A Promise {C.W}

Harry at the Burrow

July 14, 1997
9:30 a.m.

Athena steps out of her room while putting on her jacket and begins to head down the many stairs inside the Burrow when she sees Harry's door wide open and Ginny walk in. Athena hurries over and walks in and sees Harry still in bed with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny surrounding his bed.

"What's up with you?" Ron asks and Athena leans against the door frame. Ginny sits down on the bed, making a sour face.

"It's her," she says, "she's driving me mad," Athena raises an eyebrow before a smile forms on her lips as she realizes who Ginny is talking about.

"What's she done now?" Hermione says with a sympathetic tone in her voice.

"It's the way she talks to me," Ginny explains, "you'd think I was about three!"

"I know," sighs Hermione, her voice dropping to a whisper, "she's so full of herself,"

"Can't you two lay off her for two seconds!" Ron snaps angrily, shocking everyone.

"Oh, that's right, defend her," Ginny snaps, "we all know you can't get enough of her,"

"Who are you-" Harry begins. By now, Athena closed the door and is leaning against a wall, listening to their conversation, though not putting in her own input. The door suddenly flies opened, causing everyone to jump, even Athena.

Everyone looks over to see Fleur standing there, "'Arry," she says, "Eet 'as been too long!" Fleur then hurries over to Harry while Mrs. Weasley appears behind her.

"You didn't have to bring the tray all the way up here," Mrs Weasley says, "I was just about to bring it up myself,"

"Eet was no trouble," Fleur says, "I 'ave been longing to see 'im. You remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again,"

"Oh," Harry says, "Is she here too?"

"No, no, silly boy," Fleur laughs, "I mean next summer, when we - but do you not know?"

"We hadn't gotten around to telling him yet," Mrs Weasley explains when Fleur looks at her with a reproachful look.

Fleur then turns around, her long blonde hair whipping Mrs Weasley in the face and barely missing Athena, "Bill and I are going to be married,"

"Wow," Harry says, shocked, as Mrs Weasley, Hermione, Ginny, and Athena avoid eye contact with each other, "er..Congratulation," he then receives a kiss on the cheek from the blonde before she goes on to explain how Bill is very busy at the moment and how there isn't much to do around here before she leaves.

Mrs Weasley lets out a sound of annoyance after a few minutes after Fleur left, "Mum hates her," Ron explains to Harry and Mrs Weasley turns to them.

"I do not hate her!" she says in an annoyed whisper, "I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all! They should have waited for a few years, like Charlie and Athena,"

Athena looks away from Mrs Weasley, feeling a stab in her heart at the mention of Charlie's name and her mind flies back to the last time they spoke, which was an argument where she suggested them both taking a break.

"They've known each other for a year," Ron says in a tired voice, "Isn't that the same?"

"Well that's not very long! Besides, Charlie and Athena have known each other for their entire lives," Mrs Weasley says, "I know why it's happened, of course. It's with all this uncertainty about You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center-"