the order - f.weasley

- c h a p t e r - t w o -

 Gemma had wanted to stay with Sirius and Harry, but Ginny had yelled at her from the kitchen to come and help set the table.

"WHY?! YOU ARE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF DOING THAT YOURSELF!" Gemma shouted back.

"BECAUSE I AM YOUR FRIEND, AND YOU LOVE ME!!!"

"UUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Gemma dramatically slouched off into the kitchen, avoiding tripping over the too-many chairs that had been crammed around the table for the meeting.

"Why must you always—"

"Gemma, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Do you mind helping Ginny set the table?"

Ginny made a face, making her freckled face scrunch up.

"Yes, I would be delighted..." Gemma said. She moved over next to Ginny and stage-whispered, "You're soooooo getting a Farty-Tart potion in your drink tonight."

"I'd like to see you try," Ginny taunted.

The girls continued to tease one another when Mr. Weasley stood up from the other end of the room and exclaimed, "Harry! Good to see you!"

Gemma turned around and caught the last glimpse of a parchment Bill Weasley (the oldest) was rolling up, spying the shape of what looked like a building.

She furrowed her brows but smirked when Bill tried to pick up twelve scrolls at once, "Journey all right, Harry? Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," Tonks jumped in. She moved to help Bill but ended up sending a candle on top of a piece of parchment on the table, "Oh no — sorry —"

"Here, dear," Mrs. Weasley waved her wand, sounding exasperated as she repaired the piece of parchment.

Gemma caught a blurry glimpse of another building plan.

Harry must have, too, because Mrs. Weasley snatched it off the table and shoved it into Billy's arms, muttering, "This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings."

Bill evidently gave up as he pulled out his own wand and said, "Evanesco!" and the scrolls disappeared.

Gemma snickered, turning back to Ginny, and said, "You see that mark on Bill's neck?"

Ginny almost snapped her neck whipping around and hissing, "What mark?!"

"Looks like a hickey."

"Shut up, Hilton!"

Gemma winced.

The fact that the twins and Ginny still didn't know about her relation to Remus Lupin was starting to weigh on her. It was one of the best well-kept secrets that lived in the house they had all moved into that summer.

And every time she almost called her dad Dad in front of them, she caught herself and quickly called him "Mr. Lupin" or just "Lupin."

Everyone knew that Gemma hated it, but unfortunately, Dumbledore had strung this whole story up that Remus Lupin had volunteered to be her legal guardian, thus why she lived with him. Which was why no one questioned why he would drag her out of the room or ground her or anything. Because he was in charge as her guardian.

It was stupid.

But she had to make the most of it.

It was the price of getting to live with him in front of everyone while Voldemort was back and getting stronger.