NO 12. GRIMMAULD PLACE: THE SEVENTH LAYER OF HELL

"I can't believe how irresponsible you were! I mean, what exactly was going through your heads when decided to leave the house? And did you really think I wouldn't realise?"

Ila's eyes were glued to the clock during breakfast the next morning. Mrs Weasley shouted at them for the past seven minutes. Not only was Ila impressed that she hadn't lost her voice but also at how much she had to say. If Ila was in her place, she would have told them that they were grounded and that was it.

"We said we're sorry didn't we?" Ron sighed, leaning back in his chair. Until his mother glared at him, and he suddenly sat straight. Mrs Weasley's expression had changed completely. No longer was it the warm, friendly face that Ila was familiar with.

"Ila, Hermione, will you please leave the room?" Mrs Weasley said quietly, her eyes never leaving her children.

"Oh mum," Ginny groaned.

"Now dears," Mrs Weasley said sternly. Ila and Hermione quickly stood up and left the room, closing the door. The moment they did -

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO SNEAK OUT? WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU? WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS ARE YOU TO ILA? I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, SO WHY EXACTLY DID YOU FORCE HER TO LEAVE THE HOUSE? HAVEN'T YOU SEEN THE STATE OF HER? SHE'S PRACTICALLY - "

"Did you sleep?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"A bit," Ila replied. "Did you?"

She shook her head. "I knew Mrs Weasley was going to say something. I just was running through all the stuff she could've said."

"Did you predict this?" Ila said.

"YOU'RE ALL HORRIBLE FRIENDS, I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT!"

"No…not really," she smiled before the two fell back into silence…well, as silent as you can get with Mrs Weasley yelling.

Ila looked down at her hands. Ever since that night, her arms would spasm. It didn't happen that much, not enough for her to be concerned.

Until it did happen, and Ila wondered if that was because…

She remembered what happened to Neville's parents. She wondered how long they must have been under the curse…She wondered how long she had until she was like them…

"What did Cedric say?" Hermione asked.

"It was nothing, I told - "

"Ila," Hermione said, moving closer to her. "Don't do this."

"Do what?"

"I want you to tell me everything, please. I don't want you to bottle everything up, it won't do you any good. Even if you think it's stupid or embarrassing, I don't care, I don't want you to deal with this alone. So, tell me what happened."

Ila glanced up.

"You were right," Ila sighed. "He broke up with Cho for me."

"Really?" Hermione said, slightly concerned. "Was that what got you-"

"No, it was…he said that he wanted to be with me. When I…I didn't outright tell him, but I dodged the question pretty much, he said…he said that he knew the reason why I didn't want to be with him was because I was scared and that he would wait for me…"

"Don't take this the wrong way but…what did he say that was wrong?"

Because what he said was completely right. Because Ila didn't want to come to terms with that. Because Ila didn't want to burden him with everything. Because it was the wrong guy telling her.

"Am I really that obvious?"

"It might be because he is older than you Ila."

"It's only two years….Merlin, I am that obvious."

"You're fine Ila," Hermione said, holding onto her shoulders. "Who cares what other people think about you?"

"It's easy for you to say – you don't have the entire wizarding world looking at you like some weirdo. Do you know how many people were staring at me yesterday? Like I was some…some…weirdo…"

"While I'm not one for forcing people to do things they don't want to do," Hermione began, "why don't you try it out? I mean, going out with Cedric. He might be able to make you feel less like a weirdo."

"But what if it does the opposite? What if people think he's weird for going out with me? What if Voldemort decides to make him a target? You know how much I forced him to come with me? To take the cup with me. Imagine what would have happened if he did. I can barely live with myself with that thought, so imagine what would happen if it actually happened?"

"And what would happen if he can handle himself? There's a reason why he came second place, Ila."

"I don't want people to get hurt over me. Over this!" Ila sighed, taking a seat on the couch. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"Ila - "

"Besides…" Ila winced before saying the next words… "I don't think I like him anymore."

"Oh….oh….What changed? I mean, what made you so sure?"

Ila beckoned Hermione over. "I can't speak it. I can only whisper it."

Hermione looked at her, wondering what the dramatics were for. "Whisper what?"

"Closer," Ila said, before glancing at the entrance. "I can't let Ron know about this and I don't want to explain anything to Ginny just yet." Hermione made a noise close to a confession of guilt. "What?"

"It might be a bit too late for the latter."

"What?"

"It wasn't my fault – she figured it out. I just…I pointed her in the right direction."

"I'm not going to tell you now."

"No Ila, please. It was a mistake."

"No – I don't care."

"Ila it wasn't on purpose."

"I'm not telling."

"Please Ila it was a mistake – we've all made mistake - "

"Ikissedhim."

Hermione froze. "What?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The night at his birthday party," Ila said, her voice matching Hermione's, "I kissed him."

"Like…like for how long? Like a 'sorry I accidentally kissed you'…or…"

"Or I definantly meant to kiss you – let's spend the entire night together."

"Merlin Ila," Hermione groaned. "At least tell me you used protection – don't tell me - "

"I'm not fucking pregnant – I didn't have sex with him. I just kissed him. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

"So, what you said yesterday to Ron was actually just a joke. Nothing more."

"Nothing more. I just…I don't know."

"Did you ever talk to him after…"

"He didn't come up to me. But he was the one who turned Pansy in a pug. He saw me and then just walked off."

"Maybe he's trying to give you some space," Hermione suggested. "Are you going to try to talk to him?"

"I don't know. Should I?"

"I don't think there's any harm – besides…any fear that you have about dating Cedric, might not be there with Draco if you get what I mean."

Ila nodded slowly.

"I'll see."

"See what?" Ron asked just in time as their conversation finished. The rest of the Weasley siblings followed after him, the twins flopping onto the couch while Ginny sat beside the girls.

"Er – it was…nothing…"

Ron tutted. "Why do you guys always do this? Is it cos I'm not a girl – y'know this is actually misogyny. And I for one hate misogyny."

"We were talking about periods actually," Ila replied bluntly. "And about what to with blood clots - "

Ron gagged, putting a hand up to stop Ila. "Do not say another word." He moved away from the girls and sat on an armchair.

"What did your mum say?" Hermione asked. "How badly are you guys in trouble?"

"Nothing much – just that we have to help mum clean Sirius's house," Ginny said before sitting up straight and looking at Ila, "Mum did you tell about - "

"You're good Gin," Ila said, patting her back. She leaned back, sighing a breath of relief. "Why are we going to his?"

"Something to do with the Order – Mum barely tells us anything," George replied.

"What's the Order?"

"Remember when I told you Dad was a part of this group ages ago? When…You Know Who was around…around the first time," Ron said, his voice getting quieter as he spoke.

"Ah…"

"I guess it means that they believe you," Fred added.

"Yeah…"

"Quidditch anyone?" Ron asked abruptly, getting up from the couch. Everyone had said yes and made a move to get up whilst Ila remained seated. There was a good chunk of the wizarding society that didn't believe her, Fudge being one of them. If the Ministry of Magic won't believe her, no one will be prepared. No one will know what's coming.

Voldemort will bring the end of the world.

"Ila?" Ron asked, tapping her shoulder. "You coming?"

She looked up. "Sure."

"This is what I had to wait for?" Ila asked as she stared at two London townhouses on Grimmauld Place. One of them had No.11 while the other had No.13. "No. 12 isn't even here."

"Ah, I forget what it's like to be so dumb," George said whimsically, placing an arm around Ila's shoulders.

"You act as if it wasn't just yesterday when you realised women can have orgas -"

"There's more to what meets the eye, Ila," Mrs Weasley quickly interrupted Ginny.

She checked both sides, making sure none of the muggles were looking outside before taking one step forward. Suddenly and very loudly – everyone had to cover their ears – No.11 and No.13 began to move apart from each other, bringing a third townhouse to the front. Ila checked to see if the muggles inside either house had noticed. They were still busy watching the Sunday news. It finally stopped moving, as if No.12 had always been there. Stairs had also been provided to which the Weasleys climbed up. Mrs Weasley, leading the group, knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" yelled a voice.

"We're a bunch of robbers about to rob your house," Fred yelled back, getting a few giggles from the rest of the teens. Mrs Weasley, however, didn't look impressed.

"Molly Weasley…I've bought the kids along…and Ila - "

Mrs Weasley didn't even get to finish her sentence before the door to No.12 opened and revealed a much cleaner and neater Sirius Black than Ila had last seen all the way last year before her Second Task. He was wearing his pyjamas with a silk robe covering him. He looked a lot younger than when Ila had first seen him during her third year. However, the biggest difference was his hair

"When did you get a haircut?" Ron said, shocked to see Sirius leave behind his long locks.

"Thought I tided up to see my favourite goddaughter," he said smiling, as he tried not to brag. Ila couldn't care less. Taking two steps at a time, Ila hugged him as tight as possible, not ever wanting to let go. He stumbled slightly but hugged her just as tight.

"How have you been?" he murmured.

Ila could feel the weight that had been building up the summer slowly release. Her cheeks were getting wet. "Tired."

She felt him hug her tighter. "You're alright now," he whispered. "I've got you now."

"You know, as sentimental as this is…I am getting burnt alive right now," Fred said, only to be shushed by Mrs Weasley. But it seemed Ila and Sirius got the hint and broke away from each other, letting the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione into the house.

"So this is where you've been living?" Ila asked after Sirius started showing her a tour of the house. They had reached the third floor, where his bedroom was. It looked as if a teen Sirius had decorated the room. She thought the Gryffindor dorms were red…

"I didn't really want to stay here," he said. "But there weren't many choices. I need to find a place quickly after coming back from India."

"Sorry about that," Ila said sheepishly.

"Sorry, for what exactly?" Sirius said, walking up to Ila. The two stood at the doorway.

"I saw the pictures of when you were there…you looked…you finally looked happy and relaxed and then I came in and told you - "

"Those pictures were only a snapshot, Ila," he said. "You didn't think I was worrying about my best friend's daughter before I got that letter about your scar? You don't think I was worrying about how Dumbledore thought it would be a good idea to leave you with the Varmas of all people all summer?"

Sirius pulled her into another tight hug, resting his chin on her head. "Just because he's one of the greatest wizards of all time, doesn't mean he isn't a great old fool! You know you don't have to follow everything that man says, Ila."

"What do you mean?"

"The man doesn't think Ila," Sirius said. "He doesn't think about anyone else, he's only for himself."

"But - "

Sirius pulled her away. "You're too young to understand Ila…so was I, Remus, your parents we…we didn't realise until it was too late. Until I was stuck in Azkaban for something I didn't do, until Remus didn't get the help he needed, until your parents…" Ila was pulled in once more. "And the fact that he let you stay with the Varmas after what happened…I promise you Ila, when I tell you that I begged to let you stay with me but he wouldn't budge."

There was a tightening around her chest that she knew wasn't because of Sirius' hug.

"How are you really?" he asked, letting her go for the final time. He leaned back on the doorframe. He ruffled his short hair with his hand. "I mean…you look fine…I – I know I went through a lot, but what you went through Ila…I can't even begin to imagine…but you look better than me, you know?"

At this point, Ila was at a crossroads. On one side, was a winding path, leading her into a dark forest with barely any light seeping through. The other, was a fairly gentle, uphill path. It was going through an open field, the sun shining brightly on the fresh, green grass. There were two signs in front of the paths. One that read, "Lie and you'll never have to worry anyone again!"

The other read, "Tell the truth and you'll get everyone worked up over nothing!"

Ila decided to walk through the fields.

"Yeah," Ila said, "but honestly I feel fine…I mean at first…you know, I didn't feel…great…but…I don't know, I guess I got…over it." She hoped he couldn't hear the crack in her voice saying the last two words.

"Really?" he asked before breaking into a smile. "That's really good to hear Ila…I'm glad you're sharing this with me…I really am."

Ila heard footsteps thump up the stairs. The Weasley's and Hermione came from the landing and headed towards Sirius and Ila.

"Can we get a house tour?" Ron asked, clamping a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "The least you can do for being a good host."

Sirius chuckled, brushing his hand away, "I'll be the best host imaginable. Also, are you working out or something? You weren't this strong when I saw you…" Sirius stopped, seeing Mrs Weasley walk past them before leaning closer to Ron and whispering, "When I saw you in the cave."

"Have I been working out?" Ron smiled, causing everyone to groan. "If you want I can show what I do. We can work out - "

A hand clamped down on Ron's mouth. "House tour Sirius?" Fred asked.

Ila stepped out of the room. Opposite Sirius' bedroom stood another bedroom. She stepped closer. A gold plaque was nailed to the door and on it were the letters R.A.B engraved into it. Ila was about to open the door when –

"Ila, in here!" Sirius yelled, waving her to come in.

Entering the room, the group followed Sirius up the stairs, careful to walk quietly to the first landing. He took them into a bare room. Unlike the rest of the house, where rooms were filled with beds, furniture, and clothes, there was nothing but a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and a large window that looked out onto the streets below. There were faint figures of buildings in central London. The bookshelf was also bare, dust being the only thing that filled the bookshelf.

"Here it is," Sirius said, walking to the wall. The sun shone onto a tapestry that covered the entire wall. It was a large family tree, with names, connections, and portraits. At the top of the tapestry, in gold, shining - though it looked like it had dulled over the years - letters "THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK."

"This is your whole family?" Ila asked in awe as she examined the wall.

"Most of it," Sirius said. "It's got everyone from close family to distant relatives. The ones that got kicked out had their faces burnt off…but, not their names." He pointed to himself, his portrait was indeed burnt off, but his name remained, sewn into the tapestry.

"I never you knew you related to the Malfoys," Hermione said.

"Bellatrix and Narcissa were both cousins of mine, along with Andromeda," Sirius said.

"Who's that?"

"Tonks' mother."

"Hang on," Ron said, "so you're related to Tonks, who's your…"

"Baby cousin, I think."

"And Malfoy, who's your…"

"Also baby cousin," Sirius said, sighing, looking at the wall. "Being a pureblood does have its benefits."

"There was something that I read in a…in the Pure Blood Directory," Hermione said. "They said that there are only twenty-eight families that were 'purely blooded.' And well, your family was on it, and yours too," she said uneasily to the Weasleys.

"What, really?" Ginny said enthusiastically.

"Obviously, why do you think people always call us blood traitors," Fred said, leaning against the tapestry. He hissed, moving away from the wall. There seemed to be a hole in his sleeve.

"Anyway," Hermione said, "isn't there a lot of…inbreeding in pure-blood families?"

"Another benefit, I tell you," Sirius said before explaining to Ila, "For some reason, there's an irrational fear to mate with anyone who isn't pure blooded, so…you tend to have families where they'll marry their cousins or…sometimes, siblings."

Ginny made a vomiting sound.

"You know, I read somewhere that people who are muggleborns do have a trace of magic in their in lineage, but it's usually from a squib. I read a case where there a muggleborns that were related to some of the Founders of-"

"Wait! That means we're related!" Ron exclaimed, finally realising.

"I'm surprised it took you this long," Sirius smirked. "Me and your mum are…fifth or sixth cousins, something like that."

"So that means…" Ila said, looking over at the wall, smiling. She saw many portraits of their fellow students, mainly from the Slytherins. "You're not only related to Malfoy, but Crabbe, Goyle, even Parkinson!"

Ila watched all their faces cringe as she listed their names.

"Why aren't you on that list then?" Fred said. "The Potters were pure-blooded weren't they?"

"They should be," Sirius said. "In fact they were, until sometime…in the late 1800s - it was so long ago when Jai tried to explain to me, but….there was a case where one the men in the family travelled to India, fell in love with a woman who just so happened to pure blooded too, but because she wasn't white, they classed her as a squib. Hence, why they weren't on the list."

"So do you know who my ancestors are?" Ila asked.

"Come with me," Sirius said, and Ila was the only one who followed him up the stairs into another room, this one filled with grey cabinets. Seeing Ila's confusion, Sirius explained that this was the Orders and not his family's. He walked over to the furthest one and pulled out the bottom draw. He scanned through all the files before pulling out a bulky one and onto the floor.

"Shouldn't this be kept somewhere in the Ministry or…some library or something?" Ila asked as she watched Sirius open the file and pull out all the papers. There were pictures of people she had never seen before, some were smiling, and some remained serious. She bent down to look at one picture she saw.

It was of her parents.

They were on a snow-covered bridge, and both were wrapped up in the biggest jackets and scarves. Ila's father wore an ushanka while her mother wore her hood up. The two were dancing and laughing.

"That must have been just a couple of days before their wedding," Sirius said when he noticed her staring at the picture. He picked it up. "Both were so nervous and wouldn't shut up about it so Remus…Peter and I forced them to spend time together…you can keep it," he said, handing the picture to her. Ila hesitated before taking it.

"What did you find?" Ila asked, pocketing the picture in her back pocket. She suddenly found herself quite nervous at the thought of her family. The most she knew about her family was only from her mother's side and…that was never a nice time. The most she knew from her father's side was that he was rich. Both her parents left her vault full of money at Gringotts that could last for the rest of her life, and even her children.

"Here is your family's tree," Sirius said, rolling out a large piece of paper. It was larger than Ila had thought. Although it didn't fit an entire wall, Ila could have sworn she had counted more families on the paper. She saw many familiar faces that were on there, including the Weasleys', some of her mother's family members.

"Looks like you're related to one of the Founders of Hogwarts," Sirius said, pointing to the connection between her mother and Rowena Ravenclaw. She crouched down, scanning the paper.

"Who's James Peverell?" Ila asked. A group of three brothers were at the top. It seemed that was where her father's family line started.

"Oh, he was just some wizard in the Middle Ages," he replied. "I don't think your father even knew who they were."

Ila hummed in response. All of these people, dead or alive were related to her. All of these people were connected to her in one way or another. Her eyes glossed over one name.

'Tom Marvello Riddle'

Her blood ran cold as her eyes were stuck to that one name. What was he doing there? What was his name doing there on Ila's…Ila's…family…

Ila stood up, blinking away a pair of red eyes. "I…er – I…I should go help set up dinner."

"Oh yeah, I think I heard them talking about playing Quidditch," Sirius said, packing the papers away. He hadn't realised Ila was struggling to breathe. She took a few steps towards the door.

Maybe it was the dust or something else, but Ila was struggling to take deep breaths without feeling like she was going to throw up. She needed some fresh air.

She took one step out of the room.

"Ila," Sirius called out, "you alright?"

"Y-yeah," she said. Her throat felt like the Sahara desert.

"You know…I know I haven't been there for you for that long…I know only a few years ago you thought I was some murderous…" – he cleared his throat – "Look, I want you to know that I'm here now Ila. I won't go anywhere. I want to be there for you now. I want you to trust me. I – I want you to tell me if anything's bothering you, alright? I – I don't care if you think it's something small like…I don't know, but…I want to take care of you. I know that you haven't had that for a long time but…I'm here for you now…" – he cleared his throat again – "Merlin, I don't know where that came from…but – er – is that ok? Would you want that?"
Ila wiped away the tears from her eyes. She was glad her back was to him. She couldn't speak anymore. All she could do was nod her head before walking out of the room.

Her eyes were blurry even with her glasses on. She couldn't see where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get outside quickly. She was so blinded with desperation; she didn't realise another person was walking up the stairs until –

"Shit! Sorry," Ila blurted out, rubbing her shoulder that had collided with someone's chest. She took her glasses and rubbed her eyes quickly before the other person could say anything. When she put her glasses on, a familiar blonde-haired boy came into focus. He was staring at her, a look of concern etched on her face.

Ila was filled with too many emotions that the thought of Draco Malfoy, of all people, would be here.

In the same house as her godfather and the Weasley's. In the same place as her.

That only happened at school.

Last time she checked; she still had a couple more weeks.

It didn't hit her until he pushed past her and she walked out to the garden.

Draco Malfoy was in the same house as her!

As she looked around, looking for Ron and Hermione, she saw a few familiar and unfamiliar faces.

"Tonks!" Mrs Weasley said. Ila looked up to see she was balancing large, empty plates, walking towards Remus and Tonks. Further down the garden, there were a few familiar faces, faces she saw days ago. Ila even saw Bill and Charlie Weasley but there was no sign of Percy, though considering how he acted last year, she assumed why he wasn't here. "Do you mind helping me with these plates, dear? You too Remus…you can never have to many helpers."

"Molly, have you ever heard that too many cooks spoil…the…soup?... I'm pretty sure it's soup but something's telling me it's broth."

"It's because it is, Nymphodora…"

"Don't call me that Remus…"

Their conversation drowned out as they walked away from Ila. She wasn't alone for that long as Hermione appeared by her side.

"I was about to head in to see if you knew everyone was outside," Hermione said. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to throw up. Do you need to throw up? Do you need me to get Mrs Weasley? Or maybe I should get Sirius - "

"No," Ila said quickly. "I'm fine, I just…" she couldn't tell Hermione what was going on in her brain. "I – I saw – I just saw Draco when I was coming up the stairs," she said, whispering his name.

Hermione's eyes bulged out from her sockets. "He's here?" Ila nodded. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"I don't want to talk to him about that," Ila said quickly, "but why is he here? Didn't Ron say this was all to do with the Order?"

"Well…maybe he's here because of that," Hermione wondered. "I mean, you said it yourself, he has changed."

"Yeah but I didn't think he was going to do anything about it, I thought it was more of a – I'm doing this to piss my parents off – kind of thing."

"Did you see which room he went to?"

Ila shook her head. "All I know is that he was going up."

Hermione sighed, looking around the garden before looking up at the sky where the Weasleys were playing Quidditch.

"RON! COME DOWN NOW!" Hermione shouted.

"WHAT NOW? I'M A BIT BUSY!" he yelled back. He was playing as Keeper. Charlie caught the Quaffle and was ready to throw it into their makeshift goals. The rest of the players stopped moving, watching the showdown between the two brothers play out. Charlie threw the Quaffle up a few times to get ready. At one point, he pretended to throw the Quaffle into the goals, psyching Ron out.

"Give me strength," Hermione muttered. "It's not like it's the Cup Final or anything. IT'S URGENT RON!"

"I TOLD YOU I'M BUSY!" he shouted. Charlie moved back, ready to throw the Quaffle. Ron looked at his brothers who were on his team. They nodded. At that moment, Ron raised himself, until he was very carefully standing on the broom. He was shaking from side to side, trying to balance himself. He nearly fell, only to hold onto his broom at which point almost everyone on the ground now had their attention on Ron. Remus, Bill and a few other wizards Ila had never seen stood up and raised their wands.

"I hope you know what you're doing Ron," Remus said. "I don't want your mother to worry."

"I'll be fine Remus," Ron waved off his concern.

"So that's how you want to play?" Charlie said, taunting Ron before looking around and smiling. "Get ready."

Ron stretched himself out further, sticking an arm and a leg out to cover the other two goals, so that only one leg kept him falling off his broom.

"Ron," Bill warned.

"Hurry up will you?" Hermione mumbled.

Just then, Charlie threw the ball.

To the confusion of everyone, he didn't actually throw it towards the goals. He threw it at the roof of the building, to the right of the goals. The rest of his team groaned in despair, before threatening to push Charlie off his broom for being so stupid. It even seemed that Ron was more relaxed, laughing at how idiotic his brother was. But what was even stranger, was that Charlie was fine.

In fact, he too was smiling.

"Just give it a second," he said.

The Quaffle hit the roof before ricocheting off it.

In the exact direction of Ron and the goals. The smile quickly dropped off his face. The Quaffle was now travelling faster and stronger. Before anyone could do anything, Ron made one of the stupidest and most impressive moves that he's done, according to Hermione and Ila respectively.

Ron lept off his broom, just as the Quaffle reached the outermost right goal, catching it in time. Charlie shouted, while his teammates yelled at him and were now going through with their threats. It seemed that everyone from the ground was too stunned, leaving Ron to fall through the air to his untimely death.

Until he was stopped.

Ron, himself looked surprised when he hadn't reached his death within the next 5 seconds. He opened his eyes.

"Imagine how fun everything would've been if I'd let you fall," Sirius yelled. Ron grimaced, his face looked far too green to be healthy. Sirius laughed at the reaction before slowly levitating him back to the ground, landing him on his bottom. He sat there for a few moments. It looked like his life flashed before his eyes.

Hermione couldn't have cared less.

She stomped over to him, pulled him by his sleeve and dragged the shaken Ron and Ila back into the house and into the hallway.

"You didn't have to take that long you know," Hermione scolded Ron, who was still clutching the Quaffle tightly.

"I just nearly died, and that's your reaction?" Ron hissed.

"It is actually because you were going to die a stupid death," Hermione replied. "Anyway, I needed you here."

"What for?"

"Dr – Malfoy's here," Ila replied.

"Were you about to say Draco?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What?"

"Were you about to say Draco instead of Malfoy?" Ron repeated.

"What the fuck has this got to do with any – no I didn't say Draco I said Malfoy."

"But that's not what I'm asking Ila," Ron said, leaning closer to her. "I asked if you were going to say - "

"Oh, will you shut up Ron!" Hermione whispered furiously. "You're missing the point. Why is Malfoy here?"

"Maybe he's a double spy for You Know Who," Ron said as they walked up the stairs.

"He's not doing that Ron," Ila said.

"Oh cos you know so much about him," Ron said. "Is it cos you have a crush on him?"

Ila turned around. "First of all, that was a joke and secondly, you thought Malfoy was decent when we had our detention. You even talked to him."

"That was different," Ron said.

"Sounds like you're a jealous lover," Ila said, sticking her tongue out before climbing the rest of the stairs.

"Jealous? Me?" Ron asked Hermione. "What's wrong with her?"

"Leave it, Ron," she said. The trio found themselves on the topmost floor, barring the attic. The rest of the rooms were all empty. There was one final room on this floor. Draco was bound to be here. Just as Ila was about to grab the doorknob, a thought occurred to Ila.

"What exactly is the plan?" Ila whispered.

"Well, I guess just ask him why he's here," Ron replied.

"Yeah, but he's not going to answer if we ask him," Ila said.

"Maybe if you say…"

Ron stopped talking when Ila faced him.

"What were you going to say?" she asked quietly, emulating Snape as much as possible.

"Are you seeing this Mione?" Ron, the same man who keeps on bragging about working out, said hiding behind Hermione. "Do you see what kind of friend she - "

"Shh!" Hermione hushed him.

Ron scoffed. "This is the last time I'm being friends with gir - "

"Shhhh!" she said, more aggressively this time.

"What?" Ila asked.

Hermione stepped towards the door, placing her ear against it. Ron and Ila shared a confused look before copying her.

"….We can't Professor…they're not real…"

That was Malfoy. Who was he talking to?

"What…were…you…..doing….summer?"

"But that's not….Sir, don't you think that…were real…more….know?"

"….reason why….don't know…"

There was a muffled scoff before Draco said, "… Children's story…."

Ila pressed her ear closer.

"They are real, Draco," Dumbledore said, more quietly as if he knew Ila and her friends were listening in.

"Even if they were sir, what's the point?"

"I think they're after them. We need to make sure they don't."

"But sir, I told you, they're not-" The silence lasted for a few moments. "But…that's not possible. How is that possible? Where are the others?"

Dumbledore sighed, and Ila could hear his footsteps getting louder. "I cannot tell you Draco…it would ruin everything…"

"He'll already see all of this, and everything else, what's so different about this?"

"Severus will teach how to block him, Draco. But we know that he's powerful, which is why we'll also train you to give him certain memories."

"To throw him off?"

"Enough for him to be distracted from you Draco at the time being," Dumbledore said sombrely. "You'll feed him only snippets of information so that he doesn't realise what you're doing. You know it will happen soon. He's getting stronger and he needs people to join him…"

"I think I still have one more year," Draco said. Ila could hear a tapping, like someone hitting their wand on the table. "Mother and…Mother and Father would have said something by now." Ila could tell the hint of aggression when he spoke about his parents.

"You cannot break cover now Draco," Dumbledore said, his footsteps getting quieter.

"How can I sir?" he asked. "Did you see what he did to her?"

"We all did Draco, but if you're going to need to control your emotions if you want to be a part of this. I was already sceptical about having a child-"

"I'm not a child!" Ila rolled her eyes, practically seeing him stomp his feet on the floor.

"Not anymore, no," Dumbledore muttered darkly.

"Do you know if she's ok?" Malfoy asked a few moments later. She could feel Hermione and Ron's eyes on her.

"I haven't yet talked to her Draco," Dumbledore replied. "I doubt anyone could imagine what happened that night."

"She shouldn't have to."

"I've told you this before - "

"With all due respect sir, you could have saved her. You could be doing all of this. You're the adult here, so why are you making her do all of this?"

"Remember when I told you that you have to control your emotions Draco, or otherwise - "

" – you'll get hurt, yes…I know…"

Ila heard the sound of the floor creaking. Draco was ready to leave.

The three rushed back downstairs. While the three caught their breath in the livening room, Ila said–

"He was talking to Dumbledore…He was talking to fucking Dumbledore. I haven't heard a word from that man ever since he told the entire school something that he promised he wouldn't tell a single soul and Draco out of all people gets to talk to him and find out what the fuck is going on?"

The room fell silent momentarily, partly because of the two's guilt of not knowing how to comfort her and partly because they didn't want anyone else to hear.

Ron slowly stood up, his breath finally caught and walked to Ila. He placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"Not to be that person Ila, but," Ron said, "you said Draco."

The three entered the dining room a while later. There was a large enough gap between Ron and Ila, significant enough for Fred to ask –

"Did something happen?"

Ila sat next to Ginny and Hermione while Ron sat next to the twins.

"We heard screaming," Ginny said, "is everything ok?"

Ila said nothing, merely staring at Ron whilst he looked everywhere but Ila's eyes.

"Just…people being insensitive," Hermione said just as the rest of the Order arrived. Remus and Tonks were arguing about something, while Kingsley and Mr Weasley were discussing something rather troubling from the look on their faces. Mrs Weasley arrived plating all the dishes she made; a surprising amount of them being pies.

Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, Steak and Kidney Pie –

"Does your mum like making pies?" Ila asked Ginny as she sat down, staring at the fish that sprouted from the pie.

"She made too much pastry and couldn't figure out how to get rid of it without wasting it. For some reason, ever since the beginning of the summer, she's been really into not wasting anything anymore."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Ila replied, taking a slice of the Shepheard's pie.

"It isn't until you're on your fourth portion because Mum keeps on making too much food and we can't waste any of it," Ginny said, shuddering at the memory. "Ron, remember the spotted dick?"

"What spotted dick? When did you see a spotted…oh – that wasn't the one you're – oh right, sorry," Ron said, quickly realising that Ginny wasn't saying what he thought she was. "Yeah, mum kept shoving that down our mouths until our stomach was about to explode."

"Oh Ila – you can take a bit more y'know," Mrs Weasley said quickly, pouring a puddle of gravy on Ila's pie, which made her uncomfortable for a strange reason.

"Mum, for the love of Merlin, you're traumatising the poor girl – leave her alone!" Ginny hissed, moving the boat of gravy away from her plate.

"Thank you Mrs Weasley, I'm sure I'll be fine for now," Ila said politely, moving some of the excess gravy away from her pie.

Mrs Weasley before taking care of the others, never sat down properly for a meal of her own.

"Have you heard any news about your trial Ila?" Tonks asked from down the table.

"Tonks," Remus said testily.

"They haven't said anything yet – I'm sure they'll give something soon," Ila replied.

"They'll give it in a few days," Mr Weasley assured. "Then again, with the number of downsizes they're doing, maybe we'll have to wait longer."

"Arthur," Mrs Weasley hissed. "Can we just enjoy dinner as it is?"

"They've made another downsize Molly," Mr Weasley replied.

"What?"

"They mentioned it when I was leaving," Kingsley replied. "Department of Creatures."

"That's the third this week," Mr Weasley said. Ila had always known him as an easy-going man, so to see him this…angry – perhaps if it was a different situation, Ila would have been impressed. "All cos of that bloody Deputy!"

Ok, she was slightly impressed.

"Language Dad," Fred joked.

"This isn't a laughing matter. What do you think would happen if I came home and I lost my job? All because one man decided I wasn't good enough. I don't think anyone would be laughing then!"

The room fell into a tense silence. The only noise was the clattering of cutlery and the occasional stab by Moody.

"This is why I don't want to talk about this," Mrs Weasley said under her breath.

"Merlin…Sorry – I'm sorry everyone. Just…just had a bad day," Mr Weasley said, his face spotting with red. "Have they mentioned anything else to you about the trial Ila?"

"Just that I have to go to the Ministry. Do you know where it will be?"

"I've only ever been to a trial once, but they're usually held with the Wizenmagot."

"Come again?"

"Wizenmagot – it's essentially a group of high-level department wizards that decide if you will be guilty or not. Like muggle court though…worse."

"Surely it should be random wizards," Ila said. "Do I know any of the wizards on the wizardma – wiz – court?"

At the sound of her question, it seemed the majority of the Order winced and something was telling her it wasn't because of her pronunciation.

"Fudge will be there," Tonks replied. "That cunt!"

"TONKS! For Merlin's sake, not in front of the kids!" Mrs Weasley replied.

"She's not lying," George agreed quietly, though he was met with a look by Mrs Weasley.

"He'll be the head judge," Mr Weasley replied. "He won't be making the final decision. Think of him as the judge. Won't decide if you're guilty or not but will make your sentencing."

As several thoughts ran around Ila's head, Sirius appeared.

"Sorry I was late," he announced, sitting beside Kingsley, "had to make some adjustments to the rooms. What were we talking about?"

"Ila's trial," Mrs Weasley said, handing him a slice of Shepherd's Pie.

"Oh, that old thing?" Sirius said, scoffing down the food. Merlin, he's even worse than Ron. "You'll be fine Ila. Worst comes to worse just set the place on fire."

Mrs Weasley froze, the bowl of vegetables in mid-air –

"This isn't the time to be joking around Sirius," she said darkly. "Ila could have her wand taken away for Merlin's sake."

Sirius looked around, wondering if anyone else was concerned by Mrs Weasley's sudden change in demeanour. "I know that Molly. I just wanted to lighten the mood."

"There are some situations where joking around isn't necessary for example, talking about Ila's trial."

He scoffed. "The way I talk to my goddaughter is none of your concern."

"Ila is every bit of my concern Sirius," Mrs Weasley replied. "Were you there during the last weeks of school? Were you the one sitting by her bedside table, making sure she was eating, and sleeping? Were you the one comforting her after that horrific night?"

Ila could Sirius grip his knife, his knuckles fading into white.

"I had my reasons as to why I couldn't be there – reasons which you and Ila know."

"You say you want to have her best interest in mind Sirius….but there's a reason why Dumbledore allows her to stay with us and not you."

Sirius stood up, leaning against the table.

"I am her godfather Molly – don't you dare undermine that!"

"If you're her godfather then act like one," Mrs Weasley said sternly. "You haven't been there for her in the past four years. You do nothing but talk about wanting her to stay with you but you don't prove that you can Sirius. You barely look after yourself, how exactly do you think you'll look after her?"

"I didn't realise the conversation was about me," Sirius muttered darkly.

"It isn't," Mrs Weasley said. "And the sooner you realise that the better you'll understand everything."

Sirius took a deep breath, sighing out all the things that could make the situation worse and left the room. Ila could feel red hot flush her face and she was very ready to pass out.

They were arguing over her. What the fuck was wrong with her? How could she make people like Mrs Weasley and Sirius say horrible things to her? None of this would have happened if…if…

"Let's go upstairs," Hermione suggested, and the group thanked Mrs Weasley, who was facing her husband and headed up the stairs. She couldn't talk to anyone anymore. Who knows what would come out of their mouths? Ila said good night and headed straight to bed.