Out of the Shadows (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 6- An Unexpected Visit (Ava)

A/N-

Well! Would you look at this? I'm finally posting a chapter after five months of waiting! Sorry, it was all GCSE exams and then summer and holidays and being with friends and volunteering and now I'm just started my A-Levels! It's been rather hectic, but I felt like updating. I hope that this chapter is adequate... I feel Like it isn't worth the five month wait, but there are much more exciting chapters to come and this is one of the less exciting ones... I'm sorry about that.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy! Thank you all so much if you've waited for me to update. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 6 (Ava)

Arrangements for the wedding continued, and with every passing day, everyone in the Burrow was becoming more and more stressed by the event. The Delacours had come to stay as well, so there were even more people than usual to worry about. Luckily for Mrs. Weasley, they were willing to help with just about everything.

The arrival of Harry's birthday was a relief to most of us, as it gave some of us a bit of a break from having to sort out the house and prepare decorations.

Unfortunately, I hadn't had the time to get something really meaningful for Harry for his birthday- when a wizard turned seventeen, it was a very important birthday. I had tried to really think about it, and the fact that he was going away soon and wouldn't see me for a while... if ever again.

After much deliberation, I wrapped up the photograph of our parents having a snowball fight that he had originally given me. He needed a reminder of them because they were so important to both of us and why we were fighting.

I walked down into the kitchen on the morning of his birthday, pulling my tangled hair into a ponytail so that it was out of my face, and placing my gift on top of the pile.

Fred was sitting on an armchair which had sunken down slightly, and as I walked past him to sit on a chair at the table, he pulled my wrist down so that I landed with a thud beside him.

"Good morning, Miss. Potter," Fred grinned at me, his eyes tracing my lips. I shoved his face away and turned to look at my brother.

"Happy birthday, Harry!"

He grinned and thanked me, reaching over for the pile of presents to open them. He went through them fairly quickly, smiling and thanking everyone in the room. When he opened mine, however, he stared at it in silence.

"Ava, you shouldn't have-"

I pushed myself off of the chair (ignoring Fred's groan as I shoved his leg further into the chair by accident) and walked up to Harry.

"You need it more than me, Harry. I have plenty that Remus and Sirius gave me over the past couple of years."

He said nothing else, just stood up and hugged me tightly. I closed my eyes, burying my face into his shoulder and inhaling deeply the smell of my brother that I would not smell for many months.

"I'm going to miss you," He whispered in my ear softly so only I could hear.

"You probably won't have time to miss me," I tried to smile, "But do spare a thought for your old sister every now and then."

"Fred and George are really rubbing off on you," Harry chuckled as he pulled away.

I shivered, "How horrific."

Fleur's family had begun to enter the kitchen, making it far too busy to move, so I left with Fred and George behind me. We called out to Mrs. Weasley that we were going to get the garden ready for Harry's party and hurried out as quickly as he could, pulling our wands out of our pockets and beginning with the decorations.