"Poor Harry," (Y/n) said, her voice laced with sympathy.
"What?" Olivia asked, casting a Disillusionment charm over (Y/n).
"Snape's teaching him Occlumency," (Y/n) said. "Oh, but Mr. Weasley's back."
"Both good news, isn't it? You ought to learn Occlumency too, you know?" Olivia said. "Get rid of this whole open-mind thing."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," (Y/n) said, averting her eyes. Olivia cracked a grin and tapped her wand to the door. There was a series of locks clicking before Olivia opened the door and held it for (Y/n). She closed and relocked the door behind (Y/n) and removed both Disillusionment charms before leading the way to the basement. (Y/n) made Olivia stop, seemingly waiting and listening for something.
"All right, they're all downstairs for dinner," (Y/n) said quietly as they passed Mrs. Black's portrait. "Hello, Remus," she greeted pleasantly. Remus, she assumed, smiled at her though she could not tell in the dark.
"Will you be taking the Knight Bus with the kids tomorrow?" Remus asked.
"Mhm," (Y/n) hummed. "I'm spending my last night of break here... even if I feel unsafe." Remus and Olivia exchanged a glance.
"Well... Let's get downstairs then," Remus suggested. (Y/n) could feel the tension rise when Olivia and Remus downstairs into the kitchen. Several people perked up as (Y/n) lingered on the last step, looking around.
"Had a nice week and a half?" Lily asked nervously.
"Oh, yes," (Y/n) nodded, not further elaborating. She walked further into the room and took her normal seat at the table. There was silence, for no one knew what to say or where to begin.
"So, uh, what makes you think Anastasia's killed your mother?" James asked, grimacing at the glares thrown his way.
"Well, she's gone and admitted it in a letter she slipped into my mum's journal and there was an entry about it," (Y/n) said simply. "I don't expect either of you would know," she added, briefly glancing at Lily, James, and Sirius, "because four entries were added after you turned it into Dumbledore."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah," (Y/n) frowned. "I dated the earliest entry to the latest in invisible ink at the front of the journal back in my fourth year because, when Minnie confiscated mine and Harry's gifts from Sirius, I was worried she'd find out about the other 'anonymous gift' I got and confiscate that too... So when I checked the dates, there were four new entries. Dumbledore had Anastasia pretend to be my mum, Pandora, and Regulus for the last entries."
"Jeez, talk about ten steps ahead," Fred murmured. (Y/n) grinned.
"Looking past the fact that you went to Dumbledore when regarding the journals," (Y/n) continued, "I don't blame anyone other than the obvious... And stupidity, too... Anyways, one of Anastasia's new entries involved claiming that my mum believed her memory was being tampered with and that she's never written anything about Anastasia, Valorie, and Yvette. They had it all planned up and I might've believed it if Anastasia hadn't implied that you lot either had to be involved with my mum's tampered memory or that she's tampered with your memories too. It doesn't hurt to check the facts, you know? One question to Remus and Mary, asking if they've got memories with Anastasia—"
"We don't," Mary said.
"—and that's that," (Y/n) shrugged. "It never happened."
"That's right... Anastasia didn't join the Order until this year," Lily said. "We've known her through... Well, the wizarding community, I guess... I always wondered why she referred to past memories as if she was there with us..."
"Finally, Remus was right by my side when I wanted to check my government records," (Y/n) said. "Pandora Lovegood and Regulus Black were my legal godparents, not Anastasia, Yvette, or Valorie. Anastasia lied to authorities, presented the right documents, and I was placed in her care. It was pure luck that Pandora had an unrelated accident and died later the next year. I could've had a nice life in the Lovegoods care but Anastasia stepped in and... well, practically broke and isolated me. Force me into a corner so that I won't intercept and save lives in the way my mum did."
"So... you were, essentially—"
"Surprise adopted? Yeah," (Y/n) sighed. Remus covered his face and Arthur shook his head with a smile. Harry and Ron snickered whilst Hermione gritted her teeth.
"S-suprise adopted?" Molly repeated, alarmed.
"She and two others were almost kidnapped and trafficked two years ago," Hermione explained. "And she refers to it as 'surprise adopted'."
"What?"
"'Surprise adopted' sounds less traumatic, doesn't it?" (Y/n) said defensively.
"No!" Lily exclaimed. (Y/n) held her hands up in surrender.
"Forgive me," (Y/n) said, feigning earnesty.
"So, what'd you do when we weren't... Mirroring?" Hermione asked as she, Ginny, and (Y/n) got into their pyjamas.
"Ooh, I got all of my film developed and I transferred my video cameras into VHS'," (Y/n) beamed. "And there are inventions for everything in Korea," she added. "I got a lot of projects done... Can't really do that here without being interrupted. You want to see what I've been working on?" she asked excitedly, pausing her search for pyjamas in favour of finding one of her trinkets. "So far, it's pretty useless, but I reckon with a few adjustments, it can be used to relay messages without there being just one master controller, you know?"
(Y/n) grew quiet, noticing Ginny and Hermione were far more interested in looking through the available VHS' for whatever the Hogwarts students would be watching on their last day off. Silently, she got on a tank top with a mesh cardigan ending at her mid-drift over it before she slipped on Jack Skellington pyjama pants. She slipped two new mechanical bugs she had made into her pockets, opting to test them whilst everyone else was distracted with the movie. She grabbed one of her robes before taking out her duck slippers and three VHS'.
"I'll be right back," (Y/n) said, closing her trunk. "I'm going to get these downstairs before I forget tomorrow."
"All right," Hermione smiled. "You all right with us choosing the movie?"
"Sure thing," (Y/n) agreed, tucking the VHS' under her arm and slipping on her slippers. She shuffled over to the door and opened it, giving Fred, George, Ron, and Harry a heart attack.
"Jeez!" Harry hissed, instantly growing relieved upon processing whose room was opened.
"Calm down," (Y/n) huffed. "You've got permission to stay up and everyone else is downstairs anyways." She gloomily dragged herself out of the room and down the hall as the confused boys stared at her. Fred and George followed after her.
"What's wrong?" George asked.
"What do you mean?" (Y/n) asked, feigning innocence and forcing herself to cheer up as they went downstairs.
"What do you mean, what do I mean?" George said.
"Why would something be wrong?" (Y/n) asked. Fred and George eyed her suspiciously, following her down into the basement.
"What's up?" James greeted at the sight of the trio. (Y/n) nodded at him, setting the stack of VHS' on the centre counter. She tapped her nails against the top one.
"Ruin these and the first spell I'm casting as a legal witch is the Killing Curse," (Y/n) said. Remus rose his eyebrows as though challenging (Y/n) to hold true to her word. "Ruin these and I'll cry before refusing to tell you what's wrong."
"No, (Y/n), we don't do that..." Olivia said, shaking her head disapprovingly.
"What are they?" Dorcas asked.
"Transferred from video cameras," (Y/n) shrugged.
"Aw, we get to see memories of you guys at Hogwarts?" Mary asked, grinning fondly. (Y/n) pressed her lips together and smiled shortly.
"Something like that," (Y/n) said. She turned on her heels and made to leave.
"What's wrong?" Bill hollered.
"Why would something be wrong?" (Y/n) asked defensively. She slipped on her headphones in an attempt to avoid conversation but everyone present knew that (Y/n) could still hear them perfectly fine.
"Your mind's all cloudy," Mary said.
"What's up, kid?" Tonks asked.
"Nothing," (Y/n) said moodily. Fred and George exchanged a glance.
"Must be that time of month," Fred mused, trying to rile (Y/n) up. (Y/n) kept great restraint to continue walking.
Right before (Y/n) reached the stairs, Remus called, "(Y/n) (M/n) (Y/l/n)." (Y/n) froze and wheeled around, clasping her hands in front of her with a deer in headlights look.
"Uh-oh. Full name," George whispered. Remus opened and closed his mouth.
"Sorry," Remus said. "But you wouldn't listen." (Y/n) tilted her head, frowning disapprovingly. "So... what's wrong?"
"Sad to go back to Hogwarts?" Sirius mused. (Y/n) shook her head.
"You're going to laugh and call me sensitive," (Y/n) said.
"Probably," Tonks confirmed. Penny elbowed them. "Not that it's bad," Tonks stammered. "She's just a sensitive little baby, isn't she?" they cooed. (Y/n) glowered at them, silently seething. Amused laughter filled the room.
"Get lost," (Y/n) said, turning on her heels and quickly turning into a fox before running up the steps.
"(Y/n)!" Penny laughed as Mary sang 'Fox on the Run' under her breath.
The adults seemed to have been midway through a whispered conversation when the door opened; all of them looked around hastily and fell silent.
After a hurried breakfast, they pulled on jackets and scarves against the chilly grey January morning. (Y/n) was doing a fine job at hiding her foul mood but Harry had an unpleasant constricted sensation in his chest; he did not want to say goodbye to Sirius. He had a bad feeling about their parting. Before he could think of what to say, however, Sirius had beckoned him to his side.
"I want you to have this," Sirius said quietly, thrusting a badly wrapped package roughly the size of a paperback book into Harry's hands.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"A way of letting me know if Snape's giving you a hard time. No, don't open it here!" said Sirius with a wary look at Molly, who was trying to persuade the twins to wear hand-knitted mittens. "I doubt Molly would approve— but I want you to use it if you need me, all right?"
"Okay," said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket, but he knew he would never use whatever it was. It would not be he, Harry, who lured Sirius from his place of safety, no matter how foully Snape treated him in their forthcoming Occlumency classes.
"Let's go, then," said Sirius, clapping Harry on the shoulder and smiling grimly. Before Harry could say anything else, they were heading upstairs, stopping before the heavily chained and bolted front door, surrounded by the Weasleys and waiting on (Y/n). James and Lily came to hug their son goodbye, for they too were heading out.
"All right, all right," (Y/n) huffed as Olivia fixed her scarf. "I'll send Hoshi back to you the second he's returned with Mr. Scamander's letter." Before anything else could happen, she hugged Olivia a quick goodbye before hurrying over to the group at the door.
"Goodbye, Harry, take care," Molly said, hugging him. She then turned and did the same for Hermione and (Y/n).
"See you Harry, and keep an eye out for snakes for me!" said Arthur genially, shaking his hand.
"Right— yeah," said Harry distractedly. It was his last chance to tell Sirius to be careful; he turned, looked into his godfather's face, and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so, Sirius was giving him a brief, one-armed hug. He said gruffly, "Look after yourself, Harry," and the next moment Harry found himself being shunted out into the icy winter air with Tonks (today heavily disguised as a tall, tweedy woman with iron-grey hair) chivvying him down the steps.
The door of number twelve slammed shut behind them. They followed Remus down the front steps. Behind them, number twelve was shrinking rapidly as those on either side of ti stretched sideways, squeezing it out of sight; one blink later, it had gone.
"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus, the better," Tonks said, throwing a nervous glance around the square. Remus flung out his right arm.
BANG.
A violently purple, triple-decker bus had appeared out of thin air in front of them, narrowly avoiding the nearest lamppost, which jumped backwards out of its way.
A thin, pimply, jug-eared youth in a purple uniform leapt down onto the pavement and said, "Welcome to the—"
"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," said Tonks swiftly. "On, on, get on—" And they shoved Harry toward the steps, past the conductor, who goggled at Harry as he passed.
"'Ere— it's 'Arry—!"
"If you shout his name, I will curse you into oblivion," muttered Tonks menacingly, now shunting Ginny and Hermione forward.
"I've always wanted to go on this thing," said Ron happily, joining Harry on board and looking around. Hermione and (Y/n) exchanged a wary look, already feeling awfully sick over just being on the bus.
Due to the late times Hermione and (Y/n), and Harry had rode the Knight Bus, its three decks had been full of brass bedsteads. Now, in the early morning, it was crammed with an assortment of mismatched chairs grouped haphazardly around windows. Some of these appeared to have fallen over when the bus stopped abruptly in Grimmauld Place; a few witches and wizards were still getting to their feet, grumbling, and somebody's shopping bag had slid the length of the bus; an unpleasant mixture of frog spawn, cockroaches, and custard creams were scattered all over the floor. (Y/n) leapt behind the twins the moment she caught sight of the bugs. The twins, however, were no better than her.
"Looks like we'll have to split up," said Tonks briskly, looking around for empty chairs. "Fred, George, Ginny, and (Y/n), if you just take those sets in the back... Remus can stay with you..."
After the Weasleys, Remus, and (Y/n) fished out eleven sickles each for the ride, Tonks, Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded up to the very top deck, where there were two chairs at the very front of the bus and two at the back. Stan Shunpike, the conductor, followed Harry and Ron eagerly to the back.
(Y/n) held Effie's carrier tightly on her lap. Her trunk was tucked under her legs and she as pressing it against the chair, awaiting the spontaneous start of the bus. She assumed the four upstairs had paid their due, for the bus set off again, swaying ominously. It rumbled around Grimmauld Square, weaving on and off the pavement, then, with another tremendous BANG, they were all flung backwards.
"Jeez!" Ginny exclaimed, just narrowly managing to prevent her chair from toppling over by seizing a candle bracket. (Y/n) sunk in her chair and as much as she enjoyed staring out of windows, the movement of the bus made her sick.
The Knight Bus swayed alarmingly, overtaking a line of cars on the inside. (Y/n) clenched her eyes shut as the bus jumped from the Birmingham motorway to a quiet country lane full of hairpin bends. Hedgerows on either side of the road were leaping out of their way as they mounted the verges. From here they moved to a main street in the middle of a busy town, then to a viaduct surrounded by tall hills, then to a windswept road between high-rise flats, each time with a loud BANG.
"I regret eating this morning," Fred said. "I'm never riding this thing again."
"I reckon we're almost there," Remus said in an attempt to comfort their ill forms. There was a retching sound followed by a horrible spattering sound from the floor above them, making all of their eyes widen. Ginny, disgusted, covered her mouth with her hand. (Y/n) quickly slipped on her headphones.
A few minutes later the Knight Bus screeched to a halt outside a small pub, which squeezed itself out of the way to avoid a collision. They could hear Stan ushering an unfortunate woman out of the bus and the relieved murmurings of her fellow passengers. The bus moved on again, gathering speed until—
BANG.
They were now rolling through a snowy Hogsmeade. Flecks of snow hit the large window at the front of the bus. At last they rolled to a halt outside the gates to Hogwarts.
Remus and Tonks helped them off the bus with their luggage and then got off to say goodbye. Glancing up at the three decks of the Knight Bus, Harry saw all the passengers staring at them, noses flat against the windows.
"You'll be safe once you're on the grounds," said Tonks, casting a careful eye around at the deserted road. "Have a good term, okay?"
"Look after yourselves," said Remus, hugging (Y/n) and shaking hands all around, reaching Harry last. "And listen..." He lowered his voice while the rest of them exchanged last-minute goodbyes with Tonks. "Harry, I know you don't like Snape, but he is a superb Occlumens and we all— Sirius included— want you to learn to protect yourself, so work hard, all right?"
"Yeah, all right," said Harry heavily, looking up into Remus's prematurely lined face. "See you, then..."
The seven kids struggled up the slippery drive toward the castle, dragging their trunks. Hermione was already talking about knitting a few elf hats before bedtime. Harry glanced back when they reached the oak front doors; the Knight Bus had already gone, and he half-wished, given what was coming the following day, that he was still on board.