All right, all right, you have the right to kill me. I know I said to some of you I'll post by Friday but I lied... : \ I'm sorry but I really wanted to finish the birthday-chapter before posting these two. First off, for those Harry-fans who have been wondering where he'll come in, well here he is. For those Snape fans, sorry no more Snape arrivals until Hogwarts, like in the HBP. Thirdly, the chapter after this one is my longest chapter in the world: a full seventeen pages long. Hehe. However, please review and affirm for me how crappy it is. I really needed to get past the birthday thing and perhaps in the future I'll rewrite it like I did the begining of this story. Fourthly (I'm on number four right?)...okay I forget what number four is. Oh right, number four is you will no longer be sitting in on Leo's lessons, not that we've done much at all. But by the time she goes to Hogwarts she will have control over most of her magic. : ) Other than that, happy readings and please review!
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The New Arrival
Needless to say having the lessons spaced out it was much easier to handle on Friday. Saturday and Sunday she was given to have a normal summer and she enjoyed it. She was given books that she could refer to if she wanted and it wasn't until late Saturday that Lenore realized why Hermione and Ron were excited. Deciding she couldn't sleep she went downstairs and found Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen with a young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face, mousy brown hair and sad dark blue-brown eyes. Lenore paused, her foot heading towards the last step.
Both women looked up sharply, wands drawn before Mrs. Weasley flushed. "Lenore, what are you doing up?"
"Sorry, I couldn't sleep, I'll go back up—"
"Nonsense!" Mrs. Weasley jumped up and busied herself with something. "I'm afraid you two haven't met, Lenore this is Nymphadora Tonks,"
"Hi," Lenore said awkwardly.
"Call me Tonks, please," the woman said numbly, a mug in her hands.
Mrs. Weasley half flew to Lenore with a red mug. "Here you are dear, warm milk with cinnamon, it should calm you down quite nicely."
Lenore took the mug but merely stared at her. "Um…thanks…" glancing at Tonks once again she forced a smile. "I think I'm going to take a walk outside, is that all right?"
Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Don't go too far, please."
She nodded. "Nice meeting you, Tonks." She said before slipping out the back door, a book of astronomy and astrology in hand.
It was a nice night, a half moon hanging in the sky and the sky was clear of any clouds. Settling against a tree near the house Lenore stuck her wand in the ground after several seconds of attempting to cast lumos. The warm milk was delicious, settling her with a pleasant warm feeling spreading through her. Inadvertently she compared it to what she felt when George kissed her. A furious blush swept across her face and she looked down, as if there was someone who could see her blush. Turning to the book she opened to her saved spot. She never really liked nor understood this stuff but she hated disappointing Taban.
After an hour of reading…or more reading a sentence, daydreaming about something (more often than not George—who hadn't come back since he kissed her because the store was booming in business) before she snapped out of it and then tried to read again. She had just finished another daydream of George cursing Snape for her. It was kinda funny but the smile on her lips died away. She heard the nearly inaudible sound of a portkey depositing two people. Someone was coming.
Lenore entertained the idea of pressing her mind out, or whatever it was called, in order to find out who was there…but she hadn't mastered it and there was no telling if she would get caught in a memory or if she would run into Mrs. Weasley or Tonks. With that thought in mind (no pun intended) she grabbed her wand, extinguishing the light, and crept forward, withdrawing some of the excess magic to prepare herself incase she needed to cast a spell.
Creeping forward she hurried to a crevasse between the hillside and the house and watched. She saw two shapes emerge from the shed. In one movement she rolled to her feet in front of the door. "How did you get onto this property?"
The shorter figure took a step back, startled whereas the taller one stood still before a rich laugh filled the air. "Ah, Lenore, do you really think it wise to use that at this moment? Especially if you don't know if we are friend or foe?"
Lenore almost started laughing herself. "Albus, you scared the pants off me. What are you doing here so late?" Albus lit his wand allowing them to see. She nodded to raven haired boy who looked surprised and was sizing her up. "Who's he?"
"Harry, this is Lenore, a friend of Remus and George's."
The name triggered something in her mind. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Harry, you're Ron and Hermione's best friend, right?" the tall young man nodded. "Nice to meet you…I wondered why they were so excited today. Albus, are you sure, six tutors isn't too much?"
'Harry' snorted. "Lenore," Albus said in a warning tone.
Lenore rolled her eyes. "Well I have to go get my stuff," she thought about mentioning Tonks but Albus smiled at her.
"We shall wait for you."
With a salute she walked back over to the cove where she had been sitting. "Who was that?" she heard the young man ask as she picked up her stuff. Hm…Elf and A.H. mixes would make excellent spies, she thought straightening up. "Her name is Lenore Keller, she is staying with the Weasleys and attending Hogwarts this year." "Why?" "The War." She was within feet of them now so they stopped.
She was frowning. "The wards are stronger tonight, Albus." Lenore waited for both their reaction. She knew when Bill and Mr. Weasley made everyone go inside a few days ago that there was an additional ward being set, why and for what she never did get a chance to ask. "Anything to do with you?"
"Nothing at all to do with me, Lenore." He was smirking. Lenore felt for a moment as if hell froze over because the Headmaster was smirking. "But everything to do with Harry here," Harry whirled around and looked at him, questions burning in the clear green eyes. "No one went out of their way for you, Harry. Have no fear,"
Lenore tilted her head to the side and ventured her magic out a tiny bit. There was strong magic around Harry but a portion of magic, not his, was situated on his forehead, just above his eye. It was dark magic that the young man was trying to block. His forehead… she nearly hit herself on the head with her utter stupidity. "Of course no one mentioned to me that Ron and Hermione's friend is Harry Potter, why should I know at all?"
The glare she shot Albus was nothing to the completely confused look on Harry's face. "Why would it matter?"
Now it was her turn to smirk. "Keller is my mother's maiden name, Harry. The bastard who sired me," Albus' eyes were on her sharply at the venom in her voice. "Is none other than the snarky git of a potions master, Severus Snape,"
Harry looked repulsed and as if he couldn't figure out which idea disgusted him more: that someone would reproduce with Snape or the cause of this reproduction was standing in front of him. "I…well…I never thought anyone would…um…" he cleared his throat, shooting a nervous look at the Headmaster, who was still studying Lenore carefully.
Lenore was facing Harry but it was quite obvious that she was speaking to Albus more. "You never thought anyone would stoop low enough to have sex with Snape?" She shrugged. "I still claim my mom was mentally insane at that moment in time." There was silence for several moments before she forced a wide grin. "I hope you like pranks, Harry. I enjoy setting them,"
He looked wary but the door in front of them swung open before Harry could even respond to Lenore attempt at humor. "Hey Molly, I brought some strays," she joked.
"Harry, dear! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!"
Lenore glanced at Albus curiously. "We were lucky," the gray-haired man ushered Harry into the kitchen followed by Lenore. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course." At this the boy beside her looked a bit sheepish. "Ah, hello, Nymphadora!"
The raven-haired girl suppressed a chuckle at the confused look on Harry's face as he looked about the kitchen, that boy could walk into a Death Eater's home and not known one is standing right beside him. She thought.
"Hello Professor, Leo." The young woman said. "Wotcher, Harry."
"Hi Tonks."
Tonks was on her feet, pulling her cloak around her shoulders in a single movement, surprisingly not knocking anything over in the processes. "I better be off. Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."
Dumbledore smiled at her. "Please don't leave on my account, I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour."
Tonks eyes fell on Harry then on Lenore before she shook her head. "No, no, I need to get going, 'night—"
"Dear, why not come to dinner at the weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming—?"
"No, really, Molly…" Lenore felt her heart lurch for the woman before them. "Thanks anyway…good night, everyone." She hurried past Dumbledore and Harry into the yard; a few paces beyond the doorstep she turned on the spot and vanished into thin air.
Lenore bit her lip, a habit she thought that she probably should stop but didn't seem to inclined to. "Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry. Lenore," Dumbledore said with a now troubled smile. "Take care of yourself. Molly, your servant." He made Mrs. Weasley a bow and followed Tonks, vanishing at precisely the same spot. The red-haired woman shut the door on the empty yard.
"I'm so sorry about sending you out, Lenore, it's only…" the woman trailed off, shaking her head.
Lenore nodded with a tight smile. "It's all right, Molly."
Mrs. Weasley suddenly jumped as if something bit her. "Come here, Harry, into the light where I can see you better. Merlin, you're like Ron, aren't you? Both of you just look as though you've had Stretching Jinxes put on you. I swear Ron's grown four inches since I last bought him school robes." Lenore set her book down at the table and opened it again. Maybe she could focus on reading now. "Are you hungry, Harry?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Sit down, dear, I'll knock something up."
….and when the stars aline with the—
"Hermione's here?" Harry's voice cut through her reading.
Lenore snorted. "How else would they talk about you all today?"
"Oh…good point." Harry said as Mrs. Weasley rapped a large iron pot with her wand.
"Would you like some too, Lenore?"
"Will it help me with my reading or getting to sleep?" she asked hopefully before laughing. "Yes, Molly, I'd love some. Thanks."
"Everyone is in bed right now, of course." Molly said as she tapped the pot again and it flew towards the two teenagers at the table. "We didn't expect you till morning." The two bowls in front of the teenagers were filled with steaming onion soup. "Bread dear?"
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."
"Technically it is morning," Lenore pointed out.
The redhead frowned as she waved her wand over her shoulder; a loaf of bread and a knife soared gracefully onto the table; as the loaf sliced itself and the soup pot dropped back onto the stove. Once this task was completed Mrs. Weasley sat next to her.
….and when the stars aline with the planets a—
"So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job?"
Harry nodded. Lenore took a bite of the soup.
"He taught Arthur and me. He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think. Did you like him?"
Harry gave a noncommittal jerk of his head and Lenore frowned. "Wasn't he on the teacher's list in the nineteen thirties?" she asked curiously.
"I don't know. He was there a long time. You see, he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much. The Ministry's littered with Slughorn's old favorite, he was always good at giving leg ups but he never had much time for Arthur—didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters—it's only just happened—but Arthur's been promoted!"
Lenore smiled. The woman just loved to tell everyone that. Thinking back to the celebration they had Friday she almost started laughing on the soup. Harry however got teary-eyed up, gasping. "That's great."
"You are sweet." beamed the woman.
The raven-haired girl studied him as he sipped the cool water greedily and she smirked. He had swallowed too much soup. He was a guy. Guys don't get watery eyes at a promotion. "This soup is great, Molly. Nice and hot." She shot him an amused look whereas he looked less than amused.
"Thank you dear. Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job, he's got ten people reporting to him now!" Lenore went back to her book.
….and when the stars aline with the planets a particular—
"What exactly—"
"Well, you see, in all the panic about You-Know-Who, odd things have been cropping up for sale everywhere, things that are supposed to guard against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. You can i9magine the kind of thing—so-called protective potions that are really gravy with a bit bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make you ears fall off…" Lenore glanced up, a smirk on her lips. "Well, in the main perpetrators are just people like Mudungus Fletcher, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then something really nasty turns up. The other day Arthur confiscated a box of cursed Sneakoscopes that were almost certainly planted by a Death Eater. SO you see it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing with spark plugs and all the rest of that Muggle rubbish." The stern glanced that Mrs. Weasley gave Harry caused Lenore to snort.
Both eyes were on her. "There is nothing wrong with Muggle technology, Mrs. Weasley. In fact it's a lot of fun and it is a shame that the UK and other magical schools haven't embraced Muggle technology like we have in America."
Lenore glanced at Harry. He was staring at her awkwardly. Harry cleared his throat and looked at Mrs. Weasley who seemed to be thinking about what Lenore just said. "Is Mr. Weasley still at work?"
The woman shook her head, snapping out of whatever train of thought she was in. "Yes, he is. As a matter of fact, he's a tiny bit late…he said he'd be back around midnight…"
She turned to look at a large clock that was perched precariously on top of a pile of sheets in the washing basket at the end of the table. Lenore recognized it at once: It had nine hands, each inscribed with the name of a family member, an usually hung on the Weasley's sitting room wall, though its current showed that Mrs. Weasley was still carrying it around the house with her, despite the fact it's been broken since Lenore's arrival because very single one of the hands was pointing to "mortal peril."
"It's been like that for a while now," said Mrs. Weasley, in an unconvincingly causal voice, "ever since You-Know-Who came back into the open. I suppose everybody's in mortal danger now…I don't think it can be just our family….but I don't know anyone else who's got a clock like this so I can't check." Lenore licked her lips nervously. Of course this family would be in mortal peril, they were close friends with Harry Potter. "OH!" The two raven-haired teenagers saw that Mr. Weasley's hand had switched to "traveling." "He's coming!"
And sure enough, a moment later there was a knock on the back door. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and hurried to it; with one hand on the doorknob and her face pressed against the wood she called softly, "Arthur is that you?"
It occurred to Lenore that she had been doing that more often than not lately, but mainly when it was already dark.
"Yes," came the familiar voice of Mr. Weasley sounding incredibly weary. "But I would say that even if I were a Death Eater, dear. Ask the question!"
Lenore flushed, knowing exactly what the question was. "Oh, honestly…" the woman glanced back at the two teenagers.
"Molly!"
This was going to be embarrassing.
"All right, all right…what is your dearest ambition?"
"To find out how airplanes stay up."
Mrs. Weasley made to open the door but couldn't. Lenore looked at Harry and smiled. She would make this easiest on the poor woman. "So, what are you looking forward to most about staying here?" Lenore asked loudly as Mr. Weasley as the horrifying question, whose answer obtained a 'Mollywobbles'.
Harry stared at her before hastily gulping down the soup, clattering his spoon as loudly as he could against the bowl. He knew what she was doing and was helping. "Spending time away from the Durselys and having fun with Ron and Hermione," he answered just as loudly as Mr. Weasley came in, smelling the onion soup that was on the table.
"Harry! We didn't expect you until morning:
The two 'men' shook hands and Mr. Weasley dropped into the chair on the other side of Harry as Mrs. Weasley set a bowl of soup in front of him too.
"Thanks Molly. It's been a tough night. Some idiot's started selling Metamorph-Medals. Just sling them around your neck and you'll be able to change your appearance at will. A hundred thousand disguises, all for ten Galleons!"
"And what happens when you put them on?" Harry asked interested.
"Mostly you just turn a fairly unpleasant orange color, but a couple of people have also sprouted tentacle like warts all over their bodies. As if St. Mungo's didn't have enough to do already!"
"It sounds like the sort of thing Fred and George would find funny," Mrs. Weasley said with a frown. Lenore looked at her sharply. "Are you sure that—"
"They wouldn't mess with that type of stuff." Lenore said firmly as Mr. Weasley said: "Of course I am!" He went on as Mrs. Weasley looked back and forth between the two of them. "The boys wouldn't do anything like that now, not when people are desperate for protection:
Mrs. Weasley looked a little sheepish. "Is that why you're late?" she asked.
"No. We got wind of a nasty backfiring jinx down in Elephant and Castle, but luckily the Magical Law Enforcement Squad had sorted it out by the time we got there…"
Lenore spied Harry stifle a yawn behind his hand. Come to think of it she was kinda tired herself…maybe she should sleep.
"Bed," said an undeceived Mrs. Weasley at once. She obviously saw that yawn of his. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was in the middle of a hidden yawn as well. Oh…maybe she should listen to her. "I've got Fred and George's room all ready for you, you'll have it to yourself."
"Why, where are they?"
"In Diagon Alley, they have a flat over their shop." Lenore answered before drinking the rest of her milk.
Harry stared at her. "Yes…" Mrs. Weasley affirmed her statement. "I must say, I didn't approve at first, but they do seem to have a bit of a flair for business! Fred's girlfriend lives there too…that I still don't approve of but they both have assured me that she has a different room."
"She does." Lenore said setting the mug down.
The red-haired woman nodded, her lips pursed for a moment. "Well then, come on dear, your trunk is already up there. Leo would you mind—"
She cut the woman off. "No of course not, shall we Harry?"
"'Night, Mr. Weasley." Harry said, pushing back his chair.
Lenore did the same, taking her book in hand. "G'night Harry," the tired man said.
The raven haired teenagers both saw Mrs. Weasley glance at the clock in the washing basket as they let the kitchen. The nine hands were pointing on mortal peril again. Lenore knew that Fred and George's old bedroom was on the second floor and she began to lead Harry up. The moment they were out of earshot of the kitchen Harry spoke.
"You seem to know a lot about Fred and George,"
Unbeknownst to her a blush came across her cheeks. "George and I are….well we've become good friends." She stumbled over her words. Licking her lips nervously she forced a smile at him. "Anyway, you'll find that you won't see me much, sadly." She smirked at the odd look on his face. "Because of magical maturity or whatever, my powers have been on the fritz since the end of July…maybe even a week earlier, time goes slow and fast sometimes. But to keep the story short I have six tutors to help me control my magic."
"That tutor crack you made at Dumbledore?"
She nodded as they reached the room. "Yup. Now it's a bit more manageable but I'm still pretty busy. Hermione is eating up my books when I'm not using them."
Harry smirked. "That sounds like Hermione."
"She's a nice girl." Lenore admitted. Lighting the lamp on the bedside table the light revealed a spread of cardboard boxes on the floor with a trunk in the middle. "Oh that is a beautiful owl," Lenore said spotting a snowy white owl perched on the top of the wardrobe.
Harry smiled at the owl fluffed her feathers up. "Hedwig, she's mine." The owl hooted happily at Harry and then took off through the window.
"Thoughtful bird, wanted to welcome you," she said with a giggle. "Well, I should get to bed. I'm not sure what is gonna happen tomorrow…George might come over with Fred and Lils," Harry made a face and she grinned. "Lilith, Lily, Lils, whichever name you hear, she's Fred's girlfriend." He nodded at her. "I'm off…night, have sweet dreams."
"I'll do that." He said sarcastically.
She smirked, not phased in the slightest. She was far too used to Jairdan's and Jalia's….mainly all the elves sarcastic comments. "Thanks so much, nightmares are no fun." With that she left, heading up the stairs, contemplating the new arrival. He was interesting but there was an overhang of sadness in his eyes. Shrugging her shoulders she snuggled into her bed, falling asleep at last.
