Say You Won't Let Go || Bill Weasley

Fifty Five: For Good Luck

*Mature Content Warning*

"Harry!"

"Harry, dear! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!" Molly said as Dumbledore ushered Harry through the door into the house.

"We were lucky, Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora, Isabelle, Bill," Dumbledore said, nodding to each respectively.

"Hello, Professor," Tonks said. "Wotcher, Harry."

"Hi," Harry said to the three, but Isabelle noticed that his eyes had not left Tonks and held a bit of a bewildered expression.

"I'd better be off," Tonks said, standing from her seat at the table and grabbing her cloak to wrap it around her shoulders. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy," she added, looking over at Bill and Isabelle with the faintest smile.

"Please don't leave on my account. I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour," Dumbledore said.

"No, no, I need to get going. 'Night-"

"Dear, why not come to dinner this weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming-"

"No, really, Molly, thanks anyway. Goodnight, everyone," Tonks said. With that, she left the house and apparated away in seconds.

"Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry. Take care of yourself," Dumbledore said. "I shall see you as well, Isabelle. I'm sure we will have much to discuss."

Isabelle nodded politely and Dumbledore was soon gone just as Tonks had, before Molly steered Harry by his shoulders away from the door and into the kitchen to sit him down next to Bill and look his face over.

"You're like Ron. Both of you look as though you've had stretching jinxes put on you," Molly said.

"Ron looks like he's grown at least four inches since we last got him school robes. He's almost as tall as me now," Bill said.

"Are you hungry, Harry?" Molly asked.

"Yes, I am," Harry said, smiling gratefully.

"I'll go cook something up for you," Molly said, leaving from in front of him.

As Harry got comfortable in his seat, Hermione's fluffy ginger cat, Crookshanks, jumped up onto his knees and rested there.

"So Hermione's here?" Harry asked, beginning to pet the cat softly.

"Yeah, she got here yesterday," Isabelle answered.

"How long have you two been here?" he asked.

"Not long. We just got here this afternoon," Bill said.

"We'll probably be staying for a few weeks," Isabelle said, leaning forward so Harry could hear her whisper. "Bill won't admit that he missed his siblings."

"I can still hear you," Bill said with a chuckle.

"Everyone is still in bed, of course, because we weren't expecting you for a few hours. Here you are," Molly said, placing a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of Harry on the table. "Bread?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as she brought over some bread and joined the three at the table.

"So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job, then?" Molly asked, and Harry only nodded as his mouth was full of soup.

Harry turned to look at Isabelle when he was able to speak again. "I don't understand why you couldn't just teach Potions, Iz."

"Oh, I don't really know much about potions, certainly not enough to teach the class," Isabelle said.