Dahlia's fall term comes to an end in a whirl of snowy weather. She finds herself tucked into a warm train compartment with Patricia, learning how to play Exploding Snap from the red headed twins she had met on her ride to school. Somehow, in the last month of school, the Weasley twins had decided that the four of them were now best friends. She's still not sure if she regrets distracting Mister Filch from finding them planting dung bombs in the Charms corridor or not. After saving them from what certainly would have been weeks of detention, Fred and George (as they had insisted to be called) thanked her profusely and declared she would have their undying loyalty. The whole event happened rather publicly in the Entrance Hall when she and Patricia had been on their way to Herbology. Dahlia had never blushed harder.
The twins had kept their word though. Dahlia and Patricia, who the twins had decided was the 'Fred to Dahlia's George,' had been the only Slytherins to not wake up with neon pink skin this morning. The results of their latest prank had all of Slytherin house out for Weasley blood. The twins' older brothers, Lord Charles Prewett and Master Percy, had been adamant that they not leave the compartment until the train arrived in London. Lord Prewett had even gone so far as to place a repellent charm on the door to their compartment, affecting all students aboard the vessel that had been victim to the twins.
Patricia lets out a startled shriek when her card explodes, leaning into Dahlia to get away from the (hopefully) harmless sparks. Fred and George cackle, swiping up the Pumpkin Pasties that Patricia had bet on the game. Dahlia shakes her head with a smile, though still makes sure to collect her share of the winnings. The four of them have been playing the game for several hours now, she's sure it won't be much longer before they'll pull into the station.
"Perhaps we best tidy up and find the loos to change?" Dahlia suggests, already beginning to stow the few items she had pulled out during the ride back into her trunk. She pulls out the set of muggle clothes she had put on top; one of Aunt Petunia's old sweaters, fraying at the hem, and a holey pair of jeans then she needs to patch up once again.
"Come on, Lia." George groans, slouching in his seak. He draws out the nickname, knowing that it irritates her. She prefers that only her siblings refer to her in such a manner, but she's also found that it's been a losing battle since she gave the twin gingers permission to call her by her first name.
"One more game?" Fred pouts beside his twin, glancing between her and Patricia with big blue eyes.
"I have no more treats to lose." Patricia grumbles, standing to pull out her own muggle clothing. "You two can change in here while Dahlia and I find the restroom. That way you can honestly tell your brothers that you didn't leave the compartment before they retrieved you." Patricia's tone is teasing, sticking her tongue out at the boys.
Before any barbs can be exchanged, Dahlia tugs her friend toward the door. "We'll be back!"
The girls are quick to change, hurrying back to their compartment as the train begins to slow. Dahlia can't help the grin on her face, feeling light with the thought she'll soon have her siblings with her once more. Master Percy comes back to gather the twins as the twain stops and the three Weasley brothers help her and Patricia with their trunks. Dahlia is almost trembling with anticipation as she steps off the train.
The last letter her brothers and sister had sent had said that Uncle Vernon refused to make the trip to London to retrieve her before he had to come in June. If Dahlia was going home for the holiday, she would have to find her own way. This was how she found herself met with Uncle Sirius almost as soon as she stepped onto the platform. It's odd to have an adult so excited to see her.
"Flower!" Dahlia finds herself swept into a strong pair of arms and twirled around. She can't help the giggles that escape her. "Oh how I've missed you!"
"I've missed you too, Uncle Sirius." She grins up at him, smoothing her sweater once she's set back on the ground. Her godfather frowns slightly at her clothing before shaking his head and smiling once more. He snatches the handle of her trunk from her and then takes her hand.
"Ready to go?"
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" She raises a questioning brow, stomach suddenly fluttering with nerves as she realizes she'll be experiencing a new form of magical travel.
"Of course. I scouted out a place to apparate us to before I came to get you." The Black lord tosses her a wink as he tugs her through the crowd and to the apparation point. Dahlia does her best to ignore the whispers that follow them, the whispers that have followed her from the moment she entered the wixen world and the magical public learned she, in fact, was not dead.
She's so caught up in ignoring the gossipy wixen, that she fails to take notice of them stopping. Before she has a chance to prepare herself, Uncle Sirius spins them on the spot and she is suddenly sucked through a tube. The sensation seems to last both an eternity and a second. When the spinning world comes to a stop, she barely manages to keep her balance and her lunch. Her godfather pats her shoulder as she gets her bearings. When she straightens, he's smiling so brightly that Dahlia is sure his face must hurt. She glances around, finding that they have appeared between Number 7 and Number 9 on Privet Drive.
Dahlia is moving before she can stop herself, leaving her godfather behind as she darts from in between the houses and toward Number 4. She just barely manages to stop on the front steps on the house to wait for Uncle Sirius, practically vibrating where she stands. He chuckles as he takes his place beside her and knocks firmly on the door.
"Boy! Door!" Uncle Vernon's voice is muffled from inside the house but it is undoubtedly him.
The thirteen seconds it takes for the door to open are the longest of her life. She practically tackles the boy it reveals on the other side.
"Lia!" Harry's surprised voice reaches her ears as his thin arms wrap tightly around her. She squeezes him to her for a moment before pulling back. Her smile immediately falls.
Her little brother grins at her, looking exceptionally excited at her return. She tries to return the smile but the bruise around his eye and the swelling on his jaw fills her with fury instead. She can feel the maroon sparks bouncing off of the braided bun her hair is currently in. Dahlia forces herself to take a deep breath.
"Where are Lettie and Dudley?"
Harry finally takes notice of the man standing behind her, furrowing his brows as he stares at him, answering her in a distracted tone. "Out back, in the garden. Aunt Petunia has them weeding."
"It's December! The garden is covered in snow!" Her rage intensifies, thinking of her baby sister shivering in the cold. "Go upstairs and collect your things. I'll send Lettie and Dudley up in a moment."
"What? Where are we going?" Harry tears his confused gaze away from Uncle Sirius to stare at her incredulously.
"I'll explain in a bit. Now, please do as I say, Harold James." Her brother only hesitates a moment more before bounding up the stairs.
Dahlia whirls around to face her godfather, finding his eyes blazing in the same anger she feels burning in her chest. He silently works his jaw.
"You only have a true connection to Harry and I. I will not leave Violet or our cousin Dudley here." She stares hard at the wizard, trying to gauge his reaction. If nothing else, she'll send Harry off with the man but she will not leave this house herself without the other two children.
Lord Black stares at her for a moment, gray sparks of magic emitting from his signet ring. He breathes deeply through his nose. "There are more than enough rooms in my house to accommodate four children. Collect your siblings, I wish to speak with your aunt and uncle."
As if he had spoken the man into existence, thundering footsteps echo through the house as Uncle Vernon exits the kitchen and joins them in the hall. "What is going on out here?" The walrus of a man sets his beady eyes on her, mustache curling up in disgust. "You're back."
A hand lands on Dahlia's shoulder, squeezing slightly as her godfather steps forward. "Good day, Mr. Dursley. I am Lord Sirius Black, Dahlia and Harold's godfather."
Vernon's mouth hangs open at the wizard's words and his face begins to take on a purple tone. Dahlia, sensing an opening, slips past the behemoth of a man and darts through the kitchen and out the back door. She immediately spots Lettie and Dudley on their knees in front of a frozen flower bed. Dudley is the first to notice her, nudging Violet with a smile. Her baby sister looks up and is then in her arms faster than she can blink.
"LIA!" Lettie buries her face in Dahlia's neck, clinging to her in a fair imitation of a koala. "I missed you so much."
Dahlia feels her heart break slightly at the wetness on her neck, the obvious tears from her sister. She holds her even tighter, the seven year old's feet dangling above the ground. After a few moments, she sets her sister down, turning her gaze to where Dudley stands awkwardly a few feet from them. He toes the snow covered ground, avoiding her eyes.
Her heart breaks even more, the resent toward her cousin that she was still harboring melting away. Dudley's just a kid, the same age as Harry. She hasn't been a kid herself in a long time, but she wants Lettie and Harry to have the childhood she couldn't have. She thinks she wants that for Dudley too. This boy who had once antagonized her has lost everything. She can give him this.
"Come here, Dud."
Dudley looks up in surprise at her soft command. His blue eyes look a little glassy at the sight of her open arms. A moment later and the nine year old is clinging to her even harder than Lettie had, his own tears wetting her sweater. Dahlia rocks slightly, stroking his blond hair. She frowns as she realizes how much weight Dudley has lost since she left in September. He's still bigger than Harry or herself, but he's definitely not the same child that was once referred to as a beach ball. Several minutes later, she pulls back to look at her baby sister and new brother.
"We're leaving. Now. I need both of you to go upstairs and pack whatever you want to bring with you. We're leaving and we're never coming back." She notes the handprint shaped bruise on Dudley's face. "They will never hurt you again. I promise."
Lettie practically bounces in place before dashing into the house. Dudley hesitates, looking up at her with uncertainty.
"I'm coming too?"
Dahlia swallows the lump in her throat at the quiet question. She takes one of Dudley's hands, squeezing his cold fingers tightly. "I believe Lettie told you that you're our brother now. I would never leave you behind. Just like I would never leave Harry or Lettie."
Dudley's eyes fill with tears once more. She squeezes his hand against, jerking her head back toward the house. "Hurry up and go pack. It's time to go."
While her siblings gather their things, Dahlia finds herself guarding the staircase as Uncle Sirius has a shouting match with the Dursleys. She's quite sure that her godfather is seconds away from flattening Vernon Dursley with his magic. Part of her wishes he would.
Finally, Aunt Petunia steps between the men, sneering. "Are you or are you not taking the brats?"
Uncle Sirius straightens, peering down his nose at her. "Yes. All four of them."
"Now see here-"
"I don't ever want one of your kind stepping foot in my home again. Take the freaks and leave." Petunia's voice is strained, disgust clear on her face as she glances at Dahlia.
A choked sob on the stairs behind her causes her to turn. Dahlia finds all three of her siblings standing halfway up the steps, bags in hand and trunks being dragged behind them. Dudley looks at his mother, a devastated expression painted across his face. A glance back at her aunt sees her throwing her son a glare before looking at Uncle Sirius imperiously.
"Get. Out."
Uncle Sirius glares at the couple for a moment more before turning to her. "Ready?"
"Yes." Dahlia says firmly. She marches to the front door, throwing it open and gesturing for her brothers and sister to leave. Lettie is first, practically skipping out the door with her backpack in hand. Harry is not far behind, tugging his magically extended trunk with him. Dudley comes last, silently tears falling down his face as he drags Lettie's trunk. Dahlia is quick to follow the three, not bothering to wait for her godfather. She snags the handle of her own trunk, having left it on the front steps when she arrived. Their procession of wixen comes to a stop at the end of the drive, Uncle Sirius joining them as the front door to Number 4 slams shut. Muffled shouting can be heard within the home.
"Everyone set to go home?" Sirius offers a smile to the other children. Dahlia nods in answer for them, snatching up Lettie's hand from her younger sister's spot beside her. Uncle Sirius nods and steps up to the curb, holding out his wand. A few seconds later and the Knight Bus appears with a loud bang. Harry already looks rather sick at the sight of it while Lettie jumps up and down excitedly. Dudley stares at the purple triple decker bus in wonder. A dark skinned boy with oval glasses steps out of the bus, looking at them expectantly. "Five heading to Grimmauld Place, London."
The young wizard looks them over carefully before nodding at her godfather's words. Payment is exchanged and trunks are stowed. Uncle Sirius leads them to the top level where there are more squashy armchairs than lump beds to sit on. Lettie and Dahlia squeeze into a chair together as their brothers claim a sofa. Uncle Sirius sits in another chair between them. The bus takes off with another bed, causing Lettie to squeal, Harry to groan, Dudley to shriek, and Uncle Sirius to laugh. Dahlia holds her sister tight, choking back bile at the erratic ride. She glances around at her siblings before her eyes land on her godfather. Sirius gives her a wink and a grin. Dahlia offers a weak smile of her own.
Despite the trouble back in Surrey and the currently sickness-inducing bus ride, Dahlia can't help feeling as if she's floating on air. She has Harry and Lettie again. She now has Dudley. None of them will ever have to step foot in Little Whinging again. Best of all, it seems as if they finally have an adult that cares for them.
Shutting her eyes, Dahlia sends up a grateful prayer to Mother Magic. It has to be divine intervention that has led them here.