(Eng) Weasleys, Pranks and other Curses

15

I had stayed outside for a moment and let the scene take effect on me. The crooked house, which had been added to at all corners and ends, slowly sank into the dusk. The light inside illuminated the colorful hustle and bustle and I could hear the laughter all the way out here.

What a strange family.

They had just taken me here, even though Dumbledore must have told them it could be dangerous. And now even Bill had come here especially for me.

I stepped back into the shadows of the shed.

This family was trying so hard.

And my parents were once again out of reach.

With my back against the rotten wood, I just let the tears run. I could have been dead and my parents wouldn't know until Christmas.

Sobbing, I slid down to the grass.

"Camille?" Ginny had crouched down next to me. "Does it hurt? Do you need help?" she asked uneasily.

I shook my head and quickly tried to dry the tears. "I'll be all right in a minute. Really. It's fine."

Silently, the redhead sat down next to me and wrapped her arms around her legs. Even she was here. Was ready to share my pain with me. Why could my parents just leave the continent like that, when they knew the danger I was in?

Louder and louder I sobbed until Ginny caringly stroked my back. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. You're safe here."

"I thought I was going to die," I burst out and let Ginny pull me into her arms. "I was praying. That it would be quick. That I would miss the impact." I kept gasping for air. But these feelings, these thoughts had been building up inside me, stuck, waiting for any spare second to approach me.

"I could be dead," I wailed on Ginny's shoulder, "and my parents are unreachable because they're doing their oh-so-great jobs. I hate them. I hate them so much."

"I'm so sorry," Ginny whispered over and over as she rocked me back and forth like a little kid. "I can't imagine what you've been through."

My sense of time would remain distorted for a good while longer. But when I was finally able to stop crying, it had grown dark and cold. Ginny had tried her hardest to hide her shivering, but then again, the cold had crept into my bones.

"Sorry. That was inappropriate." I dried Ginny's shoulder first before wiping my face dry with my sleeve. "I'll be fine."

"You don't have to be strong." Ginny helped me to my feet and swept the grass off my pants. "After what happened to you, anyone would be devastated."

I tried a smile. "But being weak doesn't change my situation, does it? I don't like pity. I brought this all on myself."

Ginny didn't look convinced, but she didn't contradict me.

Mr. Weasley had returned from the Ministry with his son Percy. They spoke of the chaos that the closure of Hogwarts had brought about, but immediately fell silent when I entered the kitchen.

"Good evening," I said very politely, nodding to the two men.

"Camille. How are you?" the man asked immediately, turning his chair in my direction.

"Very well, considering the circumstances, thank you for asking." And then I added, "I'm sorry to have made your work more cumbersome."

"Don't be!" defended Mister Weasley immediately. "It's not your fault, is it?" I smiled mildly. He had to say that, of course.

"I'd like to lie down. Ginny, can you show me to your room? Good night Mister Weasley, Misses Weasley. Good night Percy."

On the stairs, we ran into Fred and George, who gestured for us not to tell on them. "We'll keep you posted if there's any news, too," Fred promised, and we slipped past them.

Ginny showed me the bathroom on the way and I stopped in amazement. "One bathroom? For all of you?"

"Dad and Charlie were supposed to add a second one upstairs, but somehow they never got around to it." She shrugged. "You learn to live with it, I guess."

I thought about the apartment we just rented in London. Two floors with two bathrooms each. All four big enough to fit the entire Weasley family in and still have his privacy in the big bathtub.

Suddenly I was glad that none of the Weasleys knew how wealthy my family really was. We rented an apartment just so our house elves would have a place to work.

"And this is my room. Our room until further notice." Ginny's room was smaller than the dorm I shared at Hogwarts with three other girls. And with the two extra beds, there was barely enough room to walk around in.

"I'm sorry you have to share your room." I lowered myself onto the bed with my huge trunk underneath. It barely fit under the bed. Actually, someone had put the bed on bricks so the suitcase would fit under it.

"Aw shucks. I'm always glad I'm not the only girl." She rolled her eyes. "At least this way the guys are forced to not act all shitty for a change."

"I doubt that will stop them." Hermione came into the room behind us, a towel wrapped around her head. "If you guys still want to shower, you better hurry."

I shook my head wearily. "If you don't mind that I probably stink terribly, I'd pass on that for once today."

"Don't worry. You don't stink. But if you need help washing your hair, don't hesitate to let me know. I mean. At least it's your left arm, but still, it's exhausting with one hand."

I screwed up my face. "I'm left-handed."

"Crap," Ginny agreed with me before grabbing her towel from the small dresser. "Well, I'll be off before the boys see that it's free."

"Have you taken your medicine yet?" Hermione pointed to a small bottle with a spoon balanced on it.

"It doesn't hurt that bad."

But Hermione wouldn't take no for an answer. "This isn't just for pain. It's also supposed to prevent inflammation. Here." She unscrewed the bottle and filled the spoon with the thick mixture. I did try to take the spoon in my hand, but in the end the girl had to feed me more with it because my right hand was really useless.

"You really don't have to worry about inconveniencing anyone here." Hermione deftly braided her hair into a braid while I tried to find a position where I could reasonably lie down. At least I had been able to get rid of the pants without the help of my hands. Everything else I would have to figure out the next day. "The Weasleys wouldn't have offered if they didn't mean it honestly."

I had been helplessly tangled in the blanket and had decided to just wait for the medicine to work. If it was the same as before, I wouldn't feel much in a few minutes anyway. "That's what I'm trying to tell myself. But," I hesitated and looked over at Hermione. "This family is very different from mine. Alone," again I broke off. "I feel bad. Like a freeloader. They have so little and yet they're willing to share it with a stranger."

Hermione finished her braid and turned to me. I could see it on her face. She understood. Her family had to have more money than the Weasleys, too. "Miss Weasley will be more pleased if you show her how much this gesture means to you than if you refuse everything. I can show you what flowers she likes if you want to give her a bouquet. Helping around the house is out for now, I guess."

We both grinned wryly at how helpless this generosity made us. "That sounds good."