July 13th, 1995
"A passable Wiggenweld potion," Snape said, holding the vial up to the light. "Not bad, Potter."
"Thanks, sir," Mary said, followed by a loud yawn. "Can I drink it now?"
Snape turned to her. "No, I assumed you would want to wait a day or two."
"Haha." Mary rolled her eyes, accepting the vial. "This will be so much easier when I'm not shaking like a leaf."
Snape lifted a brow and Mary gulped down the foul tasting liquid, wondering if she'd ever get to a point where she wasn't relying on potions to survive. All at once her body started to tingle, an odd feeling rushing through her as muscle and bone mended, nerves healed, and the lingering aches and pains began to fade away like a bad memory.
Mary stood and cracked her neck, testing the weight on her right leg. "Oh hell yes!"
"I take it that the potion works?" Snape asked.
Mary flung herself at the taller man, squeezing him slightly before letting go. "It works!"
Snape dusted off his robes as though she'd contaminated him. "Arms out. Hold them as still as you can."
Mary did as she was told, watching her arms nervously, but they remained steady. "You did it, sir! You made me better."
"You were the one to brew the potions, Potter." Snape turned around, placing his brewing kit back in his bag.
"Hell, I wouldn't have known what to do without you helping me," Mary said honestly. "And you were the one to figure out the problem."
"Well, don't go singing my praises, I have a reputation to uphold." Snape bit out.
"Of course, sir." Mary nodded seriously.
"No more Dark Arts, Potter," Snape said, pointing his wand at her. "Or Dark Potions. If you turn into the next Dark Lord, I won't be there to save your miserable hide."
"You won't even attend my Dark Tea Party?" Mary pouted. "There goes my masterplan."
"I'm serious, Potter," Snape said. "No more Dark Arts."
"Yes sir," Mary mumbled, her fingers crossed.
"There's a mirror behind you, Potter." Snape lifted a brow. "Idiot girl, you never would have survived in Slytherin."
"You're just scared that I'd turn them all over to my side." Mary grinned, bouncing on her heels. "We'd have Dark Discos."
"I liked you better when you were less mobile." Snape shook his head and walked out of the room. "Inform your dogfather that I will return tomorrow to supervise your brewing."
Mary paused. "He's still not talking to me."
"Inform your other godfather then!" Snape snarled. "Idiotic Gryffindors!"
Mary snickered, letting him walk away without antagonizing him further. With a sigh she counted to ten and went up to her room. Her stomach rumbled and she wondered if she could risk running down to the kitchen to grab something to eat, but thought better of it. Snape was probably down there lecturing Remus on his part in her dabbling in the dark arts. Best to let Kreacher or Dobby bring something.
The step creaked and Mary grimaced, holding still. An odd sound filtered out from the second floor landing and Mary crept closer, pausing at Sirius' door. It wasn't unusual for him to have nightmares in times of stress. That alone made Mary's guilt ramp up. She hated the thought of her own stupidity causing him nightmares. He had enough on his plate as it was.
"No, don't- Stop,"
Without hesitating, Mary called her wand to her hand, flinging the door open. She stopped - her mouth opened in horror - and darted out of the room, closing the door behind her. Her heart raced behind her ribcage and her eyes stung in mortification.
"Mary!" Sirius rushed out, holding a sheet around himself. "Are you okay, kid? Was there something you needed?"
"I thought you were having a nightmare!" Mary cried, still covering her eyes. "Ah, it burns!"
"What's going on out here?" Remus' door opened and he stood there in his dressing gown.
"Wotcher, Mary!" Tonks said happily from behind Remus.
"Are you okay?" Minister Bones asked from Sirius' side.
"I need an Obliviate," Mary said, shielding her eyes. "Silencing charms! They work wonders, you know!"
"So you aren't dying, bleeding, leaving, or on the verge of doing anything stupid?" Sirius asked with a raised brow.
"No!" Mary put her hands up. "Put a sock on your door, something. All of you! I swear to Bob I'm gonna go blind before term starts. Freaking dirty old people."
"Hey!" Tonks cried out.
"A thousand points from Hufflepuff!" Mary called out, darting up the stairs. "Gods, I think I've found my new Boggart!"
Mary shut the door to her room, locking it with a quick spell, before going up to the roof, holding her locket tightly in her hands and locking that door behind her too. With a whispered word the stone fell into her hand, the dark surface shimmering under the fairylights.
With a few quick spells, she had a fire going and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sat on the plush red couch. Heart in her throat, Mary turned the stone over three times.
"Took you bloody long enough!" Lily screeched, pacing in front of her. "You've had that blasted stone years and you just now deem us worthy of your time?"
"Mum?" Mary whispered, looking between the glowing visage of her parents. "Dad?"
"Hello, darling," James said gently. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Mary said, feeling moisture on her face. "You?"
"Better now that we can talk to you." James moved closer until he was sitting next to her. "Right, Lils?"
"I'm right pissed off!" Lily stopped and knelt beside her. "What were you thinking?"
"I didn't know if it'd just be a one time thing," Mary said in her defence. "I didn't want to waste the opportunity."
"That's a load of rubbish!" Lily hissed, taking a deep breath. "I've looked into the matter. There's no limit on how many times you can use the Stone, but you have to space out the uses. Once or twice a year at most. And even then, we can't stay long. Not unless you want us to be trapped on this side of the Veil until we lose our minds."
"I don't want that!" Mary gasped. "I promise, I won't use it much. I just really wanted to meet you both. To talk to you for a bit. Find out what you're like."
"We're dead for starters," Lily sniffed.
"Come on, Lils." James put a hand on her arm. "No need wasting time on the obvious."
"I'm sorry!" Mary cried. "I'm so sorry. You were both so young. You didn't deserve that."
"Oh sweetheart," Lily frowned. "That was never your fault. Don't mind me. I've just been cooped up with your father for years, it's bound to drive anyone crazy."
"Hey!" James' mouth dropped open. "Not nice!"
"You're not like I imagined," Mary said quietly.
"We're better, eh?" James preened.
"Idiot." Lily swatted out a hand that went straight through James' head. "Of course you'd be curious about us. Don't believe what you hear, Mary. We weren't saints. We were just young parents trying to do our best given the situation."
Her mother's words enveloped her like a warm embrace and Mary wiped away her tears, wanting to hear more. "So what's it like over there? Beyond the Veil. Have you been watching over me?"
Lily grimaced. "Sorry to say, it's not like that. Every once in a while we'll get a glimpse of this side, but we can't control what we see."
"Sirius and Remus aren't on our side," James said. "How are they?"
"They're good," Mary said easily. "They're both, uh, asleep downstairs."
"You've grown up to be a beautiful young woman." Lily smiled. "How old are you now? Eighteen, nineteen? What career have you chosen? Do you have a significant other?"
"I don't want to know that last one." James shook his head.
"I'll be fifteen in a few weeks," Mary answered honestly.
"Fifteen!" James gawked. "What are they feeding you?"
Mary blinked. "I don't know if we'll have time to go over the full story."
"The cliffnotes version then." Lily nodded. "Keep in the pertinent details."
Mary gave them the abridged version of the last fourteen years, wincing as they started screaming at each other when they realized that she'd been raised by Aunt Petunia because Sirius went to Azkaban.
"Both of you hush or I'll put the stone down." Mary threatened as she watched their forms begin to flicker.
"You wouldn't dare!" Lily glared at her.
"Try me!" Mary lifted a brow.
"I died for you!" Lily countered.
"Because you were unarmed!" Mary said. "What kind of shoddy witch leaves her wand on a bookcase while there's a sodding Dark Lord running amok?"
"That…." Lily flickered again. "Blast, we're out of time. We'll finish this talk later. Hopefully now that the connection's been established we'll be able to check in on you more often."
"I'd love that." Mary stood up. "I guess I can't hug you, can I?"
"We can try," James said with a shrug, lightly wrapping his arms around her. "Nope, doesn't work."
"Sorry, sweetheart." Lily smiled. "Call us back in a few months or so and we can continue this talk."
"I will," Mary promised.
"Tell Sirius….. Stop…..hairy black tongue disease," James said seriously.
"The what?" Mary tilted her head in confusion.
"Just tell him." James smiled. "I love you, darling."
"Love you too, dad." Mary bit her lip.
"I love you, sweetheart." Lily reached out to touch her cheek. "Take care of yourself."
"I love you, mum."
James put his arm around Lily and Mary let the Stone fall to her lap. The two figures disappeared and Mary took in a shuddering breath, feeling both lighter and more confused than ever. So that there was no chance of her forgetting, Mary documented what happened and what was said word for word into her newest journal, then settled in for a lonely night of aeroplane watching.
July 16th, 1995
"All ready, Mary Jane?" Remus asked when she walked into the kitchen.
"Are you sure you can't at least give me a hint as to what you'll be up to while I'm gone?" Mary asked, flopping down into the nearest chair.
"Research," Sirius said smugly, digging into his food. "Nothing really important, just some stuff to help out in the future. We'll be here at night, but leaving you here alone just isn't an option."
"Cause I'm a helpless invalid." Mary rolled her eyes.
"Cause you're prone to getting yourself into dangerous shit and we don't need you getting injured anymore."
"So you're sending me off to be babysat?" Mary asked, just trying to get a rise out of them. "You just don't really want me to be here, do you?"
"No!" Remus assured her. "We love having you around."
"Don't fall for it, Moony." Sirius saw through her charade immediately. "Are you packed, kiddo?"
"Ready to go." Mary groused, crossing her arms when Kreacher made her bag appear at the end of the table. "Are you sure I'm not needed for the Order meeting?"
"The less time you're around Dumbledore the better," Sirius said with a pointed look. "We're still trying to figure things out on that front."
"No luck on the Suppression Cuff?" Mary rubbed at her upper arm. "I know it's not a permanent fixture anymore, but I'd still like to take the damned thing off. It itches."
"You'll deal with it." Sirius bit out. "Right now, that's the least of our worries."
"Fine," Mary grumbled. "Am I apparating or Flooing? If you say Portkey, I'm hexing you."
"The Floo," Remus said with a sigh. "And remember. Your animagus form, the Suppression Cuff, and your inability to drink normal potions stays a secret. Even from your closest friends."
"I know," Mary said. "I hate secrets."
Sirius rubbed his hands together. "Moony, what's a good name for an overgrown wolf with the power to make a man shit himself?"
"Pookie?" Remus lifted his shoulders.
"There's really no need for that." Mary shook her head.
"Pup," Sirius said, rubbing his chin.
Mary scoffed. "Yeah, call me Pup and then let someone see my massive ass walk into the room. It'd give them a heart attack."
"Prongslet!" Sirius clapped his hands. "That's it!"
"I'm not a deer and I don't have horns." Mary glared at her godfather.
"You've got that bit of white on the tip of your tail." Remus put in.
"Dipstick!" Sirius shouted.
"NO!" Mary yelled back.
"Paintbrush?" Remus suggested.
"Bob Ross!" Sirius cackled.
"Hell no!" Mary clenched her eyes shut. "Don't diss the master!"
"Technically you were a happy little mistake." Sirius shrugged.
Mary stared at the ceiling, hoping that she'd be rescued soon. "Thanks, Siri!"
"It's just that your parents weren't planning on a kid." Sirius added.
"That's lovely to know." Mary groaned.
"Padfoot, stop," Remus said quietly.
"They were thrilled!" Sirius had a wistful look on his face. "You couldn't have beat the smile off of James' face when he found out about you."
"Yeah, how long did that last?" Mary asked through gritted teeth. "Where did that get them? My existence caused their death."
Sirius' mouth clicked shut. "It wasn't like that."
"That's exactly how it was." Mary stood up and grabbed her bag. "How it ended. I don't need a Marauder name. I'm not a Marauder, just the orphan of one."
"Good going, Padfoot," Remus said as Mary stepped into the fireplace.
"Both of you be careful," Mary said, tossing a pinch of powder at her feet. "The Burrow!"
The Floo spat her out and Mary stumbled, but was able to catch herself before she fell.
"Mary!" Hermione rushed at her, pulling her into a hug. "How are you? Look at you! You're so tall now! Are you feeling better? Did they figure out how to stop the tremors? Have you received your booklist for the year? Is Sirius teaching Dueling or Defence?"
"Er," Mary looked to Ron. "Help?"
"Give her a minute, Hermione," Ron said, reaching toward her. "Uh, you're not still afraid of people, are you? Cause Mum's been in a right state since your last visit."
"I'm fine," Mary said with a laugh. "How about you lot? Doing better?"
"Percy gets to come home in a couple of weeks." Ron put his hands in his pockets. "We're all happy about that."
"I'm glad," Mary said, hugging him quickly. "Where is Mum?"
"Mary, dear!" Mrs. Weasley walked in, nearly dropping her knitting. "How are you?"
"I'm great!" Mary opened her arms and stepped forward.
Mrs. Weasley didn't disappoint, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. "That's so good to hear. We've been so worried. Let me have a look at you."
Mary stepped back and Mrs. Weasley stared at her with a shrewd eye. Mary tugged at her shirt, glad she'd worn something with long sleeves.
"You look wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "Of course you could do with a few good meals. What are they feeding you?"
"I've only been allowed normal meals for the past few days." Mary shrugged. "Guess I was saving my appetite for the best food in the world."
Mrs. Weasley flushed. "Such a dear. Well, we've got the Order meeting to get to. You children behave. If you need us we're only a Floo call away. Don't go outside the wards. And no flying!"
"I'll make sure they listen." Mary promised.
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I'll just go round up Arthur and the boys."
Mary pushed her hair back, letting out a breath when the side door opened. "Charlie!"
"MJ!" Charlie grinned, wrapping her in a warm hug. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," Mary said, grabbing his hand. "How about you?"
"Things are tense around the reserve," Charlie said carefully. "We've had a couple of break ins."
"Who the hell would be that stupid?" Mary asked, her mind spinning.
"Someone wanting to let hundreds of dragons loose into the world," Charlie said, a dark edge to his voice.
"Noone's been hurt though, right?" Mary squeezed his hand, eyes wide. "Dragons or otherwise?"
"Not that I know of." Charlie lifted his shoulders. "The dragons tend to protect themselves well enough."
"We're going to be late!" Mrs. Weasley called out, walking towards the fireplace. "You children remember the rules?"
"Go on then, Mum," Fred said, shooing her away.
"We can watch over this lot of miscreants." George smiled brightly.
Mary let go of Charlie's hand, wondering what was happening in the rest of the Wizarding World that was being kept secret from them. For all she knew the giants could have taken over Broadway and the vampires could be running parliament.
The four eldest Weasleys each left in a flash of green and Mary sat heavily at the worn table, fiddling with her dragon claw earrings. Ginny kicked her in the shin and Mary looked up sharply, seeing that Hermione was twitching in anticipation.
"You haven't answered any of my questions." Hermione sat across from her.
"Sirius is teaching Dueling. Snape's teaching Defence. I have the booklist in my bag and it's hexed, so don't try to sneak a peek at it. I've grown a bit. It's starting to get awkward, being almost as tall as the seventh years," Mary said, shooting a look towards Fred and George. "I'm fine, near perfect health. I just have to finish physical therapy. The muscles in my right hand are still wonky. How about you, Hermione? Have a good holiday in Rome? Did you visit the colosseum? Was there a library?"
"Rome was amazing," Hermione said through gritted teeth. "As was the library and the colosseum. Don't brush off my concern. Tell me the truth. How are you?"
"I'm fine." Mary's smile was a little too bright. "I can't say things have been great, because they haven't. Voldemort's back. Everyone's on edge. I'm wildly out of shape. There's so much that has to be done. I feel like I'm driving myself insane trying to learn spell theory without actually practicing magic because I'm not allowed to yet. But honestly, Hermione, I just want to spend a week with my friends and not have to worry about everything else."
Hermione frowned, grasping her hand. "Okay. We can do that. But why is the booklist hexed?"
"Because I wanted one night to talk to you about your trip before you buried yourself in books." Mary answered with a pointed look. "I even brought my radio."
"Good," Fred said, standing up.
"We'll put it to use," George added. "To the garden then. We need your help."
"How's planning going?" Mary asked.
"You'll get to tell us that in a couple of hours." Fred grinned.
Fred and George didn't disappoint, going over both the magical 'magic' show and the Muggle one in detail. They only stopped when someone intervened with a question or suggestion. Mary couldn't help but beam in pride at all of the work they'd put into it. It was going to be an amazing night for all of the children as well as bring good press for WWW.
Mary clapped loudly when they finished the second presentation. "That was brilliant!"
"You think it will make the wee ickle kiddies happy?" Fred asked.
"They're going to love it!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's such a nice gesture."
"Glad to have your approval, Granger," George said with a laugh.
"You've made me so proud!" Mary pulled Fred into a hug and then grabbed George, dragging him into the mix. "You're going to make a fortune!"
Fred and George patted her back, laughing. "Go grab the radio, sis."
Mary put in the newest cassette tape sent to her by Myron and let the peppy song echo throughout the garden.
"So what do we do now?" Ron asked, walking up to her side.
"We practice spells," Mary said, turning to Fred and George. "Do you still have those paint wands?"
"Loads of them, sis." George grinned.
"Brilliant." Mary smiled. "I'm going to teach you lot how to really fight."
"We can't use magic outside of school," Hermione said with a glare. "And you're not supposed to be using magic at all."
"It's just paint, Hermione," Mary said. "And don't worry, we won't be using real magic."
"We won't be able to hear anything over this noise," Ginny said.
"That's the point." Mary shrugged. "Battles are loud. They're messy and chaotic. It's not like dueling class where you take turns firing spells at each other. This is a free for all. An all out battle for survival, but with paint."
It started out as light fun, but as her friends started to realize just how hard it was to dodge hexes from multiple 'enemies', the harder they fought. The music picked up to a crescendo and Mary ducked a spell from George and shot one toward Ginny, hitting her in the knee. Ginny cursed and stumbled right into Hermione's spell. Mary shot three in quick succession at Fred and dove behind an apple tree, dragging in a deep breath and casting a spell over herself, before spinning around diving back into the fight.
"What on Earth is going on out here?" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the door, stopping the music. "You've probably alerted everyone for miles where we are!"
Mary knew that wasn't true, but plastered a look of shame on her face as she stepped out of the orchard with the others. "Sorry, Mrs. Weasley."
"Mary dear, you're limping," Mrs. Weasley rushed to her side. "What happened?"
"It's just twisted," Mary said with a smile. "I'm fine."
"Everybody inside," Mrs Weasley said with a huff. "Arthur, Bill, help me with the cleaning spells."
Mary turned to her friends who were dripping with multi-colored paint and grimaced. They looked exhausted, but happy. Surprisingly it was Ginny and Fred who were the least paint splattered, mainly because they didn't hesitate to fight dirty where as Hermione overthought each time before she would actually cast. Ron was slower to get spells out because he was trying to shield Hermione, leaving himself wide open to her attacks. George was simply having fun and not putting his full effort into the practice.
"Here, MJ." Bill grabbed her arm, letting her lean on him as he helped her into the house. "How is it that you're not covered in paint too?"
"Every round she came out unscathed." Fred shook his head. "I swore I hit you at least twice."
Mary leaned against the table and closed her eyes, letting the illusion charm fade away and leaving her standing there dripping paint, not a part of her remained unblemished.
"Bloody hell," Ron gasped. "You okay, Mary?"
"I'm fine." Mary winced, pulling her wand out of its holster and casting a few strong cleaning charms on herself.
"That's not fair!" Ginny held up her hands. "You made us think you won every match."
"Which made you all focus on me each round," Mary said pointedly. "You lot were so hell bent on trying to hit me that you left yourself open to attack. It's a good lesson to learn."
"Well I'm sure you're all hungry," Mrs. Weasley said. "Go wash up and I'll make some sandwiches and tea."
Mary cast a cooling charm on her black eye and a splinting spell on her ankle and limped into the house. "I'll help, Mrs. Weasley."
"I appreciate that, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, patting her arm. "You go on and get cleaned up. Sirius sent a supply of potions for you. They're on the coffee table. He said you'd know what to take."
Mary nodded and followed the others upstairs, her entire body aching. It was a wonderful feeling though, to spend time with her friends, having fun and getting some training in.
After a quick shower, she went back downstairs, going straight to the coffee table and pilfering through the small box of healing potions. She pulled out the ones she needed, but paused, hearing voices from the kitchen.
"Arthur, I just won't have it." Mrs Weasley's voice was as dark as Mary'd ever heard it.
"You're reading too much into it, Molly dear. Please try to see reason," Mr. Weasley replied in a tense whisper.
"I've seen enough. She's far too young for him. Not to mention the circumstances. Our boys can do better. I'll not see them at each other's throats again. It's too much. With Percy in Ministry custody and the war starting up. I can't take it."
"It's not going to come to that," Mr. Weasley said softly. "She's a beautiful young woman and we'd be lucky to have her as part of the family."
"I just don't want to see them heartbroken," Mrs. Weasley replied.
"They're good boys, Mollywobbles. We've raised them right. Don't worry now."
Mary stood on the top step with her mind spinning. What in the hell happened at the Order meeting? Had Charlie made a pass at Fleur? That seemed a little odd. To her knowledge, Charlie had only met Fleur in passing during the events surrounding the Second Task. Then again, Mary hadn't kept a very close eye on them. It wasn't any of her business either way.
"Do you want me to see to your ankle and that eye?" Bill asked quietly, moving to stand beside her.
"I've got to do the spells myself," Mary said, taking a sip of the Wiggenweld potion. "No worries though, Aunt Andy's been teaching me. I've just gotta wait for the swelling to go down."
Bill let out a breath. "Fleur joined the Order tonight."
"Oh." Mary grabbed his hand. "Are you okay?"
"I knew she'd want to join." Bill nodded. "She's a smart witch. It's, well, things are getting too close to home."
"Voldemort's been near silent activity wise since the last meeting." Mary narrowed her eyes. "What happened?"
"Nothing that we can pin on him," Bill whispered, turning away when Mrs. Weasley walked in. "So how'd the Twins' presentation go?"
"They were brilliant!" Mary grinned. "Minister Bones is going to be thrilled."
"Go on to the kitchen and eat." Mrs. Weasley shot her a pointed look. "You look exhausted. Best for you children to get a good night's rest."
"Thank you," Mary said. "Not just for the sandwiches, but for letting me stay here while Sirius and Remus are busy."
"It's nothing, dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled tightly. "You're always welcome here."
"I'm getting you back for the snails," Bill said, bumping her shoulder as he followed her to the table. "Fleur waited until after I'd tried one to tell me that you spat yours back out."
Mary dissolved into laughter. "Ugh, I can't believe you trusted me that much!"
"Lesson learned." Bill shook his head, putting a sandwich on her plate.
Mary kept a watchful eye on everyone as they walked back in. The Twins looked like their normal selves. Hermione and Ginny were talking quietly to each other, laughing here and there. Ron was in a deep discussion with Bill over why he chose to transfer to a desk job. Mr. Weasley and Charlie were talking vaguely about the Order meeting. All the while, Mrs. Weasley sipped at her tea and watched, a thin line above her brow, her gaze focused on her children.
Red eyes glowed brightly, staring at him from the depths of his nightmare. The maniac's high cold laughter echoing through the night as he stood among the bodies of everyone that he loved.
Charlie woke with a start, sitting straight up in his bed, his heart racing. Merlin's pants, he was never drinking after an Order meeting again.
Tucking a cigarette behind his ear, he stepped out of the room, wondering where Bill was. Likely with Fleur, if Charlie knew Bill. His older brother kept his relationship with the French girl secret from their family, hiding her away at Grimmauld Place as though trying to protect her from them. Not that Charlie blamed him, not this time.
Fleur wasn't Penny.
The smell of tea pulled him out of his morose thoughts and he walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "Mum? What are you doing up so early?"
"I couldn't sleep, dear," Mary rounded the corner holding a steaming cup. "We need to talk about that hair of yours. I think a trim is the right thing for you. Just a smidge off the ends to clean it up a bit."
"Sorry, MJ," Charlie said, chuckling quietly at his mistake. "It's usually Mum who's up at this indecent hour."
"Well, I've made the tea and started the scones. Not much left for her to do." Mary waved her hand and a teacup floated toward him. "You didn't see that."
"I thought Andy banned you from magic," Charlie said, lifting a brow at her.
"Her exact words were that I'm not allowed to use a wand until my magic stabilizes." Mary pushed the teapot toward him. "I found a loophole."
"You know, for most of us, wandless magic is unattainable. Not a loophole." Charlie said easily.
"Yeah." Mary stood, grabbing her cup and notebook from the table. "I'm not exactly normal."
Charlie made his tea and followed her outside, taking the seat on the swing next to her without asking. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Mary scribbled in her notebook. "Not your fault. I'm a little off these days."
"It's no wonder. Summer essays already?"
Mary looked up, meeting his eyes. "Oh no, I'm helping a friend with a project. It's either this or a million lines of 'I'll not practice the Dark Arts.' Writing is part of the physical therapy mandated by my warden. "
"I've been there." Charlie winced in sympathy, showing her the scar below his thumb.
Mary dropped her notebook and reached for his hand, her fingers lightly touching his palm. "What happened?"
"Your Dani. Not two weeks after we first brought her to the reserve. She was a tiny thing, but that spiked tail is no joke. Cut straight through to the bone. I spent weeks trying to regain the use of my hand even though it only took the healers minutes to fix it."
"How is my girl?" Mary asked, letting go of his hand.
"Getting along fine now. We've finally moved her and her babies out of the nursery, considering they're getting into trouble more." Charlie put his arm along the back of the swing.
Mary smirked. "As lovely as their mother, sounds like."
"They're a handful." Charlie lit his cigarette with his wand and leaned back, taking a drink of the overly sweet tea.
Mary tucked her legs under herself as the swing went back and forth, creaking quietly with each movement.
Without thinking, he reached out and touched the dragon claws that dangled from her ears. "You still wear these?"
"Haven't taken them off once." Mary smiled. "They've brought me good luck."
Charlie frowned looking at the red earrings that were next to the dragon claws. "What are those?"
"Dirigible plums," Mary chuckled. "A gift from Luna to keep the Nargles away."
"What are Nargles?" Charlie narrowed his eyes.
"I have no idea." Mary shook her head. "With my luck, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"No doubt about that."
Charlie turned to stare at her face, seeing the worried lines above her brow. Tension rolled off of her in waves and he rubbed her back gently, just to let her know she wasn't alone. Her eyes fluttered shut and she took in a deep breath, holding it in before releasing it. She reminded him of the older dragons that were kept in captivity for far too long, abused to the point of not even trusting the other dragons to get too close. They were accustomed to pain and solitude.
Mary leaned into his side, letting him put an arm around her shoulders. "Sun's coming up."
The horizon was painted in hues of the deepest blue to the faintest orange. A rooster crowed in the distance and the third floor pipes rattled ominously. Dawn at the Burrow was never a peaceful affair.
"I better finish breakfast." Mary pulled away, grabbing her notebook and teacup.
"Would you mind if I help?" Charlie stood and opened the door for her. "I'm trying to get on Mum's good side."
"I can help with that," Mary said, pulling her wand out and pointing it at him. "Hold very still."
He felt his scalp tingle and resisted the urge to move. "What'd you do?"
Mary smirked. "Nothing permanent. Just an illusion charm."
Charlie lifted his hand and felt his hair combed through and put in a tie. He looked at his reflection in the window and saw his hair was short and spiky, poking up in every direction.
"You look a bit like Dani's tail." Mary laughed, rushing towards the kitchen.
Charlie grinned, following her, but stopped when a loud crack resounded from the front garden. Mary had her wand in hand, shielding him from the newcomer. He didn't have time to move or think. The door opened and Bill stepped in, his eyes widened, going from him to Mary and back again.
"Morning, Bill," Mary said happily.
"Mary." Bill put his head down and darted for the stairs.
"What's up with him?" Mary whispered, putting her wand away.
"I don't know," Charlie answered, moving back into the kitchen. "Whatever it is, he'll figure it out. So what do you need me to do?"
"We're cooking the Muggle way," Mary said with a sigh. "I'm not having Aunt Andy accuse me of going against orders."
"You performed a perfectly good spell not even a minute ago." Charlie raised a brow at her.
"I have no clue what you're talking about." Mary shook her head. "Get the eggs and bacon, dear. Mum's going to teach you how to cook like a Muggle."
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Charlie grimaced.
Mary put a hand on her hip. "Not today, Charles."
Silently, Charlie went to her side and the two of them worked together to make a massive breakfast that was on the table by the time Mum walked down. It was disconcerting, cooking next to the girl who faced Voldemort, who killed two Death Eaters. Yet here she stood with flour on her face and a spatula in her hand, calmly watching as he massacred the dough she'd painstakingly made.
"You cut your hair!" Mum gasped, breaking him out of his daze. "It looks wonderful, doesn't it Mary? See, I told you it'd be less work."
"I think he looks right dashing," Mary said with a grin, earning an odd glance from Mum.
"It's just a spell," Charlie said honestly. "I wanted to try it out."
"This is a wonderful surprise," Mum said, kissing his cheek and then Mary's. "Did you sleep well, dear?"
"I did, Mrs. Weasley." Mary turned away, biting her lip.
Mum turned her around, putting a finger under Mary's chin. "It's Molly or Mum. And breakfast or not, I don't take kindly to being lied to."
"I don't sleep much these days...Mum," Mary said after a moment of hesitation.
Mum pulled her into a hug and held her there. Mary's entire body seemed to flinch at the action and Mum noticed as well, letting go of her quickly.
"I'm sorry," Mum said. "It's a habit I suppose."
"No," Mary shook her head. "I appreciate it. Just, well, I'll get sorted out soon enough."
"Breakfast then," Mum said, clapping her hands and turning to wipe her eyes. "What's left for me to do?"
"Sit down." Charlie smiled and tilted his head toward the table as he brought over a pan of scones. "MJ and I have this handled."
Later that day, Bill sat in Ragnok's office, waiting as his boss examined the incantation with a shrewd eye.
Ragnok read from the strip of parchment and stuck the end in the candle, burning it to ash. "Why are you looking into this potion, Weasley?"
Bill measured his words carefully. "A research project of sorts. I've found evidence that such a potion has been used recently. The residue was very distinct, reeking of something dark and forbidden. Any help would be greatly appreciated."
Ragnok shook his head. "It's olde magic, arcane, and the darkest of the dark. Most won't even speak of it. This potion regenerates the body of someone who has destroyed theirself with necromancy."
Bill already knew that much, but he leaned forward, needing more to go on. "How would they still be around without a body?"
Ragnok's eyes gleamed. "Through soul magic, young Weasley."
"The only reason this potion has ever been used is to restore a soul into a living body. There are few types of necromancy that can cause such destruction, and only one of them require that precise incantation. Your 'research project' created a Horcrux, didn't they?"
"What's a Horcrux?" Bill asked, leaning forward.
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A/N:
Okay, so Mary's on the mend. She's had a chat with her parents and now she's spending time at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley's having issues with her children growing up.
Are we picking up any good breadcrumbs? XD
Thank you for reading!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far. As always, I'm open to discussion, concrit, talk on theories, or just chatting in general.
