Hey readers, here is the fourth chapter to the installment of Shell Cottage. These chapters are coming by pretty quickly. Happy reading! :)
Chapter 4: Eavesdropping
Fleur did not know whether or not she should have been listening at the door. Bill had instructed her before he left to relocate the family that she should find out as much as she could about Harry's plan, but she was also still stuck on Luna's words. Bill was not home yet, Luna was eating a carrot in the kitchen while peacefully looking out the window, and Dean was sleeping on the couch.
Making up her mind, Fleur slowly began advancing to the room where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were talking with Griphook. She tiptoed quietly so that the wooden floorboard would not make a creaking sound. After reaching the end of the hallway, she pressed her ear to the door. She hoped that nobody would know she was spying on them.
"…the right to carry a wand has long been contested by wizards and goblins," said a voice that Fleur recognized as Griphook's.
"Well, goblins can do magic without wands!" said Ron.
"This is immaterial!" countered Griphook. "Wizards refuse to share the secrets of wandlore with other magical beings, they deny us the possibility of extending our powers."
It sounded to Fleur as though they were having a heated argument. But what could they be possibly arguing about? It sounded like a childish fight of social classes to her.
"Well, goblins won't share any of their magic either," argued Ron. "You won't tell us how to make swords and armor the way you do. Goblins know how to work metal in a way wizards have never-"
"It doesn't matter," interrupted a voice Fleur recognized as Harry's. "This isn't about wizards versus goblins or any other sort of magical creature-"
Suddenly Griphook laughed. It was a pretty nasty laugh, very evil-like. It sent chills down Fleur's spine as she listened.
"But it is, it is about precisely that!" the goblin said. "As the Dark Lord becomes even more powerful, your race is set still more firmly above mine! Gringotts falls under Wizarding rule, house-elves are slaughtered, and who amongst the wand-carriers protests?"
"We do!" Fleur heard Hermione shout aggressively. Fleur also heard her get up from her chair. "We protest! And I'm hunted quite as much as any goblin or elf, Griphook! I'm a Mudblood!"
For a second Fleur was in shock. Why would she call herself a mudblood? "Don't call yourself-" she heard Ron mutter.
"Why shouldn't I?" said Hermione. "Mudblood, and proud of it! I've got no higher position under this new order than you have, Griphook! It was me they chose to torture, back at the Malfoys'! Did you know that it was Harry who-"
"Fleur?" someone asked.
Fleur spun around in shock to find Dean standing there in the middle of the corridor. She held a finger up to her mouth, attempting to shush him.
"Er…what are you doing?" Dean whispered.
"Look, you cannot tell anyone," said Fleur nervously.
"Are you…eavesdropping," Dean asked.
Fleur couldn't hide it. She had been caught red handed. "Yes, Dean, I am eavezdroppeeng, if zat ees 'ow you call eet een Eenglish."
"Yeah well…okay," said Dean, unsure of what to really say.
"Well…what are you doeeng?" Fleur asked.
"I was looking for you," said Dean.
"What for?"
"I was wondering if you could make some tea…but if you're busy-"
"No no no, moi? I am not beessy at all," said Fleur. "Follow me to ze keetchen."
Fleur's attempts of eavesdropping any further had been abandoned as she led Dean to the kitchen. It was too risky to continue. Dean or Luna would've come around to suspect her, or worse, Harry would've caught her.
At least Fleur gained some knowledge. They said something about a sword…and they seemed to be arguing over something. But what? Why was the goblin being so argumentative?
"Eh…Luna?" Fleur said as she entered the kitchen. Luna was still sitting at the kitchen table staring into space.
"Yes, Fleur?" she asked.
"Would you like some tea?" Fleur asked. "I am makeeng some for Dean."
"Yes, thank you," Luna said. Fleur thought it was cute how wise and polite Luna was.
"I might az well make some for Beell too," Fleur said to herself. "'E should be back any meeneete."
About a minute later, she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione make their way to Ollivander's room. Poor man, Fleur thought to herself. What could they possibly want from him?
Once the water was boiled, Fleur began to make English tea. Along with the tea leaves, she added milk, white sugar, and a hint of ginger to each cup.
She then served hot tea to Luna and Dean. She sat with them at the wooden table in the room between the living room, the kitchen, and the corridor. The window had a spectacular view of the sea. The three of them began sipping their tea in silence, until there was another pop! and Bill walked in the door.
"I'm back," he said quietly. Fleur stood up and walked over to her husband. She took him to a corner in the kitchen where they could talk in private.
"Well, 'ow ees ze family?" Fleur asked.
"Don't worry, they're all safe now," said Bill. "I moved them to Muriel's estate in Scotland. The Death Eaters won't find them there."
Fleur let out a sigh of relief. "Well zat's good," she said.
"Auntie Muriel was also not quite pleased with the fact that she still doesn't have her tiara back," said Bill smiling.
"Mon Dieu! I forget again!" said Fleur.
"Don't worry, next time I go I'll give it to her," said Bill. "Hopefully that'll knock her off of her high horse."
Fleur smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
"What about the others?" Bill asked. "Did you find out anything?"
Fleur's smiled disappeared. "I tried to find out, I listened to zem talk to ze goblin at ze door. But Dean caught me. I figure eet ees too risky to eavezdrop anymore."
"You think so?" Bill asked, frowning.
"Yes, let us just let zem plan whatever Beell. Eet ees no good for us right now anywayz," insisted Fleur. "Now come to ze table, I made tea for Dean and Luna."
Bill walked over to the table and took a seat next to Fleur. "Where did you go off to?" Dean asked.
"I had to relocate the family," explained Bill. "The Burrow isn't safe anymore, now that those Death Eaters know that Ron's with Harry."
Dean nodded before asking, "Is Ginny alright?"
"Yeah…she's fine," said Bill. "She really wanted to come here and see you guys, but I told her that we couldn't risk her safety anymore."
Dean nodded in understanding. Luna continued to stare out the window at the sea while sipping her tea. A few minutes later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of Ollivander's room. Harry stopped for a second at the foot of the stairs. There was dead silence. Bill, Fleur, Luna, and Dean all looked up at Harry. Bill was somewhat glaring, Fleur, Dean, and Luna were just looking. Luna was smiling a bit, but very solemnly. Harry just nodded at them and walked outside into the garden, followed by Ron and Hermione.
"We'll never know what they're up to," said Bill.
"That's alright," said Luna. "As of now, we don't need to."
They all finished their tea and decided to play a wizarding board game to entertain themselves. They sat on the floor of the living room and played for about two hours before the sun began to set. Ron and Hermione walked back inside and began to spectate. They tried to comfort each other and make each other laugh.
Harry, however, remained outside. He took a walk on the beach and watched the sun go down. When he turned around, he saw everyone inside laughing and socializing through the window. Harry realized that even in times like this, where war wreaked havoc, his friends, who were like his family, were still there for him. The life inside the cottage was the light in the darkness of war. Harry smiled when he saw Ron snorting through a drink inside. He smiled, and turned around to go join them.
Soon, the sun had set completely. Everyone was preparing to go to bed. Hermione had gotten into bed after a long day and was already fast asleep as the sun's last rays disappeared over the horizon. Dean and Harry were also in their room. Dean had volunteered to sleep on the floor while Harry and Ron took the bed. Luna was walking back to the room when she saw Ron in the corridor watching Hermione sleeping in their room.
"Hello Ronald," she said.
"What?" said Ron, nearly jumping in surprise when he noticed Luna was standing next to him. "Um, hey Luna."
"She looks very peaceful, doesn't she?" said Luna.
"Yeah…she does," said Ron. "I-I really don't know though."
"What don't you know?"
"I, well…" Ron was always sort of nervous when talking to Luna, she just made him a bit uncomfortable sometimes. "It's just that…I nearly lost Hermione today."
"Almost," said Luna.
"That bitch Bellatrix Lestrange tortured her like you wouldn't believe," said Ron. "Her screams made me want to cry."
"Oh, I know," said Luna serenely. "I heard her scream too."
"I'm just…I'm scared Luna," said Ron. "I'm scared that I might lose her. I'm scared of what might happen to her."
"Oh, so you do love her then?" asked Luna.
"What? Well…yeah, I do love her," Ron admitted. Normally he would've felt nervous about talking with Luna Lovegood, but this time he didn't hold back. He needed for someone besides Harry to know how much he loved Hermione.
"That's sweet," said Luna. "And don't worry. She will be alright. She's the brightest witch of her age, isn't she? She will survive, she's very tough. Narrow-minded, but tough."
Ron chuckled to himself. Despite the fact that Hermione and Luna were close friends with each other, they were opposites when it came to what to believe. Hermione was always logical and based everything off of evidence and reasoning, whereas Luna was super gullible would believe ten things before breakfast. Nevertheless, Luna was a lot wiser than Ron gave her credit for.
"Besides, you love each other, don't you?" said Luna.
"Yeah, I suppose we do," said Ron. "I'm not sure if she feels the same way about me though."
"I'm sure she does," said Luna.
"How can you be so sure?" Ron asked.
"She wrapped her arms around you and cried into your shoulder when she woke up this morning," said Luna. "She was crying your name."
"Yeah, but she would've done the same thing to Harry," said Ron.
"If you really care that much about her, she will come to realize that you truly do love her. You always seem to make her smile whenever she is sad and you lift her in the air when she's stuck on the ground. There are many fish in the sea, Ronald, but I think the tides of friendship, honesty, and loyalty drew you to her and her to you. Besides, you're very nice, courageous, strong, and very funny too!"
"Er…thanks Luna." Now that Ron came to think about it, Hermione had been uncontrollably crying when he left them in a fit of rage against Harry. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have chased him outside the tent into the woods until he disapparated, begging for him to come back. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have been furious with him when he returned.
"And love does conquer all, doesn't it? The power of love will certainly keep her alive, won't it? It kept Harry alive after all."
"Yeah…I suppose it did," said Ron.
"And while she is here, I will look after her for you," assured Luna. "She is safe with me, I promise you."
"Thanks Luna, really for everything," said Ron earnestly. "That means so much. And listen, I know sometimes I don't feel so comfortable when I'm around you, but please don't take it personally. The truth is, you're a really great friend."
"That's sweet of you to say Ronald," said Luna smiling her dreamy smile and tilting her head to one side. "I think you're a great friend too."
"Er…thanks," said Ron, scratching his head. There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Er…well, I think I should be getting to bed now," said Ron.
"Alright," said Luna. "See you in the morning."
"Yeah…yeah you too," said Ron. Luna walked into her's and Hermione's room while Ron went back to his room. Harry and Dean were already asleep, so Ron got on the bed, tucked himself under the covers, switched out the light, and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 5 COMING SOON!
