"Look at this place…"
He was in disbelief. It wasn't his home - not truly, anyway - but he was as heartbroken as if he'd just lost a relative. To think back and to know what this place had been like when he was last here, what it had been like probably mere hours before...
The Burrow was now little more than a smoldering cinder, still with thick plumes of smoke rising from it. Harry stood at the heart of group of official-looking group of wizards, both familiar and strangers to him, all doing surveillance of the area. They had gathered around the large charred, black remains, which stood out in stark and terrifying contrast to the snowy environment engulfing them. As he stared wordlessly at the cinder, he noted the empty gap formed around it from wizards too nervous to get up close.
"Yeah, thanks mate," Ron tutted beside him.
Harry shot him an apologetic look, which he just returned with a sad smile. They were still awake from last night. Everything separating then and now had been pure hell. Grimmauld Place was now overflowing with the Weasleys - and Daphne was long gone. Harry had barely a second chance to sit down and get his mind in check since Sirius barged in on him last night, the wear and tear was starting to show.
"Everyone's okay, though," Ron walked with his hands in his pockets. "Ginny's shaken up, mum won't stop shouting… Actually think Dad's taken it worse, he's barely said anything since it all happened."
A pair of hands suddenly came down on each of their respective shoulders; Sirius had apparated them both here but he'd mostly been lingering back since arriving.
"Gonna pop over to Molly, if that's alright lads?"
The boys nodded and the man took off.
"Is it salvageable or... will you have to move?"
"Oh, salvageable, definitely," Ron nodded. "Could be back in it by Monday with the right spells… so Lupin says. It's more... figuring out what's left, right now."
Harry let out a large exhale of breath, which he watched evaporate into nothing.
That was a far better outcome than he was expecting to hear. An impossibly good outcome, if he was honest. So much so that he didn't put it past Ron to be lying to make things not seem as bad as they were. Then again, it couldn't be denied there was still a lot about magic Harry had yet to learn, so he couldn't necessarily disprove his words either.
They continued to trudge forward in a dreamlike state, through the murmuring crowd of Ministry-Officials and friends-of-friends-of-the-family. Their focus was mostly on their choice of path, never getting too close to the burned up house, while also keeping themselves clear of the deeper snowy patches. They came out into an emptier spot, where the dumbstruck watchers had left a well-clear gap.
At that moment there was a loud crunching sound, akin to the cracking of a whip, and then Hermione and a wizard he didn't recognize apparated in a few feet away ahead.
It took Ron a second to figure out if his eyes were deceiving him.
"What's she doing here..?"
Hermione rushed them and dove head-first into a hug with Ron.
"I came as soon as I could!" she gave a partial-shriek. "Is everyone okay!?"
Despite the hug, Ron remained very still and spluttered to find his words.
"Erm, yeah... Lucky you weren't here after all, hehe…" he fained a smile.
Hermione pulled back and began pampering Ron up and down, seemingly checking all of his limbs were indeed still attached. Harry awkwardly swayed on the balls of his feet.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ronald! Everyone made it out okay, right?!"
Ron continued his awkward smile.
"Thought Erald was trapped inside since nobody could find it... turns out the bugger wasn't even at home."
"Is anyone inside right now?"
He shook his head.
"Mad-Eye and Kingsley are going over it for anything they can find on the Death Eaters that attacked. Don't know what they're hoping to find, plus we know who did it."
"Daphne's dad," Harry interjected suddenly.
Ron nodded.
"And Bellatrix Lestrange. The tall bloke too, same one we saw at Borgin and Burkes.."
Harry took a quick scan of the area.
Hermione and Ron still hadn't fully separated from their hug and he felt a familiar, encroaching feeling that he was being a third wheel. This was the best they'd gotten on in months, this was their heartfelt reunion, and he certainly didn't want to linger around awkwardly.
It was good, he thought, that at least one small nice thing had come from all this mess.
"Lupin, is he still here?"
Ron's head snapped to the side, almost looking surprised that Harry was still here.
"Erm, ahh…" he squinted, taking a second before answering. "Prolly round back with Bill. He got torn up pretty bad... Fair warnin', Mr Diggory is there with them. They're waitin' on a few others."
Harry gave a polite nod and set off in the indicated direction without a second look back.
He hadn't had seen much of Mr Diggory since the Triwizard tournament; it was pretty public knowledge - and rather understandable - that he didn't like Harry much now after his involvement in Cedric's death. This was even after Voldemort's return was made official and his name was cleared, so it was probably a hopeless situation to try and change. Harry understood the situation and harbored no ill will towards him, and in this circumstance he'd much prefer seeing him again over more of Ron and Hermione's drama.
He brought himself around the house and spotted the group he was looking for. Lupin and Tonks were talking with Mr Diggory and a noticeable, young-looking woman in a uniform. They didn't immediately noticed his intrusion, and as he grew closer he overheard Lupin sounding ruffled about something.
"- I just don't see why we have to drag their names through the dirt even more just because of one bad - !"
"Wotcher, Harry! Come be social!"
Tonks caught his eye and ushered him over, just as Lupin went silent. Harry gave a sheepish smile as he joined them, which was returned by all minus Mr Diggory, who simply nodded in acknowledgement.
Then his eyes fell on exactly what the heated conversation was crowded around. Leaning against the charred up remains of the house, the grotesque remains of Bill Weasley were crouched on the floor, still breathing. Ginny sat dabbing at his face with some bizzare-looking cloth. Bills eyes, though barely recognisable between the large slashes on his face, fell on him as he joined the group. The injured man offered a slight wave, which Harry was too taken-back to return.
"Bill…?"
Then the woman in uniform stepped towards him; the first thing he noticed was the brilliant white hair she had, despite her age.
"Don't mind him! Looks much worse than it is… Harry Potter! It's nice to meet you, I've read a lot!" she smiled taking his hand. "I'm Officer Lobosca, vise-head of the Beast Division's Werewolf Capture Unit at the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
For a split second the combination of her hair and uniform distracted Harry almost completely from Bill's injuries; she was far more beautiful than any Ministry Official he'd met before.
"Nice to meet you…" he said absently, then after a moment eventually heard her words and asked, "...what's happened to him? And the… the Beast Division? What're they doing here?"
Officer Lobosca gave a heavy sigh, shooting a look down to Bill.
"Well... any incidents involving Werewolves and I get sent over to get involved as a diplomat…" she spoke uncomfortably, "... legality and everything."
Harry looked uncertainty at Lupin.
"Was he bitten… ?"
Lupin was quick to chime in to Officer Lobosca's remark.
"Now, now, Chiara, you know as well as I that what happened to Bill was the work of Death Eaters, not the work of Werewolves."
Mr Diggory stepped forward identically, cutting him off from Officer Lobosca.
"And, Mr Lupin... Death Eaters who happens to be a Werewolf do fall under our jurisdiction, as well. Or would you rather they have sent over Mr. Lee to deal with the situation instead?"
Lupin didn't seem entirely happy about that prospect, but remained passive aggressive towards him.
"There's no need for that, Amos... I'm just concerned that registering this as an official werewolf attack is going to send the media into a lynch mob. It's unfair to allow an entire community to get chastised because of the actions of one individual… especially when that individuals actions had nothing to do with the fact they are a werewolf!"
Harry almost never saw Lupin raise his voice - the seriousness of the conversation he was inadvertently a part of now occurred to him. Lobosca moved forward suddenly to touch Lupin's arm.
"Remus, you know I'm not going to let that happen!"
Amos tried raising his hand to cut Lupin off, but the man simply shouted over him.
"Will the identities of the Death Eaters also make their ways to the Profit, I wonder?" he asked, unrelenting. "No! Of course not! Because the Ministry protects their own! But they're more than happy to throw us filthy half-breeds under the bus!"
Harry took a step forward, wondering if it was his place to intervene. Part of him wanted to help his friend, the other part of him morbidly wanted to hear more. Then he caught a look off Ginny, who, for whatever reason, was telling him to let it play out. Begrudgingly, Harry remained on the sidelines.
"I assure you, my friend!" Mr Diggory tried. "If solid and substantial evidence is given to the identities of the Death Eaters who attacked, both the Daily Profit and the Auror office will be in full eff-"
"You need evidence to prove Death Eaters involvement, but not Werewolves!? Why are terrorists being given more rights than the sick?"
Tonks, who had remained surprisingly silent on the sidelines through all this, took a position opposite Officer Lobosca.
"Calm down, honey... You know he's not meaning it like that."
"Remus, it's just protocol! You know the situation is different for us! I'm going to do everything I can."
Officer Lobosca's words didn't seem to physically calm him down, but he at last fell silent on the subject.
Tonks leaned to Lupin and whispered something to him, which he replied to and the two went into inaudible conversation.
"Chiara, my dear, I believe our work is about done here?"
If Officer Lobosca had animal ears, they'd very much be in the downward position right now. She flashed Harry a sympathetic smile as she moved back over to where Mr Diggory was stood.
"Sorry, sir… Catching up got the better of me..." she turned to address the group as a whole, "Billy, I'm… so sorry that it's taken this for us to see each other again. You guys all keep safe. Sure you don't need extra hands tidying up?"
Charlie, whom Harry had only ever met twice before and if he was being perfectly honest, hadn't noticed was lingering around, suddenly boasted a loud laugh.
"We probably could, but you have work to do! Don't let us worry you!"
This brought Lupin back from his conversation and he reapproached Officer Lobosca, taking her hand eagerly.
"Ignore Charlie, listen, Chiara - You've been an angel, as always. Bill will be fine with us. Thank you for giving us your time. Best of luck writing up your report."
The woman gave a grateful smile, looking relieved that Lupin wasn't truly mad at her. She flashed Harry another smile, one he was finally able to reciprocate, and made her leave with Mr Diggory.
As he watched them go, Harry found Ginny to be the closest in his vancity and he leaned down to her.
"So… is Bill, you know… Like Lupin, now?" "
Ginny sighed heavily, gazing down at her broken brother.
"We don't know yet."
Harry frowned.
"Shouldn't he be…? Be in St Mungos… or… something?"
Bill mumbled something inaudible. Ginny gave no answer.
Through the man's mutilation, which Harry could only look at in short bursts, he could see the familiar jarred expression Ron had not a moment earlier. There was something quite haunting to him about seeing such a genuine, human emotion under such bloody and malformed imagery.
Harry took a slow step back from the situation. This was the tip pointed and things were beginning to get a bit much for him now. It wasn't just Bill. Everyone was a mess. Everyone had the same look on their face. It was much worse than everyone was pretending it was. Lupin and Ginny looked at the end of their mental tether and even from the other side of the house and through the crowd, Harry could still hear Mrs Weasley's sobbing cries.
If only he had been here for them.
If he and Sirius were here they could have done something; even if it was just giving them more numbers to fight with. Death Eaters would have been no match for all of them at once.
This wasn't his fault, nor would he allow himself to think like that, but he could definitely have helped.
Why was it the second anything good happened to him - anything remotely enjoyable - the universe had it's way of snatching it back off him?
"That was Chiara Lobosca. Fitty isn't she?"
In his self deprecating daydream, Tonks had approached him from behind, wandering forward with her hands in her pockets.
"An old school friend of mine, Charlie and Bill's," she continued. "Doesn't mean any harm, really. She actually introduced me and Remus. They bash heads occasionally but she'd definitely on our side."
Harry did his best to acknowledge her, though he was a million miles away from the conversation.
"She seemed… nice."
"Oh she's lovely. Used to be a proper shy girl, really came out of her shell when she started working with people. She's a werewolf, too."
Harry did a double take.
"That officer was… ?"
"Mmhmm. 'S why she got the job. Nobody knows werewolves better than other werewolves. And in this case… well, once a person is bitten, they retain a unique connection with the one who bit them. Almost makes them kin to one another in a way, Chiara's practically a little sister to Remus..."
"It was Lupin that bit her!?"
"Don't be daft!" Tonks scolded him. "No... Fenrir Grayback, he did. He's the one that bit Lupin when he was a kid. He was also the werewolf that attacked last night."
Harry chewed the inside of his lip.
"And now Bill… is he going to be...?"
Tonks shook her head.
"We…" she sighed," … don't know. We just don't know. Grayback was in human form when he attacked. There's probably some Werewolf containimation, but if it's enough to make him have transformations… well, we're going to have to wait for a full moon to find that out."
The whole time, Harry had kept his eyes planted firmly in the distance. It wasn't Tonks he was finding it difficult to look at, he was just struggling maintaining a tether to a social personality. He wanted nothing more than to crawl up in bed and be left alone; he was tired, guilt-ridden and his tolerance was dropping by the minute.
"I should have been here," he said breathlessly.
Though he couldn't see her, he practically heard the sound of Tonks eyes rolling.
"Oh, shut it with the Chosen One bull…" she spat surprisingly loud in his direction, "This isn't about you! You were at home, enjoying Christmas with your girlfriend. You can't be the hero all the time, Harry. You're more mature than to think like that."
The Dursley inside him wanted to retreat at her harsh words, but the newer, more mature Harry respected her bluntness.
Her words went unmatched and the two stood together in a still silence.
It had began snowing, though Harry was long past the ability to feel cold. He'd began shivering subconsciously, but at no point made any effort to shield himself from the rising wind.
They were separated from the crowd of randoms by the Burrow situated between them, but even at this distance the murmurings, whispers and unmistakable shrill voice of Rita Skeeter could still be heard. Compared to the merciless situation he and his friends were facing, he almost wished he had remained in the sea of people and been swarmed by reporters. A little dose of Chosen One euphoria would go a long way to distance himself from this relentless reality he was facing.
Then there was another loud cracking sound, Harry and Tonks turned and saw a new group had apparated into the scene.
"That'll be the St Mungos crew…" Tonks told him, "... Me and Emcee are giving them an Auror escort to make sure Bill doesn't go wandering off, or worse. Can you tell the others we're sorry we can't help with clean up?"
Without looking at her, Harry nodded.
"'Course."
He heard a long sigh to his right and knew that was his cue to turn around, but he couldn't quite find the strength in himself to break his dissociative trance.
"Merry Christmas, Harry."
He heard the footsteps of Tonks walking away, he was unable to return her greeting.
"Yeah. You too."
His eyeline had come to rest back in the area near Bill. He had originally zoned completely out from the world around him, but had now spotted Sirius moving through the crowd.
Moving on reflect, he began towards him.
"Moony!"
Sirius and Lupin crashed into each other, each man holding the other tightly in their arms. It reminded Harry of how he and Ron would greet each other after a long summer holidays.
The two held their tight embrace for a long second before Sirius pulled back. "Was it him? Was he here?" he asked in a harsh whisper.
Lupin nodded, with an expression on his face that Harry had never seen the man wear before. Total and unbridled fear.
"I saw him. Hadn't aged a day, exactly how I remembered him... Eyes and all."
In the years Harry had known him for, he'd never seen Lupin look this way. He hadn't been this way in front of Tonks or Snape, it was only in front of Sirius he had let his gaurd down.
Acting before speaking, Harry intruppted the delicate exchange.
"You're talking about Fenrir Greyback, aren't you?"
Lupin's head snapped to the side and all at once, Sirius and he separated, both men regaining their composure. Lupin swallowed hard before speaking.
"What do you know about Fenrir Greyback?"
Harry shook his head innocently.
"He bit you, that Officer who was just here and now he's bitten Bill... Who is he?"
Lupin let out a large puff of breath, looking like he'd just been asked to read the dictionary backwards. Rubbing his newly-bearded chin, he took a clear scan of the area before moving closer in to Harry and Sirius.
Harry felt a hand on his back and he was being lead further away from the masses.
"Well… he is perhaps the most infamously savage werewolf there is alive today. He regards it as his personal mission in life to bite and contaminate as many witches and wizards as possible. Many believe he wants to infect enough people and create that many werewolves that someday they'll outnumber magic folk… Voldemort promised him fresh blood in return for his services. Since then the amount of werewolf bites have increased dramatically. Greyback… well, he… he specializes in children. Bites them young and then raises them, bringing them up them to hate wizards."
An unpleasant swelling occurred in the pit of Harry's stomach. He recalled seeing Fenrir Grayback once, in the same room as Daphne and Malfoy, in Borkin and Burkes around the start of the year. To know that she'd even been in the same room as that man…
He suddenly and quite quickly regretted sending her back to Hogwarts on her own.
"He bit Chiara and I… We managed to get away. Others aren't as lucky. "
"Is that why he attacked the Burrow? Was he trying to get you and just he couldn't at Grimmauld Place?"
"No, that was…" he sighed, "... probably just a coincidence. Just about everyone in the Order is a family-friend of the Weasleys. They were an easy target and one we should have seen coming. Not to mention Arthur has been leading the arrests against many undercover Death Eaters… I'm sorry you had to see me annoyed back then, my boy. You see, because Grayback is the only Death Eater we were able to provide evidence against, Amos is trying to swing this as a purely werewolf attack. Keeps him in the clear and… eh… unproblematic, that way."
Everything Harry had heard about Amos Diggory would paint an opposite picture of him. Was making such a Fudge-esque move really something he would resort to?
"B-but didn't you see Bellatrix and Daphne's dad as well?"
"We saw them - yes. But that doesn't mean much in court. Especially with Greengrass being an official in the Ministry..."
Sirius coughed loudly, reminding them that he was still part of the conversation, "Plus... doesn't exactly take a lot for the Ministry to jump on the discrimination bandwagon."
Lupin nodded solemnly.
"It was probably for the best the kids weren't over. If there was a house full of students running around, then we can only imagine what would have…"
"Let's not dwell on what-ifs and could-have-beens though!" Sirius cut him off. "Plus! You're also forgetting my psycho cousin was here too! She's far more dangerous than any werewolf that ever lived."
Mister Weasley entered the scene.
"I am inclined to agree with you, Sirius."
Harry looked up suddenly and saw Mister Weasley entering the scene. He, somehow, looked in a worse state than he had after the snake attack last year. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was pale, the man looked like he'd aged twenty years over night. Harry instinctively took a step towards him with a lot to say and apologise for, but his words failed to make themselves known.
"We're thankful Remus and Tonks had just arrived or things could have ended quite differently," he continued, "... Bill could have been killed if you'd not come to his rescue in time. For that, I will be eternally grateful. Now, Molly gives the count as there being four attackers, Ron gives it five. Best we cover our bases and go for five. Greengrass didn't have his mask on, ruddy idiot... and Bella's screeching can be heard a mile off. The others will have to be educated guesses."
The name droppings gave Harry the sudden push he needed to find his voice again.
"But, hang on - if you saw Mr Greengrass without his mask, isn't that enough evidence? Or to at least make the Ministry see it was a Death Eater attack?"
Mister Weasley simply stared at him blankly, Lupin decided to answer for him.
"Would be our word against his. Utterly useless without any kind of physical evidence. And plus… then it would ruin their chances to spread more half-breed propaganda."
His words did nothing other than further Harry's sickened feeling. It wasn't quite the same nausea he got from when his scar hurt, but more akin to the anxiety which overtook him when he knew he was going to be in trouble. It might not affect him directly, but any injustice served to his friends was something Harry took very seriously. If Amos had his way, alarm bells were ringing in his head that told him the attack on the Burrow was just going to be the start of their trouble.
"That's not fair…"
Sirius crossed his arms beside him.
"You know, I'd put a wager on Knott being one of the other two."
"Probably a safe bet... If we ever find Snyde, she could probably confirm for us all of them."
They carried on their conversation, discussing in detail theories about who was involved, but Harry had again zoned out.
This was too much for him.
His thought process was being to slow to a halt and under his jacket he'd began violently shivering from the cold, though he was mostly unaware of that himself. One thing after another was building up against him: the guilt of not being here to help, the frustration at the Ministry and media, helplessness that he couldn't help his friend, it was all combining into a tightening knot in his stomach that was begging to be ripped out. He didn't know if he was angry or wanted to burst into tears. He was definitely feeling something, but in his sleep deprived state he struggled to tell which emotion from which.
The universe always did this. He had a few positive days where things actually worked out, now they had to be balanced out by everything going to shit at once. Did he not deserve the right to be happy? Surely he had earned a break at this point? Why was it always one thing after another, new back-stabbing problems arising from nowhere with no end in sight. What had he done to be at the center point of all of this mess?
Cracking noises reverberated through the snow and there was suddenly a large group of people appearing one by one nearby. Lupin moved to greet them.
"The cavalry. Let's get this mess over and done with."
A hand came to Harry's shoulder, stopping him.
"Go ahead, Moony. Gonna have a word with Harry first. God-dad to god-son."
Lupin took his cue and moved off to meet the new people, most of which Harry didn't recognize at all.
He was grateful for the new-found privacy, but knew the hallmarks he'd be finding accompanied it weren't going to be cheerful ones.
"Officer Lobosca was quite fit, wasn't she? I always did have a thing for birds in uniform.. and a werewolf at that! Be good to have a playmate for my doggy form."
A thin smile made its way to Harry's lips; his attempt at a laugh.
"Though, I could be a little old for her tastes, … but I'm sure if Remus can pull it off with Tonks, my gorgeous mug'll do just fine. You know, it's funny, Tonks rather affectionately calls her their bitch on the inside. My cousin always did have an affinity for puns…"
The silence was loud around them. The cold was beginning to seep in through their souls of their shoes.
"You didn't call me back to talk about girls, did you?"
Sirius gave a troubled noise.
"Well - Yes and No… Does that answer give any indication to what I'm about to ask?"
Harry paused.
"Because we're alone… I imagine something to do with Daphne?"
When Sirius moved around to speak to him, Harry knew he was being impolite by not meeting his eye-contact. But even if he were in a better mood, there was something about the energy between them that told him this was not going to be a pleasant talk.
"Ministry wants to label this a werewolf attack… We're hopeless to change that. But now… if she went on record and gave a testimony that confirmed otherwise - maybe even name-dropped some active Death Eaters - that'd be rather difficult for them to ignore, even for the higher ups."
There it was.
The second he felt Sirius hand on his shoulder, he somehow knew it was coming to this.
He was being asked to choose between a rock and a hard place. What he was being asked was impossible, and the only response he could muster was a poor attempt at expressing that.
"She wouldn't, even if I asked her. She doesn't want to take a stand against the Death Eaters, she just wants to away from them."
Sirius moved in, now more passionate when he spoke.
"I would never ask you - or her - to do anything you're uncomfortable with… But, at the same time… it'd certainly go a very long way in convincing the Order about her loyalty. I think you should consider very carefully the fragile situation you two have found yourselves in before crossing out possibilities. No is no and I get that, I do. But... well, she's never going back to them and realistically it's only a matter of time before she joins the Order… Maybe it's better to just bite the bullet early on and help out the people around her - help them out in maybe the same way she wants them to help her?"
Harry's mouth was dry.
The annoying part was he actually agreed with most of what he was hearing. Sady, that didn't change the reality he knew he was facing.
"Even if I asked… she's too scared of them. She's only just started talking to me about this stuff, I couldn't ask her to do something like that. I'm sorry, Sirius. Tell Lupin I'm sorry as well."
It was all he could do to express the hopelessness of his situation to his godfather. It would take a lot of explaining for him to understand their situation, one he probably couldn't do justice even if he was feeling up to talking.
Sirius's stern voice didn't halt.
"It's important for her to realize that this grey area she believes to occupy, just... simply doesn't exist, Harry. Not in this war. Every day that she doesn't take a stand against them - every day she remains silent with information about them - is a day she's aiding their cause. I know people take effort, I do, but time is not a luxury that we have. She's made her decision and now she needs to follow through with it."
His godfather had been suspiciously supportive this entire time, now Harry knew why.
He was on the Order's side, not theirs. He'd been putting on a mask to hide how he truly felt. He saw Daphne as nothing more than a tool for them to use. His concern was over whose side she was on, not her welfare.
"Wasn't it you who told me the world isn't just split into good people and Death Eaters?" Harry snapped back. "That people aren't just 'good' or 'evil'?"
He looked hard at his Godfather.
"Isn't that exactly what you're doing to her? Forcing her to fight?"
Finally locking eyes together, Sirius met him with an equally frustrated look of his own. It was obvious he wasn't enjoying what he had to say, but the fact he had the nerve to anyway was not something Harry could just let pass.
"Yes, but…" he sighed pathetically, "... the shades of grey that she considers safe - well, they're lethal! She can't remain in between, she needs her eyes opening to this before it's too late. It's not a matter of if she joins the Order… she needs to. I'm prepared to wait for her to make this decision on her own, but everyday that she delays, she's close to the other side. She's a valuable asset and the Order can't wait for her to be comfortable with that."
"That's not fair - she's come to us for protection, we can't use her like that!" Harry tried.
"We're at war, Harry... They're not often fair… " Sirius drew out his breath like it was poisoning him. "As you, yourself has very much discovered... Even if she doesn't want to be, she's a part of this now. She can't just sit on the sidelines. She lost that right when she made the decision to come to us."
Harry was struggling to filter what to say. There was a lot he suddenly found himself wanting to say, but knew very little of it would help their situation and even less of it would be family-friendly. Sirius's tone came with a desperate plea, one he found hard to be annoyed at. Realistically, he knew everything he was being told was true. That's all there was to it.
Maybe he'd been too naive before, or maybe it was being around Daphne that had distracted him. Or maybe he was just being hopeful. So he was left wordless and uselessly annoyed, with nothing but the daunting prospects of their conversation hanging over him.
"I'm not your enemy, Harry," Sirius began again, with a much gentler voice. "Nor am I Daphne's. I want nothing but the best for both of you, but I'm not blinded to the situation we're all in. The others… they're going to be a lot less polite to you about all of this. Be prepared for that. And get Daphne ready for the idea of working against her father, because it's going to happen."
Harry pushed the air from his lungs. For some reason, his breath no longer made a poof of smoke as it came out.
"So what you're saying is... if she's not with us… then she's against it?"
Sirius met him in equal dismay, the sinister truth of that question already obvious to them both.
"That's... certainly how Mad-Eye will see the situation, I'm sure."
He was being given an ultimatum. Not even an ultimatum, actually. Because that involves a choice in the matter. He was being told to turn Daphne to their side. And he couldn't argue with it, because this was exactly what he'd been hoping for. This was the help they were seeking. They couldn't help Daphne unless she was all in on their side, that's all there was to it. Why would the Order go out of their way to help an emotional Death Eater with daddy issues when they got nothing back in return?
It was all about sides now. The word felt dirty in Harry's head. They only wanted each other. When they got together, sides was never a part in it.
"Where is she now?" asked Sirius.
Harry took a second to swallow before answering.
"Hogwarts," his voice cracked. "I'm going back with her when we're done. I'm sorry but... she needs me right now. I wouldn't be able to enjoy Christmas knowing she was alone."
He and Sirius met eyes again and thankfully, whatever hostilities had arisen were now gone.
Sirius brought his arms together, crossing them in front of his chest.
"I understand. Plenty more Christmas' to be had together. And you're more than welcome to bring her back next time, I'm sure we'll have a much better time together with some preparation notice."
He offered him the weakest smile.
"Cheers…"
"Who knows, maybe you'll get to finish unwrapping her box next time?" Sirius chuckled.
Harry frowned, missing the indication his humor behind it.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, decking her halls?"
"Wha…?"
"Mistletoe only gets you a kiss - should I presume there was a full tree in there with you?"
Finally, and way too late, Harry caught onto Sirius' meanings.
"SIRIUS - !"
The man walked ahead of him, laughing up a storm.
"SLING YER 'OOKS, YOU LOT! LET'S DIVE IN! FIRST TO SECOND FLOOR GETS TO PICK THE CLEARING SONG!"
