Being Different Year 5

On a Saturday in Mid-August Tonks and Fleur were going to be taking Anne shopping.

Anne pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a lilac t-shirt which she tucked into her jeans. She did her plaits and the hair ribbons turned lilac. She also pulled on a pair of blue converse before heading downstairs.

It was still early only just gone half seven and Fleur wouldn’t be arriving until gone nine.

Anne went down for breakfast where Mr Weasley was reading the Daily Prophet whilst drinking a cup of tea. Mrs Weasley was also there as were Dobby and Kreacher. Mrs Weasley was helping Kreacher with the breakfasts, and Dobby was jabbering away to Mr Weasley.

Dobby was wearing an orange Chudley Canons jumper today that Ron had worn as a toddler.

“Morning Anne,” greeted Mr. Weasley, “I hear you are going to a department store today; will it have escapaters?”

“Escalators,” said Anne, “possibly.”

“What are they exactly?”

“Well they’re moving staircases a bit like at Hogwarts, you get on at the bottom and the stairs will take you to the top without you having to move, its particularly useful if you have suitcases. The only difference is that unlike the staircases at Hogwarts, they don’t change where they lead to at random.”

“That is ingenious,” muttered Mr Weasley.

Kreacher brought over a bowl of strawberries and green grapes and handed them to Anne.

“Thank you Kreacher,” beamed Anne as she tucked into her breakfast.

“Anne,” asked Mrs Weasley, “I was wondering if Ginny and I could join you today, I need to get Ginny some new jeans, she’s completely grown out of her old ones.”

“Of course,” said Anne, “the more the merrier.”

“You can have a proper girl’s day out now,” chuckled Sirius as he joined them.

“Does Mistress Anne like her fruit?” asked Kreacher.

“You’ve been using the vanilla essence, again haven’t you?” asked Anne, “because this tastes amazing.”

“Yes,” nodded Kreacher, “I has also added a small amount of sugar.”

“It’s perfect,” said Anne.

Before long the table was crowded as usual.

“So, if we ladies are going shopping,” asked Mrs. Weasley, “what are you lot up to today?”

“Well it’s a nice day,” said Remus, “I could teach you lot how to play cricket.”

“What’s cricket?” asked Fred.

“It’s a very boring muggle sport that goes on all day and they play in the summer,” groaned Sirius. Remus had once dragged Sirius to watch a cricket match on a village green one summer.

“Is that the one where everyone wears white?” asked Ron. They had sometimes seen the muggles playing a game in white flannels in the park opposite the house.

“You got it,” said Remus.

“It looks like it could be kind of fun,” admitted George.

“Yes, I have always been curious as to what they were actually doing out there,” said Mr Weasley.

“Cricket it is then,” said Remus.

“We don’t have to wear white, do we?” asked Harry.

“No, you don’t have to,” chuckled Remus.

“Are you alright Tonks dear, you haven’t touched your breakfast,” said Mrs Weasley. Tonks had just been pushing her food around the plate and was looking slightly green.

“Excuse me Molly,” she said getting up from the table and rushing out of the room.

“Is she alright?” asked Julian.

“Oh yes Dora’s fine,” said Remus getting up to go and find her.

“Um Tonks,” said Ginny when Tonks came back, “you don’t have to come today if you’re not feeling well.”

“No, no I’m fine,” said Tonks sitting back down but still not touching her breakfast.

“You sure?” asked Anne.

“Oh yeah I’m fine now.”

“Is there something you need to tell us Tonks?” asked Mrs Weasley smiling slightly.

“What are you talking about?” asked Remus and Tonks.

“Um there is actually,” chuckled Remus.

“We were going to tell you all, but we wanted to wait,” explained Tonks.

“Me and Dora are expecting a baby.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” exclaimed Ginny and Molly.

“Congratulations!” said Fred and George.

“Knew you had it in you Moony!”

“How far along are you?” asked Mrs Weasley.

“About five weeks,” admitted Tonks, “don’t tell anyone, I haven’t even told mum and dad yet.”

“What’s all the excitement?” asked Bill as he and Fleur came into the kitchen.

“Tonks is pregnant,” explained Ron.

“We’re going to have to hit the baby department today, then aren’t we?” asked Fleur.

“I’m only five weeks!” exclaimed Tonks.

“Its always fun to look around though,” said Mrs. Weasley, “all the tiny little socks and teddy bears.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me Molly?” asked Mr Weasley.

“Trust me Arthur, I think we’ve got enough children,” assured Mrs Weasley.

“Thank Merlin for that,” sighed Fred.

“The last thing we need is another sibling,” said George.

“You never know another girl might be nice,” said Ginny.

“We have enough girls thank you very much,” pointed out Ron.

“How’d you figure that out?” asked Ginny, “at the moment there are six boys and one girl!”

“Which is one too many for us,” said Fred.

“Another boy though,” suggested George.

“You are not getting any more siblings,” said Mrs Weasley firmly.

“Girl or boy,” added Mr Weasley.

“We should get going if we need to look through the baby department too,” said Fleur.

They all fetched their jackets, Sirius had given Anne a light brown leather jacket for Christmas which went well with Anne’s dark red hair, Tonks had a leather jacket too, Fleur and Ginny both pulled on denim jackets over their jeans and t-shirts. Even Mrs Weasley was wearing muggle clothes today, she was wearing a long floral skirt and a blouse.

They decided to go to Debenhams as it had a large variety of everything. They got the new clothes for Anne and Ginny first, they both needed new jeans. Anne got several new t-shirts and a couple plain sweatshirts for everyday wear.

Ginny even persuaded Mrs Weasley to let her get a very small pair of heels which were dark purple and a very light shade of pink lipstick.

Having paid for Anne and Ginny’s new things they went to a café for a quick lunch of sandwiches. Ginny and Anne felt very grown up to be having lunch with the adults especially as the boys weren’t there for once. Ginny felt particularly grown up because she was wearing her new heels and lipstick.

After lunch they went down to the baby department.

“I hope I’m not going to be needing maternity wear for a while,” said Tonks as they passed the maternity department.

“You should be fine for a few more months,” assured Mrs Weasley.

They looked at all the different things in the baby department.

“I never knew babies needed so much, Moses basket, bassinet, cradles, and that’s just the beds,” said Tonks.

“I know it is an awful lot,” agreed Molly.

“These are adorable you have to get them,” said Ginny coming over with a pair of tiny little baby boots which were light yellow and a tiny little rabbit with a ribbon around it’s neck.

“Not as cute as this,” said Fleur who had found a Babygro which said Daddy’s little angel.

“I don’t think we need anything yet,” explained Tonks, “the baby’s not arriving for nearly eight months.”

“Please can we get just one thing?” begged Ginny.

They eventually decided on a little teddy bear with a red velvet ribbon which Anne had picked out and everyone agreed was adorable.

“And the best part is,” said Fleur as they headed back home, “it will work for a girl or a boy.”

When they got back to the house from shopping it was still only three o’clock in the afternoon and the others were playing cricket in the park opposite the house. They took the shopping back into the house and then joined the others for cricket.

They had been joined by a muggle family who had three boys and one girl who was about ten. As there were now so many of them, they had started an impromptu match in the park, Remus had already taught them the basics, so they knew what they were doing.

By the time that everyone went home for dinner at seven o’clock everyone was covered in grass stains, but they had had a wonderful day.

“Could you teach us rugby tomorrow?” asked Julian.

“Yeah or football?” asked Harry, Dean Thomas one of his roommates was always going on about his favourite team Westham United.

“Thank goodness I’m a half-blood and my Mum made me play with muggle children when I was little. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know the difference between a flyhalf and hooker.”

“A what and a what?” asked Bill.

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” chuckled Remus.