Everyone went up to bed after breakfast, completely exhausted.
Their trunks arrived from Hogwarts while they were eating lunch, so they could dress as Muggles for the trip to St Mungo's.
Everybody was riotously happy and talkative as they changed out of their robes into jeans and sweatshirts
When Tonks and Mad-Eye turned up to escort everyone but Caspian and Sirius across London, they greeted them gleefully, laughing at the bowler hat Mad-Eye was wearing at an angle to conceal his magical eye and assuring him, truthfully, that Tonks, whose hair was short and bright pink again, would attract far less attention on the Underground.
Tonks was very interested in Harry's vision of the attack on Mr. Weasley, something Harry was obviously not remotely interested in discussing.
"There isn't any Seer blood in your family, is there?" She enquired curiously.
"No," said Harry.
"No," said Tonks musingly, "no, I suppose it's not really prophecy you're doing, is it? I mean, you're not seeing the future, you're seeing the present...it's odd, isn't it? Useful, though..."
Harry didn't answer.
They eventually halted in front of a large, old-fashioned, red-brick department store called Purge & Dowse Ltd. The place had a shabby, miserable air. The window displays consisted of a few chipped dummies with the wigs askew, standing at random and modelling fashions at least ten years out of date. Large signs on all the dusty doors read: Closed for Refurbishment.
"Right," said Tonks, beckoning them towards a window displaying nothing but a particularly ugly female dummy. Its false eyelashes were hanging off and it was modelling a green nylon pinafore dress. "Everybody ready?"
They nodded, clustering around her. Moody gave Harry a shove between the shoulder blades to urge him forward and he stumbled into Aurora before finding his footing again. She turned around to glare at him, and he didn't meet her eyes. Tonks leaned close to the glass, looking up at the very ugly dummy, her breath steaming up the glass. "Whotcher," she said, "we're here to see Arthur Weasley."
Next second, the dummy gave a tiny nod and beckoned with its jointed finger, and Tonks had seized Ginny and Aurora by the elbows, stepped right through the glass and vanished.
Stepping through felt like being covered in a sheet of cold water, but they emerged quite warm and dry on the other side.
They were in what seemed to be a crowded reception area where rows of witches and wizards sat upon rickety wooden chairs, some looking perfectly normal and perusing out-of-date copies of Witch Weekly, others sporting gruesome disfigurements such as elephant trunks or extra hands sticking out of their chests.
Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows, asking questions and making notes on clipboards like Umbridge's. There was an emblem embroidered on their chests: a wand and bone, crossed.
"Are they doctors?" Harry asked Ron quietly.
"Doctors?" Said Ron, looking startled. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up?"
Aurora scoffed and shook her head. "Their methods are actually quite efficient for people without magic. At least they don't have people with feet sticking out of their head on a regular basis."
"I don't care how efficient they are, if they try to put a knife in my body...." Ron trailed. "And these are Healers, Harry."
"Over here!" Called Mrs. Weasley, and they followed her to the queue in front of a plump blonde witch seated at a desk marked Enquiries. The wall behind her was vovered in notices and posters saying things like: A CLEAN CAULDRON KEEPS POTIONS FROM BECOMING POISONS and ANTIDOTES ARE ANTI-DON'TS UNLESS APPROVED BY A QUALIFIED HEALER. There was also a large portrait of a witch with long silver ringleys which was labelled:
DILYS DERWENT
St Mungo's Healer 1722-1741
Headmistress of Hogwarts school
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
1741-1768
Dilys was eyeing the Weasley party as though counting them, when Aurora caught her eyes she gave a tiny wink, walked sideways out of her portrait and vanished.
Meanwhile, at the front of the queue, a young wizard was performing an odd on-the-spot jig and trying, in between yelps of pain, to explain his predicament to the witch behind the desk.
"It's these - ouch - shoes my brother gave me - ow - they're eating my - OUCH - feet - look at them, there must be some kind of - AARGH - jinx on them and I can't - AAAAAAARGH - get them off." He hopped from one foot to the other as though dancing on hot coals.
"The shoes don't prevent you reading, do they?" Said the blonde witch, irritably pointing at a large sign to the left of her desk. "You want Spell Damage, fourth floor. Just like it says on the floor guide. Next!"
As the wizard hobbled and pranced sideways out of the way, the Weasley party moved forward a few steps and Aurora read the floor guide:
ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS
ground floor
Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.
CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES
first floor
Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.
MAGICAL BUGS
second floor
Contagious maladies, E. G. Dragon Pox, Vanishing Sickness, Scrofungulus, etc.
POTION AND PLANT POISONING
third floor
Rashes, Regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.
SPELL DAMAGE
fourth floor
Unliftable Jinxes, hexes, incorrectly applied charms, etc.
VISITORS' TEAROOM/HOSPITAL SHOP
fifth floor
IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHERE TO GO, INCAPABLE OF NORMAL SPEECH OR UNABLE TO REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE HERE, OUR WELCOMEWITCH WILL BE PLEASED TO HELP.
After a man who had to hold on to his daughter like a balloon, it was their turn.
Mrs. Weasley moved forward to the desk. "Hello," she said, "my husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us-?"
"Arthur Weasley?" Said the witch, running her finger down a log list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn Ward."
"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley. "Come on, you lot."
They followed her through the double doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with more portraits of famous Healerw and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds.
They climbed a flight of stairs and entered the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor, where the second door on the right bore the words: 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites. Underneath this was a card in a brass holder on which had been handwritten: Healer-in-Charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck. Trainee Healer: Augustus Pye.
"We'll wait outside, Molly." Tonks said. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once...it ought to be just the family first."
Aurora and Harry drew back, but Mrs. Weasley reached out a hand and pushed them through the door, saying. "Don't be silly, you two are practically family."
The ward was small and rather dingy, as the only window was narrow and set high in the wall facing the door. Most of the light came from more shining crystal bubbles clustered in the middle of the ceiling. The walls were of panelled oak and there was a portrait of a rather vicious-looking wizard on the wall.
There were only three patients. Mr. Weasley was occupying the bed at the far end of the ward beside the tiny window. Aurora was pleased and relieved to see he was propped up on several pillows and reading the Daily Prophet by the solitary ray of sunlight falling on to his bed. He looked up as they walked towards him and, seeing who it was, beamed. "Hello!" He called, throwing the paper aside. "Bill just left, Molly, had to get back to work, but he says he'll drop in on you later.
"How are you, Arthur?" Asked Mrs. Weasley, bending down to kiss his cheek and looking anxiously into his face. "You're still looking a bit peaky."
"I feel absolutely fine." Said Mr. Weasley brightly, holding out his good arm to give Ginny a hug. "If they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home."
"Why can't they take them off, Dad?" Asked Fred.
"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try." Said Mr. Weasley cheerfully. "It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open. They're sure they'll find an antidote, though. They say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there," he said, dropping his voice and nodding towards the bed opposite in which a man lay looking green and sickly staring at the ceiling. "Bitten by a werewolf, poor chap. No cure at all."
"A werewolf?" Whispered Mrs. Weasley, looking alarmed. "Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?"
"It's two weeks till full moon." Mr. Weasley reminded her quietly. "They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him - didn't mention names, of course - but I said I knew a werewolf personally, very nice man, who finds the condition quite easy to manage."
"What did he say?" Asked George.
"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up." Said Mr. Weasley sadly. "And that woman over there." He indicated the only other occupied bed, "won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg, very nasty smell when they take off the dressings."
"So, you going to tell us what happened, Dad?" Asked Fred, pulling a chair closer to the bed and sitting down on it.
"Well, you already know, don't you?" Said Mr. Weasley, with a significant smile at Harry. "It's very simple - I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on and bitten."
"Is it in the Prophet, you being attacked?" Asked Fred, indicating the newspaper Mr. Weasley had cast aside.
"No, of course not." Said Mr. Weasley, with a slightly bitter smile. "The Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got-"
"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley warned him.
"-got - er - me," said Mr. Weasley hastily.
"So where were you when it happened, Dad?" Asked George.
"That's my business." Said Mr. Weasley, though with a small smile.
"When you say you were 'on duty'," said Fred in a low voice. "What were you doing?"
"You heard your father." Whispered Mrs. Weasley. "We are not discussing this here!"
"You were guarding it, weren't you?" Said George quietly. "The weapon? The think You-Know-Who's after?"
"George, be quiet!" Snapped Mrs. Weasley.
"Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry?" Asked Fred, looking at his father for a reaction. "A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you?"
"That's enough," said Mrs. Weasley crossly. "Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, they want to come and see you. And you lot can wait outside." She added to her children, Aurora and Harry. "You can come and say goodbye afterwards. Go on."
They trooped back into the corridor. Mad-Eye and Tonks went in and closed the door of the ward behind them. Fred raised his eyebrows. "Fine," he said cooly, rummaging in his pockets. "be like that. Don't tell us anything."
"Looking for these?" Said George, holding out what looked like a tangle of flesh-coloured string.
"You read my mind." Said Fred grinning. "Let's see if St Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"
He and George disentangled the string and seperated six Extendable Ears from each other. Fred and George handed them around. Harry hesitated to take one.
"Go on, Harry, take it! You saved Dad's life. If anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him, it's you."
Grinning, Harry took the end of the string and inserted it into his ear as the twins had done.
"OK, go!" Fred whispered.
The flesh-coloured strings wriggled like long skinny worms and snaked under the door. At first, Aurora could hear nothing, then she jumped as she heard Tonks whispering as clearly as though she were standing right beside her. "...they searched the whole area but couldn't find the snake anywhere. It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur....but You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"
"I reckon he sent it as lookout." Growled Moody. "Cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had a lot more time to look around. So, Potter says he saw it all happen?"
"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded rather uneasy. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this."
"Yeah, well," said Moody, "there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that."
"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning." Whispered Mrs. Weasley.
"Course he's worried." Growled Moody. "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him-"
Harry pulled the Extendable Ear out of his own. Heat had rushed to his face. He looked around at the others. They were all staring at him, looking suddenly fearful.
~~~~
Harry didn't speak at all the entire trip back before hurrying up to his room and staying there alone all day. He didn't even come down for dinner.
Aurora understood why. Harry felt as though he was endangering everyone. He felt as though he was carrying some kind of disease. That he should run before hurting anyone else. She expected him to assume he had somehow been the snake...that he'd somehow travelled all the way to London and back to attack Mr. Weasley.
Absolutely insane, of course, but Harry loved blaming himself for everything that went wrong in the world.
But even Aurora had to admit that this entire thing was a little suspicious. She wasn't the only one that had noticed the change in Harry's behaviour this year. He was moody, short-tempered and there was a burning in his eyes that hadn't been there before. His nightmares, his scar hurting, his behaviour...it sort of all added up to one solution.
Harry was partly controlled by something else.
But there were so many different ways that could be.
Voldemort might not even be aware of their connection. At least she hoped he wasn't because that would be a big problem for all of them.
~~~~
The following morning, everyone except Caspian, who had disappeared into the library, were putting up Christmas decorations. Aurora could not remember Sirius ever being in such a good mood. He was actually singing carols, and twirling Aurora around the room.
Aurora laughed and giggled at Sirius's mood. Remus had never been this outgoing. And Aurora had to admit that Sirius was more her type of person than Remus ever was. Suddenly the similarities between father and daughter were more obvious than ever before.
Around six o'clock in the evening the doorbell rang and Walburga started screaming again. Aurora walked over to the front-door with a string of Christmas lights trailing behind her. She opened the door, dropped the Christmas lights and pulled the visitor in for a hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going skiing with your mum and dad?"
"Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing." Said Hermione. "So, I've come here for Christmas." There was snow in her hair and her face was pink with cold. "But don't tell Ron. I told him skiing's really good because he kept laughing so much." Hermione then looked around at the Christmas decorations all around the entrance hall. "Whoah, it actually looks kind of decent in here for once."
"So how angry was Umbridge?" Aurora asked her as she took her coat. "Did she blow up like a bullfrog?"
"No," Hermione laughed. "But close. Umbridge is livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St Mungo's and he'd given you all permission to visit. So..." She looked up at Aurora. Hermione had always been a lot shorter than the rest of them. She barely reached Aurora's chin, but her hair made it less obvious. "Has Selena told you yet?"
"About Cho and Harry?" Said Aurora with a scoff. "She didn't need to, I saw."
"Are you OK?"
"Hermione, really, I'm actually glad. I can't explain it. Won't even bother to. But I don't mind at all. If anything I'm really happy for Harry...granted, I don't think it'll last long. Cho's not really his type."
"You sure?"
"Yes, Mione," said Aurora reassuringly, "look I know things between me and Harry were weird before...you know...the graveyard, but I don't really remember any of it. To me it's a crush that just faded over time. So I'm fine, really, but you should go up there. Harry has not been himself. We overheard something in St Mungo's." Aurora told Hermione everything that had happened. "And Harry has avoided the rest of us ever since, acting as though he has some sort of disease....He's up with Buckbeak at the moment, I think. Maybe you should go talk to him while Sirius and I finish the decorations in the kitchen."
Aurora wanted to leave but Hermione halted her. "Shouldn't we all talk to him? You know, us four, like old times?"
Aurora sighed and nodded. "Fine," She walked up to Ron's room while Hermione went to retrieve Harry. When she opened the door she saw Ron was in there together with Ginny, who seemed to be searching Ron's belongings for something.
Aurora fell down on Ron's bed. "Who was it at the door?" Ginny raised her head and looked at Aurora.
"Hermione," she answered. "She'll be here shortly with Harry."
A few minutes later, Harry and Hermione entered. Harry looked exhausted. His skin was pale and he had huge bags under his eyes.
Hermione and Ginny sat down next to Aurora, and the three girls and Ron all looked up at Harry.
"How're you feeling?" Asked Hermione, after a while.
"Fine," said Harry stiffly.
"Oh, don't lie, Harry." She said impatiently. "Aurora said you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's."
"She did, did she?" Said Harry, glaring at Aurora. Ron, who was sitting next to her, looked down, unable to look Harry in the eye. Aurora seemed quite unabashed.
"Well, you have!" She said. "And you won't look at any of us!"
"It's you lot who won't look at me!" Said Harry angrily.
"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other." Suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.
"Very funny," Snapped Harry, turning away.
"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood." Said Hermione sharply. "Look, Ara told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears-"
"Yeah?" Growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it."
"We wanted to talk to you, Harry." Said Aurora, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back-"
"I didn't want anyone to talk to me." Said Harry.
"Well, that was a bit stupid of you." Said Ginny angrily. "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."
Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he turned on the spot to face her. "I forgot." He said.
"Lucky you." Said Ginny coolly.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, and he meant it. "So...so do you think I'm being possessed, then?"
"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"
Harry racked his brains.
"No," he said.
"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," said Ginny simply. "When he did it to me, I couldn"t remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."
Harry hardly dared believe her, yet his heart was lightening almost in spite of himself.
~~~~
Sirius's delight at having the house full again, and especially at having Aurora back, was infectious. He was no longer their sullen host of the summer. Now he seemed determined that everyone should enjoy themselves as much, if not more than they would have done at Hogwarts, and he worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognisable.
The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers. Magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets. A great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorate with live fairies, blocked Aurora's family tree from view, and even the stuffed elf-heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.
Everyone but Aurora and Sirius were already in bed. The two of them had taken to reminising in the now colourful kitchen.
Aurora didn't think her life was as interesting as Sirius thought it was. Every little thing she told him seemed to brighten up his face. He had finally shaved and his grey eyes were once again standing out in a very handsome face.
"I was thinking..." Aurora said, looking around the kitchen with both her hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolat. "That I don't want to live here." She took a sip. "But maybe we don't have to sell it either. I mean, you can hate your family all you want, Sirius, but this house is ancient and full of valuable artifacts. It would be a shame to just expose of it, wouldn't it?"
"It's your house, what d'you want to do with it?" Sirius asked as he put some more marshmallows in her mug.
"Brighten it up is one thing but we've done a good job of that in the last few days. I want to paint the walls in lighter colours and get new furniture. And then, maybe we can transform it into...into a home...not for us, but for other children..."
"I'm not following you." Sirius said.
"Look, I know a lot of people, both of us included, that didn't have a happy childhood. Neville and Giselle were raised by their grandmother, Harry is an orphan...you had an awful family...A lot of wizards don't want to go home during the summer vacation or simply don't have a home to go to. This war is going to destroy a lot of families. Kids will become orphans...I think we should consider turning this place into a wizarding orphanage. Somewhere children can be happy and care-free and with people who are like them."
Sirius thought about it for a minute and then his face brightened. "A wizarding orphanage?" He said thoughtfully. "That's brilliant! I think that's a really good idea!"
"Thanks!" Aurora smiled. "I know it may take years for it to be a reality but I just wanted to know...if you don't mind...I mean, I know that Walburga left this place to me, but it's your home-"
"No, it isn't. I grew up here, but it isn't my home. I hated it here. Everything it stood for. If there's any chance, any chance at all, we can somehow turn this place into something happy than I'm all for it." Sirius said happily.
Aurora smiled and looked down at her hands that were still wrapped around the warm mug. "And we need to fix the heating in here." She complained. "It's ice-cold."
They both laughed but were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Sirius called, his eyes shining with happiness.
The door creaked open and Harry appeared. He was wearing one of his cousin's shirts and shabby pyjama pants.
Harry was looking directly at Aurora with a sort of apologetic look in his eyes.
"Well," Sirius said, clearing his throat. "I- er - should go to bed. Big day tomorrow - Christmas and all. So - er - don't stay up late, kids, and don't do anything I wouldn't do....Actually, don't do anything Hermione wouldn't do-" Sirius skipped out of the room.
Aurora groaned. Clearly Sirius was now so comfortable in his role as father that he also loved embarrassing her....great.
"Hey..." Harry said shyly.
"Hi...?" Said Aurora, raising an eyebrow. For once she had no idea why he looked so nervous. She couldn't think of anything that happened that would cause him to be uncomfortable.
A silence fell between them as Aurora waited for him to say something.
"So....I've been thinking a lot about what happened and-" Harry paused.
"You're going to need to be a little bit more specific. A lot has happened." Aurora got up from her spot, took one last gulp of her drink and placed the empty mug in the sink, rinsing it out. Everything to avoid the rather awkward tension between them.
"I kissed Cho," Harry said out of nowhere.
Aurora gave a short laugh. "Yes, I know." She turned back to face him. "Did you like it?"
"It wasn't bad....a little wet, maybe."
"Wet?" Repeated Aurora, barely hiding a giggle.
"She was crying,"
"Crying?" Said Aurora, still trying not to laugh.
"Ron said I might be a bad kisser..."
Aurora really smiled now, her gaze soft. "You're not," she said quietly.
"I'm not?"
"No, definitely not,"
"How d'you know?"
"Well, from experience of course." She said with a smile.
Harry looked at her in confusion for a moment. "I thought you didn't-"
"You kissed me in third year. It wasn't much of a kiss, I know but it was a great kiss either way." She said, shrugging. "And I know I kissed you last June...and even though I can't remember it, it must've been great because according to Effie I was over the moon."
"You liked me then?"
"I did." Aurora finally admitted. "I think I did quite a lot ever since second year. I even remember the exact moment I started realising my feelings for you. But..."
"But?" Said Harry. It was odd, something in his face told Aurora he knew exactly what she was going to say.
"I just....don't...really feel that....anymore." She admitted quietly. "It's not because of Cedric. Him I've quite literally forgotten all about. And it's not Dean or Caspian or anyone else...it's just me."
Harry smiled gently and said, "Is that your version of the 'It's not your fault, it's mine'?"
"Well, it is." She shrugged. "And I do like to be original." She said with a laugh.
"Can I make a confession now?" Said Harry, taking a step towards Aurora.
She nodded.
"I haven't forgotten my feelings. I didn't forget last year or our kiss...and it was great. Honestly, way better than Cho's. Everything fell into place for a moment."
Aurora was not sure she was going to like where this was heading. Had she just made a terrible mistake and hurt his feelings?
"But..." said Harry with a sigh. "The moment I told you I loved you and got off my chest what I thought had been the missing piece, I realised that...I didn't mean it like that."
Aurora's eyes widened. "I'm a little confused..."
"I love you, Ara, always have and always will." Said Harry honestly. "But you were my childhood crush. I was pretty much ready to fight everyone to get you. But once it turned real, I...I realised that it was really just that. A childhood crush. It was our friendship that was going to last forever, that I wanted more than anything to last forever. It was your friendship that made me want to kill everyone involved in your death. It was your friendship that made me terrified of losing you...to anyone. I know when people fall in love with their best friends they usually say that their friendship is worth more to them than anything else but that constant nagging of not being able to kiss the other, it makes it unbearable....and I just never had that with you. I wanted to make you happy. I wanted to be the one you confided in. I wanted to live with you happily ever after. But I never wanted it necessarily in that way, I just thought that was the only option."