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A Dinner Guest


“Erma, slow down.”

Andy was trotting to keep up, even with his longer gait he was falling behind as she rushed down the street. He sprinted and finally overtook her, stepping in front of her to block her path and resting his palms on each of her shoulders. “Stop. Slow down,” he commanded.

“She deleted the record,” Ermalene said hotly, “Why in bloody hell would she do that?”

Andy took a deep breath, “She was confunded. She didn’t know what she was doing.”

“Confunded by whom?”

“I don’t know. Maybe there was some sort of magic in the computer program she was opening. I’ve heard of things like that - books and photographs with spells and curses on them so as to get the person that looks at it next.”

Ermalene’s face was pink with emotion, and kind of blotchy in places. “But why?”

Andy didn’t even have an inkling of an idea for the answer to that. He shrugged, palms up, and stared helplessly at Ermalene. “Could be any reason,” he replied, “Could be someone didn’t want her to access your record, maybe, but I don’t know why not.” He let his hands slip over her shoulders and down her arms and grabbed hold of her hands, squeezing them in a reassuring manner. “It’s going to be alright.”

“No it’s not,” she argued, “What if that was the only record of my parents in all the world? I might never know who they are now because of her deleting them like that.”

Andy sighed. “There’s got to be something. There has to be. We will figure out who they are, Erma, I swear it to you, okay? We’re gonna figure it out. I will figure it out. I won’t rest until you know. I’ll be on it every moment of the day, I won’t even sleep if you don’t want me to.”

“You’ll be awful tired if you don’t sleep.”

“Yeah but I won’t if that’s what you want.”

Ermalene laughed, “That’s not what I want.”

“Okay. So I’ll sleep but I’ll be on the job every other moment of the day.” He smiled.

“You’re so ridiculous,” Ermalene said with a quiet laugh.


-*-*-*-*-


When they’d apparated back to the ocean shore in front of Shell Cottage, Ermalene looked up at Andy. “I don’t really feel like talking about what happened,” she said. She imagined walking up that hill and in the door and Fleur asking in her French accent about how the trip to the orphanage had gone and the pitying looks she’d receive from both of the Weasleys. She couldn’t stand piteous looks. She’d gotten them all her life, as soon as anyone had discovered she was an orphan their first response was to look at her with sad eyes and apologize. She didn’t think she could handle that right then. She was already too perilously close to being upset without anyone’s pity, too.

“It’s okay,” Andy said, “You go upstairs and I’ll talk to them.”

“Thank you,” she said.

Andy took her hand and walked with her up the hill. He knew she was only holding his hand for comfort, because it was something certain in an uncertain time for her, but he couldn’t resist the urge to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Inside, Fleur was in the kitchen, waving her wand over several pans and pots that were bubbling and brewing on the stove. “Oh good you have made it ‘een time for dinner!” she said. She was wearing a ruffled apron. “We ‘ave company tonight. More company. Someone ‘oo I theenk Ermale vill be very excited to meet.” She smiled.

“I look forward to it,” Ermalene said, “I’m going to uh -” she waved at the stairway, “- go get ready.” Quickly, she trotted up the steps.

Fleur looked after her fleeting back with a look of concern, then turned to Andy, just as the backdoor opened and Bill came in carrying a sack over one shoulder. He stopped in the doorway abruptly when he saw Andy. “You’re back from the orphanage already?”

“Something ‘as gone wrong,” Fleur announced.

Bill asked, “What happened?”

Andy took a deep breath. “Well… well it seems the woman that works at the orphanage was under some sort of curse or charm or something,” he explained, “She opened the records and suddenly… I don’t know, by the time I got there, she seemed like she’d been confunded.”

“Confunded?” Bill’s eyebrows stitched together. “By who?”

“That’s it isn’t it?” Andy said with a shrug, “I don’t know.”

“‘ooever eet eez did not want for Ermale to deescover ‘er ‘eritage,” Fleur pointed out wisely. The lids on one of her pots trembled and she waved her wand at it and it floated past to the sink and began to drain itself of water.

Bill rubbed his chin. “Maybe the original parents had no intention of being found once they dropped her off,” he suggested.

“I wondered on that, too,” Andy nodded.

Suddenly the door opened behind Bill and a giant man stood in the frame. “Bin waitin’ but she’s quite hungry after ‘aving the baby and what can blame ‘er? And the little’un’s cryin’ already.” The dust-bin lid sized hands reached for the sack over Bill’s shoulder, “‘ave you found any raw meat then?”

Bill turned around, “Sorry, Hagrid,” he said, “I got caught up here.” He glanced at Andy. “Where’s she at now?”

“Upstairs,” Andy and Fleur said together.

“In ‘er pen,” Hagrid said at exactly the same moment.

All three looked at each other.

Bill said, “I meant Andy’s friend, but it’s good to know Willow is safe and sound as well.” Turning to Andy, Bill explained, “Our Thestral’s had a -- a --” he turned to Hagrid, “What do you call a baby Thestral?”

“A baby thestral, I ‘magine,” Hagrid replied.

“Makes sense,” Bill nodded.

“Rare, them,” Hagid said, “Rarer in captivity than in the wild. S’pose my herd back at Hogwarts is the largest one of’em in Britain,” he beamed proudly at this, “But still Willow’s only the second one that’s given birth in my care.”

“And a great nurse you’ve been, Hagrid,” Bill said.

Fleur jetted in, “The dinner is nearly ready, if ze two of you will clean we will be eating very soon.” She waved her wand and a masher began it’s work in the pan still on the stove.

“Just goin’ ter finish feedin’ the little tyke,” Hagrid said as Bill handed over the sack upon his back, “I’ll wash me hands before returnin’ Miss. Fleur,” he added, and ducked back out the door.

Bill nodded at the steps, “I’ll be right down,” he said, and he left the room, too.

Fleur looked at Andy with a smile and levitated some plates and silverware to the table. “So is Ermale okay?” she asked.

Andy sighed, glancing upwards at the ceiling, picturing her just on the otherside. “I suppose she will be,” he replied. “I tried to make her feel better, but I don’t know if I was much help.” He sat on a stool by where Fleur was working at and stared at the heavy wood grain counter top. “She was just so upset… Finding out who her family is has been all she’s talked about s’long as I’ve known her, since third year.”

Fleur stood, staring at Andy, a knowing smile on her lips, “I am sure zat you were very helpful,” she said. Turning away, she said, “Now go up ze stairs and get your ‘ands nice and clean for dinner. And bring Ermale down vith you, I am sure zat Hagrid would like very much to meet your friend.”

Andy nodded and slid off the stool and headed up stairs as Fleur turned and sent a pan of sugar rock cakes into the oven, humming an old song her mother-in-law used to play by Celestina Warbeck A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love.


-*-*-*-*-


Bill Weasley had gone upstairs to wash his hands, but before he did, he didn’t think there would be any hard delaying getting ready for dinner by a couple of moments to check in on their house guest. He knocked on the guest room door.

“Y - yes?” came a trembling voice within.

“It’s me, Bill,” he called.

“C - come in,” Ermalene replied. Inside, she was laying on the bed, her face pressed into one of the many throw pillows that Fleur had decorated with. As Bill opened the door, she sat up and straightened the pillows, though and ran her hands over the tears on her eyelashes. When Bill came in, he smiled just a little and left the door opened behind him as he leaned against a dresser. “Hi,” she said.

“Hello,” he said. “I heard about what happened at the orphanage. You must be feeling mighty discouraged, I’d say?”

She nodded.

Bill took a deep breath, “Well, by the sounds of it, there’s been some sort of spell placed on the records from what Andy was telling me.”

Ermalene nodded. “So I suppose I won’t ever know, then.”

Bill rubbed his chin, “Well, I don’t know about that. My figuring is that if there’s a spell on your record then there’s got to be a wizarding family involved. I’ve got a friend who works at the ministry in one of the records departments. I’ll get in touch with him and see if he can’t help us out in locating some more information about your heritage in wizarding records.”

“Really?” Ermalene’s eyes lit up. “You’ll help me?”

“Yes, of course,” Bill said. “I’m happy to help in anyway I can, of course.”

Ermalene jumped up and rushed over and gave Bill a hug, wrapping her arms ‘round his middle. “Thank you!”

Bill chuckled and patted her back, “Not at all a problem, like I said, I am happy to do it.”

< The door pushed open more and Andy edged his way in, “Hey,” he said awkwardly, seeing Ermalene hugging Bill.

“Andy, your grandfather’s just offered to help us find my records at the Ministry of Magic,” Ermalene gushed excitedly.

Andy grinned, “Brilliant!” he announced. “I have more good news for you, too,” he added, “There’s someone downstairs I think you’re going to be very excited to meet.”