Kate Fontaine
With the permission from Bill, I raced to Hogsmeade and met up with Tonks in the Three Broomsticks. We seemed to be spending all of our free time there since we didn't have anything else to do. I knew that the engagement would be a big surprise for her to take in and I hoped it would cause some sort of a reaction from her.
"Tonks!" I exclaimed, racing through the door with Bill's coat around me. "I have wonderful news!" I informed her. She gazed up from her butterbeer and nodded for me to tell her. "Bill and I are getting married," I spoke like I was breathless. Tonks's eyes widened momentarily and she didn't say anything. "Isn't that great?"
I got a reaction. But it wasn't the one that I wanted. Tonks burst into silent tears, but her sobs were getting louder and I looked around to see if Dawlish was here. If he had seen, he'd never let her live it down.
"Tonks." I frowned, putting an arm around her and rubbing her back as she wailed into my shoulder. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I- Can't-" Tonks eventually spoke through her tears, unable to say anything else. I had understood what she meant: she couldn't tell me. Or it was a possibility that she didn't know what to say.
"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay." I promised her and sat there in total confusion. I assumed Tonks would be really happy for Bill and I until I figured out it was more convoluted than that. She was conflicted, and probably upset that I could freely marry the man I loved when she was having so much trouble being in a relationship with Remus.
I was probably the only person she had told. I knew how the two of them loved each other dearly but couldn't be together for various reasons. Although Tonks didn't care about any of Remus's excuses, he somehow felt bad about everything. Almost like he was holding her back in life just by being with her.
"I'm happy for you," Tonks whispered once she had calmed down. It was later now and the pub we were in was almost deserted. Her voice was hoarse now from crying and she looked extremely dehydrated. "I really am. And I'm sorry for breaking down in front of you like that. Especially on a day like-"
"Don't worry," I interjected. "I'm happy enough about it for the both of us." Tonks faked a smile at my words. I could tell it wasn't real. We had spent more time together than Bill and I did lately. "Are you ready to talk?"
Tonks should her head quickly, signalling that she definitely didn't want to discuss her relationship with me. "Let's talk about you. How did he propose?" I smiled at her effort and began telling her.
☾ ☾ ☾
Christmas was coming soon. I had time off from Moody so that I could go to the Weasleys and share Bill and I's news with them. On the 23rd of December, it was time for the holidays to begin and I apparated home to the Diggory house. My mother was ecstatic to see me.
"Kate!" she had cried out, rushing over to hug me. "Oh Merlin, it's so wonderful to see you! You owled me, saying you had news?" Mum asked, sitting down on the sofa once we stopped our embrace.
"Well, you remember Bill, right?" I inquired, raising a hopeful eyebrow. Since Bill was always so busy, my parents had only met Bill twice before. Mum nodded enthusiastic, however.
"Yes!" Mum confirmed. "The eldest Weasley child, isn't he?" I nodded too.
"Well, as you know we've been together for a little over a year now and..." I looked down at my shoes, a bad habit of mine. How am I supposed to tell her?
"Katherine," Mum began. "You're starting to worry me. Is everything alright?"
"Everything's perfect," I spoke. "Mum... Bill and I are getting married." Mum grinned.
"Oh, Kate that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet and hugging me again. It was unusual for her to be so happy all the time, but I assume she just wanted to see one of her children's weddings before Voldemort took over or something. "Kate... Do you think-" Mum paused. "If Cedric-" she stopped herself from continuing.
"Cedric would have married a beautiful girl," I stated. "with a kind heart. She would have been intelligent and would have easily been able to keep up with Cedric." Mum nodded, tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm so happy for you." Mum expressed her content, taking my hands in hers and shaking them lightly. We had now been chatting for almost an hour about how it happened and how my year was. We even talked a little bit about how Cedric's death affected my mother and father. "Really. Now go and pack, you've got another family to tell the brilliant news." She added on. I hugged her one more time before walking up the stairs and into my bedroom.
Quickly, I packed all the warm sweaters and thick jeans I could find, along with an extra pair of shoes and some scarves. I knew that I didn't need to dress up for the Weasleys, even if they were going to be my in-laws. They were simple, altruistic people and I appreciated that a lot.
"Have a wonderful Christmas." Mum smiled sadly. I returned one that looked almost like hers. How was it possible that I looked so much like a mother that wasn't biologically mine? Strange coincidence I suppose.
"I'll owl you," I promised, before disapparating to Grimmauld Place, where everyone had already arrived.
"KATE!" Two identical voiced shouted and I was attacked into a hug. I smiled, hugging Fred and George back with the same amount of excitement.
"It's wonderful to see the both of you too." I teased, patting their cheeks. "Where's Mrs Weasley?"
"In the living room." They chorused and I thanked them, putting down my bags and making my way into the living room. Mrs Weasley was indeed there, folding clothes that must have belonged to Ron and Ginny as she hummed Christmas tunes.
"Hello, Mrs Weasley." I greeted and she jumped a little, placing her hand on her chest.
"Oh, my dear!" Mrs Weasley breathed out. "You scared me. It's nice to see you again." I could tell she wasn't too thrilled and my smile faltered.
"Thank you for having me." I acknowledged. "Bill was too busy to join me an-"
"It's no trouble, dear." Mrs Weasley smiled a smile that could pass for real, but I wasn't sure. "I think I've begun to see what he loves so much about you." without asking her what it was, I smiled and made my way into the kitchen.
I stopped walking when I heard Harry and Ron speaking to each other. "So Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely offering to help him?"
"If you ask that once more," Harry warned, "I'm going to stick this sprout-"
"I'm only checking!" Ron retorted. His tone was defensive and borderline offended, and I smirked a little. I did enjoy Ron and Harry talking secretly. Normally, Hermione would have joined them but as I spoke to Harry a few days prior, I learned that she wasn't on speaking terms with Ron.
"Yes, Snape was offering to help him!" Harry repeated, and I leant in closer to listen. Although I knew eavesdropping was wrong, I couldn't help it. "He said he'd promised Malfoy's mother to protect him, that he'd made an Unbreakable Oath or something-"
"An Unbreakable Vow?" That really caught my attention. "Nah, he can't have... Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," insisted Harry. "Why, what does it mean?"
"Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow..."
"I'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?"
"You die," said Ron simply. "Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did too; I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental," Ron recalled. I had to suppress an eye roll at Fred's actions. "Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum, Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since."
"Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock--"
"I beg your pardon?" I jumped when I was ushered into the kitchen with Fred and George.
"Aaah, George, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Bless them." I laughed lightly. I knew they were teasing Ron about doing things the Muggle way ever since they turned of age a year ago.
"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time," Ron grumpily spoke, "and then I'll be able to do it by magic!"
"But meanwhile," George teased, sitting down at the kitchen table with his feet up on it. "we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a whoops-a-daisy!"
"Hey," I snapped, whacking them off. "Feet off the table!"
"Feet off the table." Fred and George mocked me.
"You made me do that!" said Ron crossly, sucking on his cut thumb. "You wait when I'm seventeen-"
"I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills," yawned Fred, pretending to be incredibly bored.
"And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald," George grinned, "what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called -unless our information is faulty- Lavender Brown?"
Ron turned quite pink, although he wasn't displeased about the sentence. "Mind your own business." He murmured to his brothers instead.
"What a snappy retort," Fred grinned too. "I really don't know how you think of them. No, what we wanted to know was... how did it happen?"
"What d'you mean?" Ron was confused.
"Did she have an accident or something?"
"What?"
"Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful, now!"
Mrs Weasley entered the room just as Ron threw a sprout knife at Fred, who had turned it into a paper aeroplane with one lazy flick of his wand.
"Ron!" she said furiously at exactly the same time as me. She glanced at me for a moment before turning her attention back at Ron.
"Don't you ever let me see you throwing knives again!" Mrs Weasley seethed, staring incredulously at her son.
"I won't," Ron muttered. "Let you see," he added under his breath. I still heard it and gave him a disapproving stare.
"Fred, George, I'm sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Charlie will have to squeeze in with you two." Mrs Weasley added to the twins, who both shrugged.
"No problem," said George.
"Then, as Bill isn't coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and if Kate shares with Ginny-"
"YES!" Ginny yelled loudly from the other room, making me smile. She had been even more excited to see me than before due to Bill and I's engagement.
"Everyone should be comfortable." Mrs Weasley finished. "Well, they'll a bed, anyway." She finished off.
"What are you two up to?" Ron questioned Fred and George. "Can't you help us with these sprouts? You could just use your wand and then we'll be free too!" he added loudly to make a point.
"No, I don't think we can do that," Fred spoke in a very important tone. "It's very character-building stuff, learning to peel sprouts without magic, makes you appreciate how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs-"
"-and if you want people to help you, Ron," George added, throwing the paper aeroplane back at him with a cheeky smile. "I wouldn't chuck knives at them. Just a little hint. We're off to the village, there's a very pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvellous... almost like real magic..." I frowned.
"Using your magic to pick up girls is a terrible waste," I stated with a shake of my head.
"Why?" Fred asked. "I'm sure Bill did it with you." Mrs Weasley whacked him with a tea cloth. Then, they made their way outside and across the snow, laughing and cracking jokes with each other.
"Gits," Ron muttered ominously. "Would've only taken them ten seconds and then we could've gone too."
"I couldn't," Harry said sadly, referring to joining Fred and George in town. "I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't wander off while I'm staying here." I didn't recall him telling me about this, but I knew he wouldn't tell me everything.
"I'll see you guys later," I smiled. "Ginny and I have some catching up to do!"
