Disclaimer: Although I wish I owned Harry Potter and all of his wonderful, magical world, I do not. Therefore, most of this story is just a figment of my imagination. Thanks for reading though J…reviews are greatly appreciated!
Chapter 2: Diso
"What happened?" Harry asked again, louder this time to stop Ron and Ginny's bickering.
"When?" Fiona asked, still in a daze.
"The attack at Diso, what happened," Harry said, rather forcefully. Fiona took a deep breath before she finally started her story.
"I lived on the outskirts of Diso, away from the Muggles and their tourist attractions. I lived in a special house. There are many of them in Diso. You would call them an orphanage, but that's not really what they are. They're homes for abandoned people with magical abilities. Many of the children are muggle-born. Marya, she is my housemother, told me that I wasn't muggle-born, but she didn't know who my parents were. I was sent from London when I was a little over a year old. Now Marya's- well, she's not there anymore. Most of the people aren't, especially the children. Our house was targeted first. There were so many people, all of them wore masks. It was really scary. Marya was the first to be-"
"Murdered. She was murdered by the Death Eaters," Harry said bitterly.
"Yes, that man- Mundungus, I think. He told me that too, but I don't understand why they would want to attack my village. There isn't anything there-"
"Voldemort doesn't just look for things, he looks for people. Someone or something really important to him must have been in Diso," Harry concluded.
"Fiona, what happened after Marya was murdered?" Ginny asked.
"I wasn't supposed to be on the steps. Everyone was ordered to go into the basement. They were going to leave the basement through the back door. They were found though, the Death Eaters found everyone. None of them survived, even the babies were killed. I ran up the steps and hid in a small room in the attic. From there I could see almost the whole village. After my house was plundered, they went onto the next house. People were running and screaming and dying everywhere. The Dark Mark was hovering over the whole town. The sky was dark from smoke and clouds. Many houses were burning. It seemed as if the whole town was engulfed in flames. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed hidden and watched from out my small window."
"That's horrid!" Ginny said, as she brushed tears from her eyes.
"Wait, how did you get out? If everyone else was killed, how come no one found you?" Ron asked looking very confused.
"But I was found. I had dropped my wand on the steps by accident and one of the Death Eaters found it. They were searching the house for me when I saw Mundungus and another man outside. I signaled to him, hoping that he would see me. Luckily, he did."
"The man who was with him, what did he look like?" Harry asked.
"He had jet black hair and dark eyes. He was a little taller than Mundungus and much thinner."
"Wonder who that was," Ron said.
"It was lucky no one else saw you up in that window," Ginny said quietly.
"What happened after Mundungus entered the house?" Harry asked.
"Well, I heard him battle with several people throughout the house. Another Death Eater had practically found me by the time Mundungus got up into the attic. I was so scared that I was holding my breath."
"Oh no! What happened?" Ginny almost screamed.
"If you'd hush up, she could tell you," Ron said. Ginny gave him a dirty look before returning her gaze to Fiona. Harry sat listening pensively to Fiona's story.
"Well, the Death Eater, he uh, he killed the man with Mundungus. Mundungus Stunned him almost at the same time that he killed the other man. Actually, I don't know if the Death Eater was stunned. He definitely wasn't moving, but it was the longest I had ever seen a stunning spell last. After I was sure it was safe, I crawled out of the small, concealed door and into the main part of the attic. Mundungus had a little boy named Tony with him. Tony stayed with me while Mundungus guarded the house. He tried to figure out a way to get us out of Diso, but it didn't work out too well. Tony and I stayed in that room for three days. Well, that's what Mundungus told me on the way here. I don't think he was supposed to bring me here, but I'm happy he did. We had to sneak out of the village. We got attacked by two Death Eaters on the way here. They killed Tony. He almost made it, almost." Fiona sat quietly for a couple of minutes, just staring at her hands. An odd silence filled the room. Ginny and Ron stared at each other, confused at what to do.
"What happened after that?" Harry asked.
"We hiked to a neighboring town where we traveled by Floo-powder. From there we flew on brooms until we reached here. Grimmauld Place, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right. But I still don't understand. How did you survive? Do you know how many other people survived?" asked Harry incredulously.
"I don't know. I got lucky, I guess. A lot of people were killed on their way out of the village, like Tony was. They set up a shelter for some survivors, but Mundungus told me that I didn't belong there. He brought me back here last night."
"That's not possible," Ron said. "The Daily Prophet said the fighting began this morning!"
"And did you believe everything the Daily Prophet said about Harry? Come on, Ron! You know the Ministry controls the paper. They probably just didn't want anyone to overreact. You've seen how everyone is handling this. Some people aren't even letting their kids go back to Hogwart's!" Ginny exclaimed.
"What? That's just ridiculous!" Harry screamed as he jumped out of his seat.
"Well, we know that, but it doesn't matter to them. Really, it's the Ministry's fault. If they hadn't treated Dumbledore the way they did, it wouldn't be as bad. I think many people don't trust him as much as they used to," Ginny said matter of factly.
"You've got some of those Extendable Ears, haven't you?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"I have not. Stop being stupid, Ron, really."
"Is everyone really gone?" Harry asked, slightly annoyed that he was once again breaking up an argument.
"Well, not EVERYONE," Ron said. "Mum and Lupin are still here."
"Yeah, someone always stays behind," Ginny added.
"On the brighter side, Kreacher is now a wall ornament," Ron said absentmindedly.
"What? Who did that?" Harry asked. Fiona looked from person to person, with a bewildered look on her face.
"Well, it seems Bellatrix got extremely angry with him after he told her that you were still alive. So, she cut his head off and several seconds later, it appeared on a plaque on the wall," Ron said.
"-Well, that's good. Now Kreacher can't spy for Bellatrix anymore," Harry said.
"He may have been a spy Harry, but he could have been useful to us as well," Lupin said as he walked into the room.
"He reported to BELLATRIX," Harry said, as if Lupin hadn't heard him the first time.
"Unfortunately, yes he did, but you are also overlooking the fact that he served other members of the Black family as well. Not all of them are bad you know," Lupin reminded him.
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Harry said.
"In these times, you have to think of everything."
"That's enough Remus. It's almost dusk. Take your potion and go down into the cellar." Lupin made a sound similar to a growl before he stalked out of the room.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, forcing a smile onto his face.
"Harry! How are you, dear? Sorry I couldn't greet you at the door but Remus's potion is rather tedious to make- and very precise might I add," Mrs. Weasley said as she pulled Harry out of his chair and gave him a big hug.
"I'm- fine, really," Harry responded hoping she would let him go soon. As much as he hated her sympathy, Harry couldn't find himself being mad at Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley gazed down at Harry. A maternal look of worry was clearly etched on her face, but she quickly composed herself.
"Now, out of the kitchen all of you. I have to cook for the members that are returning tonight. There will be a big meeting during dinner too, so you'll all be eating up in Ron's room. Don't worry, it shouldn't last too long," Mrs. Weasley said, winking at Harry. Harry, Ron, and Ginny left the kitchen. Fiona stayed sitting at the table. Since the arrival of Lupin, she hadn't uttered a word. Ginny looked back and smiled at her before motioning her to follow. Fiona smiled back, but shook her head.
Mrs. Weasley immediately started cooking. A cauldron was slowly simmering as potatoes were peeling and chopping themselves. Meanwhile, plates and cups were lining themselves up on the counter. She didn't even notice that Fiona was still sitting at the table.
"Oh my! Oh, I forgot you were here, dear. Not that you can understand me. Let's see now, I'll need 12 cups, plates, forks, knives- now, where did I put all of that?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she bustled about the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley turned around and gasped as Fiona opened one of the drawers and began counting out forks.
"How many people are going to be here tonight?" Ginny asked as she skipped back into the room.
"Twelve," Fiona answered quietly, avoiding Mrs. Weasley's gaze. Mrs. Weasley glared at Ginny with that how-could-you-not-tell-me look. She hurriedly turned back around to supervise the potatoes after one flew past her ear.
"Need me to finish Harry's cake, mum?" Ginny asked sweetly.
"Shh! Ginny, they're just upstairs!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.
"Don't worry, mum. They're unpacking Harry's things and they haven't got any Extendable Ears, either." Mrs. Weasley frowned at the mention of Extendable Ears. She wasn't taking the twin's career choice well, despite their recent success.
"What are Extendable Ears?" Fiona asked.
"Oh, they're really neat! Fred and George- my twin brothers- make them. They allow you to hear-"
"Things you shouldn't," Mrs. Weasley interrupted as the potatoes zoomed into the cauldron. Fiona stared in awe at the now-filled cauldron.
"Come ON, mum! It's just innocent fun!" Ginny said. Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth as if she were going to scold but immediately closed it again. Instead, she levitated a cake onto the table and continued cooking.
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Various members of the Order began to pour into the house just as Mrs. Weasley finished preparing the meal. She frowned at Mundungus and muttered something that sounded like "Hooligan" as he walked by, but immediately after her mouth dropped open in surprise. Not only was Mundungus hugging the girl, but he had a little gift for her as well!
"Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, he probably got that from the back of someone's wagon," Tonks said. "Need any help?" She looked at Mrs. Weasley eagerly.
"Well, not with the food. Everything is pretty much done. However, if you would like, you could find a small table and chairs to send up to Ron and Harry's room. That's where the children will be eating dinner," Mrs. Weasley said as all the bowls on the table filled themselves with stew. "Ginny! Fiona! Upstairs please!" She called out. Ginny grumbled before she stomped out of the room. Fiona followed her, desperately trying to keep up.
"Mum! Why can't Fred or I Apparate into the kitchen?" George asked storming into the room.
"Because you are not allowed," Mrs. Weasley answered, giving them both a kiss on the cheek.
"And why not?" Fred asked.
"No one can," Tonks said, returning from Ron's room. "You can't Apparate in or out of here. Dumbledore set it up." Tonks looked at Fred and George and tried desperately not to laugh, but she couldn't help herself. Both of the Weasley twins were wearing long cloaks apparently made from some sort of dragon hide. Dragon hide boots also protruded out from under the cloak.
"What is so funny?" George asked, totally serious.
"Nothing," Mrs. Weasley said, eying Tonks and giving her a quick look of warning.
"Yeah, nothing," Tonks added. "I just wasn't aware that you changed your joke shop into a costume shop!" Fred was about to open his mouth but Mrs. Weasley just pointed out of the room.
"Upstairs, NOW."
"Come, on Mum. We're of AGE," Fred argued, as if that were the answer to every question.
"Yes, but you are NOT a member of the Order, now up you get. And YOU!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed turning to Mundungus. Fred and George listened to their mother yell at Mundungus all the way to Ron's room.
"Such a beautiful sound," George said wistfully.
"Yes, there is nothing quite like Mum yelling at someone else," Fred agreed, as he opened Ron's door.
"Hello, there," George said as he spotted Fiona. "Ginny, who's your friend?"
"That's Fiona. Mundungus brought her back from Italy," Harry said.
"Well, ciao, signorina," Fred said, bowing to her before taking her hand and kissing it. Fiona blushed, sending color through her cheeks for the first time in days.
"Stop being stupid, she speaks English," Ginny said.
"Oh. Good day, Harry. What are you doing here? Wasn't expecting you for at least another week." Fred shook Harry's hand and George followed suit. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Later we shall have an executive meeting. Business is very good," George said, winking.
"As you can tell," Ron said. "Because they've got boots to match those ugly cloaks of theirs." Harry smirked.
"I think they're dashing," Ginny said defensively. Fiona stared at them wide-eyed. She wasn't used to seeing such outgoing wizards and she had definitely never seen dragon-hide cloaks. Ron rolled his eyes at Ginny, she thought anything that looked dramatic or expensive was 'dashing' or 'neat' or whatever her word of the moment was.
"Oh, food!" Fred nearly screamed before sitting in the closest chair and shoveling food in his mouth.
"One thing about not living at home," George said. "You always miss home-cooked meals."
"You don't live at home?" Harry asked.
"Oh, no. We live in the apartment over our shop. It's much easier," George answered.
"Plus, that way Mum can't spy on us," Fred added, grinning. He had already finished his whole bowl of stew. The only other person close to being done was Fiona; everyone else had barely touched their dinners.
"Whoa there! Little hungry, are we? You almost beat me and Fred!" George said as he took his last spoonful.
"I haven't eaten in three days," Fiona said shrugging. Harry watched her intently. She sat back and sighed as she looked at her empty dish. She started to look better and she was gaining color in her face already.
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Thank you very much for reading my story so far (and an extra thank you if you reviewed). Next chapter will deal with the Order's meeting as well as Harry's surprise, it should be up soon. Extra special thanks to Samba127, Mikee, Ms.Marvel, and Marissa Ann for reviewing!
