The absence of the four boys went unnoticed with the excitement from Charlie's arrival. Harry heard James' voice coming from the cupboard under the stairs.
At first it gave him a shiver, but Harry smiled. His son, a carbon-copy of himself was living a completely different childhood than Harry had. James was truly loved and surrounded by others who were just like him. He would never feel like an outcast or burden on anyone. Harry's mind started to fill with the worst memories of living with his Aunt and Uncle but then he quickly remembered his conversation with Dudley.
"She wants to see you, Harry. Says she has something to talk to you about. Will you come?" Dudley's voice sounded nervous and sad.
When Vernon Dursley dropped dead of a massive heart attack just after Dudley's 30th birthday, it deflated him. He knew his father had faults; the way he treated Harry from infancy for one. But this giant tour-de-force of a man that Dudley feared, loved and admired seemed invincible, immortal. It never occurred to Dudley that one day; he could just collapse and be gone from his life forever.
He and Harry had kept in touch over the years and Harry had even brought his family to Dudley's home for several Sunday dinners. His Uncle barely acknowledged Harry. James and Albus took an immediate dislike to the rotund man with the walrus mustache. Aunt Petunia was her own sneering brand of cordial to Ginny and the children who had the good sense to be on their best behavior around their Muggle relations. The first time they got together after Lily was born however; Harry thought he saw his Aunt smile and even coo at the sleeping bundle in Ginny's arms.
The doctors warned Dudley that his father's excessive eating and lack of exercise were the main factors in his death and if Dudley didn't take care, he could suffer the same fate. It was the kick-in-the-trousers that Dudley needed. He lost so much weight so quickly, his wife Christina could hardly keep up. She'd tried taking his clothes in herself but gave up when Dudley shed 30 pounds within a single month.
Friends from Smeltings would never recognize this fit man as the Dudley Dursley they knew. Harry even commented that his former classmates could hardly call him "Big D" anymore.
The yelping and clattering coming from the cupboard broke Harry's reverie. He looked over his shoulder and everyone else was still gathered around Charlie and Jessica so he snuck over to the cupboard and pressed his ear to it.
"Give us a hand, Jamie!" Louis said.
"I can't! I'm look-out!"
"The door is closed, mate. Not a lot of looking out to do, is there?" Fred joked.
"Get me doooooown!" Hugo wailed.
Harry rapped his knuckles on the door and the voices fell silent.
"Boys, what is going on in there?"
"Nothing, Uncle, all is well!" Fred said.
That's a load of bollocks, but good try. Harry thought.
"Uncle Haaaaaaarry! Heeeeelp!" Hugo cried.
Harry tried to enter the cupboard, but the knob wouldn't turn. Still trying not to alert everyone else, Harry pointed his wand and whispered, "Alohomora". It didn't work.
He looked at the doorknob, discovering it was not the kind to lock at all. Something else was keeping the door shut tight.
"Jamie, why won't the door open?" He asked.
"I didn't do it!"
"Jamie, answer me."
"Well, Uncle Harry…" Louis began, clearly searching for the right words.
"Fred Arthur Weasley, what have you gone and done now?" Angelina was standing behind Harry.
"James Sirius, open that bloody door!" Ginny said.
Fleur's eyes hardened on the closed door and she began shouting at Louis in rapid French.
Hearing the commotion, Hermione had entered the living room and immediately knew. She shot Ron an irritated look, and exhaled, tossing her hair back before waving her wand casually.
"Oppendium"
The door flew open immediately and the three boys tumbled out in a pile. One by one they were grabbed up off the floor by their shirt collars and reprimanded by their mothers.
"Every time you three are in the same house, there's a calamity." Ginny glared at James.
"Honestly, Fred. Go sit on that chair and Merlin help you if you move before I say so." Angelina said.
No one knew what Fleur said to Louis, but the shade of green his complexion took on after she finished talking was enough.
Hermione entered the cupboard and found Hugo wedged into the very top shelf. He'd pushed the linens to the floor to make room for himself, but he was hopelessly stuck on something.
"Mummy am I in t-trouble too?" He sniffled. His eyes, the same bright shade of blue as Ron's filled with tears.
"Ron, he's in here again, I can't reach him." She called, sighing. Ron followed her voice and gave a sympathetic sigh seeing his small son's red face.
"Daddy, I'm s-sorry…" Hugo cried.
"It's ok. Give me a minute." Ron said soothingly. He took hold of Hugo under his arms and gave a small tug. The boy came free but his trainers stayed stuck to the wall. Hugo relaxed his head into Ron's shoulder and Ron rubbed his back.
"Mummy has told you not to go in there. You need to mind what we tell you, Hugo." Ron said rocking his upper body.
"I'm s-sorry! The door was open." Ron turned red.
Mrs. Weasley approached and held her arms out. "Here, my darling boy. Come give Gran a squeeze, she'll sort it all out." Hugo looked at Molly and reached out to her. He wrapped his arms around her neck as she took him.
George and Harry eyed Hermione, who still had an irritated look on her face as she looked at Ron.
"So, why wouldn't it open?" George asked, examining the inside of the door.
Ron sighed. "He hides. He climbs. It scared us half to death the first time he hid in there. Hermione put a brilliant spell on it that it couldn't be opened by anyone but her or me."
Hermione interjected, "And since Ronald never remembers to actually close the cupboard door after he's been in there, that charm was basically a waste of energy."
Again, Ron turned red. He'd been the last one in there today. He fetched the tablecloths and napkins when Hermione asked him to help set the table.
"Ok, but what happened to his shoes?" Harry said pointing. Hugo's tiny trainers were stuck to the back wall of the cupboard.
"That was my idea. He…he fell off the shelf once. I thought if there was a sticking charm on the wall, he might get stuck, but at least he wouldn't crack his head open falling down again." Ron answered. "Accio trainers." Ron said with a flick of his wand. Hugo's shoes popped free and he handed them to his mother, who secured them back on Hugo's feet.
The drama of the cupboard over, the enormous family sat together in the dining room. There was plenty of elbow room thanks to Mr. Weasley's enlargement charm on the table.
A true feast fit for such an occasion, the menu consisted of roasted turkey (Ron managed to get two drumsticks, a rarity), roasted vegetables with Lancashire cheese, ginger carrots, creamed spinach, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, goat cheese and new potato tart, small steak and kidney pies, rare beef Wellington (just for Bill) and a mixed salad.
Even Hermione and Fleur, the most petite adults at the table took a little bit of everything.
The desserts still in the kitchen, waiting to be enjoyed were gooseberry pie, a large Yorkshire pudding and blackberry & clotted cream shortcake.
Ginny clinked her spoon against her wine glass and stood, nodding to her brothers. "A toast: to Mum and Dad. You put up with the lot of us growing up; you showed us how to make everything out of very, very little."
Ron stood, "You taught us how to judge a person by who they are and not what they own."
George stood, "You gave us your support when we needed it most. And we learned the importance of family."
"You loved us, even when we made it very difficult." Percy said.
"Even though it wasn't easy for you, you let us follow our dreams." Charlie grinned.
"Beyond all that, you are the role models we can only hope to be for our kids." Bill added.
Arthur's chest puffed out with pride. He put his arm around Molly's shoulders and she wept into her napkin.
"If I may add something," Harry said, looking up at his brothers-in-law and Ginny. They each nodded their consent with earnest agreement. Harry considered his words carefully, fumbling with his own wine glass. "You were unconditionally kind to the awkward boy standing by himself at King's Cross. You didn't just show me how to get onto the platform that day. You showed me acceptance for the first time in my life. I'm very…very proud to consider you the parents I never had."
There were more than a few sniffles going around the table. Hermione and Angelina wiped streams of tears away on their napkins.
"To Grand-mere et Grand-pere!" Victoire said merrily and they all shouted a resounding "Cheers!" before the tinkling of glasses echoed off of the walls.
Jessica was a resounding hit with the eldest Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She was sweet and charming, funny and very smart. George caught Ron's eye and wiggled his eyebrows at him when she was talking and Ron nearly had pumpkin juice spray from his nose. Bill and Harry saw it happen and they chuckled to themselves. If Mrs. Weasley knew what had been going on in the master bedroom, they could only guess what she'd have to say about it.
Conversation broke into little groups as tends to happen with such a large number of people sitting at the same table. Ron turned to Hermione.
"I'm sorry I forgot to shut the door again. That was my fault." He said.
She smiled. "Just try to remember next time. I think I have to change that charm on the door. It didn't occur to me that someone could actually get locked in the cupboard if the door shut behind them." She puzzled as she popped a slice of roasted potato into her mouth.
"Think of it this way, if they were locked in the cupboard, they couldn't be upstairs, breaking things. I think you should leave it the way it is and we'll just lock them in there when they come over." He joked, taking a bite off the drumstick.
She knit her eyebrows together. "That's right…if they were locked in the cupboard…what were those noises coming from?"
The tips of Ron's ears blushed. He casually nodded over at Charlie. She questioned him with her eyes. He gave her a look that meant "Think about who we're talking about."
"Oh you must be joking!" she said a little too loud. This time it was George's turn to almost spit out his pumpkin juice. Bill kicked him under the table.
"Not on our bed?" Hermione whispered. Ron grimaced and nodded.
"Well, just wait until we visit him in Romania. Two can play at that game." She said, taking a large sip of wine.