(Y/n) quickly stepped out of Fleur's way as she came back down from Percy's room. Fleur looked quite pleasant after getting to greet Harry. She blew (Y/n) a kiss as she passed Fred and George's room and (Y/n) smiled, shaking her head. She clipped half of her hair up as she jogged up the steps heading for Percy's room.
"—he's a hard-working, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's—" Molly was saying. (Y/n) knew at once they were talking about Bill and Fleur and she wondered when the news that Fleur was not at all into men would come out.
"A cow!" Ginny finished, making (Y/n)'s mouth fall open. She joined Molly near the doorframe and Molly nodded in greeting. "But Bill's not down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour... I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm."
"Stop calling her that, Ginny," said Molly sharply, as Harry and Hermione laughed.
"You aren't any better, Mum," Ginny said coolly. "I mean, you're making your dislike known by putting two people you don't like in the same room." Molly's face flushed and (Y/n) tilted her head obliviously. "I mean, honestly, why's (Y/n) not sharing with Hermione and I?"
"Because you three are no longer fourteen-and-thirteen-year-old girls that could fit in a pullout mattress," Molly said simply. "Well, I'd better get on... Eat your eggs while they're warm, Harry." She hurriedly brushed past (Y/n), who strode forward and leaned against the doorframe.
"Oh, that's her rush," Ginny mused. (Y/n) looked highly disappointed in them all.
"Your hair!" Ginny gaped.
"You actually did it?" Hermione asked as Ginny rushed over and held up a chunk of (Y/n)'s pink hair— which was only exposed due to (Y/n) clipping half her hair up. "I can't say what I was expecting, but you managed to pink hair off," Hermione mused. Ron shook his head experimentally like a dog trying to rid its ers of water.
"Don't you get used to her if she's staying in the same house?" Harry asked.
"Well, you do," said Ron, "but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then..."
"It's pathetic," said Hermione furiously, striding away from Ron as far as she could go and turning to face him with her arms folded once she had reached the wall.
"You don't really want her around forever?" Ginny asked Ron incredulously. When he merely shrugged, she said, "Well, Mum's going to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything."
"They are not dating, Bill and Fleur," (Y/n) stated.
"How's she going to manage that?" asked Harry.
"Setting Bill up with someone else, I guess," Ginny shrugged. "I bet she'll try inviting Penny's bridesmaids over more once they're selected. I'll accept anyone into the family except her."
"Yeah, that'll work," said Ron sarcastically. "Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy someone else when Fleur's around."
"Anyone would be a damn sight nicer than Phlegm," said Ginny.
"More intelligent, too, I suspect. Penny's bound to be around people as smart as she is," Hermione said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you two doing?" (Y/n) cried, shaking her head in bewilderment. "I thought this mindset would be gone by now!"
"What mindset?" Ginny grumbled.
"Not you as well!" exclaimed Hermione. "I understand Fleur's your friend—"
"Yeah, I am sure she was my friend. We are very similar," (Y/n) interrupted. "But, just like everyone in here, I am having great trouble remembering my past relationships, thank you." The room fell silent and Hermione bowed her head regretfully. "From what I understand, Fleur is a very pretty woman and she knows it... And she most certainly does not lack intelligence if she was able to knock out a dragon by herself— That is what Charlie told me anyways, I do not know how true that is..."
"It is true," Hermione admitted.
"Then what is your problem? Did you talk bad behind my back too?" (Y/n) asked.
"Never!" Hermione immediately denied. "You're different, you always have been."
"The difference, I think, is that you do not want to get to know Fleur," (Y/n) said. "But that is not an excuse to make fun of another girl. Check yourselves!" she said, backing out of the room and closing the door. She paused briefly, catching Ron's words through the door.
"That was a bit like the old (Y/n)," Ron murmured. "Or the new one, maybe? Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie ay she's acting a lot like she did in her first year..." (Y/n) shoulders drooped.
The old (Y/n)— Someone she may never be again.
Quickly, (Y/n) hurried down the stairs to help Fleur and Molly with lunch. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny remained still for a while.
"I feel awful," Ginny murmured. "I should've gone after you two on that night."
"Nonsense," Ron shook his head. "You were hurt."
"I wish we stayed together through it all," Hermione admitted. "Maybe we'd still have some injuries, but... she'd still be here, don't you think?"
"Stop being dense," Harry said coolly. "We can't go back and fix anything and that's that. What happened, happened. Guilt or no, we've still got her with us." Hermione swallowed and nodded.
"You're right. We just need to get her memories back—" They all looked up as the door opened again and Molly popped her head in.
"Ginny," Molly whispered, "come downstairs and help me with lunch."
"I'm talking to this lot!" said Ginny, outraged.
"Now!" said Molly and withdrew.
"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" said Ginny crossly. She swung her long red hair around in a very good imitation of Fleur and pranced across the room with her arms held aloft like a ballerina. "You had better come down quickly too," she said as she left.
(Y/n) blinked in surprise at the sight of Hermione's swollen eye. Molly was trying to lessen the blow.
"What happened?" (Y/n) cried.
"A telescope punched me," Hermione grumbled.
"Oh, I am— I am sorry, a telescope?"
"One of Fred and George's," Hermione answered. (Y/n) grimaced.
"It just won't budge," Molly said anxiously, standing over Hermione with her wand in her hand and a copy of The Healer's Helpmate open at "Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions." "This has always worked before, I just can't understand it.
"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," said Ginny.
"But it's got to come off!" squeaked Hermione. "I can't go around looking like this forever!"
"You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote, don't worry," said Molly soothingly.
"I will see if I can get anything from Fred and George for you when I go to work today," (Y/n) said.
"Bill told me 'ow Fred and George are very amusing!" said Fleur, smiling serenely.
"Yes, I can hardly breathe for laughing," snapped Hermione. She jumped up and started walking around the kitchen, twisting her fingers together. "Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls arrived this morning?"
"Yes, dear, I'd have noticed," said Molly patiently. "But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time..."
"I know I messed up Ancient Runes," muttered Hermione feverishly, "I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back—"
"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" shouted Ron. "And when you've got your ten 'Outstanding' O.W.L.s..."
"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically. "I know I've failed everything!"
"What happens if we fail?" Harry asked the room at large, but it was again Hermione who answered.
"We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."
"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur complacently, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then—" Her words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window. Three black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.
"That's definitely owls," said Ron hoarsely, jumping up to join Hermione at the window.
"And there are three of them," said Harry, hastening to Hermione's other side.
"One for each of us," said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Oh no... oh no... oh no..." She gripped both Harry and Ron tightly around the elbows.
The owls were flying directly at the Burrow, three handsome trawnies, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope.
"Oh no!" squealed Hermione. Molly squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, three, the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All three of them lifted their right legs.
Harry moved forward. The letter addressed to him was tied to the leg of the owl in the middle. He untied it with fumbling fingers. To his left, Ron was trying to detach his own results; to his right, Hermione's hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble. (Y/n) shuffled to Fleur's side as the three looked over their results.
"So, Beauxbatons has O.W.L.s in year six rather than year five?" (Y/n) asked quietly and just to Fleur. "So you only have a year of studying at N.E.W.T.-level?"
"Yes," Fleur confirmed. "But that means we 'ave more time to learn our subjects."
"Ooh, fair point," (Y/n) nodded.
"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" Ron said happily to Harry. "Here— swap—" Harry and Ron looked at one another's results. "Knew you'd be top at Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"
"Well done!" said Molly proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven O.W.L.s, that's more than Fred and George got together!"
"Hermione?" Ginny said tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"
"I— not bad," said Hermione in a small voice.
"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep— nine 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defence Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at Hermione, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?" Hermione shook her head and Harry laughed. "Well, we're N.E.W.T students now!" grinned Ron. "Mum, are there any more sausages?"
On July 31st, Harry's sixteenth birthday was celebrated. James and Lily were able to make the event as did Sirius— originally in dog form— and Harry's unrelated aunts and uncles had dropped in throughout the day to drop off a present. To Molly's displeasure, Remus had turned up with grisly tidings during the party.
"There have been another couple of dementor attacks," Remus announced as Molly passed him a large slice of birthday cake. "And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it— well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters."
"Yes, well," said Molly, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about something diff—"
"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" asked Bill, who was having a drink of wine with Fleur. "The man who ran—"
"—the ice-cream place in Diagon Alley?" Harry interrupted with an unpleasant, hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach. "He used to give me free ice creams. What happened to him?"
"Dragged off by the look of his place."
"Why?" asked Ron while Molly pointedly glared at Bill.
"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."
"Talking of Diagon Alley," said Arthur, "looks like Ollivander's gone too."
"The wandmaker?" said Ginny, looking startled.
"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."
"But wands— what'll people do for wands?"
"There is only one wandmaker here?" (Y/n) asked, looking quite disbelieving. Lily nodded in confirmation. "Why?"
"Who's to say, but they'll make do with other makers," said Remus. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side has got him it's not so good for us."
"What good is having more wands going to do if they do not have more people on their side— Oh," (Y/n) said, immediately finding her own answer.
"What?" Ginny pressed, not getting it.
"Well, it is difficult to track multiple wands back to one person, no?"
"Oh..." Ginny murmured
"And the wands will probably be unregistered, right?" Hermione added.
"Right," James confirmed. "But signs of spells used will still be visible, they just won't be able to be traced."
"Well, that isn't good at all," Hermione murmured. "There's also the disadvantage of someone on our side breaking their wand..."