Raised by Weasleys

the last day of summer

     I closed my suitcase packed full of all my things for Hogwarts with a sigh. I was very excited to go back to Hogwarts for my fourth year and see all of my friends but I'll miss the Burrow. The end of summer is always bittersweet for me. I set my suitcase down by my door and walked over to my desk. My owl Wisteria had dropped off a package and a letter, both of which were from my parents. 

     I decided to open the letter first,

 "My dear Fern, 

     Best of wishes for your fourth year at Hogwarts! We will send you letters as often as we can but we wanted to make sure you got one before you went. Please write back as often as you can, we love hearing from you and we miss you so much. 

                                                  much love, 

                                                                  mom and dad.

     (P.S. in the package is a CD that came out today by a boy band that is popular among your age in the muggle US, we hope you enjoy it :) )"

     I set aside the letter and ripped open the package. The CD was called "||" by Boyz || Men. I grabbed my CD player and played the first song on the disc called "Thank You" I walked over to my bed and plopped down while bopping my head to the beat. I looked around my room at the CDs and movies filling multiple shelves in my room. My parents sent me with a CD and DVD player when I moved in at the age of five. They have constantly sent me movies and CD's since then because they wanted something I would be able to talk about with them in letters. Since I grew up watching these American movies but lived in England my accent was a weird hybrid of both.

     My parents became quite successful in the muggle world as doctors and because of this, they were able to send money to the Weasleys often. That money was to pay for what I ate, what I needed for school, living in the Weasleys home with my own room, and anything extra I could need or want. Basically, my parents were able to do everything except for the one thing I always wanted them to do, raise and care for me. I was pretty much over that by now because on November ninth, my fifteenth birthday, it will have been ten years since the last time I lived with my parents. 

     I looked over at my picture of the three of us on my nightstand from when I was eleven and they were visiting for Christmas. I look exactly like my mother in the face with my upturned nose, olive skin, freckles, and eyes that are the exact shade of green as a fern plant. My hair though was exactly like my father's, light brown, and stick straight. I've always found it quite boring but Aunt Molly loves it so much and always convinces me not to cut it. She is very convincing so now it sits right above my hips, even though I prefer it much shorter. 

     Ron walked in, just as the song "Vibin" was finishing on the CD. He pressed pause, something that took him forever to learn because he struggles a lot with muggle electronics. "Fern, lunch is ready. We are having a picnic outside because Mum says we need some "family time" before we leave tomorrow." Ron did air quotes around family time obviously annoyed by it, this made me chuckle. 

     "Alright, I'll be down in just one minute," I replied, and Ron left leaving the door cracked behind him. I rolled my eyes, he knew how much that annoyed me and did it on purpose. Ron and I had been best friends since the moment I moved in when I was five. I'm not sure if it was our age or our personalities but we were about as inseparable as the twins. The twins had always taken the protective big brother job for me as Ron did with Ginny. Everyone knows all of the Weasleys are always Gryffindor and I had really hoped to be one so I wouldn't be separated from basically the only people I ever knew. When I was given Hufflepuff I was confused because both my parents were Ravenclaws and the family that raised me were all Gryffindors. I ended up fitting right in and I am friends with most everyone but I only ever hang out with Ron, Hermione, and Harry. 

      I entered the kitchen and my thoughts were interrupted by Aunt Molly asking, "Fern, could you be a dear and carry that tray of sandwiches outside for me?"

     "Of course," I replied with a smile. I love Aunt Molly she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She isn't my actual aunt but I needed something to call her since I was only five and she basically took the place of my mother. I picked up the tray and walk outside. The temperature was probably about 85 degrees with a slight breeze, perfect for a picnic. I set down the tray in the center of the blanket and sat down next to Ginny.

     She smiled at me sweetly and said "I heard you playing a new CD, is it any good?" 

     "Actually it is," I replied, "apparently it came out today and is by a band popular among American muggles."

    "That's really cool, what's the band called?" asked Ginny.

     "You're gonna laugh, Boyz || Men." I said and we both burst into a fit of giggles falling back onto the grass. I finally caught my breath and closed my eyes, feeling the sun soaking into my skin, warming me up. I felt that bittersweet feeling again as I realized I wouldn't feel like this again for almost a year. I took a deep breath to fully take in how it smelt during the summer at the burrow, wishing I could put it in a flask or make it into a candle to take with me to school. 

     "Okay kids," said Uncle Arthur, "let's eat."