ZOEY SAT IN THE LIVING room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, her legs dangling off the side of the chair as she read Jane Eyre. Today was Harry's trial, and there was an anxious energy surrounding the household. Her mother was bustling around in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast for everyone. Ron was still passed out in his room, snoring loudly, along with most of the members of the house. Sirius, Remus, and her father sat in the dining room, talking Harry's ear off about the trial.
Despite the row Harry and Zoey had gotten into, Zoey was worried. Not that she would dare say a word. She hoped that Harry would be forgiven of his 'crime,' and be sent on his merry way. But the young girl had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy. Someone had to have sent the dementors after Harry, there was no way they did that on their own free will. She believed that someone in the Ministry sent the dementors after Harry, or that Voldemort somehow gained control of the monsters. All she knew was that this was not going to be an easy trial.
Zoey looked up from her book as she heard footsteps approaching her. She saw her father and Harry, both dressed in relatively nice clothes. She could see the nervousness in Harry's eyes.
"We'll be back soon, sweetheart." Mr. Weasley assured his daughter.
She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek, debating on whether or not to say something. Screw it. "Good luck, Harry." Zoey said, startling the boy.
When Harry realized that Zoey was addressing him for the first time in days, he gave her a soft smile. "Thank you." The young boy couldn't explain it, but Zoey talking to him again made him feel better than any pep talk Sirius or Mrs. Weasley could give him.
"Come, Harry, it's better to be early than to be on time." Mr. Weasley said, ushering him out the door.
Zoey sighed as she watched her father and Harry disappear. "Zoey, dear!" Mrs. Weasley called. "Go wake everyone up, it's time for breakfast." Zoey marked her page in the book before going upstairs to go wake up her siblings. Waking up the Weasley's had always been a difficult task, since the majority of them were heavy sleepers and weren't exactly morning people. Everyone trudged downstairs, rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
"Where's Harry?" Ron slurs, yawning.
"Him and Dad already left for the trial." Zoey informed him, taking a seat beside Tonks.
"Wha-" Ron protested; his mouth full of muffin. "Bwoody pat din't 'ake 'e up!"
"Ron, don't talk with your mouth full, that's disgusting. And besides, he needed to hurry up and go. You were still dead asleep anyways."
"Still." He huffed. Zoey rolled her eyes, taking a bite of her eggs. She thought that her brother was always one for the dramatics, but Zoey knew that it was coming out of a place of love and worry. She was worried too.
She was still so hurt by Harry's words, but she knew that if Harry got expelled, nothing at Hogwarts would be the same. Grimmauld Place was eerily quiet as everyone waited for word from Mr. Weasley about Harry's trial. Zoey had read the same paragraph in her book five different times because all she could think about was the trial.
After what felt like centuries, Mr. Weasley and Harry finally returned. Everyone looked at the boy expectantly, questioning the outcome. When Harry said nothing, Zoey felt a pit forming in her stomach. That was, until her father exclaimed, "He's a free man!" Everyone sighed in relief.
"I knew it!" Ron yelled, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!" Zoey giggled as she watched her siblings prance around the room in excitement.
"They were bound to clear you," Hermione said, trying to act like she wasn't about to have a panic attack at the thought that Harry was going to get expelled. "There was no case against you, none at all. . . ."
"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," Harry laughed.
"We just worry is all." Zoey dismissed.
Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went "He got off, he got off, he got off —" Zoey laughed as she watched the three dance around the room.
"That's enough, settle down!" Mr. Weasley yelled, though he had a smile plastered across his face as well. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry —"
"What?" Sirius inhaled sharply.
"He got off, he got off, he got off —" Fred, Ginny, and George continued to chat.
"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."
"Absolutely," Sirius agreed. "We'll tell him, don't worry."
"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner —"
"He got off, he got off, he got off —"
"That's enough — Fred — George — Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast. . . ." The kids sit themselves down at the table, Zoey taking a seat next to Ginny and Hermione. Zoey talks excitedly about her plans to see Aaron when they go to Diagon Alley.
"But they have something similar to Diagon Alley in France, don't they?" Ginny questioned as she ate her food.
"Yeah, they do, it's called Place Cachée, it's pretty much the same. . . But Aaron said that he wanted to come down and visit me. . . Last year kinda ended on a sour note with everything that happened. In his words, he "Missed my face." Or whatever." She giggled as she drank her juice.
Fred and George snickered as they looked over to their sister. "Zoey and Aaron sitting in a tree~" They sing, making kissy faces towards her. Zoey rolled her eyes and kicked them under the table, causing them to yelp out in pain. "Oi, you little witch!"
"Behave the lot of you!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, looking at her children. Zoey hanged her head low, feeling guilty, as she hated to be yelled at by her mother.
"Sorry Mum. . ." She said quietly as she ate her lunch. Mrs. Weasley finished handing everyone their plate and sits down next to Mr. Weasley. Out of the corner of her eye, Zoey saw Harry wince and put a hand up to his scar, feeling a sharp pain. "Harry, are you alright?"
"Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing. . . . It happens all the time now. . . ." Zoey frowned deeply but said nothing, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to the boy. She sighed softly before finishing up her breakfast and going upstairs to write to Aaron. She sat at her desk, tapping the feather of the quill against her lips, trying to think of what to tell her friend.
Dear Aaron,
How are you? I miss you so much. It hasn't been the same without you around. I can't say that it has been boring, the Weasley is never boring- but it has been less fun, I suppose. How are things with Elias going? I saw that you two were rather close before you left for France again. Please, please, tell me that you two have stopped pining over each other and that you've finally confessed your feelings. Watching you stare at him all night at the Yule Ball was awful- Anyways, are you ready for your O.W.L's? I'm terrified of failing them. I know that we have other things to be concerned about other than school, but it still feels nice to have anxiety about something normal, you know? I hope everything is well, and I better see you over Christmas break, got that? I didn't get to see you at all this summer.
Love, Zoey.
Zoey attached the letter to Errol and gave him a treat, sending him off. Zoey began counting down the days until she would be able to return to Hogwarts. As much as she loved her mum and dad, she missed her friends. Normally, Finn and Olive would visit the Burrow for a week or two out of the summer, but this summer was different. Zoey had spent the majority of the summer couped up in Grimmauld Place, which she despised. She was able to write letters back and forth with the two, but it still wasn't the same. A knock at her door snapped her from her thoughts. She sighed as she saw Harry.
"Yes, Harry?"
"I wanted to talk to you. . ." He said.
"Shoot." She shrugged as she looked over to him.
"I'm still so sorry for what I said to you. . . I was way out of line with what I said. . ."
"Harry, it's okay. . . I forgive you. . . I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately, and I'm not upset with you anymore. . ."
Harry couldn't help but to smile. He missed his friend. "Thank you, Zoey." He gave her one last glance before going back to his room. The girl was happy to have made up with Harry, as it made her feel more at ease.
"Everything okay with you two?" Hermione asked as she sat down on her bed.
"Yeah," Zoey smiled. "Everything is okay."