July 7th, 1995
Flames engulfed her body, the heat comforting, enveloping her in its warm embrace. It shielded her from the high cold laughter that echoed around her, keeping it at bay. Soft hisses filled the air, unintelligible words that drifted in and out of her mind like smoke. Thin fingers grasped her shoulders, pulling her upright, and she struggled against them, groaning as they pulled her from the safety of the flames.
"Wake up, kiddo," Sirius pleaded. "Please wake up."
Mary sat straight up in her bed, a cold sweat making her hair stick to her neck. Pushing herself back against the pillows and away from Sirius. His grey eyes were narrowed and he held a wet cloth in his hands.
Mary rubbed at her arms, feeling that ghostly chill. "Why is it so cold?"
"You're running a fever," Sirius said. "I've floo called Snape. He should be bringing something soon."
Mary shuddered, a tremor running through her. "Everything aches."
"Take a warm shower and get cleaned up." Sirius vanished the cloth. "I'll bring you some soup."
"I'm not hungry," Mary said quickly.
"And I'm not asking." Sirius shot back. "You barely touched your food last night. And Snape said you shouldn't take potions on an empty stomach."
Mary squinted her eyes at him. "Since when do you listen to Snape?"
Sirius snorted. "Since I realized that he's the only adult that you actually respect."
"That's not true," Mary said, shaking her head. "I respect a lot of adults. You and Remus too. It's just because he doesn't treat me like some weak little kid. I could have both feet in death's door and he'd call me an idiot, tell me to suck it up and fight back. As much as the man despises me, he doesn't want me dead."
"Yeah, well, I still don't like him," Sirius wrinkled his nose. "Too much bad blood over the bridge, or whatever that saying is. But I do understand, Mary. I really do. People treat me like I'm insane and it's been over two years since I escaped Azkaban. I'd like for people to treat me normally as well."
Mary blinked at him. "You like it when they think you're crazy. You once went through Diagon Alley pretending that you were talking to a Dementor named Todd."
"Oh, that was a good day." Sirius grinned. "Go get ready, kiddo. I'll have your food up soon."
"I'll come down to the kitchen. I can use some new scenery." Mary's hand shook, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug. "Toast and ginger ale. And some sliced carrots for Bacon."
"You're a demanding one." Sirius kissed the top of her head. "Should I send Dobby or Kreacher up to fetch you?"
"No, I've gotta be able to walk on my own or the rest of this summer is going to suck." Mary shook her head. "Just have my food ready, Siri."
Sirius nodded and went to the door. "Tonks is in Remus' room, so, uh, don't go in there without knocking."
Mary grimaced. "I didn't need to know that."
Sirius let out a bark of a laugh and walked out, leaving Mary to gather what she needed for her shower.
Twenty minutes later she was on her way downstairs, taking it one slow step at a time and leaning heavily on her cane when she met Tonks on the third floor landing. The young Auror's hair went from a mussed pale blue to pin straight bright red within seconds.
Mary smirked. "Have a good night, Tonks?"
"Ungh," Tonks blushed, rushing to the guest room and leaving Mary standing there shaking her head.
Mary's leg ached fiercely by the time she made it down to the kitchen and she leaned heavily on her cane as she slapped Remus on the back. "My boys are growing up. I know it was useless with Paddy, but do we need to have the talk, Moomy?"
Remus' face went as red as Tonks' hair. "Breakfast, Mary Jane."
Mary chuckled, sitting down at her spot at the table, picking up the early edition of the Prophet and flipping it over.
BARTY CROUCH SR. MURDERED! MINISTRY INVESTIGATION BEGINS IN FULL!
The picture of a young, Barty Crouch Jr. screamed at her from just below the headline. That manic gleam in his eyes as the Aurors pulled him back by the shoulders.
Mary read the article through twice, a pang running through her to see that Winky the house elf had been killed as well. Mr. Crouch's unnamed assistant was being held under suspicion of working with Barty Jr.. Her stomach rolled and she folded the paper, shoving it away from her. Remus picked it up, looked at the headline and put it back down.
Kreacher walked up to the table, placing a large plate in front of her and then a glass of golden bubbly liquid. "Eat what you can, Mistress."
"Thank you, Kreacher." Mary squeezed his hand. "Have you and Dobby eaten breakfast?"
"Much earlier this morning, Mistress." Kreacher nodded. "We are preparing for tonight's meeting."
"Meeting?" Mary turned to Remus.
"Professor Dumbledore has asked us to host the reformation meeting of the Order of the Phoenix," Remus said with a small smile. "Have you heard of it?"
Mary nodded, nibbling at her toast. "For a secret society, it's not much of a secret."
Remus let out a laugh. "No, you're right about that. Hence Albus' insistence that we not have this particular meeting at the school or anywhere that would draw attention."
"And I'm sure the protective enchantments around Grimmauld Place make it an enticing place to hold a super secret meeting." Mary muttered. "So what are you talking about? Just getting the Old Crowd back together? Or do you have something specific planned?"
Remus shot her an odd look. "It's Albus that leads the meetings, Mary. He doesn't inform us about the topics beforehand."
"Typical," Mary said, taking a drink.
"I assume we'll be inducting our newest members and holding a basic meeting to bring everyone up to speed on Voldemort's return."
"Will you need me to attend or can I hide upstairs?" Mary asked, pulling Bacon out of her pocket and slipping him a carrot.
"You will most assuredly not be allowed to attend the meeting," Remus said, cutting into his eggs. "The Weasley children will be here, so I expect you to keep them entertained."
Mary let out a small laugh, a smile tugging at her cheeks. "I see. So I've been demoted from the Girl Who Lived to the Entertainer of Children?"
"It appears so. I doubt you'd want your friends to be a part of it. We'll be showing the Order your memory from the Third Task." Remus informed her, examining her reaction over the rim of his teacup.
"That'll be a fun trip," Mary said, rubbing at her arm. "I'm surprised Dumbledore is allowing that."
"Professor Dumbledore," Remus corrected. "It's Sirius who holds the memory. We both think you should be the one to decide on whether or not you want the Order and any new members to view it."
Mary looked down at her plate, then raised her eyes to meet Remus'. "Make sure they take the proper secrecy oaths. Overall, I think it's best they know what they're agreeing to. Both with Voldemort and me. We need the strongest fighters, considering the danger that lies ahead. Can't expect people to fight if they don't know what they're fighting for or against."
"I knew you'd say that." Remus reached out, hesitantly putting his hand over hers. "I'm proud of you, Mary Jane."
"You might end up regretting it," Mary said, squeezing his hand. "Kreacher, can you send the rest of the sliced carrots up to my room? I feel a bit off."
Remus stood and placed his hand to her forehead. "Still feverish. Kreacher, go ahead and escort Mary upstairs."
"Mistress," Kreacher said, ignoring Remus and holding his hand out for her. "Kreacher will take you to your room and return with carrots for your familiar."
"Thank you," Mary replied, letting go of Remus' hand. "And send Tonks up after the meeting tonight. She and I need to have a very in depth talk about her intentions with my Moomy."
"Mary Jane," Remus groaned.
With a soft pop, Mary and Kreacher were back in her room. She pulled Bacon out of her pocket and placed him in the large glass habitat Remus made for him and grinned when Kreacher made the ceramic bowl fill with fresh veg.
"Does Mistress require anything else from Kreacher?"
"No, thank you though, Kreacher." Mary put a hand on the old elf's shoulder.
Honestly, Mary wasn't all that bothered about being left out of the first Order meeting. It wasn't like she didn't already know what was going on. The part that did irritate her was not knowing who would be there. Which people would Dumbledore trust? Would he try to use Mundungus Fletcher's contacts to his advantage? Would he send Hagrid and Madame Maxime to the giants?
There were too many questions that she didn't have the answer to and little time left to leave things to chance. With a deep sigh, Mary realized that this was a game of chess that she would have to sit back and watch, waiting to see who would make the first move.
The sheets and blankets had been changed and were warm to the touch when Mary climbed back into the large bed, revelling as the warmth eased the pain in her limbs.
There was a clipped knock on the door and it opened, revealing the darkly robed Severus Snape.
"Morning, sir," Mary said, sitting up. "Have you had breakfast?"
Snape nodded. "Have you?"
"Toast and ginger ale," Mary said, holding up her glass.
"Will you be able to stomach another batch of Nerve Regenerator?" Snape asked with a scrutinous look.
Mary grimaced. "I think so. Are we going with normal medicine for the fever?"
"Normal?" Snape lifted a brow.
"Muggle," Mary clarified, rolling her eyes. "Sorry sir, bad habit."
"Petunia's influence, no doubt." Snape bit out. "Yes, we will be using Muggle remedies for both your fever and the pain. We will use normal wizarding methods to heal your damaged nerves."
"Lovely," Mary muttered.
"Stand up and walk from door to door." Snape instructed, watching with a shrewd gaze as she complied. "You're still favoring your right leg. How is the pain?"
"Worse in the mornings," Mary said honestly. "It's getting better though."
Snape stepped in front of her, tapping her head with the spell Madam Pomfrey taught him. "I can see that it's indeed improving. We'll give you a half dose of morphine now and if the pain escalates I will bring you more." Snape opened his bag and gestured for her to get back into bed. "Pink bismuth for your stomach. Drink a capful of that. And take these two tablets."
Mary drank the chalky pink liquid and grimaced at the weird diluted paint taste, then rinsed her mouth with the ginger ale after taking the fever reducers. Snape met her eyes briefly before injecting the morphine into her upper arm and discarding the needle back into the depths of the black bag. Her nemesis, that dreaded vial of red potion was brought out next.
"Your aversion to touch seems to be fading." Snape observed, handing her the vial.
"As long as I'm prepared for it, I'm fine," Mary said. "You should ask Sirius what happened when he snuck up on me. He was bald for almost a day."
"I would like to see the memory of that when you're amenable." Snape smirked, tapping the vial. "Drink the potion, Potter. Procrastination will not see you fully healed.
Mary drank it all, ignoring the burn as it went down her throat. "You'll have to wait on that memory. Sirius has the pensieve for the Order meeting tonight."
"I'm aware." Snape flicked his wand and a piece of parchment stuck to her wall. "Dosage given at eleven a.m. Potter, when you feel that the Nerve Regenerator is beginning to wear off, tap the parchment with your wand and speak the time."
"Yes, sir."
"Do you have need of anything else?"
"No." Mary shook her head. "Thank you, sir."
Snape left and Hedwig flew down from her perch, landing on Mary's pillow and began pecking at her damp hair.
Mary ran a finger across Hedwig's soft feathers. "Give me a few minutes and I'll start my letters. I hope you don't mind."
Hedwig clicked her beak, making a small sound.
Mary stood and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind herself and stared at the steaming cauldron in the corner of her shower. Kneeling beside it, she grabbed the last of the star grass clippings and placed the three springs into the bubbling solution, watching as black sparks floated around her.
Flipping open the ancient book, Mary ran her finger along the line that showed her next step and grimaced. With a sigh she grabbed the small knife and poked her finger, squeezing a small drop of blood into the mix. Six clockwise stirs later the potion settled into a deep indigo color that was translucent in the silver cauldron.
Scooping out two spoonfuls into a vial, Mary waited until it was at room temperature before she downed it in one gulp. The acrid taste coated her tongue and burnt its way down her throat.
"I hope it works, Hedwig," Mary said when she was back in her room. "I wonder what form I'll take?"
Mary held up her hand and her stationary floated from her desk onto her bed. A few minutes later, when the tremors had almost subsided, she started on her letter to Viktor, letting her mind wander as she wrote.
"Two fifteen p.m." Mary said, tapping the parchment with her wand and letting out a breath.
It'd barely given her enough time to finish her letters before her hands were shaking again. Mary sighed, tucking the last letter into its envelope and writing Viktor's name on the front, placing it on the bed next to the others. Hedwig sat there next to Boris cleaning his feathers while he patiently waited.
Pop. Pop.
Mary started so bad that she upturned her inkwell, nearly lost an eye by summoning her wand, and stabbed herself in the leg with her quill.
"Still a bit jumpy, eh sis?" George flopped onto the bed next to her.
"I'm getting better." Mary grumbled, cleaning up her mess and placing the letters on her table while sending the stationary back to her desk.
Fred plopped down on her other side. "Ah, it's good to be back, isn't it?"
"What's kept you two?" Mary asked, pulling a pillow to her lap and hugging it to hide the return of the shakes. "I expected you to be here as soon as the train left."
"It's not that we've run out of ideas-"
"Mum's banned us from coming over until you're better."
"Thinks we'd distract you."
"And if she let us pop over, she can't rightly ban Ron."
"And Ron's been in a right state since term ended."
Mary shook her head at the Twins' antics. "I'm guessing it has something to do with Hermione returning home?"
"He's nearly run Errol to death." George grinned.
"Poor thing," Mary said. "You do know that if you need an owl to take care of stuff for the shop, you can always ask Sirius and Remus."
"We've been taking notes and experimenting while we can at home with spells and such," Fred replied. "Nothing we couldn't wait a bit for."
"Well, I'm on the mend, so feel free to come over anytime." Mary told them.
"Are you really?" They asked at the same time.
Mary smiled. "Slowly, but I'm getting there. Now that I have the chance though, I'd like to ask for your help with something."
"Anything, sis," Fred said.
"I've got my winnings from the Tournament and I'm wanting to donate it to the Children's hospital in London and St. Mungo's children's ward. But a donation by me would not be received well by newly resurrected third parties, so I was wondering if I could do so using WWW as a front. It could create some good press for you both, as well as build a sense of intrigue as to what you'll be selling."
Fred and George turned to each other and grinned. "We're in!"
George rubbed his hands together. "We can have a presentation that shows off some of our harmless wheezes for the magical kiddies. Mum will be crying into her tea cozy over our kind act."
Fred laughed. "She could hardly stop us when we're putting smiles on wee injured children's faces. And Dad will be thrilled at the chance of seeing a Muggle hospital."
Mary looked at the calendar on her wall. "How about we plan on it for next month? I'll talk to Sirius and Remus about the details. I'll bring Aunt Andy on for the St. Mungo's side and Minister Bones for the Muggle side."
"We're glad you've got connections, old girl," Fred said. "We're going to be raking in the galleons from owl orders over this."
"And you'll be supporting a good cause," Mary said with a pointed look.
"That too!" The twins laughed.
There was a knock on the door and Ron walked in, followed by Ginny and Neville.
"There you two are!" Ron shouted. "Mum about had kittens! What are you thinking just barging in without warning Mary?"
"Guess that's our cue to leave, eh Georgie?" Fred stood up.
George stood up, sent Mary a salute, and the two of them disapparated.
"They've been doing that nonstop." Ginny rolled her eyes.
"I can imagine." Mary laughed. "So, how are you three? Having a good summer holiday?"
"Have you heard from Hermione?" Ron asked, sitting heavily at her desk.
"I've just finished a letter to her." Mary pointed to the stack on the table. "Isn't she leaving for Rome tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Ron groused. "Why's she gotta go all the way to Italy? There's a bloody war starting. She shouldn't be travelling about."
"She's safer there than here," Mary replied gently. "Sirius and Remus are going over there this weekend to put protective enchantments around her home."
"Bill mentioned something about that," Ginny said. "He's supposed to help them."
"How are you feeling?" Neville asked, a worried look on his face.
"Better," Mary answered. "How are you and Gran?"
Neville puffed up his chest. "We're doing good. She's let me take that summer job with Mrs. Woodcroft. And Uncle Algie took me to buy a new wand before he left for his holiday. Want to see?"
Mary nodded and watched as Neville pulled a wand from his pocket, handing it to her with a proud smile.
"It's cherry and unicorn horn," Neville said. "13 inches."
"You need a wand holster," Mary noted. "It's too nice of a wand to get scratched up. Plus you heard Moody, no point in accidentally losing a foot or arse cheek over improper wand placement."
Neville laughed. "Wouldn't want that. I'll pick one up in Hogsmeade next time I go to work."
Ginny poked through the stack of letters, her mouth dropping open. "Myron! You're actually writing to him?"
"Yeah," Mary pulled the envelopes from Ginny's hand, fearing that she'd crush them in her death grip. "We both have a love for Muggle music, so we send each other recommendations."
"And you're writing to Krum!" Ginny shrieked. "I swear, Mary, you're the luckiest girl on the planet."
Mary shot her a look. "Hmmph. I wish that was true."
"So what's this meeting supposed to be about?" Ron asked, changing the subject. "Mum and Dad have been whispering about it for days."
"It's for the Order of the Phoenix," Mary said. "Have you heard of it?"
"Oh yeah, we know that part." Ron waved his hand dismissively. "Mum's brother's were in it during the last war. I was wondering what they'd be talking about. There were loads of people downstairs."
"They're going to watch my memory of Voldemort coming back," Mary said, ignoring the way they flinched at the name. "Dumbledore is probably going to see if any of them want to rejoin the Order."
"Gran wasn't part of it the first go around, but she wants to be this time," Neville said.
"Bill and Charlie are both joining too," Ginny said. "Bill's downstairs now and Charlie's supposed to be home in a couple of weeks."
"Bill got a desk job with Gringotts," Ron said with a grimace. "Don't know why he'd want a desk job over treasure hunting."
"He probably wants to be closer to you lot now that things have gone sideways," Mary said.
"It's because of Phlegm and you know it," Ginny hissed.
Mary furrowed her brow at Ginny's tone. "Phlegm?"
Ginny's face flushed. "Fleur Delacour. She's been Floo calling Bill for hours each day. Mum tripped over him this morning and nearly pitched herself into the kitchen sink."
"You're just jealous cause you haven't got a call or letter this summer." Ron snickered.
Ginny slapped him on the back of the head. "Am I the only one that understands it's only been five days since the term ended? What all could have happened that requires constant communication?"
"Well, considering Fleur's got a job at Gringotts and she's moving to a new country, I suppose she's just nervous." Mary defended. "Bill's a nice enough bloke, so there's every reason for the two of them to talk."
"Well of course you'd say that. You're friends with everyone. I'm surprised you haven't invited You Know Who over for tea."
"I did but he declined, something about already having plans. I guess we'll have to reschedule." Mary stood, letting the pillow fall to the floor as she grabbed the stack of letters. "Hedwig, Hermione's letter first, then Myron's. Boris, will you drop this one off to Fleur Delacour and then take Viktor his?"
Both owls clicked their beaks and jumped down to Mary's shoulder so that she could attach the letters.
"Ron, Neville, would you two mind getting a small fire going?" Mary pointed to the stairs with a sharp look. "And take Boris and Hedwig with you."
They nodded and ran up the steps, leaving Mary alone with Ginny.
"Are you okay, Gin?" Mary asked gently, leaning heavily on her cane.
"Oh, I'm great!" Ginny waved her hands wildly. "Just fine. It's not like the guy who ruined my first year at Hogwarts is back and at full power or anything. Or that my family is joining a secret organization to fight him. Definitely not because my brother has been arrested!"
Mary grimaced. "Have you heard anything from Percy?"
Ginny shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Not a word. They won't even let Dad talk to him."
Mary pulled Ginny into a hug and held her there for a minute. "We're going to fight Tom. We won't let him win. Ever."
Ginny pulled back and wiped away her tears. "Sorry, I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. You've got enough shite going on. I'm just scared. What if they send him to Azkaban? I know Percy can be a prat, but-"
"He's your brother," Mary finished for her. "You love him."
"I just want him to come home so things can go back to normal!" Ginny raised her hands in exasperation. "Nothing feels right anymore. Bill's got his head stuck so far up the Floo he can't see the light of day. Ron lives in his room writing to Hermione. Fred and George are more secretive than ever. Mum and Dad are always whispering to each other. I feel like I'm going insane."
"Help an old girl up the stairs?" Mary held out a hand for Ginny. "Minister Bones owes me a favor for the whole blaming me for the Third Task thing. I'll talk to her about Percy, see what we can do to get him released. But Gin, I honestly think he's safer where he is. If he's released and goes home or back to work, it could make him an even bigger target for Barty Jr. I'm not saying that to worry you, but things could be a lot worse than three warm meals a day and Aurors guarding you around the clock."
"That's what I really don't like," Ginny said, stopping on the top step. "Mum's so paranoid these days she won't let Ron and I go anywhere. I had plans to go to Poland with Luna, but Mum said it's too dangerous."
Mary sympathized, she really did, but for the most part, she agreed with Mrs. Weasley. "Sirius and Remus are on edge too. I overheard them talking about homeschooling me if I don't heal enough to return to Hogwarts."
"What's that?" Ron asked, turning in his chair near the fire pit. "They can't keep you from Hogwarts! It's the safest place for us."
"For all of us but Mary," Neville said darkly. "She's only got injured every year she's been at school."
"I'll be going back," Mary said, hoping that it was the truth. "They can't rightly keep me here while they're working at the school and running off on Order missions."
Ginny flopped down on the couch, staring into the flames. "This is going to be a bloody awful summer. I can feel it."
Mary rubbed at her face. "We'll just have to make the best of it then. Neville, when you have the free time, would you mind helping me with the greenhouse? Maybe ask Mrs. Woodcroft what she'd recommend? I need some fresh ingredients for potions. A little bit of everything."
"Sure." Neville nodded.
"And I'll need all of you to visit often." Mary continued. "As soon as I'm allowed to use magic, Sirius and Remus are starting up dueling again. I can feel my muscles atrophy by the second, so I'll need help getting back in shape."
"We'll be here, Mary." Ron promised.
"If Mum allows it." Ginny scoffed, waving a hand.
Ron's stomach growled loudly and Mary realized she'd been a very bad host.
"Kreacher," Mary called out.
"Yes, Mistress?"
"Is the meeting still in session?"
"They are just talking, Mistress," Kreacher said. "The wizard Dumbledore is not happy with bad master and his pet. The red haired blood traitor witch is crying a lot too."
Mary sighed. "We've had this talk about insults, Kreacher."
"Kreacher apologizes, Mistress." Kreacher bowed his head.
"He's not wrong." Ron shrugged. "We're all blood traitors here."
Mary rolled her eyes. "Would you mind taking me to the kitchen? I'll find something for us to snack on."
Ron stood. "Why don't we walk down togeth-"
Kreacher didn't wait for him to finish, popping Mary straight into the kitchen. Silence greeted her as at least thirty pairs of eyes focused straight on her.
"Sorry," Mary whispered. "Just finding some food. I'll be out of your hair in a second."
Mrs. Weasley rushed to her side, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Let's look at you, dear. You're burning up."
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Mary whispered, hiding from view.
"We were finished anyway." Mrs. Weasley smiled, pulling a pitcher of pumpkin juice from the refrigerator. "As soon as everyone else clears out we'll have a proper meal. Dobby, take Mary and the drinks into the living room, please."
Dobby appeared next to her snapping his fingers. With a soft pop she materialized in the next room, everything set out in front of her, just as Ron, Ginny, and Neville walked down the stairs.
"That was quick." Ginny eyed the pitcher.
"They're about done in there, so your mum said we can hold off until dinner." Mary sat on the couch, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "Dobby, can you warm up this blanket? I'm freezing."
"Who'd you see in there?" Ron asked, sitting next to her.
Before Mary had the chance to answer, the door to the dining room swung open and Bill walked out followed by Tonks and a silver haired young witch.
"Alright there, Mary?" Bill asked, taking the seat on her other side.
"I'm fine," Mary answered with a smile.
"Have you met Chiara?" Tonks asked, gesturing to the girl beside her. "She works with Mum at St. Mungos."
"Mary Potter," Mary said, extending a trembling hand.
Chiara shook her hand gently with a sympathetic smile. "Healer Chiara Lobosca, at your service, Miss Potter."
"Just Mary, please," Mary said, turning to her friends. "This is Ron, his sister Ginny, and our friend Neville."
"I've met these two," Chiara said, grinning at Ron and Ginny. "It's been years though. Nice to meet you all."
"Starting to feel like a reunion tour," Tonks said with a laugh. "Chiara and I were in the same year in Hufflepuff."
Call it instinct, but Mary had an odd feeling about Chiara. Mary pulled the blanket tighter around herself, not liking the way the new girl stared at the scars on her arm with a horrified look on her face.
Bill pulled Mary to his side, ruffling her hair playfully. "So what in all did you lot try to use to eavesdrop on the meeting?"
"We didn't," Ginny snorted. "Not like we'd need to, we can get that information straight from the horse's mouth."
"That hurts, Ginneigh," Mary brayed the last syllable.
Neville and Tonks both burst into laughter, but Ron was clearly annoyed by the accusation. "What made you think we were eavesdropping?"
"We heard pipes clanking the whole meeting and a pair of ears on string fell out of a vent," Bill said with a raised brow.
"You do know the twins are up in Sirius' prank room." Mary elbowed Bill in the ribs with a pointed look.
"We'll have to have a talk to them about cunning and subtlety," Chiara said, smiling brightly. "Care to join me, Tonks, Bill?"
Bill squeezed Mary's shoulders. "We'll be back shortly. Don't let Mum start dinner without us."
Mary's whole body shook with chills and Ron turned to her with narrowed eyes. "Feeling okay?"
"I think the fever's getting worse."
"Let's go into the kitchen," Ron said, helping her stand. "You're probably due for your potions and Merlin knows Mum can talk for ages."
Mary leaned heavily on Ron, humiliation running through her at needing assistance for something as simple as walking. What made it even worse, was the first person that looked up when they entered the dining room was Dumbledore. His pale blue eyes were contemplative, a tinge of worry in their depths. Mary looked away, clenching her fists into the blanket.
Aunt Andy was at her side in an instant, waving her wand over her. "You're burning alive, child."
"I'm freezing," Mary said, shaking her head.
Irritation at a solid nine, Mary picked at her food, making a mess on the plate as the tremors refused to subside. Every eye in the room turned to her at some point, making her skin crawl. It didn't help that on top of the fever and chills, the odd anticipation she felt through her link to Voldemort was slowly changing over to one of a steadily growing rage.
Mary picked up the cold glass of pumpkin juice, not caring that the contents sloshed over the edge, and pressed it to her forehead.
"Are you okay, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked from across the table.
Mary's ears started to ring, a pressure building in her skull. "I, uh, I need to go."
"You've barely touched your food," Mrs. Weasley said softly.
"Are you occluding, Potter?" Snape asked from the far end of the table.
"Always, sir." Mary grimaced. "He's really pissed off."
"Keep your mind closed, Mary," Dumbledore told her.
Mary stood, flipping her chair over in the process. On shaking legs, she rushed out to the back garden and onto the dueling platform, grateful for the extra wards. Never before had she felt his rage reach that level. It seared through her mind like a torch, flaying and burning until she wanted nothing more than to scream. Biting down on her lip, Mary focused on feeling the rush of a cool breeze on her face, the heady smell of smoke, the Firebolt in her hands.
An image of a pale man pleading on the ground flashed to the front of her mind and she ignored it, holding tighter to the safety of her own mind. Worn leather on a summer day. Pine soap. Stale tobacco.
"What do you mean; destroyed?"
"I apologize, my lord. The only copy was broken just days ago." Lucius Malfoy bowed his head.
"By whom?" Voldemort hissed.
"Potter, my lord," Lucius answered in a near whisper.
The fire burned through her skull and Mary finally let the scream escape.
"Stay back," Sirius said, keeping Ron and Ginny from going into the back garden.
"Why aren't you helping her?" Neville glared at him.
"This is Mary's fight," Remus said gently. "She's doing all that she can to keep Voldemort from infiltrating her mind. We can't distract her."
"We could do something!" Ginny cried out. "She wouldn't just sit back and watch if it was us!"
"Then don't watch," Sirius bit out, waving his wand to lock the door and shutter the windows.
Kneeling on the edge of the warded platform, Sirius closed his eyes, pleading with anyone that would listen that she would be okay. "You've got this, kiddo. You can fight him. You're stronger. You're better. Don't let him in."
"Severus was summoned," Remus said, sitting on the ground next to him.
"Do you think Voldemort has realized the connection?"
"No," Remus shook his head. "I think he's just angry."
"Did we make a mistake by letting Mary destroy the prophecy?" Sirius turned to meet Remus' eyes.
"It was her choice." Remus turned to Mary. "He's going to get revenge for this."
Sirius' stomach rolled at the thought. "She's a sitting duck, not being able to use magic right now. Hell Moony, she can't even walk without needing help."
"We'll figure it out," Remus said. "Andy's bringing Chiara into the project and Severus, Minerva, and Poppy will find something to help."
"What if they can't?" Sirius asked, flinching as Mary's mouth opened in another silent scream.
"They will," Remus said, reaching into the wards to brush the hair out of Mary's face. "And she'll never give up. We just have to support her."
Sirius nodded, standing and moving to Mary's side. "And give her something worth fighting for."
