"And you have your permission slip?" Mother asked for the hundredth time after breakfast. "All your books? Maera? Wand?"
Celesta sighed, before smiling gently, needing to pull on her mother's sleeve in order to get her to bend down enough for her to kiss her cheek. Another year come and gone, and yet the now thirteen year old seemed stuck at four foot eleven, making her the shortest in her grade. Even Harry, who was underfed at home, was taller than she was!
"Yes Mother. I've gotten all my things. That shrinking spell you taught me comes in handy to have them in my bag. Maera is hiding in my hair. My wand is in my thigh holster." Celesta explained, pointing out each item she needed to knock off the list in order to answer Narcissa. "Hermione stated that she and her parents are more than happy to house me, should I not find the Leaky Cauldron to my standards, I know how to contact the aurors should Black be idiotic enough to show himself around Diagon Alley, I have my train ticket, and the spell that will enlarge my items once again."
Narcissa stared at her for several moments, fretting. Celesta was in a day dress that was appropriate for summer time, Severus Snape, her godfather, had created a new potion that would allow her to go out in the sunlight for a few hours a day without her parasol, though she had one in her hand just in case. Her hair was pulled into a half ponytail braid, Maera's nine tails blending with the thick white strands and concealing the runt Kumigo completely.
"Well alright, Celesta. But I expect to get daily owls, especially with our cousin on the streets instead of in prison." Celesta heard her mother say, Luli grabbing hold of her skirts. One last hug, a whisper was spared by Narcissa, Lucius having entered the room as she was leaving. "Sirius Black is not who they say he is. He's not from your Father's crowd, no matter what they say. Remember that, my kit."
A kiss on the cheek was Narcissa's last goodbye, Lucius informing her to let them know if she was going to return home for Christmas. Due to his tone, she didn't think she'd be welcome. In fact, his tone made her think she ought to start looking for places to live once she turned of age.
Her father, since being sorted into 'the enemy house' seemed to ignore her most of the time, unless it came to appearances in public. Other than the rare test of muggle opinions, in which she lied as she always did, he'd left her alone. Those without magic were lesser than those with. And while some of that held true, her real opinion was that she didn't have an opinion on muggles. They were people, just like wizards and whiches. They weren't dirty, not to her. And from talking with Hermione, some were even quite smart, inventing things to make their lives easier, just like wizards with spells.
But as she was growing older, he was becoming colder towards her. Honestly, it scared her, and while Narcissa was getting suspicious, she'd decided that one more summer of teaching her daughter over the summer before she'd ask one of her friends. If she had to, she'd obliviate Lucius, though she doubted it'd come to that. If what he'd told her during their pillow talk was true, then she'd just send Celesta away, claiming she couldn't be trusted with their plans. It was the best course of action, she told herself when she was alone. Perhaps...in any case, it'd be a year, maybe two before anything became revelant for these plans of hers.
Celesta knew none of this however, Luli apparating her to Diagon Alley, where they first went to purchase her school books. The Monster Book of Monsters was entertaining to the albino, who, being a bookworm, had stroked it's spine. Noticing it had calmed, she told the clerk, who had bound the books in stings and shoelaces, even a couple of belts. She was the last who bought the book, however, so the information was moot to him.
She checked the time with a quick tempus spell when none of the adults were watching, and realizing she had a bit more time, she went to the Apothecary in order to get the ingredients for her new potion, enough for a year, as well as stepping into the joke shop and purchasing a few things for Fred and George.
The girl was just on her way to the Leaky cauldron when a rather tall third year bumped into her. For a moment she nearly mistook the boy for Harry, though instead of red and gold, he was wearing yellow and black. He had curly black hair, though the strands weren't messy like her friends, and glasses. "Oof! Sorry Celesta," she heard him say, but before he could go off she grabbed the sleeve of his school robe.
"You're D. Thayer, aren't you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. The puzzle had haunted her, and being stuck in the Hospital wing nearly a quarter of last year hadn't let her seek him out. "You sent that valentine...asking to be friends?" She questioned further, watching as the boy seemed to blush, stuttering a little bit.
"W-well...yeah. I don't know if you know this, but you're quite intimidating to approach when you're studying. I'm Daimon Thayer, in your year," he introduced, scratching the back of his neck. "Listen, I need to catch up with my mum, but I'll owl you, yeah?"
Celesta nodded before releasing him, a small smile on her lips. "If I don't owl you first."
She ran into Hermione in the Magical Menagerie, Celesta getting new bedding for Maera. "Hermione! What are you up to?" Celesta asked as she made her purchase.
"My parents have decided I'm old enough to accept the responsibility for another living being. So long as I keep the house vaccumed, since Dad is allergic," her friend explained, holding a carrier for a rather squished face orange cat. "This is Crookshanks and get this! He's part kneazle!"
Celesta crooned over the cat for a few moments, letting Maera get used to his scent, before they walked together to the Leaky Cauldron, where the Weasley's were going to meet up with them, staying a night while professional pest removers went and cleaned their house of pixies and Doxies.
Once there, they released Crookshanks, who seemed to have it bad for Scabbers, chasing and growling, even hissing at the rat. This led to Hermione and Ron fighting, but she was too distracted by George and Fred grabbing her hands, massaging the back of her palms with their thumbs, even kissing her cheek. Molly had been worried for them for the past couple of weeks. It almost seemed as if they had been forcing themselves to be up to their normal mischief, their magic acting out even though they were too old for accidental magic. Once Celesta was between them however, they all seemed to relax a little, settling down and their magic letting out a faint glow, though nobody noticed before it was gone once again.
"Mum says you're staying the week here before going to the station," Fred murmured in her ear, making her shiver with a small gasp.
"Do you want to stay with us instead?" George asked, nearly pulling her into his lap. She was blushing brightly, her heart racing a bit as she hummed, clearing her throat.
"Mother wants me here, but maybe next summer, yeah?" Compromising, the boys hogged her time.
Harry arrived the next day, or perhaps it was early in the night, Celesta seeing him arriving on the Knight Bus before she turned in. They shared breakfast with the Weasley's, Hermione coming to spend the day with them. Apparently Fudge bought Harry's things, so they instead went to the ice cream parlor. While snacking, Harry told them all about his holidays, including how he arrived.
She and Ron, explained about Black escaping Azkaban, and his supposed crimes, though she refused to tell them what her mother had said. Nobody would trust it in any case. Even she wasn't fully clear on all that he did, having been dismissed with the Aurors came and spoke to her Mother.
Finally, it was time to return to Hogwarts, Luli apparating her to the station as normal after a large breakfast and a Gringott's visit in order to get money for Hogsmeade, which as third years, they'd now be able to visit. Unfortunately, it appeared that everybody was running a bit late, for every compartment they passed seemed full. Finally, they came upon their usual compartment, though there was a sleeping middle-aged male in it. Exchanging looks, they took their seats, speaking quietly so as to not disturb him, though Celesta's nose twitched a little bit. Why was she smelling wolf?
Moving it from her mind when Hermione explained his name due to his trunk, Celesta murmured, sneezing a few times before focusing on the conversation. "Oh. Harry, Draco told me to tell you, and I quote, that Slytherin was going to beat Gryffindor for quidditch this year." She told him, before smirking. "Though I doubt that'll happen." she added with a conspiratol wink.
Harry had smirked a bit, before nodding.
About halfway to Hogwarts, just as Celesta was pulling her bag open to retrieve her lunch, the train started to slow. She'd noticed the sky darkening, sure, but being so dependant on darker days in order to be outside she was quite used to it. The ice trailing on the window and their breaths fogging when it was the first of September, she was not so used to.
"You don't reckon we're there yet, do you?" Ron asked, looking out the window.
"We can't be. We're only halfway." Hermione was saying, just as Ron backed away from the window, seeing something.
"Something's out there! It's boarding the train!" He exclaimed, right as the lights went out.
"I think there's more than one..." Celesta whimpered out, feeling her happiness beginning to drain. Gods, it felt so cold and dark, like her very bones were growing tired.
Grabbing her wand, she focused on the happiest memory she had as a floating ghost-like figure opened the compartment door. It's skeletal hand reached towards Harry just as she, and Professor Lupin, stood and pointed their wands at the Dementor.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" They shouted in unison, both their wands emitting the white shield, though hers shifted into a corporeal patronus, her fox kit jumping around just as she fell to her knees. Harry though, had fainted.
"He's not here! You have no business here!" Lupin shouted as the dementor ran. Soon after, Lupin gave them chocolate as Harry came to, the dementors gone for now and the train once again on the way to Hogwarts.
"Eat this, it'll help. I need to speak with the driver." Lupin stated, smiling at Harry a moment before leaving their compartment.
After eating her chocolate piece, Celesta sighed and ate what little of her lunch she could stomach, before standing. "I'm going to make sure my brother is alright." She stated calmly, ignoring Ron when he protested.
Finding Draco to be shaken but alright, she nodded at his...well for lack of better words associates and lackeys before starting to head back the way she came. Only, instead of making it to her compartment, she was yanked into another, the Weasley twins ignoring Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson's put out faces as they pulled Celesta between them, their arms possessively on her waist.
"Alright, darling?"
"Dementor didn't give you a fright, love?"
On and on their questions went, their magic settling now that Celesta was safe and with them.
"I'm fine! Honestly, just a bit cold and tired after that." Celesta told them firmly, blushing at all their attentions.
Fred and George shared a look over her head, before nodding, Angelina and Alicia going back to speaking with Lee Jordan.
"Lay on our laps and nap then, if your peaky."
Sighing and with a playful grumble she didn't really mean, Celesta moved to do so, putting her legs in George's lap and her head in Fred's, each of them holding her so she wouldn't fall.
"Wake me when we're almost there so I can change." She sighed out, before drifting into a light nap.
Author's Note: SO MUCH EASIER TO WRITE! Oh my God am I so happy. Honestly, Chamber of Secrets isn't my -favorite- book in the series, so it was really hard to get into the rhythm of writing it from Celesta's point of view.
As always, a special thanks to those that have read, favorited, followed, and reviewed.
I love you all!