Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters, I'm just…borrowing them. Please don't sue. Unless I get to use a gavel when you take me to court.
"You were caught," Remus said. Harry looked up at him. Fleur watched amusedly from a squishy blue armchair she had conjured upon entering the room. It looked considerably more comfortable than Harry's chair. "Clever of you," Remus told him. Harry glared at his old friend, but said nothing.
"I would have thought," began Remus, "you would have been more careful." Harry rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if he had meant to be caught. Remus chuckled.
"I know you didn't want to be." Harry's head shot up, and he looked at the Minister suspiciously. It wasn't the first time the man had anticipated what Harry would say.
"Now," Remus said, attempting to sound authoritative, "there are some decisions to be made." Harry looked at the floor, ignoring Remus. Fleur smiled and motioned for him to continue.
"We should probably tell everyone you're he—"
"Why would we do that?" Harry exclaimed. Outside the small room, Fred and George Weasley looked at each other, disbelief etched on their faces.
"It can't be," Fred whispered. George hit him impatiently and signed for him to shut up. Ella sat sullenly on he floor where she had been placed so she wouldn't step on the Extendable Ears the twins were using, glaring at them. Neither of the red-haired men noticed.
"Well," said Remus, "three people already know you're here—"
"Four," put in Fleur.
"Four," Remus asked, frowning.
"Zere eez you and me," she said, holding up two fingers. "Ginny," she continued. Remus nodded. "And Eleanor." Remus froze.
"Ella knows?" Remus yelped.
"Ella knows?" the twins echoed excitedly, though quietly, as they rounded on the six-year-old.
"Ella knows many things," the pert child told her uncles.
"Does Ella know who's in that room with her mummy and Remmy?" George asked eagerly.
"Ella might," she confirmed. "After all, Ella knows many things. And Ella would love nothing more than to share her knowledge with her uncles," she said, smiling into their twinkling eyes. "For a price." The twins scowled.
Fred searched his pocket. "What does Ella know for nine sickles and a dungbomb?" he asked, showing her what he had found. Ella eyed them greedily, and reached out her small arms to grab them.
"Ella finally knows why Uncle Fred smelled so bad," she replied, pocketing her new acquisitions. Fred glared at his niece, and then at his twin, who was shaking with silent laughter.
George immediately sobered, and turned to his twin after giving Ella a wink.
"That wasn't funny at all," he deadpanned. Fred resumed his glare. Ella giggled.
When they heard raised voices from the room they were supposed to be eavesdropping on, twins and niece quickly crowded next to the door. Before Fred noticed, Ella snatched his end of the Extendable Ear and pressed it to her own, listening attentively. Fred, realizing that the girl was intent on torturing him, left her to it and pressed his ear against the door. George caught sight of his niece with the Extendable Ear and stifled a laugh.
"Fleur, you will not make him stay!" The twins looked at each other, eyebrows raised. They couldn't remember an occasion where Remus had ever shouted.
"I will, Remus!" Though they couldn't see her, he twins thought her eyes were probably doing the Veela thing. They surreptitiously looked for laces where they could run for cover, knowing that she might start with the fireballs at any moment.
Inside the room, Harry sat sullenly in his chair. He didn't like other people trying to dictate his actions. He glowered at Fleur, though she took no notice.
When the voices inside the room began to quiet again, the twins looked expectantly at their niece.
"Ella, who's in that room?"
Ella gave them a withering look. "I am not allowed to tell," she said self-righteously. The twins looked at each other. They had not used their influence all her life so she would start listening to her mother.
"Ella, love, this is really important. We need to know," George said in a voice that rather suggested he was talking to a baby, something Ella didn't take to kindly.
She opened her mouth to angrily retort when a feminine yell from inside the room cut her off.
"'ARRY POTTER EEZ 'ERE!"
The twins stared at each other, mouths hanging open in shock.
"HARRY POTTER'S HERE?" they shouted, merely because it was their first instinct to respond to shocking news by making lots of noise. Ella slapped her forehead.
Downstairs, Tonks, who was going back to check on Ginny, paused.
Next to the woman who had yelled stood a white-faced Harry Potter and an unspeakably angry Remus Lupin. Fleur smiled smugly, before waltzing to the door and opening it to reveal wide-eyed twins and an aggravated Ella.
Fred smiled weakly and managed to wave, while George stealthily put away his Extendable Ear. Ella seemed to have forgotten about hers, which was hanging at her side. Looking down, she realized she was still holding it and dropped it immediately, looking very guilty.
"Oh dear," said Fleur, looking immensely pleased with herself.
The eavesdroppers nervously made their way into the room. The twins' eyebrows shot up as they got a look at Harry. Feeling rather depressed, the black-haired man gave them a despondent wave.
Carefully shutting the door, Fleur turned to the group. "Well," she said, smiling, "zis eez cozy." Far from being "cozy", the small room was now quite crowded. Remus and Harry gaped at her, clearly thinking she was quite mad. The twins looked confused. Ella raised an eyebrow. Fleur smiled.
"You—But, it's…Y-you w-w-were…" George trailed off, gaping at Harry, who rubbed his head.
"Hullo," he said. George and Fred looked at each other, dumbfounded.
"So, uh, Harry," Fred began in a would-be casual voice. "Staying for a while?" Harry blinked, and then resumed staring at the twins.
"Jolly good to see you, old chap," said George, slowly recovering from the shock. "How've you been?
Harry groaned.
Realizing Harry probably wouldn't be sharing his story any time soon, Fred looked at Remus questioningly. Remus merely collapsed onto the red chair, ignoring him. Fred and George gave each other identical looks that Remus didn't care to try to interpret.
Behind the closed door, a rather ungainly, pink-haired woman hesitantly picked up the Extendable Ear that Ella had left in the hallway.
Author's Note: Due to the shocking number of reviews that requested it, and my semi-fondness for it, I will be continuing the story. But I might just say I won't because that seems to engender a staggering amount of reviews. Just kidding. I am so sorry that I haven't responded to all your reviews yet (I've been vacationing in Pennsylvania, where they apparently don't have computers—or at least my grandparents don't), but I will. Soon. I'll try, but school's been crazy. Even if I don't get to it in the near future, please keep reviewing!
The next chapter will be out by January 14. Thanks for reading!