Harry sat comfortably in the last train carriage with Ron and
Hermione. They were waiting, eagerly, for Harry to tell them what had
happened over the holiday.
"Ooooo, Harry, these are really hard to get," Hermione said enviously as Harry showed them his present from Reena.
"Loos at this picture. This is almost exactly how she looked when I last saw her," Harry said, showing Ron and Hermione the album.
"You mean she was dressed up like that and everything?" Ron asked.
"No. I mean her face looked the same," Harry said.
"She might have taken an age reducing potion," Hermione pointed out.
"Why would she do that?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so," Ron said, "She's in the Daily Prophet a lot and all her photos look like that. Maybe she's under a youthfulness curse," he suggested.
"I highly doubt those exist," Hermione said matter-of-factly. *
Reena took up more work than other people thought possible. In addition to LAV and her ministry duties, she was doing some of the other Cabinet member's work. She was constantly working. The Ministry offices closed early on Halloween, but Reena took all her work home. The next day, she received a letter from an irritated Steve for not taking a break on Halloween. Reena replied she would visit on Christmas.
Remus had tried to convince Perry Pettigrew to let them borrow the finger, but Perry adamantly refused. Reena and Remus decided to wait for a little bit, then send another person to try and get the finger. Remus suspected Perry of withholding the finger for more than sentimental reasons, but Reena did not agree. She pointed out that he did not a have a history of associating with Death Eaters. In fact, since he had graduated from Hogwarts, Perry Pettigrew had lived among Muggles.
One night in late November, Reena awoke from an unpleasant nightmare. It was the one where Sirius was being taken away by Dementors. Getting up to make some tea, Reena realized it had been 3 months since she had last seen Sirius. There had been no letters or any other word from him. Reena knew she was being selfish, but she wanted to hear from Sirius. He had hardly been with her for a month before he had to go away again. Reena cursed the Ministry for being so arrogant before settling into an uneasy sleep.
Christmas crept up and there was a blanket of snow on the city. The Ministry staff began to get ready for their holidays, but the members of LAV were still hard at work. There was a ascheduled metting on Christmas Day at Hogwarts.
Reena packed her valise and arrived late at Steven's house on Christmas Eve. He greeted her and gave her the line about he had found her a decent boyfriend, but Reena brushed it off. She didn't care what Steve did or said anymore. He became concerned immediately when she didn't yell back at him.
"What's wrong Reena?" he asked.
"Nothing. I've got a lot of work to do,"she said quickly.
"Put your work down for a while. It's Christmas," Steve told her.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied as she shut the guest room door. True to her word, she was up till 3 working. At 7:30, Jen and Kate came bounding into her room.
"Wake up Aunt Reena!" they shouted as they bounced up and down on the bed. Reena shooed them out and dressed.
Laura had made coffee cake for breakfast, a Christmas tradition in the house. Jen and Kate were happily tearing away at their gifts when Reena handed them 3 Galleons each. This was her annual gift to them. For Steve and Laura, she gave them a pair of Celestina Warbeck concert tickets. In return, Laura and Steve gave her a light gray, silk dress robe.
Christmas was a very difficult time for Reena. Most families sat around and talked about the past on Christmas, but Reena and Steve were unusually quiet. They preferred not bringing up the past, and just waited for Christmas to be over. It was easier for Steve because he had his own family to celebrate with, but Reena still felt like an intruder in her brother's home at Christmas. She was happy she had a LAV meeting to distract her for the day.
After lunch, Reena left for the meeting. It would take a good 30 minutes to walk to Hogwarts, but Reena liked the snow walk. The air blew as she walked, but she was invigorated by it. Professor Dumbleore was stood in the main entrance of Hogwarts, waiting for the rest of LAV. The members slowly came and the filed into an empty classroom. The meeting was very brief. Alberts and Knatter had found 68 people working for the Ministry who confessed to working for Voldemort in the last 12 months. Most committees were succesful on what they were working on.
The meeting was adjourned and the members quickly left. Reena stayed behind to speak privately with Dumbledore. They walked to his office in the unusually quiet school. He sat Reena down and poured her a mug of hot chocolate.
"Professor, may I ask you a question?" Reena asked hesitantly.
"Of course Miss Delton," Dumbledore said kindly.
"In late July, Sirius and I were looking through some old photographs. He came across one that was taken shortly before he was arrested. The odd thing about the photograph was that I seemed not to have aged since it was taken. Is that possible?" Reena asked.
Dumbledore thought for a moment before speaking. He gave a kind, grandfatherly look to Reena, who was anxious to hear what he had to say.
"Love is one of the greatest things there is. You cannot manufacture love, so it is very rare. I believe you were 19 when Sirius was arrested?"
Reena nodded her head. Dumbledore continued.
"You still have the appearance of a 19 year-old. This type of magic is very rare. I myself have only seen one other case like yours. When 2 people really love each other and become separated by circumstances out of their control, the 2 people stop aging. They begin to age again when they are reunited permanently. For instance, if Sirius was to be cleared and able to live with you right now, in 5 years, you would appear to be 24 while you would actually be 38. The same would apply to Sirius."
"Why does that happen?" Reena asked impulsively.
"It gives people a chance to make up for lost time, I suppose. The origins of magic created by love have not been documented or studied very often. Most people believe love is special and should not be analyzed from all aspects," Dumbledore explained.
"Thank you Professor," Reena thanked him.
"Harry is here for his holiday," Dumbledore told Reena.
"May I see him?" Reena asked.
"Let me show you the way," Dumbledore said.
Dumbledore and Reena walked down corridors and stairways to the portrait of the fat lady. Dumbledore gave the password ("mistletoe") and let Reena in. Inside the common room, she found Harry and a tall red headed boy playing wizard's chess. Harry's friend saw Reena first and got Harry's attention.
"Merry Christmas Harry," Reena said cheerfully.
"Merry Christmas," Harry replied. "What are you doing here?"
"I had some business to attend to. What are you doing here?"
"I spend Christmas here. I like it much better than at the Dursley's. This is Ron," Harry said, pointing to the youngest Weasly brother.
Reena sat on the sofa as the boys continued to play their game. The atmosphere felt a bit awkward, but Reena continued to stay. Ron left the common room when Fred and George said they were going to the kitchens to get more food. After they left, Reena gave Harry a slim package.
"I know your birthday present must have been a disappointment, but I don't think your Christmas gift will be any better. I don't really know what your interests are or what you need," Reena said sheepishly.
"Not really, I used the potions kit a couple of times. I still have plenty of time to use it again," he reassured her.
Harry opened the gift and found a notebook full of notes and things written in the margins. He gave Reena a puzzled look.
"When I was in school, I was horrible at potions. Your mum was a genius in school. She tutored me for a while and all the things she helped with are in that book. I thought you should have something that she had for some time. Who knows, you may find it helps you too," Reena said hopefully.
Harry flipped through the pages and studied his mother's script-y handwriting.
"Thank you very much," he said very softly.
"Your welcome. You know that you and I have more in common than you think," Reena said kindly.
"Really? Like what?" Harry asked.
"My parents died just like yours did," Reena said gently.
Harry looked at Reena. From the tone of her voice and the way her eyes looked, he saw that her parents' death was still fresh in her mind. He never really thought of Voldemort killing other people's paretns as well as his own.
"When?" he asked curiously.
"My 7th year. Very bad time for me, that year," Reena said softly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said, not knowing what else to say.
"It's nothing to be sorry about, they died a long time ago. Do you spend Easter holiday here as well?" Reena asked.
"Yeah, always," Harry replied.
"Is it okay if I visit you then? Or would you like to come to London for the holiday?" Reena suggested.
"The professors always give a lot of homework over the Easter Holiday," Harry said, implying that he would rather stay at school for the holiday.
"You have a point. Can I visit you then?" Reena asked his permission.
"Sure. I'd like to meet you again," Harry said.
They said goodbye and Reena left. Harry was glad that he had someone he felt he could trust who wasn't on the run and Reena was glad that Harry was receptive to her attempts to be friends.
~please review and thank you for those who already have. I really appreciate it.
"Ooooo, Harry, these are really hard to get," Hermione said enviously as Harry showed them his present from Reena.
"Loos at this picture. This is almost exactly how she looked when I last saw her," Harry said, showing Ron and Hermione the album.
"You mean she was dressed up like that and everything?" Ron asked.
"No. I mean her face looked the same," Harry said.
"She might have taken an age reducing potion," Hermione pointed out.
"Why would she do that?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so," Ron said, "She's in the Daily Prophet a lot and all her photos look like that. Maybe she's under a youthfulness curse," he suggested.
"I highly doubt those exist," Hermione said matter-of-factly. *
Reena took up more work than other people thought possible. In addition to LAV and her ministry duties, she was doing some of the other Cabinet member's work. She was constantly working. The Ministry offices closed early on Halloween, but Reena took all her work home. The next day, she received a letter from an irritated Steve for not taking a break on Halloween. Reena replied she would visit on Christmas.
Remus had tried to convince Perry Pettigrew to let them borrow the finger, but Perry adamantly refused. Reena and Remus decided to wait for a little bit, then send another person to try and get the finger. Remus suspected Perry of withholding the finger for more than sentimental reasons, but Reena did not agree. She pointed out that he did not a have a history of associating with Death Eaters. In fact, since he had graduated from Hogwarts, Perry Pettigrew had lived among Muggles.
One night in late November, Reena awoke from an unpleasant nightmare. It was the one where Sirius was being taken away by Dementors. Getting up to make some tea, Reena realized it had been 3 months since she had last seen Sirius. There had been no letters or any other word from him. Reena knew she was being selfish, but she wanted to hear from Sirius. He had hardly been with her for a month before he had to go away again. Reena cursed the Ministry for being so arrogant before settling into an uneasy sleep.
Christmas crept up and there was a blanket of snow on the city. The Ministry staff began to get ready for their holidays, but the members of LAV were still hard at work. There was a ascheduled metting on Christmas Day at Hogwarts.
Reena packed her valise and arrived late at Steven's house on Christmas Eve. He greeted her and gave her the line about he had found her a decent boyfriend, but Reena brushed it off. She didn't care what Steve did or said anymore. He became concerned immediately when she didn't yell back at him.
"What's wrong Reena?" he asked.
"Nothing. I've got a lot of work to do,"she said quickly.
"Put your work down for a while. It's Christmas," Steve told her.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied as she shut the guest room door. True to her word, she was up till 3 working. At 7:30, Jen and Kate came bounding into her room.
"Wake up Aunt Reena!" they shouted as they bounced up and down on the bed. Reena shooed them out and dressed.
Laura had made coffee cake for breakfast, a Christmas tradition in the house. Jen and Kate were happily tearing away at their gifts when Reena handed them 3 Galleons each. This was her annual gift to them. For Steve and Laura, she gave them a pair of Celestina Warbeck concert tickets. In return, Laura and Steve gave her a light gray, silk dress robe.
Christmas was a very difficult time for Reena. Most families sat around and talked about the past on Christmas, but Reena and Steve were unusually quiet. They preferred not bringing up the past, and just waited for Christmas to be over. It was easier for Steve because he had his own family to celebrate with, but Reena still felt like an intruder in her brother's home at Christmas. She was happy she had a LAV meeting to distract her for the day.
After lunch, Reena left for the meeting. It would take a good 30 minutes to walk to Hogwarts, but Reena liked the snow walk. The air blew as she walked, but she was invigorated by it. Professor Dumbleore was stood in the main entrance of Hogwarts, waiting for the rest of LAV. The members slowly came and the filed into an empty classroom. The meeting was very brief. Alberts and Knatter had found 68 people working for the Ministry who confessed to working for Voldemort in the last 12 months. Most committees were succesful on what they were working on.
The meeting was adjourned and the members quickly left. Reena stayed behind to speak privately with Dumbledore. They walked to his office in the unusually quiet school. He sat Reena down and poured her a mug of hot chocolate.
"Professor, may I ask you a question?" Reena asked hesitantly.
"Of course Miss Delton," Dumbledore said kindly.
"In late July, Sirius and I were looking through some old photographs. He came across one that was taken shortly before he was arrested. The odd thing about the photograph was that I seemed not to have aged since it was taken. Is that possible?" Reena asked.
Dumbledore thought for a moment before speaking. He gave a kind, grandfatherly look to Reena, who was anxious to hear what he had to say.
"Love is one of the greatest things there is. You cannot manufacture love, so it is very rare. I believe you were 19 when Sirius was arrested?"
Reena nodded her head. Dumbledore continued.
"You still have the appearance of a 19 year-old. This type of magic is very rare. I myself have only seen one other case like yours. When 2 people really love each other and become separated by circumstances out of their control, the 2 people stop aging. They begin to age again when they are reunited permanently. For instance, if Sirius was to be cleared and able to live with you right now, in 5 years, you would appear to be 24 while you would actually be 38. The same would apply to Sirius."
"Why does that happen?" Reena asked impulsively.
"It gives people a chance to make up for lost time, I suppose. The origins of magic created by love have not been documented or studied very often. Most people believe love is special and should not be analyzed from all aspects," Dumbledore explained.
"Thank you Professor," Reena thanked him.
"Harry is here for his holiday," Dumbledore told Reena.
"May I see him?" Reena asked.
"Let me show you the way," Dumbledore said.
Dumbledore and Reena walked down corridors and stairways to the portrait of the fat lady. Dumbledore gave the password ("mistletoe") and let Reena in. Inside the common room, she found Harry and a tall red headed boy playing wizard's chess. Harry's friend saw Reena first and got Harry's attention.
"Merry Christmas Harry," Reena said cheerfully.
"Merry Christmas," Harry replied. "What are you doing here?"
"I had some business to attend to. What are you doing here?"
"I spend Christmas here. I like it much better than at the Dursley's. This is Ron," Harry said, pointing to the youngest Weasly brother.
Reena sat on the sofa as the boys continued to play their game. The atmosphere felt a bit awkward, but Reena continued to stay. Ron left the common room when Fred and George said they were going to the kitchens to get more food. After they left, Reena gave Harry a slim package.
"I know your birthday present must have been a disappointment, but I don't think your Christmas gift will be any better. I don't really know what your interests are or what you need," Reena said sheepishly.
"Not really, I used the potions kit a couple of times. I still have plenty of time to use it again," he reassured her.
Harry opened the gift and found a notebook full of notes and things written in the margins. He gave Reena a puzzled look.
"When I was in school, I was horrible at potions. Your mum was a genius in school. She tutored me for a while and all the things she helped with are in that book. I thought you should have something that she had for some time. Who knows, you may find it helps you too," Reena said hopefully.
Harry flipped through the pages and studied his mother's script-y handwriting.
"Thank you very much," he said very softly.
"Your welcome. You know that you and I have more in common than you think," Reena said kindly.
"Really? Like what?" Harry asked.
"My parents died just like yours did," Reena said gently.
Harry looked at Reena. From the tone of her voice and the way her eyes looked, he saw that her parents' death was still fresh in her mind. He never really thought of Voldemort killing other people's paretns as well as his own.
"When?" he asked curiously.
"My 7th year. Very bad time for me, that year," Reena said softly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said, not knowing what else to say.
"It's nothing to be sorry about, they died a long time ago. Do you spend Easter holiday here as well?" Reena asked.
"Yeah, always," Harry replied.
"Is it okay if I visit you then? Or would you like to come to London for the holiday?" Reena suggested.
"The professors always give a lot of homework over the Easter Holiday," Harry said, implying that he would rather stay at school for the holiday.
"You have a point. Can I visit you then?" Reena asked his permission.
"Sure. I'd like to meet you again," Harry said.
They said goodbye and Reena left. Harry was glad that he had someone he felt he could trust who wasn't on the run and Reena was glad that Harry was receptive to her attempts to be friends.
~please review and thank you for those who already have. I really appreciate it.