All in the Family

Chapter 191: The Missing Mirror

Merlin does it feel so surreal to be so close to finishing this again...

HPHPHPHP

Despite the eight of them landing as unceremoniously as ever, only the soft tinkling of a small bit of glass was the worst of the damage, for once.

It had cracked down over Sirius's head, but the small shards only scattered around and reflected his eye roll in a million tiny facets as he carefully got himself back to his feet to look around with the others.

They all stood in a loose circle in an unfamiliar room, a sitting room with a durable carpet and a small fireplace. The only decoration of note was the single large oil painting of a blonde girl who gazed out at them with a kind of a vacant sweetness, the golden book resting beside the large frame.

There was a table of food with cheese and wine nobody was going to be touching until it was checked over. The fire was lit and reflecting the glittering bits of shards oddly throughout the room, and a cat yowled somewhere downstairs. It didn't feel like an inherently awful place ready to kill them, but still, nobody relaxed their guard until Peter looked out the window, and said, "we're back in Hogsmeade. Hog's Head, maybe, from the angle of the building."

"The fact that you just, know that," Frank said in honest admiration for how well the Marauders knew this place.

"Spent more time out here than in the castle practically," James said casually.

They were back in the Hog's Head, Alice confirmed as she gently twisted the door handle and they found themselves on a landing with one way down to a dusty bar below.

Frank excused himself to the bathroom while Lily, Peter, and Regulus all promised to go check out the kitchen for death traps and food. The fact that they weren't kidding about either being equally likely was the sad part. Alice had picked up the book but was hesitating opening it as she studied the girl, her eyes an oddly familiar blue color.

James was watching Sirius though, who was watching Remus with an odd look on his face. Moony was at the window, checking the sky anxiously as if Peter or any of them could have missed the obvious signs by now it was a full moon.

"You alright Pads?" He asked softly. Had that dragon messed him up even more than the first time? Sirius was usually so quick to bounce back from anything, but he'd never again just dismiss Sirius going quiet.

His best friend didn't immediately answer, and whether it was his impulsive brashness weaning out with age or something more to be concerned with James wasn't so sure when he simply answered, "adjusting."

Prongs swallowed, but Sirius looked back over at him with an easy enough smile and assured, "all's good, no more meltdowns, promise."

Alice finally tore her eyes away from the portrait, who hadn't said a word this whole time but simply kept smiling at them, when they heard a toilet flush in the distance. She walked past the boys flipping through pages for their newest chapter.

"Let's go hear about my godson ridding the world of evil!" Sirius said with sincere enthusiasm.

James nodded and let himself be dismissed with one lingering, hopeful look at Remus as he left. The little cup was still in his hand the entire time. It felt cool to the touch, never warming to his grasp. He didn't feel any different, not hateful or murderous towards anyone, but he also couldn't get rid of the nagging thought they still hadn't seen the worst yet, somehow! He really hoped it was just a touch of pessimism even as he tightened his hand.

The bar below still smelt faintly of something in a barn and dust. Alice shivered as she began Harry's return trip into Hogsmeade by seeing their school in the distance, but immediately being accosted by Death Eater's, and then worse, dementors. They all shivered and glanced at the door to make sure those demons weren't going to be getting in here now, even as Harry was rescued by whom must be the barman once his patronus had scared them off and they needed a place to bolt.