. "Natalie, he's wrong, but you need to calm down.
She saw Ron pull Harry away, whispering in his ear. Natalie was slightly surprised that Ron had remained so quiet. Despite Ron's assuring mutterings, Harry's furious expression did not waver. With a strong pang of irritation, Natalie noticed that Ginny now bore a slightly haughty and smug look on her face, no doubt delighted at the contentious encounter she had just witnessed.
Bill cleared his throat. "You two can talk about this later." He gestured to crowd of people surrounding them who thankfully had not heard Harry and Natalie. "I don't want you to two to start something that will likely end up in the Prophet tomorrow. Harry, what happened is in the past and I know you would have done the same thing she did. But Natalie and Hermione, next time, at least consider alerting an Auror because if there were more Death Eaters, you two would have been in serious danger."
Mr. Weasley smiled at the girls. "I see Hermione that you performed a silencing charm. Wise thinking my girl. But I agree with Bill – you and Natalie should talk to Harry about this later when you're all significantly calmer."
"Why don't we go to the twins' store and check out their merchandise? You know, let things cool down a bit" suggested Ron reasonably. He still had a strong hold on Harry's arm.
Hermione looked rather surprised and pleased at Ron's intuition.
Bill nodded. "That's a good idea." He looked at his parents who also assented their agreement.
All of them returned to the twins' shop. Moving within a group of people made it much easier for them to traverse their way through the large throngs of people that still hovered in front of the store.
"How is it still so busy?" asked Natalie, raising her voice over all of the jubilant cries and shouts of amazement and delight. She desperately wanted to change the subject and control her indignation at Harry's mention of Kalissa.
"The twins are really doing well," said Ron, his words laced with pride. "I suppose no one's ever thought of a joke shop where you can just get things to fool around in Hogwarts with. I mean Zonko's nice, but it's not –"
"Hated by most Hogwarts Professors," finished Hermione, smiling.
"Yeah," agreed Ron, smiling at Hermione. The two of them blushed as they made eye contact. Natalie rolled her eyes.
"Though I do imagine that once it gets dark, the shop will get a lot quieter," commented Bill wryly from behind.
"Well, with what we've seen, it should be quiet by dark," muttered Natalie, causing the others to give a grim laugh.
Harry, who had remained in stony silence, shot her an angry glare. Natalie sighed. He could be so stubborn sometimes.
Bill, who saw the exchange, chuckled. "Teenagers."
"You're not much older," said Ron defensively.
"I'm about to be married and I'm old enough," stated Bill authoritatively, seeming to stare down his younger brother as they entered the store, squeezing their way past a small group of boys who stared in awe at the "U No Poo" poster.
Ginny, who had been walking ahead, swiveled her head around. "How is dear Fleur by the way?" asked Ginny, barely containing a sneer.
Bill frowned at her. "She's doing very well. She couldn't come today because she had a rather nasty cold. You know, it would be nice if you could give her a chance."
"I'm doing my best, Bill," replied Ginny in that annoying singsong voice that the Weasleys seemed to have perfected. "But I do hope she gets better." Natalie almost laughed at the sarcasm in that statement.
"Ginny!" scolded Mrs. Weasley from behind Bill. "Watch your tone."
Ginny nodded, the smug expression not leaving her face.
Mr. Weasley motioned for all of them to come together in a corner of the shop by the entrance. They all moved to that corner, pushing out the group of giggly teenage girls looking at hair enhancing potions. Natalie glared at the girls as they began to point towards Harry.
"Alright," began Mr. Weasley. "I'll give you lot about 20 minutes in the store before we go back to Hogwarts. Meet Molly and me back here in 20 min and no wandering outside." He stared at Harry, Hermione and Ron. "Molly will be by the entrance checking."
Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Natalie, Ron and Bill nodded. Bill and Ginny decided to look at the Pygmy Puffs Ginny had wanted to purchase during the summer.
"Hermione, there's something I think you might like," said Ron, fidgeting with his jersey as he stared at the floor.
Hermione looked oddly at him. "What is it? Is this the quill you were telling me about last week?"
Ron nodded enthusiastically; clearly delighted Hermione had remembered such a small detail. "Yes, except the twins have a new model now. I'm sure you're like it."
"Very well, lead me on," said Hermione, amused at Ron's excitability.
Ron grabbed her hand, causing both of them to blush a crimson red. He then immediately let go, choosing to guide her to the section with the quills.
Natalie doubled over with silent laughter. She would really miss those cat and mouse interactions once both managed to confess their feelings to one another. She could tell by the big grins on Mr and Mrs Weasley's faces that they both felt the same way. Even Harry cracked a smile.
"Er, Harry, why don't we go see what new things the twins have?" asked Natalie, not really caring for whatever new merchandise there was. She just wanted to dissipate the tension between Harry and her.
Harry gazed at her curiously before nodding. "Lead the way," muttered Harry indifferently.
As they walked away out of earshot of the Weasley parents, Harry turned to her with an unreadable expression on his face. "I have a funny feeling that you don't really care for whatever new stuff the twins have."
Natalie nodded. "Well, of course, I just wanted to clear the air between the two of us. For some reason, you still seem very unhappy with me."
"For some reason?" said Harry, barely containing his outrage. "Natalie, something terrible could have easily happened to you today while I was busy deciding which polish made my broom look shinier."
"Something worse would have happened to Tonks if Hermione and I had not followed Remus," said Natalie, trying not to raise her voice.
Harry sighed, running a hand agitatedly to through his hair. "Natalie, do you know how terrified I was when I heard you fought with Rabastan Lestrange, of all people?"
"Oh," said Natalie, her mouth open in understanding. Harry had feared for her emotional damage upon meeting her mother's brother in law. He actually did make the connection between her and Rabastan Lestrange. The penetration and sharpness of his perception into her conscience infused her with a burst of warmth.
"And that image of you and him fighting each other isn't doing me much good at all," said Harry, his agitation increasing.
Natalie placed her hand on his arm, stroking it soothingly. She did not care about all of the jealous glares she was receiving from the girls close to them. "Listen Harry, I'm sorry for upsetting you," whispered Natalie, looking straight into those devastatingly beautiful green eyes. "But I really do appreciate your concern – it's what makes you so wonderful."
Harry held her gaze, his eyes filled with concern. "Does it bother you that you met him today?"
Natalie smiled at him. "Not as much it would have before. You know, our little group therapy sessions late at night in the Gryffindor common room have really helped with, er, getting used to my family."
Harry blushed. "They've helped me too."
Natalie squeezed his arm. "But you have to know that if the same thing happened tomorrow, I'd follow Remus."
Harry's shoulders sagged slightly. His hand clasped Natalie's other hand. "Yes, I suppose I know and somehow, in a deeper part of me, I wouldn't want you to not follow Remus. I'm still pissed as hell that you put yourself in that danger, but you're right, I'd have done the same thing."
Natalie nodded, taking her hand off shoulder. "Thanks," she whispered. "I think if we continue this though, the girls next to us will start deciding whether the Cruciatus curse will cause sufficient harm."
Harry laughed loudly, releasing his hand from Natalie's grasp. "Well they don't know how lucky I am," said Harry solemnly.
Natalie blushed. She did not know how he could induce such powerful waves of embarrassment and pleasure within her.
"But Natalie," said Harry with a twinkle in his eyes. "Just remember this conversation when I, er, decide to engage in some reckless behavior."
Natalie swatted his shoulder, silently not wanting to think of that situation. "I'll make sure to hex you thoroughly then."
Harry chuckled. "Shall we find Ron and Hermione?"
Natalie checked her watch. "We still have about ten minutes. I want to give them as much time with each other as possible so that you know, they –"
"Can test their boundaries," said Harry with a smirk.
"Not exactly what I was thinking, but it covers the general idea," replied Natalie with a bigger smirk.
Harry looked around at all of the nosebleed and vomit inducing devices around them. "You know what, I don't think I've ever bought any one of these. I remember Fred and George testing them last year."
Natalie rolled her eyes at the gadgets. "Why would you ever want to put yourself through all that pain?"
"I'd rather be vomiting my Shepherd's Pie than go through with a detention with Snape."
Natalie laughed. "Snape's smart enough to figure what you would be doing and given that it's you, he'll probably give you a week's worth of detention for trying to skive one detention."
"I suppose you're right. Git."
"A smart git," corrected Natalie.
Harry scowled. "I'd rather like to not talk about him."
"Point noted. Why don't we explore the store? I've only seen this section and the love potions section," proposed Natalie.
"Thinking of slipping me a love potion," said Harry cheekily.
Natalie huffed indignantly. "Let's just go before that group of girls finally decide on the hex to use on me."
"Very well. Where to Miss Malkae?"
"I think seeing their fireworks would be rather interesting and I think I like being called Miss Malkae," said Natalie, laughing.
Harry bowed in front of her. "Very well. Then we go to the famous Weasley fireworks, Miss Malkae."
Natalie and Harry toured most of the shop with Harry giving Natalie a brief background of the gadgets and instruments he could remember from the twins' experiments at Hogwarts. Natalie was thoroughly impressed by some of the highly advanced Transfiguraton and Charms work the twins had carried out; she was surprised that they had not received all O's on their OWLS.
Harry nudged her. "There's our fiery couple," said Harry, gesturing to a mane of bushy brown hair and the matted red hair alongside.
"They look to be enjoying themselves," remarked Natalie, noticing the content expression on Hermione's face as Ron spoke.
"Hermione doesn't usually laugh that much at Ron's jokes," said Harry.
Natalie grinned. "After Lavender, she's definitely laughing at his jokes even if half of them don't even make much sense."
Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't say half. More like a quarter – Ron's a pretty funny bloke. You have to admit that."
"I never said that I didn't think he was funny," countered Natalie playfully.
Harry shook his head. "You bloody know how to not relent in an argument."
"It takes one to know one," said Natalie, elbowing him in the stomach.
"Ouch. Bloody hell, Natalie," grunted Harry, grasping at his stomach. "Do you reckon we head over? By my watch, we only have five more minutes before we have to meet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."
Natalie shrugged. "I suppose so. We've given them enough time together."
They headed towards Ron and Hermione. As they reached the oblivious pair still immersed in their conversation, Harry clapped Ron on his back. Hermione's eyes immediately darted upwards and Ron jumped backward.
Upon seeing Harry and Natalie, both of them simultaneously breathed in relief.
"What the bloody hell, Harry!" exclaimed Ron indignantly.
Harry exchanged a smile with Natalie. "You two seemed pretty occupied."
"We were having a good time without your intruding presence," said Ron, earning another clap on the back from Harry.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "So you two have resolved your little spat?" asked Hermione, her eyes flickering over Harry and Natalie.
"It wasn't just a little spat from what I heard," said Ron. "Harry was doing a damn good job of impersonating my mum." Hermione chuckled.
Harry and Natalie's faces flushed. "Yes, we're getting along just fine now," answered Natalie, glaring disdainfully at Ron. "And Harry was just concerned about Hermione and I battling Death Eaters."
Ron raised his hands. "No need to get snappish with me, Natalie. Your boyfriend does a good job of that."
"As does Hermione with you," retorted Natalie, causing both Ron and Hermione to turn a steamy red.
Harry chuckled. "Anyway, I think we should get back to your parents – you know, show them that all of us can stay out of trouble once in a while."
The other three nodded. They fought their way through the crowd to find a nervous looking around the store.
She noticed the four of them, exhaling in relief. "Oh, there you four are. It's to refreshing to know for once that you lot can listen."
The four of them laughed. "So where's the rest?" asked Hermione.
"Bill has already apparated with Ginny. Arthur's gone to get the twins so they can side apparate with the two of you. Arthur and I will take the other two," explained Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still roving around the shop.
"Oh, I can't wait for the day we'll be able to apparate by ourselves," said Hermione wistfully.
"Isn't the test next week?" asked Natalie. Though she managed to apparate successfully from the inside of the hoop to the outside of the hoop during the lessons, she along with Harry, due to their late birthdays, would not be able to take the test next week.
"Yes," responded Hermione. "Oh Ron, there's absolutely no need to be worried. You'll do just fine. I'm positive."
Natalie tried not to smirk at the alarmed expression on Ron's face.
"You just need to relax, Ron," said Harry. "Then at least one limb will travel with you."
"Why you little piece –"
"Ron!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry was being a right idiot," said Hermione crossly, glaring at the snickering Harry.
"Oh here come the twins," said Natalie, preparing for another round of their annoying needling and mocking.