As the date of our departure back to Hogwarts drew nearer, Pad's became more and more prone to what Mrs. Weasley called "fits of the sullens," in which he would become taciturn and grumpy, often withdrawing to his room for hours at a time. His gloom seeped through the house, oozing under doorways like some noxious gas, so that all of them became infected by it. I also wasn't looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. Going back to school would mean placing myself once again under the tyranny of Dolores Umbridge, who had no doubt managed to force through another dozen decrees in our absence. As I walked out of the kitchen holding my coffee followed by Charlie I nearly bumped into Snape.
"Potter" He said my name with usual disgust.
"Grease bat" I heard Pad's laugh from the kitchen.
"Aurora" Mrs Weasley said horrified.
"See you in potions" I said smirking and walking away to my room.
"I can not believe you just did that" Charlie says smiling as he sits on my bed.
"Really you can't believe that I would do something like that" I raise my eyebrow at him.
"True" He pulls me onto his lap. After a while we went to join the others as Mr Weasley returned. We all walked into the kitchen with Mr. Weasley walking proudly dressed in a pair of striped pajamas covered by a mackintosh.
"Cured!" he announced brightly to the kitchen at large. "Completely cured!" He and all the other Weasleys froze on the threshold, gazing at the scene in front of them, which was also suspended in mid-action, both Pad's and Snape looking toward the door with their wands pointing into each other's faces and Harry immobile between them, a hand stretched out to each of them, trying to force them apart. I smiled at the scene in front of us. "Merlin's beard," Mr. Weasley said, the smile sliding off his face, "what's going on here?" Both Pad's and Snape lowered their wands. Harry looked from one to the other. Each wore an expression of utmost contempt, yet the unexpected entrance of so many witnesses seemed to have brought them to their senses. Snape pocketed his wand and swept back across the kitchen, passing the Weasleys without comment. At the door he looked back.
"Six o'clock Monday evening, Potter." He was gone. Pad's glared after him, his wand at his side.
"But what's been going on?" asked Mr. Weasley again.
"Nothing, Arthur," Pad's answered, who was breathing heavily as though he had just run a long distance. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends." With what looked like an enormous effort, he smiled. "So you're cured? That's great news, really great."
"Yes, isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley said, leading her husband forward into a chair. "Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end, found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs, and Arthur's learned his lesson about dabbling in Muggle medicine, haven't you, dear?" she added, rather menacingly.
"Yes, Molly dear," Mr. Weasley said meekly. I walked over to Pad's.
"Please tell me you hexed the grease bat"
"Nope Harry got in the way" I glare at my brother who just shrugs. That night's meal should have been a cheerful one with Mr. Weasley back amongst them, Pad's was trying to make it so, yet when he wasn't forcing himself to laugh loudly at Fred and George's jokes or offering everyone more food, his face fell back into a moody, brooding expression. Tonk's joint us as well.
"Tonk's" I whispered her name as she sat beside me.
"Yea" She mutter back as Moony looked at us with raised brows obviously able to here us.
"I need your help after dinner" She nodded and went back to eating. As soon as we had finished eating I grabbed Tonk's pulling her up to my room leaving everyone else slightly confused except Moony. "Can you help me cut my hair off"
"What" She eyed me before looking at my waist length hair.
"Please I want it shoulder length also want to put some purple in it. So will you help me"
"You sure you want to do this"
"Positive"
"Let's do it then" She pushed me to my bathroom grabbing a chair and her wand. After 10 minutes she had finished.
I stood looking in the mirror.
"I love it thank you" I hug her as she hugs me back just as someone knocks the bathroom door. "Yeah" I call out.
"What are you two up to in there" Moony asks as I open the door. His eyes going wide in shock "You cut your hair"
"State the obvious Remus" Tonks says as she walks out leaving me with Moony.
"It suits you"
"Thanks" He smiles leaving as Charlie walks in having a similar reaction to Moony.
"That's what you was up to"
"Felt like it was time for a change"
"I like it" Everyone else had a pretty similar reaction to my hair
We were to return to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus the following day, escorted once again by Tonks and Moony, both of whom were eating breakfast in the kitchen as I walked in my now short hair slightly curled to form natural waves. Charlie had to return to Romania last night unfortunately.
"Morning Wolf" Moony greeted me as I took a seat next to him.
"Morning Moony, hey Tonks" Moony handed me a coffee like always "Thanks"
"Did you want anything to eat"
"No thanks Moony" I answered just as Harry, Ron and Hermione walked in.
After a hurried breakfast we pulled on jackets and scarves against the chilly grey January morning.
"Let's go, then," Pad's said, clapping Harry on the shoulder and smiling grimly before pulling me into a hug.
"Be good" I said to him smiling.
"Excuse me shouldn't I be telling you that"
"Bye Pads"
"I'll see you later little Wolf" I gave him another hug before following the others upstairs, stopping before the heavily chained and bolted front door, surrounded by Weasleys.
"Good-bye, Harry, take care," said Mrs. Weasley, hugging him before turning to me. "Bye Rory be good"
"Bye Mama bear" She smiled, the next moment we found ourselves 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 us. We followed Moony down the front steps. As we reached the pavement Number twelve was shrinking rapidly as those on either side of it 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. Moony 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 backward 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," Tonks said swiftly. "On, on, get on"And she shoved Harry forward 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. It had been evening the last time me and Harry had travelled by Knight Bus and 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 was scattered all over the floor.
"Looks like we'll have to split up," Tonks said briskly, looking around for empty chairs. "Rory, Fred, George, and Ginny, if you just take those seats at the back. Remus can stay with you." She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded up to the very top deck. I sat beside Moony. The bus set off again, swaying ominously. It rumbled around Grimmauld Square, weaving on and off the pavement, then, with another tremendous BANG, we were all flung backward. The Knight Bus swayed alarmingly, overtaking a line of cars on the inside. BANG. Chairs slid backward again as the Knight 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 the way as the bus mounted the verges. From here it 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.
"This bus is worse than apparating" I said to Moony who laughed. BANG. We were now rolling through a snowy Hogsmeade. Flecks of snow hit the large window at the front of the bus. At last the bus rolled to a halt outside the gates to Hogwarts. Moony and Tonks helped us all off the bus with our luggage and then got off to say good-bye.
"You'll be safe once you're in the grounds," Tonks said, casting a careful eye around at the deserted road. "Have a good term, okay?"
"Look after yourselves," Moony said, shaking hands all round before pulling me in for a hug.
"Try not to disappear on me as much this turn" I said to him making him laugh slightly.
"I'll try Wolf"
We all struggled up the slippery drive toward the castle dragging our trunks. Hermione was already talking about knitting a few elf hats before bedtime. The following evening the common room was packed and full of shrieks of laughter and excitement; Fred and George were demonstrating their latest bit of joke shop merchandise.
"Headless Hats!" shouted George, as Fred waved a pointed hat decorated with a fluffy pink feather at the watching students. "Two Galleons each watch Fred, now!" Fred swept the hat onto his head, beaming. For a second he merely looked rather stupid, then both hat and head vanished. Several girls screamed, but everyone else was roaring with laughter. "And off again!" shouted George, and Fred's hand groped for a moment in what seemed to be thin air over his shoulder; then his head reappeared as he swept the pink-feathered hat from it again.
"How do those hats work, then?" Hermione asked, distracted from her homework and watching Fred and George. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object. I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life though."
"See Hermione not as stupid as you thought are they" I mutter as I walk over to the twins just as Harry walked across the common room, dodging George, who tried to put a Headless Hat on him, and reached the stone staircase to the boys' dormitories.