HEART TO HEART
the eight potters !
To say Avery had no idea what she was doing would be an understatement, to say the least.
She stood at the foot of her bed with trembling hands, staring at the bag resting on the sage green sheets. It was small, rather pitiful, and didn't look suspicious - exactly what she wanted.
Sighing, she picked it up, brushing her fingers along the old, worn material. It had been a Christmas gift from a dear friend of hers, a friend who had taught her the Undetectable Extension Charm a day later, for "desperate times and extra book storage".
Hermione.
Just thinking of the stubborn, yet incredibly intelligent and selfless brunette made a smile dance on Avery's lips. Hermione Granger had been her best friend since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express, when she had mended Harry's glasses. Her walnut-coloured eyes had met Avery's bright, mischievous blue ones, and something just clicked - the start of a friendship that had lasted years and was still going.
She shook the fuzzy memories away and grabbed a tighter hold of the bag. These were dark times, but she truly believed she was making the right choice. She knew she belonged alongside Ron, Harry, and most importantly Hermione, and wanted to help her friends in any way possible.
One of those ways was leaving her family and everything she'd ever known behind.
Taking a deep breath, Avery took the charmed bag and pushed it inside one of her pockets. It had everything she'd need, and judging by experience Hermione would prepare one too, in case Avery had missed anything.
Her stomach heavy, the redhead made her way downstairs. The sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies touched her nose, and she instantly had to push away another sickening wave of regret. She had to do this, for Hermione. She couldn't leave her, not after all these years.
Careful to not alert her mother, who was no doubt cooking in the next room, the Buckley crept over to the door and opened it as quietly as she could. Holding her breath in anticipation, she fiercely blinked away the tears that had threatened to sting at her eyes and slid outside into the chilly winter air, closing the door and abandoning her old peaceful life, stepping out onto the streets and heading for Little Whinging.
.・。.・゜✭・.
"Avery!"
The surprisingly familiar voice made the redhead stop in her tracks. She whipped around, placing one hand on the pocket she kept her wand in, and eyed the buildings surrounding her distrustfully.
"Avery!" The call came again, closer, and a moment later something flung itself at the Buckley, enveloping her in a warm hug.
"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Avery laughed, instantly noticing her friend's dark brown hair. "Gave me a scare there."
Hermione pulled away. "It's great to see you! Are you on your way to Harry's, too?"
"Of course." Avery grinned back at her. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
They spent the rest of their walk filling eachother in on what the other had done over the time they spent apart. They slid into an easy rhythm, finishing each other's sentences, and even the moments of silence felt comfortable. The duo truly had clicked, and according to Avery there was no better feeling in the entire world. She trusted Hermione with her life and could only hope the feeling was mutual.
They arrived at Privet Drive after what had felt like a ten-minute stroll filled with quiet laughter and affectionate teasing. Ron, Hagrid and the other members of the Order were already there, and greeted the pair in warm, but hushed tones.
Once everybody had made it, Hagrid knocked on the door, revealing a pleasantly shocked Potter boy. "Hagrid!"
Ron was the first to give Harry a huge hug. Hermione came next, eyes shining at being reunited with all of her closest friends. Avery was right behind her, the memories she'd shared with the others almost making her forget her homesickness completely.
"You're looking fit!" Hagrid mused.
"Yeah, he's absolutely gorgeous. What do you say we get undercover before somebody murders him?" Mad-Eye barged past him into the house, the Order following suit.
"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Prime Minister?" Harry asked a tall man Avery couldn't recognize.
"You are more important." Kingsley proclaimed.
"Hello, Harry. Bill Weasley." Another surprisingly tall man, ginger this time, introduced himself to the boy whose face bore long claw - or teeth - marks.
"Oh, pleasure to meet you!" Harry shook his hand politely.
"He wasn't always this handsome," snorted one of the Weasley twins, Avery letting out a chuckle as she leaned against one of the walls beside Hermione.
"Yeah, dead ugly," his twin put in.
"True enough." Bill seemed unbothered by his sibling's teasing. "Owe it all to a werewolf, name of Greyback. Hope to return the favour someday."
"You're still beautiful to me," Fleur assured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Avery rolled her eyes and pretended to gag, making Hermione snort with laughter.
"Just remember, Fleur, Bill takes his steaks on the raw side now." Lupin joked as he walked through the doorway, Tonks close beside him - though her hair was now a vibrant shade of purple.
"My husband, the joker." Tonks shook her head affectionately. "By the way, wait 'till you hear the news. Remus and I..."
She was cut off by Mad-Eye. "Alright, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later. We've got to get the hell out of here, and soon. Potter, you're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you."
"What's the Trace?" Harry asked, visibly confused.
"If you sneeze, the ministry will know who wipes your nose. We have to use those means of transport the Trace cannot detect; brooms, Thestrals, and the like. That way, if there's anyone out there waiting for us, and I reckon they will be, they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one."
"The real one?"
Mad-Eye pulled a small flask from inside his coat, holding it up to show the contents. "I believe you're familiar with this particular brew," he mused, popping off the top.
"No. Absolutely not." Harry protested.
"Told you he'd take it well." Hermione shrugged, moving closer to Harry.
Something in the brunette's movement and words was so confident, so pure, despite everything that had happened, all the tears she had shed, and how she had emerged from everything stronger than ever, just made Avery want to observe her forever. It was strange, really, the feeling of odd admiration; she'd never really paid attention to the way Hermione walked or spoke.
She was snapped back to reality by Harry hissing "Blimey, Hermione!" as the witch plucked several hairs from his head.
"Straight in here, if you please," Mad-Eye told her as she placed the hair into the flask. Mad-Eye gave the potion good shake while everyone settled into a half-circle around him.
"For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning, it tastes like goblin piss." Mad-Eye informed them as he passed the potion around.
"Have a lot of experiences with that, do you, Mad-Eye?" Fred joked, earning a glare along with the vial. "Just trying to diffuse the tension."
Avery scrunched up her nose in distaste - the potion did taste like what she imagined goblin piss would. Just as she was passing the vial to Hermione beside her, the brunette's hands fluttering at her sides in impatient anxiety, Avery felt her body jolt upwards sharply. Moments later, hairs began to sprout around her lips, her long fiery locks shortened into small curly dark ones, and her eyesight completely blurred until she placed her - or Harry's? - glasses on.
"Wow, we're identical!" The Weasley twins commented, making Avery duck her head to avoid Mad-Eye's scorching stare and grin.
"Not yet, you're not." Mad-Eye growled, dumping a bag of clothes on the floor for the collection of Potters to change.
"Haven't got anything a bit more sporting, have you?" one of the twins piped up, though Avery couldn't tell which one.
"Yeah, I don't really fancy this colour," the other twin put added, examining a darker red jacket.
"Well, fancy this, you're not you. So shut it and strip," Mad-Eye retorted.
"Alright, alright!"
"Bill, look away, I'm hideous." Fleur spoke up as she unclipped her clothing.
"I knew she was lying about that tattoo," Ron added, his voice slightly triumphant.
"Harry, your eyesight really is awful," Hermione's voice made Avery look around, trying to locate her friend amongst the Potters, but couldn't find anything that would indicate which one was her.
"Right, then. We'll be pairing off. Each Potter will have a protector." Mad-Eye announced. "Mudnungus, stick tight to me. I wanna keep an eye on you. As for Harry..."
"Yes?" The eight Potters replied in unison.
"The real Harry. Where the devil are you anyway?" Mad-Eye snapped, unamused.
"Here."
"You'll ride with Hagrid."
As each Potter made its way over to a protector, Lupin coming over as Avery's and bustling her out the door, all the redhead could think about was whether Hermione would be safe. She zoned out for a moment, trying to pick out the brunette's voice amongst the hum, but was snapped back by Lupin. "Come on. We need to get out of here."
Avery nodded, climbing onto her broom. She almost missed Mad-Eye's signal to take off, and once she shot into the chilly late-night air, she shook herself to clear her mind and focus on the task ahead; making it to the Burrow, alive.