I am so sorry for making you wait this long for another update – school is hard this semester… here's another chapter, thanks for all the reviews and adding story to your favorites it means a lot to me and I'll try to update more often now. Also there's some action coming in next chapter – I have it all planned, there's just no time to write. Thanks for being patient….enjoy!
The pick-nick was a huge success. Little Luna came an hour after Bruno and she showed up wearing purple dress with bottle-green crocheted vest on top and she was sporting the new necklace she made out of butterbeer corks.
Molly was worried at first – after Paul's comment about giving Bruno something to read and he'd be fine for the rest of the day.
There weren't any muggle-safe books in Burrow, of course she could give him the Tales of Beedle the Bard, but he seemed too mature for fairy-tales.
As it turned out, nobody needed books that day. Jade made a beautiful job at including Bruno at all the games they played, she and Ginny showed him around the house, while Luna sat at the kitchen table and told Molly about her plans for summer.
Luna was a strange little girl, Molly thought, she didn't really care if people were adults or her age, of is they were strangers or close friends, Luna always found a way to start a conversation and she could keep talking for hours if you let her. She was the only child, but she grew up with Weasleys, with them living so close and Ginny being her best friend, Luna knew the Burrow well, and she didn't consider the tour interesting enough, that's why she was in the kitchen talking to Molly.
They ate outside and played by the pond. Molly wouldn't let them swim , because water was still too cold from all the rain they had lately. Twins came back from their stroll around the woods and closed themselves in their room.
Molly promised herself, she'll make them spend more time outdoors – but they were out since breakfast so she let them be and continued her dinner preparations.
Percy was studying again, but he did came down to take his sandwich and ask mom if she needed any help.
Charlie kept kids company for a while but he too had some assignment for school which he was supposed to send to his teacher by next Monday, so he spent most of the afternoon buried in textbooks.
…
Arthur came home to find a group of exhausted kids sitting on the ground under the tree, some of them were completely passed out except for little Luna who was happily chatting away with Ron. Just as he came to the kids and bent down to straighten the sunhat on Ginny's head, Xeno Lovegood opened the back gate and called his little one.
"Oh she could have stayed longer, it's no problem at all. I'm sure Molly has too much dinner ready for everyone. Why don't you stay?" suggested Arthur, but Xeno politely declined with small bow, explaining that their family was leaving in few days and there was still a ton of packing to be done.
Little Luna waved them good-bye as she let her daddy to lift her up on his shoulders.
"Ok everyone, listen carefully now. I'm taking mom on our anniversary date tomorrow…" Arthur started but before he had time to finish the sentence all the Weasleys' kids but Jade, seemed to lose all interest.
"No, really guys listen I need you…" Arthur started again but was interrupted by Ginny whose voice came muffled from underneath the hat she pulled over her face again.
"yeah, yeah, dad, we know, be responsible, listen to Charlie, help mom in the morning and go to bed in time. We know the speech."
Ron nodded and started to chew on a straw he pulled out from the bush.
"Very well then, I'm glad you remember, but this time I'd prefer if you would behave, we don't need to come back home in the morning and find you all sleeping on the living-room floor, surrounded by cards from exploding snap and candy." Finished Arthur and tickled Ginny's tummy because she looked like she was falling asleep again.
"Let's go everyone, time for dinner." He said and picked up his youngest, throwing her over his shoulder and then pulling Ron up by his ankle making his shirt crumble around his head.
"Dad! Put …me… down!" Ron managed to squeak between fits of giggles, as his father carried him over to the back door, giving Jade and Bruno some more time alone. He would go back home soon and Merlin knows when the two of them will see each other again.
"Arthur put him down this instant!" Molly's face appeared in the kitchen window as she waved at them with large wooden spoon. Ginny, go upstairs and bring me your hair brush, you might as well look like a human being for dinner tonight." Then she turned around and they heard her calling up the staircase "Fred! George! Dinner! Percy, put down the book and come here to eat! Charlie!" and just when Arthur walked inside to kiss his wife and ask about her day, Charlie run inside holding a letter in his hand. "Bill says he'll be coming next week for twins' birthday party!" he exclaimed and snatched a cookie from the plate that was cooling by the window.
"Oh that's awesome…" said Molly, looking really tired. Ginny came back downstairs with her comb and big pink ribbon asking for one braid. Jade and Bruno came inside as well and kitchen was starting to be full so Arthur quickly kissed Molly and run upstairs to change really fast before dinner, running into Percy and almost knocking him down the last four stairs.
"Fred! George! If I'll have to come up there and drag you down for dinner and I find you working on one of your crazy projects making mess in your room, you'll be without dinner for the rest of the summer!" yelled Molly while she smoother Ginny's hair and braided the thick pink ribbon in it.
"There you go honey, now everyone sit down and help yourself." Said Molly smiling at all her children plus Bruno who asked Jade to tell her mom Thank you, for having him over today. Arthur came down too and filled his plate with cauliflower mash and sautéed squash.
They didn't have much time after dinner, when Paul came to pick up his cousin. Molly let Jade go with them , but only to the post box, it was getting dark and she didn't want her getting lost in the forest.
It was a tearful good-bye, Paul said that Bruno's mom called this afternoon and said she'll pick him up tomorrow morning, because they were leaving for vacation.
The kids hugged and promised to write each other, now when Jade had permanent address.
She stood by the post box, pealing off white flakes of paint from the iron post, until boys disappeared behind the nearest group of trees, where the road turned to the left.
Jade angrily wiped her eyes, this was nothing like her – crying as a little baby, she never cried and she wasn't going to start, not now when her life was starting to be nice. She didn't want to upset Weasleys. Adults always seemed upset or annoyed when they saw her cry. So she wiped her face one more time with the sleeve of her t-shirt and turned around, putting on a brave happy mask for the sake of her new family.