Chapter 8
Church
Sarah froze and it took several minutes for Remus's words to have an affect on her. At first she was shocked, then excited, thinking if Lauren was Harry's mom, then Sarah would have no problem getting in touch with her. And then Sarah understood as the feeling of dread overwhelmed her until she thought she might cry.
"Oh," she said. Her words were quiet and soft.
Remus looked at the ground, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Sarah," he told her.
Sarah drew a sharp intake of breath and then shook her head. "It's not your fault. She was," her breath hitched, "murdered?"
Remus nodded slowly, putting his hands on her waste and Sarah put her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely.
"I have to go," Sarah said gently, they let go of each other and Sarah headed for the door.
"Wait!" Remus shouted when Sarah had reached the exit. "Take the lesson plans and look over them," he said handing them to her. She took them and then left quickly with out a word.
Once back in her room, she sat on her bed. It didn't bother her enough to cry, she had known Lauren to long ago to truly be able to greave her death. But the essence of the fact that she was connected with the people here scared her. She had known Remus before she had even come here. She had known James, Sirius, and even McGonagall.
And she didn't want connections with these people. She didn't want to be involved with the Order or the Death Eaters or Voldemort. She wanted this year to end so she could collect her money, leave, and completely forget that this had ever happened.
It was ten o'clock. Sarah looked at the calendar, it was Sunday. Dumbledore had informed her earlier in the week that her house had been connected to the floo network. Church started at eleven. Sarah figured she could get there in time if she just dropped off Remus's lesson plans in the Occlumency classroom to remind her to look at them.
Before she did so, she changed into a black, knee length skirt, and a soft purple blouse. She kicked off the athletic shoes she was wearing, and put on black open toed high heels.
She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and let it hang loosely behind her shoulders. The lesson plans remained on her dresser as Sarah looked herself over in the mirror. Deciding that she looked suitable enough for church, she left her room with the folder containing DADA lesson plans and walked gracefully to the Occlumency classroom.
"They are so stupid, he completely blew me off!"
"I know! Ron didn't even say anything to me! He just told me that he was going to hang out with Harry for the rest of the day!"
"You two just started dating and Ron's already being stupid and effing things up."
Ginny and Hermione conversed for a long time with out noticing that Sarah was just behind them. When she gave a cough to signal that she was walking behind them, they turned around looking bewildered.
"Having boy trouble, girls?" Sarah asked, she looked completely amused by the entire ordeal.
Ginny frowned. "Erm, yeah."
"What did Harry do this time?"
"We had a date tonight because we were fighting a lot this week. It was probably just back to school stress. Harry blew it off and said he was going to hang out with my brother instead, because they needed to catch up on flying because the bloody season is starting soon."
"I see. Did Ron do the same thing, Hermione?" Hermione nodded. Sarah laughed, "Ok, Ginny, the next time you're going on a date with Harry, cancel and say that you're hanging out with Hermione because he's being too clingy and you need your space. Hermione, the next time you and Ron have a date, cancel five days in advance and when he asks why, you say because you aren't in the mood."
Ginny and Hermione laughed and Sarah smiled. "Where are you going anyway Sarah?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, why are you so dressed up?" said Hermione.
"Oh I'm about to floo back to the U.S to attend a church service. It's better then hanging around here anyway."
"Are you going to go back to America every Sunday?" Hermione inquired.
Sarah nodded. "Yes, probably."
"Well I suppose that's nice. You won't get that homesick." Ginny said.
Sarah smiled. "I don't get homesick; I get bored, which was obvious ever since I came here. How would you like to come?"
"To church with you?" Hermione asked. Sarah nodded. "I don't know, all my nice muggle clothes are at my house."
"I don't have any nice clothes. Not like that anyway," Ginny said, gesturing to Sarah's clothes.
"Oh who cares? You're my size, once me floo to my place you can borrow some of my stuff."
Hermione and Ginny looked at each other and smiled. "Ok, we'll come," Ginny said.
"Excellent! Just let me throw these in my classroom." Sarah said and set the lesson plan folder on her desk once they had arrived in her classroom.
They went back to Sarah's chamber's, which amazed Hermione and Ginny, since they had never been in the teacher's wing, let alone their rooms. "Ok, you have both used floo powder before right?" Sarah asked. They both nodded. "Ok, when you go in the fire you're going to say '409 Cinnamon Lane, U.S.A.' got it?"
They nodded and they both went before Sarah. She looked around her room on last time and then followed them. It took a few moments longer to floo across seas, but they got there in time.
Sarah had fallen clumsily out of the fire place and she inferred that Ginny and Hermione had also, because they were both on the floor.
"Sorry, I never removed the logs. I took a plane to England and Dumbledore was the one that connected my house to the network," Sarah explained as they all got to their feet. "Come up to me room and I'll get you something to wear."
Sarah's closet was huge. Not only that, but it was also filled. "Wow," Ginny said looked around it.
"Ok Gin, you where this," Sarah said, handing Ginny a navy blue dress. It cut off above her knee and it was a halter dress from Ralph Lauren with a collar.
"This is nice. It doesn't look as though I would fit you though," Ginny said.
"It doesn't. I bought it 1 size too small by accident. Oh this will look great on you Hermione!" Sarah said, producing a khaki knee length skirt and a turquoise blouse like her own. "Ok you to change into that and I have to get something from my bathroom."
Sarah left and Ginny began to put on the dress. "I don't believe she let us come here with her. She's so laid-back and lenient, but that advice she gave on Harry and Ron was perfect! She acts like she's our age almost," Ginny said.
"Yeah, except she's gorgeous and has a closet that's bigger than my own room!" Hermione said giggling as she did the button up on her blouse.
"Not to mention her teeth are perfect. Do you think she uses teeth whitening charms?"
"I don't know. I suppose it's possible." Hermione said as she started to put the skirt on.
"What's possible?" Sarah asked from the door way.
Hermione zipped up the side of her skirt and then said, "Do you use teeth whitening charms?"
Sarah laughed. "No. I've never altered my face with magic. I do not, however, claim to have natural beauty."
"Did you get plastic surgery or something?" Ginny asked.
"No, I went to the tanning bed, dyed my hair, had braces."
"So then how are your teeth so white?"
"Crest White Strips. They're a muggle product you can get at drugstores."
"I've heard of them," Hermione said, "My mom says they're bad for your teeth. She says whitening damages your teeth or something, and in the long run makes them yellow."
"Your mom sounds intelligent. It's true. It wears down some natural whitening thing on your teeth and if you stop using whitening, after a while your teeth will turn yellow. My theory is to not stop whitening. Screw nature, technology works faster." Sarah said grinning.
Hermione and Ginny laughed and they left Sarah's closet and walked into her small bed room. Sarah was carrying a brush in her right hand, a silver barrette in the other along with something else that Ginny couldn't see.
"Ok, 'Mione, sit on the edge of the bed." Hermione did as she was told and Sarah sat behind her up on her knees. She brushed Hermione's hair back and then put the barrette in it. When she was done she moved behind Ginny
"What's that?" Ginny asked.
"I'm not really sure what it's called but I'm using it to put your hair in a bun. I love your hair. I've always loved red hair but I always thought it would look unnatural on me. Harry's mom had gorgeous red hair."
Ginny jerked her head from Sarah's hands and turned to stare at her. Hermione also looked surprised. "How do you know what Harry's mom looked like?"
Sarah smile gently. "We're old friends. I think it's only fair that I tell Harry first, so I won't say anymore. I didn't even know until about a half hour ago."
Ginny was quiet the rest of the time Sarah brushed her hair. Twisting the red locks into a knot on Ginny's head, Sarah then stuck a hair thing into it to hold it in place.
"How ironic is it that Hermione's dating Ron and Ginny is dating Harry?" Sarah said absentmindedly.
"How is it ironic?" Hermione asked.
"Well think about it, if you all got married, then all of you would be related." Sarah responded, hopping off the bed and gesturing for Hermione and Ginny to follow her.
Ginny looked thoughtful. "Your right, since Ron and I are brothers, and Harry and I got married, that would make Ron his brother, and then if Hermione got married to Ron, she's be my sister, and I guess Harry's also. I never though about it like that before," she said, following Sarah out the door to the garage.
Sarah owned a Jeep that was red and looked slightly old. It didn't have a top, so Ginny wondered how Sarah got around when it rained. Sarah got in the drivers seat and Hermione sat beside her. Ginny sat in the back where a lemon shaped air freshener hung beside her, occasionally hitting her in the head as they headed down the bumpy driveway.
The car almost seemed to reflect Sarah's personality. It had been scarred from the past, as Sarah had, by rips in the leather seats. It had been slightly rusted around the wheel against its will. But there was a quirky side to it, that seemed teenage like and naïve, such as the dice hanging from the rearview mirror, or the heavily studded and jeweled hot pink sun glasses that sat untouched by the gear. If you looked closer, it also hinted a touch of classiness and preppiness. There were polka dotted ribbons tied around the steering wheel, and pretty, silk pink flowers poked into crack where the glove compartment was.
Sarah took a turn into a long driveway that lead to a parking lot, which Ginny assumed belonged to the church in front of them. Hermione however looked puzzled. "Sarah," she said softly, looking at the building. "I used to go to a church also, before I went to Hogwarts, and this looks nothing—"
Sarah interrupted her. "I know. What kind of Christian were you? Orthodox?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, I was Catholic."
"I see. Well you were more than likely going to some big fancy cathedral. I'm Presbyterian, so the churches look different. I mean, I've only gone to three churches in my entire life and two of them were Catholic, so I don't know if all Presbyterian churches look like this."
Ginny looked confused and didn't say anything, but Hermione gave her a glance that said she would explain later. As they walked into the church 'lobby' (as Sarah called it) a woman approached Sarah smiling.
She was pretty, to say the least, and had blonde wavy hair that stopped at her shoulders. Her eyes were hazel and she was very short and thin, like Sarah, though her skin was several shades lighter than Sarah's. She had a little girl in her arms that was wearing a pink dress. She and Sarah hugged before the stranger, who looked about 36, spoke
"Sarah!" she said enthusiastically. Then in undertone she asked, "Did you floo back here?"
Sarah nodded and smiled. "Yes and I brought two of my students with me. This is Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Girls, this is my step-sister Natalie Johnson."
"Nice to meet you," Natalie said and shook their hands. "This is my daughter, Melody."
"She's sweet," Ginny said.
"Hey Sarah!" some one called from across the room and a man came through the crowds holding hands with a 9 year old boy. The man came over to her and let go of his son, who grinned at Sarah with his two front teeth missing. The man put his hands on Sarah's upper arms and kissed her on the cheek.
"Dad! Stop trying to change the topic—" said a girl running up behind the man. She saw Sarah and smiled. "Sarah!" she said and hugged her.
"Hey Abby!" Sarah said smiling. Abby looked about Ginny's age with straight, dark brown hair, like her father's. She had her mother's hazel eyes but she had put eyeliner and mascara on so they stood out more.
"I didn't think I'd see you until at least Christmas! Did you get fired or something?" Abby asked and Sarah grinned.
"No I'm just back for the day. I brought two students with me. This is Ginny, she's your age, and Hermione, who's one year older. Ginny, Hermione, this is Natalie's husband Gary, their 9 year old son Daniel, and their daughter, Abby. Let's go in, shall we?" Sarah said in one breath and then led them in through a door. They sat in the 5th to last row and they wait for the service to begin.
Gary sat down on the end with his wife to his right, and then Daniel sat beside Natalie and Sarah sat beside Daniel. Abby seemed almost attached to Sarah's arm from the moment she set eyes on her, so naturally, she sat next to Sarah, and then Ginny and Hermione.
Several people had gotten up in the front of the room to sing and play musical instruments. Natalie excused herself from them and went to join the group as a singer. She preformed four songs before sitting back down next to Gary. There was a tall man in the front starting the sermon.
After an hour Sarah and Gary stood and seemed to just leave. Ginny frowned and turned around to see where she was going. "Oh don't worry," Abby said, "Aunt Sarah does the offerings with my dad."
"Oh," Ginny said, not really understanding what that meant. However Sarah soon came to the end of their row with a silver bowl that she handed to Natalie, who put in a piece of green paper that Ginny assumed was money. She handed it to Abby who handed it to Ginny who handed it to Hermione who gave it to Gary who was waiting at the end of the row. He gave her a friendly smile and took the offering bowl from her and gave it to the row in front.
