THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH | RON WEASLEY [BOOK FIVE]

2017

FRIDAY 1st of SEPTEMBER, 2017

"Are you listening to me, Ophelia?"

Gene was stood before her daughter now, both hands taking her daughters in her own firmly, squeezing gently so that she had finally grasped her attention.

Ophelia only hummed in response, her brows furrowed as her mind was clearly elsewhere, her eyes travelling everywhere past Gene's figure. She outstretched her hand, using her forefinger to gently nudge Ophelia's chin back to face her, a small smile tugging at her red-stained lips.

"What did I just say?" Gene lifted a brow, at which Ophelia's cheeks flushed pink.

"Something about being good," Ophelia mumbled. "and not giving Sirius and Regulus too much trouble."

"That's debatable." Ron said, bending to press a kiss to her head as he had finally caught up, Sirius, Regulus, Cordelia in tow, with Daphnis in his arms. "They could do with a bit of trouble." he shrugged.

Gene breathed a laugh, shaking her head slightly but she was relieved to find that Ophelia had finally smiled. Daph was fast asleep in Ron's arms, his head buried in the crook of his neck, resting peacefully.

Daphnis Remus Black-Weasley was named after a moon of Saturn, and of course, one of the greatest men that Gene had ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was the more recent addition to the family, born on the 13th of October, in 2012.

With each child, their hair gradually grew lighter and lighter, though the colour of their eyes seemed to always be a surprise. Daph had hazel eyes, though: flecked with gold and green. The freckles were always there, though.

Sirius and Regulus were beginning their sixth year now, turned seventeen only earlier that year in April, following in their mothers footsteps as they joined the house of Slytherin. It felt as though time had completely passed them by. Gene remembered when they were barely knee-high to her, wreaking havoc in their kitchen. Only now, they had taken on Hogwarts for their next chaotic rule.

Cordelia had grown up, seemingly inheriting her fathers height as she was extremely tall for a nine-year old. She also had the smarts of someone twice her age, and she couldn't quite understand why her godmother couldn't make an exception to enrol her in Hogwarts a few years earlier.

Then came Ophelia, beginning her first year at Hogwarts. She was perhaps a carbon copy of her father, except for her hair. That was Gene's. But she had inherited all the nervousness and worries that Gene similarly held, when she had first started at Hogwarts.

"You won't be upset if I'm not in Slytherin or Gryffindor, will you?" Ophelia's smile had faded now, which meant Gene's had too.

Gene crouched before her daughter, tucking her hair behind her ears as it had fallen in front of her face, while she looked between her parents worriedly.

"Never, my love." Gene shook her head firmly. "I know you're scared. But no matter what house you're in, no matter your family name– it means nothing compared to what's in here." Gene tapped the place over Ophelia's chest, where her heart lay.

"It's alright if you're not in Gryffindor." Ron spoke kindly, brushing a hand over her hair, "Neville'll be a bit sad, but he'll make do with James and Margaret and Ralph. And anyways, Stella. Jr will be with you."

Gene's eyes fell on the black siamese cat, sat in the cat carrier that Ophelia gripped tightly in her left hand. Stella. Jr meowed upon hearing her name causing Gene to smile, reaching her finger between the metal bars to scratch under her chin lovingly.

"Look, there they are!"

Sirius suddenly exclaimed, pointing further along platform nine-and-three-quarters, where Harry and Ginny stood with Rose and Hugo, and Hermione and Finn stood beside them with Margaret, Ralph and Eliza.