The Sword and The Shield- C Diggory

Chapter Twenty Two

Even though the healer had given her the all-clear, the Weasleys stubbornly refused to let her help pack up the tents. She stood to the side, arms crossed, a frustrated expression on her face. Ginny stood next to her, and have her a gentle nudge with her elbow. "Sucks being treated like you're fragile, doesn't it?" She said sympathetically. "I get it. I think they all forget I'm thirteen and can handle myself."
"Trust me, they know." Elyah said with a chuckle. "I think they're scared what you'll do if they don't watch over you. You're prone to violence." Ginny shrugged. "That boy elbowed me first, I just returned the favour."
"You kneed him in the groin, Gin."

Once packed up, the group headed to the apparition site to head home. Cedric and his father were waiting there, clutching an old tyre. Elyah raced to his side, placing her hand directly next to his do their pinkie fingers intertwined. "Hey." She whispered. "Glad you're okay."
"You too." He whispered back. The group all crowded around the port key and then they were off.

Still a little dizzy, Elyah hit the ground hard. She instantly had what felt like a hundred hands on her helping her up. "I'm fine!" She snapped. "Stop treating me like I'm about to snap in half at any minute." Her cousins backed off, hands up in an 'I surrender' pose. Cedric slipped his hand into hers, and gave it a squeeze. "Relax." He whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you soon." He let go of her hand, and set off with his dad in the direction of their house. Elyah turned back to her group, who were eyeing her warily. She growled under her breath, shouldering her bag and marching off down the hill towards The Burrow.

Mrs Weasley was waiting at the end of the lane, her face pale, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands. She raced forwards as she saw the crowd appear of the hill, pulling each of her children into her arms. She reached the twins, and sobbed loudly. "The last thing I said to you was that you should have gotten more OWLs!" She cried.

"Come on now Molly, they're perfectly okay." Said Mr Weasley soothingly, prising her off the twins and leading her back towards the house. "Bill." He added quietly, "Pick up the paper, I want to see what it says. Elyah, you're going to your room to lie down." Elyah rolled her eyes but complied, making sure to slam her bedroom door particularly hard in an ever so mature way. She flopped onto her bed, crossing her hands over her stomach, staring up at the ceiling.

She could hear footsteps up the stairs, and the sound of Harry, Ron and Hermione talking. The door downstairs closed, and Elyah heard the crack of two people disapparating. There was a knock at the door, and Hermione poked her head in. "I can come back later if you need to rest?" Elyah sat up, smiling at the girl. "Nah, don't be silly. It's your room too!"

By the second day, everyone had let off Elyah and she was finally allowed out of her room. Neither Mr Weasley or Percy were around much for the rest of the week. Elyah and Hermione kept themselves busy with schoolwork.

Percy gave them all an update on Sunday evening, the day before they were due to return to Hogwarts. Hermione was reading A Standard Book of Spells, Grade Four, and Ginny was repairing her copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi with spellotape in front of the fire. Elyah was reviewing on her summer charms homework, making sure it was perfect before she handed it in, and was currently tapping the end of her quill against her nose.

"It's been an absolute uproar. I've been putting out fires all week. People keep sending Howlers, and of course, if you don't open a Howler in time they burst into flames. Scorch marks all over my desk, and they disintegrated my favourite quill."

"Oh no, the peacock feather one?" Elyah asked. "I'll get you a new one for Christmas."

"Why are they sending Howlers?" Ginny asked, tearing off a stretch of tape with her teeth.

"Complaining about security at the World Cup." Percy replied. "They want compensation for their ruined property. Mundungus Fletcher's put in a claim for a twelve-bedroomed tent with en-suite jacuzzi, but I've got his number. I know for a fact he was sleeping under a cloak propped up on sticks."

"Not surprised, that good for nothing-"

"Elyah." Mrs Weasley cut across sharply before she could finish her sentence. "Watch your language."

"Come on mum, she isn't wrong." Bill argued, looking up from where he was playing Quidditch with Ron. "Mundungus is a disgrace to the wizarding world, and I don't know how to ministry still let him hang around. I had to rescue him from getting into a nasty tuffle with some goblins the other week." Mrs Weasley glanced at the family clock, where Mr Weasley's hand was still on 'work'. She sighed. "Your father hasn't had to go into work on weekends since the days of You-Know-Who. They're working him far too hard. His dinner's going to be ruined if he doesn't come home soon."

"Well father's got to make up for his mistake at the match, hasn't he?" said Percy. "If truth be told, he was a tad unwise to make such a public statement without clearing it with his head of department first-"
"Don't you dare blame your father for what that wretched Skeeter woman wrote!" Flamed Mrs Weasley.

"If dad hasn't said something, old Rita would has just said it was disgraceful that nobody from the Ministry had commented." Bill stepped in. "Rita Skeeter never makes anyone look good. Remember, she interviewed all the Gringotts curse breakers once, and called me a long-haired pillock?"

"She wasn't wrong." Elyah joked, to duck as a chess piece went flying at her head,

"Well it is a bit long, dear." said Mrs Weasley gently. "If you would just let me-"

"No, mum."

"He keeps it long cause the ladies love it." Ginny joked. "He's got to take all he chances he could get as the least good-looking Weasley." Ginny let out a screech of laughter at the tickling jinx her oldest brother sent her. "That's enough, you two." Said Mrs Weasley. "Honestly Bill, set a better example of your younger siblings."

"Don't worry, we have Fred and George for that." Ginny said deviously. Mrs Weasley pursed her lips, looking over to the twins who were sat hunched over a bit of parchment, whispering together. "Hey Perce, how's this looking?" Elyah passed her Charms essay over to her cousin, who pushed his glasses further up his nose as he began reading it. "What are you two doing?" Mrs Weasley asked the twins. They glanced over. "Homework?"

"Left it a bit late?" Ron asked. Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes, and Elyah smirked slightly, knowing if Ron didn't have Hermione his wouldn't be done either. "You're not by chance writing out a new order form for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" She queried.

"Now mum," Said Fred, a pained expression on his face, "If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow and George and I died, how would you feel knowing the last thing we ever heard from you was an accusation?" The room burst into laughter, even Mrs Weasley laughed. Fred looked back down at the paper, a satisfied expression on his face. Percy handed Elyah her charms essay back. "That's an O OWL quality for sure, great job." He gave her a smile and a pat on the back. She grinned back, getting up from the floor and going to pack her essay away in her trunk so she didn't forget it.

Mrs Weasley had laid out her shopping for the year on her bed. She frowned, picking up a parcel that was different from her usual. She opened a corner, to see a flash of a pale blue material. "Dress robes?" She looked over at Hermione, who held a similar parcel. "Wonder what we need them for?" Hermione looked nervous. Hers were a similar shade to Elyahs, although more of a periwinkle. "Oh they are going to look gorgeous on you." Elyah gushed. She gently packed her new dress into her trunk along with her books for the year. Mrs Weasley knocked on the door, holding a pile of freshly washed robes, looking angry. "That's for the dress, aunt Molly, it's gorgeous." Mrs Weasley's face softened, as Hermione echoed Elyah's gratitude.

"It's so nice to have someone who is grateful." She shot a dirty look behind her. "Here's your robes, girls. Pack them carefully so they don't crease." Elyah ran a finger fondly over the yellow stripe on her robe. She couldn't wait to get back to the Hufflepuff common room, she had missed it greatly.