Chapter Three
The Burrow, July 1987
“Let’s do something naughty.” Declared Sonia, smiling wickedly at her twin and the four youngest Weasley children.
Frowning, Andrew glanced nervously over at their friends; Fred and George would do whatever mischievous thing Sonia thought up, and Ron would tag along for fun – Ginny would just be happy she was included.
“I dunno Sunny…”
“Don’t be a pansy.” She said, standing now with her hands on her hips “We’ve been good all week – let’s have fun.”
“What will we do?” asked Fred.
“Something excellent!” George added on.
Crinkling his nose, Ron shaded his eyes from the sun to see them better “Is this really a good idea? Mum did say-”
Sighing, Sonia interrupted him “You’re such a wuss, Ronald.”
“I am not!”
“Are too.” Retorted Ginny, giggling. Her fiery hair glinted in the sunlight, and Andrew wondered if it was as soft as it looked.
The Weasley twins stood up “Well we’re going with Sonia.”
“I am too!” cried Ginny, scrambling to her feet “I don’t care what Mum’ll do to us.”
Beaming, Sonia ruffled Ginny’s cherry mop “Good girl Ginny, that’s the spirit!”
The four began to trek across the lawn, kicking garden gnomes out of the way as they went. Andrew and Ron looked at each other nervously, and then ran after them.
“Hey – wait up!” Ron shouted.
“We’re coming too!” added Andrew.
The six kids crept beneath the kitchen window and around the house, following Sonia; she was always the mastermind to their plans, and executed them brilliantly. She was sly and fearless, clever and feisty; at seven she already knew how to pick locks the Muggle way and taught the Weasley twins. Hazel had been teaching the twins magic lessons four times a week since they were five, just simple stuff; both had soared ahead, bored with simple things such as Leviosa, Lumos, all of that. Andrew enjoyed charms the most, Sonia transfiguration; Hazel prized teaching them everything she loved, and it gave her great pride to see how smart they were.
The Weasley twins were nine, Ginny six, Ron, Sonia and Andrew seven, yet they all got along famously. Percy, Charlie and Bill were a bit too old and at Hogwarts, so they played together often all year. Hazel liked taking the twins to the Burrow so she could chat with Molly and have them entertained; sometimes they skipped last lesson to have tea with the Weasley’s.
“What’s the plan miss mastermind?” asked Fred, already vibrating with excitement.
George nodded “I bet you’ve been planning this all week, haven’t you Sonia?”
Sonia merely smiled and shrugged, leading them to the garage. Since Hazel kept their wands in her room when the twins weren’t in lessons, the two had learned some handy tricks about doing things the Muggle way. It helped that Sonia and Andrew had taught themselves simple wandless magic a year before, after reading Hazel’s own notes on them; their mother had learned it even younger than they. At the age of four Hazel was unlocking doors with barely a glance and a raise of her eyebrows.
Instead of showing off, Sonia pulled a pin from her hair, letting one of her dark curls fall loose. Sticking it in the garage door lock, she only had to wiggle it about a bit before it clicked, and the six kids stepped into Mr. Weasley’s garage.
“What a load of junk.” Said Ron, looking around. “No wonder Mum wants him to get rid of it all.”
“I dunno,” Andrew spoke quietly “Some of it’s kind of cool.”
Fred snorted “The son he never got, that’s what you are Andy.”
“He has six sons, maybe he wants Sonia too.”
Sonia wasn’t listening, but if she had been colour would have rose to her cheeks; there were days when she would have done anything to be a Weasley. Not that Sonia didn’t love her mother, because she really did love Hazel and Andrew more than anyone else in the world, but sometimes she longed for the coziness of the Burrow, the noise that came with having such a large family and just being allowed to be a kid for once.
“Stop dilly dallying and come over here.” She over her shoulder “It’s time to put my plan to work.”
“What’re we doing?” Ginny asked, jumping up and down a bit with excitement.
Sonia grinned “We’re going for a little drive.”
~*~*~*~
In the Burrow kitchen was an old scene, recurring over the years as Hazel’s troubles wore down on her and sometimes the only cure for her blues was a chat and a cup of tea with Molly Weasley.
“How are the twins?” asked Molly, considerably plumper and somehow even happier looking since they had first met over ten years ago. “And Remus?”
“Both are very well,” Hazel stirred honey into her first cup of tea, settling in for a long afternoon of chit chat “I sent Remus home today; he hadn’t been for a week and I needed him to relax a bit.”
Shaking her head, Molly laughed “He practically lives at Hester House, just make up a room for him and call it even.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Why ever not?”
“It would be too…permanent.” Said Hazel quietly, staring into the depths of her tea. “Sonia and Andrew would find it confusing if he permanently moved in, and I…”
Molly sat down and held Hazel’s hand tightly, smiling warmly “You would be happier, Hazel darling. The twins would have a real father figure, you wouldn’t go to bed alone every night. Remus might get something out of it too.” She laughed, kissed her friends shaking hands and stood back up.
“I can’t, Molly.” She said “I’ve tried to love him, really I have; but I can’t give him what he wants, or what the twins need.”
Sighing, Molly put a plate of biscuits on the table “Hazel, forget about Severus; please, I beg of you. He is not worth your time.”
Splaying her hands over the table top, stretching her fingers, Hazel wondered if she could really forget about Severus, take Remus to bed with her every night for the rest of her life and live happily. Maybe she could even give the twins a few more siblings.
Then she shook her head “I can’t forget about Severus Molly, not when I see his face in my children every hour of the day. When Sonia is working I see him, when Andrew reads…every time they do something like he used too I feel like breaking.”
“I’m sorry, Hazel.” Molly said softly “This is not what you deserve.”
Looking up tearfully, Hazel’s lip trembled; it was such a childish action that she tried to stop, but she knew Molly didn’t care “But what if I do, Molly? What if I deserve this existence, this torture? I must have done something in a previous life to sentence myself to anguish, there is no other explanation.”
“No, that isn’t right.” Argued Molly, bringing her chair close “You have done nothing but good in your life. You have saved so many lives, gone through so many hardships to reach this point of safety. Think of Andrew and Sonia, Remus, Arthur and I. You’re life has so much meaning, Hazel.”
What happened next was seen as a blessing in Hazel’s eyes, as she didn’t know how much longer she could defend herself in front of Molly. A loud squeal interrupted their conversation, and a streak of blue flew past the windows.
“Was that…?” asked Molly, jumping up.
Hazel sighed “Yes. Our children.”
They ran out of the Burrow to see Arthur’s blue mustang hurtling down the country road, leaving only a trail of dust in its wake. The excited cheers of children could be heard, and Hazel raised her wand in a tired manor and gave it a slight flick, leaving the car frozen.
Within the car the children frowned, Sonia pressing harder on the gas and moving the dials about.
“What’s happened?” asked Fred.
“Yeah, that was brilliant! Why stop?” added George.
“I don’t know.” Sonia was frowning, changing the gear shift hopefully: nothing happened. “It’s as if someone’s controlling….oh.”
Together, the six children turned around fearfully to see their mothers walking down the road. It was funny to them that their mothers were such good friends when they were so drastically different; Mrs. Weasley was plump and cheery, always cooking or cleaning or racing after her children. Hazel was quiet, stunning and remorseful very often, sometimes looking as if she would rather be studying her hundreds of books instead of in the real world.
Hazel leaned down to look in the driver’s side window, and Sonia sunk lower in her seat. The other five did the same, and together they made anxious eyes to each other.
“Sonia, what are you doing?” asked Hazel coolly.
Sonia swallowed harshly “Just…just going for a drive.”
“A drive?”
“Yeah,” piped up Fred “We just thought it might be, uh…”
“Fun?” said George quietly, voice squeaking.
“Fun.” Hazel repeated, and all the doors flew open and the children tumbled out as if the car had tossed them with real hands. They stood up and gathered near the end of the car, were Hazel stood with her arms crossed and Mrs. Weasley looked as if she might blow a gasket.
“You four,” she said, addressing her four bright haired children “Are in so much trouble. Back to the house. Now.”
As Mrs. Weasley marched her children back to the house, Hazel fell behind, a twin on each side.
“Why did you take the car out?” she asked.
The twins glanced at each other “We…we wanted to have some fun.” Sonia said quietly.
“And where did you learn to drive, Sonia Lily?”
Guiltily toeing the dirt with the toe of her shoe, Sonia shrugged “I found a book on it in the bin.”
Suppressing a smile, Hazel took their hands “Well, there’s nothing wrong with a little fun I suppose.”
“So can we go again?” asked Andrew hopefully.
“We should let Mrs. Weasley cool down a bit first.”
The twins shrugged and began telling Hazel about driving, how fast they had gone and about what it was like having the wind blowing through their hair.
“Almost as good as flying!” said Sonia, and Andrew agreed.
Hazel just wondered when her children had gotten so smart.
A/N: At Grandmothers. No wifi. To post involves putting story on hard drive, getting dusty because the only plug is at the BACK of the desk and using her dinosaur computer. Fun times. Oh, and I'm pooing myself I'm so scared of school on Tuesday. No biggie.
Question: What do you think of Andrew and Sonia now you've seen them with brains that are more mature? Are they at all like their parents in your eyes, or how you expected them to be?
Rose<3