High Hopes {h.granger}

Three

"Nora?" A deep voice called out from the kitchen and Nora's face lit up. She pushed past the twins and raced into the kitchen, launching herself at the tall figure.

She wrapped her legs around him, hands flinging around his neck. Nora relished in the smell of Egyptian spices and leather. "Bill, I've missed you,"

Bill chuckled, setting Nora down and she took her time to look him over. His fiery hair was long, longer than she'd seen it and his ears were accessorised with dozens of piercings, the most prominent being the lobe ones that had dragon teeth hanging from them. He wore black cargo pants and a black tight shirt that made it very hard to look away from his muscles. It seemed as though he had just finished work as his utility belt was still wrapped around his waist.

"Lovely Nora, I've missed you kiddo," Bill teased, his gravelly voice causing goosebumps to race along Nora's arms. "The septum piercing is doing wonders for you," he winked at her.

Bill had been the one to take her to a piercing parlour and had promised to take her to a tattoo place someday. Nora was Bill's apprentice in all senses and the pair kept in contact as much as they could after Bill left for his exciting life in Egypt.

"Alright, you've hogged her long enough," Came Charlie's voice and Nora whipped around to find him poking his head around the doorway. "Where's my hug, trouble?"

Nora squealed as she was brought into a tight hug. Charlie stepped back and they slapped their hands together before knocking their foreheads against each other's as part of their secret handshake only to have Bill cry out "Hey, we don't have one of those, why don't we have one of those?"

Charlie was stockier than his brothers and Nora believed he gave the best hugs, not that she'd tell the others. Charlie knew Nora just as well as Bill did if not more. They'd had more time together at school given their age difference and Charlie's affinity for magical creatures were what Nora adored about him. George would tease her, claiming that she liked being friends with intriguing people. Fred just said she wanted connections to crazy people and wanted to make him jealous but Nora did what she usually did when it came to Fred; she ignored him.

"How are the dragons?" She asked, eyes wide and bright as they always were when talking about creatures.

Charlie had more burns than when she'd last seen him; they presented themselves all over his exposed arms and there was even one on his neck.  He wore jeans and a Weird Sister's shirt, seeming as though he'd actually changed before heading to the Burrow. The three of them made quite a site, Bill dressed for curse-breaking, Charlie dressed casually and Nora in her white flowery summer dress and purple converse (courtesy of her father).

Charlie chuckled, a deep and hearty noise. "They've put me through the ringer, that's for sure," pointing towards the burn on his neck, he continued. "Got this from a Swedish Shortsnout, a stupid Ministry Official fancied himself a go at stunning her," Nora narrowed her eyes, angry at the mere thought. "Caused hell for us but it's safe to say he won't be strolling up to any dragons anytime soon,"

Nora grinned, looking at the two brothers. "You two need to come home more, the twins have been driving me up the wall,"

Bill snickered, running a hand through his hair, scraping it into a ponytail as he leaned on the counter. "You sound like mum, Nora,"

"Plus, if we came back it would only be to see you," Charlie picked up a mug of coffee, cradling it in his large hands. "Don't tell anyone but you're definitely our favourite around here-"

"Oi! That's rude Charles," George protested, stepping into the room and sliding an arm around Nora's shoulders. "I thought I was your favourite,"

The sound of another person appearing from the floo system stopped their conversation and Fred dashed into the room. Harry emerged from the fireplace, dazed and confused as Fred caught him before he fell.

"Did he eat it?" Fred was bouncing on the balls of his feet, excitement pouring from him.

"Yeah," Harry brushed away the soot on his clothes. "What was it?"

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," George beamed, stepping away from Nora who squished herself between Charlie and Bill. "Fred, Nora and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer...."

"That wasn't funny, boys!" he shouted and Nora flinched at the volume as Mr Weasley approached them. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"

"I didn't give him anything," Fred held his head high, a devious grin on his lips. "I just dropped it." Fred' eyes found George's urging his brother to step in and back him up.

George did exactly that, just as he always did. "It was his fault he went and ate it,  no one told him to."

"You dropped it on purpose!" roared Mr. Weasley. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet —"

"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly and Nora's ears perked. Bill casually slung his arm around her shoulders as Nora was a head shorter than him.

"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!" The twins, Harry and Ron roared with laughter whilst Nora snorted.

"It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley shouted. "That sort of behaviour seriously undermines wizard–Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my owns sons —"

"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!" Fred called out, offended at the accusation.

"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git," said George.

"Isn't he, Harry?"

"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley," Harry replied earnestly and Nora was glad he was helping them. After all that their aunt and her family had put him through, everything he'd told Nora and her father, they deserved what they got. Nora just wished they'd be able to go ahead and adopt him already.

"That's not the point!" raged Mr. Weasley. "You wait until I tell your mother —"

"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them and the whole room froze. Mrs. Weasley had just entered the kitchen.

Nora shrunk into Bill and put on her best innocent face. Mr Weasley had clearly used Mrs Weasley as a threat but he'd have never told her, he knew her wrath. Bill's arm tightened around Nora in anticipation of his mother's reaction.

What unfolded next made Nora grab Bill and Charlie's forearms and bolt out of the kitchen. Mrs Weasley had dismissed them all to reign hell on her twin sons and Nora was grateful to be exempt from it.

The trio made it to the landing and Nora clapped her hands. "So, tell me everything."

{A/N: Thank you for reading :) please vote and comment!}