wandmaker | charlie weasley

24

"Mrs. Weasley, hi," Eloise greeted shyly, and Ron grumbled at his mother as he maneuvered around her and plopped himself down at the table.

Before Eloise could move a muscle, Molly was in front of her, enveloping her in a hug and then guiding her to the seat across from Ron.

"I'm so glad you could come today! It's a busy week and I was worried I wouldn't be able to entertain you before Charlie got home," Molly said, before joining the pair at the table and summoning some food.

Both Ron and her gaped at the spread in front of them, eyeing the pastries, cakes, and finger sandwiches in amazement. She thought she saw Ron begin to drool.

"Geez, what's the occasion?" he asked as he loaded up his plate. Eloise picked up the teapot quickly, pouring Molly a cup of tea, and then Ron, and then herself.

When she went to fuss, Eloise asked, "Mrs, Weasley, please, the least I could do is pour your tea. This all looks delicious!"

"Mmph, 'fanks, Mum," Ron said through a mouthful of lemon tart.

"Oh, this is nothing, dear. And haven't I asked you to call me Molly?" she asked. "Ronald, what have I told you about chewing with your mouth closed? And clearly tea with Charlie's girlfr— Oh, the scones are still in the oven, just a second!" She proceeded to jump up and retrieve the hot pan of perfectly baked scones.

Eloise nearly choked on her tea. Fine, okay, she choked a little bit. But choking is better than spitting it out, right? Apparently Molly was under the impression that Eloise and Charlie were together.

She could understand the mistake. It was easy to be confused if you were viewing their friendship from an outside point of view. Hell, Eloise was confused about what was going on, and it was her friendship.

At the sputtering noise she'd made, Ron glanced up wide-eyed. He then looked to his mother, then back to Eloise. A sneaky grin slowly overtook his expression as he seemed to comprehend what had just occurred. She gave him a look, hoping that he'd clear up the situation so that the responsibility wouldn't fall to her, but he just grinned wider.

"Now, what was I saying?" Molly asked, just as she rejoined them with a heaping tray of currant scones dusted with icing sugar.

"Oh, that Charlie's—" Ron began, and her teacup clattered against its saucer as she slammed the cup down to the table.

"So, Christmas!" Eloise hurried to interrupt the meddling boy, shooting him a covert glare. "Is there anything that I can bring?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, I've got everything covered. It's always a crowd, but we've invited a few more this year. We figured what's a few more? The whole family of course, and Harry and Hermione will be here. Oh, and Andromeda Tonks and her grandson, they're family friends. Minerva said she'd stop by, and Hagrid. It'll certainly be a crowd with Hagrid. Kingsley said he might be able to make it for dinner, but of course he's very busy, so we'll see."

"Alright then," Eloise replied faintly, feeling a bit woozy. Apparently every living member of the Order of the Phoenix would be stopping by for the Burrow for Christmas pudding. Kingsley Shaklebolt was extremely well known as he had been the Acting Minister directly following the war, and the subsequently was named the official Minister for Magic by early July. And of course, Minerva could only refer to the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGonnagall. Eloise held the Headmistress in high esteem, having been in her N.E.W.T. Level Transfiguration class for two years. She had even written Eloise a letter of recommendation for several apprenticeship applications.

Noticing her concerned expression, Molly patted her hand, saying reassuringly, "It'll be just fine. It's not usually everyone all in one place except for dinner, and of course you'll have Charlie there to make sure that you're properly introduced to anyone you might not know. I think you've met nearly everyone in our family. That reminds me! The kids' Great Aunt Muriel will be joining us as well.

Eloise's heart leapt at that. She knew the cranky woman already, of course, as it was her home that Ollivander had taken shelter at following his escape from Malfoy Manor and brief stint at Shell Cottage with Bill and Fleur. While she didn't particularly like the unpleasant nature of the woman, it was someone that knew Ollivander, and people that knew her mentor were few and far between.

"I've met Muriel, actually," she told Molly. She continued on at her puzzled expression, "Ollivander was staying at her home for a period during the war. I visited them several times."

"Nasty woman, she is," Molly laughed, giving her a sympathetic look, which in turn made Eloise giggle. She wanted to feel bad, but Muriel had once told Eloise that she'd never find a husband when she had such pasty skin.

"Have you heard from Charlie then?" Eloise mentally smacked herself. She had been trying to avoid the topic, and then just as quickly brought it up herself. Ron put down his sandwich and picked up his tea, smirking at her but not saying anything. Mischievous Weasley boys, she scoffed.

Molly nodded, "Yes, I got his letter earlier this morning. He'd gotten there late, and the time difference, you know. I think he had gone straight to work, and then to sleep. He keeps busy there, at the sanctuary. I almost wish he'd settle down somewhere, maybe do something safer. I worry about him out there. I think he comes home with a new burn each time I see him. I can't help but wonder how long he's planning on sticking around. He loves those dragons, but I love having him here for family time. We haven't had a proper family Christmas in years."

Eloise watched nervously as Molly's eyes welled up with tears, wondering what to do. Ron looked just as helpless, but finally, "Christmas will be fine, Mum. Everyone is looking forward to coming over. Harry even said this will be his first normal Christmas since early in our Hogwarts days."

She nodded, wiping at her eyes and taking deep breaths. Unsure of what else she could do, Eloise took her hand and squeezed gently, knowing that was Charlie's preferred method of comfort. Molly squeezed back, and seemed to be collecting herself.

"Sorry, I forgot myself for a moment. Forgive me Eloise, I'm probably going to be a teary mess at Christmas as well."

"It's not a problem. The holidays are an emotional time, especially following wartime," she said gently, hoping to convey a sense of understanding.

"Very true," she agreed.

Thankfully, the rest of the afternoon went without incident, and Eloise was happy to admit that she'd had a lovely time with the youngest Weasley boy and his mother. It wasn't the company she'd expected, but something about spending time with the Weasley matriarch felt like a warm, familiar hug.

Somehow, that made her miss Charlie even more, and it had only been a day. She couldn't wait until he was home, even if it wasn't permanent. She hoped he'd come to a decision soon, both for her sake and his mother's.

When she got home, she quickly read through the letter that had arrived sometime while she was gone from Charlie, detailing his arrival in Romania and plans for the next few days while they battled the worst of the dragon's illness. When she was finished, she set to drafting her response.

Charlie.

I had tea with your mum today. She had the funniest idea about the pair of us...

~

A/N:

Surprise! I've been having so much fun working on this story the past few days, and I can't wait for you to see what's coming next. I'm so glad you've all been enjoying it! Reading your comments makes this so much better.

Much love,
Kath xx