Updated: Saturday 20 May 2006
Disclaimer: The Royalty cheque bounced again… anything recognisable belongs to the one with the big bank account...
Chapter Eighteen: Tying Up Loose Ends
The do-over of Estella's birthday had been a resounding success. Sirius had evidently racked up a lot of favours during his short-lived career prior to Azkaban, and had no qualms with calling them in for the occasion of his daughter's birthday. Order members he had turned to for help had only been too happy to assist in preparing the celebrations of their youngest member's birthday; the now fourteen-year-old having steadily gained the respect of the adults around her.
In the end, Sirius had surprised them all with a special Portkey trip to a rock concert on the other side of the world. The different time zone had seen them take in the evening show a little after breakfast, and they had returned to a special lunch hosted by almost the entire Order. While at the show, they had even managed to get backstage: one of the guitar techs was a Squib who had lived in Hogsmeade up until the end of the Marauder's fourth year, and he was happy to help out a few old friends. Later, when asked about how he had managed to pull it all together, Sirius had accredited the liner notes of his daughter's CDs to be 'rather informative', but did not give details. Growing up under her uncle's watchful eye, Estella knew when not to ask questions.
The only cloud that hung over the celebration of Estella's birthday, was the absence of her uncle. Whilst she understood that her father had orchestrated the day so that she could spend the occasion with both sides of her family in equal parts, that she had been actively avoiding the man since overhearing his conversation with Draco nagged at her. Estella had been disconcerted when it had appeared that both her father and godfather were out of reach on her birthday – the first time round – but it wasn't entirely surprising or unprecedented; her father had spent the majority of her life in prison, and her godfather had been unavoidably apart from her on birthdays and Christmases in the past because of his 'furry little problem'. Severus, on the other hand, had never not acknowledged her birthday in some way, and it was an unfortunate side-effect of their last meeting that Estella had actively avoided the man when he had attempted to detain her after class, and later attract her attention at the Halloween Feast.
Upon returning to the school a scant few minutes after she'd technically left it, Estella had sought out her uncle and made tentative amends with the wizard. She really did understand what he had done, and had only been maddened by the thought that he'd perhaps not done enough to prevent it; but, after some time away, Estella could only acknowledge that even her uncle had his limits. He wasn't to know that she would step away from the norm by knocking on his door without even trying to use a password; or anticipate that she would actually give him permission to curse her at will.
In turn, Severus had been quick to absolve her of any accountability in what happened, referring to it all as a miscommunication with unfortunate consequences; Estella realised that most of her anger had been directed at herself. She had felt ashamed for losing control with Draco in the first place and then not anticipating her uncle's course of action; the fear of having disappointed her uncle, keeping her away from him. In the end, Severus had actually reinforced her godfather's sentiment, by admitting that a lot was expected from her and acknowledging that she was entitled to make mistakes – as he, in turn, was also inclined. They had then parted on amicable terms; the feeling of having failed each other in some immeasurable way still hung between them, but no longer keeping them apart.
"What's the matter?" said Estella, coming up alongside her uncle. In the wake of the 'ink incident', Umbridge had taken it upon herself to sentence Estella to one detention a week for the remainder of the term. Since the over-active High Inquisitor had been giving out detentions like the headmaster gave out his lemon drops, it had fallen on Severus to oversee the detentions given to students in his class. Tonight, he and his niece happened to be putting the prescribed time to good use – playing chess. Estella rapped her fingernails on the edge of the board; her chin braced by her other hand, the connected elbow bearing the weight against the arm of her chair. "I know something's wrong. You haven't made a move and you don't look like you're thinking of Chess strategies-"
"Let us not darken the mood with exposition," said Severus, making the move distractedly. Estella quickly went on to win the game in three moves.
"That was far too easy to be satisfying," said Estella with a frown. "Is this because you don't want me to go home for Christmas?"
Severus winced inwardly at the implication that his niece now considered her home to be somewhere other than with him. Giving his niece a scrutinising look, he leant forward in his chair; the sudden movement of his knees knocking over several indignant chess pieces. "We have already discussed this, Estella. You may spend Christmas wherever you choose," he paused. "The Ministry may have granted me with authority, but I do soundly believe that you are old enough to make your own decisions. You have more than adequately proven that you are mature enough to shoulder adult responsibilities, after all."
"Oh, all right then," said Estella, a little taken aback by the empowerment her uncle was giving her so unexpectedly. If she didn't know any better, she would have suspected that he was trying to prepare her for something… for a time where she would have no choice but to make decisions for herself. It had been going on ever since he had been forced to curse her, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had taken to distancing himself for a reason. Giving her uncle a coy look, she peered at him quizzically. "You're not sick or something, are you? I mean, you're not going planning on going somewhere or anything?"
Severus allowed himself to look bewildered, before slipping his mask back into place.
Seeing the fleeting look, Estella elaborated. "It's just that you sounded like you were preparing me for life without you or something," said Estella, shaking her head dismissively. "If I didn't know any better I would suspect that you've been punishing yourself over what happened in October-"
Averting his eyes, Severus stared into the crimson flames flickering in the hearth. Little did his niece know how close to the mark she actually was.
"When you were born," he said heavily, still avoiding her eyes. "I promised myself that I would never allow harm to befall you…" he glanced up at her and inhaled slowly. "Recent events have caused me to re-evaluate things. We are at war, Estella – nothing is for certain. I want you to be prepared."
Estella gave him a shrewd look, before nodding. "Oh, I could think of one or two things that will always be for certain," she said wistfully. Smiling slightly when she saw that her uncle had understood what she had meant, she leant back in her chair and continued in a light, conversational banter. "The last DA meeting is later tonight. Are you sure you don't want to sneak a look? The group was pretty much your idea-"
"The results will be evident in the student's practical exams," said Severus shortly. "In the meantime, I do not wish to witness Mr. Potter in the centre of attention-"
"Yet it was you who suggested he lead it!" said Estella, shaking her head in mirth. "Oh, the irony!"
Severus grimaced, staring intently at his niece. "Do not mistake the gesture as a display of good faith. I believe there would be several other students better suited to the task if not for the inevitability of the headmaster finding out," he said. "My decision was based solely on whom the headmaster would be more likely to support. A Slytherin leading a Defence against the Dark Arts class would raise a number of moral questions about intent-"
"Says the Slytherin charged with teaching the subject!" said Estella flatly. Earning no response from her uncle, who was righting the fallen chess pieces with a subtle flick of his wand, she took a deep breath; "what would you say if I said I liked Harry?"
"Well judging by the amount of time you spend with the boy, I would have thought that was apparent," said Severus, barely keeping the level of his distaste out of his tone as he busied himself returning all the chess pieces to their rightful places.
Estella gave him a sidelong glance, frowning. Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath. "No," she corrected him, then braced herself for his reaction. "I mean like, like him."
Stunned into silence, Severus could only stare at his niece, a sudden feeling of discomfort making him feel like fleeing the room. "I would reserve my judgement until you were certain of your words," said Severus, considering her carefully. As competent as his niece was at clearing her mind under his instruction, her defences were not entirely infallible, especially when she was feeling particularly comfortable amongst her company.
Making herself more comfortable – always a bad sign – Estella crossed her legs in the chair and began picking at the loose threads in the upholstery; another nervous habit. Absently, Severus noted how much smaller the chair she was in seemed to be getting…
"You're right, I'm not certain," she said. "I'm not certain of anything."
Feeling increasingly awkward, Severus began to shift uncomfortably in his chair.
"Are you sure that I am the one you ought to be discussing… this… with?" said Severus almost anxiously, gesticulating with his hand in wide circles. "Surely your father or godfather could be a little more… sensitive."
"No. This is the one thing I am certain of," said Estella resolutely. "Dad thinks everything's 'cute' and 'adorable' when it comes to Harry; it's like he either really does want to see us end up together, or he can't bring himself to believe that I'm old enough to start thinking of boys differently;" she sighed. "I trust Remus with my life, but I duly suspect that whatever I tell him, Dad'll wheedle it out of him somehow, and then I'd never hear the end of it."
Running a hand over his face, Severus considered his options. "Very well," he said, clasping his hands in his lap, all together thankful that his niece hadn't chosen to drop this revelation on him while he was brewing a potion. "Though I needn't remind you that my opinion of Potter is not a flattering one. I do not see myself being objective-"
"That's all right," said Estella. "I just need a sounding board. I am, as you said, old enough to make my own decisions… supposedly."
Rather than ask the rather redundant question of why his niece didn't choose a female classmate for this task, Severus nodded for the girl to go on. While the idea of having this kind of conversation with Estella absolutely mortified him, he was subsequently mollified at the revelation that he was her confidant of choice.
"Firstly, just let me say that I don't think I like Harry that way," she said. "I mean he's so much more like I would think a brother would be like; but then everyone seems to think I am jealous of Cho-"
"Cho?" said Severus, already lost as he tried to connect all the dots.
"Chang. The Ravenclaw Seeker Harry's got a crush on," said Estella, looking all the more as though she had wanted to say a few other choice words about the girl. "I still like to think that I'm just being protective of Harry, because anyone will tell you Cho is a real bi… bit of a basket case, but then Dad said something to me that suggested that Harry was only chasing Cho to get to me; and that made me feel relieved for some reason and I just don't understand it. Maybe I do like Harry, I don't know…"
Severus considered Estella's jumble of words carefully before wording his opinion. "Your doubt in this matter is instigated by your father's comments, are they not?" he asked, his eyes darkening as he considered the possibility that his brother-in-law was manipulating the children in his care to manifest unnatural feelings towards each other. After all he had done to ensure Estella's heart was her own in regards to what he called the "Malfoy Problem", he could not fathom that the man who had wooed his wife away from an arranged marriage could ever contemplate such coercion.
"Partly," said Estella after a pause. "I see where you're going with this, Uncle Sev, but I doubt Dad would be clever enough to pull our strings that way. Everything is just a joke to him."
Grunting in acknowledgement, silently jubilant that his niece's opinions of her father's deductive abilities matched his own, Severus waited for the girl to continue. Experience told him that his niece would keep talking if left to her own devices.
"I mean I'm not exactly after that kind of relationship at the moment," she continued. "My life is complicated enough without adding to it… besides, with Lucius Malfoy around it'd hardly be safe for anyone I did happen to want to go out with anyway… but then Harry's already at the top of the Snark Lord's to-do list-"
"-you think Lucius would be proactive in eliminating perceived 'competition'?" said Severus, straightening in his chair and cutting his niece off abruptly. He had little idea that his niece would be of the mind to pay attention to that level of threat.
"It's what I'd do," said Estella, shrugging. Noticing the look on her uncle's face, she rolled her eyes. "Uncle Sev, you raised me to think like a Slytherin. I can't help it if I know firsthand just what one like Lucius Malfoy is capable of."
"I take it that's why you have been distancing yourself from that Ravenclaw in your year," he said, nodding.
"Partly," she said. "Truth is, I don't really know how I feel about him, either. He was my best friend, and now he wants more. I don't know if I want things to change like that… so with Malfoy breathing down my neck and me apparently being jealous of Cho-"
"Has Draco been threatening you?" Severus cut her off, leaning forward in his chair again, this time in unadulterated concern. "I've noticed him pull you aside on numerous occasions, but you haven't indicated that it was bothering you…"
"It's not. He's fine," said Estella. "I don't know where Draco's allegiances lie, but I do know that he doesn't want me pushed into something I don't want. I guess he's seen how hollow and loveless his parents' marriage is and doesn't want that for himself –"
Reading between the lines, Severus cut in once more. "Draco's exhibited genuine feelings towards you?" he said, mildly surprised at this turn of events.
Estella nodded. "Yes, though Harry seems to think it's all an act to make me all agreeable to what Lucius wants," she said, frowning. "But I think it's more a case of Draco simply not knowing any better. I think his feelings are real, but that they've been planted there after years of conditioning and brain washing."
"I don't doubt that," said Severus, nodding in agreement. "Lucius was rather aggrieved when my raising of you did not proffer similar results. He began to question my willingness to see his plans through; but I managed to convince him that you have had external influences swaying you and my position has always been to let you make up your own mind. It is, therefore, unsurprising that Draco has been increasing his overtures, trying to win you over."
"So it is all at Lucius' directive?" said Estella, troubled.
"Yes, though Draco has been raised to have eyes for no other," said Severus. "Because of this I suspect he would pursue you, regardless of Lucius' instructions." He paused, not knowing how his next question would be received. "Would you never consider a relationship with Draco?"
"Are you speaking as my uncle, or Draco's housemaster?" said Estella with a knowing glint in her eye. Sighing, she shook her head. "Do your best to turn his attentions elsewhere. I would never give Lucius the satisfaction."
"So your rejection of him isn't because you find him intolerable?" said Severus, narrowing his eyes. "If Lucius was out of the picture…"
"My position would still be the same," said Estella. "He is a Malfoy. I am my father's daughter… it's nothing personal."
"Surely even your father could get over himself long enough to see you happy," said Severus, somewhat curious as to how his niece weighed her father's intent.
"Alas, I could never find happiness with one who wears the face of my tormentor," said Estella levelly. "I think Draco realises this… his father doesn't appear to be his most favourite person at the moment. While I think Lucius has used fear to assure Draco's allegiance to the Dark Lord, I think Draco's using it now to get back at his father."
"You believe Draco will discredit Lucius and take his place at the Dark Lord's side?" said Severus, smirking slightly at the ambitiousness of the young Slytherin's endeavour, and all together impressed by his niece's insight.
Nodding, Estella frowned. "Though maybe if I told him which side I truly stood on, it would dissuade him from that last bit…"
"No," said Severus quickly; perhaps a little too quickly. "We cannot be sure if his feelings for you are stronger than any loyalty he feels towards the Dark Lord. Draco may harbour a feeling of discontent towards his father, but he is first and foremost a Malfoy, and a Malfoy would not likely risk the wrath of someone like Lord Voldemort by crossing them." He considered his niece carefully. "That point aside, I find it prudent to point out that to disclose your true allegiances to Draco without any intention of reciprocating his feelings for you would surely break him."
"But I don't want to make an enemy of Draco," said Estella. "I mean we don't even have a conventional friendship by any means, but I don't hate him."
"If his loyalties lie with the Dark Lord, then it cannot be avoided," said Severus. "Unless you were to take his side, or draw Draco out of the battle with the promise of what he supposedly wants from you, there can be no in between."
For a moment, Estella looked like she was going to argue, but she relented. Sighing in frustration, she pulled the hair tie from her hair before proceeding to pull back the loose strands and do it up again. "Oh why couldn't I have just gone to an all-girls school?" she said dramatically. "I'd only have to worry about study, then!"
"Be careful of what you say, child," said Severus, his lips twitching. "As your legal guardian, I can have you transferred."
Shooting him a dirty look, Estella finished tying her hair up, pausing to straighten the fringe before looking at her watch. "Just be thankful that you've gotten me to tie my hair back," she quipped, unfolding herself from her chair and stretching lazily. "I'd better go if I want to go help Harry set up for the meeting. Thanks for the talk – I don't know if it helped any, but in the least it cleared my head."
"I'm glad I could serve of some use, then," said Severus genuinely, rising from his chair to show his niece out. "Remember what I said about Draco-"
"Yes, yes, I know," said Estella with a sigh, pausing by the door as her uncle rested a hand on her shoulder. "In a way I always knew that there would be no compromise, as you said; it was good hearing it confirmed. I'll accept it eventually – I'll have to."
"Very well," said Severus, squeezing his niece's shoulder in a gesture that conveyed his pride. "In the mean time, I will stick close to Lucius and try to ascertain his intentions towards any one he conceives as Draco's 'competition'. Perhaps if I could distract his attentions elsewhere, it will ease your mind and you can be free to pursue relationships with your peers."
Estella gave him a shrewd look. "That's funny," she said with a wry smile. "I'd have thought Lucius would be doing you a favour, scaring me from dating and chasing away my suitors."
"As inconceivable as it may sound, I do trust you," said Severus. "Your consideration when deferring young Mr Ryan's advances demonstrates that you are not about to allow the onset of hormones undo the years of rational thought you have been instilled with."
Piecing together all of the comments her uncle made throughout the course of the evening, Estella reached a rather enlightening conclusion and smiled. Thinking of how his words could come back to haunt him should she happen to wind up with someone he did not approve of, her eyes glinted with a mischievousness her uncle had long since associated with walking into his potions lab to find everything in disarray. Giving nothing else away, she reached up to kiss her uncle's cheek before turning on her heel and skipping out of the man's quarters, leaving a bewildered and somewhat wary Hogwarts professor in her wake.
Estella arrived at the Room of Requirement for the last DA meeting before the holidays just in time to see Harry bustling about the room, desperately trying to remove decorations. Her eyes widening at what was emblazoned on the countless strings of gold baubles and smirking at the boy's flustered expression, she leant against the shelf by the door and cleared her throat.
"Can we expect the Snark Lord to be attacking us with animated Christmas Trees next?" she teased, eyes twinkling in mirth. "Or is he starting small and hoping to pick us off one by one with embarrassment?"
"Either shut up or help!" snapped Harry, looking at the clock at the wall and scowling at the time. "So help that blasted house elf if anyone else sees this!"
"So if I help you," said Estella, pushing herself from the shelf and drawing her wand; "does that mean I can pay you out some more?"
"You're such a comedienne, you know that?" said Harry, looking up at her through narrowed eyes. "I'd watch what I say if I were you… unless you want me to make an example of you in the meeting."
Estella snorted. "I'd like to see you try! All the gold dazzling off your baubles must be clouding your mind – you're forgetting that my Uncle has been giving me one-on-one lessons since school began-"
"-And you're forgetting that I can still best you in a duel!" said Harry uppishly.
"Maybe I'm deliberately holding back," said Estella, bluffing. "You know, to boost your little deprived ego? Foolish me thought you needed the encouragement, ha!"
"You've just come from spending time with your uncle, haven't you?" Harry looked at her knowingly. Untangling himself from the string of baubles that had unravelled around his feet, Harry assumed a duelling position and drew his wand, intent on challenging her. "Care to put your wand where your mouth is?"
"Why, however would I cast spells then?" she smirked, mirroring his stance. "No Stunners, or Body-Binds… first to disarm or last to yield wins."
Harry nodded his consent. "Ladies first," he said cockily.
At that, Estella's wand twitched unnoticeably and in the next instant, Harry's wand was sailing across the room and into her waiting hand. Smirking at the spluttering wizard, she tossed the boy's wand in the air, deftly catching it by its end before approaching him and offering it back to him, handle-first.
"What's that you were saying about making an example of me?"
"You… you… Non-Verbal!" stammered Harry, pointing at her in indignation. "I didn't know… how on earth did you pull it off?"
"Now, now, Harry," said Estella, waving her finger. "I did remind you that my uncle was giving me one-on-one tuition to make up for the tripe Umbridge is making him teach. What did you expect him to be teaching me?"
"You could have warned me!" said Harry, feeling somewhat embarrassed by his loss.
"Is a Death Eater going to warn you before throwing a Non-Verbal Unforgivable your way?" Estella pointed out flatly. "Don't feel too bad, though… I've only managed to disarm someone Non-Verbally. It wasn't until November that I finally talked him into teaching me stuff above the fourth-year syllabus. It 's tricky… and my uncle tells me that only exceptional wizards master it; which, as we know, rules out most in the Snark Lord's ranks, eh?"
"Do you think we should include Non-Verbal casting in the DA, then?" said Harry, frowning.
"No," said Estella decisively. "It's covered in most upper-level classes already, and most people aren't ready to learn before fifth year, and no offence Harry, but you're really going to need to get a proper handle of it yourself before you could start teaching it to others."
"I wasn't thinking of me… you could…" said Harry.
"Did you not hear a thing I said? I can only do one or two spells non-verbally… that hardly counts as having a proper handle on it!" said Estella, shaking her head. "Now, do you want my help taking down those decorations, or would you rather the DA witness Dobby's debut as an interior decorator?"
Working together, they had only just managed to get the last of them down before the door creaked open and Luna Lovegood entered, looking as dreamy as usual.
"Hello," she said vaguely, looking around at what remained of the decorations, as they were piled on the floor. "These are nice, are you putting them up?"
"No," said Harry, "Dobby the house elf put them up, we're taking them down."
"Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it, knocking into Estella as he did. "Good thinking," said Luna very seriously. "It's often invested with Nargles."
The bewildered pair were saved the necessity of asking what Nargles were by the steady trickle of DA members arriving in inconspicuous groups.
"OK," said Harry, calling the completed congregation to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays. There's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break - "
"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come."
"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Estella loudly.
Several people sniggered. Estella saw Cho laughing, and a quick glance at Harry saw him giving the fifth year a strange look. Catching the distracted Gryffindor's attention, Estella rolled her eyes as he attempted to regain his ground.
"-we… we can practice in pairs," said Harry, shaking his head slightly, as though shaking a particular strain of thoughts from his mind. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."
After ten minutes on the Impediment Jinx, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practicing Stunning again. Space was really too confined to allow them all to work this spell at once; half the group observed the others for a while, then swapped over.
At the end of an hour, Harry called a halt. "You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff – maybe even Patronuses."
There was a murmur of excitement. The room began to clear in the usual twos and threes; most people wished Harry a 'Happy Christmas' as they went, though Estella made a point of jabbing him in the side with her wand and reciting what Dobby had so thoughtfully emblazoned on the gaudy Christmas decorations. Having secretly pocketed one, she palmed it in her hand and held it out so that only Harry could see it. Smirking at the look that crossed over the boy's features, she lagged behind to assist with clearing away the cushions, her aim to not give Cho the opportunity to get Harry alone.
Watching, however, as Ron and Hermione dutifully left, followed shortly by Cho's merry little band of followers, Estella scowled. Short of staging a confrontation, or coming across as a completely needy, persistent hanger-on, there was little way she could prevent the pair from being alone. Turning to leave, she was surprised when Harry called her back.
"Wait, Estella, I'll walk with you," he said, looking all the more as though he had just made a difficult decision. "Er, thanks for your help, Cho… have a good holiday."
Looking as though she were about to burst into tears, Cho nodded wordlessly and bolted from the room, brushing past Estella in the doorway and barrelling down the hall, calling out to her friends. Staring at the place in the doorway where she had seen the fleeing girl last, Estella blinked in disbelief.
"All right, when exactly did I step into a parallel dimension?" she said, turning to examine Harry with the same disbelieving expression. "Any moment now, I expect to hear the theme from The Twilight Zone – did you just give Cho Chang the brush-off?"
"I thought you'd be pleased," said Harry briskly, walking over to a chair to pick up his book bag. Hefting it onto his shoulder forcefully, his movements jerky, he avoided her eyes. "You were hanging around waiting for her to leave, weren't you?"
"Harry, I was just leaving," she said, confused.
"What, so you would have rather I let you leave and then snogged Cho senseless under the Mistletoe?" said Harry, leering at her.
Estella fought to hide her disgust at the mental image that provided her with. Shaking her head dismissively, she sighed. "Harry, what you choose to do in your own time is your business. If that's what will make you happy, I am not here to hold you back… I just know Cho better than you think you do, and I'm worried about you getting hurt."
"Is that all?" said Harry, suddenly standing much closer to Estella than she last remembered. "You're not jealous?"
"Jealous? Harry, where… where is this coming from?" said Estella, backing away uncomfortably.
"I don't know, Estella. What is happening between us?" he looked at her, desperately seeking an answer. "Why do I see red every time some guy talks to you? I've seen how Ron gets with Ginny, but I'm not your brother! We've only known each other a few years – it can't be as simple as that."
"Maybe it is," said Estella, shrugging nonchalantly as she went over her earlier conversation with her uncle; her feelings being much clearer now. "Let's make a pact… no more butting into each other's… uh… dealings with members of the opposite gender. I'll reserve my opinion of Cho and you… and you… well, no more seeing red, ok?"
"I'll close my eyes, then," said Harry, holding the door open after checking to see if the hallway was clear. "After you-"
"Ah, so gallant," said Estella, slipping past him and pocketing his wand as she brushed past. Turning to wave her bounty in front of him, she smirked. "Don't be afraid of hitting a girl, Harry. You let the wrong girl see that chivalry, and she'll use it against you."
The room was shrouded in darkness when Estella awoke with a feeling of unease in her stomach. The sound of a bird's urgent call echoed in her ears, the single, solitary feather in her peripheral vision convincing her that it hadn't been a dream. Realising what that meant, Estella sat bolt upright, the feather in her hand.
"Fawkes," she whispered, taking but a moment to catch her breath before throwing off her covers and leaping from her bed. She didn't know how, and she didn't know why, but the Fawkes who had appeared in her dream had physically been present, lulling her from her slumber. From that, she could only conclude that she had to get to Dumbledore's office… immediately.
Not even pausing to find her slippers or put on a robe over her pyjamas, Estella grabbed her wand from under her pillow and slipped from her dormitory. So caught up was she then, in reaching her destination, that she failed to avoid the detection of a certain prowling High Inquisitor.
"Hem, hem!" the fluffy-gowned, pink-slippered woman called after her, looking altogether laughable with the magical rollers in her hair.
'Think fast, kiddo,' her father's voice resonated in her mind. One of their favourite pastimes during their regular mirror-calls had been to brainstorm hypothetical situations, working together to find a solution. 'Just keep walking,' her inner voice cut in. 'Pretend you didn't hear… stall for time.'
"Miss Black!" said Umbridge loudly.
Fighting the urge to flinch at the woman's proximity – Estella having fought the instinct to run – she schooled her eyes into a glazed, expressionless blank stare. 'I'm sleepwalking!' she said to herself, thinking that if she told it to herself enough times the woman she was trying to convince of that fact would buy it. Forcing her body to go slack as the woman grabbed her shoulder, making her stop, she focused her gaze straight ahead; remaining unresponsive to the woman's presence.
After shaking her a few times and firing questions at her, spittle flying at the unresponsive girl at point-blank-range, Umbridge started to get the picture that the girl was not aware of her environment. The moment she let go of Estella to consider her options, Estella headed on towards Dumbledore's office. As though realising something, Umbridge quickly overtook her, blocking her path.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with several Gryffindor's being out of bed, would it?" she said malevolently. "I was inclined to believe you were in an unconscious stupor, but then I notice that you're heading directly for the Headmaster's office; and I got to thinking, why would any child wish to sleep walk there? Her uncle's quarters, I can see… the kitchens, most certainly… I know you're awake, Miss Black. You can cease with the act."
Blinking slowly, Estella maintained her slack, dumbfounded expression and kept her eyes out of focus. The woman was turning red now, muttering dangerous insinuations and playing with her wand in her hand. Short of drawing her wand on the woman and attacking first, Estella knew that she was running fast out of options. The woman was not about to let her pass, and time was ticking by. Suddenly, the woman stepped aside and started to walk slightly ahead.
"Very well, Miss Black," she said, grinning slightly in her perceived victory. "Sleepwalk to the Headmaster if you wish. I will accompany you. It just so happens I was headed to exactly that same place."
'Figures,' drawled Estella in her ever-sarcastic inner-dialogue.
No sooner had Estella and her unwanted company reached the corridor of the seventh floor that led directly to the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office, were they headed off by a very determined Transfiguration professor.
"Dolores," said Professor McGonagall. "What business do you wish to seek with Albus at this hour of night… and what are you doing, dragging a student out of bed?"
Affronted, Umbridge went rigid and glared at the woman. "I dragged no child out of bed! I happened to find a large number of Gryffindors missing, and on my way to inform the headmaster, I found Miss Black here sleepwalking."
"Sleepwalking?" said McGonagall, barely catching the wink Estella covertly sent her way. "Well I see, this child belongs in the hospital wing, then."
"Very well, you take the girl to the nurse, and I will conduct my business with Albus," said Umbridge decisively. "Unless you have something you would like to disclose about how several of your House have disappeared from their beds."
"There was an unfortunate emergency, and the children's presence was required elsewhere," said McGonagall. "I assure you that nothing untoward has happened to the students. They left at the Headmaster's discretion."
"I will be speaking to the Headmaster about this!" protested Umbridge, spluttering in indignation. "About why I wasn't informed!" Looking down to sneer at the silent student between them, she feigned concern. "Best get that child to the hospital wing, Minerva. She'll catch her death."
"Of course," said McGonagall. Taking Estella gently by the arm – like one would leading a blind person – she steered the 'sleepwalking' teen towards the hospital wing. "Come along, Estella. Let's see if we can determine what made you want to stumble your way to the headmaster's office in your sleep."
"Oh come on, Minerva," said Umbridge, calling after the pair. "You don't really believe that she's sleepwalking, do you?"
"Indeed I believe that something is amiss," said Minerva coolly, turning around. "This child has grown up in these walls, and knows better than to wander around the castle at this time of night without a housecoat and proper attire on her feet. For all intents and purposes it appears as though she simply got out of bed and started walking."
Estella had to marvel at the woman's ability to state the facts while neither confirming her act nor disputing it. Allowing her eyes to come into focus just slightly, she was able to take in the image of Umbridge's indignation.
"She got out of bed and started walking, you say?" recalled Umbridge, looking calculative. "With her wand?"
"Do you not sleep with your wand under your pillow, Dolores?" said McGonagall, shaking her head and tutting softly as though disapproving of the woman's carelessness.
Out of answers, and out of patience, Umbridge huffed and puffed and stormed away, her scowl audible down the corridor when she reached the gargoyle and realised that she did not know the password. Tugging Estella by the arm, the secretly scheming Gryffindor Head chivvied her along, keen to be out of sight before the woman came back, demanding her colleague's password. Once they were out of earshot, she spoke.
"You are certainly your father's daughter, Miss Black," said McGonagall, her lips twitching when Estella looked up at her. "If not for that wink, I'd have been convinced."
"That was what I was aiming for," said Estella ruefully. "Nice cover, by the way. Do you think we distracted her long enough?"
"Yes, I must thank you for providing me with something to stall the woman with," said McGonagall. "It would have been a close call for them, otherwise." The elder woman caught herself, halting in her step to stare at the child in question. "Just how are you aware of the situation? You… you… " – she lowered her voice and bowed her head towards Estella's ear – "you didn't have a vision too, did you?"
"No," said Estella, knowing that her arising questions will be answered in turn. Pulling the Phoenix's feather from her sleeve, she held it up for the Deputy Headmistress to see. "I had a warning."
"I see," said McGonagall, pursing her lips. She had been there in person when Dumbledore had issued his orders to the majestic bird, and she was certain that sending for the young Ravenclaw was not one of them. "Be that as it may, I suspect that the Headmaster will be detained in his office for quite some time. Once we have reached the hospital wing I will endeavour to explain."
Estella had 'taken ill' and was admitted to the hospital wing. Not even Umbridge could argue with this diagnosis, given it had been the woman's observations about her state of undress that had provided them with the idea. As the Floo was being monitored and the vile High Inquisitor had taken to hovering around the hospital wing like a sentinel, Estella was trapped in her bed. It wasn't until the woman had left to oversee the end of term feast that Estella's window of opportunity presented itself.
"Hem, hem!" A familiar voice called her from her doze, commanding her attention.
"'Lo Tonks," she said sleepily, smiling at her cousin's choice of disguise.
"How'd you know it was me?" hissed Tonks, morphing back to herself once she saw that the coast was clear.
"You have the dress sense down, but you smell loads better," said Estella. "So what's the plan?"
"I'm going to switch with you," said Tonks, grinning lopsidedly. "All the Weasleys are staying with ya Dad. When those twins heard of your predicament, they palmed me a souped-up version of their Skiving Snackboxes to take. You're going to have a turn for the worst and be transferred to "St Mungo's" by morning, where I suspect you'll have a rather miraculous recovery and 'be detained for observation for the rest of the holiday' by a certain Healer we both know and love."
"How is your Mum, anyway?" said Estella conversationally, climbing out of bed and accepting the change of clothes her cousin had pulled from a pocket and enlarged. The implication that her father's busy cousin was taking such a risk to provide a cover for her when they had fallen so dreadfully out of contact made her feel slightly guilty.
"Relax, baby cousin," said Tonks, sensing the younger girl's tone as she accepted the pyjamas Estella was discarding. "I'm just doing my job… as an Order member, Auror, and most importantly, your cousin."
"Thank you," said Estella, hugging her cousin once they had finished changing. "Now what?"
"Now, you take Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and go meet that industrious godfather of yours behind the statue of the one-eyed witch," said Tonks, tossing her the cloak in question.
"You mean you disguised yourself as Umbridge on my account?" said Estella, before smiling slyly; "or has my godfather presented signs of mental illness?"
It took a moment for the double meaning of Estella's words to sink into Tonks' mind. Rather than voice her protest, she simply morphed herself into her young cousin, causing the bewildered girl to shake her head in disbelief as she found herself face-to-face with herself.
"Merlin, Tonks, would you warn a girl before you turn into them?"
"See you in a few days, kid," said Tonks, crawling into Estella's bed and pulling the covers under her chin. "Shoo, before someone comes in and sees two of you. Go straight to the statue… that house elf, Dobby, has already sent your trunk along."
"You read my mind," said Estella, nodding in approval. "Thanks for this – good luck!"
With the assistance of the Invisibility Cloak, Estella's journey to the secret passageway was uneventful. Reunited with her godfather, they bustled their way out of the school grounds under cover of darkness, and slipped away into Hogsmeade. It was only once they were safely absconded on the Knight Bus that they allowed themselves to relax.
"I've heard you've experienced a bout of sleepwalking," said Remus, a playful twitch to his lips. "We'd better keep you chained to the bed-"
"You're just jealous that you never thought to use it to get out of trouble when McGonagall caught you out of bed," she retorted, elbowing him in the ribs. "You know she admitted that I would have had her convinced, if not for the wink I deliberately sent her way-"
Their conversation continued on a similar vein for the remainder of the journey, the pair being joined by Hermione a short way into their trip. Arriving a block from their intended destination, they cut across the square towards the illusive House of Black, a light snow dusting their clothes with white.
"Harry's upstairs, in my old room, if you want to go say hello," said Sirius, after an enthusiastic reunion with his daughter. Bending down low to whisper directly into his daughter's ear, he added; "he's been skipping his meals. Maybe you can get through to him."
"I'll try," said Estella, giving her father a squeeze. At some point along the way, Remus had informed her of Harry's self-imposed exile; for while her godfather had not been to London for quite some time, her father had done his best to inform his friend of events, so that Estella could be brought up to speed on her way.
After showing Hermione into the upstairs drawing room, where the other teenagers were busy playing games, Estella dropped her things in her room before heading across the hall to her father's childhood bedroom. The door slightly ajar, Estella paused when she heard the distinct noises of a trunk being dragged along the floor.
"Running away, are we?" an old, snide, somewhat familiar voice spoke to the boy therein. After feeling a momentary stab of panic, Estella calmed when she realised that it was only a portrait.
"Not running away, no," she heard Harry say shortly, the sound of his trunk being moved towards the door punctuating the end of his sentence.
"I thought," said the portrait, "that to belong to Gryffindor house you were supposed to be brave? It looks to me as though you would have been better off in my own house. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks."
"It's not my own neck I'm saving!" she heard Harry say tersely, and it finally clicked in her mind who the talkative portrait was: Phineas Nigellus.
"Oh, I see," said her great-great-great-grandfather, "this is no cowardly flight – you are being noble."
Noticing the door move slightly, as though Harry was just on the other side, with his hand on the doorknob, Estella backed away into the shadows. If he were to swing open the door suddenly, she would appear to be just emerging from her own room.
"I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore." the portrait said suddenly, causing both teenagers to freeze.
"What is it?" said Harry, mirroring Estella's thoughts.
"Stay where you are."
"I haven't moved!" said Harry, his hand still upon the doorknob. "So what's the message?"
"I have just given it to you, dolt," said Phineas Nigellus smoothly. "Dumbledore says, 'Stay where you are.'"
Almost feeling the tension rolling off of Harry, Estella figured that now would be an appropriate time to intervene; lest her father's ancestral home be down another portrait.
She knocked on the door.
"Hey, Harry… I see you're back to sharing with Ron again," said Estella casually, from behind the door. "Can I come in?"
"When did you get here?" Harry asked her, pulling open the door and grabbing her into a hug, surprising them both. Behind them, Phineas Nigellus stood in his frame, stroking his pointy beard and peering at them with interest. "I thought Umbridge would have kept you back…"
"Since when do I let something like that stop me?" said Estella, smirking as she returned the hug wholeheartedly. There was snow in her hair and her face was pink with cold as she turned to leer at the portrait sarcastically. "'Lo Phin… when you stumble back to Dumbledore to give him your daily spy report, tell him thanks for visiting me in the hospital and telling me what was going on – not!"
"You know," said Phineas Nigellus, scowling at his young heir, "this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Impertinence!"
"Ah, you know you love me for it – I wouldn't be a real Black otherwise," said Estella, smirking at her ancestor. A close look at the charmed oil canvas would reveal that the old man therein was grinning slightly, the slight curl of his lips hidden by the pointed edges of his moustache. Grabbing Harry by the arm, she pulled him towards the door. "Let's go to the Drawing Room… Mrs Weasley's lit a fire and sent up sandwiches, and Dad tells me you skipped lunch."
Harry followed her back to the second floor. When he entered the room, he was rather surprised to see Ron, Ginny, and Hermione waiting for them, sitting on a pair of three-seater lounges.
"I know I was supposed to be going skiing with my parents," said Hermione in answer to their silent question. "I told them though that everyone who is serious about the exams is staying behind to study."
Beside her, Ron groaned.
"I bumped into Hermione when I came on the Knight Bus with Moony," said Estella airily, pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. "For some reason I'd woken that night, compelled to see Dumbledore, but alas, I had a little run-in with toad-face when I tried to get there. It was not pretty; she was positively livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her the circumstances and had given you permission! Then when McGonagall covered for my being out of bed, phew, I didn't know a person's face could go that red!"
Hermione shot Estella a secretive look as the younger girl plonked herself down next to Harry, causing Harry to bounce slightly.
"How are you feeling?" Estella asked Harry.
"Fine," said Harry stiffly.
"Oh, don't lie, Harry," said Hermione impatiently. "Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's."
"They do, do they?" said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed.
"Well, you have!" she said. "And you won't look at any of us!"
"It's you lot who won't look at me!" said Harry angrily.
"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other," suggested Estella, the corners of her mouth twitching.
"Very funny," snapped Harry, turning away.
"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," said Estella sharply. "Look, I… I heard McGonagall talking to Pomfrey – and I've a feeling you've heard something similar, else you wouldn't be like this - "
"Yeah?" growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it."
"That's absurd, Harry! Stop being so self-absorbed!" Estella snapped at him, getting up and moving so as to be facing him, sitting on the low table that sat between the two facing lounges. She was going to go on, but seeing the look on his face, she relented. "Look, no one is against you… correction, no one here is against you! You're being paranoid. Don't push us away!"
"We wanted to talk to you, Harry," said Ginny, from behind Estella's shoulder where she was sitting on the lounge opposite the boy; "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back - "
"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," said Harry, who was looking more and more nettled.
"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," said Ginny angrily, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."
Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled around.
"I forgot," he said.
"Lucky you," said Ginny coolly.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, and he meant it. "So… so, do you think I'm being possessed, then?"
"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"
Harry racked his brains. "No," he said.
"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," said Ginny simply. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."
Estella bit her lip. There was a stark contrast between the two situations: Ginny neither had a connection to Voldemort nor had she been possessed by the man himself, rather it was the magic within the diary. Seeing the relief on Harry's face, however, she found that she didn't have the heart to point it out. Hearing her father tramping past the door towards Buckbeak's room, singing 'God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs' at the top of his voice, she rose and slipped from the room.
"At least you can carry a tune," she said, coming up behind her father as he continued singing to the giant Hippogriff in the room she'd followed him into. "I'd hate to think what Buckbeak would do if I broke out into song!"
Sirius spun around, "Merlin, Estella! Don't sneak up on me like that, my heart's not as young as it used to be!" he said, feigning the extent of his shock. Putting down the bucket of dead ferrets, he wiped his hands off on his robes and approached his only child. "C'mere, you! I haven't given you a proper hello!"
"Hey, it's not my fault that you wanted to pack me upstairs to sort out Harry," said Estella, teasingly.
"How is he?" said Sirius, the expression on his face making him age about ten years. Bowing his head, he sighed. "I find I am even more inept at being there for Harry as I am at being your father-"
"He's in the Drawing Room with the others, hoeing into the sandwiches Mrs Weasley sent up," said Estella, putting her father's mind at ease. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think if Harry is not forthcoming with you, it's probably because he thinks that you're not being forthcoming with him."
"What? How could he think that? I've always tried to be up front with you kids… even at the risk of Molly's wrath!" said Sirius. "Everyone's always telling me I'm treating the pair of you as though you are older than you are –"
"Yes, and Harry knows that, believe me," said Estella soothingly. "But just remember how he was raised before he came here! Remember how much the Headmaster endeavoured to keep hidden from him! This vision was something that no one could explain, but what if Harry thinks that you lot being unable to give an explanation is a sign that something's being kept from him? For most of his life he didn't even know this world existed, and so it probably hasn't occurred to him that not even people like Dumbledore have all the answers… though quite frankly I can't really blame him for being suspicious."
"What can I do to make him trust me?" said Sirius, frowning. "I don't know why he's had those visions; and I keep telling him that-"
"I don't think there's much more you can do," said Estella levelly. Reaching up to stroke Buckbeak's fur, she shook her head mirthlessly. "I suspect it's just a puberty thing… I mean his hormones are like a raging bull when it comes to girls; he doesn't seem to know what's going on there. It's entirely possible that the mix of Gryffindor foolishness and chemical overloads in his brain are making him a little screwed up. I can talk to my uncle if you like, see if there isn't a potion that'll level him out…"
Grabbing his daughter in a headlock, the sudden movement causing Buckbeak to whine in protest and try to nudge Sirius away from the child who had been paying him considerate attention, Sirius scowled.
"Since when did you get so smart?" he marvelled, rubbing his fist in her hair playfully. Letting go of her suddenly, he swallowed heavily; "and what do you mean, Harry doesn't know what's going on when it comes to girls? Has he said something to you?" he grinned, "has he done something I should know about?"
"Da-ad!" whined Estella, shuddering slightly. "I'm observant, is all! Anyway, it's rather unorthodox for you to be talking to me about Harry's girl issues. Isn't that supposed to be fodder for a father-son macho ritualistic testosterone-breeding bonding session?"
"But I'm not James," said Sirius, stilling suddenly, a sullen look on his face.
"Dad, we've been through this," said Estella, referring back to several of their past mirror-calls. "James is Harry's father, and you don't want to take James' place… you've already established that. Emphatically. But come on, as much as we all want it to happen, James cannot be here, but he did name you Harry's godfather. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know who he wanted to do all the fatherly stuff with Harry if he couldn't be here to do it himself."
Inhaling sharply, Sirius flung himself at his daughter and folded her up in a tight hug.
"Thank you," he said, kissing the top of her head. "How is it that you always know the right thing to say?"
Pulling back, Estella rolled her eyes. "Please, after a decade of trying to figure my uncle out, you're an open book… full of pictures and small words!"
Sirius grunted, a smile playing at his lips as father and daughter proceeded to feed the patient Hippogriff together, before leaving the room and heading down the hall, side by side.
"Right," he said, loosely wrapping an arm around her shoulders; "so you're sure it's not because your mother gave a detailed psychoanalysis of my character in that journal of hers?"
Thinking back to the meticulously-kept diary that she had all but memorised, Estella fought back her grin.
"Ravenclaws are rather known for their astute observations…" she said, letting her sentence hang as she bounded slightly ahead. Turning to face her father, she continued to walk backwards as she spoke. "It's a good thing Mum kept that journal with her future offspring in mind – cause I am sure she had certain observations that would have scarred me for life!"
Catching the meaning of his daughter's words, Sirius had the decency to blush. Seeing this, Estella made a face and turned away, taking off down the hallway at an increased pace, muttering something about 'needing to get certain mental images out of her mind'.
Tonks arrived, as prescribed, in time for breakfast the next morning, back to her usual self, if a little drawn and pale.
"You okay?" said Estella, choosing to sit down next to the person who had been instrumental in her departure from Hogwarts. Leaning over and picking up a plate of toast, she offered it to the queasy-looking Auror. "Fred n' George told me you might feel a residual aversion to food, but that it's only illusionary. You should eat."
Cautiously, Tonks accepted the piece of toast Estella had busied herself with buttering lightly. Taking a small bite, the relief on her face was instantaneous, all outward appearances of queasiness disappearing from her features as she began to eat more ravenously, only pausing to quickly heap her plate with her usual portions of breakfast foods.
"Well that's a relief!" said Tonks after a few sustaining mouthfuls of eggs. Turning her attention to cutting up her sausage, she looked directly at Estella. "Me feeling like that would have spoiled our day-"
"Our day?" said Estella slowly, seeking clarification. Replaying the morning's events in her mind as she chewed thoughtfully on her food, she remembered that when she had first stepped into the kitchen, Tonks had been discussing something with her father. Reaching for her pumpkin juice, Estella reflected how she had taken her father's seat when the man had excused himself upon seeing her, disappearing upstairs 'to look for something'.
"Found it!" said her father, barrelling into the kitchen as though he had heeded an unheard call. Making a beeline for his cousin and daughter, he handed something small and plastic to the elder of the pair before looking at his daughter with a scrutinising look. "No piercing, no tattoos, no leather… I want to see straps on your shoulder and no skin above the knee… Moony, am I missing anything out?"
"No making yourself look older to sneak into R-rated films," said Remus without looking up from his newspaper.
"-and be home by five, otherwise I'll transfigure all your clothes into habits for a month!" finished Sirius.
Looking between the two men in confusion, Estella turned her gaze towards her cousin.
"What are they talking about?" she asked.
"You didn't tell her?" said Sirius.
"I was about to, when you walked in," said Tonks, finishing off her glass of pumpkin juice and wiping her hands on the thighs of her jeans. "Estella, I have the day off today, so I thought you might like to come shopping with me. Sirius has so thoughtfully donated us the use of his credit card again-"
"Really?" said Estella, grabbing the said piece of plastic from her cousin's hand and taking a closer look at it before looking at her father for confirmation. Seeing his nod, her eyes lit up. "Brilliant! There were still loads of places we didn't get to last time…" remembering her father's words, however, her shoulders fell slightly, "but no piercing, right?"
Sirius nodded, memories of his daughter's Glamoured appearance on her birthday coming to mind: he wasn't ready for that, not yet. "I've given Tonks detailed instructions, so there will be no excuses if these guidelines aren't met. But enough of all that… go and have a good time."
"What about Harry?" said Estella, shooting a look in his direction, "and the others?"
"Oh, Harry and I will be making a little side-trip to Surrey," said Sirius casually, causing the boy in question to choke on his milk. "I wouldn't be a very nice godfather if I didn't go and personally thank the Dursleys for all the time and care they've given our Harry. I do so want to wish them well for the holidays…"
Estella's mouth fell open, and suddenly, a day in Muggle London with the vast Black fortune at her fingertips did not seem as exciting. Many an idle moment over their summer had been spent concocting ways to exact Harry's revenge upon his Muggle relatives without raising the suspicions of the Ministry. Estella supposed that with allegations of Sirius' mental state being confined to the wizarding world, her father was quite free to roam the Muggle world at his leisure. The simple fact that he may still be recognised by a Muggleborn or magically-inclined person living outside the wizarding world kept his excursions short and on a strictly needs basis. It did not surprise Estella that her father was willing to make an exception in this instance, just as the timing – so close to Christmas – did not strike her as a coincidence. Noticing then, the pointed look her father was giving her, she held back what she was going to say, recognising in the man's silent plea, his wish to spend some 'quality time' with his godson.
"Oh," she said just as casually as she stood to leave, "give my regards to them, then. Do pass on my apologies that I wasn't able to meet them this time."
Sirius grinned at his daughter approvingly and nodded. "Yes, we simply must invite them over for Easter – have them meet everybody!"
"Before or after you transfigure them into fluffy white rabbits and charge them with the duty of finding all your chocolate eggs?" said Estella coyly. Across the table, poor Harry was still trying to get over the shock of Sirius' earlier announcement; and she favoured the bespectacled Gryffindor now with a smile. "Don't hold anything back, Harry – Dad'll have your six."
"I still don't like this idea," said Mrs Weasley resignedly, catching their attention before they could physically leave the table. "You-Know-Who has almost equal bounties for both children, and Albus would never clear a venture out into the Muggle world without a substantial guard-"
"Molly!" Sirius roared at the Weasley woman as he noted his daughter absorbing this latest piece of information.
'I bet Lucius is picking up the tab,' Estella thought to herself with a shiver. She'd known that Lucius had asked the Dark Lord's favour in sparing her life, and that, in turn, Draco had been required to do something but she'd not been aware that Lucius was still after her; at least not now that her uncle had been granted guardianship and was seen to be cooperating with the blonde.
"Maybe I should stay in," said Estella quietly, not even having to confer with her uncle to know his bidding. "Just to be safe-"
"No," said Sirius firmly, rounding on his daughter. "By all reports, you're quarantined in St Mungo's, and the rest of us are in hiding." He glared at Molly, "I'm not so stupid to suggest we skip down Diagon Alley with targets on our backs – though given how busy it is this time of year we'd hardly stand out if we did. I trust the pair of you to stay out of trouble and not draw attention to yourselves in Muggle London. With the Christmas rush, you'll be fine, and you know what to do if not."
"But Sirius, you still cannot answer for me how we're going to be able to contact any of you in case of an emergency!" said Molly, protesting. "I know it's not my place to try and stop you from going, but I would feel a little more at ease -"
Inspired, Estella pulled out the small, handheld mirror she was almost never without and beckoned for her father and godfather to produce their own.
"Right, now all we need to do is for one of you to transfigure them into telephones. We won't be able to see each other, but we can still get in contact in a hurry-"
"Yes, but even I know Muggles don't walk around the streets with telephones," said Sirius with a frown, "although that James Bond character did have a phone in his shoe… maybe we could do that…"
"Somehow I don't think walking down the street with one of our shoes to our ears will be very inconspicuous," said Estella with a laugh. She was pretty sure her Dad was actually referring to the T.V character Maxwell Smart, but she couldn't bring herself to correct him; not when he was so close. Instead, she pointed out the modern advances in Muggle telecommunication by drawing from another example of pop culture."Haven't you ever seen a cell phone on the T.V? Mulder and Scully talk to each other with one all the time, and it's how that cop spoke to his partner while on that bus in that bomb movie, remember?"
"She's right, you know," said Tonks with a smile as she pulled out her wand. "Cellular telephones are becoming increasingly popular with Muggles. My Dad has one from work, and ten years from now, I bet even kids younger than Estella will all have one. It'll be a perfect way for us to get in touch in a hurry."
Once the disguised mirrors were charmed to look and function like generic Muggle cells, the group helped clear the kitchen table before going their separate ways. Squeezing themselves into the crowded train half an hour later, Estella and Tonks made the short Tube ride into the centre of one of London's main shopping districts.
"I'm guessing Dad didn't like what I wore on my birthday," said Estella as they navigated their way out of the station's terminal. "Do you think he left anything out?"
"No, he was quite thorough," said Tonks, "but that's not to say we can't interpret his requests anyway we choose…"
Seeing the mischievous look in her cousin's eye, Estella soon forgot all about certain blonde-haired Slytherins and what her father and his godson were doing across town. By lunch time, they had gone through the list of things not to do, twisting and stretching their interpretation of those guidelines to reach their own ends. Instead of getting any part of her body pierced, Estella spent a great deal of time in a jewellers that specialised in clip-on and adhesive 'body art'. The same store had a Henna artist in residence who was only too happy to cover the backs of their hands and forearms with delicate, earthy designs that would last all the while longer thanks to the Charms Tonks spelled the work with after they left. Leather was subsequently substituted with a synthetic Muggle alternative, any exposed skin above her knees was covered with stockings, and there was no need to make Estella look older when they snuck into an R-rated film on account of the Disillusionment Spell Tonks had so handily cast whilst lining up at the box office.
"We really ought to buy my Dad something special for giving us so many wonderful ideas," said Estella happily, as she balanced the popcorn between them and made herself comfortable. She had no intention of filling her wardrobe with a garish wardrobe, and had in fact bought mostly normal and functional clothes, but they had delighted in temporarily overhauling her look just to exploit the loopholes in her father's directions.
Tonks shovelled a handful of popcorn in her mouth and nodded. "Yes, and now you've successfully snuck in to the feature, I can take off that charm and make you look older just in case any ushers come round looking for empty seats," she waited until the lights had finished going down before discreetly poking her wand in Estella's side and muttering a few words. "There. Don't you just love creative licence?"
"Creative licence!" spluttered an indignant werewolf upon laying eyes on his goddaughter when the pair had gotten home a little before five. "Creative licence?"
Cheekily, Estella pulled out her father's list and delighted in pointing out all the loopholes she and her cousin had managed to exploit.
"So you see, we didn't really go against any of the instructions, and so long as I wear a robe over them I won't be violating any of the school dress codes. Tonks has already given me a catalogue for a Muggleborn seamstress who has a range that will best compliment-"
"You do realise that Severus will likely have us castrated for letting you run around London dressed like that!" said Remus, paling slightly. "I can't wait to hear what your father has to say about it-"
"What I have to say about what, Moony?" said Sirius, having Apparated into the hallway mid-sentence; the man too busy picking Harry up off the floor and taking off his Muggle jacket to notice what his daughter was wearing. Reaching past Estella, who was standing between him and the coat rack, he looked up briefly only to do a double take as he took in her appearance. "You better be Tonks in Morph…"
Looking over her father's shoulder towards the witch in question, who was inching her way towards the staircase, Estella side stepped her father slowly before following her fleeing cousin at a run.
"Run!" she cried out, hoping to make her get away before she collapsed into the fit of giggles that threatened to incapacitate her.
Staring after the stampeding pair in disbelief, Sirius shook his head. "I knew it. That cousin of mine…" he growled, looking towards his best friend for back up. "What'd they think? That they could burn the list and not have any consequences? I warned her… if they didn't abide by the list, it goes back! I meant it!"
Sighing, Remus shook his head sadly, though a smile was playing at his lips as he held out the relinquished list. "Don't get me wrong, Sirius, I had a conniption too when she walked in dressed like that," said Remus; "but I got to hand it to them, they did a damn thorough job at accounting for each of the directions we gave them. They haven't done anything wrong."
Snatching the list from his friend's hand and reading over the scrawled notes and admissions that the two girls had added to each of his carefully constructed conditions, Sirius began to gape.
"Well I'll be!" he exclaimed, beginning to wave the piece of parchment around in excitement. "They bloody well outplayed us!"
Harry could only watch on in confusion as his godfather began to laugh, a distinct pride glittering in his eyes as he wiped mirthful tears from them.
"Wait, you're not mad?" said Harry, looking between the two marauders warily.
"Oh I'm mad as hell," said Sirius flatly; "mad as hell that I wasn't more bloody specific! Here," – he shoved the list towards his godson – "look! They circumvented each of these conditions with creative reasoning… it truly is a work of art. I only gave Tonks the list at breakfast too… we really underestimated the pair of them, didn't we Moony?"
"A mistake we won't easily repeat," said Remus primly, his eyes travelling upwards.
"So she can keep those clothes, then?" said Harry incredulously.
"I've no choice," said Sirius, endeavouring to explain. "It's the Maraduer's Code. I laid down the rules at the beginning of the day, and technically they have not broken any of them. To get mad and take away her things because she went and did something I overlooked wouldn't be fair because I've only myself to blame for letting it happen."
"But couldn't you argue that you trusted them to assume that the rules extended to cover all the things they've substituted it all for as well?" said Harry, looking over the list with wide eyes. "It's clear from this that there was a certain overall look you wanted them to avoid."
Sirius considered this for a moment. "True," he said, but then he shook his head; "but I didn't specify that. Besides, it would be unethical for me to punish Estella for simply abiding by her interpretation of the rules – your father and I would have tripled the number of detentions we got in Hogwarts if we hadn't impressed upon the teachers our own unique interpretations of the school rules."
"Your father and Sirius also hold the record for inspiring the most number of changes to the school rules, you know," added Remus.
"You didn't think you were the only Potter bound for the history books, did you?" said Sirius. "Prongs n' I are mentioned liberally throughout the school charter; didn't Hermione tell you? It should all be written in Hogwarts: A History."
"Hermione's edition is out of date," said Remus with a wry smile, knowing that Harry would now have something to trump the exceedingly bright witch. "The standard editions of Hogwarts: A History are only republished once every fifty years or so. Only those who have been in the employ of the school can get access to self-updating editions… I can assure you that it makes for interesting reading."
"It does?" said Sirius, surprised. "You mean me and Prongs are actually mentioned?" Remus nodded sheepishly and started to back away. "Moony, it's been years since you were a Hogwarts professor, and you're only just telling me now?"
"Well I gave my copy to Estella," said Remus, "and she only ever mentioned it in passing because she assumed I'd read it all -"
"You gave a book away without reading it first?" said Sirius, blinking in surprise.
"If I read every book I was given, don't you think the Sorting Hat would have placed me in Ravenclaw?" said Remus testily. "Don't give me that look, Sirius Black…"
Remembering that he was dealing with two Marauders, and that two grinning Marauders with their wands drawn was not a good combination when you were in the potential crossfire, Harry made a dash for the stairs, the sounds of hexes and flashes of light breaking out in his stead.
They worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognisable. The tarnished chandeliers that had only ever been given a cursory clean in the past were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers; magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets; a great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, took up almost the entire width of the wall, and even the stuffed elf-heads on the wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.
Estella awoke on Christmas morning in her room, with Ginny and Hermione asleep on beds either side of her. Now that relations between all the respective teenagers was amicable, there was no longer a point to Estella and Harry sharing a room. Climbing out of bed quietly so as not to wake the other two, however, Estella found it strange to be away from school and not sharing a room with Harry – she had become so accustomed to it over the last few weeks of summer. Sneaking out of the room, she made the short trip across the hall and let herself into Harry's room when she'd detected voices from within.
"Good haul this year," said Ron to Harry not noticing Estella's entrance. "Thanks for the Broom Compass, it's excellent; beats Hermione's – she got me a homework planner – uh, 'morning Estella."
"'Morning Ron, Happy Christmas…" said Estella, pausing as she sat down next to Harry and gave him a one-armed hug; whispering in his ear, she sniggered. "…Harry Christmas, you. Looks like someone forgot to tell Father Christmas that I'd switched rooms, huh?"
"Oh yeah," said Harry, shoving Estella playfully at the joke. Then, busying himself with his own shrieking homework planner, he craned his neck towards a second pile of presents. "There's yours…"
For the next few moments, there was nothing but the sounds of ripping paper and shuffling as presents were opened, inspected and set aside. Remus had gotten Harry a set of books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts, whilst Estella had received another set in the series detailing practical offensive magic. Hagrid had sent everyone, it seemed, a furry brown wallet each with fangs, which were presumably supposed to be an anti-theft device, but unfortunately prevented any of them putting any money in without serious bodily harm. From Tonks, Estella got a couple of new CDs and a framed magical photograph that had been taken of all of them on her birthday. Then, to her surprise, she had also received a hand-knitted Weasley jumper, as well as a homework planner from Hermione and sweets from Ron. Mentally, Estella thanked her foresight for having already gotten them gifts in turn. Next to her, Harry was turning a piece of parchment upside down when, with a loud crack, Fred and George Weasley Apparated at the foot of the bed.
"Merry Christmas," said George. "Don't go downstairs for a bit."
"Why not?" said Ron.
"Mum's crying again," said Fred heavily. "Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."
"Without a note," added George. "Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything."
Estella frowned. Though she did not get along spectacularly well with the over-bearing mother hen, it saddened her to think that one of the woman's children could be so cruel. She'd give anything to have spent just one Christmas with both of her parents, and so to see a person taking shameless advantage of their family, was just something she couldn't bring herself to understand. The wheels in her mind turning, she listened as the twins continued to explain.
"We tried to comfort her," said Fred, moving around the bed to look at Harry's portrait. "Told her Percy's nothing more than a humungous pile of rat droppings."
"Didn't work," said George, helping himself to a Chocolate Frog. "So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast, I reckon."
Making up her mind, Estella stood up.
"Where are you going?" Harry grabbed her hand.
"I'm going downstairs to thank Mrs Weasley for her lovely gift," said Estella simply, an unidentifiable gleam in her eyes. With that, she picked up the jumper – which was, of course, in Ravenclaw colours – and pulled it on as she walked towards the door.
Entering the kitchen a few moments later, stopping only to run her plan past her father who happened to be stumbling out into the hallway as she passed his room, Estella was greeted with the sign of a weeping Mrs Weasley slumped in a chair at the kitchen table. Her godfather, meanwhile, was busying himself brewing a pot of tea on the stove. Used to children sneaking around, Estella's stealthy entrance into the room did not go unnoticed by the mother of seven, the woman straightening in her chair and attempting to compose herself.
"You needn't go to such efforts with me, Mrs Weasley," said Estella softly, her voice causing her godfather to turn around and look at her in surprise. He'd clearly been the one responsible for sending the twins upstairs to warn them. "'morning Uncle Remus. Happy Christmas!"
"Good morning, Estella," said Remus, moving away from the stove to welcome his goddaughter into a quick embrace. "Happy Christmas… you're up a little early, aren't you? Have you opened your presents already?"
Estella gestured to her new Weasley Jumper and rolled her eyes. "Yes," she said pointedly, her eyes flicking from her godfather, to the door, to the woman at the table in front of them and back again. "Dad wants a few words with you. Something about wands getting crossed and doubling up on something? You should bump into him on your way upstairs, if he's not in the living room already…"
Seeing through Estella's rouse, Remus looked at Estella intently to gauge her intent before nodding in understanding and excusing himself, leaving the two females alone. Realising that she was alone with a child, Mrs Weasley jumped up and tried to distract herself by slipping into her over-bearing mother-role, but Estella would have none of it.
Declining all offers of food and beverage, Estella held the bustling woman's gaze, bidding her to stop. "Mrs Weasley, I just wanted to come downstairs before everyone else and thank you personally for my jumper – it was very thoughtful of you."
Dabbing at her eyes as they were threatening to start spilling over again, Mrs Weasley took a shaky breath and nodded, "that's quite all right, child; I couldn't impose myself upon your Christmas holiday without giving you the same as I give all the other children. I didn't want anyone to miss out. I hope you have a Happy Christmas, Estella."
Seeing right through the woman's brave front, Estella threw her arms around the woman's waist and hugged her warmly.
"I hope you have a Happy Christmas, Mrs Weasley," she said, pulling away and gesturing for the woman to sit. "Now, as my present to you, why don't you sit down and let someone see to your needs for a change. Tea?"
Between the tears that were determined to fall, Mrs Weasley tried to protest, her voice hitching with emotion. "But breakfast…"
"Will be late," said Estella firmly. "In any event, my Dad and Uncle Remus will have it covered, so sit down and tell me, one lump or two?"
Bewildered by the young girl's assertiveness, Mrs Weasley grappled with the unfamiliar feeling of idleness. Never before had she not been able to throw herself into her motherly duties when something was getting her down. Seeing an opportunity for distraction, she looked towards the kitchen door.
"The other children…" she began, her voice trailing off as Estella turned to look at her, a steaming tea cup in each hand.
"Have been otherwise detained," said Estella, setting down a cup in front of the woman before taking her own seat. Taking a deep breath, she looked the woman directly in the eye. "I didn't just come down here to thank you for my jumper… I heard about Percy."
"How are my children taking it?" said Mrs Weasley, "are they all right? I should be strong for them… it must be like losing a brother to them… oh how could I be so selfish! Letting Remus turn the twins away like that! What kind of mother am I, driving away my own children?"
"Mrs Weasley, drink some tea," said Estella quietly, nudging the saucer towards the sobbing woman. She had, of course, dosed the woman's cup with a mild Calming Potion. "It'll help."
Allured by the calming aroma of the steam as she inhaled, the older woman complied distractedly, the effects instantaneous. "Why thank you, dear, this is simply spectacular tea," she said, a relaxed look on her face.
Satisfied that the doped tea had taken its effect, Estella began to speak, her tone clear and neutral.
"Mrs Weasley, you mustn't let what Percy did get to you," she said, holding her breath as she waited for the woman's reaction. When she saw it was subdued by the potion, she continued. "Now I want you to listen to me, Mrs Weasley, and I want you to pay very close attention to what I have to say. You are not a bad mother…"
"Blimey, Estella, what did you do to my mother?" said Ron, ogling at his mother as she flitted around the kitchen over lunch a few hours later, the cheery woman humming a tune as she saw to coordinating the courses of the meal, overseeing the two house elves – Dobby and Winky – that Dumbledore had loaned them for the rest of the holidays.
"I simply let her know how appreciated she is," said Estella pointedly, "maybe you should try it some time, Ronald. I know you must feel like you miss out, having to share your mother's time with so many others, but not everyone is lucky enough to have both parents."
Ron gaped at the deadly serious girl across from him, his eyes narrowing in dissent.
"Hey!" he spluttered, about to point out that his relationship with his parents was none of her bloody business.
"And while you're at it," said Estella, standing up with the intent of assisting the bustling woman with the last minute preparations; "you can start doing things when first asked and fend for yourselves once in a while; give your mother a break from waiting on you hand and foot for a change-"
"-but she likes it!" said George, overhearing what the young girl was saying about their mother. "Doesn't she, Fred?"
"Whenever we insist to help, she shoos us away," said George earnestly, "I don't think she trusts us…"
"Besides, she's only doing the stuff mothers are supposed to do," said Ron arrogantly, "no offence, but what do you know?"
Had she not been sitting across the table from the bigoted boy, Estella would have slapped him. Thankfully, Ginny was sitting next to her brother, and saved her the trouble, leaving the youngest Weasley boy with an impressive red handprint on his cheek.
"Shut your mouth, Ronald," said Ginny, "Estella's absolutely right! We don't appreciate Mum nearly as much as we should."
Blinking away the burning tears that threatened to spill over the surface, Estella stood to lean over the table, balancing her weight on her fists as she rested them on the table, her knuckles white.
"I may not have grown up with a mother, Ronald Weasley," said Estella scathingly. "But let me tell you a thing or two about an equal household! When it was just my godfather and I, I helped him with all the meals and chores until I was old enough to take on my fair share. The same applied when Dad and later Harry came to stay… Tonks too, when we holidayed together. Many hands make light work, boys, and it doesn't surprise me that you've been too wrapped up in yourselves to notice when everyone else has been insisting upon helping your mother, in turn."
"But like the twins said, she turns us away when we offer to help! She doesn't want any help!" said Ron indignantly.
"Since when is it Gryffindor behaviour to take 'no' for an answer? What happened to using your initiative? You mother says no, because she doesn't want you to feel obligated. Have you ever tried going in there and doing something you knew needed doing? Surely you have observed your mother enough to know how she likes things done… or perhaps if you did as I do and simply walk in and say 'what needs doing?' in a tone that makes it undeniably clear that you're there to help and won't leave until the job is done she will be only too happy to give you something to do. It can get very lonely in a kitchen by yourself, you know-"
"But why would we want to set ourselves up like that when we can be outside playing Quidditch," said Fred; "like Mum is always suggesting, mind you!"
"How much time do you spend with your mother, Fred?" said Estella quietly. "You know, my uncle didn't always have time for me when I was growing up. Teaching all day and then having to oversee a House and mark papers at night takes up a lot of time; and that's not including his obligations as a Potions supplier. Do you think my uncle had the time to play games and look after a small child? Once I outgrew my playpen, I started helping and observing my uncle at work. At two, I was sorting the work he was grading into houses. I learned to recognise letters of the alphabet by the marks he would give students, which, by the time I was four, I could sort things in alphabetical order. When I was three, I could identify the different species of Mandrake, by four I could tell you their uses. At five, I could identify most all of the ingredients in the student supply cupboard just by sight and smell, and at six I was reciting their Latin variants. It may horrify you, but I spent most of my free time doing things you would consider to be the stuff of horrible detentions… and what's more, some of my best childhood memories are of working alongside my uncle in his Potions lab. There's a certain thing to be said about helping a member of your family do something, and then doing it well, but I suppose you wouldn't know too much about that, would you? You were outside, playing Quidditch."
At that, Estella picked up her glass, stood up, and stalked off upstairs, bound for the living room where her father would invariably be found 'off with the fairies'. Watching the stairwell as she left, Ron let out a low whistle.
"Blimey… she's mental," he shook his head. "Spending time with Snape voluntarily, finger-deep in rotting potions ingredients!"
"Shut it, Ron," said Harry testily, glaring at his best friend. "At least Snape wanted to spend time with his niece! My aunt and uncle never paid attention to me, and the only time they ever showed me how to do something was so they no longer had to do it themselves!" his face hardened. "Estella had a point too, you know. If my only opportunity to see my mother again was by helping her do the dishes every day of my life, I would do it in an instant; but you know what, I can't!"
Taking a leaf from Estella's book, Harry pushed back his chair and left the kitchen, leaving three equally stunned Weasley boys mulling over their relationship with their mother. They realised with sickening clarity that, of the seven, they had probably overlooked their mother the most. If they weren't outside playing Quidditch, they were causing trouble of some variety; either the twins blowing things up, or Ron teasing his sister. By comparison, Bill and Charlie had always been there for their mother, helping her look after the younger children while she got some of the more intensive chores done. The elder two boys had patiently assisted their siblings in their lessons as their mother endeavoured to home-school them, and as the only other girl in the household, Ginny was always following their mother around, eager to learn how to knit and sew and help the older women wherever she could.
Percy, on the other hand, had been pompously self-involved and equally preoccupied with his books to pay anyone attention as they were growing up. The mere implication that the youngest three boys were thus more like their git of a brother Percy than the other, older, more considerate sons, was enough to spur them into action. Leaping up simultaneously, the twins conjured dish cloths for them all, and, once armed, they hurried to their mother's side.
"What can we do to help?" they chimed, the three sounding like triplets as they addressed their mother completely in sync.
Eying her most mischievous sons sceptically, Molly Weasley was stunned by their uncharacteristic behaviour. Surprised when she could sense no untoward motives to their sudden helpfulness, she looked around the kitchen for a moment, her eyes searching for something her boys could do. Realising that she hadn't even started on the vegetables, she gasped at her oversight and started giving the boys orders. When none of them complained, the trio setting to their task and making the effort of conversing with her amiably, she couldn't help but smile. Thoughts of the son who had flown the nest and turned his back on her were momentarily forgotten, and she concentrated on having a very happy Christmas.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Harry had found Estella alone in the little-used front room of the house, curled up by the window in her favourite chair.
"Hey, you all right?" Harry asked, slipping into the room and setting himself down on an ottoman across from Estella. "Why do I get the impression that was not just about what you spoke with Mrs Weasley this morning?
"Because it wasn't," said Estella woefully, hugging her knees to her chest and gazing sightlessly out the window. A short note lay forgotten on the small side table beside her, the parchment worn and wrinkled as though it had been folded and read many times. "This is the first Christmas I won't be seeing my uncle… I'd thought he'd be by for dinner at least, like last year, but he's stuck with the Malfoys all day."
"Oh," said Harry, not quite knowing what to say. Even though he knew Snape was Estella's uncle, he couldn't quite reconcile the man as someone who anyone would particularly miss.
"It's all right, Harry. I know what my uncle is like," said Estella heavily. "I don't expect you to understand how I could be missing him – you having to spend Christmas at the school when you could otherwise be here would be the closest comparison."
"Having a good time, but something being missing?" said Harry.
"Yeah," said Estella, unravelling herself to stretch her legs out in front of her. She picked up her uncle's note, re-folded it and placed it back in her pocket. "But it's stupid, I should be concentrating on what I have; I mean at least my Dad isn't in hospital;" she paused. "Perhaps I was a little harsh on the boys… their Dad is in hospital…"
"No, I think it is just what they needed to hear," said Harry. "With Percy being a git and Mr Weasley being in hospital, Mrs Weasley needs them right now, more than I think they realise… and they needed something to concentrate on too."
Estella nodded, remorse leaving her as she made herself more comfortable on her chair.
"So tell me, Harry," she said; "speaking of family… how'd did your little adventure to Surrey go?"
Memories flooding back to him, Harry's eyes began to glint reminiscently, and he smiled shrewdly.
"Well…"
Christmas lunch was a hearty, bustling affair. The rooms within number 12 Grimmauld Place were transformed as its occupants indulged themselves cheerfully, laughter and music bouncing off the once-dreary walls. After lunch, the adults exchanged gifts with their respective children. Though Remus had already left a present out for her that morning, he had also collaborated with Sirius in getting her a set of tutorial books to assist her with her Transfiguration.
While her uncle had requested that they exchange their gifts in person after the holidays, there was a present under the tree for her nevertheless. Recognising the obscure book about Phoenixes that she had been meaning to get out from the library, Estella was further surprised to find a note from the Headmaster inside, providing tips on what to read first. Tucking the note out of sight, she set the book aside, realising without being told that the book was not really from her uncle, but merely disguised as such to avoid drawing attention, and turned her attention towards a large box that her father was beckoning for both her and Harry to open. Beside her, Harry put down the penknife her father had gotten his godson and moved over slightly so that Sirius could set the box down between them.
"What on earth?" said Estella once the box had been opened, revealing several musical instruments. "We don't know how to play-"
"Never mind that," said Harry, reaching to pick up a guitar the length of his forearm; "house elves couldn't play these!"
"They've been shrunk, soil for brains," said Estella, rolling her eyes.
"And charmed," said Sirius, handing her a sheet of parchment about a foot long. "Lenny set me up – you remember, that old friend who set me up with those passes on your birthday? He's freelancing now, you know. Trying to start a business, supplying charmed Muggle instruments that Muggleborns can teach themselves how to play by repetition-"
"-in full view of Muggles," Harry marvelled. "That's bloody brilliant!"
Estella, meanwhile, remained hesitant.
"Wait, I thought Len was a Squib," she said suspiciously, her narrowed eyes slowly widening in surprise. "So this is what you've been working on?"
"Moony 'n me both," admitted Sirius, sharing a conspiring look with his best friend. "This Order business doesn't particularly pay too well, you know…"
Estella herself had initially been taught how to play the piano by her uncle transferring his knowledge to her each time she wanted to play a particular piece. The thought, then, that someone had managed to infinitely store a set list into an instrument, charming it to instil the user with the necessary skills upon command, was magic she had never thought possible. Around her, others quickly agreed, openly fawning over the gleaming new instruments as Remus and Sirius cleared a space in the room and enlarged the magically modified pieces.
"It's kind of like a sophisticated type of Karaoke," said Hermione analytically. "Or those electric keyboards with the light-up keys… but I've never heard of anything magical that imparts knowledge… imagine if they could do that to books!"
Hearing this, everyone rolled their eyes, though Remus and Estella were looking rather thoughtful.
Finally, Sirius spoke. "We'll have to be sure to leave this all set up and give a little bit of a show when Arthur gets out of hospital, mmm?" He said, looking to the Weasley children for approval. Then, as though realising something, he frowned slightly and looked towards Molly. "I am pretty sure this won't count as misuse of Muggle artefacts – it will be good to get Arthur's opinion on the legalities involved with marketing something like this. Remus and I may have done the spellwork, but Len's really the one with all the connections – he's pretty keen to secure a patent and get things moving."
The next few hours were spent with everyone taking turns at various instruments, music filling the house, whilst those watching danced and drank egg nog. While a person could sing along at the microphone if they wanted to, it appeared as though Lenny had used his contacts in the music industry – magical and Muggle alike – to secure one track recordings of the featured band's vocalists singing lyrics that would come through the mouth of whoever was playing the role. Sirius, however, preferred to use his own voice, belting out the tunes with a youthful enthusiasm that was quite catching, the twins supplying boisterous, off-key backing vocals with fervour.
As those of age became all the more merry, the entertainment became all the more hilarious; Estella and the man's former students being treated to the rare sight of Remus Lupin, roaring drunk. Seeing her father exchange a conspiring look with the twins, she realised that they must have spiked her godfather's drink. She went to ask Mrs Weasley to cast a Sobering Charm – for she knew she could not perform under-aged magic in front of the adults without reproach – but the woman was too busy laughing. The middle-aged woman had not yet taken to the 'stage', but had delighted in continuously requesting songs by her favourite singer, Celestina Warbeck… and it just so happened that a highly inebriated werewolf was only too happy to acquiesce to the woman's requests, heartily lip-synching along to the witch's warbling overtures while his backing band of teenagers played on determinedly, their faces red with suppressed laughter.
Watching on in horror as her godfather began a reprieve of Celestina Warbeck's jazzy 'A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love', Estella realised that she no longer wanted to rescue her godfather from his unwitting humility. Handing over his bass guitar to Tonks, the shape-shifting witch keen to take to the stage, Harry collapsed into a fit of laughter next to Estella, tears of mirth rolling down this cheeks. Grinning wickedly at the Boy-Who-Lived, Estella began to snicker.
"This is priceless… brilliant…" she said between breaths; the girl too busy laughing to form sentences. "Moony'll never dob me in to my uncle, never again!"
"And Luna'll love those pictures of your Dad; for the Quibbler," said Harry, chuckling. "Toad-face will go nuts when she sees us as band members – and the best thing is, that with that magazine's reputation, we can plausibly deny everything!"
"Or we could admit to it and drive her crazy with not knowing how we pulled it off right under her nose!" said Estella.
The song ending in a building crescendo, Sirius threw a Sobering Charm at his friend, giving the werewolf both his sobriety and full knowledge of all he had done whilst under the influence. Whether retaliative for not being brought back to his senses sooner, or knowing that he'd had a little 'help' in getting intoxicated, Remus growled and chased Sirius out of the room, his wand drawn. Too busy listening to the ruckus that broke out when the two old school friends caught up with each other, no one paid any mind to what the twins were doing with the Mistletoe…
End ChapterNext Chapter: Due Friday 2nd June.
A/N: Apologies for this chapter being a few hours late. Yesterday was a rather significant day in my family, and so after picking me up from work, my brother and I caught up with a few close friends for dinner and a movie (The Da Vinci Code); and I didn't get home until 2am… yawn (since I've been up cleaning since 7…)
A/A/N: (Another Author's Note): This story will now run to be twenty-six chapters following advice from my Beta about splitting Chapter 18 in two… there is a bit of rewriting to be done to make Chapter 18.2 a stand alone chapter, so if it looks like June 2 is out of the question, I'll update my Author Profile that day with a progress report.
