Weasley Family Fallout

Chapter 28: Fraternal Reunion

The late afternoon sun shone brightly over the Cornwall coast. Harry and Ginny played with little Teddy in the edge of the water. Andromeda watched peacefully from where she sat under an umbrella on the warm sand. Fleur and Audrey lay on their stomachs sunbathing nearby. Bill, Percy, and George threw a Quaffle to each other in the chest-deep water.

"I still can't believe Great Aunt Muriel," George said. He lunged to his left to catch the poorly aimed Quaffle from Percy.

Bill huffed. "It seems like she gets barmier the older she gets."

Percy ducked when the Quaffle flew toward him. "You don't think Dad's drinking again, do you?" he asked hesitantly. This question had been nagging him ever since Great Aunt Muriel mentioned it earlier. He swam a few feet backwards to retrieve the Quaffle.

The other two Weasleys seemed to have to think about this for a moment.

"Well, she also said Mum and Dad's financial situation was because 'he likes the booze too much,'" George mocked. "We all know that's not true." He lunged again to catch the ball.

Bill caught the Quaffle from George. "Are you starting to believe what Great Aunt Muriel says?" he asked incredulously. He threw the ball to Percy who dodged it again.

"Seriously, Perce, we were taught from birth not to trust a word that comes outta her mouth." George flipped some wet hair out of his face. "Besides, no one else thought he'd been drinking – Well, they didn't say anything if they had anyway."

"And we'd be able to tell if he was drunk," Bill stated. "Forget about it, Percy. There's nothing to worry about."

For the next little while, the boys threw the Quaffle in silence. They had to reverse directions because playing catch with Percy had always been quite the workout, having to jump in all directions to catch the ball.

The bespectacled redhead couldn't help worrying about what Great Aunt Muriel said. Two weeks ago, he'd caught his father drinking. He'd kept his promise and not told anyone else, but maybe that was a mistake. They all assumed Ginny would mention it if their dad was drinking at home or staying out later than usual. What if she turned a blind eye to it? What if his brothers had caught their dad drinking and made the same promise he had? A sick feeling crept into the pit of his stomach.

Smack!

The Quaffle struck Percy square in the face. If he'd been wearing his glasses they would have snapped in two.

"Oops! Sorry, Perce," George apologized sheepishly. He swam over to his older brother. "You alright?"

Percy scrunched up his face and rubbed his nose. "I don't think it's broken, but it bloody-well hurts." He playfully tackled George who fought back. Bill laughed at his two younger brothers. This was the most relaxed he'd seen either of them in a long time. He glanced toward the beach.

"Hey, guys!" Bill gained the attention of his brothers. "We've drifted." They could barely see Andromeda's green umbrella down the beach.

Shoving Percy one last time, George grabbed the Quaffle. The trio walked parallel to the shore, fighting the current.

"So – um – Mum and Dad seemed to be getting on well today," George said nonchalantly.

"I guess," Bill replied, eying his brother. "They didn't yell at each other."

"And they spent some time alone together," Percy added.

"She defended him, too."

"They didn't really talk though," George debated.