The Centaur's Shrine

Chapter 6 - Dinner at the Weasleys

Grimauld Place,

"Are you ready?" Ginny's voice called out downstairs.

"We're just finishing. We'll be right down," answered Draco.

He masked his discomfort by fussing about Silena's robe. This was the moment he had tried not to think about since making his pact with Ginny. They were going to the Weasleys' house for what was presented as a family dinner, but he knew better.

He was Ginny's partner, a close friend of Ron and Harry, and he had played a major role in defeating their common enemy, but it was still difficult to think of the Weasleys as, well family.

Silena didn't really understand what the problem was, but she sensed some of her brother's anxiety.

"Is there something wrong with the dress?" she asked.

Since she had lost all her clothes, the only ones she had were loans from the other girls. Draco shook his head and forced a smile.

"No, no. You're fine. Let go down."

All of them will be there. Even the older brothers. How are they going to react? How am I going to react?

He hoped he wouldn't appear disgusted at their house, and insult them in spite of himself. He'd never seen it directly, but the pictures had shown clearly that it wasn't anything like the kind of home he was used to. If anything, it reminded him of Hagrid's shack, and he was never going to be comfortable in anything like that.

I'm being irrational, Ginny and Ron are clean and well brought up persons, so their house is going to be something perfectly hygienic, if a little colorful. I will not let it faze me.

He composed himself, took Silena's hand, and started down the stairs where Ginny was waiting impatiently. There was a hint of a frown in her eyes.

He put on his most charming smile.

"Ready to go, love."

The fireplace had been reconnected to the floo network. He really hated traveling that way, but there was no simple alternative since Silena was too young to Apparate.

Ginny looked at him.

"You're not going to make a scene are you?" she asked warningly.

He shook his head, rigidly standing next to the mantelpiece.

"Draco..."

He knew that tone, nobody else would dare to use it on him, and in other circumstances, he would flare right back, but now he made a special effort.

"It's all right. I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

"Why should you be nervous at visiting my parents? You're not ..." She cut herself off. She'd almost said that he was not the son of a Death Eater anymore, but that would certainly not do.

She smiled gently and took his arm.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Trust me. It's really going to be all right."

She kissed him softly, under the interested stare of Silena who grinned at them.

"And don't mind the house. I don't know if you'll like it, but you'll never have to live in it," she added with a wink.

He grinned sheepishly. Ginny took a pinch of powder.

"I'll go first, then Silena, then you. Remember the name. It's 'The Burrow'. Say it out loud Silena."

"The Burrow!" enunciated the little girl.

Ginny nodded her appreciation and threw her powder down and spoke out the same. She disappeared into green flames.

Silena went, followed by the watchful eyes of her brother. Draco then took a deep breath, did the same, and emerged into the Weasleys' living room, faced by an impressive lineup of smiling red heads.

"Welcome to the Burrow, dear," called out Molly, energetically brushing off the soot from his clothes.

"Good evening, Mrs. Weasley, sir, everyone."

He would have preferred that she let him clean himself up, or at least that she be a little gentler about it. He inclined his head toward them. Fred and George sported big toothy grins, Percy was sober faced and the two others should be Bill and Charlie who were looking at him with friendly expressions. Ginny had given him a complete description of her family, but seeing them all at once was a shock all the same.

Seven bloody children. They're completely mad.

He took in the rest of the room. It was not very big and crammed with colorful objects and visibly worn furniture. Small pictures and painting were everywhere. The walls didn't look quite straight, and even the furniture was strange. There didn't seem to be two chairs with the same shape.

Draco had expected the worse, but he was pleasantly surprised. It couldn't be any more different from anything in his experience, yet he didn't felt uncomfortable like at Grimauld. This house was evidently a wizard's home, and it was full of history and life. He glanced at Silena who stood at his side, intimidated.

He shook hand with all of them, and then Molly excused herself.

"I have to return to the kitchen, now. Silena and Ginny, would you like to come with me?"

Silena smiled shyly. Ginny took her hand and the three of them went out, leaving the men together.

Draco was alone, facing his judges. At least that was the way he suddenly felt.

"Come and have a seat," proposed Arthur genially. "Do make yourself at ease. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Er, yes please."

"Butterbeer or something stronger?"

This is probably a test. If I ask for liquor they'll think I'm an alcoholic, and I better stay sharp minded in any case. Merlin knows I could use a real drink though.

"Butterbeer would be fine sir."

"Please, you can call me Arthur," said the man while passing him a tall frosted glass filled with ale.

"Thank you ... Arthur."

Fred and George moved a chair in the center of the room. Evidently, Draco wasn't the only one with tribunal ideas. Charlie intervened firmly, and the twins didn't insist.

Draco sat down, and waited awkwardly while everybody got something. They were all trying to be nice and pleasant, but the atmosphere was still a little tense. He tried not to think about what could be on their minds, facing the boy who was going out with 'little Ginny'.

I wish she was here, or Harry or even Ron. This is just like them to be late when I could really use their help.

Bill tried to break the ice.

"I heard that there was quite a commotion at the train station yesterday."

"You can say that again," confirmed Arthur. "I believe you were almost grateful for Fudge for rescuing you," he added with a wink.

Draco grimaced and frowned at the memory.

"He had some nerve doing that. Of course he wanted to bask in the glory. Still it was a little overwhelming." More than that. Draco had felt a terrific thrill looking at that crowd cheering them on.

That must be one of the things politicians crave. Having an audience going mad for you. I can only imagine what it must be like when you can control it.

He noticed Percy wincing at the mention of Fudge. He tried to steer the conversation on that subject.

"So, how are things back to the Ministry? If you can talk about it of course."

Arthur waived his hand in dismissal of any reasons for confidentiality.

"Total chaos of course. Howlers all over the place, asking for heads to roll. The Minister is working hard to build a coalition and the main thing going for him is that the opposition is so divided that nobody can make any headway." He stole a glance at Percy who seemed to be trying to hide behind his glass. "Do you want to say something Percy?"

The young man looked up at his father. He didn't know if he should mention his meeting with Fudge. He was still confused about it.

"You're the one who's been working close to him," said Fred, "you must have one of the best seats from which to watch the show."

"Quite so," added George. "Maybe you could even get us tickets."

"He's not giving you any rough time for what happened at the school?" asked Arthur in a concerned voice.

Percy finally found his voice.

"No, no," he replied. "He ..." He hesitated, then took a deep breath and recounted the discussion they had. When he had finished no one said anything for a moment.

"I don't believe it!" exploded Bill. "That man has no ... decency."

Draco was looking at Percy with a concentrated expression. He could not help but admire Fudge's maneuvering. What he'd said to Harry was true. Percy would never make it to Minister rank.

It's plain that even now, he's still half convinced by such a ridiculous manipulation. He's never going to make it among those peoples.

Draco thought that he however would have seen through Fudge's maneuvering immediately. He was already thinking of counter arguments that Percy should have used. He was only forgetting that it was always easier to know what to do afterwards. He noticed Arthur giving him a measured glance.

"That man is a very skilled political animal," said Arthur carefully. "It is amazing that he is so incompetent at everything else."

Draco smiled and some of his old arrogance showed.

"I'd call it specialization. He's concentrating on what's essential," he said without thinking.

Percy looked at him sharply.

"Essential. A Slytherin would appreciate of course," he murmured.

They all stared at him and he found himself blushing.

Merlin! What have I done! Now, they're going to see me in the same light.

"A Slytherin would put such talent to better use," he added quickly, trying to recover.

"I seem to recall a similar tale about a Slytherin prefect," started Fred with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, something about a bloodless coup d'état on a train ..." added George.

"... The stuff of novels ..."

"... Even a bit of romance I'm told ..."

"... Of course we probably don't know all the details. Don't we George?"

"Yes Fred, but maybe we can guess some of the missing parts." They both turned toward him, like turrets zeroing on a target.

"Just say yes or no. Now my first question is-"

"What is this? An ambush?" interrupted Draco, frowning angrily. "None of this is any of your business." I'm losing my temper. I've got to cool it down.

"Not even the romance part?" asked Bill wickedly.

"Boys!" said Arthur. "I remind you that Draco is a guest, and he should be treated accordingly."

They stopped, and he took the opportunity to get himself under control. An idea came to him, and he smiled dangerously.

"For the romance part, I suggest that we put the question to Ginny." He knew that the girl would hold her own. More than that, she would extract an appropriate and devastating vengeance on her brothers.

Fred and George knew it too. They exchanged a quick glance and raised their hands in surrender.

"Our potential brother in law seems to have made a valid point, don't you think George?"

"Undoubtfully Fred. Should we let him off the hook?"

"Until we come up with plan B, yes."

Everyone laughed, including Draco. He was beginning to enjoy himself.

"But I don't mind telling a few stories," he continued. The twins' eyes became watchful as they guessed what was coming. "Some Hogwarts students are famous for their entertaining talents."

"Now, I don't think-" started Fred.

"Okay, forget about plan B," said George, sporting a big smile and nudging his brother in the ribs.

"Yeah. Most of these stories are boring anyway ..."

"... And we are, ah, fully confident that our sister has made a good choice ..."

"... A very good choice."

Draco chuckled and turned toward Charlie.

"Ginny told me you work with dragons, now that's something I'd love to hear about..."

- - -

In the kitchen Silena looked at Molly apprehensively. In her experience, food preparation was the domain of House Elves, and her mother had always discouraged her to meddle in their business.

"Will you help us do the cooking?" asked Molly gaily. She was cutting vegetables in little pieces and throwing everything in a big wok on the stove fire.

The girl looked up at Ginny who nodded and strapped on an apron.

"What do I have to do?" she answered in a timid voice. Ginny selected a smaller apron and fixed it on her.

"You'll be doing the chocolate cake," said Molly. "You like that I hope?" The girl nodded eagerly. "Good. We'll need that big bowl over there and I'll tell you what to put in it."

Silena looked around to search for an Elf to command, but she couldn't see any. Not daring to question her host, she took the bowl and set it up on the main table. Ginny brought her boxes of flours and several eggs.

"Shouldn't we ask the Elves to do this," she whispered.

"There are no House Elves here," whispered back Ginny. "You'll be doing it all by yourself. It'll be fun you'll see," she added, as the girl's eyes opened in shock. "And afterwards you get to lick the bowl." She winked.

Silena wasn't too sure about that, but she thought it prudent to do as she was told. Ginny broke some chocolate bars into lumps and warmed them in a saucepan. She and Molly began to talk cheerfully about various recipes, charming the wok to stir automatically. They stopped occasionally to give her instructions or advice. Whipping the mixture was hard work, but when the chocolate was added it smelled very good. When she was finished, she looked on with interest as Molly transferred it to a cooking dish and placed that in the oven. When that was done Ginny took the bowl, recovered some paste with her finger and licked it. Molly turned toward the girl.

"Try it dear. I always say that it's the best part of cooking."

Silena dipped her finger carefully and barely touched the surface. She hesitated before tasting it but a smile quickly lit her face.

"That's good!" she said excitedly.

"Of course it is." The two women laughed affectionately. "Since you did all of the work, you'll have most of it, but I hope you'll share some with us."

Silena giggled and took another dip. They had been at it for a moment when Draco entered the kitchen. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw his little sister with a big grin, and chocolate all over her face.

"Draco! I made the cake and I got to lick the bowl."

"I can see that," he said with a wry smile. "I hope you didn't get any on your Veronica's dress robes."

"Nothing that won't wash away," assured Molly. "She's been a big help." Silena beamed at her.

"We're ready to have dinner if you guys have finished 'talking'," said Ginny. Draco rolled his eyes. "Did they go hard on you?" she added with a slight frown.

"I survived," he assured her. Apparently it wasn't the right thing to say because Molly's eyes suddenly flared with anger.

"Those boys," she said menacingly, "are going to have to understand that you are now a full member of the family and that ..."

"Please!" he interrupted her and was he was getting ready to explain when her last words suddenly registered. He looked at the woman with serious eyes. "What did you just say?"

Ginny let go a squeal of joy and rushed to embrace her mother.

"I think you heard me right Draco Malfoy," said Molly calmly. He swallowed a lump in his throat while she continued. "Do you think I don't understand what happened between you two? I've watched you long enough." He was struck dumb and Ginny blushed vividly.

"Every parent dreads the day when their child brings back the person they have chosen for companion," Molly continued softly, looking fondly at her daughter. "The thing we dread the most is having doubts about that choice. I have no such doubts, even though Ginny is really very young." Before the girl could protest she raised her hand. "I know that you haven't felt like a little girl for some time, but that's something else." She paused a moment. "Anyway, you are part of our family, although I won't insist that you call me mother." She chuckled. "But I don't want to hear 'Mrs. Weasley' anymore." she added.

Draco looked at her. She was a formidable figure, and he knew that they were all in awe of her authority, even Harry, but she radiated motherly love. It was something he wasn't very familiar with, but which he struggled to appreciate.

"Mrs. Weas... Molly," he corrected himself. What he felt he ought to say was one of the hardest thing he had ever done, it easily compared with his encounter with the avatar of Salazar Slytherin.

It's only words, and you mean them. What's so difficult?

He took a deep breath.

"I truly love Ginny dearly, and nothing would please me more than to be part of your family ..." he stopped because the emotion in her eyes, and the look of pure tenderness that Ginny was giving him, was more than he could stand.

"Hey! What about me?" exclaimed Silena, breaking the mood. Molly turned toward her.

"Well of course you're part of the family too. You didn't think we would leave you out?"

"I won't call you mother because you're not my mother," said the little girl primly, oblivious to the twinge of pain on Molly's face at the clumsy words, "But can I call you mum like Ginny does?" she asked ingenuously.

Molly felt her heart completely melt away, and she engulfed the child in her arms. Ginny walked toward Draco and snuggled up to him.

"Cooked! I'm Cooked!" screamed the wok suddenly. "I'm cooked! Put out the fire! Quick! I'm cooked."

Draco and Silena stared at the thing in stupefaction, while Molly quickly rescued the dish.

These people are going to drive me crazy.

"Go and get the others, dears. It's time to set up the table."

Dinner at the Weasleys Ch6 - 7