\ wherein life goes on /
THE SILENCE WAS deafening.
I felt my heart pounding loudly as Fudge grumbled something under his breath before declaring that the questioning was over, and Kingsley led me and Harry back to Mr. Weasley's office in silence, where Mr. Weasley met up with us and then brought us back to...a house.
Number 12, Grimmauld place magically appeared between eleven and thirteen, which I didn't question, and the three of us entered the house to see Hermione, Ron, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Remus, Tonks, and one other person.
"Sirius Black!" I gasped, stumbling backward and gripping my wand. "Move, you guys! Don't you know this man- the mass murderer?"
"Pheobe-"
"What's going on?" I said, looking around, "why're you all acting like this horrible man is your- your friend?"
"He's not horrible-"
"And he is our friend."
"Memento," whispered a voice. I frowned at my godfather.
"What are you doing?" he furrowed his eyebrows before pointing to my dad.
"Who's this?"
"...my dad?" I blinked. "Oh- that's fantastic! It worked!" Remus chuckled relievedly as Sirius grinned widely.
"It definitely worked."
"So- you remember, like, everything? Including while you were Obliviated-?"
"Yeah, Harry, I remember everything," I said, spinning around to face him. He grinned, but I didn't return it, grabbing his hand and pulling him up to my room.
"Well, that escalated qui-"
"Oh, shut up, Potter," I said with a scoff, crossing my arms and shutting the door, pacing back and forth in my room as he sat down on my bed, watching me with a frown.
"What's wrong?"
"Look, the Veratiserum- that made me say some stuff I didn't want to say, okay?" I said, avoiding his gaze.
"But it's the truth-?"
"Yeah, but it's a- a bad truth."
"How's it bad?" I didn't answer for a moment, continuing to pace.
"It's just bad. The timeline-"
"Oh, who gives a shit-"
"I do," I said bitterly. "I give a shit, Harry, even if you don't, okay? So- so maybe I admitted...that- but that can't and never will ever happen again, okay?" Harry scowled and walked up to me, standing right in front of me.
"Stop pacing, it's ticking me off. And besides, I'm supposed to just go with this? I love you, and I don't give a damn if in the timeline, I have to end up with, like, Ginny-" he paused as I fixed my gaze at the floor. "It's Ginny, isn't it?" he said bluntly.
"I-"
"Yes or no." I sighed, nodding.
"Yeah, but that's already wildly off course."
"Well, too bad, because I don't love her, I love you, Pheobe Black-soon-to-be-Weasley-will-one-day-be-Potter." I bit my lip.
"Harry, it can never happen. So, I'll just push my feelings into the garbage, you do the same, and we move on, friends, okay?"
"Not okay," Harry said grumpily. My gaze softened as I watched him.
"I'm sorry."
"Me too. I just got the girl of my dreams to say she's in love with me and mean it. And then she said we can't be together."
"Hermione's right," I said with a sigh. "I'm scared," I sat down on my bed, pursing my lips.
"Of what? Me-?"
"Not you, doof, of...of losing you, I suppose. Imagine if we do get together, Harry, it would be like Heaven- until one day we split up and everything would be destroyed."
"That day will never come," Harry said firmly, sitting down beside me. "I swear."
"Harry, once upon a time, you promised me you would wait for me to figure out my feelings. And then just two weeks ago you threw all of that away and said you wouldn't wait for me, said you would move on."
"And I will forever regret those words," Harry said firmly, "because you're brilliant. Too brilliant to lose. Look," he said finally. "How about friends...but I get to snog you every once in a while?" I scoffed.
"Absolutely not."
"Okay...how about this: we'll be friends now.. but not the same friends Ron and Hermione are to us. Nothing permanent."
"You've never been the same type of friend to me as Ron or Hermione," I said pointedly.
"Yeah, well, are either of them in love with you?"
"In a couple months, that would be incest," I said, pursing my lips. "Ron'll be my brother, and Hermione's already my half-sister."
"So, no." Harry rolled his eyes. "Pheobe Black, would you do the honor of not being my girlfriend?" I sighed and took his hand, a small grin on my face.
"I would love to not be your girlfriend."
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" exclaimed a voice from outside the bedroom. "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR A WHOLE YEAR AND NOW-"
"Hermione!"
"SHE'S RIGHT, WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THEM TOGETHER-"
"Ron!"
"I HAD TO ASK THE BLOODY IDIOTS TO GO OUT ON A DATE-"
"Shut up!"
"IF IT WASN'T FOR ME THEY WOULD HAVE STOPPED TALKING TO EACH OTHER LONG AGO-"
"They've gone quiet!"
"And they can very well hear you!" called Harry as I strode over and opened the door to see the twins looking at Ron and Hermione with wide eyes.
"Is it so hard to get a little privacy?"
"Yes," said Ron bitterly.
"Sirius...he seems upset, don't you think?" said Harry suddenly as him, me, Ron, and Hermione were scrubbing out a moldy cupboard on the third floor a few days later.
"He's probably upset you're leaving for Hogwarts." I shrugged.
"Or, possibly, he's upset about how in a couple months he's going to lose his only daughter." Hermione said pointedly.
"Oh, no way," I shook my head, "if anything, he'll get a bit more freedom when I'm a Weasley."
"Yeah, how's that going, by the way?" Harry asked, aggressively scrubbing a spot.
"They filed a request to the Ministry of Magic, because apparently that's a thing you have to do," I sighed, tying up my hair so it would stop getting in the way, "and then they sent back a letter saying it's got to be approved, and it could take up to a year to approve it 'cause so many people send in requests every day, so basically there's a wait list."
"Is that how it is in the Muggle world, too?" Ron asked. Hermione, Harry, and I swapped frowns.
"Dunno," the three of us said.
"Wow, Hermione doesn't know something? Shocking," Ron said mockingly as Hermione scoffed.
"Anyway..." I said, pulling my gloves back on, "Harry, my dad's just upset 'cause he probably just wanted you to stay here, with him."
"Come off it," Ron said, "he probably just wants a bit of company."
"He'll have company!" said Hermione. "It's Headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."
"I don't think that's true," said Harry, wringing out his cloth. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could."
"He just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more," I shrugged. "And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together."
"Come off it!" said Harry and Ron together.
"Suit yourselves. But I sometimes think Ron's mum's right and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."
"So you think he's touched in the head?" said Harry heatedly.
"Touched in the- what, sorry?" I frowned. "Right, ninety's phrases- of course I don't understand-"
"No, I just think he's been very lonely for a long time," said Hermione simply.
"Also, ninety's phrases?" Ron said with a frown, "what...decade were you from then?"
"Born in 2006," I said, grunting as I tried to rub away the mold, "and time-traveled in 2020."
"Really?" said Hermione with curiously wide eyes, "what's it like in the future?" I rolled my eyes.
"As if I could say. You'll just have to wait and see."
"Still not done yet?" said a voice as Mrs. Weasley entered the bedroom behind us, poking her head into the cupboard.
"I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!" said Ron bitterly. "D'you know how much mold we've got rid of since we arrived here?"
"You were so keen to help the Order," said Mrs. Weasley, "you can do your bit by making Headquarters fit to live in."
"I feel like a house-elf," grumbled Ron.
"Well, now you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in S.P.E.W.!" said Hermione hopefully, as Mrs. Weasley left them to it. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time--we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room, all proceeds to S.P.E.W., it would raise awareness as well as funds--"
"I'll sponsor you to shut up about spew," Ron muttered irritably, but only so Harry and I could hear him.
As the end of the holidays approached, I found myself daydreaming about Hogwarts more and more, until my thoughts were filled with Umbridge practically taking over the school and ruining our lives, although I couldn't help but be excited for my second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, even though I was a fifth year.
"Pheobe! Your booklist's arrived," said Fred, popping into the dining room where I was talking with my dad and Mr. Weasley about the ministry taking too long on adoption requests and such, handing the envelope to me.
"Great." said my dad bitterly.
"Oh- thanks, Fred-"
"No problem," he grinned, before Disapparating right out with a loud 'Crack!'. I had just opened my letter when I heard a voice scream.
"PHEOBE!" I glanced at the two men before racing up the staircase and sprinting to where the voice had come from- my room.
"Hermione! What's wrong? Who died? Is anyone hurt? Is it too late-?" I asked, panicking. To my surprise, I found her dramatically lying down on the floor with a hand on her head. I kneeled down with a roll of my eyes as he handed me her letter. "Let me guess. Prefect-?"
"Prefect!" she exclaimed. "I might faint- look at that! Look at the badge! Prefect!" I smirked.
"Alright, alright!" I grinned as I took the letter. "Prefect, huh?"
"Holy- I can't believe it!"
"Well, of course it's you!" I rolled my eyes and pulled her up, "you're literally the top student in our year!"
"Oh- Harry probably got it too- let's go see!" she promptly dragged me to the boys' room, where Harry was studying a scarlet and gold badge identical to Hermione's with Fred, George, and Ron watching. "Did you--did you get?" she said breathlessly. she spotted the badge and let out a shriek as I grimaced.
"Hermione-"
"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter, "me too, Harry, me too!"
"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge into Ron's hand. "It's Ron, not me."
"It--what?"
"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.
"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But ... are you sure? I mean--"
She turned red as Ron looked round at her with a defiant expression on his lace.
"It's my name on the letter," he said.
"I...." said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I ... well ... wow! Well done, Ron! That's really--"
"Unexpected," said George, nodding.
"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no it's not ... Ron's done loads of ... he's really..."
The door behind us opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.
"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing ... what color would you like?"
"Get him red and gold to match his badge," said George, smirking.
"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.
"His badge," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."
Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation with pajamas.
"His ... but ... Ron, you're not...?"
Ron held up his badge.
Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.
"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie--"
Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.
"Mum ... don't ... Mum, get a grip...." he muttered, trying to push her away.
She let go of him and said breathlessly, "Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."
"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.
"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"
"We've already bought him some," said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.
"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers--"
"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom?"
Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.
"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just--just a new one for a change..."
Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled.
"Of course you can.... Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later.... Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks.... A prefect... Oh, I'm all of a dither!"
She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.
Fred and George exchanged looks.
"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.
"We could curtsey, if you like," said George.
"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.
"Or what?" said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"
"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George.
"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily.
Fred and George burst out laughing, and Ron muttered, "Drop it, Hermione."
"We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, "with these two on our case...."
"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head. "What a shame, Pheobe, Harry, you can't do a single fun thing since your two best mates are both Prefects."
And with another loud crack, the twins Disapparated.
"You guys aren't...upset, are you?" said Ron anxiously, glancing from Harry to me.
"Are you kidding? They're just jealous, Ron," I said, looking up at the ceiling through which we could hear the twins laughing in their room upstairs.
"I don't think they are," said Ron doubtfully, also looking up at the ceiling. "They've always said only prats become prefects.... Still," he added on a happier note, "they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose.... She'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out, that'd be great.... Yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows...."
He dashed from the room, leaving the three of us. I frowned as I watched Harry turn to his bed and pick up the pile of clean robes Mrs. Weasley had laid on it- it seemed as if he was trying not to look at Hermione.
"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively.
"Well done, Hermione," said Harry, so heartily it did not sound like his voice at all, and, still not looking at her, "brilliant. Prefect. Great."
"Thanks," said Hermione. "Erm--Harry--could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased--I mean, prefect is something they can understand."
"Yeah, no problem," said Harry, still in the horrible hearty voice that did not belong to him. "Take her!" Harry leaned over his trunk and seemed to be rummaging for something while Hermione crossed over to the wardrobe and called Hedwig down.
"Well, bye, then, Harry," I added, beginning to follow Hermione out before nodding to her and shutting the door from the inside once she had exited. He stayed bent double for a few minutes silently as I waited with a frown, before he finally straightened up and glanced to the wardrobe, to me, his eyes widening. "I knew you were upset!" I exclaimed.
"I'm not- did you pretend to leave?!"
"Yeah. Did you find the thing you were looking for for a good five minutes there?" I said with a raised eyebrow.
"That- that's an invasion of privacy!" he said instead.
"Privacy?"
"Yeah!"
"Remember when last year you, Ron, and Hermione went underneath the cloak and eavesdropped on my conversation with Dumbledore? My private conversation?" Harry fell quiet and looked away. "You're just upset Ron got Prefect and you didn't, even though he wasn't the one who had to fight Voldemort more than once." I said knowingly, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
"I mean- like- I'm not like Draco, am I? I know I'm not, like, better than Ron in any way-"
"Don't tell me the great Harry Potter has never experienced jealousy. Especially when your eyes are green." Harry blinked.
"What?" I sighed with a roll of my eyes.
"Have you been jealous before?"
"Er-"
"Please tell me you know the definition of jealousy."
"Yeah! I do!"
"Well then there you go: you're jealous."
"Of Ron? And what about you- you're jealous of Hermione, then?" I frowned and shook my head.
"I despise talking to people I don't know unless they approach me or I've got to, Harry, much less take put them in detention. Besides, nobody's so perfect they don't get jealous 'til the age of fifteen, Harry Potter."
"Are you calling me perfect?" he grinned. I scoffed and stood up, raising my hands in surrender.
"I give up! I'm going to go pack. Good day."
Mrs. Weasley returned from Diagon Alley around six o'clock, laden with books and carrying a long package wrapped in thick brown paper that Ron took from her with a moan of longing.
"Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner, I want you all downstairs," she said, but the moment she was out of sight Ron ripped off the paper in a frenzy and examined every inch of his new broom, an ecstatic expression on his face.
Down in the basement Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE--NEW PREFECTS. She looked in a better mood than I had seen her all holiday.
"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, and me as we entered the room. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron. I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled," she added, beaming.
Fred rolled his eyes.
Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley Shacklebolt were already there and Mad-Eye Moody stumped in shortly after Hermione and I had gotten some Butterbeer.
"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," said Mrs. Weasley brightly, as Mad-Eye shrugged off his travelling cloak. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages--could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."
"No problem, Molly..."
Moody's electric-blue eye swivelled upwards and stared fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen.
"Drawing room..." he growled, as the pupil contracted. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it.... Yeah, it's a boggart.... Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"
"No, no, I'll do it myself later," beamed Mrs. Weasley, "you have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually...." She gestured at the scarlet banner. "Fourth prefect in the family!" she said fondly, ruffling Ron's hair.
"Prefect, eh?" growled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and his magical eye swivelling around to gaze into the side of his head.
"Well, congratulations," said Moody, still glaring at Ron with his normal eye, "authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you...."
Ron looked rather startled at this view of the matter but was saved the trouble of responding by the arrival of his father and eldest brother. Mrs. Weasley was in such a good mood she did not even complain that they had brought Mundungus with them; he was wearing a long overcoat that seemed oddly lumpy in unlikely places and declined the offer to remove it and put it with Moody's travelling cloak.
"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!"
Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them, and then applauded.
"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from behind me as everybody moved towards the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato red and waist-length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."
"Like what?" said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.
"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks.
I laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not know whether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra large gulp of Butterbeer and choking on it.
"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, as I thumped Hermione on the back.
Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual bark-like laugh.
"No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge." he said, "it runs in both families." Harry and I grinned.
"I think Dumbledore might have hoped I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."
We all laughed and continued to enjoy the party throughout the evening.
Ron was rhapsodizing about his new broom to anyone who would listen.
"...nought to seventy in ten seconds, not bad, is it? When you think the Comet Two Ninety's only nought to sixty and that's with a decent tailwind according to Which Broomstick?"
Hermione was talking very earnestly to Lupin about her view of elf rights.
"I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn't it? It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking they're superior to other creatures...."
Mrs. Weasley and Bill were having their usual argument about Bill's hair.
"...getting really out of hand, and you're so good-looking, it would look much better shorter, wouldn't it, Pheobe?" I froze as Bill turned to me, and couldn't help but blush.
"I mean...to be honest, the long hair really suits Bill, it...um...it just depends on the person's preferences, right?" Bill shot a grateful grin at me, causing my cheeks to heat up even more as I smiled back, and Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips.
"You're blushing," Hermione whispered to me with a grin. "And Harry's scowling." I shook my head, snapping myself out of it, and saw that, out of the corner of my eye, Harry's fists were clenched and he was glaring determinedly at his glass of water, as though he was trying to levitate it with his mind.
"I'm not blushing," I scoffed.
"Yeah, you just happen to look like a tomato right after my brother smiled at you," Ginny rolled her eyes, walking past me and grabbing a biscuit. She hadn't said it very loudly, but it seemed that everyone had heard it and they all turned to stare at me. Ginny had an apologetic look on her face, but all I wanted was to crawl under the table, go to sleep, and never wake up.
"Which brother?" Fred demanded.
"No, I didn't say brother," Ginny scoffed, her eyes screaming 'FUCK HOW DO I FIX THIS'.
"She said...dother!" I said quickly.
"...what?" my dad frowned.
"Er- it's latin for...crush?" Ginny said in an attempt to resolve everything.
"Is it really?" Mr. Weasley said, looking impressed.
"Yeah, yeah," I said, nodding and wishing everyone would go back to their lives. A couple people still narrowed their eyes at me, that being the twins, Hermione, and Ron, but everyone else went back to their conversations.
"Don't worry about it," Bill said to me, grinning, before continuing his conversation with his mother, and I just blinked, feeling heat rush into my face as I looked away.
"Ginny, you shouldn't've said that," Hermione said sternly. "That wasn't nice."
"She deserved it," Ginny shrugged, before going back to pretending I didn't exist. "Hey, Harry," she began, fluttering her eyelashes wildly to the boy who was on my other side, "could you pass me the Black Pudding?" I gagged.
"Pig murderer," I whispered just loud enough for Harry and Hermione to hear, and they both grinned.
"Sorry, Ginny, my hands are full," Harry said, when in truth, one of his hands was on my knee, and his other hand was on his lap, but he quickly reached over and picked up his bottle of Butterbeer. "See? Full. Sorry." Ginny sighed as Ron shook his head disapprovingly to his sister.
"You shouldn't even be eating that stuff anyways, Gin, that's made with pig blood." I looked at Ron, surprised, as Ginny glanced at her brother, clearly unbothered.
"And?"
"And do you know how many pigs have to be murdered just so you can eat? Shame on you, Gin."
"Wha-"
"For shame, little sis," Fred and George shook their heads simultaneously. Ginny scowled.
"Hey- I don't think the method for getting her to hate me less is ganging up on her," I started, "she's your sister, it's only fair you're on her side."
"Damn it, Black, why've you got to be so nice?!" Ginny spat so loudly that everyone's head snapped to her. Ginny promptly stormed upstairs and slammed a door so loudly the house practically shook.
"...I'm sorry?" I pursed my lips.
"Do you hear that sound?" said Harry, entering my room later that night after we had our dinners.
"Do you know what knocking is?" I said, not bothering to look up from my book. Hermione decided to take a bath at night again and so I had literally nobody to back me up at the moment.
"You're reading again." he pointed out. I glanced at my watch.
"You're up late again." he paused, both of us knowing that Harry's method of dealing with nightmares was trying to hold off sleep as much as he could, and mine was reading before bed.
"So are you."
"What sound?" I said finally.
"It's coming from the drawing room."
"If you know where it's coming from, why don't you go check it out?" I looked up, meeting his gaze. "Don't tell me you're scared." he groaned and walked over, pulling me to my feet and dragging me downstairs, pressing his ear to the door of the drawing room.
"Listen," he whispered. I frowned and pressed my ear to the door as well.
"It's...someone's sobbing," I gasped slightly as I gently pushed open the door.
Someone was cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Sprawled on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight, clearly dead, was Ron.
All the air seemed to vanish from my lungs; I felt like I was suffocating-
But wait a moment, it couldn't be-- Ron was downstairs--
"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry croaked.
"R-r-riddikulus!" Mrs. Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.
Crack
Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever.
"R-riddikulus!" she sobbed again.
Crack.
Mr. Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.
"No!" Mrs. Weasley moaned. "No ... riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!"
Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead me.
I immediately ran downstairs to get Lupin and my dad, leading them up to the drawing room at top speed.
"What's going on?" Lupin said, quickly rushing in as my gaze found the newest dead figure on the floor: Harry.
Harry's hair was sprawled on the carpet with his eyes wide open, his glasses snapped in half and a large cut on his cheek bleeding steadily. It was such a horrifying sight that I couldn't tear my eyes from it until I felt Harry's arms wrap around me instantly, spinning me and shielding me from himself. I had to stare at him for a moment to make sure he was real, make sure he was alive as the very real idea of his death dawned on me.
By the time I finally forced myself to look, Mrs. Weasley was sobbing her heart out on Remus's shoulder.
"Molly, it was just a boggart," he said soothingly, patting her on the head. "Just a stupid boggart..."
"I see them d-d-dead all the time!" Mrs. Weasley moaned into his shoulder. "All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it..."
I could only stare at the patch of the carpet where Harry's body had lain just moments before.
"D-d-don't tell Arthur," Mrs. Weasley was gulping now, mopping her eyes frantically with her cuffs. "I d-d-don't want him to know.... Being silly..."
Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose.
"Harry, Pheobe, I'm so sorry. What must you think of me?" she said shakily. "Not even able to get rid of a boggart..."
"Don't be stupid, you know we wouldn't be able to do it either," said Harry weakly as I nodded, my voice getting caught in my throat as I kept seeing Harry's dead body flashing in and out of my vision.
"I'm just s-s-so worried," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again. "Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this.... and P-P-Percy's not talking to us.... What if something d-d-dreadful happens and we've never m-m-made it up with him? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?"
"Molly, that's enough," said Lupin firmly. "This isn't like last time. The Order are better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to--"
Mrs. Weasley gave a little squeak of fright at the sound of the name.
"Oh, Molly, come on, it's about time you got used to hearing his name--look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time. You weren't in the Order then, you don't understand. Last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one...."
"And don't worry about Percy," said Sirius abruptly. "He'll come round. It's only a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology," he added bitterly.
"And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died," said Lupin, smiling slightly, "what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled tremulously.
"Being silly," she muttered again, mopping her eyes. I nodded wordlessly and went straight to the bathroom, locking the door sitting on the counter as I fought all the emotions that were tearing at me, before I heard two gentle knocks at the door.
"Sorry, I'll be out in a second-"
"It's me." came Harry's voice.
"Please leave."
"Can I please come in?" Harry asked quietly. I unlocked the door hesitantly and Harry immediately walked in and wrapped me in his arms, sighing heavily. "Love..."
"Harry," I choked out. "You were dead. You were on the floor, in front of me, dead." He held me tighter as I fought a flow of tears. "Sorry, I'm being stupid, it was just a boggart-" Harry pulled away just enough for me to see that his eyes were rimmed with red, looking watery and saddened.
"I couldn't breathe when I saw you," he whispered. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't... I was paralyzed. You were gone from my life for thirty seconds and my heart stopped for all of them."
We stayed like that for a while, just being with each other as we thought about what this war would result in. Finally, we figured it wouldn't be too long before someone got suspicious of where we were, and I made my way back to mine and Hermione's bedroom, him following me inside as I tucked myself underneath my covers and he lay beside me.
"Pheobe... seeing you like that...it made me realize how fragile life is. I can't spend it all like this."
"What, waiting on me?"
"No. Spend it all regretting stuff I did or didn't do, or said and didn't say."
"And what stuff are you regretting?" Harry raised his eyebrows.
"Should I really list them all?"
"...okay, list the ones related to me." I decided.
"Okay...there's not fighting Malfoy when he called you that word, there's not stopping you when you went to go do a favor for him, there's not beating up Malfoy-"
"List the ones related to me that aren't related to Malfoy," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. He sighed.
"I guess that ticks off, like...fifty-seven. Fine, there's not asking you to the Yule Ball beforehand...there's waiting so long to tell you I loved you...there's the bullshit I said two weeks go..." he trailed, thinking. "There's waiting, a lot of it, to say stuff to you, or me being scared you would reject me, 'cause, who're we kidding?, you love me." he grinned. I rolled my eyes.
"You done now?"
"Oh, there's one more," said Harry, pursing his lips. "I didn't kiss you that day."
"What day-?"
"You know...the Prefect's bathroom, me, you, and the golden egg." he said, still sounding bitter about it. I smiled.
"If we'd kissed that day, I think things would've gone by a lot faster. I wish we had."
"Alright, fine, do you have anything you regret about me?" I paused to consider it.
"Just two."
"Yeah? What are they?"
"They're very contradictory, mind you...the first is falling for you, and the second is trying to get over you."
"Hang on, you tried to get over me? Hang on, you regret falling for me?" said Harry, sounding halfway between amused and hurt.
"Of course I tried to get over you, but it very much failed...and yeah, I do regret it. Maybe then we wouldn't be here right now."
"What do you mean?" Harry frowned. I sighed.
"You, waiting on me to finally come to terms with my feelings for you, and me, still not able to get over how much you hurt me."
"I'm sor-"
"Harry, why do you think what you said hurt me so much?" I said, meeting his gaze.
"Because it was stupid?" he blinked. I sighed.
"Because you mean so much to me. That increased the meaning of your words, by like... a thousand. That's why I still can't forgive you fully. 'Cause for a second, you acted like you were okay with not being in my life. And that shit hurt," I said. Harry sighed and leaned against my bedframe.
"What do you think your boggart would be?" he asked finally.
"I dunno," I said, fiddling with the silver S.O.B ring on my finger. "This whole world? Everything here?"
"What d'you mean?"
"You know...what if I wake up tomorrow in my bed at Sophia's house, my dad's not Sirius Black and he's in the hospital still...I'm the weird nerd who loves books and a fictional character..." I shrugged as I felt Harry lace our fingers together.
"That's not what you'd wake up to tomorrow," said Harry after a moments silence. "You'd wake up in this bed, me right beside you, everyone you love in this house, healthy and happy, and you'd wake up to being this really pretty badass girl who has the Harry James Potter head over heels for her." I felt the corner of my lips turn upwards.
"You know, I'm still half-convinced I'm living a dream right now."
"Yeah...that's one hell of a dream, isn't it?" he laughed lowly, tugging the blanket over to his side slightly.
"Damn right it is."
"Ron, have you seen Harry? I've been looking for him everywhere," said a voice- Mrs. Weasley's.
"No, Mum, I haven't," came Ron's voice.
"Ah, well...maybe Pheobe knows? Phe-" the door swung open and Mrs. Weasley stared at the two of us for a few seconds. The only thing we could hear was Hermione's faint singing in the shower. "Harry," she began, "I wanted to know if your trunk was all set for tomorrow?" Harry nodded. "Pheobe? How about you, dear, is yours packed as well?"
"...yeah, Mrs. Weasley."
"Okay. Good night, dears." she walked out of the bedroom abruptly, closing the door behind her.
"Did you find Harry, Mum?"
"Oh, yes, he was in the loo."
.✫ * ﾟ ･ ﾟ ｡. ★. *｡ ･ ﾟ ✫ *.
"Pheobe," whispered a voice. "Wake up."
"Why?" I said groggily.
"Because it's nearly eleven on September first!" hissed Hermione.
"No it's not."
"Yes, it is!" said Ron's voice.
"You liars."
"We're not lying!" this time it was Harry's voice.
"You're James Potter's kid, his prankster blood is literally running through your veins, Harry." I said tiredly, keeping my eyes shut and turning over in my bed.
"Pheobe!" hissed a different voice- my dad's. "Get up before Molly kills us all!"
"Hello? you're the Sirius Black, why would I believe you-"
"Is Pheobe ready- Pheobe!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley's voice. "You're still asleep!? Up! Get up! It's nearly eleven!" I jumped to my feet, blinking the sleepiness out of my eyes, to glance out the window and see-
darkness.
Pitch black.
I swore loudly and turned to my three so-called best friends, my dad, and the twins holding their wands, all of them grinning widely.
"Run while you can," I scowled, "because it is four in the fucking morning and you won't live to see five."
"Yeah, ri-" but my dad was gone already. Ron, Hermione, and Harry rolled their eyes. I twirled my wand between my fingers so they could see.
"Where- how did you get that?" said Ron with wide eyes. "I was- I had that in my pocke-" he fell quiet.
"Yeah..." I said, mocking thoughtfulness. "It's strange, I could've sworn...all three of you had your wands in your pockets just a few moments ago." Hermione, Ron, and Harry gasped as they felt in their pockets to find nothing, before I showed them three other wands- their own wands. "Hm...it's so crazy..."
"Run."
"Way ahead of you."
"Good morning," said Mrs. Weasley cheerfully as all of us trudged downstairs with our trunks.
"Good night's sleep?" grinned Bill, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't try me, Bill," I muttered bitterly. "You may be hot and I might be dead tired, but I will fight you." Bill laughed and set a glass of orange juice before me as I sat down in one of the chairs.
"Is it really my fault I stopped you from hexing your friends and dad?" chuckled Remus, looking at me over the top of his newspaper.
"Yes."
"It's not even legal to use magic outside school," Hermione pointed out.
"Yeah, you're dreadfully lucky 'bout that."
"Breakfast!" chirped Mrs. Weasley suddenly. "Come on, come on!"
A few hours later all of us (even my dad, in his animagus form) were at King's Cross station, the twins, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and I ready for a new school year at Hogwarts.
"Hey- Pheobe!" called a voice. I grinned and walked over to James, waving to him.
"James, hey!"
"How was your summer?" I shrugged.
"Normal. You?"
"It was fantastic- remember when I wrote to you about-"
"Going to France for the summer?" I grinned, "you only told me a million times. How was it?"
"Oh, it was brilliant!" he sighed, lost in his thoughts, "especially the fooood!" I rolled my eyes.
"Of course you loved the food, you love anything edible with loads of sugar in it."
"Yeah, okay- ooh, and I remembered you said you were French- so I got you something! Hold on," he rummaged around in his pocket for a moment before holding out a small figure of the Eiffel Tower, but when he handed it to me, people on tiny brooms started flying around the Tower.
"McCoy, I don't even play Quidditch," I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He grinned.
"Well, this is a sign-"
"A planned sign, Prefect," I scoffed. "Thanks, though, I really like it. Now go on, you've got to sit with the other Prefects!"
"Right, yeah," he nodded, "alright, I'll see you later, Pen!"
"I've told you that's never going to work!" I called as he boarded the train.
"Whatever you say, Pen!" I rolled my eyes as I felt someone nudge me.
"Pen?!" Hermione repeated, "oh, that's so adorable, he's already making nicknames for you-"
"Oh, hush, he's a dork," I said with a shrug.
"Well then forget McCoy, Harry's right there!"
"Er- no way-"
"But he said he loves you!" Ron insisted.
"And you said you love him!" Hermione prodded, as I had told her what had happened at the Hearing as soon as I could after we had returned to Headquarters. I shook my head.
"Draco said that to me too, Ron. And then he ended up hexing me." I chose not to respond to Hermione's comment.
"But now you two are on good terms!" Hermione said.
"Took a while. Besides, what happened to the deal of we don't bring up my love life and I don't bring up you two?" both stiffened instantly.
"Forgot," Ron said. "Thanks for making it awkward, Pheeb, Prefects've got to sit together in the front-"
"Oh, really? I'm sorry, I totally forgot!" I said mockingly, pushing the two of them away. "Enjoy the ride, lovebirds."
"Shut up, Pheobe!" I laughed, running a hand through my hair as I walked back to Mrs. Weasley, the twins, Ginny, and Harry and the black dog who was my father.
"Alright, Mum!" Fred groaned as Mrs. Weasley gave her son one last hug, "we're going to be late!"
"Yes, yes, that's what you say every year- go on, then! Have a good year, dears-" I tuned her out and began to make my way to the train before the black dog barked loudly and ran up to me, wagging his tail as he sat right in front of me. I grinned and kneeled down, scratching the dog's head as he barked happily.
"Bye, dad," I said, standing up as he gave a sort of smile, which was weird since it was a dog. He had really begun to loosen up after we had sent in the request for me to officially become a Weasley, and I could see that he much preferred being an uncle over a father. It still felt weird calling him my dad, but I was beginning to get used to it. Besides, within a year, I'd be a part of a massive family of redheads. I glanced over to Harry who grinned, looking between me and Sirius.
"You just called a dog your dad." Sirius barked furiously.
"He's offended," I chuckled. "Besides, your godfather is a dog. He's your dogfather."
"At least he's not my real father." he smirked back.
"Both of you've got a dog as your relative, can we move on?!" scoffed Fred. "Let's go- on the train, lady and boy."
"How come she's a lady and I'm a boy?" Harry frowned. George laughed.
"Because you are no man, Harry Potter, and that was proven this morning when you ran from her and yet you were able to fight Voldemort."
"Multiple times," Fred chimed in, nodding.
"Well- Sirius ran too!" George furrowed his eyebrows.
"Tell me, Harry," he began, "did you create a chil-"
"Can we go now?!" I interrupted. "Great. C'mon, Harry. Goodbye, Fred and George," I added sourly, grabbing Harry's hand and dragging him onto the train, and the two of us searched for a compartment with either people we knew or an empty one for what felt like forever.
"D'you see- there!" Harry exclaimed, pointing to the end of the aisle. I hesitated. If this was according to the books, then that compartment was occupied with Neville, Luna, and Ginny.
It had been difficult enough pretending to hate her guts at home, I didn't know if I could bear to do it more. I always felt horrible after snapping at her, and it was clear she did too, for after every stupid argument we had, each of us would make sure to find the other in private and apologize. It was horrible and awkward, and I was so over it.
"Er- you can go ahead and sit there, I'll just sit with-" I winced, remembering that my cousin, Draco Malfoy, was also a Prefect.
Draco and I were on very good terms, now, considering both of us had issues with our dads, so we had somehow managed to bond over that, and now were were regular cousins who wrote to each other over the holidays-
although, I obviously couldn't write much, considering his dad was still a Death Eater and able to give information to Voldemort.
"With?" Harry prompted with a raised eyebrow.
"...er.."
"Oh, c'mon, I'll protect you from whatever," Harry scoffed, dragging me towards the compartment at the end.
"I don't need you to protect-"
"Can you shut up?"
"No-"
"You're Pheobe Black," said a voice, and my gaze fell on a girl with long blonde hair and a magazine in her hand which was labeled 'The Quibbler', sitting across Ginny Weasley, who winced when I approached.
I wasn't sure how the situation was now, now that we were away from her parents and her brothers, but I guessed she was trying to play it safe just in case.
"And you're Luna Lovegood."
"I am," hummed the girl. "I didn't know many people knew that."
"Oh, don't be silly- loads of people know that, right, Harry?" He froze as I elbowed him.
"Oh- yep- yeah- hi- er- Luna-" he grimaced, shooting a look at me. I pursed my lips, studying Luna.
"You kind of remind me of someone."
"I get that a lot."
"No, but like...I don't...you remind me of my really good friend...er.." I got scared all of a sudden, realizing I couldn't remember the name of the girl who was my best friend in the...the past? "I swear you remind me of her- her name started with a S..."
"Sophia?" Harry offered with a small frown. My eyes widened.
I forgot Sophia.
"Yeah," I said, trying to sound offhanded. "Sophia. Anyways," I said rapidly as Harry looked at me with a raised eyebrow, attempting to change the subject, "Nev, how're you-?"
"Great, thanks, you?"
"Great- right, um, we're really sorry to bother you-"
"Then don't," Ginny snapped.
"It's alright, Pheobe, Harry Potter, you can sit with us," Luna smiled. Harry blinked.
"But we didn't-"
"The Nargles told me," she whispered.
"Okay, maybe you were right, let's just g-" Harry started uncertainly. I scoffed.
"Oh ha, ha." I stepped inside the compartment and slipped into the seat beside Neville and Luna, and Harry hesitated before sitting down as far away as he could from Ginny, which wasn't that much, but he still made an effort. I saw the corners of Ginny's lips turn upwards into a small smile as she raised her eyebrows, looking between Harry and I, before standing up promptly and exiting the compartment but shooting a look at me that said to follow her,
"I'll be right back, I've got to use the loo," I said, getting up. I left the compartment and instantly was pulled into a different one by Ginny. "Hey, what's up?" I asked as she shut the door and pulled the blinds down.
"I don't know what to do," she admitted. "I don't want to keep pretending like I hate you, because I feel so bad and you're so nice about it, but I don't want anyone to find out-"
"Do you like Luna?" I interrupted. She blushed furiously, looking away.
"What? No." I grinned but didn't press her.
"Okay. Ginny, I'll do whatever makes you feel comfortable."
"You're so nice, honestly," Ginny said anxiously, clasping her hands together. "I want to tell my parents, I really do, I'm just.."
"Ginny, it's fine. You can pretend to hate me until you're ready to tell them." she smiled gratefully at me as I walked back to the compartment and took my seat beside Neville.
"So how was your summer, Luna?" I asked. She smiled softly.
"It was quite enjoyable." said the girl.
"Harry, Luna's a Ravenclaw in fourth year," I introduced quickly.
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," said Luna in a singsong voice out of nowhere, before she raised her upside-down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent. Harry raised his eyebrows at me before glancing at Luna.
The train rattled onwards, speeding us out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next we were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.
"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.
"Another Remembrall?" Harry guessed.
"A book on plants?" I offered. Neville frowned.
"No," said Neville. "I could do with both, though, I lost the old Remembrall ages ago and finished the book Moody- Crouch gave me.... No, look at this...."
He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.
"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly.
I stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.
"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."
I knew that Neville's favorite subject was Herbology, but for the life of me I could not see what Neville would want with this stunted little plant.
"Does it--er--do anything?" said Harry uncertainly.
"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me...."
He dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his schoolbag. Luna Lovegood's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, watching what Neville was doing. Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.
Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, dark green jets of it. They hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine; Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat; and I had luckily grabbed my schoolbag and held it up in front of my face and head so that the slime only got on my shirt, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing Trevor's escape, received a faceful. It smelled like rancid manure.
Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.
"So sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before.... Didn't realize it would be quite so... Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful on to the floor.
At that precise moment the door of our compartment slid open.
"Oh ... hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um ... bad time?"
I looked up and saw a very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at Harry: Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. I felt a pang of jealousy before shaking my head and snapping out of it, remembering I made a silent promise to myself to not fall for Harry- which I had already broken and was failing to mend.
"Hi, Cho," said Harry simply, looking up.
"Erm..."said Cho. "Well ... just thought I'd say hello ... bye then." the girl shut the compartment door and walked away. I looked over to see Harry watching me with an amused expression and a cocked eyebrow.
"Scourgify," I muttered, and the slime disappeared off of all of us and my bag instantly.
"Sorry," Neville said weakly, beginning to stand up. "You probably don't want to sit with m-"
"Nonsense," I shook my head as I took his hand and pulled him back down into the seat beside me, "there's nobody else we'd want to sit with."
"I hate to say this, and I mean I really hate to say this, but I agree with...her," Ginny said finally. Harry had a thoroughly surprise expression on his face, as this was supposedly the first time Ginny had ever said something remotely nice to me, which I attempted to mirror. Neville blushed.
"Thanks."
Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Ginny, me, and Neville had finished our pumpkin pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog Cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.
"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to Harry. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.
"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took a seat beside me. "Boy and girl from each."
"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.
"Malfoy," said Harry at once.
"'Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.
"Didn't I already tell you this?" I said with furrowed eyebrows.
"You knew?!"
"Obviously, who doesn't write their cousin?"
"Harry." Ron grinned at once. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Of course I write my wonderful cousin and my amazing aunt and uncle who love me so much-"
"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson's a Prefect too," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..."
"Who are Hufflepuff's?" I asked curiously.
"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron thickly.
"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.
"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.
Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed his mouthful of Frog.
"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.
"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."
She retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. Ron shook his head, bemused, then checked his watch.
"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Harry, Neville, Ginny, and me, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something...."
"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.
"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.
"So you're going to descend to his level?"
"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."
"For heavens sake, Ron--"
"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing,: said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. "I ... must ... not ... look ... like ... a ... baboon's ... backside."
Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. Luna laughed so hard her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs, and onto the floor.
"That was funny!"
Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at Ron. Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the rest of us, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backwards and forwards, clutching her sides.
"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.
"Baboon's ... backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.
We watched Luna laugh with small smiles before I noticed Harry reach over and grab The Quibbler magazine from the floor and start skimming through it. Luna stopped laughing finally and everyone else began talking about the upcoming school year, Hermione talking most of all about O.W.L.s.
"Anything good in there?" asked Ron as Harry closed the magazine.
"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer. "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that."
"Excuse me," said Luna; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. "My father's the editor."
"I- oh," said Hermione, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Well ... it's got some interesting ... I mean, it's quite..."
"I'll have it back, thank you," said Luna coldly, and leaning forwards she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Riffling through it to page fifty-seven, she turned it resolutely upside-down again and disappeared behind it, just as the compartment door opened for the third time. I turned to the door.
"What?" said Harry aggressively to my cousin, Draco Malfoy.
"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Draco, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."
"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."
"Guys," I said sternly. It was probably too much to have hoped that my cousin and ...friend? would have been on at least slightly good terms, but still.
At least Hermione and Ron weren't the same.
Ginny and Neville laughed, Ron and Hermione pursing their lips as they swapped looks with me. Draco's lip curled.
"How-"
"Draco."
"Fine, fine, I wasn't even here to see those idiots in the first place," Draco scoffed and dragged me out of the compartment, slamming the door behind us. All of a sudden, his mean demeanor and permanent scowl was gone. "Pheobe!" he whined. "You left me there all alone! I thought you were going to be a Prefect but no, stupid Weaselbee and Granger were," well, at least he'd stopped calling my sister the m- word- "and I had to put up with Pug face! Do you know how horrible that was?!" he complained, and I smiled at my cousin's antics.
"Abandonment issues much?" I scoffed. He groaned and shoved me irritably.
"No! I just hate having to deal with Puggy, and you're not even there, so being a Prefect sucks!" he complained.
"Oh ha, ha, Draco, very funny. You're the one who wanted to be a Prefect!"
"Yeah, 'cause I thought it was so cool and, like, for the best people!"
"Aw, and you thought I was in that category-?"
"Oh shut up, you didn't get in, Pug Face did! This is why you should've been in Slytherin and then you would've gotten the role-"
"Draco," I said patiently, "I'm not a Slytherin, not will I ever be, nor have I ever wanted to."
"When you say it like that-"
"Besides, you've got that girl- Hannah, right? The one who was wearing the 'Potter Stinks' badge last year?" I grimaced, thinking of the badge.
"Yeah, but she's got that stupid MacMillan guy, and that trou de cul is-"
"Hold on," I said with a growing grin, "did Draco Malfoy just swear in French?!"
"Yeah," he shrugged mildly, "anyways, Ernie's a prick, and Hannah thinks he's cool, so they're both out, and then the Ravenclaws are total-"
"Hey-"
"Whatever, and then the Gryffindor's are-"
"My brother and sister- wait, that sounds so weird when you think about how they're in love with each other- holy shit-" Draco ignored me, continuing with his rambling.
"And now I'm all alone-"
"You mentioned-"
"Even Nott and Zabini didn't get it!"
"I know."
"And it sucks!"
"Well, Nott's a buzzkill and Blaise- no, I can see why that'd suck," I said thoughtfully. I had met my cousins' friends a few times- the decent ones- and they weren't too bad. Granted, they both seemed like total pricks, but Blaise Zabini was actually into reading, like me.
Theodore Nott, though, was a pain in the ass, no matter how good-looking.
"Wait, Nott didn't become a Prefect?" I repeated, the corner of my lip twitching. Draco waved his hand dully.
"Already rubbed it in his face-"
"Yeah, but he didn't have it rubbed in his face by his favorite Gryffindor! Can I?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"'Cause you're a Prefect, stupid. Why d'you think?" he rolled his eyes.
"As much as I love putting Gryffindor's in detention, even I'd want to rub it in Theo's face a few times." Draco noted. I grinned.
"Thanks, cuz. Hey- tell Harry and-" I paused, imagining my cousin telling my best friends that I had gone to go irritate the Slytherins. "I'll tell them myself." I slid open the compartment door and poked my head in with a mischievous grin on my face.
"Oh no, Pheobe, what've you done?" Hermione sighed.
"Nothing," I grinned. "Yet."
"What'd the trou de cul say?" I bit the inside of my cheek in thought, studying Ron.
"Is everyone picking up French swear words from me now?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Alright, well, I'm off to go annoy the Slytherins- catch you later, yeah?"
"See you later," said a chorus of voices- all except for miss Prefect Hermione who had the ability to give me a detention for doing something wrong. I was mildly sure bothering Slytherins counted as 'something wrong'.
"Oh, c'mon, Prefect!"
"What do you mean annoy?"
"Hey, I'm only going to annoy the Slytherins who are my friends! It's...uh...playful bickering!"
"Theodore doesn't think tha-"
"Shut up, Draco!" I smacked his arm with a roll of my eyes. "C'mon, Hermione, even the big scary Slytherin Prefect said I could!"
"He's got a soft spot for you," Hermione scoffed.
"Pheobe," said my cousins voice suddenly, "can you hand me your bookbag? I need to-"
"Draco! Hermione, it's my friend- and my favorite prick to annoy! Besides, you wouldn't give detentions to your own house!"
"She would," said Ron. "She really would. She gave detentions to a couple Gryffindors who were snogging in the middle of the aisle because she said 'PDA on a train taking us to a school is downright disgusting.'"
"Of course she did," Harry grinned. "Watch her not do the same when she's the one getting caught." Hermione turned pink.
"Okay," Hermione squeaked out, "see you later."
"Brilliant!" I grinned excitedly, shutting the compartment door. My cousin rolled his eyes at me.
"Theo's down there- c'mon, I'll get my camera so we can watch his expression on repeat-"
"You've got a camera?"
"Yeah."
"A Muggle camera?" Draco raised an eyebrow at me as we set off down the aisle.
"You're the one who forced me to buy it." He said pointedly. I grinned.
"I know."
"Black!" exclaimed a voice. Another groaned as we entered the area of the train which was full of Slytherins.
"Oh, shit, not that asshole!"
"Zabini!" I exclaimed right back as he ran over to me and we proceeded to do our secret handshake while Draco watched boredly.
"Done yet, children?" said my cousin.
"Nah, it's got ten more minutes left in it," Blaise smirked. "Tiny girl! How've you been?" I frowned.
"I'm not tiny!" Blaise looked down at me with a raised eyebrow and I elbowed him with a scoff. "Just because you're an enormous giant-"
"That's only to three feet tall people." I rolled my eyes.
I had met Blaise and Theo officially in our fourth year, at King's Cross Station when Draco and I had made up, and Blaise and I had instantly clicked, both of us loving to make fun of my cousin and having a shared interest in books. Theo, on the other hand, decided I wasn't worth his attention, and Blaise and I continued to annoy Theo up until we had to go to our homes.
"Hey, Nott-ing," I grinned mischievously, resting an elbow on his head teasingly.
"Hello, Stinky Phe-et." groaned Theodore, running a hand through his wavy brown hair. "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing," I chided, "just to remind you that Draco managed to become a Prefect and you didn't." Theo stuck his middle finger up at me.
"Piss off, Black."
"Right back at ya, Nott."
a/n: i read a previous revision of this chapter and pheobe & harry were already dating 😭💀 i love how this book is more than halfway over and they still haven't even kissed yet