I would like to say a thank you to each and every one of you who reviewed the last chapter or have reviewed the other chapters since the last chapter was posted. At the time of writing not one of the reviews shows up on the reviews page which is infuriating as I have several emails telling me that they did at some point exist! So thank you to Roos1414, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Dreamer558750, NicoleR85, gleefan2009, and The Good Child. I have received your reviews, I know they exist but for some irritating reason nobody else does.
The Good Child: when I wrote that chapter I googled extensively, and I'm pretty certain at that time Charlie had not been given a middle name by Jo. If it is Septimus, that would be amazing!
Silence.
Nine pairs of eyes swivelled from Lyra and Charlie to the very quiet Mrs Weasley, who was staring them down with a glare that implied trouble. The silence became overpowering as the determined couple refused to say any more until she spoke, rather than start profusely apologising accidentally. Finally, Fleur broke the heavy quiet.
"I zhink zat sounds good, Lyra. Especially as Charlie will still be working in Romania, no?" She said, flicking slightly anxious glances at her mother in law. Lyra and Charlie smiled in relief, and Charlie replied.
"Yeah" he said, glancing at his parents, "I'm still going to work full time so once September starts and Ly starts work she's going to work part time in the Auror office - Kingsley promised she could work with Tonks, and Tonks is doing part time too, so then Ly will stay in Grimmauld Place for the days she's working if she's not on a mission and then when she has her time off she'll come out to Romania to stay with me for a few days. And then when it's my week off instead of staying in the cottage I'll come back to England - be with Ly."
"I don't see why you couldn't live with us, Charlie dear", his mother finally interjected, but the warning tone in her voice contradicted her words entirely. "Surely you'd want to be with us at home in the Burrow?" Charlie merely looked wordlessly at Lyra, who stared back.
"But Mrs Weasley.." Lyra said, forgetting in the moment to use her first name, and wasn't corrected for her mistake, "we.. Er..." Charlie squeezed her hand again. "Between us we have decided that living in Grimmauld Place is the best option for us right now. Charlie won't be there all the time, I'll be working with Tonks, and it will only be until this house is ready and then we'll be here.. It was a decision we made together and it means only one of us will have to move at first - rather than the both of us moving everything to the Burrow and then moving again."
Lyra didn't like seeing an angry Mrs Weasley, she detested any type of heated discussion and hated strife of any sort, but this was worse. She had thought standing in front of a fuming Molly Weasley was bad, but it was nothing compared to seeing her looking hurt and upset.
She stood before them, her slumped body making her appear small and vulnerable, and Lyra felt instantly guilty.
"Mrs Weasley.." Lyra sighed, "I-" she stopped abruptly. She was not sorry, she would not apologise. If her mother in law had an issue with the decision she and her fiancé had made together after several hours discussing the pros and cons, the issue would not be solved by Lyra being instantly apologetic.
The rest of the group had all dispersed, leaving just Arthur, Bill and Fleur. A quick scan of the area surrounding them showed Lyra that Ron and Hermione had just wandered a little way down the lane towards the gate and were quietly chatting, Ginny and Percy were climbing one of the hills behind the house that showed a clear view right across the moors. Fred and George, for some reason, were climbing a tree. She decided she didn't want to know why.
Lyra drew her attention back to the group she was standing with. Charlie was starting to tense beside her, and Bill and Fleur were both aware of the tension escalating as well. Arthur was trying to remove his wife from Charlie but he was too late.
"Charlie!" Molly snapped, her hurt having led to anger, "why have you decided that living with Sirius would be better than moving back home with us! Your married life won't start off well living in London! And you have a house elf to tend to your beck and call there - you need to learn how to do housework yourself! At the Burrow I can easily help you and if you're at home with us it will be closer to move everything when your house is ready!"
Charlie finally lost his temper.
"Mum!" He almost bellowed, his voice loud in the quiet landscape surrounding them, "we are going to live in Grimmauld Place part time! That is not your decision, it is ours, and we spent time discussing it! It's easier for us to do it this way because Lyra will be alone half the week and working in London, and we'll be in Romania the other half. We have made this decision together and we thought through everything so don't you dare try and reprimand us for not doing what you want!" Molly opened her mouth- "no!" Cried Charlie, who then threw up his arms in despair and strode off to stare at the ground that would be the foundations of his home.
"Charlie!" Lyra called out. He didn't answer. Lyra sent an agonising glance at the few others standing with her before running after him. Once she had gone Bill sent a glare at his mother. She flushed under his gaze, and looked at her feet.
"Molly" sighed her husband, "what was that about?" He shot a warning glance at his oldest son who took the hint and led his own wife away, out of earshot.
"He's growing up Arthur" she finally, very quietly, replied. "He's growing up and getting married, he'll be living in London with Sirius and Lyra and then he'll be living here..."
"He left home years ago Mollywobbles" Arthur reminded her, "years ago. Now he's getting married, and he and Lyra seem to be thinking everything through properly. The way they were talking earlier showed it wasn't a sudden decision - they have thought about it. They've thought everything through. But should they have to defend themselves to you?" His wife sagged slightly, "besides - would living with us be a good way to start their married life? Living with us and Ron and Ginny?" Molly mutely shook her head slowly.
They were silent standing together for a few minutes, his gaze warm upon his wife's face.
"I love you Molly" Arthur quietly said.
"I love you too" she replied. She took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders. Molly glanced at her husband, smiling at his affectionate gaze before nodding at Lyra and Charlie in the distance.
"I'm going to-" she didn't finish her sentence, didn't need to. Molly Weasley's husband knew her inside out. He squeezed her hand slightly, kissed her cheek, and she hastened over to apologise profusely to her son and his fiancée.