Loud, boisterous chatter filled the halls of the Burrow. Molly had spent the morning shouting about potatoes as the twins looped around her. Faces still soured at the sight of George's ear, or lack thereof as he began to heal. "Hermione, dear, go and get Bea." Harry's eyes darted upwards as he heard Molly speak, the words that had fallen from her lips took him by surprise.
"Is Bea here? I just thought that, if she was here she would have come and given me my present herself." Ron had filled his mouth with food, as had the others in the kitchen.
"Of course Bea is here, after what happened last year Minerva thought it would be best if she wasn't at Hogwarts right now. But, from the moment she arrived here Bea has locked herself away in her room. She's sharing with Ginny and Hermione. I don't know what she could possibly be up to all day," Molly admitted as she scrubbed a dirty dish.
"She reads a children's book and watches her Chocolate Frog card of Dumbledore. She is even more upset than I thought she would have been. I didn't think they were that close," Ginny grunted as she brought another mouthful of food to her lips.
"That's because you don't remember Bea before she was a student. Dumbledore was the closest thing she had to a father. From the age of eight, every summer, including last summer, they would spend a week in another country. Neither of them ever admitted to what they got up to but if my memory serves me right, they both liked to create mischief." Steps soon echoed as two individuals made their way down. "Every day I send someone to bring her out of her room, today is the first time she seems to have left." Hermione emerged first with a small smile on her face as she then took her seat at the table and Beatriz followed closely behind. The Delacours had pretended not to hear them speak but it was impossible not to.
"Happy birthday, Harry." Harry thanked her as she sat beside him and flicked open the book. Scribbled handwriting that he recognised caught his eye and he quickly read what had been written on the inside cover of the book.
To Beatriz Isobel Urquart,
I hope you like the stories inside, they reminded me of you. Maybe one day you will be able to live in a fairytale of your own. Perhaps not a fairytale as gory as those written within these pages but a fairytale all the same. Knowing you, you would be the daring witch who saves the life of the foolish wizard. Happy 10th birthday, here's to many more.
Love, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
The cover page was soon flicked back over and a bookmarked page was opened. The bookmark had been the Chocolate Frog card Ginny had mentioned and Beatriz began to read The Tale of the Witch Henrietta and her Useless Gnome Followers. "Beatriz, have you heard from your mother dear?" Black hair swung around her as she lowered the book enough to gulp down some water.
"No, I told Pigwidgeon not to come back until she gave him a letter but the owl came back empty clawed. Mum probably bribed the bird to leave her alone." Ron shuffled and grunted as he stopped stroking his owl. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I would like to fly. Unless anyone is going to object to that." Heads shook to disagree as Beatriz slid her book onto a shelf as she escaped the house and instead found the field where she was free to fly around in the July sun.
Hours escaped Beatriz as a few familiar faces joined her in the air a few times, relaxing for Harry's birthday. Soon the night sky was fast approaching and Beatriz recalled the promise she made to her mother, to stay close and wherever other people could see her. Reluctantly, the four returned to the Burrow for the night as tables were brought into the garden and balloons hung around them.
Faces that hadn't been seen for a while began to surface as Ginny, Ron, Harry and Beatriz approached the food. "I've seen this before, the four of you returning from playing Quidditch, Harry's messy hair, Ginny's red cheeks, Ron's struggling to breathe and Beatriz's messy bun. This looks like that picture mum sent me. I should have expected this." The arrival of Charlie had shocked those playing Quidditch as they tried to act unsurprised. If Beatriz wasn't already tomato red from the exercise she would have shone even brighter in colour. "Happy birthday, Harry." A present moved from Charlie to Harry who took it gratefully as everyone was getting ready to start eating.
"Oy, Bea, come here." Carefully, the twins were approached as they stood a few feet away. "Just you wait." Fred waved his wand as George spoke but Beatriz hadn't noticed any difference as they smiled at her.
"Oh, you boys, change it back," Molly demanded as she glanced at Beatriz. "You'll confuse your father." Beatriz glanced around as a few wide eyes met her as smiles graced their lips.
"What did you do?" Beatriz glanced around but other people had started looking at something else, conversations carried on as if nothing had happened and so Beatriz began to touch her face, feeling for what they had done to her features. Just before she could look in the window, the twins pushed her away and placed her in a seat beside Charlie, making her choke slightly as she tried not to embarrass herself. It had finally been decided that they ought to eat when a Patronus arrived in front of them, a weasel. Arthur was coming home, with the Minister. Beatriz could only manage a smile for Lupin and Tonks as they left, rushing from the scene as they anticipated the arrival of two newcomers.
Beatriz watched the exchange with Hagrid as he wished Harry a happy birthday, she witnessed Ginny talking to Fleur, although a little angrily, she was far kinder than she had been before. When the Minister did arrive, he was quick to apologise and take the three Gryffindors from the celebration. "Well. Still couldn't get Beatriz out of her room?" Arthur grunted as he sat across from her. It wasn't until he met her eye that she realised how serious he was being.
"Dad, that's Beatriz." Fred piped up as he nudged his brother.
"Don't be silly, Beatriz has black hair." Wide beady eyes watched Arthur as he spoke, just as Beatriz managed to form words, a hand met her hair and the messy bun was released, a cascade of auburn hair fell over her shoulders and she turned to the twins.
"This is what you did when you waved your wand," Beatriz exclaimed harshly as the twins only smiled wider.
"You sound like your mum when you talk like that. Next thing you know you'll be telling us that we can't use Fanged Frisbees." Beatriz shook her hair, watching the ginger locks of hair emerge in the corner of her eye.
"I will never stop you from using Fanged Frisbees." Taking the silence as an opportunity to turn back to her food, she noticed a hand stuck out beside her.
"You might want your hairband back, although, it doesn't match your hair anymore," Charlie teased, making Beatriz smile and blush furiously as she accepted the black hairband back from him.
"Thanks. I probably look awful, I have spent nearly twelve hours playing Quidditch and my hair isn't even brushed." Charlie shook his head carefully as he politely smiled at her, sending Breatriz into an even deeper blush as he then sent his hand into her hair, ruffling it up even more. The dark sky was all Beatriz was holding onto, she knew that he couldn't have seen her expression.
The return of the three Gryffindors allowed the group to start celebrating once again. Laughs echoed through the garden as it grew even darker, Harry, Hermione and Ron soon lightened up after their visit with the Minister. "I am stronger than you think Charlie Weasley, if you're not careful I will fight you." Beatriz teased as he joined in with the twins who were winding her up, the striped trousers she was wearing were constantly changing colour, her mustard jumper with a sunflower on was changed into a knitted one and her shoes were changed to clogs. Charlie had been the one to change her shoes into clogs.
"Charlie tames dragons, you're nothing." A smile suddenly emerged on Beatriz's face as she lifted her wand and winked at Geroge playfully.
"Anaticula," Beatriz muttered, she then turned to Fred and cast the same spell.
"You've not done anything." Beatriz shrugged at them as Charlie watched the twins closely.
"Nope, I can't see a change but I have a feeling that Beatriz knows something we don't." Before she could confirm their suspicions, Beatriz's focus changed.
"Beatriz?" A Scottish accent called from the back door as her eyes narrowed at the girl wearing clogs and unrecognised clothes. Arthur emerged from behind McGonagall as he had let her in.
"Mum, I didn't realise you would be here." Standing, mortified by her clothing, Beatriz found her way to her mother who glanced down, almost angrily. "Sorry, the twins did it and I have been a little- uh -caught up since they did it. Do you want to sit down?" Her nod was harsh as McGonagall took an offered seat from Fleur's little sister who had to go to bed. Before Beatriz could escape, McGonagall waved her wand, undoing the twin's magic.
"Your father was ginger, you look a lot like him with hair like that." Not daring to push the subject, Beatriz found her seat with the twins and Charlie as her mother's words played through her head. Images of her dad had been seen, one picture, in particular, was stashed in Beatriz's room in McGonagall's private chambers. A picture from their wedding day.
"Aguamenti," Fred cheerfully cast as Beatriz sat but as he did, she didn't even flinch as a duck suddenly appeared in front of them.
"What? You did the water spell." Beatriz smirked as she sipped on the drink in front of her.
"Boys, I think Bea has outwitted you," Charlie teased as he copied Beatriz's actions, gulping water down. "That spell she did earlier, I think it made the duck appear from your wand." Molly had started fussing over the presence of a duck and so the four had to back away in order to allow her to deal with it.
"Charlie's caught me, the spell I cast makes a person, no matter the spell they use, produce a duck every time. Albus taught me that one." A sad smile graced her lips as she spoke, the light air that had once sat around her sank and after silence fell between them, Beatriz excused herself. "I need to sleep." The hairband was run through her hair again as black locks were pulled out of her way. "It was nice to see you mum, I'm going to bed." Beatriz found that her escape was soon hindered as her mother followed her, watching as the book previously discarded was picked up once again and Beatriz escaped to her room.
"Bea, I will let you go to bed but you should know that I know it hurts, but it does get better. It always does. Sometimes it just takes time." Beatriz hurdled back down the steps and launched herself at her mother who had to take a few steps back to steady herself.
"Why him?" Tears soaked McGonagall's shoulder as her daughter cried into the fabric below. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt."
"My dear, I have asked that same question four times now. It hurts every time," McGonagall informed her daughter as her eyes stung with the memory of her friend, as Beatriz melted on her mother's shoulder.
"Sometimes, if I close my eyes I still see his face."