"Does anyone know I left the school?"
"No, and we want to keep it that way."
Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Well jeez Ron, what am I going to do, run wild around the school telling everyone that I left grounds AND went to a death- eater meeting? That'll hold over well."
"I'm just saying-" Ron stopped as the door opened. "Oh hi dad, how are you?"
Mr Weasley nodded at everyone and sat down, smiling. "Draco, you'll be pleased to know that Pansy has been sited for transit violations of the worst sort."
"We won't be seeing her any time soon then?"
Mr Weasley shook his head. "Now, about this meeting. Who was there?"
Draco listed off some names, some that Elisabeth recognised and some that eluded her completely. "So what do you suggest we do? Thank you Harry." He said, pausing as Harry handed him a cup of tea.
"The only thing we can do, without letting people know we're spying, is reinstate house raids, and raid houses. There aren't any guarantees but Liam and I are on thin ice as it is, and I'd rather not get caught and killed by death-eaters."
"Yes, yes of course." Mr Weasley said, "Nasty bunch they are."
"No kidding." Ron muttered, looking at Elisabeth and rolling his eyes.
Then the door opened again and Snape walked in, his face looking sour as ever.
"If you don't mind, I think I should be getting Elisabeth back to school." Harry said.
"I'll take her." Ron said, "This meeting is dry as toast anyway."
"I think I should take her." Draco said, looking desperately at the door.
"Nu-uh, you have to report on the death-eaters. I'll take her."
"No way Harry, I'm taking her, I have nothing to do with any of this." Then, before anyone else could try to escape the meeting Ron jumped up and hurried out the door.
Ron bought them train tickets and they boarded, getting their own compartment. Elisabeth sat down next to the window. "I'll be right back." Ron said. Elisabeth nodded and leaned her forehead against the window. The night was bleak and dark, rain lashed against the side of the train in sheets and not a soul was outside.
"Snacks." Ron said, grinning and tossing travel size bags of peanuts, crisps and pretzels onto the seats.
Elisabeth smiled an opened a package of peanuts. She looked up and saw Ron looking at her, he smiled, when she asked him what he was looking at he just shook his head and looked back at the magazine he had bought. Elisabeth thought for the first time, about how young Ron acted. Everyone else seemed slowed by parenthood and marriage, the real world and the past war. But Ron still seemed like a little boy, the way his ears turned red when his wife caught him looking at her and just the expressions on his face. Unguarded and open. There were two kinds of faces, Elisabeth had decided in her past life, her life without magic. The first face was that of a child, when something shocked or surprised that kind of face everything moved outward. The eyebrows raised and the jaw dropped, but on the second type of face everything moved inward. The eyebrows sloped down and the lips puckered. Elisabeth sighed and leaned back. She wondered what it was that kept Ron so young. She decided to ask.
"Hey, Ron?"
"What?"
She felt stupid as she said it. "How come you act so, young?"
"Well, it has to do with my lifestyle. I wake up every morning, drink two glasses of orange juice and then go for a jog."
It took Elisabeth a minute to realise he was joking. "No, seriously."
Ron smiled and leaned back. "Well I suppose it's because I haven't really had to grow up."
Elisabeth raised an eyebrow and Ron clarified. "I haven't needed to grow up. People say having children ages you but it doesn't. Losing children does though. Look at Draco, he's younger than all of us, but he seems so much older. He's out-lived his child already. Your dad lost his parents when he was just a baby, and you lost your mother when you were just a child, which makes you seem older. Neville never lost his parents, but they might as well have been dead, and-" Ron paused and shook his head. "Never mind. I just haven't needed to grow up is all."
"No, go on." Elisabeth said suddenly curious.
"No, it's no big deal." Ron lifted his magazine up.
"Ron. Please, I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Elisabeth, I am not supposed to tell you."
"Ron, please. I've gone so long with people not telling me stuff, with people hiding things from me. I'm afraid that one day I'll be out there, and everyone will know my weakness and I won't. And I'll fail you, and I'll fail my dad. I'll fail everyone." Elisabeth was surprised to see that she was being completely honest as she spoke.
Ron nodded and as the train slowed the conductor called their location ("Godric's Hollow!") and Ron stood. "Come on now, let's go."
Elisabeth followed him, confused, off the train. They walked away from the train station and found themselves in a cemetary. It was a typical cemetary with fountains and benches, but Ron led her past all the decorum and into a smaller area within. There were eight graves in it. Ron stood in front of one of them and Elisabeth went over to him and looked at the grave stone. Around the edges there were runes, carvings that Elisabeth still could not make out, but it was the words she could read that made her stop.
Lily Evans Potter (1961-1982)
To Live For Your Child Is To Create Life; To Die For Your Child Is To Preserve It.
"I didn't know her name was Lily." Elisabeth said, almost choking on her words. She remembered the look on her father's face when she told him she didn't want to be called Lily any more. "I hate it! No one else is named Lily! No one!" He had nodded and left.
She looked at the next stone.
James Douglas Potter (1961-1982)
Life Without Danger Is A Waste Of Oxygen
There were other inscriptions but Elisabeth didn't look at them. She turned quickly to the next Set of stones.
Frank Longbottom (1957-2001) Marianne Longbottom (1959-2001)
Together So Long We Could Not Be Apart
Behind those there was another row.
Susan Karyn Potter (1981-2000)
A Weed Is Merely A Flower In Disguise
Elisabeth glanced at Ron when she read the inscription. He smiled. "That was a favourite of Susan's. She believed in the best of people." He said nothing more so Elisabeth looked at the next grave.
Kent Christopher Abbot (1998)
Mummy Loves You
Caroline Finnigan (1981-1998)
Go n-ithe scata Fomhórach ólta do chat
Elisabeth looked at Ron who smiled. "Yes, even our valiant hero Seamus was married. For about six months and she died. Cancer. So he changed Caroline's name and moved back to Ireland. Her name was originally Cadence." And he nodded at the last grave.
Elisabeth looked at the headstone. It seemed more worn, older than the other ones for some reason.
Moiré Hestia-Longbottom (1981-2003)
You Live In All Of Us
"Neville's sister?" Elisabeth asked Ron.
He shook his head. "Neville's first wife. Moira and Daniel's real mother. I'm sure they didn't tell you this for a reason, but maybe you do need to know. But don't tell anyone else."
Elisabeth nodded dumbly. She hadn't known any of this. She returned to her grandmother's grave and looked at it for a long time. Then she stood up. "Ron?"
"Yes?"
"I need to get back to the school. I have to send a letter."
"No, and we want to keep it that way."
Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Well jeez Ron, what am I going to do, run wild around the school telling everyone that I left grounds AND went to a death- eater meeting? That'll hold over well."
"I'm just saying-" Ron stopped as the door opened. "Oh hi dad, how are you?"
Mr Weasley nodded at everyone and sat down, smiling. "Draco, you'll be pleased to know that Pansy has been sited for transit violations of the worst sort."
"We won't be seeing her any time soon then?"
Mr Weasley shook his head. "Now, about this meeting. Who was there?"
Draco listed off some names, some that Elisabeth recognised and some that eluded her completely. "So what do you suggest we do? Thank you Harry." He said, pausing as Harry handed him a cup of tea.
"The only thing we can do, without letting people know we're spying, is reinstate house raids, and raid houses. There aren't any guarantees but Liam and I are on thin ice as it is, and I'd rather not get caught and killed by death-eaters."
"Yes, yes of course." Mr Weasley said, "Nasty bunch they are."
"No kidding." Ron muttered, looking at Elisabeth and rolling his eyes.
Then the door opened again and Snape walked in, his face looking sour as ever.
"If you don't mind, I think I should be getting Elisabeth back to school." Harry said.
"I'll take her." Ron said, "This meeting is dry as toast anyway."
"I think I should take her." Draco said, looking desperately at the door.
"Nu-uh, you have to report on the death-eaters. I'll take her."
"No way Harry, I'm taking her, I have nothing to do with any of this." Then, before anyone else could try to escape the meeting Ron jumped up and hurried out the door.
Ron bought them train tickets and they boarded, getting their own compartment. Elisabeth sat down next to the window. "I'll be right back." Ron said. Elisabeth nodded and leaned her forehead against the window. The night was bleak and dark, rain lashed against the side of the train in sheets and not a soul was outside.
"Snacks." Ron said, grinning and tossing travel size bags of peanuts, crisps and pretzels onto the seats.
Elisabeth smiled an opened a package of peanuts. She looked up and saw Ron looking at her, he smiled, when she asked him what he was looking at he just shook his head and looked back at the magazine he had bought. Elisabeth thought for the first time, about how young Ron acted. Everyone else seemed slowed by parenthood and marriage, the real world and the past war. But Ron still seemed like a little boy, the way his ears turned red when his wife caught him looking at her and just the expressions on his face. Unguarded and open. There were two kinds of faces, Elisabeth had decided in her past life, her life without magic. The first face was that of a child, when something shocked or surprised that kind of face everything moved outward. The eyebrows raised and the jaw dropped, but on the second type of face everything moved inward. The eyebrows sloped down and the lips puckered. Elisabeth sighed and leaned back. She wondered what it was that kept Ron so young. She decided to ask.
"Hey, Ron?"
"What?"
She felt stupid as she said it. "How come you act so, young?"
"Well, it has to do with my lifestyle. I wake up every morning, drink two glasses of orange juice and then go for a jog."
It took Elisabeth a minute to realise he was joking. "No, seriously."
Ron smiled and leaned back. "Well I suppose it's because I haven't really had to grow up."
Elisabeth raised an eyebrow and Ron clarified. "I haven't needed to grow up. People say having children ages you but it doesn't. Losing children does though. Look at Draco, he's younger than all of us, but he seems so much older. He's out-lived his child already. Your dad lost his parents when he was just a baby, and you lost your mother when you were just a child, which makes you seem older. Neville never lost his parents, but they might as well have been dead, and-" Ron paused and shook his head. "Never mind. I just haven't needed to grow up is all."
"No, go on." Elisabeth said suddenly curious.
"No, it's no big deal." Ron lifted his magazine up.
"Ron. Please, I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Elisabeth, I am not supposed to tell you."
"Ron, please. I've gone so long with people not telling me stuff, with people hiding things from me. I'm afraid that one day I'll be out there, and everyone will know my weakness and I won't. And I'll fail you, and I'll fail my dad. I'll fail everyone." Elisabeth was surprised to see that she was being completely honest as she spoke.
Ron nodded and as the train slowed the conductor called their location ("Godric's Hollow!") and Ron stood. "Come on now, let's go."
Elisabeth followed him, confused, off the train. They walked away from the train station and found themselves in a cemetary. It was a typical cemetary with fountains and benches, but Ron led her past all the decorum and into a smaller area within. There were eight graves in it. Ron stood in front of one of them and Elisabeth went over to him and looked at the grave stone. Around the edges there were runes, carvings that Elisabeth still could not make out, but it was the words she could read that made her stop.
Lily Evans Potter (1961-1982)
To Live For Your Child Is To Create Life; To Die For Your Child Is To Preserve It.
"I didn't know her name was Lily." Elisabeth said, almost choking on her words. She remembered the look on her father's face when she told him she didn't want to be called Lily any more. "I hate it! No one else is named Lily! No one!" He had nodded and left.
She looked at the next stone.
James Douglas Potter (1961-1982)
Life Without Danger Is A Waste Of Oxygen
There were other inscriptions but Elisabeth didn't look at them. She turned quickly to the next Set of stones.
Frank Longbottom (1957-2001) Marianne Longbottom (1959-2001)
Together So Long We Could Not Be Apart
Behind those there was another row.
Susan Karyn Potter (1981-2000)
A Weed Is Merely A Flower In Disguise
Elisabeth glanced at Ron when she read the inscription. He smiled. "That was a favourite of Susan's. She believed in the best of people." He said nothing more so Elisabeth looked at the next grave.
Kent Christopher Abbot (1998)
Mummy Loves You
Caroline Finnigan (1981-1998)
Go n-ithe scata Fomhórach ólta do chat
Elisabeth looked at Ron who smiled. "Yes, even our valiant hero Seamus was married. For about six months and she died. Cancer. So he changed Caroline's name and moved back to Ireland. Her name was originally Cadence." And he nodded at the last grave.
Elisabeth looked at the headstone. It seemed more worn, older than the other ones for some reason.
Moiré Hestia-Longbottom (1981-2003)
You Live In All Of Us
"Neville's sister?" Elisabeth asked Ron.
He shook his head. "Neville's first wife. Moira and Daniel's real mother. I'm sure they didn't tell you this for a reason, but maybe you do need to know. But don't tell anyone else."
Elisabeth nodded dumbly. She hadn't known any of this. She returned to her grandmother's grave and looked at it for a long time. Then she stood up. "Ron?"
"Yes?"
"I need to get back to the school. I have to send a letter."