This was Chloe’s first time at a family gathering this lively.
Before Maria and Rox Maddy’s divorce, things had been warm enough, but never anything like this.
She glanced over at Michael.
He looked happy, completely at ease, like he’d always belonged here.
Guilt welled up inside her.
Rox Maddy’s work had kept him even busier than Maria, and Chloe was fairly sure Michael had been lonelier than her growing up.
As if sensing her gaze, Michael looked over and flashed her a brilliant smile.
“What’s wrong?” he mouthed.
“Nothing.” Chloe shook her head lightly.
“Eat more.”
This wasn’t the first time Harry had seen Chloe outside the therapy room.
But this time was easier than the last, at least he wasn’t still half-submerged in the dread of nearly losing Teddy.
Chloe was quiet.
Most of the time she simply ate, occasionally lifting her head to answer a question directed her way in a soft, unhurried voice.
When someone said something funny, she’d offer a polite, friendly smile.
Harry thought she was very much like the camellia flowers on her windowsill.
Midway through dinner, Fleur brought up Ginny’s new boyfriend.
He was a Quidditch player too.
Harry remembered seeing the name in a report.
Some commentators had rated the skills quite highly.
The table went abruptly quiet.
Fleur seemed to realize something and shot Harry a slightly awkward glance.
“I read the reports on Lucas.” Harry looked over at Ginny with a nod of approval.
“A lot of commentators think there’s a strong chance of playing in the ’06 tournament. Maybe the two of you will get to play side by side.”
Ginny smiled and gave a small nod.
“So… are you an athlete, Ginny?” Chloe asked, feigning curiosity.
“What sport?”
Beside her, Michael made a sound like something had gone down the wrong way and coughed several times.
“Uh… it’s Mug— football.”
Ginny’s expression flickered with panic as the explanation came out.
“Oh, I’m quite fond of football. I’ll definitely catch a match if I get the chance.” Chloe smiled pleasantly and nodded.
Hermione quickly steered the conversation elsewhere, asking Chloe about university.
At that table, only she and Harry were really at home with Muggle culture.
Everyone else went quiet, eating with slightly stiff expressions, occasionally casting admiring glances Hermione’s way.
“Sis, that was cruel.” It wasn’t until Michael used the excuse of walking Chloe out, and the two of them had left the Burrow, that the disbelief finally showed on Michael’s face.
“You nearly gave them all a heart attack.”
“If I hadn’t said something, someone was about to say ‘Quidditch’ out loud.”
Back at the Burrow, Hermione rested her chin in her hand, looking thoughtful.
“What are you thinking about?” Ron narrowed his eyes and leaned in, his tone not quite matching the words.
“Thinking about whether Krum’s going to win the 2006 World Cup?”
Hermione stared at Ron with a look of mild disbelief, sighed, and shook her head.
“You’ve been wanting to ask that for ages, haven’t you?” Ginny looked at Ron with distaste.
“You’ve been sitting on that one this whole time and it finally came out?”
George made an exaggerated show of sniffing the air beside them.
“Mum!” George called toward Molly in the kitchen.
“Did someone knock over a bottle of vinegar in there?”
“No, dear.” Molly called back, puzzled.
“Really? Must be Little Ronnie’s jealousy fermenting, then!” George said with a wicked grin.
Ron glared at them, face quietly going red.
“I was thinking…” Hermione said anyway.
“Don’t you all think Michael and Chloe would be a good match?”
“Oh!” Audrey nodded vigorously.
“I thought it was just me imagining things!”
“Now that you mention it — they really do seem to fit.” Angelina Johnson and Ginny exchanged a look, both in agreement.
“Wait, what do you mean by a good match?” Ron looked at them, a little lost.
“Everything, looks, age, the way they carry themselves.” Hermione ticked the points off on her fingers.
“And I noticed during dinner that Chloe and Michael kept paying attention to each other, consciously or not.”
“Plus, Michael was the one who volunteered to bring Chloe to the Burrow.”
The more Hermione talked, the more animated she became, until her eyes were practically shining.
“I know Michael really likes Muggle culture and knows it well, he even got a Muggle driver’s license! I heard him explaining Muggle football to Seraphin over lunch the other day, and Chloe likes that sport too. They’ll definitely have things to talk about!”
“Wow.” George made a surrendering gesture and covered both ears.
“I don’t know why, but I really don’t want to sit here listening to you lot plan a boyfriend for my therapist.”
George pursed his lips and scooped Dominique out of Bill’s arms.
“Come on, Domi, Vicky. I’ll get you some Chocolate Frogs, we’re not listening to any of this. If you start dating before you’re fifteen, it’ll break Bill’s heart.”
Dominique couldn’t even talk properly yet.
The moment the word “chocolate” landed, excitement took over entirely, and small hands grabbed at George’s hair and wouldn’t let go.
Bill gave an approving nod and scooped up Victoire, who had been wearing a thoroughly nosy expression.
“George is right. Let’s go, Vicky.”
“That’s not fair!” Victoire pouted indignantly and pointed at Teddy beside Harry.
“Why does Teddy get to stay?”
“Because… I can promise I won’t date anyone before I’m fifteen.”
“Oh. Is that a good thing?” Ron looked over at Harry, a little uncertain.
Harry took Teddy and left the kitchen too.
George had a point, there was something genuinely strange about sitting there listening to everyone discuss how perfectly suited his therapist was to someone else.
But.
Harry did feel it.
There was something between Chloe and Michael, something he couldn’t quite name.
Was that what they meant by a good match?
Harry furrowed his brow.
He let out a quiet sigh.
He shouldn’t be thinking about this.
Given his two completely failed relationships, the only two he’d ever had, his opinion on the matter couldn’t exactly be called authoritative.
“Harry.” Teddy tugged gently at Harry’s sleeve and reached both arms out.
Harry lifted Teddy up without a word, then conjured a handkerchief to wipe the sticky sugar from the small hands.
“Why do they want to get Chloe and Michael together?” Teddy looked a little sulky, arms looping around Harry’s neck.
“You don’t like the idea?” Harry stroked Teddy’s hair without really understanding why it bothered the child.
Light golden, Chloe’s color.
“No. Because I like Chloe.” Teddy mumbled.
“Wow, Teddy bear, you literally just told me you weren’t going to date anyone before you’re fifteen.” Harry tilted his head with an amused look at the back of Teddy’s fluffy head, not taking the words of a six-year-old too seriously.
Teddy suddenly sat up straight and fixed Harry with an expression that was equal parts solemn and hopeful.
The movement nearly knocked Harry’s glasses off.
“I like her — so let Chloe be my godmother!”
“Okay, boy.” Harry blinked, then let out a long-suffering sigh.
“Let’s get something straight, you can’t make someone your godmother just because you like her, all right?”
➤ Next: Self-Harm
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