Cored

Chapter 8: Through and Through

When Katherine walked outside, she saw a long table had been set up, surrounded by mismatched chairs. Everyone was gathered near the end, all hugging the final redhead to the yard. He was shorter than the others, and broad, with more freckles that betrayed time in the sun. He was holding a broom in his hand, which Katherine thought seemed a little on the nose for the whole wizard aesthetic, but she was realizing she had to let go of some of her preconceptions.

George placed the platter in the middle of the table before rushing over to the fray, hugging the broom holder. "Good trip, Charlie?" he said, taking the broom and walking back to lean it against the wall of the house.

"Calm enough," Charlie said with a shrug and a smile. "Flew all night until I got close enough to apparate without wanting to lose my dinner."

"Oh, Charlie, do you have to talk like that when we're getting ready to eat?" Molly said, but with a smile that betrayed any frustration. Charlie walked over and hugged his mother tightly, placing a big kiss on her forehead.

"Had to make room for your cooking, Mum. Better than I can find anywhere else."

Molly blushed, dismissing her son with the wave of a hand. "Everyone, sit," she said. "Katherine, you take the end of the table. You're our special guest today."

Katherine had meant to sit somewhere in the middle but didn't dare contradict Molly. Despite the cool air, the table was radiating a gentle heat that felt great against her cooling skin. George came up behind her and pushed her chair in, then pulled out another to her left for the woman who had walked up next to him. She was stunning, Katherine thought, with beautiful deep skin and hair in long braids that hung down past her shoulder blades. She squeezed George's hand before she sat down, sending a sympathetic smile to Katherine. George sat in the seat between the two, angling his head to the left just slightly.

"Well, what a treat to have you all here," Molly said from the far end of the table. Arthur was sitting at the end across from Katherine, with Molly to his right. "George, why don't you introduce our guest and maybe put some names to faces?"

"Right," George said, clearing his throat. Katherine could see Ron grabbing for a sandwich, but Hermione batted his hand away. "Well, as I told you last night, there is a member of the family you haven't met yet. This is Katherine Waine. Katherine, this is my wife, Angelina," the woman to his side nodded, and Katherine smiled back. George continued, "Next we've got Bill, the oldest, and his wife, Fleur, then Charlie, he's here from Romania. Then there is Percy, beside him. Mum, you've met of course, and Dad. Then, next to Dad is Percy's wife, Audrey, Ron, his wife Hermione, and then Harry, you've met them both though. And Harry is married to our little sister, Ginny, just to your right."

Katherine's eyes followed George's pointing finger to each person at the table. Ginny, next to her, seemed especially excited. She was radiating energy the way the table radiated heat.

She realized that they were all looking to her to say something. "Um . . ." she started, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all their eyes. "Nice to meet you all."

Smooth. She thought. Real good opening line. But it seemed to satisfy Molly, who clapped her hands together and said, "Come on, let's eat before the food goes cold." She sent a warm nod down towards Katherine, which calmed her instantly.

The sandwiches flew off the platter just as they had flown on, landing neatly on each plate. The potatoes did the same, not dropping a single morsel on the table. Katherine picked up her napkin and smoothed it on her lap, taking the chance to regroup. But Molly was clearly watching to see if she like the food, so she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. As she had imagined, it was delicious. Some kind of beef, maybe, but it was hot and perfectly seasoned, and the bread was crusty and toasty warm. Katherine closed her eyes and breathed it in. Arlo's food was good, but this was much better. Molly must have been pleased with the reaction, because she tucked in herself.