Raising Hope {Fred Weasley}

Thunderstorms

One evening, Hope was having a sleepover at her home with her companions, Henry, Teddy and Elliot. With Stella and Eliza back in Romania after the summer ended, it was just the three amigos left to hang around each other. Sitting around in Hope's room playing with a few of her toys, including an old toy broomstick, Hope sighed in boredom.

Henry glanced over at her. "What's wrong, Hopey?"

"Hmm? Nothing, I'm just bored."

"Bored!?" Teddy cried out. "With me here?"

"Yes...especially with you here." Elliot said before giggling.

The younger children rolled their eyes at the boy before Teddy pouted.

He attempted to make silly faces but he still wasn't able to control much of his metamorphing abilities, leaving Hope still bored.

She was going to telling him to stop when suddenly a flash a lightning filled the room with bright light, causing her to jump.

Hope hated thunderstorms.

She hated lightning and she hated thunder.

Whenever a storm approached she was left in a panic as she tried to cover her ears and squeeze her eyes closed to ignore it.

Immediately, her hands clapped over her ears as she anticipated the thunder leaving the three boys to watch her.

"What is she doing?" Elliot asked.

"She doesn't like thunder." Henry said before crawling over to where Hope was sitting and sitting down besides her.

"No need to fear, Hopey! Your teddy bear is here...get it?" Teddy grinned proudly.

Hope ignored him as the rain outside became heavy and the thunder rumbled loudly.

Henry placed his hands over Hope's trying to help her drown out the noise as she shook.

"I'm going to get Uncle Fred and Aunt Ellie." Elliot said before standing up and leaving the room. The boy didn't have to venture far as the parents seemed to know their daughter very well, the first sound of thunder had alerted the two to go check on her.

Fred walked in first and immediately Hope picked herself up off the floor and ran over to her father.

"It's alright, Hope." he told her. "It's just a bit of thunder, that's all."

Eleanor motioned the boys out of the room before everyone gathered in the living room, to wait out the storm together. 

Curled up into her father's side with her knitted blanket draped over her, Hope kept her eyes closed as they sat around.

"I remember what my dad told me and my siblings what thunderstorms were when we were younger." Fred said looking to Eleanor.

"And what's that?" Eleanor asked as Teddy and Elliot leaned into her. Henry climbed onto the sofa where Hope was and sat beside her, trying to make sure his best friend would be okay.

"He always told me that it was past quidditch players playing a game." Fred chuckled.

"Really?' Eleanor raised a brow.

"Yup, every time there is the sound of thunder that means a beater hit a bludger, and every time there is a flash of lightning, someone scored with the quaffle."

Eleanor smiled as she saw Hope look up at her father.

"Is it true?" she asked. "About the quidditch players playing up there?" She looked up at the ceiling.

"I think so."  Fred said. 

"Whoa." Henry said before running to the window and looking outside. Suddenly, a flash of lightning hit near the home scaring him. He screeched and fell back causing Hope to giggle slightly.

"I think someone scored." Henry called out from the floor. Hope pushed herself up from her father's side and with her blanket wrapped around her, wandered over towards the window cautiously.

The thunderous boom caused her to flinch but rather than clapping her hands over her ears, she just stared out the window for a moment.

"Hope?" Eleanor called out to her daughter. "Are you alright sweetheart?"

Hope finally turned to them with a grin.

"I want to create some thunder."

Eleanor looked at Fred who looked suddenly very close to tears to hear his daughter wanted to become a Beater.

"Oh..this is one of the proudest moments of my life." Fred said wiping away a fake tear.

"Oh I see a lot of healing visits in our future." Eleanor said. "A lot of them."

"Can girls be Beaters?" Elliot asked.

All eyes turned on the boy.

"Of course they can," Hope smiled. "Because I'm going to be one."

"That's right. But the question is," Fred began. "Are you going to be a Lion or Badger?"

"Can I be a badger lion?!" Hope asked excitedly trying to make a sound that sounded like a mixture of a roar and an odd growl.

"You can't be in both houses, Hope." Eleanor laughed. "But whichever house you wind up in, is going to be very lucky to have you. That goes for all of you."

"I kinda want to be in Slytherin just to freak everyone out." Teddy grinned.

"That's if the hat wants to sort you, Teddy. He might just save himself the trouble and send you home." Fred teased.

"Hey!"

"I want to be in Gry...Gry..." Henry struggled with the word for a moment. 

"Gryffindor." Hope said.

"Gryffindor!" he called out. "I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Knowing who your parents are, Henry, I don't see you ending up in any other house." Eleanor told him.

"I don't care what house I'm in." Elliot said. "But Mum says I'm not allowed to be sorted into Ravenclaw or she'll bring me straight home."

"Don't you all worry about that. When the time comes, you will be sorted into the house you're meant to be in and you'll love your houses. I promise you that." Eleanor said.  "Now is everyone up for hot chocolate?"

"Badger cocoa!" Hope clapped her hands together. "I'm ready."

"It's chocolate," Teddy said, "How am I supposed to say no?"

"Can I have juice?" Elliot asked.

Teddy and Hope gasped at the boy causing him to shuffle awkwardly in place.

"Or hot chocolate is fine too."