.
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Chapter 24.
Confrontation negotiation is, like, my thing.
Dear Fred.
You're a bloody lunatic. I made the mistake of opening your letter at work and the whole department not only saw the love heart shaped firework over my head, but also heard my rather banshee-like scream. It's going to be held against me for at least five years, maybe ten is nothing more embarrassing happens to anyone else. Fingers crossed that Walter falls in a pile of dragon poo again.
Then again, maybe it's my own fault. There was a time I didn't even blink when I heard a firework because I just knew it was you and George. I need to assimilate myself with noise and spontaneity again before I see you both. Merlin—I wish it wasn't so difficult to see you, but I'm not even sure what to blame anymore. My work? Your detentions? Umbridge? Still, don't stop causing havoc. I enjoy the stories too much. Angelina sent me a four page letter last week purely to complain about how Quidditch is affected by your pranks. Poor girl. She's going to start pulling her hair out soon, I swear. Maybe get her to calm down or something? Ask George to give her a cheeky snog?
He's going to hex me for that, isn't he?
Oh…and Happy Valentine's Day, even if it did take you a month to remember. I don't have a heart shaped firework, but I hope this sweet hamper is sufficient enough. If not, well…Valentine's Day sucks anyway. I'll think of something better for your birthday.
Let me know the worst Bertie bean you get,
Lara xx
Ps. Tell George I said hello. And also that, yes, I'm still working with dragons and, no, I'm not high up enough to get one for him to ride. Is he aware that dragons don't like to be ridden? He may end up a pile of ash if he gets too close. Honestly, I'm not sure with one of you is crazier. Or maybe I'm the crazy one for missing you both so much.
Bloody hell, that was mushy. Pretend I didn't write that.
"So, you know dad always said I was stupid for reading the Quibbler?" Walter announced his arrival as Lara began to fold her letter, stuffing it into an envelope. "Well, look what's happened."
Lara placed her letter into the small basket of sweets on the table before she turned to her brother. He was offering a magazine to her, a wide grin on his face as Lara reached for it. It was an edition of The Quibbler and on the front it read HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN.
Her eyebrows raising, Lara flicked the pages open, quickly scanning the words inside. She was rather surprised that Harry had done an interview in the first place given how private he usually was, but even more shocking was the detail he'd gone into during the interview. He'd even named Death Eaters that had been in the graveyard on the night of Cedric Diggory's death.
"He's named Lucius Malfoy," Lara murmured. "Merlin…"
"What's bad about that?"
"His son goes to school with Harry—he's not very friendly."
"Shocking."
"He'll have something to say about it, I'm sure," Lara closed the magazine, gently resting it on the table. "I can't believe Harry's actually done an interview. He's usually so quiet."
Walter shrugged. "From what Bill's heard from his siblings, he's not so quiet anymore. He's actually quite outspoken about Voldemort's return since Umbridge's arrival. Keeps getting into arguments."
"Oh." Lara snorted. "Good for Harry."
"I'm surprised the twins haven't said anything."
"They're getting into their own trouble. There isn't enough ink in the world for them to tell me about Harry's escapades, too."
Walter laughed as he pulled the magazine back to his chest. "What do you think, then? Reckon it'll change a few minds?"
"Well, in theory, yeah," Lara sighed. "But logically, probably not. Everyone who doesn't want to believe it will just say it's the usual drivel the Quibbler comes up with. Or call Harry crazy."
"Merlin, what does that boy have to do for people to take him seriously—"
"People don't want to admit Voldemort's back, Walt," Lara said quietly. "It's too much—especially for our parent's generation. They were there for the first one. Imagine having to live through two wars."
"We can't just ignore it. People are going to die."
"People have already died," whispered Lara, thinking of Cedric Diggory and his crooked smile.
"Thousands have," Walter agreed. "If you take into account the First War—including Harry's parents."
Lara swallowed as she thought of Harry's parents, so young, newly married and with their first baby. It should have been the happiest time of their lives, and instead they were closed off from the rest of the world to protect their son and killed before they ever really got to see him grow up.
"I need to send this off," Lara quickly stood, not wanting to think any longer. "Where's Fudge?"
"Living room windowsill."
Heading into the living room, Lara found her owl and gently carried him to the backdoor, sending him off with the package and an owl treat. She watched him fly away, remembering the large, sprawling castle he was heading for. Even though she was kept busy with a job she actually enjoyed, she couldn't help but miss Hogwarts.
"What're you up to tonight?" asked Walter, knocking Lara out of her daze.
"I'm heading to the pub with the guys. Want to come?"
"Nah, I promised Bill I'd talk Order with him," Walter smirked. "Are you going into the muggle pubs?"
"Probably. We're meeting near Stan's."
"Well, be careful, the muggle world isn't much safer than the wizarding world these days—"
"I know, Walt," Lara smiled slightly at her brother. "I'll be a good girl, I promise."
Walter sighed and gave her a flat look. "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
Being slightly early for the get-together with her friends, Lara decided to get a table big enough for all of them, then sit down with a butterbeer. Considering it was a muggle bar, they only had muggle news. Lara was content to read through the paper, smiling at photos of celebrities she didn't know doing stupid things, a few funny stories at the end in the advice column. It was both strange and comforting that the muggle's had no idea what was going on in the magical world.
"Helped yourself to a drink already?"
Lara looked up and smiled, coming face-to-face with Erin and Amanda. Erin seemed to be her usual self; lovely make-up and hair, her clothes pristine. Amanda, however, looked tired and rather miserable. She sat down opposite Lara without any sort of greeting.
"Of course," Lara replied, ignoring Amanda's bad mood. "Thought I'd have a pint before you crazies turned up."
"Rude, but true," Erin sat down, taking off her gloves, "I've ordered gin to the table."
"What're you having, Mandy?"
"Whiskey," Amanda replied shortly.
Lara rose her eyebrows and turned to Erin, who pulled a face. They'd came together, with Erin apparting them both, and by the looks of things, Amanda had been moody from the start. Figuring she was just tired, Lara made conversation with Erin, hoping the familiarity would bring Amanda round.
"Oh my God, yes I saw the article!" Erin squealed excitedly. "I'm so proud of Harry. He's really come out of his shell this year. I kinda wish we were around to see it."
"It's so sad thinking of why, though. I mean, he saw Cedric die," Lara sighed, shaking her head. "But I guess Harry hasn't let anyone forget what happened, which is nice to see—"
"If he saw him die."
Lara stopped dead, glancing towards Amanda as she sipped her whiskey. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lara demanded.
"I'm just saying, we've got no proof that Harry actually saw Cedric die. He could've died in the Tournament—even Dumbledore admitted it was dangerous," Amanda shrugged. "And there's definitely no proof that You-Know-Who is back."
Lara's mouth fell open in shock. She hadn't really spoken to Amanda much since their night out, but she was really busy with work and the Order. Not to mention whenever she sent Amanda a letter, two out of three times she didn't get a reply. From what Omar had been saying in his letters, she still didn't have a job and was mostly at home with her parents.
Her shock began to turn into anger. Lara barely had time for a decent bathroom break these days with everything on her plate, yet Amanda sat there, drinking whiskey, judging something she had no idea about.
"There's proof," Lara said in a voice she didn't recognise—almost meanly. "Maybe if you left your bedroom once in a while, you'd see it."
Amanda's dark eyes narrowed, and even Erin gasped in shock. Lara had always been the peace keeper of the group, the one to settle arguments, not cause them. But she fought Death Eaters now—life had changed.
"Maybe if you didn't spend so much time with Walter, you wouldn't be so brainwashed," Amanda spat.
"What the hell does that mean—"
"Your brother has always been insane, Lara," Amanda scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Even in school. If he wasn't being weird with animals, he was talking about a war that was never going to happen and You-Know-Who not really being dead despite him, you know, being dead. You shouldn't work with him—you became more normal when he left school—"
"More normal?" Lara repeated incredulously.
"You weren't like this before," replied Amanda, pursing her lips. "You know, all…liberal. You just follow the crowd blindly like a sheep—"
"A sheep?" Lara realised she had repeated Amanda's words again and shook her head, snapping herself out of it. She was just absolutely stunned, unable to believe this was the same girl she had grown up with. Amanda had never called her—or Walter—weird before. In fact, she embraced their differences, sticking up for them whenever somebody tried to say something.
"If I were following the crowd, I'd think like you," Lara said lowly, her grip on her butterbeer tight—painful. "Nobody wants to believe there's going to be a second war, but there is—"
"Because of some kid that got lucky during a school tournament?"
"He didn't get lucky! He almost died—"
"Have you ever thought that Harry may just be a little unhinged?" Amanda asked, leaning forward on the table. Lara felt like she was a misbehaving toddler being told off by her mother. "It's understandable, of course. He's been through a lot. But still. Why would You-Know-Who, the most powerful person to ever exist, want to kill a child? Harry just wants revenge for his parents, so he's looking for excuses for his behaviour. Imagine if we had been picked from that Goblet. We'd be expelled, nobody would have helped us—but because it's Harry Potter—"
"Don't say his name like that," Lara snapped, for she Amanda had taken a condescending tone. "You're acting like everyone applauded him for being chosen. Everyone ostracized him. His own best friend didn't speak to him for weeks. The only reason people came round was because he started to win. And he was only a kid, he should have been given help by the Professors."
"Well, we can agree to disagree—"
"No, we can't." Lara replied, sounding calmer than she felt. "What is wrong with you, Amanda? You've just slated me and my brother and you say we can agree to disagree?"
"I was just saying what everyone else is thinking—"
"Um, excuse me," Erin piped up for the first time, holding her hand up like a child in school. "You are not. I think Walter is one of the bravest people I've ever met, and Lara will be just as great as him with experience. They're fighting for equal rights, Amanda. For my rights."
"Muggle-borns have just as many rights as everyone else, for Merlin's sake—"
"You know that's not true," Lara spat. "They're being killed for breathing. For something they can't control. It's easy for you to say in your ivory, pure-blood tower, with parents that don't want to admit anything is wrong. Meanwhile, there's people actually living in the real world. Erin fights injustices every day for being born. I'm out there supporting my brother. And you just sit in your house, doing nothing, thinking you can call people out—"
"Lara," Erin whispered warningly.
But Lara was on a role, fuelled by anger and, mostly, pain, for she never thought Amanda, one of her best friends, would think this way. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the obscurity of it all.
"You're just a coward," Lara continued unflinchingly. "You don't care about any of it because it doesn't affect you. You'll be okay if Voldemort takes over—hell, maybe your parents will become his right-hand men, you never know. But I hope you can live with yourselves, knowing how many people died for your comfort."
"How dare you—"
"How dare I what?" Lara leapt to her feet now, unable to control herself. "Insult your family? Call you out? All you've done since we graduated is mope around and feel sorry for yourself! Well, I'm sick of it. You want me to feel sorry for you when I'm worried about my brother dying? When I worry for Erin's safety every day? When I feel like I'm drowning, and day by day I sink even further? Screw you. I've got bigger things to worry about than your ego."
She grabbed her coat, storming away from the table with her heart hammering in her chest. Barely a few feet away, she heard a chair scrape across the floor.
"You're not better than me, Lara. Maybe if you came off your high horse once in a while, you'd see it from my point of view," Amanda yelled across the pub. "Ever since you got with Weasley, you think you're the shit, but you're not! The Weasley's are the craziest of them all! They'll suck you into their drama and there will be no way to get out! I'm just giving you a warning—"
"SCREW YOUR WARNING!" Lara screamed back, making several people in the pub jump in fright. "The Weasley's are worth a thousand of you! Fred is worth a million of you! I hope they don't come knocking on your door, Amanda, because you'll quickly realise which side you need to be on when your life is on the line!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," a familiar voice said, just as Stan wrapped his arms around Lara. "What the hell is going on?"
"Lara's being crazy, as usual," Amanda spat. "What should we expect from someone that reads the Quibbler for fun?"
"Amanda," Omar sounded flabbergasted, his tone breathless. "What's gotten into you—"
"She's a coward," Lara spat, her eyes filled with tears. Her friend—her sassy, spunky, flirty friend who always made the dark days brighter—now somebody she didn't recognise. "A horrible, horrible coward. And I'm going home."
She ripped herself from Stan's arms, marching onto the cold, wet streets. She'd apparated herself here, but she was in no fit state to do so home. Instead, she wandered towards a park across the road, deciding to sit at a bench to calm herself down; except the tears ran down her face, soaking the collar of her coat. At first, she was furious, asking herself over and over again how could Amanda do this…but within minutes she was just…sad.
They'd been best friends since they were eleven, not even at Hogwarts yet and meeting on the train. They were one of the only mixed-house friendship groups, and Lara had been so proud of that. Amanda had always been the fun one, the person in the group to put a positive spin on everything. Whenever Lara needed cheering up, she would seek out Amanda. She could give the best pep-talks.
And now it was all gone. Even if they did make-up (which Lara didn't see happening), nothing would be the same. Lara could forgive anything said about herself, but about Walter? That was a step too far. Amanda had made him out to be some sort of radical nutcase, despite spending years sticking up for him, telling Lara not to listen to people that said mean things, that what other people thought didn't matter…
Sat with her head bent downwards, Lara didn't realise anyone had joined her until hands landed on her shoulders.
"Don't listen to her, La," Erin said comfortingly, snuggling into Lara's side. "I don't know what's gotten into her. She hasn't been okay for a while now. I think seeing only her parents for so long has gotten to her head."
"What she said was totally out of line," Stan had also joined, crouching by Lara's feet. He put a hand onto her knee. "Even if she didn't agree with us, she could have said it in a better way. I honestly don't know where her mind's at…"
Lara sniffled loudly, digging her hands further into her pockets. "I didn't mean to blow up like that," she murmured. "I should've kept my cool and explained things…tried to bring her on board. That's what I do for my job, and I couldn't even give her the same curtesy."
"This is not your fault—"
"Everyone loses their shit once in a while," Stan interrupted Erin's blind loyalty. Lara gave him a small smile, thankful for his honesty. "You both said some things, but she was definitely looking for an argument today. She seemed to know you'd bite."
"But what have I done—"
"You're busy and successful," said Stan, shrugging. "She's jealous, La. You've got a lot going for you, and she kinda has nothing at the minute."
"I didn't mean to make her feel like that—"
"Of course you didn't," Erin squeezed her. "It's not your fault she doesn't have her shit together."
Lara sighed, now feeling a little guilty. She had been lucky upon leaving school; she already had a job lined up with Walter—and a good one, too. Amanda didn't have that luxury. She'd already confided in Lara about feeling like a failure, and throughout the argument Lara had just thrown everything back in her face. Amanda was clearly hurting. The Amanda she knew in school never would have said anything like that.
"Erin's right," Stan assured her, patting her knee. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's, but she is struggling at the minute. We know Amanda. She never would have said that stuff unless she was really upset."
Erin huffed, clearly rattled by the whole experience. Lara wanted to comfort her, but she could barely keep herself together and she just didn't know what to say. Even on her most forgiving days she would struggle to make peace with Amanda, and Erin was even more stubborn than her. Opening her mouth to agree with Stan, Lara was stopped when she saw Omar running towards them.
"How'd it go?" Stan asked instantly.
Omar shook his head. "She wouldn't listen to a word I said. Ended up shoving me and apparating away."
"Merlin's balls," sighed Stan, "What a mess."
"And to think we just wanted a pint and a catch-up," Erin snorted.
"Nah, Lara wanted to go all Rocky Balboa on us," Stan grinned, nudging Lara's leg. "Glad you got your frustrations out, though."
"Next time, can you go boxing or something?" Omar joined Stan on the floor, sitting on the ground instead, clearly uncaring about the wet pavement. "It will be much easier."
Lara laughed shakily. "I'll try. What are we going to do about Mandy?"
"Give her some time," Omar said, grimacing. "I don't think she's in a good head space at the minute. She barely speaks to any of us—Erin had to practically force her into coming today."
"You did?" Lara questioned softly.
Erin nodded, "I spent weeks sending her letter after letter. Then I just turned up at her house. She was so scared of her parents seeing me that she got dressed and came with."
"Her parents?"
"They think it's dangerous for Amanda to hang out with us—especially a muggle-born," Omar swallowed thickly. "I've heard her dad around the Ministry…he's not a good guy."
"But if they don't believe Voldemort is back—"
"Not because of that," Omar whispered, avoiding eye contact. "Because…it makes them look bad. To the other pure-bloods. They think it's dangerous for their reputation."
Lara sucked in a breath, steadying her thudding heart. "No wonder she's upset when she lives with them," she murmured, feeling sick. "We should have pulled her out—moved in with her somewhere else. Merlin. Am I really so caught up in my own shit that I didn't even notice?"
"Hey, you're busy," Stan said. "We understand. It's a full-time job keeping Walter in line."
"And it's not only you—we all could've done something. It's just…different now," Erin smiled sadly. "We're not in Hogwarts anymore, seeing each other every day and checking up on each other. If Amanda isn't doing well, she should have said something. Sometimes we only see each other once a month, maybe less. It's not long enough to notice something's up if she doesn't want us to see it."
"I'm the one that sees her the most," Omar muttered. "I should take most of the blame—"
"Nobody is taking any blame!" Stan cried out, rolling his eyes. "We've all got stuff going on—we're busy, it's fine. Amanda might've found it too hard to speak about, which is why we didn't know. All we can do now is take responsibility for all our stupid shit and forgive each other—we're mates. Best mates. Eight years of it. I'm just glad we got to this age before we wanted to kill each other. It usually happens sooner."
There was a moment of silence as everyone contemplated his words. Then, Erin reached out to thump his arm.
"When did you get so wise?" she asked.
"I grew up with two brothers. Confrontation negotiation is, like, my thing," Stan grinned. "Everything will be okay in the end. It might feel like you can't forgive her now, but you will. And if you don't…sometimes, people drift apart. That's okay, too."
Lara felt a sob rumble up her throat. "I just…" she took a shaky breath, more tears leaking down her face. "I thought we'd all be friends forever. I know it's naïve, but whenever something bad happens I'm just so thankful I have you all—every single one of you are so important and now…now I don't have her and I…who will I go to if I have boy problems? Or if I need someone to tell me other people should keep their noses out?"
Erin tightened her hold and it seemed like she, too, was upset.
"I could channel my inner Amanda," Omar offered quietly. "Like, girl, he's so into you."
Stan laughed, shaking his head. "She doesn't sound like that, you prick."
"I tried."
"Don't try again," Stan snorted, then turned to Lara. "You still have us. We're not going anywhere anytime soon."
Lara found herself sobbing. "You promise?"
"We promise," Erin blubbered. "I don't want to lose you guys either. You're all I have."
"And me," Omar seemed choked up. "My parents…they don't care. They don't even know who I am, really. You guys…I can be myself with you guys."
"And I love my family to pieces, but it's not the same," Stan said gently. "You're, like, my chosen family. Even when I make new friends or something new happens, you guys will always be where I come back to."
Omar and Stan stood up, squeezing onto the bench so the group could huddle together. Lara, in the middle of them all, squished like a sardine and not minding one little bit, felt more connected to her friends than she had in months. Because Stan was right. No matter who she met or what new experiences she had, her friends were always her centre of gravity, the space she floated back to when she wanted to feel safe and loved. Walter was her rock, but her friends were her foundations.
And maybe they would drift apart one day…nothing was certain, after all. People grew apart all the time. New loves, new lives…one of them might move away, another might start a family, one of them may get a crazy job that didn't leave time for friends…but that was okay. For now, they mattered.
Amanda…
I know you probably don't want to hear from me, but I'm going to try anyway. I'm sorry for the way I blew up. I didn't mean to throw everything in your face. I know you've been having a hard time lately and I should have understood that. But you hurt me, too, and I'm guessing we both said some things we didn't mean. Please, tell us why you're so upset. This isn't like you, Mandy. I know this isn't the real you. You spent years embracing me and Walter and telling people off for calling us weird. It just doesn't make sense. I'm willing to hear your side of things if you want to give our friendship the chance. It's been eight years. So many memories. I don't want to give up if you don't.
Love your old friend,
Lara.
April-May.
Soon after what Stan labelled 'The Pub Fiasco', Lara and Walter were called to an erkling outbreak emergency. A breeder had accidently let some lose and they were causing havoc in the Sweden. Having expected the whole thing to be rather easy to complete, Lara was surprised when, one day, she woke up and it was April. It had taken three weeks to get the erklings under control, at which point they were sent to Spain, where dugbog's were turning up dead in lakes across the country. Toxic mould turned out to be the reason. The siblings spent the next seven weeks clearing the lakes with a team of Magizoologists and Herbologists, catching the dugbogs, transferring them to a water tank to keep them safe while they cleaned out the mould, cleaning the lakes with a variety of charms and healing plants, before putting the animals back into the lakes. Then, they had to spend two weeks assessing the animals to make sure the whole process hadn't traumatised them so much they couldn't mate.
When some baby dugbogs appeared in the sprawling seaweed, Lara and Walter decided to go home. They did not, however, return to good news. Only days after they settled back in England, Dumbledore disappeared into thin air, leaving Dolores Umbridge as the Headmistress of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. On the morning the Daily Prophet ran the story, Lara was sat at her dining table and nearly choked on her cereal.
Walter unceremoniously whacked her on the back.
"Umbridge—Umbridge is Headmistress," Lara managed to stutter, shoving the paper towards Walter. "Look—look."
Walter snatched the newspaper and quickly scanned the article. "Son of a bitch," he hissed, gripping the paper so hard it crinkled. "Son of a bitch—where the hell has Dumbledore gone?"
"Probably in hiding," Lara croaked. "He was going to be sent to Azkaban."
"AZKABAN—what the fuck—what is wrong with people!" he fumed and threw the paper towards the bin in disgust. "Dumbledore in Azkaban. I've never heard anything so ridiculous."
"What does this mean for the students?" Lara asked, panic rising in her chest at the thought of her friends still in school. "What will she do to them—"
She was cut off by a tapping at the window. For a second, Lara's heart leapt into her throat. She half-expected to see Amanda's screech owl perched at the window, a letter in its tiny beak. However, when Lara looked over, she saw it was Erin's snowy owl, Rue. Lara sighed and walked over to get the letter, giving the owl a small treat before it flew off.
HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEWSPAPER? UMBRIDGE IS HEADMISTRESS! I REPEAT—UMBRIDGE IS HEADMISTRESS.
Shit, can you believe it? Do you think everyone's okay? What about their N.E.W.T.S.? They'll never pass them with Umbridge pissing about the castle.
Merlin, shit's hit the fan.
Write me back.
-Erin.
Lara groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. The last thing she needed right now was Erin freaking out about the state of Hogwarts. If she panicked, Lara was going to panic, and she had enough on her plate. Alongside Dumbledore's sudden disappearance, she had work, the Order meetings, looking for Death Eaters, patrolling the Prophecy with Walter—which started this week—and not to mention her fight with Amanda, who still hadn't wrote back to Lara's apology.
Lara had expected a letter to be waiting for her at home once she got back from her dugbog catastrophe. Not even a nice letter, just any sort of letter, even if all Amanda did was curse Lara to hell and back and tell her to leave her alone. Hearing nothing was worse than name-calling, swearing or even a howler. It felt like Amanda had fallen from the face of the earth, and Lara had no idea what her friend was going to do. She was depressed, upset and pushing everyone away, even her friends that she hadn't fought with…it was enough to push anyone over the edge…
Shaking her head, Lara got up and quickly wrote a reply to Erin, sending it off with Fudge. Just as the owl flew off, another owl entered the kitchen and landed in front of Walter, who quickly read the letter offered to him.
"Oh Merlin," he murmured, getting to his feet. "It's from Tonks. She wants us at Grimmauld Place—Molly's freaking out about Umbridge."
"What are we meant to do about that?" Lara asked, but headed to get changed anyway. "Molly hardly knows us!"
"Well, Moody isn't about to go and calm her down, is he?" shouted Walter from his bedroom, as Lara pulled on some black leggings. "He's not the most comforting being. Tonks probably wants you to calm her down!"
"Me?"
"You have a calming voice."
"I think Tonks is more likely to want you," Lara snorted, tugging on her trainers. "You're a good tea maker."
Walter's laugh echoed down the hallway. Grabbing her wand, Lara rushed towards her brother's bedroom. He was throwing on a jacket as Lara asked, "You ready to apparate?"
"I suppose," he cringed. He was still delicate about his splinching fiasco. "Let's go."
They landed at the back of the Leaky Cauldron, waving hello to Tom as they rushed out into the streets of London. It took them ten minutes to get to Grimmauld Place and the moment the front door opened, the siblings flinched.
All the portraits were screaming, Walburga Black's the loudest and most high-pitched. In the distance, Lara could hear Molly Weasley yelling, her voice echoing up the staircase leading from the kitchen.
"FILTHY, DIRTY BLOOD! BLOOD TRAITORS! MUDBLOODS! IN THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! HOW DARE THEY WALK ON THE SAME FLOOR AS MY FATHER—"
"I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO GO BACK THIS YEAR! I KNEW IT WAS DANGEROUS! YOU ALL TOLD ME IT WOULD BE FINE! NOW LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED! DUMBLEDORE'S GONE, UMBRIDGE IS IN CHARGE AND MY CHILDREN ARE ALONE AT SCHOOL CREATING THEIR OWN BLOODY REBEL ALLIANCE—"
"SCUM, MUTANTS, FREAKS, ABOMINATIONS, FILFTH—"
"AND NOW THEY'VE ALL GOT A LIFE TIME OF DETENTION, THEY'RE BANNED FROM QUIDDITCH, THEY HAVE EXAMS—THEIR FUTURES ARE RUINED—"
Covering her ears with her hands, Lara ran down into the kitchen. Molly was stood flailing her arms around in the middle of the room, Arthur, Tonks, Sirius and Remus around her, trying to calm her down. Tonks was offering her some tea and Arthur was reaching to hug her; neither of them were being listened to. At one point, Molly glared at Arthur so fiercely, he stepped back with his hands held up in surrender.
Lara suddenly regretted coming.
"Molly, Molly, they'll be fine," Sirius was saying, his voice pleading. "Fred and George will keep the morale going. Harry's not going to give up. Dumbledore's Army was proof of how strong they are—"
"STRONG? STRONG?" squealed Molly, her face bright red. "IT SHOWS HOW BLEAK HOGWARTS HAS BECOME! MY OWN CHILDREN HAVE TO MAKE THEIR OWN CLUB TO FEEL SAFE! AND NOW THAT MINISTRY WOMAN IS IN CHARGE!"
"Not for long, Molly. Dumbledore will have a plan—"
"DUMBLEDORE!" her shrill scream cut off Remus. "HE'S NOT EVEN HERE! HE'S IN HIDING! TAKE MY CHILDREN OUT OF THE SCHOOL—TAKE THEM OUT NOW—"
"Mrs Weasley," Lara found herself speaking up, and all heads whipped around to stare at her. Arthur, Tonks, Sirius and Remus looked utterly relieved, but Molly just scowled at her. "I know the situation is bad, but your kids have been through a lot at Hogwarts, right?"
Molly's eyes narrowed further, but she nodded. Lara took this as a good sign.
"I mean, Ginny and the Chamber, Ron's always in trouble being at Harry's side, and the twins look for trouble," Lara continued, pausing for a moment to gulp nervously. She didn't really know where she was going with this, but she continued, "They're great, Mrs Weasley. They're really, really great, and they're strong. They can get through this, I promise. They can get through anything."
Molly stared at her for a long while. Lara wondered if Mrs Weasley was going to hit her, but, suddenly, the matriarch burst into tears. "I-I'm just s-so w-worried," she sobbed into her hands. "They're a-all alone, w-without me! And n-now that g-ghastly woman i-is in c-charge!"
"That will just build them up," Lara rushed over, wrapping her arms around Molly's back. Arthur quickly pulled out a chair and Lara helped Molly into it. "It will make them want to fight, just like you and Arthur. They're redheads for a reason, right? They're hot-tempered. Umbridge doesn't have a chance."
Molly let out a watery laugh. "Yes…yes, you're right."
"Of course I am—Tonks bring her some tea," Lara hissed and the Auror, whose hair was dark and flat from the stress of the moment, rushed over with a teapot and mug. "Here, have a cup of tea. Calm your nerves."
Molly nodded and accepted the mug Lara offered her. Lara was pretty sure she heard Remus and Sirius let out sighs of relief.
Forcing the comforting smile to stay on her face, Lara stood and leant back against the table. Merlin, now she knew why Fred and George were so scared of their mum; she was terrifying when she got angry. The expression on her face alone was enough to make Lara want to hide under a rock.
Just as things began to settle down, a pair of feet came rushing down the kitchen staircase.
"Mum—mum, have you seen the Prophet?" Bill burst into the room, waving a newspaper in the air. He stopped dead when he saw everyone staring at him. "Oh, hi guys."
The group nodded in reply, too dazed to speak words. Molly gave her eldest son a weak smile.
"So you have saw it," Bill said, noticing in his mum's red eyes. "Oh, mum. They'll be fine."
He rushed over to comfort her and Lara stepped back, glad for someone to take over. She moved to stand next to Remus, just as a light by the staircase caught her eye. A pair of long, slender legs descended the stairs, and Lara's eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw Fleur Delacour stood by the archway, dressed in a pretty long-sleeved dress, her waist length silvery hair pulled into a half up-do. She didn't look too impressed by her surroundings, but her eyes sought out Bill, soft and admiring as he brought his mum into a hug.
"Well, well, well," Lara muttered and Remus turned to look at her. "I'm just suddenly realising why Bill doesn't mind being back in England."
Remus looked confused before he glanced over to the stairs. When he saw Fleur, he snorted amusedly.
"Bill, son," Arthur spoke up. "Who's your friend?"
Bill pulled away from his mum, blushing from the roots of his hair to the tips of his ears. "Oh, this is Fleur Delacour," he motioned to the blonde veela, who floated gracefully to his side. "You'll remember her mum. From the Tournament."
Molly nodded and wiped her eyes. "Of course, of course. Hello, dear."
"Hello," Fleur replied. Lara noticed her English had very much improved. "It iz lovely to meet you, Mrs Weasley…and everyone else."
"We were…grabbing breakfast when we saw the article," Bill said. Behind him, Walter sniggered. "I wanted to check you were okay."
"I'm fine," Molly got to her feet and wiped her hands on the front of her dress. "Lara talked me round. Let me get some tea and biscuits."
At her name, Bill and Fleur turned to Lara. Bill gave her an appreciative smile, but Fleur eyed her quizzically.
"I'm Lara Culpepper," Lara said, smiling. "I was at Hogwarts last year, when you were a Champion. You probably don't remember me."
"No, I do," Fleur replied. "I didn't know your name, but…you were always off with Bill's brother. One of zee twins."
Lara's jaw hung half-open for a while. "Oh," she squeaked. "Oh, well…I ran around with them both—"
"Yes, but you were particularly close to one," Fleur said. "Fred, I zink it was."
"We weren't—we weren't that close—"
"My friend Kathleen used to spend a lot of time in zee library," Fleur got the hint of a smile on her beautiful face. Around her, Lara could feel everyone watching the exchange, trying to figure out what it meant. "And she used to complain 'bout a couple always kissing near the History books. One day, she pointed them out—it was you and Fred."
Laughter bubbled from Bill's mouth before he could cover it up. Lara could only stare at Fleur in absolute horror—bloody hell, there was a reason they used to snog in the History section—BECAUSE NOBODY WENT THERE.
Except a chick from Beauxbatons, apparently.
"You and Fred are together?" Molly gasped, turning around to gawp at Lara whilst holding a teapot mid-air. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"We're not together, together," Lara said hurriedly. "It's…it's complicated—"
"Why is it complicated?" Walter asked, cocking his head to the side, a smirk on his face.
Lara refrained from giving him the finger. "It's complicated because he's at school and I'm not—"
"You send letters all the time, though."
"Yes, thank you, Walter—"
"I knew there was something different about you," Sirius said, a grin on his face. "Dating a prankster takes balls, kid. Well done."
"Merlin," Lara muttered, rubbing her forehead. "This is not where I expected this day to go."
"Is Fred the one that asked me turn myself into Snape and scare Ron, or the one that laughed at the idea?" Tonks wondered aloud.
"Probably the one that asked you to do it in the first place," Lara sighed. "He can be a bit thoughtless sometimes. He buys sweets to apologise, though, so…"
"No wonder he had a grin on his face all summer," Arthur muttered, and Walter and Bill laughed loudly.
"Right, okay, now Molly's calmed down, I think it's time we left," said Lara, turning to her brother. He only smirked in response. "Okay, it's time I left. I'll see you all later."
She could hear them all laughing as she climbed the stairs, but she could only put her head into her hands. Bloody Fred and his insistence that they 'reacquaint' in the library…she was going to kill him when she saw him…
Well…after snogging him senseless, of course.
The first week of May was a busy one for Lara. Along with all her regular responsibilities—work, friends, family, the Order—she also had to pull four shifts guarding the Prophecy, as Moody was off doing 'official Auror business' and couldn't cover his slots. Therefore, Lara found herself not only patrolling with Walter, but also Tonks.
It was…an experience. The bubble-gum pink haired woman was both clumsy and awkward, yet fierce and determined. She was a walking contradiction, confusing Lara to the extreme, which always amused Walter, who had been her friend at school and therefore understood her more. But for someone that could only remember her briefly from Hogwarts, Tonks was a puzzle. A lovely, cute puzzle, but a puzzle all the same. One second she'd be tripping over her own feet—sometimes she tripped over nothing but thin air—and the next she was casting the best Incendio charm Lara had ever seen. Sometimes she'd be shy and gawky, the next she'd be talking Lara's ear off about the Weird Sisters or the Holyhead Harpies.
She was different. Good, wonderfully different. She understood what Lara was going through more than anyone else. Walter was so determined, so black and white with his thoughts that sometimes it was difficult to talk to him about things, especially where the Order was concerned. For him, giving his life to and for the cause seemed obvious. Dumbledore was a good man and the Order fought Voldemort—therefore, it was worth sacrificing everything to fight.
Tonks understood Lara's doubts. She understood wanting to run away and hide under the covers. In the darkness of the Time Room, among the glowing prophecies and the silence, they would talk about their fears and their anxieties, bonding in a way that Lara couldn't quite explain, though it probably made sense. They were, after all, the only two young females in the Order at the moment. The other women were older, wiser, and most had fought in the First War alongside each other. Tonks and Lara were the new ones, the women that needed to prove themselves. Lara more so, for she was not only the most recent recruit, but she wasn't an Auror like Tonks.
"Sometimes, I just want to move to Antarctica and live with the Penguins," Tonks confessed one night, spinning her wand around and around on the wooden floor. She and Lara were sat outside the Prophecy room guarding the entrance, and with no sign of anything mysterious going on, the whole place was rather foreboding and eerie. "I just want to forget about the whole thing, you know? I know I chose to be an Auror, but there's a difference between that and You-Know-Who coming back. The bad guys I caught before just saw my face when I arrested them and sent them off to the Ministry. Now, I'm a target for all the Death Eater's out there, and so is my family. I have a feeling that Bellatrix Lestrange wants to kill me as much as You-Know-Who wants to kill Harry."
"Why does she want to kill you?"
"She's my auntie."
Lara's jaw dropped.
"I know," Tonks laughed. "My mum's her sister, but my mum was cursed off the Black family tree when she married my dad, who's a muggle-born. The Black family have always prided themselves on being completely pure-blooded. Me being alive is proof that they're not, so dear Auntie Bella will want to see me off."
"Merlin," Lara breathed, falling back against the wall behind her. "Your own auntie wants to kill you. That's insane."
Tonks shrugged. "If she manages it, I'm making sure I take her down with me."
"I always think that, too," grinned Lara. "I might get killed by a Death Eater one day, but I'll take as many as I can with me."
"We can all have a party together on the other side."
"With cookies shaped like Voldemort."
"And donuts shaped like the snake."
They giggled together before Tonks sighed, stretching out her legs. "I know this whole thing is crap," she said. "But don't feel alone when you think that. In war, some people get such hero complexes and it becomes a game of 'who can show that they're the bravest', and everything becomes so black and white and showing that you're scared is seen as a weakness…it's okay to be scared. We're only human."
"Fear shows that there's something worth loosing," Lara replied.
Tonks grinned at her approvingly. "I like that."
"I'll find another one for our next patrol," Lara replied, smiling.
When Moody returned, Lara and Tonks decided to take the Friday night shift at the Ministry, just so they could continue to talk to each other without anyone from the Order listening in. Walter didn't object; he saw Tonks as a good friend and trusted her with Lara, so they had no problems. Only a week into May, however, Tonks arrived at the Culpepper's house one morning completely out of the blue screaming;
"RUNESPOOR'S! RUNESPOOR'S!"
Lara, who was stood feeding Fudge his treats, jumped in surprise. The owl chocolate buttons went everywhere, making Fudge hoot in delight as he rushed to scoop them up.
"What the hell?" Walter asked as Tonks appeared in the kitchen archway.
"There's runespoor's in London!" she squeaked, looking thoroughly dishevelled. "They're attacking muggles in the London Underground! You have to come help!"
Lara grabbed her wand from the kitchen counter before saying, "Show us the way."
Tonks floo'ed into the Ministry before using the phone boxes to enter muggle London. Lara and Walter followed suit, and eventually Tonks led them down a set of stairs that were covered in yellow tape. Instead of police officers waiting for them at the end of the staircase, there were Ministry officials. Two were guarding the stairs to make sure no muggles came down, while a few others were trying to catch the giant magical creatures.
"Everyone stand back! I've got Magizoologists!" Tonks yelled out. Lara realised that all the Ministry workers were, in fact, Auror's, for they all had on the same robes, and they didn't need to be told twice. They all ran away from the animals and towards the stairs, huddling together. Some of them looked rather dazed, one looked like he'd been attacked as his robes were ripped, and a woman was limping and holding her bloody leg.
"You need some dittany on that," Walter said to the woman Auror before turning to Lara. "Ready?"
"No," Lara scoffed, looking towards the creatures. There were three of them, all large with orange and black stripes. The one on the train tracks only had two heads, a common ailment among Runespoors as they usually bit off the right head, as it was known for critiquing the other two heads on their actions.
Walter went for the closest one, only a few feet away from the staircase. Skirting around them, Lara went for the one in the back corner. Already angry and upset from the Auror's trying to subdue it, the creature launched towards Lara, snapping and hissing threateningly. The right head spat a glob of venom towards her. Lara jumped out the way, watching the venom land on the floor. Instantly, the floor began to sizzle and smoke, until there was a large, gaping hole in the tiles.
"What are you even doing here?" Lara snapped irritably. It was her first day off for weeks and all she wanted to do was sit, watch TV and maybe have a nap. "You're supposed to be in Africa!"
The three heads hissed again. The one on the right bared its sharp, yellowing teeth.
"Well, I can see why you're always eaten," Lara huffed, before pointing her wand at the creature. "Somnum."
For a moment, nothing happened…but then the snake's eyes began to droop, and it swayed off to the right. Suddenly, it fell onto its side and into a deep, deep sleep. Only pausing for a second, Lara rushed over and cast a Diminuendo charm. The three-headed snake shrunk to the size of a snitch, still fast asleep. Lara conjured up a jar and eased the creature into it with her wand.
She went to do the same with the runespoor on the train tracks, though this one was a lot easier since the venomous head was gone. As she crawled back onto the platform, Lara saw that Walter was still battling with his runespoor. The right head of this one seemed particularly aggressive. Every now and then, it let out a stream of venom from its mouth, coating the floor and walls.
Setting her second jar aside, Lara ran to help her brother. She tried to stun the right head, but it easily deflected the hex by opening its mouth and swallowing it. She then tried the somnum charm; the snake bent to the side, avoiding the spell.
"Bloody hell," muttered Lara, leaping out the way as the right head spat venom at her.
"Why—is—it—being—so—inhospitable?" Walter cried, throwing a curse towards the animal with each word.
"Why isn't it in Africa?" Lara retorted before diving off to the side, narrowly avoiding a stream of venom. "Who the hell would smuggle in runespoors?"
"Death Eaters trying to distract Aurors, that's who," snapped Walter.
His words shocked Lara so much that when the right head spat at her again, she didn't jump out the way in time. The saliva landed on her stomach, instantly fizzing through her clothing and onto her skin. She screamed in agony as she felt the venom eat away her flesh. She felt like she was being branded with an iron rod.
"Okay, THAT'S IT." Walter yelled and began to cast an array of spells of all colours.
A few hit the snake and it hissed, flinching back. The right head tried to shoot venom at him, but Walter ducked before casting another spell. This one hit the snake near the heart and it instantly flopped to the ground.
As Walter rushed over to her, Lara was trying to cast healing spells onto her gaping wound. The snake hadn't bit her, so she knew she wasn't in immediate danger, but it still hurt.
"I'm taking you to Molly," Walter said, his voice shaky. "Come on."
He picked her up bridal-style and rushed over to the stairs. "Take them all to the Beast Division, they'll send them back to Africa. And don't worry about the aggressive one, he'll be out for hours."
"No problem, thanks," Tonks said, though Walter barely heard as he rushed up the stairs.
Somehow, for reasons Lara would never, ever fully understand, Walter managed to carry her all the way to Grimmauld Place. Later, he would claim it was just adrenaline, but Lara had no idea how he did it. He wasn't exactly scrawny, but he didn't work out, either. And she wasn't light; she'd put on a good amount of weight since she left school and started working with animals. Her muscles had doubled in size and her diet was crap from being on the road all the time, so there was no way he should have been able to carry her all that way.
But he did. Lara found herself in Grimmauld Place within fifteen minutes, spread across the couch in the living room. As she winced at the pain burning on her stomach, Walter rushed off to find Molly.
"It's runespoor venom," Walter's voice said in the distance, just before Molly appeared, inspecting Lara's wound. "It's highly corrosive, but it shouldn't do serious damage because she wasn't bitten."
"I've seen these before. In the First War, Death Eater's used the venom as a weapon. They made little bombs out of them and threw them at people," Molly crouched near Lara and said, "Right, get me some water and a rag. Downstairs in the cupboard, I have some dittany—Arthur will show you where it is. Oh, and get a pain potion."
Walter rushed off down the stairs. Meanwhile, Molly took out her wand and cut at Lara's clothes, fully exposing her stomach. Lara looked down and groaned; the injury was just above her belly button, bright red and weeping. It was about the size of a tennis ball, and seeing it only made it pulse more.
"You'll be fine, dear," Molly said comfortingly, propping Lara up against the pillows. "It's just a burn. The twins get these all the time with those experiments they do."
Lara chuckled. "Fred told me about the time George burnt off his eyebrows."
"I pretended I didn't know how to make them grow back," Molly grinned. "I caved after a few hours—he looked ridiculous."
Walter returned with everything Molly had asked for. First, she used the water and the rag to clean the wound, Lara cringing and tensing all the way through. Then, she grabbed the dittany and carefully dropped some of the brownish liquid onto it. Lara could hear the sizzle and smell the smoke (she'd never realised how much it smelt like burst flesh), and instantly her pain decreased. Instead of it pulsing, it felt like a low ache.
"Pain potion," Molly said and gently poured some liquid into Lara's mouth. "It will knock you out."
Lara cringed as she swallowed the potion, which tasted like sour liquorice. "Thanks, Molly."
"You can sleep in one of the bedrooms upstairs," Molly said, helping Lara to her feet. "The closest bedroom is the first door on the right, up the first staircase."
"I'll take her," Walter rushed over, holding Lara up by the waist.
As they got to the first floor landing, Lara could feel the pain potion beginning to kick in. Her head began to feel woozy and her legs turned to jelly. Walter had to basically fireman lift her into a bed, where he covered her with a duvet. Lara was vaguely aware of him patting her cheek before she drifted off to sleep.
...i'm sorry. Amanda's storyline has been planned from the beginning, even when they were just students, so if she's your favourite...sorry again? I do want the relationships in the story to be realistic and i know i've felt like amanda before, but i've also felt like Lara. they were both in the wrong, and i hope stan was the more unbiased perspective. we can all get a bit caught up in our own stuff and forget what's important. and sometimes people take that to the extreme, just to feel like they belong...hint hint.
also i've merged two chapters together again to get the story moving. i'm working on a james potter ii story and i'm hoping to start posting in the new year and i'm trying to get this story going before i do. i know working on two things at once is going to be a bit of a nightmare lol.
FRED IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. I REPEAT, FRED IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. Lara hasnt forgotten about him i promise she's just really busy-job and a war and all that. sometimes when i'm busy on the farm i go days or weeks without replying to texts never mind letters so i thought it was just a normal thing. my bad.
Thanks for the love everyone. i got some really lovely reviews and i'm glad this story is providing an escape for you. it's really good to hear how you're all doing with the pandemic too. i hope things are still going well. if anybody would like to rant in their review, i feel you. i miss seeing friends and family. but on that note, does anyone have any good book recommendations? i think i've exhausted my kindle suggestions.
thanks for pointing out canon mistakes too. turns out its been longer since i read the books than i thought. always keep me in line guys! i put a little sentence in about dumbledores note.