THE ANGEL OF WOE | RON WEASLEY [BOOK THREE]

5. HOT CHOCOLATE

Gene hadn't let go of Sirius since she set eyes on him, her arm wrapped around his middle with his over her shoulder, as they made their way into the kitchen together. She could hear Mrs. Weasley yelling at the twins, the clattering of something falling to the ground, followed by an apology from Tonks, and so on.

"You must be starving." Sirius said. "Come, sit by me." he gestured for her to take a seat at the head of the table, laden with bowls and cutlery and cups in preparation for dinner, as she went to sit down, Aurelia handing her a heavy envelope.

"What's that?" Harry asked, pulling the chair from beside Gene out to take a seat. She shrugged, unfolding the envelope to find a large stack of photographs inside, her smile growing as the very first one was of her grandmother.

"Those must be from your holiday!" Mrs. Weasley grinned. "Well, come on– pass them around!" she gestured, and Gene smiled, passing the pictures around one by one so that everyone could take a look.

"It looks like you two had a lot of fun." Ron said weakly, passing the pictures onto Hermione without a glance.

"We did." Gene smiled at Harry and he returned it, but her smile had soon turned to concern as the air grew thick with tension, the last good memories of their summer being tucked away before they began to eat dinner.

Mr. Weasley began to frown deeply at a piece of parchment with a purple seal, "This is most unusual. It seems Minister Fudge has called your hearing before the entire Wizengamot." he grimly handed the parchment to Lupin to examine it.

"It's a set-up. A chance to publicly discredit Harry." Sirius argued and Lupin agreed, to their confusion.

"I don't understand. What does the Ministry of Magic have against me?" Harry asked, though silence remained.

"Show them." Moody says quietly, "They'll find out soon enough."

Kingsley reluctantly produced a copy of the Daily Prophet and handed it to Harry. Gene leant across to peer over Harry's shoulder as she skim read over a front-page editorial with an image of both of them, the headline essentially calling them outright liars. Gene looked up, glancing from Sirius to Aurelia, the pair stunned into silence. Sirius' eyes softened as he looked at Gene, and she imagined he knew exactly how she was feeling.

"Fudge has been attacking Dumbledore as well. He is using all his power– including his influence at the Daily Prophet– to smear anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned." Sirius further explained.

"I don't understand. Why?" Gene asked in disbelief, shaking her head.

"The Minister thinks Dumbledore is after his job. That he's lying about Voldemort's return as a ploy to gain political power." Lupin continued.

"But that's insane! No one in their right mind would believe-"

"Exactly the point." he cut Harry off, "Fudge isn't in his right mind. It has been twisted and warped- by fear. Fear makes people do terrible things. The last time Voldemort gained power, he almost destroyed everything we hold most dear. Now that he's returned, I'm afraid the Minister will do almost anything to avoid facing that terrifying truth." Lupin spoke solemnly.

"We think he wants to build up his army again." Sirius began after some silence, "Fourteen years ago, he had huge numbers at his command- not just witches and wizards but all manner of Dark creatures. He's been recruiting heavily, and we've been attempting to do the same. But gathering followers isn't the only thing he's interested in."

Moody's eye swivelled and stared at Sirius for a moment, even going so far as to clear his throat to make a point, but Sirius ignored him.

"We think Voldemort may be after something- something he didn't have last time."

"Sirius-" Mrs. Weasley warned.

"You mean- like a weapon?" Gene asked.

"That's enough!" Aurelia suddenly burst out, causing all eyes to turn to her. "They're children, Sirius. Our children. Our family, to protect."

Gene and Harry froze. If it weren't for the situation, they might have smiled at Aurelia's words.

"Say much more and you might as well induct them into the Order!" she shook her head at Sirius, staring at him sternly.

"Good– I want to join. If Voldemort's building an army, I want to fight." Harry returned.

"So do I." Gene backed Harry up, and Sirius nodded to them, almost proud.

That night, Gene could hear her dad and her aunt arguing from the comfort of a spare room that had been transformed into her own, thanks to Sirius, their voices keeping her up when the nightmares didn't. Though, she decided she might have preferred the nightmares.

*

"Gene, wake up!"

She choked on air as she sat up suddenly, her hand pressed to her chest, attempting to catch her breath. The feeling of Hermione's hand on her shoulder grounded her, helping her calm down as her breathing slowed.

Gene had another nightmare about Cedric. The image of his hollow eyes slowly began to leave her mind, and she felt relieved, before feeling guilty for how relieved she felt.

She just couldn't win.

Gene could barely look Hermione in the eyes as she pulled the sheets from over her and went to stand up, stepping quietly so as not to disturb Ginny on the sofa. She shut the door behind her and crept downstairs silently, though the centuries old floorboards didn't help much.

She made her way to the kitchen, stumbling around in the dark as she went to open and close cupboards quietly, gathering the items she required. A creak in the floor behind her had Gene spinning on her heel in surprise, jumping a little at the sight of Ron in the doorway.

Gene stared at him for a moment before turning back to the stove, "Do you want some hot chocolate?" she whispered, glancing at him over her shoulder.

She saw him nod under the dim lamplight and grabbed a second mug for him, before getting to the actual making part. Gene was willing to die by the fact that hot chocolate always tasted better homemade, despite her grandma's objections. Now, she was wishing Cordelia was there, scolding her over her shoulder.

Soon enough, Gene brought two mugs of hot chocolate over to the table where Ron had taken a seat. She set one down on the table before sitting next to him, cross legged as she held her mug close, savouring the warmth. Her feelings from before hadn't changed much; she was still very much annoyed about the summer, but she decided some company couldn't have hurt.

"I've been having nightmares." Gene said, Ron's head shooting up to stare at her, his blue eyes twinkling under the moonlight, "I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Cedric's. I get these- panic attacks when I'm alone. So, I drink hot chocolate. It helps, sometimes." she swallowed hard.

Gene wasn't entirely sure why she was telling Ron this, right now of all times, but he was glad she did. Without a word, he opened his arms and Gene stared at him in confusion for a moment, blinking. She finally got her wits about her as she set her mug down, leaning across and hugging him tightly, since she didn't before. She didn't want to before but now, it was all she wanted to do. Her eyes shut slowly in contentment, her breathing steady before pulling away quickly, unsure of what had gotten into her.

"Next time, you should tell me. If you have one of those nightmares again." Ron nodded, and Gene nearly smiled at the sight of his ears tinged slightly pink.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"So I can stay with you." Ron said and Gene's lips parted in surprise, not expecting him to say that.

"Oh. Okay." she said, swallowing thickly, "How is it?" she nodded towards the mug after a moment.

"Good." he smiled.