Taking Chances and Making Changes
Authors Note - This story is an AU. It follows canon events up until the end of Prisoner and beginning of Goblet.
Disclaimer - I own nothing except my OC's. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling. Basically, if you recognise it from the books/films then it is not mine.
Hayley(POV)
Several weeks into returning home for summer and the nightmares that had been plaguing my sleep ever since Cedric died had become so bad that I was becoming extremely irritated and often made me seek solitude in a nearby park. I would stay there for hours at a time typically taking books or small sketch pads to occupy the time. I knew that the Tonks were all worried especially Dora as i had stopped confiding in her as much as used to. Deep down i knew that none of them would mind me talking to them about everything but old habits were tough to break.
A plus of being alone so much was that I had been practising the spells in the Malfoy family book and was making a lot of progress. When Dora was home she had taken to teaching me Defence magic that i would learn in my 5th year to give myself an advantage . Because it was a magical household I was able to cast magic without alerting the ministry as there was always so much magic going on the ministry couldn't detect who exactly was casting it. Obviously I couldn't practice the spells from the book while around the others so I had to figure out a way around this,thankfully it wasn't hard to figure out what Lucius had been trying to tell me in his letter that an underage witches/wizards magic could only be tracked when it was there own registered wand.
This meant that if I could get myself a second wand without the trace I would be able to practice magic on my own without anyone knowing. Coming up with a way to get a wand without the trace was quite difficult but thankfully the solution unknowingly ended up coming from Ted. It was about two weeks before my birthday when Ted and Andy said that if I wanted to we could go to Godric's Hollow and see if there was anything special that was left in the cottage where we had lived when in hiding. When i questioned if anything that was left would most likely be damaged or destroyed by now,Andy explained that the house had been sealed to protect it from outside elements as well as the prevent people from going inside. Only a Potter and anyone that they choose to bring inside could enter it.
We decided to go on the 14th of July as everyone had the day off and we would be able to all go morning we apparated to a slightly secluded spot of Godric's Hollow under a glamour charm to stop people seeing us. It was only a few minutes walk from where we had appartated to the front of the cottage. I took a breath taking in the damage that had been done that night. The most notable and worst damaged area was where a large chunk of the roof had collapsed in on itself when Voldemort's spell had rebounded and exploded. I closed my eyes for a minutes as i mentally prepared myself before i pushed opened the small front gate and the 4 of us walked over the threshold.
Due to the spell the cottage had been left exactly as it was that night. The only things that had been touched were things that had needed to be moved in order to take care of the bodies. I blinked away a few tears and took another breath as the 4 of us split up going to different rooms to see if there was anything special that I might want. The Tonk's did the rooms downstairs while I headed upstairs.
As i walked upstairs slowly I let my hand run softly over the walls picturing my family living here. Trying their best to remain happy and strong while a war was going on. Once at the top of the stairs i turned left into what looked to be my parents bedroom. I took my time looking through the different drawers and wardrobes. I took a few of my mums dresses that despite knowing they wouldn't fit as they were ,could easily be made to fit using magic. Placing those away carefully in the bag i had brought i took to looking around some more. By the time i left the room I had decided to take my mum and dads Hogwarts trunks that were under the bed, their journals and a box that had several of my mums jewellery pieces and a few more pieces of my mums clothing. I left the trunks in the room for now as I would need someone to shrink them before they could go in the bag. I ventured back out into the hall and hesitantly headed down to where most of the damage was centered. What been my nursery when I was a baby.
The worst part of the debris had been cleared but it was still a mess with lots of toys and other items strewn about all over the floor.I hesitantly picked up some of the items placing them back on the drawers that they most likely fell off. As I looked around my eyes fell on the cot half buried under the destroyed roof. It was at this point that i broke down into tears as the memories of that night flooded back to the front of my mind. I had fallen to my knees in tears and remained crying for several minutes before I was able to pull myself together somewhat. It took me a few minutes after I had stopped crying to make myself stand up from the floor. I took a breath and wiped away the tears that remained on my face before taking a few of the small plush teddies and toys that were around the room that I had vague memories of. I eventually decided to head back downstairs to join the others.
Once downstairs the Tonk's had pretty much finished and Dora had finished placing some of the photo albums in the bag she had and she turned to look at me."Hey you okay?"
"I guess.I want to take their trunks with me but they need shrinking"I explain
She nods."Where are they?
"There in there bedroom. I left them by the door"I tell her
She smiles softly and heads upstairs to sort them.
Once she had turned to head upstairs Ted came out of the room he had been in and looked over at me."We have everything we think you would want thought we couldn't find their wands here and they weren't buried with them so its likely that they are at Gringotts in the Potter Vault"He explains
I nod."That's okay thanks"
A short while later the four of them left the cottage and walked back to the apparition spot as they took their leave.
That afternoon after they had all eaten lunch and relaxed Andy knocked on her door while she was sketching.
Hayley smiled at her as she came in."Hey"
"Hey are you feeling up to a trip to Diagon Alley. There's a few things I need to pick up and I thought while were there we could go and see if your parents wands are in the Potter vault?"She suggests with a smile on her face
I nod."Yeah i'd like that"
Soon after the two of us used the floo to get to Diagon Alley and headed into speaking to a teller we were shown to Vinclaw's office and we sat down.
"Miss Potter,Mrs Tonks what can i do for you?"Vinclaw asked
"We wanted to know if the Potter's wands are in the Potter vault as they weren't buried with them and they weren't at Godric's Hollow"Andy explains
Vinclaw nodded and retrieved the file containing the breakdown of everything that was in the vault and confirmed that the wands were in their along with several other items that i decided I would like. While Andy headed down to the vault to go collect them as well as make a trip to the Tonks vault I stayed in the office with Vinclaw.
Once we were alone he looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before speaking."The goblin community believe you and Dumbledore in what you are saying about Voldemort's return despite the Daily Prophet denying it"
I frown slightly confused not knowing exactly what the Daily Prophet had been saying."Why what are they saying?"
He pushes the copy of the newspaper that he had on his desk closer towards me gesturing for me to take it. I pick it up and glance over the headline that was denying that Voldemort had returned before reading through the articles calling myself and Dumbledore liars. I sighed as i placed it back down on the desk
"I guess it makes sense why everyone was trying to keep me from reading the paper"I thought to myself
While sitting waiting for Andy I frowned as I remembered reading something in one of my mums journal entries that she wrote a few months after I was born that she had been nagging James for the two of them to get a will sorted out in case anything happened to one or both of them during the war.
"Vinclaw did my parents have a will?"I asked
"Yes they did but it was never formally read as their witness said they had a copy of it and was dealing with everything themselves"He explained
"Who was the witness?"I asked having a bad feeling it was Dumbledore.
"Albus Dumbledore was their witness and the person who was dealing with their will and estate "He told me
Sighing I nodded and frowned momentarily. "Would i be able to request a copy of their will or would I need permission from my guardians?"
He thought for a few moments before nodding."As you are over 14 then you can request a copy without permission, if you were under 14 then you would have to have permission, and we won't have to inform Dumbledore which I assume is your preference?"He said with a very small smirk
I smiled nodding."Very much so"
He withdrew a copy of the will from the file and handed it to me which i then placed in my bag.
A short time later Andy returned and the two of us left Andy went and did the shopping she needed I decided to have a look round some of the shops in the alley. While walking around i could hear people whispering and staring and glaring. I did my best to ignore them and headed into Flourish and Blotts. I made my way through the store and browsed the shelves picking up a few books that caught my attention. After purchasing them I headed down the alley and went inside Floreans Ice Cream Parlour. I ordered what had quickly become my usual and sat down to eat it in relative peace. When I was about halfway through I heard someone come in and sit down opposite me. I could tell without having to look up that it was Draco. A few moments of silence passed before Draco spoke up.
"Normally i'd get pretty indignant about someone ignoring me,but i'll let it pass this time considering its you and that you seem to be ignoring me in favour of ice cream"He says in an attempt to get me to smile
I found the corner of my lips tugging upwards into a smile as i let out a small laugh and looked up at him."What do you want Draco?"
"To check you were okay it's been almost three weeks since we broke up from school and you haven't replied to any of the 4 letters that i've sent not to mention that Aunt Andromeda visited last week and said that you've been isolating yourself constantly"He says
"I've just been having some alone time. I enjoy the peace and quiet"I say shrugging as I continue eating
"No your keeping all your problems to yourself because you feel like your burdening us."He says
I sigh."Its just i've always dealt with things alone. Growing up I learned how to fight my battles alone because that was the only option I had"I sighed
"Hayley i know its hard for you I understand that but you need to realise that you don't have to fight your battles alone anymore."He says
I sigh as i finish my ice cream."I know I don't Draco and i'm trying t get used to it but it's going to take some time"I say
He nods."That's fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay"
I nod and smile slightly."Thank you I appreciate it. Anyways how did you know i'd be here?" I ask him
"Well I saw Andy in the Alley and she said that you had come with her but went off to do some shopping off your own and I figured the most likely places for you to be were either here or Flourish and Blotts"He smiles
"Am I really that predictable?"I ask laughing slightly
"No I just know you really well"He says with a smirk
I shake my head in amusement.
"Well I have to go but I will hopefully see you soon"He says
I nod."Okay.I'll see you soon and I promise to actually keep in touch"I say
After Draco leaves I spend a few minutes more on my own at the table before I grab my things and head out too. I went to meet up with Andy so we could head home.
During the next two weeks I started practising the spells in the Malfoy spell book more. After using both of my parents wands a few times I found they worked well enough to practise the spells until I could go back to Hogwarts and use my own wand to do them. I had slowly started opening up a bit more and stopped isolating myself as much. It was a few days before my birthday when i got a letter from Hermione saying that she was spending the rest of the summer with the Weasleys and that Mrs Weasley had said I was welcome to come over on my birthday to celebrate with everyone if I wanted to.
I placed the letter down as I thought about the offer. I didn't have anything much planned for my birthday apart from a birthday breakfast with the Tonks and I was sending the day before with Draco and Blaise as Blaise was going away the day of my birthday to spend the last few weeks of summer with his family in Italy. i figured it would be nice to spend time with Hermione and the Weasleys. As much as I was still upset with Ron's attitude the previous year the anger had faded away to sadness. He had been the first friend I made in the Wizarding World apart from Hagrid and i did miss him and how easy it was to have a laugh with him. I made a decision and started to write a letter back.
"Hey Hermione,
I've been okay for the most part,I have just been wanting a lot of alone time lately. I would love to come over to the Weasleys for my birthday. I feel like I haven't seen you all in ages. I was also thinking we could write Neville and see if he would like to join us if Mrs Weasley is fine with it. I think it would be really nice for us to all get together. I didn't have anything planned for my birthday so I could come round whatever time is convenient for the Weasleys. Either write back with times or use the communication rings whichever is easier.
See you soon
Hayley"
I finished the letter and wrote one to Neville explaining things and to see how he was and then sent Hedwig off with them. I smiled to myself as I grabbed my school books for the next year and headed out to the garden to d some reading outside to enjoy the nice day.
The next day I woke up to a letter from both Neville and Hermione. I left them on the desk leaving them until after breakfast. Once breakfast was over I headed back up to read the letters. I opened up Hermione's first.
"Hey Hayley,
I'm glad you've been okay and don't worry about taking time for yourself. Given the circumstances it's completely understandable. I spoke to Mrs Weasley and she's fine with Neville coming over as well. She said that if you come over for about 12 noon on your birthday then that'll be fine. I spoke to Neville earlier and he said he would come over around the same time.
I hope you've been studying and doing your summer assignments. I've had to be nagging Ron to get his done. I'll see you in a few days.
Hermione"
I smiled at her letter and the comment about homework.I had done it during the first week of summer to get it out of the way so i would have to rest of summer to enjoy as much as i could. I placed it to one side and moved on to reading Neville's letter.
"Hey Hayley,
I spoke to my Gran and she was fine with me going to the Weasleys to join you all for your birthday. Thanks for asking if I could join. It'll be great to see everyone. My summer's been okay. Mostly busy doing school work at my Grans insistence. Professor McGonagall wrote her a few times last year about how much I had improved and she wants me to continue that. My Gran told me to thank you. She's adamant that a large part of how much I improved was due to your help which I do have to agree with. You were always there for me when I needed help.
I'll see you soon
Neville"
I smiled as i read his letter. I knew that he had improved a lot especially in his confidence of his own abilities but I didn't know that his Gran felt that I had been such a large part of it. I wrote a quick letter back thanking him and his Gran and a quick one to Hermione too and sent Hedwig off with them.
I headed downstairs and saw that Andy and Dora had already left for work and Ted was relaxing watching the TV. We spoke for a bit before I asked if I would be allowed to go into Diagon Alley for a bit to do get Neville's birthday said that I could as long as I promised to be careful. I smiled and thanked him before turning to head upstairs to get ready to go.
"I'm not going to say don't leave the Alley because I know that you'll do it anyways and given that you spent the majority of last summer going into muggle London, i know your sensible enough to not go too far away from the Leaky Cauldron but if you do,just be careful and don't tell Andy that I let you go alone. She'll kill me if she finds out"He says
I laugh and turn back to face him."Don't worry I'll be careful, I promise"
"Good that's all I ask"He says
I smile and head up to get ready.
I took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron and spoke to Tom for a bit before heading into the Alley planning to get Neville's presents first. I looked around and eventually decided to get him some new Herbology robes that Madame Malkins had recently got in stock as well as some sweets. She finished and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.
I stopped for a butterbeer and Tom shrunk my purchases down for me. After finishing my drink I headed out into London. I headed up to a little cafe that I had found last year while exploring and had visited several times while staying at the Leaky Cauldron. I sat down and ordered some lunch. I stayed in there for some time enjoying the peace as it wasnt a super popular place. After eating lunch I continued walking around the nearby streets buying a few things that I liked the look of. I was looking through a shop that sold stationery and other things to pick myself up some muggle stationery and a some new notebooks as when it wasn't school related I much preferred to write things down in a normal notebook with a pen.
I saw that they a nice art set and I remembered Neville mentioning some time last year that he enjoyed art specifically sketching and painting. I decided that it would be a really nice present and something he might not be expecting so i picked it up and bought it along with my things. After doing a bit more shopping consisting of mostly clothes and accessories I headed back down towards the Leaky Cauldron. When I got there Tom kindly shrunk down the rest of my purchases and before I left i ordered a few crates of Butterbeer. One crate for me, Draco and Blaise to share tomorrow and 3 for when I went to the Weasley's the next shrunk them too and then I used the floo to head back home. When I got back I spoke to Ted who was busy starting to make dinner as Andy would be working late as she had a double shift and Dora would be home late too. I went upstairs and unshrunk all my shopping and put things away keepink Neville's presents handy.
The next evening I arrived home after spending the day with Draco and Blaise. We hung out at Blaise's house enjoying getting to spent some time together as a group. We spent alot time outside as it was quite a nice day so we made the most of the outdoor pool in the garden. After a few hours outside we went inside for a nice dinner and Draco and Blaise gave me my presents. Draco gave me a set of quills ,two with red feathers and two with green that came with matching inks. He had also gotten me some sweets. From Narcissa and Lucius I received some jewellery and several books to do with wizarding law and a few about old Wizarding families along with a letter that I was to read when I got home. Blaise got me a heart shaped locket engraved with our initials as well as a moving picture of the two of us during the Valentines Dance. Draco left a little bit earlier allowing me and Blaise to spent a little bit of time alone. We mostly spent it talking about what our summers had been like and what our plans were for the rest of it. His were obviously spending it in Italy and apart from seeing The Weasleys tomorrow I didn't have any actual plans for the next month other than the occasional bit of studying and practising my magic.
I placed my presents away leaving out the books on my desk along with the letter. I sat at my desk and opened the letter knowing it would be from Lucius.
"Dear Hayley
I hope that you are okay and have been practising. I assume you figured out the clue from my last letter about the trace and have been using it to your advantage. I got you these books as I realised that since entering the Wizarding World you probably haven't had any guidance on Wizarding law and given your status I felt you needed some I had a feeling that apart from small pieces of information you may have garnered during conversation you wouldn't be informed on the old and prominent families of Wizarding Britain and once again given your status it seemed important for you to have knowledge on the topic.
In addition I haven't heard anything more about Voldemort and any plans he may have but if and when I or Severus does I will inform you. I am sorry about the articles being written discrediting Dumbledore and yourself. Severus has told me that Dumbledore and those he trusts have decided to try and keep you out of the loop as much as possible regarding Voldemort as well as what is going on at the ministry. Severus and a few others disagree with this and have told Dumbledore as such but he still feels that it is in your best interest to keep you unaware of the state of affairs. Severus has said that he will pass anything along to me and i will relay it to you.
Lucius"
I folded up the letter and placed in in my desk drawer and opened up one of the books deciding to start with one of them on Wizarding law. I read a few chapters of it and then changed over to reading one of the books on old and prominent families reading a few chapters before going to bed that evening.
The morning of my birthday I was woken up when Dora came bounding into my room and shouting at me to wake up. I groaned and grabbed one of my pillows and promptly threw it at her.
"Dora it's too early I want to go back to sleep"I said
"It's your birthday you need to get up. Mums making your favourite for breakfast"She says as she caught the pillow
"Blueberry pancakes?"I mumble
"Of course what else. I'll leave you to get up. If your not downstairs in 10 minutes im coming back up"She says as she leaves
I sigh as I slowly drag myself out of bed. I grab my glasses off my bedside table and put them on. I decide to stay in my pajamas and put on my dressing gown while I have breakfast. I throw my hair up into a quick ponytail and head downstairs. I enter the kitchen and Andy is just finishing the pancakes. I sit down and pour myself a glass of orange juice while she finishes plating up the pancakes.
She puts the plate in front of me and smiles."Happy birthday Hayley"
"Thanks Andy"I smile as i grab some syrup and poured some onto the pancakes before starting to eat. Ted and Dora also joined shortly after and started eating too. Once everyone was done and the table was cleared Dora brought in all the presents and placed them on the table in front of me. From Andy and Ted I had gotten some clothes both casual and formal. They had also gotten me some folders and other things to help me keep all my schoolwork organised. Dora had gotten me some Zonkos' joke products that I enjoyed as well as some of my favourite wizarding sweets. The final present on the table was a large book and upon opening it found it looked a lot similar to the Malfoy family's spell book except this one had the Potter family crest in the middle. I looked up to see them all smiling.
"When I went to your parents vault to get their wands I saw this there and I figured I would give it to you as a surprise."She says
I smile and give her a hug."Thanks Andy i love it"
"Your welcome. You grew up with so little of your parents things,it's only right that you get them now"She says
I smile and start taking them upstairs and started putting them away. Once that was done there were a few owls waiting with presents. I took the parcels from the owls and put them on my desk. I started going through the parcels and letters that were with them. One was from Fleur. It was a pair of dresses one a summer dress and one a more formal evening dress from some french boutique. There was one from Viktor and it was a broom care kit and a book on quidditch. I read the letters that came with them and wrote some letters thanking them for the gifts and send them off with the owls. I put away some of the gifts and started to get ready to go the Weasley's. I had a feeling we would end up doing some flying some point so I put my hair in a plait so it was out of the way and grabbed my firebolt and put it in my bag.
"I really need to have my hair cut again before i go back to school"I mumble to myself as I finish plaiting my hair. Glancing at the time I noticed I still had about 40 minutes before I was supposed to heading over to the Weasleys so made sure I had everything ready. I made sure I had the cases of butterbeer along with Neville's presents handy.
At 12 I headed downstairs and used the fireplace to floo over to the Weasleys. I stepped out of the fireplace as i arrived gently brushing the sot from my robes. I smiled as Mrs Weasley came into the room with huge smile on her face.
"Happy Birthday Hayley. It's so lovely to see you again"She says as she crosses over and pulls me in for a big hug.
I smile back genuinely happy to see her as well. "Thank you Mrs Weasley"
"Oh none of that how many times have I told you to call me Molly"She says
We head into the living room and she helps by taking the cases of butterbeer from me and placing them on the kitchen table ."Everyone's outside doing some flying so go ahead and join them. Lunch will ready in about an hour"She explains
I nod as I put down Neville's presents and take off my robes and grab my broom from my bag and turn to head outside catching a glimpse of Ron through the window. Despite my attempts to keep the smile on my face from faltering,Mrs Weasley noticed. She looks at me and puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"I know this wont make up for what Ron said and I am of course extremely disappointed with him but he is sorry"She says
"He is?"I asked finding it hard to believe.
"Yes. I think that the two of you need to sit down at some point and talk about everything"She suggests kindly
I nod."Thank you Molly. I will think about it"I say
"Go have fun"She says smiling as I run outside and catch up with everyone. All the Weasleys were there except for Percy. Hermione,Neville and even Cyrus was there.
For the next hour we enjoyed the beautiful weather and clear skies by flying around and playing a small game of Quidditch. Ron's older brothers Charlie and Bill were there so we were able to play a proper game,albeit with smaller teams. On one time we had myself as Seeker,George as Beater ,Ginny as chaser and Bill as keeper and the other team had Cyrus as chaser,Fred as beater,Charlie as seeker and Ron as keeper. By the time lunch was done the game was still going on. The game was currently at 120:100 to my team. We decided to put the game on pause until after lunch.
We all landed and headed inside. Mrs Weasley had prepared all sorts of food. It was like a miniature version of the Hogwarts feasts. Everyone sat round the table and helped themselves. The room was loud and lively as everyone caught up with how our summers had been. After we had all eaten lunch we decided to open presents before heading back inside to finish the game of quidditch. Neville opened the presents from us first. Mrs Weasley had knitted him a sweater and made some fudge. He got an assortment of sweets from Ron. Hermione got him a personalised homework planner and some muggle sweets. Hermione had done the same for Cyrus and Ron on their birthdays back in March and had one for herself so that we could coordinate and organise our assignments and revision as this was our OWL year. Cyrus had gotten Neville a book about rare plants. I handed him the presents from me last. He really like the new Herbology robes although he was told me that I shouldn't have felt the need to get him something so expensive to which I shook my head at. He opened his last present and smiled surprised.
"I remembered you telling me that you had gotten really into painting and sketching so I figured you would really like this"I explained
"I love it Hayley. I cant believe you remembered"He said giving me a hug
"Of course. "I smiled
Next everyone handed me my presents. Mrs Weasley had done the same and gotten me a sweater and fudge. Cyrus had given me some sweets and a wand care kit and a few pairs of homemade earrings from Luna. Fred and George had once again chipped in with the Quidditch team and gotten me some broom essentials. Ginny had also made some jewellery for me. Ron had gotten me some sweets just like Neville surprising me. Hermione had gotten me a personalised homework planner like everyone else in addition to some jewellery. Declan had sent a present along with Neville which was a selection of sweets,owl treats for Hedwig as well as an owl care kit. Neville himself had gotten me some art supplies as well as new quills and inks.
Shortly after this we all headed back outside and finished our quidditch match. It went on for about another 30 minutes before i managed to catch the snitch winning the game. Once the game had ended we spent some time just relaxing outside. It was at this point when Ron came over and asked if we could speak alone. I agreed and we walked a bit away from everyone else for a bit of privacy.
"Hayley I know that no amount of apologies can properly make up for what I said last year,my parents told me enough times but I really am sorry. I was acting stupid and my jealousy got the better of me. I don't expect you to forgive me straight away if at all but if your willing to I really would like to try and be friends again. The tournament ending the way it did made me realise just how stupid i had been. I've been wanting to apologise since then but I didn't know exactly how. It didn't feel right to put it in a letter."He explains
I listen to his apology and nod when he finished speaking. "I was really angry for a while. I knew that you had never gotten along with the Slytherins but I couldn't believe you would say something so awful.It took some time but eventually that anger faded into upset. I missed you. You and Hermione were my best friends and I missed the three of us hanging out and more often than not getting up to mischief" I said laughing slightly.
"I missed that too"He says
"I think it's gonna take some time for us to get back to how things were but I would like to try being friends again. But there are a few things. For example you really need to work on your attitude towards the Slytherins. Well specifically Blaise and Draco. Blaise is my boyfriend and Draco and I are kinda friends. I'm not asking you to be friends with them but I wont have you insulting them or picking fights with them"I say
He sighs slightly and nods."Okay. I'll try.I can't promise to be perfect but i'll try and be civil"He says
"That's all I ask.I will also make sure Draco does the same"I say
He nods."I knew that you and Zabini were going out but how did you and Malfoy become friends."He asks
"It's complicated. I promise I will tell you everything soon okay"I say hoping he wouldn't push the matter
He nods."Thats okay"
That evening I headed home happy that I had spent the day with my friends.I was glad that Ron and I had spoken and agreed to try and settle our differences. We both knew it wouldn't be a quick fix but it was a start.
"Hayley some presents arrived for you while you were out . I put them on your desk for you. Two of them are from Sirius and Remus but i'm not sure who the third one is from"Andy says as I was about to head up the stairs.
"Okay thanks Andy"I say with a smile
After putting the presents from my friends away I sat at my desk and began to open the presents that had arrived. Remus's present was a selection of DADA books with a note attached saying that they would help me with my OWL was also a photo album with pictures of my parents,himself and Sirius at Hogwarts. Many photos had very obviously been cut most likely to remove Wormtail. Sirius's was also a set of books but not ones that I was expecting. It was a series of Transfiguration books,specifically about how to transform into an addition to the books there was also his journals from when he,Wormtail and my dad were attempting it.
I placed the books down and began to read through the letter that Sirius had sent with the presents.
"Hayley I have given you these books as I believe that you try learning how to become an animagus. It is extremely useful as a way of disguise and concealment if you ever find yourself needing to break rules or just generally get up to mischief without having to use your dad's cloak every time. It is difficult and may take a while but I have no doubt that you will be able to manage it. When your father and I learned of Moony's condition we started to learn straight away. It took us up to almost the end of our third year. I believe that you may be able to complete it much quicker as you are starting off with a more controlled and stable magical core at 15 than we did at 11/12. Not to mention you have an advantage we never did - Guidance and instructions from successful Animagi. It is up to you if and when you decide to begin all I can do is advise. I would also advise to keep this a secret between the two of us for the time being. Even Remus doesn't know that I have given you these books. We briefly discussed it but his opinion is that you are too young to attempt something so dangerous. I have a feeling that the others will have a similar opinion. When you eventually complete the transformation it is completely up to you whether you decide to officially register with the Ministry or not. My opinion on the matter is this - Where is the fun in registering when it prevents you from doing one of the best parts of being a animagus , getting up to mischief without being caught.
Happy birthday Hayley and I hope to see you soon. You are always welcome here at Potter manor. No matter who you choose to live with or how old you get ,Potter Manor will always be your home.
Love
Padfoot"
I smile as I placed the letter,books and journals in my trunk to keep them hidden and a secret. I placed the photo album on one of my bookshelves along with the DADA books before going back to my desk to open my final present. I unwrapped the parcel and decided to read the letter first.
"Dear Miss Potter ,
This is Mr Amos Diggory, I know we met briefly last year before the Quidditch World Cup and during the tournament. Cedric mentioned you alot in his letters home and i can tell that the two of you were good friends. While sorting things out at home my wife and I came across a present that Cedric had gotten for you before he passed. I felt it was only right to give it to you as he would have wanted. We also want you to know that we do not agree with what is being said in the Daily Prophet about you and Professor Dumbledore. The two of you especially yourself would have no reason and nothing to gain from lying about You Know Who's return and part that he played in Cedric's death.
Happy Birthday
The Diggory's"
I found myself crying slightly as I read the letter. I shakily placed the letter down on my desk and took the first present out of the wrapping. It was a photo of the two of us during one of the Quidditch matches that we did as friends. It was in a simple black frame with the Gryffindor crest at the bottom of one corner and the Hufflepuff crest at the bottom of another and a snitch in the other two corners. I pulled out a small envelope from the wrapping and after opening it I found 5 tickets to a quidditch match between the Tutshill Tornados and Puddlemere United on August 20th. I wiped away my tears realising that Cedric obviously had planned for us to go the match with some friends. It saddened me to know that he wouldn't get to go and enjoy it but I knew that he would want me to go and have fun.I knew the twins would want to go provided it was okay with their mum and dad. I did't think Ron would want to go given the teams playing but I could at least ask him,if he didn't want to go I figured Ginny probably would. I placed the photo frame on my desk smiling.
I wrote a quick letter to both the Diggory's and then seperate letters for Sirius and Remus. I then went downstairs to speak to Andy and Ted about the Quidditch match before going to bed for the night.
The next day after Ted spoke to Mr Weasley using the floo to make sure it was okay for us to go over to discuss things. The two of us used the Floo to go over. After greeting we all sat in the living room and I started to explain everything.
"I got some quidditch tickets for a match between the Tutshill Tornados and Puddlemere United as a birthday present yesterday and I was wondering if Fred and George and either Ron or Ginny would like to go with me"I explained
"That's very thoughtful Hayley. When is it and where is the game being held?"Arthur asked
"It's for the 20th of August and its a Puddlemere home game so it'll be in Dorset"I tell them getting the tickets out to show them.
They nod."I'm assuming your going along to chaperone Ted?"Mrs Weasley asks
"Well it'll be either me or Andy it just depends on which of us is able to get that day off"He says
"Okay that's fine with us"They say. "Hayley why don't you go on upstairs and talk to everyone"Mrs Weasley suggests with a smile
I nod and head upstairs. I head up to the twins room first.I knock on the door hearing some commotion.
Fred open the door looking slightly disheveled and I could detect a slight smell of smoke so i knew they were cooking up one of their prank products. "Oh hey Hayley what's up. Didn't know you were coming over"
"Yeah last minute visit. There's something I wanted to ask the two of you"I said as he allowed me in.
"What is it?"George asks
"I wanted to know if the two of you wanted to go to the quidditch match between Puddlemere United and the Tutshill Tornados later this month"I say smiling
"Are you serious. We'd love to"They said together
"Good"I say
"How on earth did you get tickets. It's been sold out since May."Fred asks
"I got 5 as a birthday present. I figured that you two would want to go and then either Ted or Andy is going to take us and act as chaperone and i'm gonna see if either Ron or Ginny wants to go."I say
"That's awesome. Who got you them?"George asks
"Cedric did actually. He had my birthday present sorted before he died and his parents sent it to me"I say with a sad smile
They nod."Oh right"
"At first it felt weird but I knew that Cedric would want me to go and have fun. Not to mention i deserve some proper fun before I have a full year of studying"I say
They nod.
After talking for a bit more I went to Ron's room and knocked on the door taking a breath.
He answered and seemed just as surprised as the twins had been. "Hey what are you doing here?"
"I came over because I got some quidditch tickets for a game later this month and wanted to know if you wanted to come."I said
"You really want me to come?"He asks surprised
"Well Fred and George are coming and there's a ticket spare so I thought either you or Ginny might like to come"
"Oh cool. Whose playing?"He asks
"Tutshill Tornados against Puddlemere United. I know your not particularly a big fan of either of those teams but I thought it would only be right to ask you"I explain
He nods."I appreciate it Hayley. I think you should take Ginny though"He says
I nod."Okay I just thought I'd ask"
He nods."Thanks. If you get Chudley Cannons tickets next time i better be first option"He says jokingly
"Of course. I don't think I could get anyone else to go see a Cannons match anyways"I joke back with a smile
A little bit later after talking to Ginny,Ted and I headed home. I went upstairs to do some reading and practising some more magic using my parents wands. I also did a bit of reading through the books from Sirius and decided that I would start attempting to be come an Animagus once I was back at Hogwarts and had more places to practise in private.
It was about a week or so later and Andy called me downstairs saying that we all needed to talk as a family. I headed downstairs and took a seat at the table. I took in the hesitant looks on everyone's faces and i frowned wondering what was going on. I looked down and noticed the folded letter in front of Andy and had a guess that whatever was in the letter had something to do with the looks on everyone's faces.
"What's going on. Why do you all look so nervous?"I ask worried that something bad had happened
"Hayley some stuff has gone on and for the next few weeks until you go back to school we are going to be staying somewhere else"Ted says
"What's happened are we in some kind of danger?"I ask getting even more confused and worried
" No its just a precaution. The Weasley's and some others will be there as well because the adults need somewhere to meet in private to discuss things so staying there will be for the best"Andy explains
I nod."Okay can you tell me where we going?"I ask
"It's the Black family ancestral home. It was decided it would work better than Potter Manor as at the moment Pettigrew is still accepted by the wards."Ted explains
I nod"Okay that's fine"I say
I head upstairs and start to pack up my things that I would need for both the next few weeks and for when I went back to Hogwarts in September. Sometime that evening we all used the floo to head over there. We were the last to have arrived and so I headed upstairs with my stuff to choose a room. Hermione,Ginny and I choose to share a room. After unpacking my things I headed to spent some time catching up with spent some time talking and they explained that the adults were part of the Order of the Phoenix and that's what the meetings were to do with. Fred and George used one of their extendable ears to eavesdrop on the meeting to see if we could learn anything that they were keeping from us.
A little later on we headed downstairs after the meeting was over,I was at the back of the group and smiled when I saw Sirius stood in the doorway with a smile on his face. I ran over and gave him a big hug. Despite sending letters It had been a while since I have seen him in person and I had missed him. I took a seat along with everyone at the table in the dining room and we talked amongst ourselves. I glanced at Remus who was reading the Daily Prophet and sighed. I figured I might as well bring it up now while everyone was together.
I took a breath and looked up at everyone. "How long did you think you could hide it from me?"I say getting everyone's attention
"What do you mean. Hide what?"Ted asks
"The things that the Daily Prophet and the ministry are saying about me and Professor Dumbledore. That were lying about Voldemort being back"I say as Remus folds up the paper putting it away.
"When did you find out?"Remus asks
"Halfway through Summer. It was when Andy was collecting something from my parents vault for me and I waited with the account manager. He told me that the goblins didn't believe what the Prophet and Ministry were saying."I explained
They all sighed."Hayley why didn't you say anything if you've known for so long?"Ted says
"To begin with I was waiting on one of you to do the right thing and say something but then when I found out that you had all agreed to keep it a secret from me and were purposefully keeping me out of the loop I decided to wait and see just how long you would keep the secret."I said
"And who told you that we were hiding things from you"Mrs Weasley said glancing at Sirius obviously suspecting him
"Someone who obviously doesn't agree with it and who knows that I hate secrets being kept from me especially when there to do with me and no it wasn't Sirius."I say rolling my eyes trying to keep calm.
"Hayley listen we were only trying to do what was best for you. None of us wanted to burden you with unpleasant news when you were already dealing with so much after what happened"Mrs Weasley says trying to be kind
"So that's what it's all about. You all thought that I wouldn't be able to cope with the news after what happened with Cedric. Well you were wrong. I can handle a hell of a lot more than people think. Also no offence to anyone here but despite what you might think no one knows what's best for me besides me so I would really prefer it if everyone stopped thinking that they did"I said losing my temper as my anger got the best of me and I let out everything that I had been bottling up for the entire summer.
I stood up from the table and stormed out of the dining room and up to my room. The beds were similar to the ones at Hogwarts so I sat on mine and pulled the curtains around my bed making it clear that I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight.
Authors Note - Sorry everyone once again for the long absence. I've had a lot going on in my personal life and I had to put writing on the back burner while I sorted things out. Because of that I decided to give you a long chapter as a reward for your patience. I am unsure when my next upload will be but it will hopefully be within the next few weeks but it won't be as long as this one. Once again thanks for reading I really appreciate it. I will be giving the first 5 people who review on this chapter a shout out at the beginning of the next chapter. Plus if you ever want the chance to get an OC in one of the chapters all you need to do is review and or follow/favourite, I put every one who has done either of those things into a draw and choose one or two people. Thank you.