chapter eight : naps on the couch

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Tonks woke June up after only a few hours' sleep. While Arthur used magic to pack up the tents, Juniper and Liam left to look for the Creeveys. They found them soon enough and with a hug, they said their goodbyes before each going back to their own tents. Once June hoisted her backpack onto her back, they left the campsite as quickly as possible, passing Mr Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr Roberts had a strange, dazed look about him, and he waved them off with a vague 'Merry Christmas'.

"He'll be all right," Arthur said quietly, as they marched off onto the moor. "Sometimes, when a person's memory's modified, it makes them a bit disorientated for a while . . . and that was a big thing they had to make him forget."

They heard urgent voices as they approached the spot where the Portkeys lay and, when they reached it, they found a great number of witches and wizards gathering around Basil, the keeper of the Portkeys, all clamoring to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible.

Arthur had a hurried discussion with Basil; they joined the queue, and were able to take an old rubber tyre back to Stoatshead Hill before the sun had really risen. They walked back through Ottery St Catchpole towards The Burrow in the dawn light, talking very little because they were so exhausted, and thinking longingly of their breakfast. As they rounded the corner in the lane, and The Burrow came into view, a cry echoed along the damp lane.

"Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness!"

Molly, who had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard with Andromeda and Ted, came running towards them, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained, a screwed-up copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hand.

"Arthur — I've been so worried — so worried —"

She flung her arms around Arthur's neck, and the Daily Prophet fell out of her limp hand onto the ground. Looking down, Juniper saw the headline: SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP, completed with a twinkling, black-and-white photograph of the Dark Mark over the tree-tops.

"You're all right," Molly muttered distractedly, releasing Arthur and staring around at them all with red eyes, "you're alive . . . oh, boys . . ."

And to everybody's surprise, she seized Fred and George and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together.

"Ouch! Mum — you're strangling us —"

"I shouted at you before you left!" Molly said, starting to sob. "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O.W.L.s? Oh, Fred . . . George . . ."

"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly OK," Arthur said soothingly, prising her off the twins and leading her back towards the house. "Bill," he added in an undertone, "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says . . ."

Andromeda and Ted hurried towards Tonks and June, pulling both of them into a hug.

"Good to see you're safe, kids," Ted said, fondly, before following everyone into the kitchen.

When they were all crammed into the tiny kitchen, and Hermione had made Molly a cup of very strong tea, into which Arthur inisisted in pouring a shot of Ogdens Old Firewhisky, Bill handed his father the newspaper. Arthur scanned the front page while Percy looked over his shoulder.

"I knew it," Arthur said heavily. "Ministry blunders . . . culprits not apprehended . . . lax security . . . Dark wizards running unchecked . . . national disgrace . . . Who wrote this? Ah . . . of course . . . Rita Skeeter."

"That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic!" Percy said furiously. "Last week she was saying we're wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans —"

"Do us a favor, Perce," Bill said, yawning, "and shut up."

"I'm mentioned," Arthur said, his eyes widening behind his glasses as he reached the bottom of the Daily Prophet article.

"Where?" Molly spluttered, choking on her tea and whisky. "If I'd seen that, I'd have known you were alive!"

"Not by name," Arthur said. "Listen to this: If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark, alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refused to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that serval bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen. Oh, really," Arthur said in exasperation, handing the paper to Percy. "Nobody was hurt, what was I supposed to say? Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods . . . well, there certainly will be rumors now she's printed that."

He heaved a deep sigh. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office, this is going to take some smoothing over."

"I'll come with you, Father," Percy said importantly. "Mr Crouch will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my cauldron report in person."

He bustled out of the kitchen.

Molly looked most upset. "Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday! This hasn't got anything to do with your office, surely they can handle this without you?"

"I've got to go, Molly," Arthur said, "I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off . . ."

Sirius yawned. "I'll be off to have a good rest in my bed. I'll see you later."

"I better get to the office, too," Tonks said. "I'm sure Moody's already waiting for me. Constant Vigilance, you know."

With that, she, too, left the kitchen.

"Well, knowing you're all safe, Ted and I'll be going, too," Andromeda said and after a quick goodbye, they made their way towards the backyard and Disapparated.

Juniper fell down onto the couch in front of the fire. Charlie, who was watching her, got a nudge from Bill and after a pointed look, he strolled over to her.

"Can I join you?"

June looked up and smiled. "Sure." She shuffled aside, making room for him.

Charlie sat down and turned to look at her.

"How are you?"

"All right, tired mostly," she said, yawning.

"So where did you meet Liam? He seems like a good kid," Charlie said, leaning back into the couch. He, too, was tired.

"I saved him from drowning . . . wait . . . I actually saved him from death." June leaned back in the couch, too. "Does that makes me a superhero?"

Charlie frowned. "What's a superhero?"

"Alicia told me about them. Apparently they have superpowers and save people."

Charlie smiled. "Well, I guess that makes you a superhero."

"I knew it," June whispered, looking back at the ceiling before starting to laugh.

Charlie's stomach did a backflip upon hearing it.

"Tell me about Romania," she said, curling up and turning her head to look at him.

And so Charlie began. He talked about Norbert — or Norberta as she was now called — and how his friends had managed to illegally transport it from Hogwarts to the sanctuary he was working in. Somehow, the sound of his voice brought peace over her and soon enough her eyes closed and she drifted off in what would be quite a dream.

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Charlie was halfway his story about how he had first encountered a Chinese Fireball, when he noticed that Juniper had fallen asleep. As careful as he could, he reached out and took a blanket that laid next to the fireplace. He folded it open and placed it over her. For a second, June moved and Charlie froze, but she continued to sleep.

"It seems like your stories bored her to sleep," an amused voice said from the doorway to the kitchen.

Charlie looked up to see his older brother looking amused at the two of them. After a glare from his younger brother, Bill chuckled.

"You really like her, don't you?"

Charlie's cheeks burned up. In fact, he didn't know what he felt towards the black haired girl next to him. They had gotten along better than he had expected and she had made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, now that he was thinking about it, he hadn't felt like that before.

"I don't know," Charlie admitted honestly.

Bill shuffled closer to him before taking the seat in front of him, careful not to wake the sleeping girl.

"I can tell you like her," he said seriously. "I never saw you like that with someone else."

"Saw me like what?"

"You know — in love, I think," Bill said quietly. "You have this look in your eyes when you look at her. It's something I haven't seen with you in like ever and I do know you your entire life."

Charlie buried his head into his hands. "I don't know what to feel. She's only sixteen, almost seventeen. She still goes to school. Don't she deserve to be with someone of her age?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "You're sounding as if we're l fifty." He leaned closer towards his brother. "There is no restriction to love, Charlie, if you love her, tell her."

"You make it sound easier than it is," Charlie murmured. "Besides, how do I know if what I feel is indeed love? We've only been together for a couple of days."

"You're not a big fan of love at first sight, are you? All I'm saying is that, if you don't act soon, someone else might will."

"If she doesn't feel the same, this will all be very awkward. She's Fred and George's best friend and Tonks' sister after all!"

"Shh!" Bill pressed his finger to his lips and the two brothers watched how June pulled the blanket closer, but she did not wake up.

"If you never try, you'll never know, brother."

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Published 19.11.2020

I hope you enjoyed it & tell me what you think of it!

Got some Charlie and June time but it's not over just yet! :)