Happy Friday!

Chapter 101

Jasmine made her way towards her study with a yawn. She ran a hand through her hair to try and get it into some semblance of order before leaving. The twins' giggles could be heard from below. At least they were still enjoying themselves. Poor Charlie was going to be upset that she had left, but at least she would be bringing his brother back with her.

Her study was the same as she'd left it the night before, save for the lack of fire in her fireplace, but safety mattered and they certainly didn't need that going at all hours of the day. The floo powder was sitting on the mantle of the fireplace. With a quick incendio the fire was roaring in once quiet room. She took a pinch and threw it in the fire. The plan was to floo to McGonagall's office and just pick Bill up, but instead of the usual green her fireplace it turned a bright red and rejected the connection. She frowned and attempted it one more time before pulling on her dragonhide jacket, four knives and her second wand.

"Well…I guess I'm apparating this morning." Jasmine grumbled to herself.

Luckily, she had full access to the Hogwarts' wards and could enter the grounds whenever she wanted. Jasmine took a deep breath to center herself. Getting to Hogwarts with stealth and finesse was key.

With an image of her animagus form in mind, Jasmine arrived at the Hogwarts' gates a few moments later in a silent flash of light. No one was around and the grounds were silent, save for the whomping willow, which was swinging and creaking every which way. It had grown since the last time she'd seen it.

A cold gust of wind blew her hair in front of her face.

With a sigh, she pushed it away from her mouth and marched her way up the hill and toward the castle. The wards welcomed her with open arms. It felt like a warm blanket at settled around her shoulders.

At least Albus hadn't tried to play with them in the few days she was away. He would ruin any work she had put in otherwise. She'd charge him triple the price to have to fix them a second time.

Jasmine checked her watch, which had been an anniversary gift from Sirius. It was quarter to nine, so she was later than she'd want to be. The gift of a watch was a Black Family tradition, it had something to do with the timelessness of love, which was startlingly romantic from the family that was solely interested in good breeding. The base was silver and the ends of the hands were Moony, Prongs and Padfoot and the face was a forest scene. There were some semi-precious jewels inlaid into the outer rim. His father had insisted on it, claimed it showed Sirius could provide for the family.

It was nearly nine on a Sunday, so the Great Hall would still be serving breakfast. She took a quick peak in and noticed that both McGonagall and Dumbledore were missing and made a beeline for his office. Maybe they got sidetracked and lost track of time arguing over something.

It wouldn't be the first time that happened on a Sunday.

The gargoyle didn't even ask for password as Jasmine approached, but since she was polite, she knocked loudly on the door to Dumbledore's main office. Though, no sound could be heard coming from the room, but she could see shadows moving under the door, so she knew there had to be at least two people in there.

The door opened with a tired creak and revealed Dumbledore, McGonagall and red eyed Bill Weasley. He had a trunk packed near the armchair he was sitting in and an untouched teacup on the desk in the center of the office.

When his eyes met hers, his lower lip wobbled. Jasmine met him halfway as he threw himself at her and sobbed. "I got you. Your brothers are home with me and Sirius. You're safe. I'm so sorry, Bill," she whispered into his hair, which only seemed to make him sag against her further and cry harder.

McGonagall and Dumbledore had the decency to look away while Bill sobbed his heart out.

It took nearly fifteen minutes, but Bill straightened himself and sat in the armchair near the still steaming teacup. Jasmine was never more than a hand's reach away. "Is there a reason that Bill is in your office Headmaster? I was under the impression that I was to pick him up from his Head of House's office this morning."

A look of alarm crossed McGonagall's face. "Ms. Peverell, I am so sorry! A letter came from the Ministry before I could talk to Mr. Weasley this morning. I brought him here and completely forgot to allow you access to my office."

She sounded sincere and at least she had taken the time to bring Bill to Dumbledore's office and away from his classmates. Contacting the legal guardians of their students was never the forte of the Hogwarts' staff. This was going to need to change in the future, but Jasmine had more important problems at the moment.

"Yes, well, I am going to take Bill to see his father and then he will be spending time with his family. I assume we will see you at the funeral? You were close with Molly," Jasmine asked, one hand on Bill's shoulder in support.

Both of them nod as Jasmine shrunk Bill's trunk and offered a hand to her new ward. They made their way to the fireplace with only a few sniffles from Bill. He was not in a talking mood.

They were going to need to quickly make their way to St. Mungo's so Jasmine could finally hear what was wrong with Arthur. The fact that she was legally in charge of the family, but still needed Bill with her at all times to get information on Arthur, was going to get a bit taxing. It was a great safeguard, but Bill was eleven and Jasmine wasn't sure if he needed to hear the exact extent of his father's injuries.

The waiting room of St. Mungo's was just as chaotic as Jasmine remembered it during her time as Harriet Potter. People were on magical stretchers, children were trying to run from their parents, owls were swooping in and out of reception area. One would think it would be horrifically loud, but it wasn't and that was what made this place even more unsettling. Where sound should have been echoing off the marble floors there was nothing. The room, while full of activity, was relatively quiet. There were layers of muffling charms and silencing spells woven into the stone and wood that barely any sound could be heard outside of immediate areas. It was so much so, that it was completely unnerving.

Though, no one was staring at Jasmine like she was their Messiah, so that was a nice change of pace to her life as Harriet.

Bill was sticking close, still in his school robes, he was very out of place here.

They reached the reception counter and the blonde witch desk gave her an unimpressed glare over a pair of silver framed glasses. "What can I do for you?"

"We're here to visit Arthur Weasley."

Her face fell and she pursed her lips. "Ah, poor dear. Please head to floor sixteen, room number four. He's in an intense specialist ward. I will summon Healer Applebee."

Jasmine had heard of Healer Applebee. He was only called in on cases of extreme uses of dark magic.

The lift up to the sixteenth floor was surprisingly quiet. "Jazz, do you think my dad is going to die?" Bill asked as they passed floor seven.

She let out a sigh. There was no way for her to answer that until they saw Arthur, and even then, she wasn't sure if she should answer that honestly or not. Jasmine had never had to tell a child that their parent was going to die.

"I'm not sure, Bill. I need to speak with his Healer," she replied and squeezed his hand as the doors opened and the two made their way into the brightly lit hallway.

A young healer was waiting by room number four. He was maybe in his late twenties, his white blond hair was cut short and practical. When he caught their gaze, he waved. "I'm Healer Applebee. You must be Heir Weasley and Lady Peverell. It's nice to meet you," he said, introducing himself before motioning to his clipboard. There was a quill floating next to it that flicked every time the healer moved. "Your father was put under a modified somnum exterreri curse. They turned it from a nightmare hex into a living nightmare curse. He was essentially living his worst nightmare over and over again for hours while he was awake. We only just got him sedated an hour ago. We've hopefully reversed most of its effects, but for right now, he isn't safe to be around when he's conscious. Arthur's eyes were damaged from the curse and we aren't sure if they'll ever be properly functional again. He's going to need to see a mind healer, if he becomes coherent."

Jasmine bit her lip. "So, it's a bit like long dementor exposure. A living nightmare." Except dementor's didn't force you to watch it play out over and over again. Death Eaters were sick bastards.

Bill was moving from foot to foot as the healer continued his explanations. Jasmine wasn't sure if he was even listening to the healer.

Applebee nodded as he tapped his clipboard with his wand absently. "It's exactly like that," he turned towards her ward, "William, why don't you go and see your father? He's resting. I'm going to speak to Lady Peverell while you do."

A nurse came in and lead Bill towards his father's room, leaving Jasmine and Applebee in the hallway. He tapped the wall in front of the door, the pale white wall shimmered for a moment before showing the room Arthur was in. That was an interesting application of a two-way reflection charm.

Arthur looked like absolute hell. His usually somewhat fluffy red hair was matted and more than likely still had blood in it from the night before, his eyes were closed, but there were bags under them and scratches all around his face. Jasmine imaged he tried to claw his eyes out at one point. Bill was led to a chair about a meter from the bed. The nurse put a hand on his shoulder when he tried to reach for his father's hand.

"I'm assuming that this is conversation not meant for young ears then?"

The healer worried his bottom lip between his teeth. He seemed nervous. "Yes, well, I didn't want to explain to young William how we found him. Arthur was found screaming amongst the corpses of his dead wife and children. From what my team and I were able to uncover from the spell damage through the night was, erm, well… he was more than likely forced to watch as Death Eaters killed his family and then they forced him to relive it over and over again. Every waking moment he watching his family be brutally murdered. We have a few mind healers that we've called from the continent for him. This is beyond what St. Mungo's can do. I also didn't want young William to hear that."

Jasmine had a feeling that would be the case. Mental spell damage of this magnitude would take a miracle worker to fix. England also didn't have a lot of specialists in this field.

Though, there was one question Jasmine felt she needed to ask. "Is he even sane?"

Applebee shrugged, his white robes bunched at his shoulders. "There's no way to tell at this point. That's why we're bringing in a mind healer. We aren't even sure if we completely removed the curse. We aren't having anyone touch him without proper safety equipment on. Young William won't even be allowed to hold his hand until he's cleared. I'm hoping that within the next week or so we can get him coherent. It's going to be a long process."

Jasmine pinched the bridge of her nose. At least Arthur was alive. That was something, not munch, but something. Hopefully, Theo was still around and she could get his opinion. "Can I have a copy of the medical records? I want to do a little bit of research into the curses. If the Death Eaters are using new torture techniques I need to be aware of the consequences."

The healer nodded a small smile poking at the corners thin of his lips. "I suppose we will be seeing more of each other in the future?"

He held out his hand for a shake. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes before she took it. "Yes, we will. The Weasley boys still need to visit their father. I expect regular updates. William Weasley is the Heir to family, unless Arthur does not improve and Lady Magic herself decides to pass the title of head of the family off to William."

She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but it could. Jasmine was also going to run an extensive background check on Healer Applebee. Theo should have more information on him, he knows most of the decent European Healers. If there's dirt on this man, Theo will find it.

"Would you like to see the patient or wait for your ward to finish?" The nurse asked from the doorway. Bill looked just about ready to breakdown again. His eyes were watering and he was wiping anything that escaped with his sleeves.

Jasmine pocketed the medical records Applebee handed her and sighed. This was going to be a long and painful day for Bill. "I think it's about time we leave. Bill has had a trying morning and I think he needs to spend time with his family."

"I'll fetch him."

The nurse went back into the room and ushered Bill out. The poor kid looked stricken and ready to rush over to Arthur's bed to give him a hug or beg him to wake up, but the nurse was firm and guided him out of the room. He took a single look back at his father's unmoving form before the door shut behind him.

As soon as he was within reach he grabbed Jasmine's arm, clinging with enough force to almost hurt. "Ready to do and see your brothers?"

He nodded.

That was the only confirmation Jasmine needed before she had them escorted to the nearest exit so she could apperate them to the manor.

The entered the house through the study. It was one of the few rooms in the house that Jasmine considered normal compared to the average witch or wizard. The rest of the manor could be a bit much. It was nothing like the Burrow, which could be a blessing in disguise. Jasmine had schematics of different warding project on most surfaces and assorted rune crystals charging within their alchemic apparatuses in the left corner that Sirius wasn't allowed to touch. Her desk was covered in at least three different piles of parchment, books and schematics for the Hogwarts project. She had the majority of her rare book collection lining the walls from the floor to the ceiling.

Bill's blue eyes were wide as he stared at the glowing crystals on the far wall. "You live here?"

Jasmine held back a laugh. "Well, I try not to live in this room too much, but this is my study. If you want, you are more than welcome to spend time in here as long as I'm in the room as well. There are quite a few books I think you'd like to take a look at."

He nodded, but the wide eyed looks he'd had slowly closed itself off as he remembered exactly why he was here in the first place.

"Let's go find your brothers. They're bound to be around here somewhere. Sirius has no doubt been keeping them busy."

Naturally, the second they stepped out of the office it looks like a bomb of paint and glitter went off. Jasmine swore that she saw some pieces of paper dancing around the lights.

"It looks like the twins were here," Bill muttered next to her, his grip loosening on her arm, but never letting go completely. There were tiny handprints all over the walls. She was going to have a long talk with Sirius when she found him.

"I doubt it was just the twins. Sirius always loves making a mess." Though, she was nearly positive that some of it was from Draco and Lucius. There was quite a bit of silver and green paint mixed in that she knew someone from Slytherin House had contributed to the mess.

Jasmine pulled her wand out and cast the strongest cleaning charm she knew in an attempt to remove all of the paint and glitter. Most of it vanished the blink of an eye, but she knew there was still glitter on the couches and in the rugs. That was going to take the house elves weeks to clean. Glitter, whether magical or mundane, was a menace to remove. It always got everywhere.

"Well, that will have to do for now. Your brothers are probably in their rooms. It's nearly one in the afternoon, I imagine they should be taking some kind of nap after the late night and early morning they had."

Bill snorted and Jasmine didn't comment as they made their way up the half flight stairs and down the hallway towards the family wing. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if the twins just didn't nap. Some kids didn't and it would be just her luck to have two hyperactive toddlers to take care of while the grieve the death of half of their family.

It was eerily quiet as they walked through the manor's hallways, even if they were covered in glitter that Jasmine was banishing with extreme prejudice. Bill was eagerly looking around, his eyes would wander to the ornate paintings, both magical and muggle on the walls. This would be the first time he was at the Peverell Manor.

Jasmine had been waiting to invite him, and his family, over. She knew he would love the study, since he adored her office at Ministry so much. But, it was one thing knowing she was a Lady to an Ancient and Noble House, and then seeing it. Most days, Jasmine was still shocked at the size and grandeur of the Manor. Granted the first two years the entire place was a disaster and it took her, and a small squadron of house elves, to fix.

As the made their way to family wing they saw an occasional house elf pop in and out, but she couldn't hear Sirius, the twins, the Malfoys or Charlie.

She took a quick peak inside the twin's room and found the answer. On the floor in a giant pile of pillows and blankets was Sirius, the Weasley boys, Draco and Lucius. They were all covered in paint and glitter. Narcissa was perched on a rocking chair, without a drop of paint on her, in the far left of the room watching them. She was smiling and calm, so it must have been a better morning for her.

"I have a silencing charm on the lot of them. I'm sorry for the mess they made. All of them got out of hand. I'll pay for anything that was damaged since Draco found the glitter."

Jasmine let out a weary sigh and made her way over the Sirius and nudged him with her foot. "Thank you, Cissy. How are you doing? I don't see Abraxas in this tired pile. Is he back in the medical wing?"

"He went back to France to file some paperwork. After Draco wakes up from his nap, we'll be going Grimmauld Place for a few days. Bella wants to talk about revenge and I'm inclined to help her plot."

Sirius grumbled and shimmied away as Jasmine's boot clad foot poked just under his ribs. His right eye peaked open as Jasmine's form loomed overhead. She had her arms crossed and he had the nerve to grin and wave at her.

"Is there a reason why my walls have been repainted?"

He held a finger up to his lips and slowly extricated himself from the pile of sleeping children. Bill was behind her, his hand over his mouth as he tried to hold in his laughter. Sirius' hair was covered in glitter.

"Would you believe that it started out on parchment and then got out of hand?"

Yes, she could.

"Was it you or Lucius that started painting on the walls?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and motioned for them to leave the room. Narcissa shooed them away. "I'll watch the little ones."

Once the door closed behind them Sirius cast a series of cleaning charms that removed most of the glitter and all of the paint. "Lucius started it, just so you know. I was trying to distract the kids. Charlie was beside himself after you left to pick up Bill. Painting helped a bit. He trailed off as his eyes wandered over to Bill, who was picking at his robes. "It's good to see you again, Bill, even if the circumstances are awful."

Bill's bottom lip quivered a for a moment, but he held his head up. "It's nice to see you too, Sirius. Thank you for taking care of my brothers."

Sirius ruffled Bill's hair. "Let's get you settled in your room. We have a lot to discuss. Your uncles will be stopping by this evening to have a talk with you."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bill is back with Jasmine and we finally got to see what happened with Arthur. Just who is Applebee is he a good healer? Will Jasmine ever get the glitter out of her carpet?

Next chapter will be some more plot as the pieces move towards the end. =D

Thank you all so much for all of the favorites, comments and follows. You guys are the best.

I will be updating again on April 2, 2021.

See you soon,
~Animerocker