When Fred and George arrived half an hour before lunch was due to be served Harry took a deep breath and walked over to Fred who was hovering in the kitchen.
"Hey." He said. Fred turned to him.
"All right?" he responded.
"Look this doesn't have to be all awkward." Harry said.
"It doesn't?" Fred asked incredulously.
"Nope. Mates remember? Mates don't tiptoe around each other do they?" Harry said.
"I guess not." Fred said smiling slightly.
"Good."
"Right then," Fred clapped Harry on the back, "Now that I'm not avoiding you, lets catch up." He said grinning, Harry grinned too.
"What are you two up to?" Ginny asked as she entered the kitchen.
"Nothing at all little sister." Fred said giving her a hug. "Merry Christmas!"
"Thanks Fred." She said, glancing at Harry suspiciously, who just shrugged.
"Where's mum?" Fred asked. "Shouldn't she be slaving away in here?" he asked.
"Professor Lupin just arrived, she's being a good hostess." Ginny told them.
"Remus is here?" Harry asked, she nodded. "Good I got something to show him." He said and ran upstairs to grab the Jas' photo album.
When he came down, Remus was sitting in the living room with Mr. Weasley, Ron, George, Fred, Ginny and Bill (Charlie hadn't been able to make it); Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas Harry!" Remus said when he saw him.
"You too, thank you for my present." He said and went and sat on the arm of Remus' chair. "I wanted to show you this." he said handed him the photo album.
"Ah." He said, opening it and flicking through. "She chose a lovely book." He commented taking a closer look at the cover.
"You knew about this?" Harry asked taking the album back.
"Where'd you think she got the pictures?" he smiled.
"Right. Thanks." He said.
"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen.
"At last." Ron said and all but ran to the dining room. The rest followed, Harry was smiling at Ron's enthusiasm.
Diner was now finished, and they were all sitting round the table chatting idly. Harry felt a slight pang of regret that Sirius couldn't be here with them, all of a sudden the room seemed overcrowded. He stood up abruptly.
"Where you going Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Toilet." He said before making his way out of the room. He opened the front door and stepped out into the chilly December air taking deep steadying breaths.
The calming silence was broken by a thud from the living room. Harry turned round swiftly and walked back in. Someone was laying in a crumpled heap of black robes in front of the fire place shaking slightly. Harry walked closer to the person and knelt down in front of them. Feeling his presence the person looked up. Her crystal blue eyes shone with tears. She was covered in blood and dirt making the tear tracks clear down her cheeks.
"Jas, what-?" he asked bewildered. She started crying again and threw herself into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. "Sshhh." He soothed, stroking her back and pulling her closer. Distantly Harry heard a mass of footsteps enter the room from the kitchen. Remus knelt down next to him, he was holding a vial.
"It's a calming potion." He told Harry, he took and gave it to Jas. Her crying ceased and she went still in his arms.
"Thanks." She muttered. "I'm sorry, I've got the carpet all dirty." She said looking down at the floor.
"Don't worry about that dear." Mrs. Weasley said, moving forward to them, the rest of the Weasley's followed.
"Dumbledore was going to send someone, but I couldn't stay there." She said quietly.
"What happened?" Fred asked. She took a deep breath and looked around the room at them all.
"Severus as been brewing a potion for the Dark Lord for months, it disables all brain functions but leaves you alive, your heart keeps beating." She told them. "It was intended for Dumbledore." She said and the whole room seemed to hold their breath. "He didn't get it though." She said. "Severus planted it but told Dumbledore where it was, but . . ." she took a deep breath, "Professor McGonagal drank it, she's in the hospital wing right now." She said. No-one in the room said anything. Finally Bill broke the silence.
"There's no cure?" he asked.
"Severus might be able to find one," she said, "if he wakes up." She said, a silent tear running down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.
"Why? What happened to him?" Remus asked in concern.
"The Dark Lord wasn't happy." She said quietly. "Once he'd finished with Severus, he let Lucious and, and Batair at him." She said, she'd started shaking again and Harry tightened his arms around her reassuringly.
"Batair?" Remus questioned, "Your father?" She nodded.
"What did they do?" Fred asked softly.
Jas put her hands over her mouth, shaking her head and started sobbing again.
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