Mrs. Weasley promptly left after our scolding to make breakfast and when she did I stood up and stretched out, feeling the stiffness in my bones. The kind you get from sitting in the same position for too long and being tired at the same time.
"You guys can sleep now if you want." I offered Hermione and Ron who looked as though they would pass out.
Ron sat down on his bed and was about to say something when Hermione stood up, wrapped her arm around my shoulder and said, "Don't be ridiculous. We're in this together. If you can't sleep then we won't sleep."
Ron groaned but nodded his head anyway, "Yeah, what she said." He added.
"Anyway," Hermione continued, "You should really get your glasses on before Fred and George decide to pop in. I don't know if you've noticed but ever since they've come of age-"
"I've noticed." I confirmed before she could finish.
I put on my glasses and left for the kitchen. The sooner I got down there, the sooner I could leave.
I was surprised to find Remus, Sirius and Reese already down there and sitting at the table. I sat down across from my brother and in-between our godfathers.
"Reese can I ask you something?"
He nodded, "Sure thing, what's up?"
"Where's my sister-in-law?" I questioned.
He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "I didn't want her to have any part in this right now." He informed me.
"What did Alia want?" I asked pointedly.
"She didn't like it but she agreed because she knows she can't right now." He argued.
Sirius chuckled and Remus was hiding a smile. "Aren't you going to tell her why?" My godfather prompted.
Reese pulled his hand through his hair and exhaled, "Congratulations," he told me, "You're going to be an aunt."
For the first time in weeks I genuinely smiled but it felt wrong so I pulled my cheeks down. "Congratulations to you. Why are you acting like this is a bad thing?"
He sighed, "It's not exactly the best time to be bringing a baby in the world."
Remus reached across the table and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "It'll work out, you worry to much. Did you tell dear old dad yet?"
Reese rolled his eyes, "No, I haven't, there hasn't exactly been a good time to tell him."
Mrs. Weasley came over and placed a large bowl of oatmeal in front of me. My stomach lurched. "Speaking of your dad," I stirred the spoon around in the mush in front of me, "When do you think I'll be getting those potions we talked about." I grimaced at the food.
"He should be here soon. He said he would bring it by this morning." And as if on queue, the potions professor appeared in the doorway.
A bag was placed in front of me. "The purple one is for dreamless sleep and the green one should help for your appetite. Take it before every meal. Do not drink more than one vial at a time." My professor droned.
I looked in the back where green and purple serums were clinking together in their vials. "Thanks grandpa, congratulations by the way." I said matter-of-factly and then turned to Reese, "That was easy."
He gaped at me and then glanced up at his dad, "Sorry, I should've told you."
Snape nodded, "Yes, and you also should've waited to tell them. They don't whisper very quietly." He pointed to our godfathers who then received a pointed glare from my brother.
As if to relieve the tension, two popping sounds erupted and the twins' presence was made known. I put the bag on the floor, swiping one green potion from it's contents. Snape excused himself, muttering something about not needing to be around ginger, Weasley, nonsense.
I downed the green potion against the desire of both my tastebuds and my stomach and it didn't take long for it to kick in. For the first time since the third task, I didn't feel a repulsion alongside my hunger. I slowly took a bite of the oatmeal, and not only did it taste good but it stayed down. I couldn't help but notice the men around me smiling.
That night I tried the dreamless sleep potion and it didn't help me fall asleep but it helped me stay asleep for a decent six hours. More than I'd had total in the previous two weeks.
The days leading up to my trial were monotonous and distracting of my impending expulsion. I would take my potion in the morning, eat, clean some of the house (which I learned belonged to Sirius), take a potion, eat lunch, feed Buckbeak, clean, take a potion, eat dinner, take a potion, sleep, wake up, repeat.
Despite being boring, I was appreciating the time I got to spend with Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and even Reese on the days that he was there. Two days before my trial he was there unexpectedly. No meeting had been scheduled for that night but he was there to see me.
It was before dinner and Ron, Hermione and I were sitting on the floor of our room, relaxing after a long day of housework. He asked to see me alone so Ron and Hermione left to help with dinner.
"What's up?" I asked him, extremely curious.
He took a seat on my bed, "I think it's not fair to you to not explain some things."
I furrowed my brows and sat across from him, folding my feet below me, "Like what?"
He sighed, "Like, if being Harry is supposed to keep you as Hallie safe, why are you still kept hidden and protected?" He explained.
Yeah that is a little suspicious." I nodded in agreement.
"You have your cloak?" He asked.
"Always" I said reaching to the end of the bed where my trunk was and pulling it out.
"Put it on, we're going for a walk." He told me.
I did what he said and followed him down the stairs and out the door. I followed him a couple blocks until we were in a busier area of the town.
"You can take off the cloak now." he allowed.
"What is this about? Is this supposed to explain things?" I asked.
"Kind of. If Harry didn't exist, you couldn't do this. We had to bring you to headquarters as Harry but now that you're there, if Hallie leaves, no one would no any different. The Order members who don't know you will know Harry is gone but it's too dangerous to spread that around and if there was a mole in The Order, everyone would be looking for a boy. For Harry." He explained and then stuck his arm up, trying to hail a cab.
"I thought we were going for a walk," I stated.
He looked innocent as he said, "What can I say? I haven't been in trouble in way too long."
"Go big or go home, right?"
"Exactly. Just make sure to not use any magic. At all." He ordered.
"Duh." I affirmed.
A cab pulled to the side of the road and we slid into the back. Reese gave an address to the driver and we drove for maybe twenty or thirty minutes.
We arrived at a very suburban neighborhood and pulled in front of a house that was larger than average. Reese got out of the car so I followed.
"Where are we?" I asked glancing around as the cab pulled away.
Reese walked up to the door and opened, "This is my home."
I followed him and entered the door and immediately smelled something amazing. Reese closed the door and at the sound, Alia walked out from a room to the left of the entryway we stood in. She did a double take when she saw me.
"Hallie! I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here?" She asked to both Reese and I. She came forward and hugged me. I instantly knew that what I smelled was obviously something she was cooking.
She released me and then looked at my brother and I waiting for an answer. Reese cleared his throat. "I thought we could spring a jailbreak." He said sheepishly.
Alia crossed her arms and looked at me. "Does anyone know you're gone?"
I bit my lip. "Not exactly, but in my defense, I didn't know I was going anywhere."
"Reese!" Alia scolded. "You need to go back right now and tell them where she is!" I noticed she didn't tell him to bring me back.
Reese put his hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright." and with a pop he was gone.
Alia put her hand on my back and gestured towards the room she came from, "Come on we'll start eating without him." She said and we walked into a kitchen. I watched Alia carry a pot from the stove to the table and then go back for another. It was some kind of dish with chicken and vegetables and obviously from the scent lots of seasoning. The other pot had a gravy.
Alia sat down at the table, "Come on, dig in."
I sat down across from her, "I would but, I can't."
"If you're waiting for Reese, don't worry about it." She teased.
"No, it's not that. It's just that since… since last term, I have trouble working up an appetite."
Her smile faltered. "Oh…" she took a deep breath. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." A small silence lingered until I remembered her news, "Congratulations by the way." I offered.
She smiled shyly, "Thanks. Reese is pretty worried but I think we're both excited."
A pop sounded in the room and Reese was back, he had a small bag over his shoulder. "I got your glasses and some potions for you." He plopped the bag down on the table and I grabbed a green one and downed it. I looked back in the bag, "There looks like enough potions in here for like three meals." I speculated,
Reese smiled, "I didn't exactly tell them where you were, I mean I'm sure they could guess but I told them I would bring you back tomorrow." He sat down next to Alia and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "How's my favorite wife?" He asked
"I'd be fine if you were home more." She teased.
He stuck out his tongue at her way too cutely. "How's my favorite kid." He asked now, giving her stomach a light touch.
"The kid's good, and very hungry."
We dug into the food and it was delicious. When we finished Reese offered to clean. Alia gave me a tour of the first level of the house. It was pretty standard. Kitchen, living room, bathroom. There was a library too, which I enjoyed very much.
Reese finished with the dishes and offered to show me the upstairs.
The first room was his and Alia's. Next he showed me the baby's room which for the moment was empty. There were a few colors on the wall, all different shades of aqua.
"This next room," Reese started, "I think is the best." He opened the door. The walls were violet and there was a large four poster bed with a fluffy white comforter. There was pictures of my friends framed on the wall.
I looked at Reese incredulously. "Is this mine?" I whispered as if the words would make it go away.
He nodded and smiled, "It's all yours Hal. Come here," He brought me to the closet adjacent to the door. The closet had double doors. He opened it and I dropped my jaw. Some of the clothes were mine that he'd had to keep while I was at school. My Yule Ball dress was among them. The other clothes were new, but definitely what I would wear.
We walked in and I noticed a smaller rack pushed to the side. "These are Harry's clothes?" I asked.
"Alia and I tried to find clothes that would look good on Hallie and Harry." He informed.
I smiled for the second time in one day. I had my own room. I had a closet. I walked out and plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Reese joined me.
"Do you know whose idea it actually was for you to pretend to be Harry?" He asked.
"Wasn't it Dumbledore's?"
I felt his head shake on the bed next to me, "Nope. It was mom's."
Shocked, I turned over and examined his face to make sure he wasn't joking. "Why? If it was her idea, why not suggest that i disguise myself as another girl? Why even do it in the first place?" I interrogated.
He turned to face me, "I think she realized we would have an easier time staying together." He explained but I was still very confused.
"How does that make sense?" I argued.
"Mom told me once, that if something happened to her and your dad, that I should take you and run. I think if you see two kids together, ten years apart, it will be a little suspicious to people looking for two kids those ages. So now if we were to run away, they would be looking for you a fifteen year old boy but you aren't that. You'll be a fifteen year old girl running away with her twenty five year old brother and his wife." He explained.
"And her niece or nephew" I added.
"Exactly."
"I guess that makes sense. Why didn't Dumbledore ever tell me that?"
"I asked him that recently actually. He said you hated being Harry so much that he was worried you would resent mom."
I yawned, "Remind me to thank him." I said sleepily.
Reese laughed, "Alright sleepy head, take your potion and go to bed." He ordered before leaving the room.
I got up, took the purple potion and got changed. I laid in the soft bed, my bed, and fell quickly to sleep.