I just like alliteration in chapter titles when I can get it…..
Chapter 5: Winnowing through Weasleys
Krait and Severus arrived at The Burrows in order to borrow Harry for a pre-term foray into the Pensieve; and found an air of tension over the normally happy house, apparently engendered by the presence of the Vila, Fleur Delacourt, who was engaged to Bill Weasley.
Ron was still somewhat under the influence of her magical fey beauty; and even Harry was not immune. Hermione and Ginny were decidedly huffy. Molly was positively snappy and looked low; and Krait crept away to talk to her friends leaving Severus chatting with the older Weasleys and a visiting Tonks, looking definitely seedy.
Once Krait had unlocked the underlying causes of the distinct Atmosphere, through the injured explanation of Ron, unable to see what was wrong, and the irritable diatribe of Hermione, adding to Ginny's moans about what it was like sharing a room with someone who treated you as if you were about three, Krait had a fair idea of the general situation. Even Harry murmured something about 'disruptive influence'. Krait fixed her bloodkin with a stern gaze, though not unmixed with amused tolerance.
"Well, I must say, you boys are distinctly poor prunesnot to use anything to think with higher than what you use to sit on your brooms" she said "Not even as high as the groin…though from Ron's rather silly look, Fleur's Vila powers seems to be infesting him there too…"
"Who are you calling a poor prune and casting aspersions at?" protested Ron, sounding hurt.
"You and Harry….Listen and consider my words O best beloved – I really am going to have to read Kipling to you children – and Think. All four of you can give it a try, it doesn't really hurt all that much."
"Has anyone ever told you that you can be truly offensive when you put your mind to it, Krait?" asked Hermione.
"Any amount" said Krait, cheerfully. "You…Padfoot…Severus….and what Wormtail and the Lestranges think of me doesn't bear repeating in civilised company….where was I? oh yes" she grinned "Poking what the lot of you fondly refer to as your brains with a stirring stick"
"I swear, she's WORSE than Hermione" growled Ron.
"I'm not commenting" said Harry.
"Sensible…yes, I'm FAR worse" agreed Krait, equably. "I can flaunt my year's seniority to you and be all mumsy at you too…the point, gentlemen and ladies, is that we all have a special bond. Right?"
"The blood bond…" said Ginny softly.
"Exactly" said Krait. "Those of us who are Kindred are closer than anyone else….even many married couples. Therefore, any relationship outside the Kinbonding is going to be shallow and unsatisfactory by comparison to what we have together."
"You mean we're likely to marry other members of the group?" said Harry.
"Give that boy five points and a coconut for managing the arithmancy involved to add two and two" said Krait. "Ron, if you haven't figured out by now who is the most important female in your life outside of your mother and sister there's no hope for you." She went on as Ron gaped "I know you've had your ups and downs and you've each tried to make the other jealous and that she started it because she couldn't believe how dense you were in the fourth year, but I think it's about time you put it behind you and grew up to make the most of it."
Hermione was burning.
Ron's mouth was wide enough open to catch flies.
Krait nodded cheerfully.
"Everyone knows about you two except you two" she said. "So we'll have no more trying to hurt each other because you can just to punish for real or imagined slights. You are both big enough and ugly enough to talk things through….or at least ask me to mediate. I can be quite tactful when I don't need to drive home what's going on like a piledriver, you know."
Hermione said in a small voice
"You make us sound childish…"
"People who love each other can be" said Krait, touching her friend's face gently. "Especially when it's something they're scared will damage a good friendship….there's no danger of that while we FEEL each other….but look at other examples…James Potter pissed off Lily Evans by showing off, you know, and Remus is being ridiculously noble by running away from Tonks…"
"Remus Lupin?" Harry was startled. "I thought she fancied Sirius…"
"She's been after Remus in ages….HE thinks that she deserves better than a werewolf and is getting seedier and seedier in refusing to let her come close….she's pining away to bits, she looked awful when I saw her in the kitchen and, wanting to help friends apart, we NEED them on top magical form to face Fishface."
"I thought it was Bill she fancied!" said Ginny. "Damn, damn DAMN! If only Tonks would marry Bill, not Phlegm…"
"Poor Fleur….there's nothing really wrong with the poor girl, you know" said Krait. "She's trying too hard to impress is all, because she's heard nothing from Bill except about how wonderful his family is, how perfect his mum is….and in trying to be pluperfect to impress Molly, she's only alienating her and making her stressed. I'll have a quiet word with her. she's just so desperate to be accepted….."
Several jaws dropped.
"Are you sure?" asked Ginny in a small voice.
"Positive….heard about much the same thing from so many orphans sent out to foster on trial for adoption, who got sent back for trying too hard" shrugged Krait. "Even Jade and Lydia got a bit under foot trying to help; it's classic."
The girls exchanged glances.
"So…it would be kind of grown up to extend olive branches" said Hermione.
"It's hard when she treats me as just a little girl" said Ginny, mutinously.
"Sure…she takes her tone from your mother; and you don't mind it so much from her, because she's your mum" said Krait. "Why don't you make an off-the-cuff and laughing comment to Fleur that your mum will never realise that you're taking your OWLs this year and are only a year or so younger than she was when she entered the Triwizard? Maybe it'll help her to think. Not resentful sounding, mind, just joking that you'll still be Molly's baby when you're forty four or something of that sort."
Ginny looked thoughtful.
"I'll try it" she said.
"Get her to talk about Bill, too….you'll soon see if she's in love with him or just with the glamour of his job as a curse breaker" said Krait.
"What are we going to do about Tonks and Professor Lupin?" asked Hermione.
"Short of locking them naked in a room with a big bed and too cold not to use it I'm not too sure yet….but I'll certainly be keeping that one in reserve" said Krait.
"Krait!" Hermione blushed.
"And don't think I won't use that on you and Ron if you're not married within a year of leaving school" Krait threatened.
Hermione blushed harder and gulped. Ron coloured up too.
Harry cleared his throat.
"Uh…Krait…I'd really like to get over and done what poor prunishness you were going to tick me off about…" he said.
Krait grinned.
"People so often run true to type" she said. "You look like your dad, and you have some of his characteristics, right?"
"Yeah" Harry replied cautiously.
"And he married Lily Evans, a feisty girl well capable of standing up for herself with what colour hair?"
"Red….oh." Harry went scarlet.
So did Ginny.
"Try not to blush, dear, it clashes…"quipped Krait.
"As though I have any control over it….."
"It's kind of cute…" said Harry tentatively.
"He means, in a good way" said Krait, kindly.
"Harry? And Ginny?" Ron stared incredulously.
"Why not?" asked Ginny belligerently, taking Harry's hand possessively.
"Well….better than the other creeps you've been snogging" said Ron. "I'm happy to have HARRY as a brother" he looked almost as belligerent as his sister.
"You weren't happy about Ginny having boyfriends…." Said Harry, cradling Ginny's hand in his. "I didn't want to come between you….or lose your friendship."
"Idiot" said Ron. "If she's YOUR girlfriend I won't have to worry, will I?"
Harry grinned idiotically and Ginny snuggled.
"Right" said Krait "Hermione – Ron: you stay here and talk. Ginny – Harry: Ginny's room, try not to get carried away. I'll be downstairs waiting for you, Harry, Dumbledore's going to give us an intensive Pensieve session for a couple of days, and that's the main reason I'm supposed to be here, not sorting out your respective love lives."
Ginny dragged Harry off by the hand; and Krait slid out as Ron and Hermione faced each other uncomfortably.
"No hitting" she admonished sternly as she left, wondering if she'd have enough time to sort out Molly and Fleur before Ginny finished eating Harry's face.
-/-
Arthur was there, ticking off Molly for not interrogating Severus and Krait more severely to determine that they were who they said they were, according to Ministry guidelines during the crisis.
"But I don't even know Severus' favourite brand of jam or deepest desire!" said Molly, not unreasonably.
Severus grinned.
"The last you do….Krait my dear, do convince Arthur who we are."
Krait chuckled and shrugged smoothly into the ivory snake and back.
"Er…thank you, Krait" said Arthur.
"I could impersonate you easily" said Krait "Any legilimens could if they were rude enough to go prying…and Death Eaters aren't that famed for their good manners…I could guess a lot and read the answers to questions in the eyes of the questioner, it's dead easy, the Ministry guidelines are a joke." She concentrated and pulled herself into Arthur's shape. "I REALLY want to know how eclectricity works" she said. "See?" and resumed her own form.
"Actually what I REALLY want to know is how aeroplanes stay up" said Arthur plaintively.
"Oh, I can arrange that" said Krait. "David Fraser knows all that sort of thing…you might have him to stay, he's an orphan from the same place as me, and he wants to know how to enchant an aeroplane because if the things muggles expect to fly did the flying….sorry Molly" as Mrs Weasley threw her arms up in horror.
"No you're not" said Molly. Krait hugged her.
"No, I'm not…I hear you're gaining another daughter."
Molly looked stony faced.
"I think they're rushing it"
"After knowing each other more than a year? Dear me, Molly, that tells me how much you disapprove of Severus and me…"
Molly flushed
"That's different."
Krait gave her a long, searching look.
"Has it never occurred to you that she might seem affected because she's trying to put on a good impression?" she asked.
Molly stared.
"Oh Krait, she's so…."
"So trying hard to prove how efficient she is so you think she'll be a suitable wife for Bill" nodded Krait. "She dealt with being nervous that way in the Triwizard, you know."
"Oh my dear! Do you really think it might only be that?"
"Yes I do" said Krait firmly. "Why not ask her about her own family….she only has a mum and a little sister, you know…and she adores Gabrielle, get her talking about her and I bet she'll be more natural! Ah, here's Harry."