GOLDEN || T. NOTT ✓

fifteen | an odd feeling

"What're you thinking about?" Ginny asks, placing her mug on the table. Paz glances towards Ginny, taking a sip of her cocoa.

"What aren't I thinking about," Paz says sarcastically, Ginny rolling her eyes at Paz's remark. "You're going back, right?"

"Of course I'm going back, why wouldn't I?" Ginny questions.

"I know your parents don't want you to-"

"They don't want you to go back either, but as long as you're going back, it means I'm going back as well." Ginny states, seeming as if she's already made up her mind as well about this situation.

"Well, I'm happy we're on the same page then." Paz mumbles, finishing up the last sips of her cocoa.  "Are you really only going back because I'm going back?"

Ginny shrugs.

"Why else would I go back? To get tortured some more just for laughs?"

Paz lets out a loud laugh at Ginny's statement before Mrs. Weasley walks into the kitchen, asking for help in preparing Christmas dinner.

—————

Paz was still awful at anything that had to do with cooking, and the lack of corn at dinner proved that.  Mrs. Weasley has instructed her to simply watch over the corn as she prepared the baked potatoes, though Paz easily got distracted by Fred and George loudly singing Christmas songs.  This, to everyone's dismay, meant no corn, as it had completely burned on Paz's watch.

Everything else though looked magnificent.  Mrs. Weasley cooked for two extra guests, as Lupin and Tonks should be arriving to join them at any moment.

"Paz dear, will you please go get Ginny and have her help you set the table?" Mrs. Weasley asks, Paz agreeing without hesitation and going over to the staircase.

"GIN!" Paz yells, startling nearly everyone in the house except for Fred, who laughs as her.

Ginny quickly came running down the stairs, "What the bloody hell are you yelling for?"

"Oh shut it with the sass, help me set the table will you?"

Ginny rolls her eyes at Paz as the two headed back into the kitchen and set the table.  Once Lupin and Tonks finally arrived, the family sat down and began to dig into the meal Mrs. Weasley has prepared for them. 

"Any new news?" Ginny asks the couple.

"Not really, just that You-Know-Who is still recruiting more Death Eaters and other things as well." Tonks sighs.

"Other things?" Paz questions, "Like creatures?  I heard a rumor he was trying to recruit the giants, though I would think the Dark Lord would have no time for them."

"They are very valuable in combat though, Paz.  Their size and strength would do You-Know-Who well." Lupin states, ignoring the urge to question Paz as to why she referred to Voldemort as the 'Dark Lord'.  He recalls her doing this while he taught her at Hogwarts, and all the years after that as well.

"Heard he's after Acromantula as well." Mr. Weasley states, waving his fork as he spoke.

"Oh great, Ron will be thrilled to hear that one." George grins, earning a scowl from Mrs. Weasley.

As dinner came to an end, that odd feeling of something not being right intensified inside of Paz. Her thoughts were scattered and her mind was foggy, and her head was pounding with pain. After helping with dinner clean up and saying goodbye to Remus and Tonks, Paz was quick to head upstairs to the bathroom.