Chapter 32 – Happy Christmas
They appeared in a small house owned by Elphias Doge. He didn't say much aside from greeting them briefly and showing them to the hearth. "The Burrow is connected - Happy Christmas," he said. Remus showed Lizzie through, and they were suddenly stepping out into the Weasley's living room.
"What on Heavens! The train won't be here for hours!" Molly yelled as Lizzie dusted herself off.
"Train was intercepted, it was taken care of, the aurors stationed were under an imperius. The others are safe… Kingsley, Tonks, and Alastor are patrolling through to Kings Cross. I took Lizzie early just in case. Would have taken Ron and Ginny but didn't want it to be obvious where she was headed," he explained quickly.
"Heavens you're alright," Molly said, pulling her in for a warm hug.
"Sure you want me here?" Lizzie asked anxiously. Molly gave her a reproving look for having the gall to ask such a question, and kissed her face in the most motherly way possible. Lizzie took that to mean yes.
The twins skipped down the steps and Bill and Charlie came back inside from upping enchantments on the house and surrounding land. Everyone was surprised to see them early.
"You alright Lizzie?" George asked, noticing how flushed she was. She nodded and swallowed back the lingering anxiety.
"I will be when the others get here," she said. Arthur packed up to head to King's Cross, he would meet aurors there to escort them all home. Remus went with him to vet them in case they had been compromised as well.
After catching up with the twins and receiving a large basket of joke ship goodies she fondled and examined, Lizzie finally sat down with a cup of coffee on the couch and watched their clock intently for Ginny and Ron's faces to move toward 'home.'
"They're fine, I can feel your worry from across the room," Charlie said, he sat down next to her and leaned forward to hand her a package for her to open.
"You didn't have to - " Lizzie protested at the gift.
"Shut up, I know that. Open it," he said with a chuckle. Lizzie pulled out a new pair of quidditch gloves made of dragon hide leather. Between them was a golden snitch.
"They keep the last snitch a seeker captain catches, they're supposed to catch it without gloves because these have flesh memories. They can either keep it or leave it with their badge in the trophy room. I kept mine. This one was your dad's though. I swiped it while I was there... don't tell McGonagall," he explained.
"Charlie...thank you..." Lizzie said, hardly above a whisper. He rubbed her back in a friendly motion and got up to help his mother with dinner. Ron and Ginny arrived later in one piece and assured her everyone made it home safe.
The order members stayed for dinner, Tonks went home to her family after, and Remus stayed at the Burrow. Him and Arthur spent a great deal of time talking in the shed.
Lizzie took the opportunity to catch Ron up on their findings, he seemed especially relieved to be away from Lavender and engaged in full conversation. Ginny pressured him to nip the relationship entirely but he dismissed her comments entirely.
"Blimey, Lizzie, he's not just a raging lunatic, he's bloody disturbed," Ron gaped as she drew out the timeliness and illustrated the events for him at the kitchen table while the others were preoccupied.
"What happens to their bodies is important I think. He's using each of them for something more sinister, I just don't understand what yet," Lizzie explained.
"Well it looks like altogether they might comprise something else entirely don't you think?" Ron asked.
"How do you mean?" Lizzie asked.
"Well, the first would probably be a soul wouldn't it? For it to stay with him?" He inquired. Lizzie nodded.
"One burned... one dug up... one dismembered... one harvested... another transformed into a pet weapon... seems odd that they'd each be treated so different. Like he's taking something from each," he explained.
"See? He harvested the girl's organs, dismembered the other's limbs, torched one...but erm... I mean...skin... burns first...right? Dug up another, but what is left in the dirt when a body decays? Bones. The snake though..." Ron rattled off.
"Blood. It was a blood curse that girl had. Skin, bones, limbs, organs, blood, and soul... but what about Myrtle?" Lizzie asked.
"Well she's always grieving... maybe heart? I mean, all combined you might as well have a new person," Ron speculated.
Lizzie frowned in contemplation, "of equal value to the witch that was killed," Lizzie muttered under her breath...then thought about how Nearly Headless Nick explained to her that souls had to decide to stay on earth as a ghost. "Not if she kept it though, she stayed behind as a ghost. I think he botched hers and wanted a replacement... other people he just kills without a second thought or action... he targets these... I don't know if there are more," she said.
"Well, I won't have an appetite for anything for about a week," Ron said, looking nauseous.
"I'll believe that when I see it," Lizzie mumbled.
"Always a charming ray of sunshine, you are, Liz, really..." he said sarcastically, she choked on light laughter in response.
"So Ron... tell me something... when do you plan on breaking up with Lavender?" Lizzie asked nonchalantly.
"I don't want to break up with -" he started to say, but Lizzie threw up her hand to silence him.
"Don't - lie - to me," she said in her best Snape voice. Remus tried to conceal a laugh when he caught wind as he and Charlie entered the kitchen.
"I'm not-" Ron protested, but his voice was telling with a slight squeak.
"I can read your mind, you hate her," Lizzie said shortly.
"I don't hate her!" He protested more angrily.
"Ok, sorry, too harsh, very much dislike her," Lizzie corrected.
"Liz, c'mon, it's not that bad," Ron said.
"Are you married? This whole dating thing should not be a 'it's not that bad,' that's something you say after at least 15 years legally bound to one another with at least two children. You've been dating two bloody months, even if it's a little bit bad you should take the door, I mean really?" Lizzie argued.
"You and Seamus then, I can't read minds, is that going well?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's fine, we get along great... he's just..." Lizzie explained.
"Just what?" Ron asked.
"Scared of me... and he gets jealous easily," Lizzie admitted. Ron rolled his eyes.
"You are rather scary," Charlie laughed.
"I have to say, I have mixed feelings about the legilimens crap, anything you can't do?" Ron said mockingly.
"As a matter of fact there are plenty of things, occlumency being the main one. I don't know how to sleep even though it's a basic human function, and I'm trash at... you know... whistling," she explained.
"Whistling?" He asked reproachfully.
"Mhmm," she said, and grinned devilishly in his direction. 'Break up with her' she mouthed at Ron, and he chucked a grape at her in response.
The holiday was enjoyable overall. Lizzie caught up with the twins, two people she desperately missed at school, and Fleur did something unexpected by asking Lizzie to be in her and Bill's wedding with Gabrielle and Ginny. Bill appeared apologetic for the obligation, but Lizzie was actually rather flattered and agreed. Charlie was going to be his best man.
Percy extended an olive branch finally and sent a round of small gifts to the family, with a card to Arthur asking if they could talk sometime soon. Molly was desperately hoping he would show up for Christmas but he must have been too apprehensive. Lizzie had ordered a round of gifts for the family and tried her best not to be over the top about it.
"Yous fit in perfectly amongzst them you know?" Fleur said as they helped clear the dinner table on Christmas Eve.
"It's just the hair," Lizzie giggled, but Fleur appeared sad. Lizzie picked up a hint of jealousy and that she didn't think the family liked her.
"Bill loves you, Fleur. They're my favorite family on the planet, and they're lucky to have you in it," Lizzie reassured her. She nodded and smiled weakly.
"His brother really likes you," she said unexpectedly.
"Who Ron? He's my best friend, nothing romantic...I remind him too much of Ginny," Lizzie laughed.
"No...not Ron," she said, now looking embarrassed she said anything.
"Surely not Percy, George is conjoined at the hip with Angelina... Not Fred?" She asked, but now wondered why she'd never seen Fred with anyone.
"Not Fred. I don't think he... you know..." Fleur said. Lizzie nodded because she always suspected him and Lee were especially close.
"Well that leaves Charlie," Lizzie laughed, but Fleur was silent. "Charlie?" Lizzie asked. Of course part of her already knew this, and she did have to admit to herself a bit of an affinity she had with him. She glanced over at him talking to Remus and Arthur, he seemed to catch her lingering expression because it suddenly became a little awkward.
Lizzie sat back down with them not long after and Tonks joined the conversation.
"Arthur, any idea why Dumbledore is traveling?" Lizzie asked.
"That would be news to the ministry, I'm not sure, Lizzie," he admitted.
"Hermione wrote me on your behalf about the object the Malfoy boy may have been looking at over the summer at Borgin and Burkes, I think I have some news there though," he said.
"Go on," Lizzie said with anticipation.
"A vanishing cabinet," he said.
"What's that?" She asked.
"All the rage when he first rose to power. You step in and it can transport you anywhere. Ideal if death eaters came knocking," he explained.
"Did he buy it?" She asked.
"No, it's still there," he said.
"You raided the Manor, didn't you?" She inquired.
"Nothing of interest was found during that raid," he admitted.
"They have an enchanted cellar, that should be looked into. I suspect that could be where Olivander is, but I could be wrong," Lizzie said. Arthur nodded that they would.
Lizzie looked at Tonks nervously. "After Slughorn's Christmas Party I overheard an interesting exchange between Draco and Snape," she said carefully.
"Overheard meaning you followed them?" Tonks said with gritted teeth.
Lizzie let the question die in the air before adding, "Draco said he quote 'may or may not have cursed Katie Bell' and Snape got upset with him. He said he could help him with some job Draco was given... but Draco insisted he had to do it alone. Then Snape said he made an unbreakable vow to protect him... " Lizzie said.
"Did it occur to you that he may have offered Draco help to see what he was up to?" Remus asked.
"Sure, but it's just not what it sounded like in context," Lizzie argued.
"Unbreakable vow, though... Remus that's not something that can be manipulated," Tonks added.
"It comes down to trusting Dumbledore then, he trusts Snape," Remus argued, growing increasingly temperamental.
"I don't trust either of them," Lizzie said shortly and they went silent.
"You're being guided by resentment," Remus said.
"Would you? I mean please step into my shoes, would you trust them? I respect Dumbledore, I think he knows what he's doing, I just think he doesn't care enough about who gets hurt or killed in the process," Lizzie insisted.
"You hate Snape though, you can't tell me that's not interfering with your interpretation of what you heard," Remis insisted.
"Of course I hate him," Lizzie snapped.
"Lizzie, he saved your life when Crouch attacked you, he told us where you were when -" Remus added.
"He told you where I was and then told them to take me to the ministry - but did he tell you that? He walked into that room knowing what Voldemort was about to do, left the room so that he could, and then returned when I was good as dead only to immediately hand me over to Lucius to retrieve the prophecy. I would be insane to trust him," she said. "Don't get me started on Dumbledore and Surrey," she practically growled.
"Point is - I know Draco, he's a weak minded prat trying to prove something. I know everything Snape does in favor of our side needs to be countered with something in favor of Voldemort's so that he can be trusted on both. It makes it impossible to tell his loyalties and whatever Dumbledore has on him might not be enough... I mean he did willingly join them to begin with," Lizzie continued.
Remus rubbed his face anxiously. "We can't turn amongst ourselves, we'll be doomed, Lizzie," he said grimly and left the room.
Lizzie clenched her jaw tight, Charlie caught the look in her eyes and shook his head not to keep jabbing. Lizzie sunk her head into her hands and exhaled loud in frustration.
"He's not upset at you," Tonks whispered.
"I know, it's fine..." Lizzie muttered back, she couldn't understand why nobody wanted to admit the obvious about Draco, or what Dumbledore could possibly have on Snape to make everyone believe he was genuinely loyal.