Violet was pretty sure she was in shock. Or hallucinating. Maybe both. It had to be something she ate, or perhaps Uncle Vernon had punched her too hard. That was it! She was dreaming. Dreaming of magic and red-heads and a house which seemed like it should fall over. However, dreams don't usually last a week and the noise seemed very real. The smells from the kitchen were also making her mouth water, which had never occurred before in a dream. She heard the mother, Mrs Molly, yelling for the identical pair to behave whilst trying to wipe the mouth of the only other girl sat at the table. Little Ginny Weasley. The girl had not stopped looking at her with big brown eyes, a blush staining her cheeks, since she arrived.
Mr Arthur and Mrs Molly had explained to her what she had done as a baby and how everyone was so very thankful. They said she was a hero and that she must be very brave and always do the right thing. Violet wondered what the right thing would be to do in such a situation as this one.
You can imagine how disconcerting it is when one wakes up, whisked away from abusive relatives, and is suddenly thrust into a large family of very noisy red-heads. And magic. Can't forget the magic. Violet, safe to say, was overwhelmed at the Weasley household. Unfortunately, it seemed that when Violet was overwhelmed, she had a bad habit of blowing things up. Or breaking things. Or lifting things … people … off the ground. Mr Arthur explained, quite kindly, mind you, that it was her magic getting used to being allowed to stretch. He said no one should let a little girl or boy grow up in a cupboard because it was cruel. Violet guessed her magic didn't like being locked away either. Yet it had never reacted when she lived with the Dursleys and she couldn't begin to guess why.
She was sat at the breakfast table for the first time since she arrived (having been allowed some time to recover, alone, in the room she shared with Ginny). Arthur had already left for work, so there was Bill, the biggest and the quietest. He was helping Ginny cut up her bacon and sneaking the eggs, which she didn't like, onto Ron's plate. Charlie was the next biggest and he was talking about Quidditch to his little brothers, who hung onto his every word. The pair of red-heads who looked exactly alike were Fred and George and they were twins. Sometimes they got confused about who was who. Violet supposed they had forgotten. Ron was the youngest boy and was currently being chastised by Percy, who saw it his duty to be the most well behaved and his Mother's favourite.
Violet had yet to speak to any of them and had overheard Mrs Molly this morning speaking to all the children, warning them from over-crowding her and not to push her to talk or play. Whilst Violet appreciated the warning, she was growing anxious with them whispering among themselves and looking toward her whenever they thought she wasn't looking.
That was not to say living with the Weasleys was bad. She had eaten more than she could remember, even if she had to take a potion that was foul smelling before every meal. Mrs Molly said it was so her belly wouldn't hurt after not eating for a while. Violet guess that made sense. Today, she had promised herself to speak to at least one of the children. She had watched them from the window, playing games in the garden and, best of all, flying. She had dreamed of flying for so long and now it was a real possibility. With another potion she took before bed, she started to dream of flying her own broom with the children all laughing behind her and letting her play with them. She was glad she never dreamed of the Dursleys. They were like a bad dream, completely distant from the reality she found herself living in now.
Violet, with a suborn tilt to her chin and a bravery that came from years of getting up each morning despite knowing she would hurt even more by the end of the day, asked Charlie to explain Quidditch to her. Apparently shocked she had never heard of the sport, he began an enthusiastic lecture, with help from Fred, George and Ron, whilst she tried to keep up. When an argument started a little while later about the better team, Bill came over and whispered that he could maybe it explain it in the garden if she liked and show her his broom. Happily, if slightly wary, Violet followed him and thought to herself that this place wasn't that bad after all.
...
Scabbers the rat had lived with the Weasley family for 6 long years. He was fed and pampered and whilst the devil twins pulled at his tail and experimented on him when he was too slow to run away, he was always rescued by his red headed boy who looked after him. Scabbers was quite comfortable with his situation and felt he was quite safe from the consequence of his actions during the war. That would change when one day, a little girl with Lily's eyes sat down at the breakfast table. With a face like James' mother, aristocratic and almost elfin, along with her long black hair, the girl looked nothing like Lily. She looked nothing like James either. In fact, one could say she looked almost like Sirius. Sirius Black, who always thought he was better than Peter, who had the girls throw themselves at him, who had James' and Remus' respect and love. Peter hated the girl.
She had been secreted in by Albus Dumbledore in the early hours of the morning, whispering to Molly and Arthur that the muggles, Lily's sister, who had demanded they care for Violet, had been neglectful toward the poor girl. The old man had said he could think of nowhere better to raise a child into a good, upstanding member of the community. A family is what she needed, unconditional love.
Yet, Albus Dumbledore had his demands. Wards were to be put upon the place and Peter got anxious. Anti-animagus wards would forbid him from leaving, which he had taken to doing every so often on the summer nights after Percy had returned home from his first year at Hogwarts. Peter had not enjoyed his time at Hogwarts. Whilst he had fond memories of him and his friends, he was faced with the reminder of his betrayal. But they had betrayed him first! They had always been closer to one another! James and Sirius would gladly leave him behind if they didn't feel guilty and Remus was adopted instantly into the pack, despite being a werewolf! But Peter knew, deep down, that Remus could be just as dangerous as Fenrir, had watched Sirius abuse that. Perhaps they thought little Peter Pettigrew weak. Well, he showed them.
Hogwarts, then, became a place of bitterness for Peter and he had to always watch his tail for Filch's thrice damned cat. He swore he saw McGonagall eyeing him as he hurried along the wall at night, eager to stretch his legs from being cramped into a book bag and pockets all day. Therefore, he was enjoying the summer respite at the Weasleys, even if he had to live with the girl now. It was not like he saw her often. Percy did not know how to act around the broken little doll, who would sometimes stare at the children for hours yet not engage in conversation or play.
She was particularly close to Bill, the eldest, who she would follow around whenever he was nearby. Ginny, who was fond of her biggest brother, was delighted that THE Violet Potter thought her favourite brother was her favourite too. Ginny would sit quietly for a while, before wondering off to her more active brothers, as Violet whispered questions to Bill and watch Bill gently answer them. He was careful not to touch her, the whole family was, in fact. After Molly Weasley had grabbed her in a hug and the entire living room was destroyed, they became wary of physical contact. Yet, Violet would shift a little bit closer to Bill each day and he would protect her from the rowdiness of his siblings in turn. Peter wondered if she would cry when he left for his last year at Hogwarts. He almost hoped she would.
It was a few weeks after the girl came that his nose picked up a familiar and dangerous scent that would change his comfortable way of life as Scabbers. The smell of wolf.
Honestly, Peter had always been fearful of Remus and his condition. It was of no surprise that his animagus, an ability he insisted on learning alongside the more talented Sirius and James, was a rat. Back then, he would never have even suggested betraying his friends. He had always sought their approval and would never go behind their back. Thus, the rat hadn't seemed like a perfect fit. But Peter was afraid, afraid of the werewolf hidden inside Remus, afraid that if he couldn't run fast enough, he'd be dead. Or worse.
So, with escape in mind, he underwent the process of becoming an animagus and became, what he considered, the best animal of all. Small, uncensored and great for sneaking and escape, Peter became the best Marauder to plant pranks in hidden places. He also got good at sneaking into the girl's dormitory, which didn't ward against animagi, and brag to James and Sirius that he had accomplished what neither had. Sirius had dared him to steal Lily Evans underwear for James but James had put an instant stop to the fun. He had forbid Peter from doing something so foolish and perverted again. He had blamed Sirius for his bad influence.
However, it had been years since Peter had needed to flee and he had gotten used to the safety and relative comfort of the Burrow. So, you can imagine his surprise when none other than Remus Lupin, his only friend who was alive and free after the war, knocked on the door, claiming he was here to tutor the girl. Hearing he would be staying close by made the fur on Peter's back stand on end. What would happen once a month? Would he lurk through the forests of Devon unattended and feral? Would he recognise Peter?
He had taken to hiding as Remus visited, who was slowly making a cautious friendship with the broken little girl. Scabbers stayed close to Percy, who was unimpressed that Fred, George, Ron, Violet and Ginny were receiving tutoring before Hogwarts when he had received very little. Although he hadn't said as much, Percy had struggled the first months at school and as he was not very talented in making friends, he stayed in the library, determined to become better and smarter. His brothers were always checking up on him, and a few Ravenclaws joined his study sessions and helped him learn to put together an essay, how to take notes effectively and how to properly find books in the library. It was Penny Clearwater who had become Percy's first friends, with blonde hair and blue eyes, usually squinted over a book.
Since Remus arrived, Percy spent most of his days in his room, writing letters to Penny and reading through his books again and again. Peter, content to laze about on the windowsill, wondered how long this could last. How long until Remus recognised his scent and sent him to Azkaban? How long till he embraced Sirius with open arms, despite Sirius not trusting Remus, thinking him the traitor and spy?
Peter had best start making some contingency. Hopefully, he could hide until they went back to Hogwarts. He could make a better escape there.
AN: You may have noticed the chapters are pretty short, but I prefer this style than over loading the chapters. Violet is settling in, somewhat, and has taken a shine to Bill. Remus is now in the picture. We'll be seeing more interaction between Violet and Remus in the next chapter as Bill, Charlie and Percy head off to Hogwarts.
Preview of the next chapter –
Violet had rushed to her and Ginny's room the moment they had returned from the train station. Bill wouldn't be back till Christmas and Violet was scared. Bill was the best at explaining everything and she stopped her scratching her arms whenever she was nervous. He also was the best at stopping all of the other children from being too loud and rowdy. And he was gone! She felt lonelier than ever before. At least at the Dursley's, she had never known friendship. To know he had left willingly made her heart hurt.
In the quiet of the room, she closed her eyes and lay there, not sleeping, but dozing. It was then she heard a whisper. It was the same whisper that she heard in her dreams sometimes, soft and crooning. It called her special. It called her friend. It said she could never be lonely because it was always right there.
