High Hopes {h.granger}

Four

Nora had her fill of stories from Bill and Charlie just in time for dinner to be served. The twins had been banished to the garden with the task of de-gnoming it and the house seemed to lull into a welcomed quiet. Ginny was perched on the sofa next to Nora as they listened intently to Bill's story about the time he found a cursed painting in a tomb and had just managed to disarm it before it attacked them.

"We found a note next to where the painting was, the woman in the painting had hoped to curse her husband who she suspected had poisoned her," Bill rubbed a hand across his nose. "Old hag had nearly taken my nose off. We found an oddly well-preserved body laying next to the painting, poor bloke didn't manage to save his nose in time."

Ginny grimaced whilst Nora cackled. "Serves him right, the git! Anyone who poisons their wife deserves to go noseless," Ginny gasped at that, shoving Nora.

"If I was your wife I'd poison you," Ginny raised her chin proudly and stuck her tongue out at Nora. The older girl's mouth opened as she faked a hurt look.

"That's so mean Gin, and also who said I'd even marry you? I wouldn't want to have to deal with your stinky socks everywhere-" Ginny cut Nora off as she launched a cushion at her head, eliciting a chuckle from Bill and a guffaw from Charlie. In retaliation, Nora rolled off the sofa and started launching the cushions from the other sofa at Ginny, unrelenting.

As they fought, Harry, Ron and Hermione descended on the stairs, each having to duck and weave to avoid stray cushions. Nora launched a particularly powerful throw at Ginny who managed to deflect it only for it to hit Hermione straight in the face. The room fell silent and Nora's eyes widened whilst Ginny quickly hid behind Nora.

"Hermione," Nora whispered as the younger girl's eyes remained shut, shocked at the impact. "Are you okay?" The silence was enough for goosebumps to raise on Nora's exposed arms as they waited for Hermione's response.

Hermione opened her eyes, a blank expression on her face that brought a sense of fear to everyone in the room. "Hermione I'm sorry-" Nora was cut off as a cushion hit her face. She fell quiet and everyone waited with bated breath as the two girls stared at each other. Then, Nora grinned, a soft laugh falling from her lips. Everyone seemed to relax and even Hermione popped a smile. "You've got a good arm, Hermione, I bet you'd make a good beater."

Hermione shrugged, her cheeks a little red, probably from the cushion. "I'll leave Gryffindor's Quidditch team in the capable hands of the twins." She joked back and Nora rolled her shoulders back. So Hermione did own a sense of humour.

Before anything else could be said, Molly called them to dinner and a line formed at the kitchen sink so that everyone could wash their hands. She instructed everyone to carry something outside into the garden since the kitchen was far too small for all of them to fit into.

 Ginny and Hermione carried 3 plates each whilst Nora took on a mighty 5, to the table whilst Harry and Ron took handfuls of cutlery to the tables that Charlie and Bill were setting up. They narrowly escaped flying potatoes which had ricocheted against the kitchen walls, a side effect of Mrs Weasley's frustration at her twin sons.

Nora grimaced as she heard Mrs Weasley grumble about Fred and George. She made a mental note not to allow her mother and Mrs Weasley to hold an afternoon tea session, they'd no doubt have many complains about their soon to be graduating children.

She quickly stepped into the garden, looking back to make sure a potato wasn't going to fly into the back of her head. When she turned back around, she felt a sharp pinch on her ankle.

"Ow!" She hissed, peering around the stack of plates to find a gnome with its jaw wrapped around her ankle. Nora had no free hand to tug it free and instead opted to frantically look around the garden.