Sorry! Seriously, I am. Ok, between everything, like Fanfic being down for days (!) and revision, and stuff I just didn't get around to anything.
Thanks to truckles for betaing this whole thing, I owe you!
Disclaimer: If you really think I own Harry Potter, you need your head checked. It's JK Rowling's. Durr!
Chapter 5
The days settled into a comfortable routine of chaos and cleaning. No one was really sure what Chrissie did in the daytime, and no one really cared. Odd people with odder problems continued to burst into the kitchen at inappropriate moments. Hermione's interest in elves and SPEW became more increased, to the extent that Ron and Harry took to hiding whenever she went anywhere with that look on her face. Lupin came round for dinner frequently and he and Chrissie had cryptic conversations.
*……….*
Harry struggled to stop laughing, but he was fighting a losing battle.
Chrissie glared at them with as much dignity as she could muster, while being covered in grey mud.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, trying to be sympathetic, but a giggle slipping into her voice.
"They forgot to mention the bog," Chrissie muttered as she was charmed clean again "Thanks, Mrs Weasley." she said, accepting a mug of tea from Mrs Weasley who was clucking around her like a mother hen, and sitting down.
"What were you doing by a bog anyway?" Ron asked.
"We got called out to deal with a Nestreah. They like bogs. Nasty thing, but we got it in the end. I fell in first though." Taking a sip of tea she winced. Mrs Weasley had obviously put sugar in it.
"Called out?" Hermione asked, curiously.
"Yeah." There was a pointed silence, as Chrissie took another sip.
"And…?" Prompted Harry, when no further explanation came.
"Oh! Right, erm, we sort of look after those sorts of things. Creatures only Mages notice. They're only really dangerous to Mages as well, although a Vestra'd give you a nasty nip. You wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of a Grehole either."
"Creatures only Mages notice…" Hermione pondered. "Like Thestrals you mean?"
Chrissie looked at Hermione as if she was mad.
"Wizards can see Thestrals." She said, looking concerned about Hermione's sanity.
Harry and Ron had lost the thread of the conversation by this point and Ron was dealing out cards for another game of exploding snap instead.
"Yes, but only certain people can see them." Hermione said patiently.
"Oh right," Chrissie nodded "I see what you mean. No, nothing like that. Wizards can see them; they just take no notice of them."
"Another thing," Hermione was on a roll. "Those people, they don't come from the hallway do they?"
Chrissie blushed.
"No."
"Thought not." Hermione sat back smugly.
"But if they don't come from out there… where do they come from?" Asked Harry, feeling both left out and puzzled.
Chrissie mumbled something incoherent at the floor.
"They come from a place between worlds." Hermione said excitedly, "A place only they can go."
Ron snorted.
"Seriously cheesy." Harry agreed nodding fervently.
Hermione bristled.
"It's true!" She insisted, and Chrissie laughed. "Is it true?" Hermione asked with less conviction, as Chrissie smiled amusedly at her.
"Technically, but it sounds so dramatic like that. Really it's, is a bunch of people coming through a door that could lead to two different rooms."She shrugged, attempting to covey that it was no big deal.
Just then someone burst through the 'door that could lead to two different rooms' and fell over Ginny, who'd been walking through the door at the same time. Hermione leaned back on her chair to try and catch a glimpse through the door.
"Sorry," The newcomer apologised to Ginny, as he helped her back to her feet.
"Danny," Chrissie said wearily, and Harry recognised him as one of the more frequent visitors.
"Sorry, Chris, but I really need you. We're having a small… crowd control problem." Danny said pointedly.
Chrissie tutted.
"You mean that the kids haven't stopped being hyper yet?"
Danny grabbed her and pushed her through the kitchen door.
Harry, Ron and Hermione ventured up to Harry and Ron's bedroom to escape the madness.
*………*
Hermione sat on Harry's bed, flicking feverishly through a huge book which Harry was sure she hadn't had a second ago.
"Hermione will you give it a rest?" Ron demanded, lying on his own bed, as he watched Pigwidgeon fly around the room, bouncing off the walls like a feathery tennis ball, watched haughtily by Hedwig.
"I can't help it if you have no capacity for natural curiosity," Hermione said grumpily. "What I can't understand is why there's so little written about Mages when they've been around at least as long as wizards, at least that's what Chrissie told me."
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Ron.
"Because they were banned from publishing anything in 1345." Ron said matter-of-factly, clearly relishing the chance to tell Hermione something for a change.
"What? Why didn't you tell me this, Ron?" She slammed her book shut and fixed Ron with a look that wiped the grin clean off his face.
"I thought everyone knew that." Ron said, collapsing back onto his bed. "It was in that leaflet that bloke left behind the other day."
"Wow." said Hermione, irritably, "Ron actually read something."
"Actually, it was written in inch-high letters on the cover." Harry pointed out. "Depends on your definition of 'read', Hermione."
Ron bashed him on the head with his pillow.
"Shut up, Harry!"
There was a knock and the door opened.
"Mrs Weasley says lunch is ready," Chrissie said despondently.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.
Chrissie smiled, tiredly.
"I'm fine. Just exhausted, think I overdid it a bit."
She yawned widely.
"Overdid it?" Harry queried, leaving Hermione and Ron bickering behind them.
"Yeah. I'll be fine." She said. Seeing his look of confusion, she elaborated further. "If we use too much magic it drains off our energy, then our life force."
"It could kill you?" Harry asked in astonishment.
"Well, it leads to multiple organ failure and technically that's what does you for, but yeah, too much magic kills you."
"Then why do you still do it?" Harry asked. "If it might kill you, then wouldn't it be safer to leave it alone? Just be wizards?"
"Don't you think I would if I could?" Chrissie snapped, suddenly angry. Her sudden turn of emotions caught Harry off-guard.
"Sorry," he apologised, hastily. "I didn't realise-"
Chrissie stopped his apology by shaking her head.
"No, don't apologise," she muttered, "I forget you're still new to this." Seeing he was about to protest, she waved a hand. "Relatively speaking. I have to keep doing it for the same reason that young wizards go to school. Unchannelled magic is dangerous. No two ways about it." She smiled at him again, tiredly. "Glad you asked though. Most people don't bother. And I'm sorry I snapped."
She went into the kitchen before Harry could reply.
Ron and Hermione were still bickering about something, but Harry wasn't really paying attention any more.