An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 51 ~ Aftermath, Part 2

Molly ran out of Ginny’s old bedroom, down the stairs, through the living room, down the hall and into her own bedroom, her apron pressed to her face as she sobbed. The door slammed behind her.

All of the adults were in the living room, chatting in quiet tones, the topic being “Ron and mum” and what they were saying to each other. By the way Molly ran through the house, it couldn’t have gone her way at all.

A grim-faced Ron followed her down, stopped in the living room and asked where the children were. He was told they were all outside.

”How did the talk go?” Ginny asked him as Arthur rose and walked down the hallway to see how Molly was.

“It went,” Ron said shortly.

”She seemed upset,” Harry said, fishing for more details.

“If you want to know what was said, ask mum,” Ron said with a frown. “All I’m going to say is she knows how I feel about how she acts sometimes. The world doesn’t always revolve around what she thinks and she isn’t always right. Someone needed to tell her that. Now, I’m going to get Rose and Hugo, and we’re leaving.”

With that, Ron walked into the foyer, pulled on his coat and Weasley gear, then exited the Burrow.

A wail rose up from the back of the house where Molly was. Everyone looked toward it. Molly was known for her waterworks and dramatic outbursts of tears. They were great for drumming up guilt. And even though none of the clan had been there for the talk, they all felt some residual guilt. The response was ingrained in them for years after all. Such conditioning was hard to break.

As far as the younger children went, yes, they were outside all right, huddled around a magical fire James had created and discussing what had happened with Eileen.

Hugo, Lily and Rose were staunchly on Eileen’s side, James was neutral and Albus was clearly on Molly’s side.

”It’s grandmum’s house and she has a right to say how she feels. And Eileen IS damaged, everybody knows that. Just look at how’s she’s acted all through school. Just because she’s opened up a little doesn’t mean she’s changed. Her father did something wrong to Aunt Hermione. Eileen shouldn’t even exist,” Albus said. “And I don’t like how Eileen talked back to grandmum, calling her names. It was rude and anyone who had proper manners wouldn’t have done that. And Eileen’s right. She’s not really related to us. Why should we care if her feelings got hurt or not?”

Albus was singing a different tune in front of his other cousins. He’d told Alsop he was sick for wanting to be with his cousin, trying to turn him off to Eileen because he was jealous. For a Gryffindor, he was very manipulative, using arguments to fit the occasion as he saw fit. Too bad Alsop wasn’t present. He would have taken him to the mats.

“Albus, you’re stupid. She’s my sister and Rose’s sister, so she is related to some of us, and you should treat her nice because of that,” Hugo said angrily. “She’s part of the ex-extended family.”

”I’m not stupid. You’re stupid. And Lily, Snape isn’t your uncle. He’s nobody to you,” Albus hissed at his little sister.

”He is! And Eileen is my cousin! If you accept Aunt Hermione, you can accept him, too, Albus. Aunt Hermione isn’t related to us by blood either! But you call her aunt.”

”She’s MARRIED to my uncle, Lily. That’s why she’s an aunt. It’s not the same!”

”Well, whether or not you consider Eileen family, Albus, grandmum shouldn’t have said anything after mum asked her not to do it,” Rose said with a frown.

:”Aunt Hermione can’t tell grandmum what to do and say in her own house,” Albus declared. “It’s her house!”

“But Eileen’s HER daughter.”

James didn’t say anything as his siblings and relatives argued, but he felt his grandmum had been very insensitive. Even if Eileen’s father was a git, she didn’t have to say it or that Eileen was damaged, as if something was wrong with her. From what he’d seen and heard lately, Eileen really wasn’t that bad a person when she was around Hugo, Lily and Rose. Alsop always hung out with her, but used to pay a price for it when she changed him into things. Still, his brother didn’t seem to mind it.

”Oi! Hugo! Rose! It’s time to go,” Ron said, walking up to the children.

”How did the talk with grandmum go, dad?” Hugo asked his father. “Did she say she was sorry?”

Ron’s face darkened a bit.

”That’s not what we actually talked about, Hugo. But it went as well as could be expected.”

Suddenly a loud wail came from the Burrow, louder than the first one.

”Let’s go,” Ron said, placing his arms around Rose’s and Hugo’s shoulders.

They Disapparated.

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”He—he said I was just as controlling as Voldemort,” Molly wailed, leaning her head on Arthur’s shoulder and dabbing at her eyes with her apron. “He said—he said what I said to Eileen was more damaging than anything her father may have done and I might have ruined her relationship with her mother, brother and sister, and that I had been horrible, just as Eileen said.”

Arthur didn’t say anything, he just patted her back and listened.

“I was just being honest with the girl. Snape is a snake for what he did to Hermione. But Ron said that it was just between Hermione and Snape and that no one else should have anything to say about it, that it just makes for hard feelings. But the hard feelings are already there, Arthur!”

”Not for Eileen, Molly. She loves her father despite what he did. How would you feel if someone said I was a horrible husband and father?” Arthur asked her softly.

”I would be insulted, of course. You’re a fine father and husband, Arthur. You’ve always been here for me and the children,” Molly sniffed.

“Well, that’s how Eileen feels about Severus, Molly. She’s not going to let people talk badly about him, and as far as she’s concerned, he’s been a good father, if not a good man to everyone else. He’s all she’s known. If she didn’t turn her back on him when she found out the truth, you certainly aren’t going to turn her against him. Don’t try to do that, Molly. It’s not going to work.”

”Ron said he doubted if she will ever come back here, and Hermione’s already said she won’t be bringing her back. I’m never going to get to know her,” Molly sobbed.

Arthur sat there beside his wife. He didn’t feel sorry for her, because he knew Molly was fully capable of being tactful when it was necessary. Usually when she was around those who weren’t members of the family. Eileen fell into that category in a way, she was sort of an Honorary Weasley because of Hermione being married to Ron, and Molly should have recognized the difference.

But she decided just to barrel forward with Eileen like she did the rest of the family. She was used to just having her words accepted and little repercussions for them, even if her children disagreed with her. Plus, she was of the “children should be seen and not heard” persuasion. In other words, Molly was used to her word being Law, superseded only by Arthur when he felt it necessary to step in. Which he did on occasion.

“Well, you’ve learned a valuable lesson, then, Molly. And that is you can’t just say what you think to everyone, even your family. Sometimes, you just have to butt out,” Arthur said to her gently.

”That’s exactly what Ron said to me, Arthur. ‘Butt out.’ It was horrible to hear him say that to me, his own mother,” she said, her voice trembling.

”You hurt his wife, Molly. He loves you, but Hermione is his wife for life. She’s very important to him. How she feels affects him. He’s going to do his best to protect her, even if it’s from you,” Arthur said softly. “The same as I’d do for you.”

Molly suddenly sat up.

”Well, you certainly didn’t do any ‘protecting’ at supper,” she snapped at him. “In fact, you sided against me—“

”I told you what I thought, Molly,” Arthur said, sighing inwardly. Here it comes.

The inevitable fight.

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Alsop waited for Eileen to come down for more than an hour and a half. He might have waited longer, but she flew back toward the house and saw someone standing near it and flew closer to see who it was. She was surprised to see Alsop.

She zoomed down and slowed, hovering in front of him.

”Alsop? How did you get here?” she asked him.

”Your dad brought me,” he answered. “Are you all right? I was worried.”

This surprised Eileen, too. Her dad had brought Alsop here and didn’t say anything to her? Didn’t let her know he’d been there? Well, he had said he was going to pull back. Maybe he didn’t say anything because she hadn’t gone to him. That seemed like something he would do. Her brown eyes rested on Alsop.

”I’m fine, now,” she replied, her face set. “I’m never going back to the Burrow again. Your grandmother and I don’t get along at all.”

”I’m really sorry, Eileen. If I had been there, I wouldn’t have let her say anything bad about your father,” Alsop said.

”I bet you would’ve been better than my mum,” Eileen said, dismounting. “She didn’t defend him or me. She just tried to make me not say anything to Mrs. Weasley. She didn’t care how I felt at all. Family rules. What good are they if the family doesn’t follow them? I went inside and tore my contract up. It’s not worth the parchment it’s written on. That was just two hours of wasted time.”

Alsop just listened to her rant as they began walking toward the house.

”This is my fault,” Eileen said, her voice full of self-contempt. “I got suckered in, Alsop, just as if I met a stranger in Knockturn Alley and followed him into some niche, believing he was going to give me sweets. That’s what I did with my mum. I—I felt like I could fit into her world. We had—we had fun when I was with them. I even liked Ron, once I got to know him a little.”

”I thought if they were so nice, then the people they associated with would be nice. Mrs. Weasley sent me gifts and treats, and—and I let my guard down. I shouldn’t have done it, Alsop. I know better. I know what people are like. They always disappoint you in the end, so it’s better not to deal with too many of them. I set myself up.”

Alsop cleared his throat as they stopped at the front door.

”Eileen, you aren’t just going to turn your back on everyone, are you? Not on Hugo or Lily? They really like you.”

Eileen sighed.

”I know, Alsop. No. That wouldn’t be fair to them. I’m just not going to go around Mrs. Weasley anymore. Lily and Hugo are fine.”

”What about Rose?”

”Rose is still up in the air, but—she’s not as bad as she used to be. At least she has a sense of humor in some things, like the present she got me.”

”What did she get you?” Alsop asked as she opened the door and walked in. He followed looking about.

”Clown makeup. Colors I wouldn’t be caught dead in. Pink. Sky Blue. Blech.”

”Did you get her anything?”

”Yes. A book on how to learn to dance in five easy lessons.”

Alsop chuckled.

”I bet she loved that.”

Eileen hung up her cloak and turned to him.

”Would you like some tea?” she asked.

Alsop swallowed as he remembered Snape said he wasn’t to be there when he got home.

”What time is it?” he asked her.

Eileen looked at the clock over the fireplace.

”Almost seven,” she replied.

”What time does your father get home?”

Eileen cocked her head.

”Why?” she asked him.

”I just want to know,” Alsop replied, reddening.

Eileen studied him.

”You don’t want to be here when he gets back,” she said, arching an eyebrow at him. “You shouldn’t worry about that. He brought you here, didn’t he?”

”Yes, but just to visit a little while. He said I’m not to be here when he gets home.”

Eileen shook her head.

Dad. You had to love him—or else you’d hex him.

”He won’t do anything if you’re here,” she told Alsop.

There it was. The Eve Factor inherent in every female, that of tempting males to do what they know is wrong to do. But Alsop was no Adam. He wasn’t about to taste the fruit of disobedience, not when it was Severus Snape’s garden.

”Well, he gave me direct instructions, Eileen, and I told him I’d follow them. I want to be a wizard of my word,” he said softly. “I can’t be here when he gets here or he’ll think I’m—I’m dishonorable.”

”Dishonorable? Oh gods, Alsop. You sound like you’re from the Middle Ages or something,” she said a disparaging laugh.

Alsop gave her a pleading look.

”Don’t laugh at me, Eileen. I want your father to like me—so I can, so we can—“

Eileen stopped laughing and stared at Alsop.

”So we can what, Alsop?” she asked him in a low voice.

”So, so we can go out. So I can court you,” he responded. “When—when you’re ready.”

”Alsop, I’m nowhere near ready for courtship. Courtship means working toward getting married. I’m just sixteen,” Eileen told him.

Alsop gave her a wan smile.

”My paternal grandparents were about that age when they started courting. They were married and had a baby by the time they were twenty-one.”

Both of Eileen’s eyebrows rose as she gaped at Alsop incredulously. Finally she was able to speak.

”A baby? At twenty-one? That’s insane. There’s still so much to do at twenty-one. Too much to do to be tied down with a baby,” she said.

”You can still be married at twenty-one,” Alsop said softly. “A baby could wait.”

Eileen felt herself flushing at the look in the young wizard’s eyes.

”You’re a sap, Alsop,” she said sharply, forcing the feeling of attraction down, turning, then walking toward the living room. “A romantic sap. No wonder your brothers call you ‘Soppy.’ Now, hang up your things and have some tea. Dad won’t be home until around eight-thirty.”

She disappeared into the kitchen. Alsop stood there, part of him wanting to leave now, but the other part wanting to spend time with Eileen. Slowly, he took off his coat, hat and gloves, and hung them up over Eileen’s cloak. He swallowed, then walked after her.

He’d be sure to keep a sharp eye on the time.

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A/N: Still no word on how much the parts are going to cost. I want to stick with this company because they gave me a good deal earlier and I think will work with me. So, I’m trying to be patient. It was a cool day today, but it’s getting a little warmer now, but I’m okay. Anyway, I hope y’all enjoyed the chapter.