Elusive // The Weasley Twins

4. Cranberry Crumble

 Molly cried.

She took one look at Cosette and burst into tears. Happy tears, Cosette hoped but she wasn't about to ask.

Molly instantly pulled her away from the kitchen where she was helping Fleur with the baking, much to Fleur's dismay. She gave Cosette a desperate look but all Cosette could do was remind her to follow the recipe before being dragged out by Molly.

The two of them sat in the corner of the living room for the next while, chatting away. Well, Molly did most of the talking and Cosette didn't have the heart to interrupt her. She seemed so incredibly happy and after not seeing her for years, Cosette wasn't about to do anything to tarnish the joy on Molly's face.

Arthur joined in with the conversation as well, sitting on the armrest of the chair Molly was in. He asked how her family was doing, asked what she was doing. He was the only one who questioned what was going on in her life without drawing attention to the one obvious missing piece.

"I actually became a duelling instructor," she told them, earning a look of surprise from Molly. Arthur, on the other hand, didn't appear to be shocked at her career choice.

"Duelling instructor?" Molly repeated, "How did you manage to get into that?"

"Well about a few months before everything happened at Hogwarts I took it upon myself to study defence against the dark arts on a more technical level. Less material-based and more of a hands-on approach," Cosette started to explain. "I actually ended up getting a job at a duelling gym in London, only it's disguised on the outside to look like an abandoned fencing studio. I took a bit of a leave after..." She didn't finish, both of them knew what she was going to say anyway. "But I've been there for a few years now. I love it. We train wizards who are of age who want to expand their knowledge on defensive charms and spells."

"You're joking?" Ron's voice could be heard from the couch on the other side of the room. He had been listening in on their conversation and seemed to be pretty impressed with Cosette's career choice.

"No, I believe that's what you do for a living, right?" Cosette turned to look over her at him, hinting towards his position at the joke shop.

"So you teach people how to fight for a living?"

Everyone's heads turned towards Lottie who was leaning against the fireplace. She had her eyes focused on Cosette, awaiting an answer.

"I teach people how to defend themselves in combat," Cosette further explained. "The use of offensive charms are taught to be one's last resort."

"That's still bloody cool," Ron piped up again. "I didn't even know that was a real job."

"Ron we were literally taught the same things at Hogwarts," Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "Setty just teaches it to more extent."

"Yeah but it was mandatory then," he retorted. "I didn't know it was something that you could continue doing after school."

Everyone in the room laughed at his comment. Well, everyone except Lottie. She had this permanent unimpressed scowl on her face the entire time anyone else was speaking. It only transformed into a smile when Molly or Arthur were talking to her.

"Cosette, I need your help," Fleur entered the living room, looking distressed and panicked. It wasn't common for Fleur to look anything less than calm or collected so Cosette stood up instantly, offering a hand.

"What's going on?" She asked, scanning the kitchen for any signs of danger. But there was no fire, not even any smoke so she wasn't sure what the issue was.