CHAPTER 6: A SECOND CHANCE
"Thank Merlin," Rosa Infante muttered under her breath when Moody adjourned the meeting. It was almost laughable how seriously the Order of the Phoenix took the Chupacabra. She tried to remind herself that the creature was not something native to Britain, so they really wouldn't know just how minor a threat it posed. Okay, the things may kill a few sheep and cows, but nowhere near the number to starve the country before her friends and the Brits hunted them down.
"Now that we're done," Mrs. Weasley got to her feet. "Fred, George. Go fetch Ron and Ginny. We need to set up extra bedding for our guests."
"Huh?" Jimmy shot the witch a quizzical look.
"Well, you lot are staying with us."
Surprise flared across Jimmy's face. "Oh Mrs. Weasley, come on. You're already overloaded with people here. We can find an inn -"
"Nonsense. You've come all the way from America to help us. The least we can do is put you up."
"But the Guild gave us money to -"
"Not another word." Mrs. Weasley's hand snapped up. "The four of you are staying here."
Jimmy wisely didn't protest further. Rosa couldn't blame him. While Mrs. Weasley could be all sweetness and hugs, she also possessed a very formidable personality. In the few hours she'd been at the Burrow, Rosa could see that this plump, middle-aged woman had the final say in everything that went on here. In a way, Mrs. Weasley reminded her a little of Aunt . . .
Rosa chewed on her lip and looked to the floor as she headed into the living room, recalling the argument she had with Aunt Liana before she left.
I should have apologized to her.
Why? She apparently doesn't think enough of me to give me a more important mission than friggin' pest control.
The sound of numerous footsteps clomping down the stairs broke her reverie. Ginny was the first one down, followed by Ron and Harry.
"Well then." The youngest Weasley strode up to her. "Looks like you'll be sharing my room. You and . . ." She leaned closer to her and whispered, "Phlegm."
Rosa crinkled her brow, wondering what Ginny meant by that. The redheaded girl then whipped her hair around and stuck her nose in the air. "Eet will be wonderful. We can talk about 'ow beautiful and perfect I am and 'ow all zee men 'ere worship me."
Ginny's impression of Fleur was dead on.
Rosa doubled over and laughed. Ginny joined in an instant later.
"I think we're gonna have a blast rooming together, Ginny." Rosa smiled at her. Somehow she doubted she'd be saying the same of Fleur Delacour.
"Here now. What's the idea of laughing when I'm not around?"
Tingles shot through Rosa's body. She felt a hitch in her breath. She turned to the left. Her vision filled with the grinning face of George Weasley.
"Speaking of people who think they're the center of the universe . . ." Ginny wrinkled her face at her brother.
"Oh, I see you'll be rooming with my oh-so-charming little sister." George shot Rosa an over-the-top frown. "Now I know you're tough enough to face aurors, security trolls and Malfoy's gang of idiots, so you should be able to last all of five minutes before Ginny annoys you to the point you'll want to throw yourself out the window. Or better yet, you can throw her out the window."
Rosa clenched her teeth, trying to stifle a laugh. A snicker slipped through her lips.
"You're a git." Ginny scowled at George.
"Well, it could be worse." He rested a hand on Rosa's shoulder. She tensed as he went on. "You could have roomed with her when she was nine or ten. Then you'd be subjected to stories of how much she loved Harry Potter and how one day she'd marry him and live in a little cottage with kittens and puppies and . . ."
"Shut up, you arse!" Ginny belted her brother in the arm. George winced, then resumed laughing.
"George, stop teasing your sister!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed. "And Ginny, don't let me hear you use language like that!"
"Yes, Mum," Ginny grumbled, then stuck out her tongue at the smiling George Weasley.
Looking over George's shoulder, Rosa noticed Harry Potter watching the proceedings. His face turned bright red as his eyes flickered from Ginny to his shoes.
Her gaze returned to George. He just kept smiling, thank Merlin. She liked the way he smiled, how it made his face and eyes brighten, the sense of fun and mischief it radiated.
"Well, I guess I should exercise what little manners I have and show you to your room."
"Thanks." She smiled at George as he walked over to the wall near the front door where the quartet had left their backpacks.
"I can show Rosa to my room, thank you very -"
"Come on, Ginners." Fred clutched the back of Ginny's sweater and pulled her away. "George can handle that. I need you to . . . um, help me get some blankets or something."
"Hey! Get off me, you great pillock!" Ginny kept struggling as Fred pulled her across the living room. Rosa noticed Fred give her a sly smile, then wink at his twin, who was coming over with her backpack.
"Follow me, and try not to lag behind. It's quite easy to get lost around Weasley Manor."
Rosa chuckled as she followed him toward the stairs. George looked over his shoulder, shooting her another one of those wonderful smiles of his. She breathed deep, her mind propelling her back several months to when she first met him. He'd possessed an air of instant likeability, as within minutes of their introduction he treated her like a friend he'd known for years. And Jimmy had been right about his sense of humor. Half the things that came out of his mouth had her rolling with laughter. But she soon learned there was more to George than his kindness and humor. He possessed daring. He was fearless, and loyal to a fault. She felt even if he hadn't been friends with Jimmy, George would help her anyway. Because that's the kind of guy he was. Decent, compassionate and brave.
Rosa's heart pounded against her chest. Her eyes roamed up and down George as they climbed the twisting staircase. She liked his build, lanky yet solid, his muscles no doubt developed during his years as a Beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And his hair. So red and long and wild. And Merlin's Beard, what an ass!
Never . . . never, never, never did she imagine she'd be back in England. Never did she expect to run into George Weasley again. She figured she'd only have the memories of their humorous conversations and fighting through the corridors of Hogwarts and that would be that. That, and a few regrets of what could have been, what should have been.
Now . . .
"Well, here we are." George pivoted to his left and went through a door. Rosa followed him inside and scanned the small room. A single bed with colorful sheets sat off to one side and a cot opposite from it. Several posters adorned the walls, most of them featuring the wizard rock group the Weird Sisters or famed Quidditch Beater Gwenog Jones.
"I hope you're really good at casting Ear Protection Charms," said George. "Ginny snores louder than a hacked off dragon."
Rosa shook her head. "Are you always so cruel when it comes to your sister?"
"Oh please. The stuff Fred and I do to Ginny is tame compared to what we do to Ron or The-Back-Stabbing-Brother-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. We have to be 'cause Ginny can do us some real damage."
Rosa grinned, then lowered her eyes for a moment. She knew about Percy's estrangement from his family. Silent seconds passed as she debated whether or not to ask George if that situation had been resolved.
George never gave her the chance. "So do you have any brothers or sisters you like to torture?"
"Oh. Um, just Jared. Yeah, he's my cousin, but he's more like a brother than a cousin really."
"So no brothers or sisters of you own?"
She shook her head.
George blinked in disbelief. "Can't imagine what that's like. Blimey, how can you stand the quiet?"
"Oh, it's anything but quiet when Jared comes over to my house, or vice versa. Our families live less than a mile from each other, so we're all really close."
Rosa sighed, shifting her eyes to the wall. She and Aunt Liana certainly didn't act very close the other night.
"You okay, Rosa?"
"Hmm?" Her gaze snapped back to George. She tightened her lips when she noticed his look of concern. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."
She held her breath for a moment, trying to think of something else to say. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up the argument.
Her eyes came across something on Ginny's dresser, a sort of patchwork "tree" of connecting framed photographs stretching toward the ceiling. A wooden arch perched on the uppermost frame read "Hogwarts Memories." She walked over to it and examined the various pictures. One showed a rather young Ginny, probably in her First Year, standing by herself with Hogwarts castle in the background. Another had Ginny thrusting her arm toward the sky, gripping a Golden Snitch, while the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team celebrated around her. In another, she wore a very beautiful gown and stood next to – What was that guy's name again? Oh yeah – Neville Longbottom, who had on some smart-looking dress robes. Judging from the ice sculptures in the background and the stream of other well-dressed students around them, Rosa assumed the photograph was from that Yule Ball Jimmy went to with Mireet Miradeaux.
"I actually liked our version of that one better."
Rosa turned to find George next to her, pointing to the photograph. For a moment, her breathing ceased. They stood so close their shoulders nearly touched. Tingles went through her body.
"What . . . what do you mean?" She noted the quiver in her voice as she concentrated on George's mane of lush red hair, then his freckly complexion.
Then his lips, which formed an elfish grin.
"Fred and I took a prank quill and drew on the photograph."
"You didn't."
"Oh yes we did. We gave Ginny a mop of messy black hair and big glasses, then at the bottom we wrote, 'Mrs. Harry Potter.'"
"You guys are mean."
"Well you'll be happy to know we paid for our transgression. When Ginny saw what we did to the photograph, first she yelled, rather loudly I might add, then she started throwing things at us. Girl's got a good arm, too." George rubbed the back of his head. "No wonder Gryffindor made her a Chaser this year."
"Well looking at the picture now, I assume you got rid of all that."
"Of course. If we didn't, either Ginny would have killed us or Mum would. And Ginny would probably make us suffer before doing us in."
Rosa chuckled and scanned more photographs. Next to one of Ginny and Dean Thomas was a picture showing her in a hockey jersey standing next to Mireet. The photo above that had Ginny, Jimmy, George and Fred in their hockey gear smiling and waving for the camera.
"Looks like you guys really had a blast playing hockey when Jimmy was here."
"You bet," George replied enthusiastically. "Barring Quidditch it's one of the most fun games I ever played. Especially since we beat Malfoy's gang of snakes at it. Nothing like skating full speed at one of those wankers and crushing them against the boards."
Rosa smiled, remembering all of Jimmy's stories about that game. She then turned to George. "You know, I never got the chance to thank you."
"For what?" George's brow furrowed.
"For being Jimmy's friend when he was over here. I remember his first couple of letters from Hogwarts, how he said he hadn't made any friends, how he kept messing up and getting into trouble. Then, of course, that damn harpy Penny Nichols, his girlfriend back at Salem, she broke up with him via owl. I was worried he was going to have a miserable time there. It really meant a lot when you and Fred became friends with him."
"Well, after a while we started feeling bad for the guy. He seemed like an okay bloke. We felt we had to do something to break the ice with him."
Rosa grinned. "Yeah. He told me about that Sit-and-Scratch Chair of yours."
"Actually, for a time we thought Jimmy was gonna track us down and pound us into the ground for that. Thankfully, he can take a joke. Like when he ate one of our Snot-Rocket Specials at Harry's party after he completed the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Bogeys coming out his nose like a gusher. Splattered all over poor Alicia Spinnet. Merlin, she was furious. So was Jimmy, come to think of it. But he laughed it off later on."
Rosa chuckled, brushing against George's shoulder. It caused her to swallow her laugh.
"He's a good guy, Jimmy is." George nodded.
"Yeah, that he is." Rosa took a ragged breath and locked eyes with George. "So are you."
Time froze around them. They just stared at one another. Rosa noticed George's chest heave with each breath. She felt the overwhelming desire to lean in and meld with his body.
She parted her lips.
"George!"
They both flinched and spun around. Ginny stood in the doorway, grimacing a little in embarrassment.
"Er . . . Mum wants you to help look around for some more blankets for Jimmy and his friends."
"I'll be down in a minute."
"I think Mum wants you down now."
"I said in a minute, runt. Now bugger off."
"Fine." Ginny scrunched up her face at her brother before storming off.
"Ah, the joy of having a little sister," George snorted.
"Oh, give her a break. Ginny's all right."
"Yeah, I guess any fifteen-year-old who can handle a bunch of Death Eaters isn't all that bad."
Rosa shook her head in admiration. "I wish I could have been there to see that, or when you pulled your escape act on Umbridge."
"Yeah, I wish you could have been there, too."
Again, Rosa stared right into George's eyes. "You know, I've thought about that time at Hogwarts quite a bit over the past few months."
"Me too," George said in a soft voice.
Rosa drew a slow breath before continuing. "I didn't really give you a proper farewell, did I?"
"I don't know." George shrugged. "I don't mind being called 'sexy' by a girl before she jumps out a window."
"I actually had something more . . . personal in mind than shouting across a classroom. But, well, considering my nose was busted and I had blood all over my face . . . that wasn't the sort of memory I wanted to leave you with."
"I wouldn't have minded one bit. And from what I can see, there's no blood on your face, and your nose looks rather lovely. So does the rest of you for that matter."
Tremors raced up and down Rosa's legs. The shivering expanded to the rest of her body. Her stomach flipped end over end as George edged closer to her. She suddenly felt absorbed by his presence.
Rosa tilted her head back and to the left. George leaned in. Her eyelids lowered. Anticipation surged through her.
"GEORGE WEASLEY!"
They both jumped as Mrs. Weasley's voice thundered through the Burrow.
"I DON'T CARE HOW SUCCESSFUL A BUSINESSMAN YOU ARE! WHEN YOU'RE IN THIS HOUSE, AND I TELL YOU TO DO SOMETHING, YOU DO IT NOW! NOT AT YOUR CONVENIENCE!"
Rosa and George sighed at the same time. A deep frown etched in his face.
"Sorry, but I learned a long time ago that you don't argue with Mum when she's that mad."
"Yeah. No problem."
George gave her a sympathetic smile and walked past her. "I'll see you later, then."
"You better." Rosa smiled, folding her arms and swinging her torso back and forth.
With a parting grin, George left the bedroom.
Groaning loudly, Rosa stomped over to Ginny's bed and plopped down on it. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," she muttered. Merlin, I was so close.
She tried to shake off her disappointment. She expected to be in England for a while, which meant plenty more opportunities to be with George.
She flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, grinning madly. There was now one very, very big upside to this otherwise lame-ass mission.
TO BE CONTINUED