teaandsympathy | Hallowe'en at The Bower

Current Location: The Bower

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Hallowe'en at The Bower

Molly and Charlie had been busy. The cottage had been what Muggles call a fixer-upper to begin with, and it had taken time, work, and more than a little magic to turn it into a place that not only suited them, but felt like home. It was the sort of project that could have - and likely would, if Molly guessed right - continue for months and months. But it was often easier to work with a particular deadline in mind, and a Hallowe'en feast had seemed a good one to work toward.

They'd let everyone they knew know there would be a housewarming on Hallowe'en - some in person, others by the telephone Molly still wasn't all that comfortable using - and that the more, the merrier. Even Draco had been invited, although Molly doubted he would come.

When the holiday arrived, The Bower was ready for their guests. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and Molly had put Charlie in charged of decorations while she bustled about the kitchen where a half dozen things were going on at once: pumpkin stew being ladled into a giant pumpkin, carrot cake in the oven baking, dishes were washing themselves as quickly as Molly used them, and she was busy chopping vegetables to roast.

Various snacks were already set out on one end of the farmhouse table, and there was a bowl of candy by the door, although with the Muggle-repelling charms, they didn't expect trick-or-treaters who wouldn't be coming anyway.

Still, a bit of candy never hurt, did it?

~*~*~

Charlie, with a touch of whimsy, charmed several, small, floating pumpkins to hang about, guiding guests through the living room and into the kitchen. Each pumpkin bears a charming grin and a glimmering candle within; he's also cast a charm so that their home smells like the woods surrounding them, with a pinch of cinnamon and caramel apples tossed in for good measure. He's purchased some Muggle decorations of cut-out cats, skeletons, and, yes, witches, to place upon the walls, charming them to blink and smile as each guest passes through the house. Not an over abundance, but enough to emphasize the cozy nature of the place.

Of course, he jokingly brought up a chair into the air, as a reminder to the duel he'd had with Bill back at the Burrow, but one look from Molly was enough for him to cease those antics with a sheepish grin, even as he eyed the Muggle candy by the door with a look of distaste. What he wouldn't give for Honeydukes to magically appear one day.

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Molly had been looking forward to tonight. She and Charlie had been busy enough getting the cottage ready that it hadn't been too noticeable, but a home hardly felt like a home until it had held the warmth and noise of family and friends.

The apron over Molly's robes was smudged with flour, and as she went to open the door, a quick wave of her wand cleaned it so she could give them a warm welcome, her arms spread in the offer of a hug.

"Come in, come in. Oh, I'm so glad you're here."

"Oh," Luke says, surprised, all the while telling himself he shouldn't be. Ron has been very kind to him, it shouldn't be any surprise that his mother is the same, but he stands there for a moment regardless, staring at her spread arms.

Clary used to hug him. In New York, she had hugged him with the ferocity and radiant love only a fifteen-year-old girl could muster. Jocelyn rarely hugged him, though, and always pushed him off too quickly, as if lingering in the hug might give him the wrong idea and Luke isn't sure what to do at first. "I'm... I'm Luke. A friend of Ron's," he says, still waffling in the doorway, trying to figure out if it's appropriate to hug Ron's mother or if he should just simply offer her the wrapped book he'd brought as a housewarming gift.

"Oh do come in." Molly moved to the side to allow him more room to pass, correctly judging his uncertainty about the hug. "Any friend of Ron's is welcome here. I haven't met nearly enough of his friends, or Hermione's, in Darrow." Not to mention that Ron was far older here than the last Molly saw him back home. She'd missed years of his life.

"Thank you," he says, then offers the wrapped book to her, at least having the good sense not to just thrust it in her direction. He hopes she likes it, that she might find it interesting, an account of witchcraft in the south and how it differs from other areas of the world. Luke's default is always a book, it's the one gift he knows how to give, something he can always fall back on.

"You must be Molly, right?" he asks. It's a little strange how nice it is to be around people who sound like home. He's spent so long in Manhattan that he thought he hadn't missed Idris, but he had.

"Oh, you needn't have," Molly said taking the wrapped package. "But thank you. Shall I open it now, or wait a bit, do you think? And yes, I'm Ron's mother, Molly." She still half expected Ron to bellow out a "Mum!" any moment now, although she supposed he'd largely outgrown all that now.

"Can I get you something to drink? I'm afraid we don't have any butterbeer, but there's tea or mulled cider or..."

"Oh," Luke says, considering. "I don't know. If you wait until later, at least I won't be around and you won't have to pretend you like it if it's awful." It's meant as a joke and he smiles a little to show it, though he knows well from Clary's rolled eyes that his jokes often fall flat.

"The cider sounds wonderful," he says, following her deeper into the house. "And your home is lovely. It's enchanted?" It looks much bigger on the inside than he would have thought and although Luke's knowledge of magic in Ron's world is limited, he's learned enough from Hermione that he thinks he's not far off the mark.

"Charlie and I've done a bit here and there. It was a bit small for our tastes, and needed to feel a touch more like home," Molly admitted as she called a cup to her for cider for Luke. "But there's electricity too." Which would thrill Arthur to no end if he found himself in Darrow.

Once she'd provided a drink for her guest, Molly turned her attentions to the gift. "Oh, how wonderful. There's so much I don't know about magic in other areas... which I suppose means other worlds as well now I'm here. I can't wait to read it."

Luke smiles, more pleased than he wants to admit as he nods. "It's the same for me. Hermione has explained a bit about what magic is like in your world, but it's significantly different than in my own." He pauses, considering that, then says, "With the exception of charms and enchantments used to hide locations from the eyes of those who wouldn't understand."

The Institutes had always been enchanted in such a way, runes drawn on their doors and windows to make them look like nothing more than rundown churches or warehouses, things no mundane could possibly want to pay attention to for longer than a moment. It had kept them in the dark, but in this case, Luke believed ignorance was truly beneficial. It kept them from danger.

"We've a few on the house, you know," Molly said, nodding. It wasn't such a surprise other worlds would hide magic from those who didn't have it. It could be safer for Muggles and wizards alike.

"Nothing that would keep out friends, but it does keep the Muggles from wondering too much about things that seem perfectly normal to us."

Luke can't use runes anymore, his stele long since taken from him, his ability to withstand the runes gone for many years, but sometimes he thinks it must be nice to be able to hide certain things. He wonders if Hermione might consider putting some kind of enchantment on his basement door to keep anyone from getting too curious.

"It keeps people from danger," he agrees with a nod.

It's a hug that Aggie happily folds herself into, grinning as she returns it. "This is so nice!" she says, sincere in her assessment.

"I don't usually like Halloween but..." she looks around, smiling. "I can change my mind."

From what Molly had heard of Agatha's home before Darrow, it wasn't a surprise she didn't like the holiday. And depending on how the Muggles here celebrated, that could be hard on a young witch too.

"I should hope so, dear. At least while you're at here. Hallowe'en should be a fun time for all. Especially young witches and wizards."

"They used to tell us that it was the day that spirits could come back, but last year for my first Halloween..." Aggie makes a face. Never mind. She'd hated it.

"But this is much, much nicer."

"Then I'm even more glad you're here." Children, whether Wizarding or Muggle could be cruel, as Molly knew, especially when someone was different. But she'd have been glad to have Agatha here even if she'd been the best of friends with everyone she knew.

"You're always welcome, you know. The house is awfully empty with just Charlie." Although Molly had gotten used to that, to a point, after Ginny started at Hogwarts, when it had been just her and Arthur. Until You-Know-Who returned, and the Order was in and out of the Burrow.

"That would be nice," Aggie agrees. "I'll try to come out and say hello." There's something wonderful about having so many people in her life that she doesn't always know when she'll go somewhere next. It's nice being welcome in so many places.

"Excellent!" And Charlie would be glad too; he was as fond of young Agatha as Molly was. And Molly would never forget how lucky she'd been, running into the girl first thing when she arrived in Darrow, although she'd have liked her just as much if they hadn't met for months.

"Now, tell me you're hungry," she urged, already thinking what sorts of treats to heap on the girl.

"I made sure to leave plenty of room." Even without warnings from Charlie and Hermione, she'd gotten the distinct impression that Mrs. Weasley was the sort of person who didn't think a person had been fed until they were full to bursting. At minimum.

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Hallowe'en at The Bower

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