AN: Hello All and welcome to the second story in my HP universe, the House of Black. This picks up midsummer, just like the other one. I am so excited to finally share this with everyone and I hope you look forward to reading it!
Dear Diary,
Hello again. It's been a long time since I've written in you. I've been so busy since… Since that day. Leaving Hogwarts, coming back to the Burrow, and settling back into life with my family… Family. You know, the Weasley's have always taken me in, but this year it's more. It's a lot stronger. I don't feel like a burden. I'm showered in just as much love and affection as Ginny and Ron and probably as many chores too. She likes to keep us busy, thinks it keeps us from getting in trouble or worrying. She tries, and that's what counts. She doesn't know that Ginny and I spend all our spare time trying not to discuss the fact that last year our worlds got torn apart… And how awful it is trying to figure it out now. So instead, we fly and practice Quidditch, we cook and clean and try to beat Ron in chess, and we read. A lot. It's peaceful here. I turned 16 yesterday. Had a cake and a little get together. Lots of hugs, lots of kisses. More than I could ever ask for, except I want more. I want my little brother to be here. I want… Him to be here. I want Dumbledore alive, I want the world to be at peace, I want to go to sleep and not dream about blood and Death Eaters and a starry sky overhead that is a reminder of death. I want safety and comfort… And all of that is gone. So instead I write letters to Millie, who's dying at home, to Fallon and Adam, who are fighting tooth and nail to come back to Hogwarts, to Jace, who likes to pretend that nothing's wrong, and to Luna, who has an odd knack for making things better. I get a couple products from Fred and George, but I don't like to use them too much. It scares Mrs. Weasley. So all in all… We're surviving. We're working through it. I have no idea what's going to happen this year. And I am scared.
-Audrina Carona Black
"Rin!" Ginny yells and Audrina straightens up, tossing her now worn diary aside. Ginny sticks her head around the door, raising her eyebrows. "Come help make supper."
"What is it tonight?" She asked curiously, both of them stomping down the stairs loudly.
"New recipe." Ginny says with a sigh. "I think she's compensating for yesterday, like your birthday wasn't big enough or something."
"It was lovely." Audrina protests and Ginny shrugs.
"That's mum for you, always worrying." She says, sighing and picking up a large knife. Audrina hands her some vegetables and they watch out the window as Mrs. Weasley walks through the garden, eyebrows furrowed.
"Ginny, dear, I said to chop the carrots into long, thin slices, not little circle ones." She says, arriving through the back door and depositing more vegetables in the sink. Audrina works at once to wash them clean.
"Well, how much difference can it make, whether it's skinny or circles?" Ginny demands and Audrina mentally prepares herself for the shouting match to come. Instead Mrs. Weasley sighs and goes back outside.
"Well you certainly got away with that better than I thought you would." Audrina comments and Ginny frowns.
"Something's up with her." She says, eyes narrowed.
"She's worried about Harry." Hermione says, arriving in the kitchen with Ron tailing her and Audrina is the only one to notice Ginny's shoulders tense for a fraction of a second.
"We're all worried about Harry." Ginny says through gritted teeth.
"The Order has been planning for weeks on how we're going to get him here safely." Ron complains, slumping in a chair.
"Oi! You can help!" Ginny says hotly, throwing carrot peelings at him.
"You've got it under control." He says dismissively, waving the peelings away. Ginny fumes, reaching for her wand.
"Enough!" Hermione says sharply, standing and helping. "Quit it, this is just what we don't need."
"What, vegetables for supper?" Ron asks sarcastically and Hermione rolls her eyes, charming the knives to work themselves.
"Fighting. I'm sick of it. Can't we just get along for five minutes?" She pleads. "We never know about tomorrow…" With a loud clang, Ginny drops her knife and storms off. Hermione looks at Audrina, startled.
"It might be for the best to stop reminding everyone that there's a chance we could die soon." Audrina suggests, handing Ron her scrub brush and following Ginny. She finds her atop a hill, gazing at the setting sun.
"Sorry." She mutters, when Audrina sits next to her.
"What for?" Audrina asks breezily, admiring the sunset herself.
"For losing my temper. Hermione's right, we've got to stop fighting all the time." She says tiredly.
"We've just been together for too long. All in one space. We're starting to rub on each other the wrong way. Besides," She says, taking a deep breath. "Hermione doesn't get what it's like to hear those words from someone else. It's fine when we say it, but for other people to keep telling us that people are dying and we need to treat each day like it's our last, having no regrets…" She trails off, but the rest doesn't need to be said. Ginny rests her head on Audrina's shoulder and Audrina leans into her.
She knows, deep in her heart, why this bothers her. It's not like she doesn't tell everyone her true feelings. She makes sure to hug the twins extra long each time she sees them, to say kind words to Tonks and Remus whenever they visit, and even keeps her jabs about Ron to a minimum.
The one person she has the most to say to is the one person she doesn't speak to at all. Can't speak to at all. The last time she saw him, he was running behind Snape, dodging debris, his pale blond hair fading in the cloud of dust. She has so many regrets there and no way to resolve them, so instead she keeps her mouth shut and goes on with her life, trying not to envision what it would be like to lose him with so much unsaid.
They sit in silence for a while, watching as the sky streaks pink and red, then orange and yellow, casting everything in a hazy glow. It's a beautiful sunset and Audrina enjoys the moment, when for once it seems peaceful. When Mrs. Weasley hollers from them, both girls stand, brush off their butts, and head back for the Burrow and it's delicious aroma.
"What were you two doing?" Mrs. Weasley asks and Ginny shrugs.
"Thinking." She says dismissively, setting the table. She hovers a plate over Mr. Weasley's spot.
"Yes, dear, your father will be home tonight." Mrs. Weasley says happily in response to Ginny's unanswered question.
"Two nights in a row, that must be some kind of record." Ginny comments, setting the plate down and Mrs. Weasley's smile slips somewhat. Audrina glares at Ginny then picks up the tray with a roast on it.
"This smells amazing." She compliments, putting it on the table.
"Well, good, I'm glad you think so. The carrots are all wrong of course," An eye roll from Ginny as she sits down, "But I think it'll do well enough. C'mon, sit up, your father should be here any minute." She says, bustling them around the table. Ron looks around.
"Where are Bill and Fleur?" He asks and Mrs. Weasley grabs milk and water, pouring either liquid into everyone's glasses.
"Order." She says tightly and Ron knows to drop it, piling meat and vegetables on his plate instead. They wait no more than a couple minutes before Mr. Weasley enters the kitchen, cloak dusty and face pale. He kisses his wife and practically collapses into his chair.
They make small talk as they eat, pretending to be interested in the new book Hermione has been reading and whether or not the muggles in the village down the way would take kindly to Audrina testing Fred and George's newest prototypes on them. Finally, as the meal winds down, Ginny leans forward and looks at her father piercingly.
"What are your plans for getting Harry here safe?" She asks and he looks at her, clearly startled.
"Well, there are several… Ideas… Not completely set in stone… We plan to…" He stammers.
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley chides and she ignores her mother.
"What's your best plan?" She demands.
"He travels with Mad-Eye." Mr. Weasley says, recovering from his surprise. Audrina nods. If anyone can protect Harry, she'd put her faith in the cranky old Auror. She wasn't far from believing he alone could stop Voldemort with one barked order and his notorious glare.
"What if that doesn't work?" Ginny plows on.
"Well," He says, squirming uncomfortably. "There's a plan that involves several of us, going to get him and concealing him."
"I want to go with." Ginny states flatly and Ron drops his fork from his mouth, sending roast flying. Hermione is staring at her, aghast. Audrina's heart is thumping in her chest at the idea of Ginny facing down Voldemort, red hair streaming, brown eyes flashing, and a bright green light…
"Absolutely not." Mrs. Weasley says, standing. She's trembling from head to toe with emotion. "Who do you think you are?"
"Are Ron and Hermione going?" Ginny questions, refusing to back down from her mother's rage. When Mrs. Weasley clamps her mouth shut, she rounds on her father. "Well?"
"Ginny, they're of age." He protests wearily. "If it comes to that, which we think it won't, they'll be allowed to make that choice."
"Then I want to go to!" She announces.
"NO!" Mrs. Weasley yells and for the first time, Ginny looks a bit frightened by her mother. "You will not! That is final! Do not speak of it! AGAIN!" She bellows and Ginny raises her chin, making Audrina sigh. It's not over.
"Would you let Audrina go, if she wanted to?" She tests and Audrina looks at her with wide eyes, not wanting to be brought into this.
"No!" Mrs. Weasley says, sounding dangerously close to tears. "Neither of you are going! I'm not…" Her voice cracks with emotion and she closes her eyes, swallowing hard. "No more of my children are putting themselves in harm's way than have to, do you understand?" She asks, then disappearing out the back door. Silence rushes to fill the void.
"Blimey Ginny." Ron says weakly, seemingly exhausted from the blowup. "Nice going."
"Shut up Ron." Ginny snaps.
"Well what were you going to do?" He points out; oblivious to the fact that Ginny seems to be readying herself for another fight. Audrina and Hermione exchange glances, hunkering down for the next screaming match. "Underage witch, can't even do magic…"
"Like the Ministry will care!" Ginny cries, throwing her hands up. "Like they don't have enough to do!"
"Yes, but we don't need to give anyone a reason to do anything Ginny!" Mr. Weasley says sharply and Ginny rounds on him, but he at least seems ready to hold his own. "They could take your wand, refuse to let you go back to Hogwarts, anything. So right now, hold your tongue." He says, staring into her eyes until some of the tension leaves her shoulders.
"We're going to keep him safe." Hermione says quietly and Ginny looks at her without saying a word, then heads upstairs. All heads swivel towards Audrina, who sighs.
"She just wants some sort of control." She says, by way of explanation. "She feels useless. We all feel useless."
"Useless is better than dead." Mr. Weasley mutters, taking off his spectacles and rubbing his face. "Rin, could you go and fetch Molly, we need to have a talk." He says and she nods, getting up and heading for the garden. Mrs. Weasley is kneeling in the dirt, pulling weeds with a vengeance, even though it's likely too dark for her to see clearly what she's yanking from the earth.
"Mrs. Weasley…" Audrina calls and she looks up. Audrina isn't surprised to see tear tracks down her cheeks.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming back inside." She says, standing. Audrina waits quietly and is taken off guard when Mrs. Weasley suddenly pulls her into a tight hug, holding her close. "Oh you girls…" She mutters.
"I'm sorry." Audrina says automatically and Mrs. Weasley shakes her head, letting her go.
"No, no… It's just, I still see you two as little first years." She says fondly, walking with Audrina back to the Burrow. "Young, big eyed, always laughing over something… You were both so innocent back then, you hardly knew that we were so surprised when Ginny asked if a little girl with the last name Black could come home with her. And now I forget you've grown up, and this war is as much yours as it is mine. And I just wish…" She sighs heavily, rubbing Audrina's arm. "I wish I could've done more to protect you."
"You did!" Audrina insists. "We're here and we're safe. Ginny, she just feels caged. She wants to do something, she wants to help. We both do."
"Why is it that you two girls are so brave?" She wonders aloud and Audrina ducks her head to hide her smile. "I think you almost egg each other on." She says ruefully then kisses Audrina's cheek. "Go, make sure Ginny is alright." Audrina nods and goes to Ginny's bedroom, slipping in. Ginny is curled up with a book in bed, so Audrina goes to the desk and pens a letter to Jace.
When she's done and has sent Lyra off with it, Ginny has washed, her long red hair now a wet and tangled mess. Audrina grabs a comb and sits behind her, brushing it until it is smooth, then carefully braiding it back. Ginny is silent until Audrina ties the braid off.
"I can't keep my temper in anymore." She says quietly. "I don't know what it is, but I can't keep my mouth shut. I have to say something or… I'll explode. How do you do it?" She asks and Audrina muses on it for a moment.
"I just keep it all in and hope that when the time is right, I can let it all out." She says thoughtfully and Ginny sighs, climbing into bed.
"When the time is right, you'll probably kill someone with all that rage." She mutters and Audrina is scared because she's sure it's true.
AN: Please, please tell me what you think! More updates to come!