Harry slept for several hours.
Mrs. Weasley watched over him like a hawk, and barely let even York enter
the living room. Harry was in a dream-like state on the couch, tossing
and turning slightly. His scar was a flaming white on his forehead and
looked as if it was about to burn the skin around it.
"Please, Mrs. Weasley, I know
how to help Harry," York said putting her hand on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder.
But she refused her help.
"You've done enough, dear,"
she said looking up at her, "Harry could have been killed and you saved
my family....." Mrs. Weasley was over come with emotion and hugged York
tightly.
"That's all right. I shouldn't
be thanked; I let them get to close to Harry, I will be punished by my
superiors in the long run," York explained, excepting Mrs. Weasley's hug
and waiting patiently for her chance to escape, "And besides, if it weren't
for Harry and me you wouldn't have been put into danger in the first place,
so there is no need to thank me."
Mrs. Weasley let her go and
smiled while happy tears ran down her face. York had a large puncture bite
on her shoulder that was seeping through the bandages. Voldemort wasn't
going to give up trying to kill him. Nagini was sent to retrieve him, Harry's
scar had reacted to the presents of the evil force, but before she had
a chance to take him away a rooster crowed from outside Ron's window. Nagini
crumpled into a fetal little ball and was destroyed.
A small, whimpered yelp from
Harry broke caused Mrs. Weasley to jump, she wiped his forehead with a
cool cloth.
"Mrs. Weasley, if you could
leave the room a moment I know I'll be able to help Harry," York whispered
in Mrs. Weasley's ear. Slowly with York's encouragement that Harry would
be just fine, Mrs. Weasley left the living room.
"Is Harry all right?" Ron asked
immediately, after his mother had closed the living room doors. Ginny stood
next to him. She looked like she had been crying, and stared at her mother
with unrestricted attention.
"He's still the same, tossing
and turning the poor boy," Mrs. Weasley explained. Ron sighed and Ginny
had to wipe several more tears from her eyes. Fred and George were leaning
up against the wall, muttering to each other occasionally.
Back in the living room, York
watched as Mrs. Weasley left and listened for any other voices nearby;
there were none. She turned towards Harry and closed her eyes, and lifted
her left hand into the air, nearly instantly a long silver feather formed
in her hand. She dropped it quickly from above Harry's head and it landed
nearly perfectly on his forehead. Without a moment of hesitation York picked
up Harry's still trembling body and held him in her arms, "I'm sorry my
dear boy, I hope this will help."
A silver tear fell from her
right eye and landed on top of the feather. Harry's skin cooled and he
grew silent in a peaceful sleep.
"I do hope you forgive me,"
York said placing Harry back on the couch, "For taking away all of your
dreams." York smiled and turned to leave the room, but as she did the door
shut quickly and footsteps ran up the Weasley's stairs.
Ron had heard and seen the
whole thing, grabbing Ginny's arm he yanked her upstairs towards his room,
although he didn't say anything outloud inside he was terrified.
"How did she do that?" Ron
asked himself, once he got into his safe haven of a room, "She just made
that feather appear in her hand!"
"What did you do that for?"
Ginny asked, trying to gank her arm free.
"Did you see her?" Ron asked
grabbing Ginny's shoulders with his hands. Ginny looked up at him, frightened
for a moment and shook her head, no.
He sighed and grabbed some
parchment out of his trunk, "I have to get a letter out quickly," Ron thought
to himself taking a quill and some ink, "But who would believe me?"
"Someone smart," he said to
himself, "Someone who knows Harry personally." Ron quickly decided to write
to Hermione.
Dear Hermione,
I don't have a lot of time
to explain, but Harry is here and he might be in trouble. This woman sent
a letter to his aunt and uncle agreeing to take care of him until he left
for school. But Harry didn't hear about her from anyone at Hogwarts or
the Ministry. A follower of You-Know-Who came to my house and nearly killed
my mum! We're safe for the moment, but I saw this girl make a feather appear
in her hand out of nowhere.
Please write soon.
-Ron
Forcefully grabbing Pig out
of his cage, and with little complaints from Ginny about being gentle,
Ron strapped the message to his owl's leg and tossed him out the broken
window. He sighed a sigh of relief and sat down on his bed.
"Harry will be OK, Ginny, you
don't have to be upset," Ron said. Ginny smiled weakly and sat down next
to him.
"I know he'll be fine," Ginny
said boosting her confidence.
Footsteps from down the hall
averted Ron's gaze. Percy came banging into Ron's bedroom, puffed up with
anger and a sense of nobility.
"What was all that racket?"
he questioned putting his hands on his hips.
"You moron, someone nearly
tried to kidnap Harry!" Ron spat out, angry that Percy hadn't even noticed
that he family was nearly killed.
"What? Harry's here?" Percy
questioned, "And someone tried to kidnap him?"
Ron and Ginny nodded simultaneously
and Percy gasped in shock.
"I didn't even notice!" Percy
mumbled to himself, darting out of the room and hurrying down the stairs.
"He's been so busy lately he's
probably forgotten to eat," Ginny said, with a laugh, even though she was
rather worried for her older brother. Ron laughed silently and looked down
at her.
"He'll be just fine," Ron reassured
her.
His bedroom door creaked and
Ron nearly jumped to his feet. York stood there leaning over the door frame.
Ron clenched a protective gasp on Ginny's shoulder and watched her carefully
as she entered.
Her footsteps were slow and
Ron was growing tenser as she walked closer. She paused when she reached
them, and kneeled on the floor in front of Ginny.
"Here, take this, Ginny," York
opened her hand to reveal a small silver pin in the shape of a feather.
Ron glared at her as Ginny
took the pin out of her hand, and pinned it onto her shirt.
"Thank you," Ginny said, looking
down on it. Without hesitation Ginny leapt forward and hugged York tightly.
"Thank you for helping Harry,"
Ginny whispered in her ear. Ron began to grow furious. Once York released
Ginny, Ron pulled her back towards the bed. York looked up at him and saw
the anger in his eyes. She paused and moved back several inches. Ron still
shot daggers at her, and she caught the message.
"I see," she said quietly,
getting to her feet and turning to leave.
"Wait," Ginny yelled, running
towards her, "Please, stay awhile. Will you?"
Ron looked like he was going to
protest, but when York sat back down he didn't bother opening his mouth.
"I'd love to stay longer. Harry's
doing well, and he'll be waking up soon," York said, encouraging Ginny
to smile. Ron scowled, got up and left silently.
"I don't think he likes me,"
York said to Ginny, watching Ron exit.
"He's just scared of you,"
Ginny said, giggling, "I don't see why though; you just saved Harry."
They both seemed to enjoy each
others company, and giggled to themselves ever so often at stories of when
they were little.
"I remember once, when I was
baby-sitting this little boy with one of my friends. We had to feed him
lunch right. Well, anyways, I ended up having to wash six different types
of baby food out of my hair," York said, remembering one of her favorite
times.
Ginny laughed rather loudly
at this, and York joined her. They laughed until tears came to their eyes.
"I really miss that friend,"
York said sighing, as she went into a dreamy state and looked down at her
ring.
"What was that friend like?"
Ginny asked, while York was staring off into space.
"Well if you'd like to hear,"
York said taking her ring off her finger, "He was extremely smart, head
boy when we were both in school, and I used to compete with him in everything.
The only thing were weren't equal at was Quiditch; he always seemed to
beat me, and I envied him for it so much! I did beat him, once, though
in a fair match, one of his friends released the snitch, and we were blind-
folded until it was out of sight. Then we took off. The match lasted a
long time."
Ginny seemed to be listening
with a great interest, so York continued, "It was rather funny actually,
I saw the Snitch for a second and drove towards it, without realizing it,
it had flown up my sleeve and a put it in my mouth so I could land safety."
There was a pause then they
both burst into laughter, footsteps headed upstairs and Ron appeared in
the door frame.
"If you're finished talking,
Harry's waking up," Ron said rather coldly, staring at them as they stood
up to follow.
"Whatever happened to your
friend?" Ginny asked as they walked down the stairs.
"I was getting to that part.
You see, he gave me this ring and I still wear it all the time," York said
smiling. Tears flooded her eyes a moment later and she had to wipe them
away quickly.
"What's wrong?" Ginny questioned,
noticing her tears. York put her ring on her finger as they climbed down
the stairs.
"It's nothing really," York
said, looking down at her finger, "I just miss him a lot, that's all."
"Were you going marry him?"
Ginny asked as they entered the living room. York blushed and ignored her.
"Glad you see you're awake,
Harry," she said, changing the subject. Ginny ran towards him and hugged
him, much to his surprise.
"I hope you get better," Ginny
said forgetting her previous question. Harry looked rather weak but still
stood up as straight as he could, his hair was, as usual, untidy and he
was soaked in sweat.
"Harry be careful now," Mrs.
Weasley said acting like his own mother, "If you're still weak sit down.
Oh, that reminds me," Mrs. Weasley said, reaching into her apron pocket.
She pulled out 5 letters three in brownish parchment two is teal parchment
each had emerald green lettering, "Your school letters have arrived, and
we can all go to Diagon Alley the week before schools starts. I'm going
to make some more dinner, it'll be done in about twenty minutes."
Mrs. Weasley passed out of
letter to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, then paused and looked at the address
of the teal envelopes before handed them both to York, then she dashed
out of the room and into the kitchen.
"You're going to school to
York?" Ginny asked reading her own Hogwarts letter.
"You bet! I have to watch over
Harry as much as I can, and even if Dumbledore is there, there are possibilities
of things happening outside so you'll see me there even often," York explained
unfolding one of her letters.
Harry didn't bothering opening
his letter. He'd just get what he needed like every other year, "Let's
go upstairs," Harry said, hoping to get off the settee. No one objected
as they exited the living room. Ron shot a glare at York she followed them
into his room.
"Can I borrow a piece of parchment
to send a letter to Snuffles? He ought to know about...." Harry asked motioning
towards York Ron nodded. He didn't know whether he should tell York about
Sirius or not, since she was protecting him.
York didn't seem to be paying
attention, so Harry could write without having to worry about her reading
it.
Dear Sirius,
Something very strange has
happened. A woman sent a message to my aunt and uncle, and she said that
she would take care of me without a fee of any kind. She's a witch, so
I'm not living with the Muggles anymore. She seems to be powerful. She
saved my life today from Nagini, Voldemort's snake. So I'm sure she can
be trusted.
But I haven't heard about
her from anyone before she came. I don't know where she's come from, and
my aunt and uncle aren't likely to take me back. I'll tell you if anything
happens while she's here. Please don't worry about me. I'm at the Weasley's
for the meantime, but she mentioned a safe house where she was planning
on taking me. I'll keep you informed.
Please don't be upset
-Harry
Ron read his message over his
shoulder and nodded with improvement.
"She's not to be trusted I
think," Ron whispered in Harry's ear glancing at York who was staring at
Ron's Chudley Cannons posters on the walls.
"But she saved me today, and
she saved you too," Harry insisted looking back up at him. York had gotten
the rooster to crow outside of Ron's window killing Nagini.
"I suppose so," Ron said giving
her another glance, "There's just something about her that I don't like.
She made a feather appear out of thin air."
"A feather?" Harry questioned,
extremely curious. He remembered the feather he found in his bedroom at
his old house. Harry got up from the floor which he'd been writing his
letter on, went over to his trunk and pulled out the long silver feather,
"Did it look like this?"
"Yeah! Where did you get that?"
Ron questioned, turning to make sure that York wasn't listening.
"It was in my bedroom the morning
she showed up," Harry said, gesturing in York's direction. She was staring
out of Ron's broken window. This gave Ron even more reason not to trust
York.
York suddenly made a noise
which sounded like an owl call, and Hedwig flew immediately through the
broken window and onto her wrist.
"Here, if you're finished with
your letter," York said, holding Hedwig on her hand. She stepped towards
them and lowered Hedwig to their level, smiling with her bright green eyes.
Harry gasped as he looked at her eyes. They looked a lot like his, bright
and shining, same shape, relatively same size.
He froze for a moment as Hedwig
hooted quietly on York's hand. Slowly, he lifted his hand, and his snowy
white owl hopped onto it. With another smile York turned and headed for
the door, "I'll be unpacking in Ginny's room, hope you don't mind Ron,"
with a wave she exited.
Ron scowled at her as she left,
and Harry remained slightly frozen.
"What's the matter with you?"
Ron questioned, once Harry had completely gone off on a cloud.
"It's nothing," Harry confirmed
to himself and to Ron, "I just thought she looked like someone I knew."