Control ▸ Ron Weasley [2]

XI. A VERY WEASLEY CHRISTMAS, PART TWO

      Two strong arms caught her underneath her elbows before she could go crashing down to the ground. "Gits," the voice behind her said, releasing her almost immediately. She recognized the voice, and she turned slowly to look at Ron. "You alright?"

      The way he was looking at her, it was like he was asking about more than the stupid prank. He was asking if she was alright after their breakup, after spending a summer without her family, after seeing Katie Bell get cursed, and after finding out that he had moved on so quickly. He was asking if she was alright, and she swallowed past the lump in her throat. 

      "I'm fine," she said quietly, turning away from him and sitting in her seat.

      Dinner was an eventful affair. Where dinners at the Nott Manor were quiet and terse, dinners at the Burrow were lively and energetic. There were at least four conversations that started up, Nova's head swiveling back and forth to try and keep up with them. Fleur was muttering something in French that Nova loosely translated to "where is the foie gras?" The twins were talking to Bill about their brother Charlie's adventures in Romania, Harry was talking to Ron and Ginny, and the adults were all discussing things with one another. Nova was the outsider, sitting back and observing the scene in front of her as she delicately ate pieces of turkey and ham.

      "You're a twin as well, aren't you, dear?" A voice suddenly cut through. Nova, so engrossed in not interrupting any conversations taking place, didn't realize it was directed at her until Fred elbowed her. When she looked up, she found the entire table staring at her and realized Mrs. Weasley had asked her the question.

      "Yes. Er, yes ma'am," she corrected, stuttering out her answer in surprise.

      "And you two are close?"

      She swallowed her bite. "Very close."

      "And what do you and your twin want to do?"

      Harry suddenly snorted on his drink. Ron shot him a warning look, but The Boy Who Lived didn't seem to care. "Yes, Nova, what would you and Theo like to do after school?"

      If he was expecting her to rise to the bait, he was going to be disappointed. "I'd like to be a professor. I don't have a preference for any one subject. Theo wants to be a healer." She wasn't even sure if he could be one anymore, but it was nicer than the alternative. She wasn't going to ruin Mrs. Weasley's dinner with talk of her brother being a Death Eater.

      "A professor! How lovely." Mrs. Weasley seemed oblivious to the tension at the table. Fred and George were glaring at Harry, as if they were mad at him for baiting Nova. While Nova looked back and forth between the twins and Harry, she didn't see Mrs. Weasley try a piece of the cake she had made and promptly spit it out into a napkin.

      "Got a problem, Harry?" Fred asked as his mother dissolved into another conversation with Remus. 

      "Yeah, actually, I do. Why were you talking to Snape and Malfoy about Death Eater things the night of Slughorn's party?" Harry whispered, looking around to see if any of the adults in the room had heard him.

      Nova's fork clattered to her plate, her eyes widening. Then, the annoyance set in. "Were you listening to a private conversation, Potter?"

      "So you admit it?"

      "In case you've forgotten, since I went and helped you out at the Ministry, I'm not allowed to talk to my brother. Snape and Draco are the only ones who give me any updates on how my brother is doing. I'd tread very carefully if I were you." Nova's eyes flashed icily, her voice stopping any argument he might have had ready on his tongue. "Whatever you think of Draco, fine. I can't stop your opinions. But don't push those opinions onto me when I risked everything to help you at the Ministry."