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BOOK SEVEN: CHAPTER NINE

Veronica sighed as she slowly and quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake Ginny. She had been tossing and turning all night and hadn't gotten a lick of sleep. This was their last day at the Burrow before flying to Romania, and Veronica had been dreading it. Her anxiety kept her up at night, and she had been relying heavily on coffee and tea to keep her awake during the day.

Coming to the conclusion that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep for the third night in a row, she slowly left the room and made her way down to the kitchen, where the first thing she noticed was the teapot on the counter with still-warm tea inside. Furrowing her eyebrows, she didn't have time to think before she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Jumping, she spun around and saw Arthur sitting at the dinner table with a cup of tea in his hands.

"Merlin, Arthur, you scared me."

Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Sorry, Veronica! You can't sleep either?"

Veronica shook her head as she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured herself some tea. Making her way over, she sat across from him, and they sat in a comfortable silence, drinking their tea and watching the sunrise from the window above the sink. After a while, the conversation began to flow easily, and Veronica couldn't help but smile. That was what she loved about Arthur. She always felt comfortable with him, both in silence and in conversation. They never felt like they needed to fill the silence, so when they did talk, it was never forced. It was always easy to talk to him, and she imagined this was how it was meant to feel talking to a father. She was glad she got the chance to experience it, even if he wasn't actually her dad.

"What were you like as a child? I bet you were such a good kid," Arthur grinned. "Unlike any of my little rascals."

Veronica's eyes disappeared as she laughed. "Oh, I was definitely better than your kids. For the most part," Veronica smirked. "To be fair,
I was a menace when it came to showering though. Because of my fear of water. I never wanted to shower or take baths." Especially when I was home alone with my parents, she thought. "It was bad. It got to the point where my grandparents had to force me to shower, and they would sit in the bathroom with me until I did. And I would only ever take baths because I was always afraid of falling, hitting my head and drowning." Veronica shook her head. "It makes no sense now that I think about it, but as a kid, I was convinced this would happen if I showered. But baths weren't much better for me. The tub could only be filled with an inch of water, and I absolutely HAD to have my little rubber ducky with me because I didn't feel safe without it." Veronica chuckled. "I actually still have it."

Arthur laughed as he thought about little Veronica putting up a fight every time she had to bathe, but his eyebrows furrowed at the mention of a duck being brought into the bath with her. "A rubber ducky?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, my little rubber duck."

"Ah, I see." Arthur paused for a moment as he contemplated her response. It hadn't done anything to clarify what she had meant. "And what is a 'rubber duck'?"

Veronica's jaw dropped as she stared at him. "Really? There aren't any rubber ducks in the Wizarding World?" Veronica shrugged. "Well, see for yourself." Holding out her palm, she silently conjured up her rubber duck and handed it to him.

Arthur examined it closely, turning it around in his hands and squeezing it, jumping at the sound. "Very interesting... and what is its function?"

Veronica chuckled. She loved showing him new things about the muggle world and seeing his mind race with all the possibilities. "Well, it doesn't really–"

Before Veronica could explain, Charlie came bounding into the kitchen, out of breath. "Veronica! I've been looking everywhere for you." Turning to his father, he smiled. "Morning dad. I'm going to steal my best friend now." Without another word, Charlie pulled her up from her chair and towards the stairs.

All she could manage was a quick "sorry, Arthur!" over her shoulder before the pair disappeared.

Mr. Weasley chuckled at his son's antics, but couldn't help but be disappointed that he didn't get an answer to his question. What was the function of a rubber duck?