Fury

Fury

Chapter Twenty-One

Welcome to the Family

Cate sat in the backseat of the Ministry car that was taking them to the Leaky Cauldron with George on one side, Harry on the other, and Ron to the right of George. They'd already been to St. Mungo's, where, with a few quick spells, she'd been healed, though the scars couldn't be removed. The Healer had been a bit curt with her, and had agreed with the Healers from America; they would send a report back indicating that they'd received her treatment information and would continue it. From there, the Muggle paperwork would show that she'd been treated the Muggle way, and then she'd disappear. She wasn't sure how she felt about that; the doctors and nurses at the hospital had been wonderful, and didn't deserve to be lied to.

The backseat of the car was large, with plenty of room for everyone; George had his arm over her shoulder, the dull gold of his ring catching the late afternoon light. Ron was throwing the two of them looks, ranging from furious to incredulous. Harry was keeping up a light commentary, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time.

Harry gave them all the Weasley news; she quickly realized that it was mostly for her benefit, but found George listening as patiently as if he hadn't known.

Bill and Fleur would be celebrating their tenth anniversary in a few days, and Molly was running around like a madwoman, planning a large party that she guaranteed Fleur would be the grandest thing she had ever seen. They had welcomed another child, a boy, Louis, who had been born at the beginning of February, bringing their total to three. Harry pulled out pictures of the little boy being held by his sisters, who were seven and three. Cate cooed over the adorable little boy, who had a shock of violently red hair, contrasting with his very blond sisters.

Charlie was doing well, too, she was told, and had informed his mother that he would be bringing a special guest to the party. Molly thought that perhaps he finally had a girlfriend; Ron and George were betting that it was actually a boyfriend, but didn't let Molly hear. Harry personally had no opinion, but Ron and George began to bicker over the bet. Cate finally stepped in, saying George's name in a quiet voice that caused him to shut up immediately. Harry thanked her gratefully, while Ron whispered something in his brother's ear that caused a small fistfight to break out. She switched sides with George, and asked Harry to please continue.

Percy had gotten married, and had welcomed a daughter, Molly, who adored her grandmother and had her mother's personality, something that George snorted at and Ron outright laughed. Audrey had made herself welcome in the family, and was often at the Burrow, learning cooking tips from Molly (Ron mumbled that she needed them) and taking advantage of her babysitting while she returned to work. Percy, of course, had become even more pompous, lording his so-called perfect child and family over his brothers, who refused to listen.

Harry told her about his own family, about his two sons, the youngest only six months old, and Ginny's job at the Prophet covering Quidditch, and his new promotion to Head of the Auror Division.

Cate seized on the topic, fascinated. "Really? When did you start?"

George grinned as well, nudging his brother-in-law in the ribs. "Yeah. I didn't hear about this, did I?"

Harry blushed slightly. "Incidentally, Cate, I started today. This morning, in fact."

Ron snorted. "Almost late, he was. Something about having to make time for Ginny in the morning. And them with a new baby and all."

George raised an eyebrow. "You're one to talk. Isn't Rose about five months old, now?"

Ron's blush went right to his ears. "Nearly." He grinned at Cate. "Want to see a picture?"

Cate nodded, dumbfounded. "You have a daughter as well?" she asked, taking the fat wallet of photos of a chubby, curly-haired baby with dimples and a wicked grin.

Ron nodded proudly. "Like he said, she's almost five months old. Hermione's staying home with her for a while, but she's working from home right now. Something about magical creature restrictions, and the laws expiring. I wasn't really listening, to be honest."

Cate was curious, but knew she'd have to get the information directly from Hermione. "So, does your mum know we're coming?" she asked timidly, taking a second to squeeze George's hand. "I feel a bit selfish..."

Harry gave her a tight smile. "No one knows. After everything that's been going on with you two, we thought we'd make your arrival a bit of a secret. If anything happens before it becomes public information, we'll know that the few people who do already know are compromised. And that's valuable information."

George pulled her closer. "Then we're going to the Leaky Cauldron because..."

Ron leaned forward, looking his brother in the eye. "It's the nearest place to St. Mungo's with Floo access. And there's a private entrance. After Tom retired..."

Cate frowned. "Tom retired?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. About a year ago. Anyway, after Tom retired, Neville and Hannah Longbottom bought the place, and they've added some features to the old girl that make it much easier to slip in and out, if you know where to go and who to ask."

Cate raised an eyebrow. "Neville and Hannah? Longbottom?"

Ron shrugged. "Yeah. It's pretty cool, if you ask me. And they seem to enjoy it."

Harry grinned. "Anyway, we'll Floo from the Leaky Cauldron to Burrow. It's a surprise, so I asked Bill to have Molly outside for a little bit, so we can arrive and get cleaned up. She's throwing a big dinner tonight anyway, to celebrate the promotion. So she'll definitely have enough food."

Cate nodded thoughtfully. "And...and my family? When can I see them?"

George squeezed her hand. "We'll go talk to your parents and grandmother tomorrow. Let them in on the big secret. Won't they be surprised?"

Harry winced. "Actually..."

Cate frowned. "What?"

"Well, they haven't been told that you were coming back into the country. We'll have to contact them beforehand, make sure that they're home, that kind of thing." Harry watched her face the entire time he was speaking, but his eyes occasionally darted to George's face.

Cate scowled at George. "What did you do?"

George gave her a weak smile. "Now's not the time to talk about it, dear."

Cate squeezed his fingers tightly, and he winced. "Later, then, darling."

George smiled at Harry and Ron, trying to loosen her hold. "Women, eh?"

Harry and Ron both looked out of the windows, trying to hide their grins.

~*~

The entrance of the Leaky Cauldron looked exactly the same, and she didn't care what Ron, George, or Harry said to the contrary. It was still hidden from Muggles, squeezed between a music store and a bookshop. She couldn't see any alterations at all; even the sign was the same.

But then Harry led her into the bookshop. She almost kept walking straight, but George tugged gently on her arm. They walked through the narrow aisles (George brushed books on either side, and she was hard-pressed not to do the same. The labels indicated that they passed through World History, British History, Biographies, and then, finally, into the Astrophysics and Astronomy sections. They saw one person then, and it was clearly a clerk, wearing the uniform and looking up at them hopefully. He started forward, but suddenly seemed to think better of it, turning on his heel and walking through the slightly wider aisles to the front of the store.

Cate was drawn to the images on the covers of the Astronomy books, but George, giving her a nudge, pushed her in the direction of a small door set in the bookshelves.

Harry leaned over to her and whispered, "Don't tell anyone about this, Cate. This is for high-profile personages only, and not to be used for trifling matters. If you can't handle this secret, let me know, and we'll get an Obliviator down here and make sure."

Realizing, for the first time, just how serious this was, Cate nodded mutely, stung slightly that they thought she couldn't keep a secret.

The small door wasn't as narrow as it looked, and led into a passageway that must have been behind the bar. There were tiny peepholes, just below her eye level, that looked in all directions around the main floor of the pub. She followed Harry and Ron up a flight of stairs that were very nearly pitch black, and down another corridor to a dead end. There was a door in the wall, and another peep hole beside it.

Ron looked in the room quickly and Harry cast a spell. In seconds, they had pushed the door open and ushered her into the room. George closed the door behind them, and, had she not known it was there, she would never have seen it. It was further obscured by an ancient tapestry of women sitting around a loom, weaving. She could hear the faint giggles of the figures as they watched the four emerge, but she was soon distracted. "Where are we?" she asked, walking along the edges of the room.

Harry gave her a wide grin. "We're in what used to be one of the many parlors of the pub's owners. Neville has since converted it to a safe room. That door is one of two entrances, and both can be sealed from inside the room. There are very strong wards surrounding this place. Only Neville and Hannah can actually enter here from the other side, and if you need to get here from the front of the house, you have to be in their presence. There are a lot of safeguards to protect them, and the inhabitants of the room, from just about anything."

Cate felt a bit overwhelmed. "And you brought me here? Isn't that a bit overkill?"

Ron gave her a sobering look. "There have been some recent developments. Things we can't tell you, Cate. But just know, this isn't even as much as we could, and probably should, have done."

Harry rolled his eyes at what must have been an old argument. "Later, Ron. Let's just get them to the Burrow. Many of the wards are still there from the war; I knew there was a reason Arthur wouldn't let us take them down."

The room was basically empty, with just a couple of chairs and a large fireplace that took up most of one wall. There was a large pot on the fireplace, and, next to that, a heavy wooden box with a keyhole. Harry ignored it and handed her the pot. "I'll go first, make sure everything's clear, and then, after I give the signal, you and George will follow. Ron'll go last, make sure everything's cleaned up. Just because Neville lets us use his home for free is no reason to be slobs."

Cate just caught Ron's rude gesture out of the corner of her eye. She rolled her eyes as George laughed and shoved his little brother, who had to have been a full head taller than he was. She let them at it; George was, for the first time in a long time, genuinely happy, and she didn't want to spoil it. She'd caused much of his unhappiness, after all, and nearly all of her own.

Harry sent the signal back, saying that the coast was clear but they'd have to hurry; Molly was due back in the house at any time. The aura of merriment was sucked out of the room. George gave her a nervous smile, but she could tell his stomach was churning. He hesitated a moment too long; Ron smirked and tossed in the handful of Floo powder.

"Well?" Ron asked, his brow raised.

George gave his younger brother a glare, his usual good humor lost under all the nerves. "You want to be the one to surprise Mum like this, Ronniekins?" he asked acidly.

Ron shook his head. "Not my problem, George. Should have thought ahead, right?"

Cate rolled her eyes. "Boys." She kissed George on the cheek. "We'll be fine. Your mum'll be really pleased. Trust me."

George forced a smile, and stepped into the green flames. "The Burrow!"

Cate and Ron waited as the flames slowly changed back. Cate didn't look at Ron as he said, "Mum will be extremely annoyed, you know."

Cate winced. "I know. Mine as well. I just..."

"Lied?"

Cate turned to Ron and glared. "Not...really. She'll be pleased eventually. I'm sure."

Ron grinned, tossing in another handful of Floo powder. "Your turn."

~*~

Cate stepped clumsily out of the fire, crashing into George, who stood frozen. She fell to the ground, and, when he made no move to help her up, pushed herself to her feet, brushing off the soot that clung to her robes.

"Move, you lazy sod," she muttered, pushing him forward, but he merely took a step and swayed. She glanced at his face, frozen in a mixture of fear and determination, and knew, somehow, what he was looking at.

Molly Weasley stood in the doorway, as frozen as her son. Harry was in front of her, half-blocking her way, but looked as though he had no idea what to do.

No one moved or said anything until the worst possible thing happened.

The fire whooshed behind her, and Ron tumbled out gracelessly, barreling into both Cate and George's legs. They lay there on the ground, untangling limbs and stepping on toes, before Ron noticed Harry staring at the group with an expression of horror and amusement. He glanced at his brother and helped Cate to her feet.

Ron looked between the couple and Molly, who was getting redder by the minute. His ears turned red. "What, did you tell Mum already? I thought you were going to wait."

George closed his eyes, and Harry choked. Cate groaned. "We were, idiot."

Molly swelled like a balloon. "What do you need to tell me, George?" she whispered, her voice harsh and quiet in the suddenly airless kitchen.

"Good going, Ron." Harry muttered.

George paused, frozen, before taking Cate's hand. "Well, Mum, aren't you going to say hello to Cate? My wife?"

Molly turned purple. "Harry, Ron," she said, her voice surprisingly mellow for the color of her face. "Get out. Send your father."

Cate squeezed George's hand, suddenly wondering if it had been such a good idea after all.

~*~

Molly yelled at them until Arthur arrived. She spun away from them, frustrated. The majority of her argument seemed to be based on their suddenness and the fact that they hadn't known each other long.

"Not that we don't like you, Cate, dear, but we just don't know you." When Molly talked to her, her voice grew softer, somehow more pleasant, but her son wasn't so lucky."

Arthur stepped in before anything else could be said. "You wanted me, Molly?" he said, his voice hesitant.

"Did they tell you what our son did?" she asked, her voice growing louder with each word.

Arthur looked at George and Cate, still holding hands. "Which son, dearest? We have several."

There was a brief flash of pain across both George and Molly's faces, but Molly quickly covered it. "George, dear, and Cate, got married yesterday. In America."

Arthur turned to his son with a grin. "Congratulations! I wish we could have been there, but I'm sure you knew what you were doing." There was the hint of a reprimand, but he seemed genuinely happy for them.

Cate gave him a wide grin. "We did," she said, squeezing George's hand. "And we did want you there, but there was no time to summon anyone. And," she added, glancing around the room, "We didn't have any time to celebrate. We came straight here from the airport."

Arthur's eyes glowed. "Did you fly in an airplane? With Muggles?" He moved to Cate's side, and she began to tell him all about their trip, leaving out no detail. They walked outside, still talking, and leaving Molly alone with George.

George moved closer to his mother. "I'm sorry, Mum. We really did want to tell you. But if we had had to wait for you and Dad and the others to arrive, and for her family as well, there was a chance that she might get hurt again. I couldn't let that happen. And we did come straight here. We haven't even told her family yet."

Molly stared at her son's face, lips pursed. "Are you happy?" she asked seriously, the anger completely gone from her voice.

George grinned widely. "Oh, yes. She makes me very happy."

~*~

George's brothers and sister made her feel very welcome. All but Charlie had arrived, and they had brought their significant others and children along, in a typical Weasley celebration. There were long tables full of food, and a long, crooked table with place settings and chairs. She could see Ron adding another place, Hermione speaking quietly to him, holding a chubby, red-headed baby with dimples and freckles.

Cate had a sudden vision of herself, holding George's child, but banished it away. With her curse, it was unlikely that they would have any children at all.

When Molly and George came out a moment later, they all took their seats. She'd been greeted by everyone, of course, but no one said anything else; even Ron was mute on the subject, feeding baby Rose on his lap and catching bites in between. Harry and Ginny sat across from them, each dangling a small child. James seemed to want to shove his mashed potatoes in his brother's face, while little Albus was drooling on his mother's shirt, happily eating mashed peas. Bill and Fleur were near the head of the table, by Molly and Arthur, with two beautiful little girls, both eating neatly and dressed in white, and a baby boy, sound asleep in his mother's arms. Percy sat next to Bill, and Audrey was with him; they held their own daughter, who was also asleep, but wearing most of her meal. Then came Ron, and Hermione; she and George were seated near the end, with an extra chair to the side.

The meal was nearly over when Molly cleared her throat. "Well, I don't know what happened to Charlie, but George has something to say."

George stared at his mother, at a loss for words. "Um, thank you, Mum. Everyone," and here, Harry and Ron wouldn't meet his eyes. "I have an announcement."

"Mum already told us that. Get on with it!" She'd never really spoken much to Bill, but she suddenly had a vision of what he had been like when he was younger- a taller, thinner George.

George gave his brother a glare that just caused him to laugh. "Anyway, you know I was out in America, looking for Cate..."

Percy straightened his glasses. "We do now."

George blushed a furious red. "Anyway, while we were there, we decided... I mean, I asked... We're married."

There was a sudden hush over the table as every head turned to face Molly. She sighed, and said, "Congratulations, George. Cate, welcome to the family."

There was a burst of congratulations and conversation, and no one really noticed when Charlie popped into the garden. He glanced around at all of the chaos and nearly turned around when Arthur caught sight of him.

"Charlie!" he called out. "We're having a celebration!"

Molly rushed to her son's side. "Yes. Not only did Harry get promoted, but George married Cate in America yesterday."

Charlie gave her a sickly grin. "And I have another surprise for you, Mum." He looked down pointedly. "Now, I just found out myself, or I would have told you sooner..."

He pulled back a blanket, revealing a small girl, sleeping soundly in his arms. "I'd like you to meet my daughter, Rhiannon."