The next few days seemed to pass quickly. Celesta woke up the day after becoming friends with the third years to Mcgonagalll shaking her awake in the early hours, saying her friends had been hurt. She followed her to the hospital wing, Ron resting from a broken leg and Harry passed out. "He'll wake in his own time, but I figured you'd want to know, Miss Malfoy," Mcgonagall explained, letting the white haired girl sit next to Hermione at Harry and Ron's bedside.
They were urged out once Ron awoke sometime around lunch, Ron and Hermione telling Gryffindor House what had really happened down that trapdoor. Gifts were sent to Harry, Celesta sending a few chocolate frogs. Things went back to normal, and the day that the final feast was scheduled, Harry was returned. She was told to write to him over the summer, but the twins had invited her to stay at the burrow for a week or two. She told them that her Father wouldn't approve, but she could ask her mother, so long as she was safe and not in too much danger from the sun, she might be able to, she'd told them.
The feast was a grand affair, Harry arriving during it. Dumbledore arrived soon after, the room going quiet as he began to speak. "Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. Celesta tuned out the rest of his words, but she listened once again when more points came into the question.
"To a Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points." Dumbledore waved a hand when the Gryffindor House erupted into cheers, even Percy being proud of Ron. At last, silence enveloped the hall as they realized Dumbledore had more to say. "To Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the line of fire, I award fifty House points." Gryffindor erupted into applause once more, Hermione burying her face in her arms while Celesta rubbed her shoulder in congradulations.
Gryffindor was a hundred points up now, but it appeared that wasn't all the points being awarded tonight. "Third, to Mr. Harry Potter..." The room had gone deadly quiet as Dumbledore continued. "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."
The Great Hall burst into noise. Gryffindor house was tied with Slytherin at four-hundred and seventy-two points, making them tied for first place. Dumbledore raised his hand once more, the students going quiet after a few minutes.
"There is all kinds of courage, " said Dumbledore with a smile on his face. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. Therefore I award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
Somebody outside the great hall might have thought there was an explosion for how loud Gryffindor House became. Dumbledor's words about a change of decoration, Slytherin banners getting exchanged for Gryffindor.
To Harry and Ron's surprise, they passed with decent scores. To nobody's surprise, Celesta and Hermione had the highest scores, the two of them tied for the highest points, Celesta higher in potions and Hermione higher in Defense of the Dark Arts by only a question or two. Soon they were on the train home, eating Bernie Bott's every flavored beans, chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties.
It took a while getting off the train, those apparating going to one side, those taking other means needing to go through the portal. She hugged her friends before they departed, before rushing off to her family, Maera using her shoulders as a perch.
Her first year had been long, but she wouldn't have traded it for anything.
She waited a few days into June, Draco off with their Father before she asked Narcissa about staying with the Weasleys for a few weeks. Narcissa had hesitated a moment, before agreeing that the last two weeks of summer she'd be able to stay with them, provided she learn how to do her own books and money for when she was older. Having agreed, before Draco's birthday she was proficient. By Harry's? She was able to put down investments.
She was getting worried though. While she'd heard from Ron and Hermione, she hadn't heard from Harry at all this summer. Even more strange, Dobby was acting weird, and so was her Father. She'd overheard whisperings fromn his study between him and Draco, and then, one night, she heard Draco summon Dobby. She didn't hear much else though, unable to focus on it as she was packing for her trip to the Weasley's. having gotten so good at doing her own finances that Narcissa had convinced Lucius to let her spend the last month of summer holdiays with her friends, provided she send word every now and then.
Narcissa had also, during their summer lessons, started practicing duelling with Celesta, teaching her a handful of spells that would protect her in the heat of battle. That day, she'd told Celesta that the next summer she'd teach her the Patronus Charm. Celesta, sweating and panting heavily, had nodded, her mother dismissing her to rest before dinner.
Luli apparated Celesta and Maera to the Burrow the next morning before breakfast, Percy Weasley leading her in while his brothers played a rather odd looking game of quidditch in their makeshift pitch.
"Thank you so much for inviting me over, Mrs. Weasley." Celesta greeted the portley woman who immediately pulled her into a hug upon meeting her. She guessed it was because of her friendship with Ron and the twins, the matriarch glad they've made such a friend, no matter who her family was.
"Of course dear! Now I'm sorry for the cramped corners, you'll be staying with Ginny. Ron! Fred! George!" Molly hollared for her sons, making Celesta jump about a foot in the air. "Celesta's here!" she called, before introducing her to her only girl, Ginny. "Now boys, you know the rules. And as she's informed us before I do not want to hear about you dragging her out in the sun all day, do you understand me?" Molly scolded the three, Fred and George wearing identacle grins at the sight of her.
"Of course mum," Fred started, winking at Celesta cheekily.
"Wouldn't dream of it." George finished, reaching forward to pat her shoulder.
"And she's already told us it makes her ill when staring at bright lights anyway, and that it can be quite nasty for her to be unprotected in the sun. It's why she has parasols." Ron interjected almost grumpily.
Celesta merely grinned, before turning to Molly, as she'd been told to call her. "It's quite alright, Molly. Mother insisted Luli stay with me anyway, as she's the most qualified to tell me when I need to go back indoors," she pointed out, said house elf nodding while holding onto the back of her skirt.
"Missus Malfoy knows Luli takes care of young miss. Young miss is in very good hands with Luli, Missus Weasleys." her house elf stated. Unlike Dobby, who had only received abuse from Lucius so he stuttered and was quite nervous, Luli was most like a nanny, fussing about her. Even dumbledore had been informed to her house elf attending hogwarts that year to watch over her, mother and father worried for her safety after last year with the troll. She'd keep to the kitchens for the most part, though she'd retire to bed with Celesta, to ensure her safety.
Molly hummed, eyeing her most mischevious sons for a moment before nodding. "Right then. Carry Celesta's...Where are your bags, dear?" Molly asked, looking over her and Luli with a critical eye.
"Oh, I have everything in my bag. My mum got it for me, for my classes. It helps with carrying my parasols between classes when we have herbology." she'd explained, patting her bag sweetly.
For the first three weeks of her stay, she got used to being around the Weasley's, enjoying their loud and clearly affectionate family. On the sunny days, she stayed indoors, when Molly wasn't watching teaching Ginny the household charms and blemish removing potions. She even helped come up with a recipe for the twin's future candies, not only once, but multiple times being told that she was never going to be the subject of their pranks.
She didn't know why they cared honestly, even Lee and the other third years not excluded from their pranks, but she was thankful all the same.
Celesta had noticed, when she was around Fred and George, her magic seemed to be, for lack of better words, happy and complete. As if she'd missed them all her life. Being only twelve, she didn't question it much.
Everybody inquired as to when her birthday was, looking surprised when she'd responded April second, before laughing it off a bit. It seemed Fred and George were born on April first, being the ultimate jokesters for doing so. Molly had looked at Celesta more closely after that, a growing suspicion in her mind before shrugging it off. They were, only children, of course. Besides, that was just old wive's tales, wasn't it?
The end of the third week, Ron was getting really worried about Harry, having not once heard from him after being promised that he would. Celesta too was a bit worried, but not too much as his aunt and uncle, as she understood it, were truly awful. He'd managed to convince the twins to the car to go and get Harry that night. Seeing the chance, before they grew suspicious, she'd told Luli to make sure nobody suspected she wasn't in bed when she said she was going to bed early. She was even looking a bit peaky.
When nobody was looking she saw her chance, taking Maera with her as she snuck out the window, turning into her fox form before hitting the ground. From there, they snuck into the car, hiding under the front seat. There was no way she was going to miss grabbing Harry.
Author's Note: Finally, the end of first year! And of course, leading into the second book. I'm curious as to how it's going to turn out! I don't think you guys realize this, but literally as I type I'm preparing to send the chapters out, so the first draft is the final draft too! I have a good idea as to who my character is, how she'd respond, but that's about it save a few details you might not recognize.
Speaking of~! I'm curious as to what you all think the old wive's tale Molly thought of! Who knows, maybe I'll choose your idea to put in the story. I have a basic idea-but no quite concrete one yet. Let me know your thoughts!
As always, I want to thank those following Celesta's story with me. It really means a lot, and I know it probably sounds fake as I say it too often, but seriously guys. You're the ones encouraging me to keep writing. Heck, if I could come up with a decent plot for a real book I would write that! But as it is, I'm stuck writing fanfictions, and that's fine with me.
I love you all!