Elisabeth awoke, unsure of her surroundings she thrashed wildly in
the soft bed.
"Elisabeth! Elisabeth! What on earth are you doing?"
Elisabeth remembered she was in the Leaky Cauldron and she stopped thrashing, embarrassed.
"Sorry."
Moira smiled, "don't sweat it. Get dressed and come downstairs. Breakfast."
Elisabeth dressed quickly and followed Moira downstairs.
She kissed her father and went to sit at a table with the other children.
"Morning all." Moira said brightly. There was a chorus of replies and they all settled in to eat their breakfast.
"So Elisabeth," Apacia started, tracing her finger over an apricot, "the way Anna tells it that Swedish Quidditch star was all over you."
Elisabeth blushed crimson and muttered something undistinguishable.
"Anni!" Moira whispered, kicking her friend under the table.
"Well he was!" Anna said innocently.
"Mmmph! He's gay anyway so it doesn't matter." Will said.
"You're just jealous. And he isn't gay, he was all over Elisabeth."
"Shut up you two." Daniel grumbled, looking at Elisabeth who was trying desperately to sink into the floor.
"Just stating the truth." Anna said, then, smiling at Elisabeth, "I'd be happy if I were you."
"He may have been all over her at the Quidditch pitch but if he so much as looks at her funny at school he will have an unfortunate "accident" with a bludger." Harry growled from where he was sitting.
"Dad!" Elisabeth wailed, "stop it."
Harry shrugged and went back to his meal, ignoring Malfoy who was laughing at him and Hermione who was shooting daggers at him.
Any further embarrassment was halted by a flurry of activity at the doors.
"Good morning Minister! Mrs Weasley!"
"'Day Arthur, Molly."
More shouts of welcome as an older couple fought their way to the tables where Elisabeth and everyone else were sitting.
"Harry!" The woman rushed over the moment she saw him and enveloped him in her arms. "Oh Harry! It's really you." Elisabeth was startled to see she had tears in her eyes.
Harry worked his way out of her embrace and went forward to shake the man's hand.
"Harry." He said softly, as though greeting a long lost son.
"Dad." Harry said, so softly Elisabeth thought she and the two older Weasley's might have been the only ones to hear it. Mrs Weasley burst into tears and hugged Harry again. He called them Mr and Mrs Weasley throughout the rest of the holiday.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked after Elisabeth had been introduced. (Mrs Weasley had burst into fresh tears upon seeing Elisabeth and she and Mr Weasley insisted the Elisabeth call them grandma and grandad like the other five children.)
"Over there." Grandad said uncomfortably, gesturing with his thumb to the bar. A tall, slim woman stood there, her skin was so pale it seemed translucent and her robes hung on her thin frame like drapes. It gave them a mysterious, swirling quality when she turned around but there was nothing mysterious in her black shadowed eyes when she caught sight of Harry. Misery.
"Oh christ. What happened to her?"
"You." Ron said softly, looking at his sister.
Harry got up and walked over to her. They stood talking for a minute and then Ginny turned and went outside, Harry followed.
"Damn, he doesn't have a clue what he's doing." Ron said, shaking his head.
Everybody nodded and started talking to their neighbors.
Harry and Ginny returned after about a half hour and Ron snagged Harry and pulled him upstairs.
"Elisabeth, go upstairs and grab a jumper, we're going to go to the gold mines, it gets quite chilly down there."
Elisabeth nodded and went up to her room, her trunk was tucked next to the wall and as she bent to pull one of her jumpers from it she heard Harry and Ron's voices from the next room.
"-what you're getting yourself into, she's changed Harry, she's changed."
"Ron, pull yourself together, I do know what I'm getting myself into, I like Ginny and on top of that, I feel more than a little responsibility for her going over to the Dark side in the first place."
"Okay Harry, you like her, hell, maybe you even love her, and of course you feel responsible but what about Elisabeth?"
"What Ron? Do you think I'm going to stop dating bacause of my daughter? She won't stop dating for me."
"It's not that Harry, you know it. Christ, anybody would be angry if their father started dating the woman who killed their mum."
Elisabeth let out a sob, and clutched the jumper she started to stagger out of the room.
"She was under the Imperius curse Ron! For god's sake-"
Elisabeth didn't stay to listen, she raced out of the room, still clutching the sweater tight to her chest.
She ran down the stairs and her eyes met briefly with the eyes of Ginny Weasley. She did not stop running. She reached the end of Diagon Alley before everyone caught up with her. The other four children fought their way through the adults to the front.
"What's wrong? What's the matter?" Their anxious faces swarmed in Elisabeth's head.
"Talk to us sweetie." Lavender's soft voice was the only one not at a certain level of hysteria. Malfoy's voice was not hysterical either, however Malfoy had an idea about what was going on and had apprehended Ginny outside the pub.
Elisabeth looked at the faces of everyone and shook her head. She could not talk about what was bothering her in front of so many people so close to inny Weasley.
"You have to talk to someone Elisabeth," Lavender said matter-of- factly, "can't hold it all in."
Elisabeth nodded, "Moira and Daniel?"
Anna looked at her, hurt.
"I'm sorry." Elisabeth said quietly. Anna placed her hand on Elisabeth's shoulder and left.
"We'll come back after." Moira said testily, when no body made a move to leave. "We aren't going to run off."
This seemed to wake everyone from their stupor and they nodded and muttered good-bye's, casting a last, furtive glance at Elisabeth, wishing it had been them she called on.
"Come on, 'fess up Lisbet, what's the matter?" Moira asked.
"She killed my mum." Elisabeth said, her voice shaking.
"Oh christ." Daniel whispered, his voice shaky.
"Oh Elisabeth! We thought you knew! Oh sweetie, we thought they told you!"
Elisabeth shook her head numbly. "My dad wants to date her."
"Oh Jesus, what the hell is wrong with him?"
"Dani, she was under the Imperius curse the entire time." Moira said, her voice low and even.
They heard Harry's feet pounding the cobbles before he appeared in front of him.
"Oh god, what's wrong baby?" he asked.
"You didn't tell her." Daniel's normally calm, even voice was angry and fierce. "She had to find out through the bedroom wall."
"I was going to tell her after." Harry said, his arm still around his daughter.
"You could have told her first." Daniel replied, his voice even again.
"You don't understand."
"No, I don't. Perhaps you could explain it to me sometime. But I think you have some other, more pressing matters, to explain right now."
Harry realised suddenly that he ws the adult in the situation. "You two," he nodded at Moira and Daniel, "go back to the pub, your dad is waiting for you there, my daughter and I need to talk."
As Harry told the story of the Imperius curse Moira and Daniel walked silently toward the gold mines with their father. Anna and William walked alongside Apacia who did not wonder where her father was. Draco stared at Ginny Weasley, crying softly in a dark alley, this time he did not try to comfort her, someone else needed his comfort. Lavender and Hermione walked through the mines, their loud chatter masking their fierce worry and Ron walked next to his parents who were thinking not of him, but of another son, a son who did not have their name or their looks but still had their love.
Elisabeth looked into her father's eyes, he knew what he was getting himself into and he knew he could get himself out of it. Hopefully. His daughter had not yet forgiven him, but he was on his way. Draco Malfoy saw it too, and as Elisabeth ran ahead Malfoy hugged Harry. He knew what it was to be a son, he knew what it was to be a father, he knew what it was to love someone you should not love and above all Draco Malfoy knew what it was to be standing on a different side of things, to be standing behind enemy lines. "If you need anything." his voice tapered off.
Harry nodded. He needed a friend about now. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be easy.
"Elisabeth! Elisabeth! What on earth are you doing?"
Elisabeth remembered she was in the Leaky Cauldron and she stopped thrashing, embarrassed.
"Sorry."
Moira smiled, "don't sweat it. Get dressed and come downstairs. Breakfast."
Elisabeth dressed quickly and followed Moira downstairs.
She kissed her father and went to sit at a table with the other children.
"Morning all." Moira said brightly. There was a chorus of replies and they all settled in to eat their breakfast.
"So Elisabeth," Apacia started, tracing her finger over an apricot, "the way Anna tells it that Swedish Quidditch star was all over you."
Elisabeth blushed crimson and muttered something undistinguishable.
"Anni!" Moira whispered, kicking her friend under the table.
"Well he was!" Anna said innocently.
"Mmmph! He's gay anyway so it doesn't matter." Will said.
"You're just jealous. And he isn't gay, he was all over Elisabeth."
"Shut up you two." Daniel grumbled, looking at Elisabeth who was trying desperately to sink into the floor.
"Just stating the truth." Anna said, then, smiling at Elisabeth, "I'd be happy if I were you."
"He may have been all over her at the Quidditch pitch but if he so much as looks at her funny at school he will have an unfortunate "accident" with a bludger." Harry growled from where he was sitting.
"Dad!" Elisabeth wailed, "stop it."
Harry shrugged and went back to his meal, ignoring Malfoy who was laughing at him and Hermione who was shooting daggers at him.
Any further embarrassment was halted by a flurry of activity at the doors.
"Good morning Minister! Mrs Weasley!"
"'Day Arthur, Molly."
More shouts of welcome as an older couple fought their way to the tables where Elisabeth and everyone else were sitting.
"Harry!" The woman rushed over the moment she saw him and enveloped him in her arms. "Oh Harry! It's really you." Elisabeth was startled to see she had tears in her eyes.
Harry worked his way out of her embrace and went forward to shake the man's hand.
"Harry." He said softly, as though greeting a long lost son.
"Dad." Harry said, so softly Elisabeth thought she and the two older Weasley's might have been the only ones to hear it. Mrs Weasley burst into tears and hugged Harry again. He called them Mr and Mrs Weasley throughout the rest of the holiday.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked after Elisabeth had been introduced. (Mrs Weasley had burst into fresh tears upon seeing Elisabeth and she and Mr Weasley insisted the Elisabeth call them grandma and grandad like the other five children.)
"Over there." Grandad said uncomfortably, gesturing with his thumb to the bar. A tall, slim woman stood there, her skin was so pale it seemed translucent and her robes hung on her thin frame like drapes. It gave them a mysterious, swirling quality when she turned around but there was nothing mysterious in her black shadowed eyes when she caught sight of Harry. Misery.
"Oh christ. What happened to her?"
"You." Ron said softly, looking at his sister.
Harry got up and walked over to her. They stood talking for a minute and then Ginny turned and went outside, Harry followed.
"Damn, he doesn't have a clue what he's doing." Ron said, shaking his head.
Everybody nodded and started talking to their neighbors.
Harry and Ginny returned after about a half hour and Ron snagged Harry and pulled him upstairs.
"Elisabeth, go upstairs and grab a jumper, we're going to go to the gold mines, it gets quite chilly down there."
Elisabeth nodded and went up to her room, her trunk was tucked next to the wall and as she bent to pull one of her jumpers from it she heard Harry and Ron's voices from the next room.
"-what you're getting yourself into, she's changed Harry, she's changed."
"Ron, pull yourself together, I do know what I'm getting myself into, I like Ginny and on top of that, I feel more than a little responsibility for her going over to the Dark side in the first place."
"Okay Harry, you like her, hell, maybe you even love her, and of course you feel responsible but what about Elisabeth?"
"What Ron? Do you think I'm going to stop dating bacause of my daughter? She won't stop dating for me."
"It's not that Harry, you know it. Christ, anybody would be angry if their father started dating the woman who killed their mum."
Elisabeth let out a sob, and clutched the jumper she started to stagger out of the room.
"She was under the Imperius curse Ron! For god's sake-"
Elisabeth didn't stay to listen, she raced out of the room, still clutching the sweater tight to her chest.
She ran down the stairs and her eyes met briefly with the eyes of Ginny Weasley. She did not stop running. She reached the end of Diagon Alley before everyone caught up with her. The other four children fought their way through the adults to the front.
"What's wrong? What's the matter?" Their anxious faces swarmed in Elisabeth's head.
"Talk to us sweetie." Lavender's soft voice was the only one not at a certain level of hysteria. Malfoy's voice was not hysterical either, however Malfoy had an idea about what was going on and had apprehended Ginny outside the pub.
Elisabeth looked at the faces of everyone and shook her head. She could not talk about what was bothering her in front of so many people so close to inny Weasley.
"You have to talk to someone Elisabeth," Lavender said matter-of- factly, "can't hold it all in."
Elisabeth nodded, "Moira and Daniel?"
Anna looked at her, hurt.
"I'm sorry." Elisabeth said quietly. Anna placed her hand on Elisabeth's shoulder and left.
"We'll come back after." Moira said testily, when no body made a move to leave. "We aren't going to run off."
This seemed to wake everyone from their stupor and they nodded and muttered good-bye's, casting a last, furtive glance at Elisabeth, wishing it had been them she called on.
"Come on, 'fess up Lisbet, what's the matter?" Moira asked.
"She killed my mum." Elisabeth said, her voice shaking.
"Oh christ." Daniel whispered, his voice shaky.
"Oh Elisabeth! We thought you knew! Oh sweetie, we thought they told you!"
Elisabeth shook her head numbly. "My dad wants to date her."
"Oh Jesus, what the hell is wrong with him?"
"Dani, she was under the Imperius curse the entire time." Moira said, her voice low and even.
They heard Harry's feet pounding the cobbles before he appeared in front of him.
"Oh god, what's wrong baby?" he asked.
"You didn't tell her." Daniel's normally calm, even voice was angry and fierce. "She had to find out through the bedroom wall."
"I was going to tell her after." Harry said, his arm still around his daughter.
"You could have told her first." Daniel replied, his voice even again.
"You don't understand."
"No, I don't. Perhaps you could explain it to me sometime. But I think you have some other, more pressing matters, to explain right now."
Harry realised suddenly that he ws the adult in the situation. "You two," he nodded at Moira and Daniel, "go back to the pub, your dad is waiting for you there, my daughter and I need to talk."
As Harry told the story of the Imperius curse Moira and Daniel walked silently toward the gold mines with their father. Anna and William walked alongside Apacia who did not wonder where her father was. Draco stared at Ginny Weasley, crying softly in a dark alley, this time he did not try to comfort her, someone else needed his comfort. Lavender and Hermione walked through the mines, their loud chatter masking their fierce worry and Ron walked next to his parents who were thinking not of him, but of another son, a son who did not have their name or their looks but still had their love.
Elisabeth looked into her father's eyes, he knew what he was getting himself into and he knew he could get himself out of it. Hopefully. His daughter had not yet forgiven him, but he was on his way. Draco Malfoy saw it too, and as Elisabeth ran ahead Malfoy hugged Harry. He knew what it was to be a son, he knew what it was to be a father, he knew what it was to love someone you should not love and above all Draco Malfoy knew what it was to be standing on a different side of things, to be standing behind enemy lines. "If you need anything." his voice tapered off.
Harry nodded. He needed a friend about now. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be easy.