【 STAR CROSSED 】
*ೃ༄『 chapter vii 』.ೃ࿐
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╚═ *.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.* ═╝
⋆·˚ ༘ * ⸻ act one ੈ✩‧₊˚
- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ part two - the heir to slytherin ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌
.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
➶-͙˚ ༘✶ ❝ you won't tell anyone ❞ ✧ ೃ༄
〚 july 31st, 1992 〛
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I SPENT MOST OF THE SUMMER LOCKED IN MY ROOM STARING OUT THE WINDOW. I hardly ever came out except to eat. Everyone was worried about me. Sometimes, I would hear mum and dad talking in hushed tones and then quickly stop if I approached. Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny had no idea what had happened that night with You-Know-Who. The rumors circulating around Hogwarts had been wild, but no one knew the whole story. I wrote to Harry occasionally, but he never responded. He also didn't respond to Ron's letters. We figured his muggle Aunt and Uncle weren't letting him write. So instead, I wrote to Hermione. We traded lots of letters and she told me about things in Muggle World. I was quite excited to see her again at the start of term.
Term was going to start in a month. Tomorrow we were going to Diagon Ally to buy books and supplies. I lay in bed listening to Ginny's slow breathing in the bed beside me, clearly fast asleep. Around me the house creaked, and I could hear the whisper of the wind as it rushed over the hills outside. Everyone else had gone to sleep a long time ago but I didn't get much sleep these days. It seemed whenever I closed my eyes I would see You-Know-Who's face and hear his voice whispering in my ear. Nightmares plagued me whenever I slept. I would wake, drenched in sweat with the sheet all pulled off my bed.
Sighing, I sat up and quietly walked out of my room. Going down the stairs, I was careful to avoid the squeaky steps and managed to make it to the living room without making a sound. The remains of a fire smoldered on the hearth, its red embers casting a glow on the furniture around it. I sat down on the sofa and my body sank into the plush cushions. My mind always seemed to go back to that night. The last night I spent at Hogwarts. The night everything changed.
I drew my legs up to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. This wasn't the first night I had done this. Most nights I ended up sitting in the living room staring into the fire, feeling utterly alone. The thought of going back to Hogwarts did provide me with some light though. Seeing all my friends again and trying to find some sense of routine. My thoughts always came back to Harry. Would he still want to be friends with me? After finding out the truth about my father how could he?
I was jolted out of my thoughts by a noise upstairs. Fred, George and Ron appeared on the staircase and tip toed down. They were clearly trying to be sneaky but failing miserably. George repeatedly turned back to Ron to shush him even though he wasn't making a sound. When Fred, who was leading the small group, reached the bottom of the steps he finally noticed me and stopped short. George ran into him, causing Ron to bump into George. The three of them fell into a heap at the bottom of the steps. I simply raised an eyebrow; amused.
Fred quickly stood up, "You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought you were mum." He clutched his chest dramatically.
"If I were mum the three of you would be getting pulled back to bed by your ears right now. What are you doing down here?" I stood up from my spot on the sofa.
"I could ask the same of you." George replied, "It's nearly 4am."
I ignored his question when I noticed what he had clutched in his hand. "Are those dad's car keys?"
George quickly put his hand behind his back. "What? No. I don't know what you're talking about. What car?"
"Oh, come on Georgie, she isn't going to tattle." Fred rolled his eyes and turned to me, "Where taking dads car to go and get Harry from his aunt and uncle's house."
"You can come with, if you like." Ron suggested.
"But why are you going in the middle of the night behind mum and dad's back?" I questioned, scrunching my eyebrows together.
"I don't know. Cause we felt like it. Do we need a reason?" Fred crossed his arms defensively.
"Fine. I'll come. But mum is going to kill us when we get back." I gave in. My want to get out of the house put aside my fear of mum's wrath.
"You won't regret it sis." George patted me on the back as he walked past me, flipping the car keys in the air and then catching them again.
He was wrong. I did regret it.
"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" I asked Fred as I clutched the seat in front of me, feeling sick to my stomach.
"Relax. I've got this." No sooner did the words leave Fred's lips than he swerved sharply to the left to avoid a bird.
"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick." I clutched my stomach and doubled over.
"Well do it out the window. Stealing dad's car is one thing, puking in it is another." George shot me a smirk.
"Thanks for the sympathy." I scrunched my eyes closed as the feeling of nausea passed.
"Down there." Ron pointed out the window at the rows and rows of muggle homes below. "It's that street." Fred put the car into a steep dive but leveled it out before we crashed into the ground. "It's that house there." My brother pointed to a home on the right side of the street. Fred pulled up next to the second story window which had bars on it. Harry's face suddenly appeared through the glass.
"Hiya, Harry." Ron greeted his friend with a huge grin on his face.
A look of surprise crossed Harry's face. "Ron, Margaret, Fred, George, what are you all doing here?" Ron, Fred and George leaned forward to wave to him. I awkwardly smiled, still feeling like he might not want to see me.
"Rescuing you, of course. Now, come on. Get your trunk!" Ron said. Harry hurriedly packed his things together as Ron brought out a large hook and attached it to bars which covered his window.
"You better stand back!" Ron ordered and Harry obliged. Fred put the car in drive and pulled forward. The bars, along with Harry's entire window came flying off and crashed into the bushes below. The boot opened and Harry loaded up his trunk.
"Go, go, go, go!" George said and Fred quickly back the car up so the door was facing the window.
"Come on!" Ron opened the door for Harry as he grabbed Hedwig's cage.
"Come on!" Fred yelled. Harry climbed out of the window and stepped into the car.
"Come on, Harry! Hurry up!" Ron said again, more urgently this time. But before Harry could get all the way into the vehicle, a rather portly man burst through his bedroom door. I deduced that this was his uncle.
"Petunia, he's escaping!" The man called to a woman behind him, presumably his aunt. His uncle grabbed onto Harry ankle.
"Ahh!" Harry yelled and tried to shake him off, but he had a tight grip.
"Get him, Dad!" A boy around Harry's age called. I guessed he was Harry's infamous cousin.
"I've got you, Harry!" Ron held Harry around his waist, ensuring he wouldn't fall out of the car.
"Come here!" His uncle yelled.
"Let go of me!" Harry frantically twisted his leg to escape the man's grasp.
"Oh, no, boy! You and that bloody pigeon aren't going anywhere!" His uncle yelled.
"Get off!" Harry screamed again.
"Drive!" Ron ordered Fred, who obliged, and began pulling away. Harry's ankle was freed from the man's grip, sending his uncle tumbling into the yard below.
"By the way, Harry, Happy Birthday!" Ron smiled at his friend.
Fred sat next to me while George, Ron and Harry were squeezed in the front. I sat back in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling slightly awkward. My actions didn't go unnoticed by Fred who shot me a puzzled look but didn't press it. He didn't know the specific details of what had occurred at the end of the school year with Harry and I, but he knew better than to ask. A few times over the past month I overheard him and George whispering and theorizing about what had happened, but they never so much as mentioned it to me. Perhaps mum had told all my siblings not to ask me about it.
We soared over different muggle suburbs, and I observed as the houses became fewer and more far between as we flew further into the countryside, towards home. The sun was rising, casting golden rays and a pink hue over everything. Below us, I could see more cars like ours begin to fill the roads as the muggles went about their day.
In the front seat, Harry and Ron chatted with each other about their summers. Harry complained about how terrible his muggle family was while Ron told an amusing story about playing quidditch with Fred and George. I just stared out the window, not participating in the conversation. Not that I would have much to say anyways. I had done practically nothing all summer.
We finally arrived back home. The sun was fully up, and I knew the rest of the family must be awake. Fred beckoned for us to follow him towards the kitchen door, we needed to sneak back in and must avoid mum at all costs. He silently slid open the window and then unlocked the door beneath it.
"Come on. Okay, come on, Shhh! Shhh!" He checked to make sure the cost was clear before opening the door for the rest of us to follow him, "Okay, come on."
The twins kept on looking up to the second floor, hoping mum wouldn't suddenly appear. A plate of rolls had been placed on the table, "Do you think it'd be all right if we had some of this?" Ron pointed to the plate and looked up at the twins.
"Yeah, mum would never know." We each grabbed one while Harry looked around. He seemed completely in awe, presumably never having stepped foot inside a wizard's home before. Still, I made a conscious effort to not make eye contact with him.
"It's not much," Ron looked around at our rather cramped kitchen, "but it's home." He smiled fondly.
"I think it's brilliant." Harry grinned and he appeared to mean it.
"Where are you been?!" All five of us jumped back as mum suddenly appeared in front of us. We quickly hid the rolls behind our backs and tried to look as innocent as possible. But she wasn't buying our act, her eyes where ablaze and she looked ready to kill. "Harry, how wonderful to see you, dear." Her tone quickly changed to one of endearment, but she turned back to us, "Beds empty! No note! Car gone! You could've died! You could've been seen!" She yelled but turned back to Harry smiling, "Of course, I don't blame you, Harry, dear."
"They were starving him, mum!" Ron protested, "There were bars on his window!"
"Well, you'd best hope that I don't put bars on your window, Ronald Weasley!" I bit my cheek to try and stop my laughter as Ron cowered in fear. "Come on, Harry. Time for a spot of breakfast." Her tone softened immediately. She led us over to the table and we all sat down. I sat as far away from Harry as I could, all the way at the end of the table next to Fred and Percy who had just walked down the stairs. "Here we are, Harry. Now tuck in. That's it. There we go." She put some eggs on his plate.
"Mum." Ginny came running down the stairs, "Mummy, have you seen my jumper?"
"Yes dear. It was on the cat." I shot Fred a puzzled look, wondering how her clothes could wind up on the cat but he simply shrugged in return. Ginny noticed Harry and her eyes got very wide as she backed away from him.
"Hello." As soon as Harry greeted her, she ran off. "W-what did I do?" he asked, confused by my sister's actions.
"Ginny. She's been talking about you all summer. Bit annoying, really." Ron explained. It was true, she really couldn't stop talking about him, considering she had never even said a word to him. Whenever the topic of Harry came up, I always managed to leave the room, preferring not to think about what my ex-best friend probably thought of me.
"Morning, Weasleys." Dad said as he walked through the door, home from work.
"Morning, Dad." Fred, George, Ron, Percy and I greeted him.
"Morning Arthur!" Mum smiled as Dad kissed her on the cheek before sitting down at the head of the table next to Harry.
"What a night. Nine raids. Nine!" He raved about his job at the Ministry.
"Raids?" Harry asked Ron.
"Dad works in the Ministry of Magic. In the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Dad loves Muggles. Thinks they're fascinating." Ron explained.
"Well now. Ah." Dad suddenly noticed Harry, "And who are you?"
"Oh, sorry sir. I'm Harry, sir, Harry Potter." He introduced himself.
"Good Lord, are you really?" Dad's eyes lit up in fascination. "Ron's told you all about you, of course." Even though Harry had been my best friend, I never mentioned him at all over the summer. "When did he get here?"
"This morning." Mum's face twisted into a scowl. "Your children flew that enchanted car of yours to Surrey and back last night."
"Did you really! How'd it go?" Dad exclaimed but quickly caught Mum's disapproving look. Fred, George, Ron, Harry and I looked down at our food; trying to keep from laughing.
"Arthur!" Mum reproached him.
"I mean... That was very wrong, indeed. Very wrong of you." He scolded, but I could tell he didn't mean it. "Now, Harry, you must know all about Muggles." His tone changed just as fast as Mum's did. "Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?"
"Oh, ummm..." Harry was about to answer when the screech of an owl could be heard outside.
"Well, that'll be Errol with the post." Mum said as our owl flew towards the open window but instead of flying through it, he crashed into the closed window right beside it. "Oh, fetch it will you Percy, please?" Mum asked my older brother.
Percy walked towards the window. "Errol..."
"He's always doing that." Ron sighed.
Percy collected the letters Errol was carrying. "Oh look, it's our Hogwarts letters. And they've sent us Harry's as well."
"Dumbledore must know you're here, Harry. Doesn't miss a trick, that man." Dad complimented the headmaster.
"This lot won't come cheap, Mum." Fred said, reading over his letter. "The spell books alone are very expensive."
"We'll manage. Right then. There's only one place we're going to get all of this: Diagon Alley." She stated. "Right, finish up your breakfast then go and get dressed. Fred, George, could you bring Harry's trunk up to Ron's room? He can stay in there."
"Yes, Mum." The twins answered in unison.
Everyone quickly finished up their food then went up to their rooms. I had just closed my bedroom door when a knock came from outside.
"Yes?" I opened my door to find Harry standing outside. Anxiety rose in my stomach, and I felt a little sick. Was he here to tell me he didn't want to be friends anymore?
"Erm, could I come in for a moment?" he asked awkwardly.
I opened the door a little wider and he walked in. We stood looking at each other for a few awkward moments. "Look, I know what you're going to say." I broke the silence. "And I just want to tell you, I don't blame you if you don't want to be friends with me anymore. I wouldn't want to be friends with me either."
Harry looked taken aback. "What? Why would I not want to be friends with you?"
"Really? That's not what you were going to tell me?" I replied, shocked.
"I came up here to ask you why you haven't talked to me at all today. I thought you were mad at me." He looked down at the ground sheepishly.
"I thought you wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore after finding out about..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"About Lord Voldemort?" He finished for me.
I nodded, "I mean, why would you still want to be friends with me when my father killed your parents?" I felt tears welling in my eyes, but I took a deep breath, not wanting to break down in front of him.
"So, it's true then..." he paused, "What he told you."
"Y-yes." Was all I managed to say.
"I wasn't sure. I thought he might have been lying." Harry spoke softly, noticing how emotional I was getting.
"I thought so too. But Mum told me everything." I remembered back to the day after the incident. How Mum had sat in this very room and told me about my parents. About He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. About my father.
"I'm sorry." Harry placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Here, sit down." I motioned to my bed. "I'll tell you everything."
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Harry protested.
"No." I stated firmly. "You deserve an explanation. Just promise you won't tell anyone. Not Ron. Not Hermione. No one."
Harry nodded, "I promise."
And so, I told him everything my Mum said. I told him about my mother, about You-Know-Who, about my mother's murder, about how the Weasley's took me in. Harry sat there, not saying a word, just listening. By the time I was done I didn't even realize I was crying but Harry leaned forward and hugged me.
"It's alright." He spoke softly, "Don't cry."
We sat like that for a while before I pulled back and wiped the tears off my face. "Thanks for still being my friend Harry." I smile at him.
"Of course. I would never be mad at you because of this. I care about you too much." Harry spoke tenderly, holding my hand.
In that moment I knew Harry Potter was, and always would be, my best friend.