Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been a busy week and there's another busy week ahead of me. I still have book report to do, a script to make and a pillow case to sew. To much to handle I'm serious.

Anyway, this is sorta of a filler chapter or not so. I don't really know how to describe it. Anywho enjoy and don't forget to review because honestly they make my day and urge me to write more :)

I only own what I own


Chapter 12: The Unexpected Visit

Zoey sat in the middle of a heavily dusty room. The room was particularly different from the rest of the Emeraude house. While everything in the house was in complete wreckage, this room was not. The room Zoey sat was in perfect condition (compared to the rest of the house). The desks, chairs and cabinets were up right and unscratched, the pictures were not ripped and still in their frames, the curtains were drawn and the bed was made. The only notable flaw in the entire room was the amount of dust that covered everything.

Zoey sneezed.

She wasn't particularly a fan of dust.

In front of Zoey was a box that strongly resembled a treasure chest. The box was of a gray-brown color due to the dust and it looked like it hasn't been touched in years, like the rest of the room.

Zoey gave another sneeze.

She raised her hand to wipe away the layer of dust. Zoey coughed as the dust particles flew to the air and made Zoey feel slightly uncomfortable. She did not like the thought of dirt. She felt unclean. Zoey shook her head trying to ignore the dust –which wasn't an easy task due to her surroundings- and covered her mouth with her other hand. She looked back to the box and saw on the lid in cursive gold writing her mother's name.

Lucy Alena Emeraude

The box had been her mother's when she was alive and inside, to what Zoey had only guessed at, was her mom's most treasured belongings. The box and its contents were handed down to Zoey after her mother's passing. Zoey was free to do anything she wanted to do with the box. She could open it and see its secrets but she did not. Zoey did not open the box. It was not like the box had any locks or spells that restricted her from seeing its inside, no; she could just simply lift the lid.

Zoey did not open the box for the simple reason that she was afraid of what she'll find. Zoey was afraid to find out what her mother has treasured all her life. She was afraid of knowing her mother.

The trance Zoey was in was broken by a scream.

Zoey bolted up and accidentally hit her foot against the wooden box. She hissed in pain before grabbing her wand from the bed and darting out of the room leaving the ajar.

Zoey's heart beat against her chest as she crept towards the stairs carefully avoiding the broken objects on the ground. Her ballet flats didn't stand a chance against the broken vase. Zoey's eyebrows knitted in worry and panic as she placed a shaky hand on the wall. She was not expecting anyone to visit and her aunt, who always came unannounced, was currently out of the country traveling the world with her latest boyfriend.

'She shouldn't be back yet,' Zoey thought as she considered the possibility of the unsuspected visitor to be her beloved aunt, 'Even if she was…she wouldn't come here…'

Zoey silently climb down the stairs shifting her eyes as she tried to catch sight of any evidence on who the visitor was.

'If it was her… she would have called for me already…she would have made a comment on the state of the house as well…it couldn't be her… it just couldn't'

"Zoey?" a slightly worried voice called, "Are you here?"

Zoey felt her eyebrows shot up as she clamored down the remaining steps. She skidded to a halt and her eyes widened. By the fireplace was a short, plump woman with flaming red hair. The woman turned towards Zoey and she, Zoey, instantly took note of her kind face and brown eyes. The woman approached Zoey, opened her arms and brought her into a hug.

"There you are Zoey dear," the woman said, "I was beginning to worry. I thought you were attacked or something?"

"W-what makes you say that, Mrs. Weasley?" Zoey asked as she faced the opposite wall, Mrs. Weasley had not brought her out of the hug yet.

"Just by the state of your house it looks like you put up quite a fight…if there was a fight that is," Mrs. Weasley held Zoey at an arm's length and gave her a stern motherly look, "There was no fight was there?"

Zoey shook her head.

"Good. Now tell me dear what on earth happened to you?"

Zoey bit her lip as she figured that her current physical state was something to worry about. As usual, she was frail and small and her hair wasn't in a kept state but guessing by Mrs. Weasley's wrinkled nose and scanning eyes that wasn't Zoey only problem. She figured that she was heavily covered in dust just like the room she was previously in.

"It isn't that bad is it?" Zoey asked as she tried to get a look at her clothes.

"Sweetheart," Mrs. Weasley said with a slightly amused and disapproving tone, "You and your clothes are gray and powdery."

"Er –I was cleaning out some stuff," Zoey said as she scratched her nose. She gave a heavy sneeze that seemed to shake some of the dust off her causing the particles to be suspended in air for a while.

Mrs. Weasley gave a small "Tut, tut," before waving her wand. In a second, all the dirt and dust was removed from Zoey. Zoey gave a small smile before pulling down her overly large pale yellow shirt.

"Now," Mrs. Weasley said as she kept her hand. She gave a look around the living room, "Care to tell me what happened here?"

"Nothing, nothing happened," Zoey said hastily and uneasily as she continued to tug onto her shirt. Mrs. Weasley gave her a disbelieving look before letting the topic go.

Mrs. Weasley once again brought out her wand and gave another flick. The light of the house had turned on illuminating the mess within. Mrs. Weasley shivered when she got a cleared look at the destruction. She gave a wave and the chairs and tables were brought ride side up along with the other objects that flew to their place. The curtains were mended and draped the windows as the vases and glasses were repaired and a bouquet of white roses decorated the vase.

Zoey kept a passive look as the cleaning processed continued.

After about five minutes that entire living room was fixed and as good as new.

"Now, I don't think I want to get a look at the rest of the house right now," Mrs. Weasley joked as she turned to look at Zoey. Zoey did not meet her eyes for she focused her gaze to the pile of torn paper on the ground. The photographs weren't able to be fixed.

"Well, we can't do anything about that. They've been torn for too long," Mrs. Weasley said, "Were they very happy memories?

"No…they weren't even mine," Zoey said as she gave Mrs. Weasley a smile


"Mrs. Weasley? If you don't mind me asking, but is there a reason for your visit?" Zoey asked as she spun her mug in her hands. She was currently sitting in a clean and fixed kitchen with Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley had given the kitchen a good clean up like the living room.

"Oh, yes. I have almost forgotten. Thank you for reminding me," Mrs. Weasley said as she placed down her own mug, "The boys and Echo have been begging for your visit"

"Begging?"

"Yes, more on the twins than Echo. They have been complaining that they haven't heard from you for far too long and you have declined their invitation last time," Mrs. Weasley said with an amused look as if she were recalling the twins complaining on their lack of communication with the gray eyed girl.

Zoey blushed and looked down at her mug, "I didn't want to be rude"

"Honestly dear, if there's one thing you are absolutely not, it's being rude," Mrs. Weasley said, "We would always love to have you over. The more the merrier I say"

"Just don't overdo the merry part. Knowing the twins, my house will be crumbling down," Mrs. Weasley said in an afterthought.

Zoey laughed and looked at Mrs. Weasley with admiration that mirrored a child looking at her own mother.

"So when can I visit?"

"Visit? You'll be staying over until School resumes"

"Bu-"

"No buts, now get your bags and I'll wait down here. Merlin knows how the upstairs looks like," Mrs. Weasley said as she shook her head and gestured Zoey to go along and get ready.

Zoey left the kitchen and dashed up the stairs jumping over the harmful objects on the floor and barged into her room. Her room was no better than the rest of the house. The bed was overflowing with pillows and some were on the floor. Her blanket was half and half on the bed and floor. Her desk had everything but studying materials and her closets door was broken and hung desperately on its hinges. The curtains looked sewn shut and the floor had crumpled pieces of parchment and ink stains.

She gave a sigh of relief that Mrs. Weasley didn't come with her because she was surely going to have a heart attack at the sight. Zoey approached her suitcase, which was carelessly beside her bed with its contents lying on the floor. She hastily picked up the objects and dumped it in the suitcase along with her clothes. Zoey was particularly glad that she didn't have much to wear for it would have been harder to pack.

Zoey hastily closed her suitcase and dragged it to the door she made a quick check on her appearance when she passed by her life sized mirror.

The mirror was broken near the bottom and had several smudges on the glass. Zoey didn't really care because she could still see her reflection. Zoey noted that her hair was in its typical unruly state and her glasses were still large and circular. Her structure was still frail and small (though she gained some height) and her skin was still pale. She wore and overly large pale yellow shirt that came to her knees and elbows. She wore black cycling shorts that slightly peeked from beneath the shirt. On her feet were her black ballet shoes.

Zoey grabbed hold of her suitcase and for the second time that day walked down the stairs to see Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was already by the fireplace when Zoey came to view.

"Ready?"

Zoey nodded her head and approached the fireplace. She took a handful of Floo Powder and looked a Mrs. Weasley.

"Go ahead dear"

"THE BURROW!" Zoey exclaimed and she disappeared into the flames.