Thanks to Bill and Fleur Weasley for inviting my two sons to spend the summer vacation in France. Finally, I have a bit of free time to start organizing my thoughts for this book. Merlin! With these two brothers under the same roof, my husband and I have to be on our guard at all times in case they start fighting and blow up half the house.
Thanks to Mr. Lockhart for the thirty - two - page suggestions he enthusiastically sent for the previous two books. If one day I can finish writing them and revise them, I think I'll cautiously adopt a few of them.
This book is dedicated to D.A.
——Iris·【Only visible to wizards in detail】
I stayed at home for a week – it wasn't a pleasant one. Dad and Mum took turns being at home, but they were constantly busy with their own things, staying in their rooms and communicating with the Patronuses of others. I couldn't sneak down to the basement for my usual summer - vacation amusements. All I could do was stare blankly at the half - finished Legilimency notes left in my trunk – I didn't even feel like touching it. This notebook that I'd torn in half myself seemed like a vicious prophecy for my relationship with Draco. Just thinking about it made my stomach ache faintly. And then, when I thought that Draco still had the other half of the notes, my head started to hurt too.
After I got home, Mum borrowed Vivian from me. Although she came up with many excuses saying that she really needed an owl to deliver messages for her right now, I knew exactly what she was up to. She was worried that if I kept in touch with Draco as before, I might accidentally say something I shouldn't – but what could I say anyway? A week passed, and it was only when I saw the steaming food on the table that I realized there were other people in the house besides me. I even suspected that they'd cast a Muffliato Charm outside the room to prevent me from leaking information.
However, it was really unnecessary. Lying in bed, looking at the ceiling from which several pieces had fallen off due to a cauldron explosion, I felt as if a sharp thorn was slowly growing in my heart.
A week later, I carried my trunk and followed Mum, who was looking around warily. She had cut her long, deep - red hair short so that it no longer cascaded gracefully down to her waist. I still preferred the way she looked before.
"Where are we going?" I asked. Last night, she had just gently knocked on my door and told me to pack the luggage I'd need to go back to Hogwarts. For a moment, I thought this boring summer vacation had ended fortunately ahead of schedule. But the place we Apparated to was undoubtedly far from King's Cross Station. Mum didn't answer my question immediately. She kept looking around, her wand steadily pointing forward, ready to engage in a fight at any moment.
"Liz, keep up with me." She cast a Levitation Charm on my trunk, making it float slightly off the ground, and then led me into a trot. We passed through several secluded alleys and gradually reached a more open area. However, the houses around exuded an eerie, gloomy atmosphere in the evening sunlight. Then we walked across a patch of grass that seemed to have been left untended for a long time. Several rusty metal seats were dirty, and I didn't think any passer - by would want to sit on them to rest. Only a few of the surrounding houses had a glimmer of light seeping through their windows. In front of quite a few houses, the steps were piled with garbage, giving off an unpleasant smell in the middle of summer.
"We're a bit early," Mum said anxiously in a low voice. "But I think it should be okay... Here, Liz, read this note. Don't say it out loud. Just think it in your mind." She handed me a tightly rolled piece of parchment. The handwriting on it was long and thin, with loops and circles. It read: "The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at 12 Grimmauld Place, London." I was startled because, right after silently reading this sentence following the note, it seemed as if something was about to burst out between the two houses in front of me. A door suddenly appeared out of thin air, and the two houses were pushed forcefully to the sides. Only then did I notice that their house numbers were 11 and 13 respectively. The next second, a rickety stone staircase appeared in front of Mum and me. The crooked nameplate on the newly - appeared door read "12". It looked older than the surrounding buildings, but due to its dilapidated state, it didn't seem out of place.
"There will be some procedures..." Mum said to me, who was completely confused. "But they're not for you, Liz. Promise Mum not to think too much, okay?"
I had no idea what she was talking about, so I could only nod blankly and watch as she knocked on the door with her wand. I heard a whole bunch of metallic clanging sounds from behind the door, as if many rusty chains were rubbing heavily. The door creaked open.
"Come in," she whispered, as if afraid of waking something. "Stay close to Mum and don't touch anything – absolutely nothing." I almost tripped over the threshold and walked into the hallway in the dark. It seemed that not even a sliver of the last rays of the setting sun outside the window could penetrate this eerie house. I smelled a damp odor that reminded me of rotten medicinal herbs. Before I could get used to it, several bright lights suddenly appeared ahead, and then a row of old - fashioned gas lamps on the wall were lit, allowing me to barely make out that this was a corridor.
"Alastor," Mum seemed to heave a sigh of relief. "It's me. Has Severus come back?"
"He arrived a while ago and has already gone into the meeting room," the thumping sound of the wooden prosthetic leg hitting the floor brought back unpleasant memories. Although I knew that Moody at that time was impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr., when that large blue eyeball on his face turned towards me, I took a step back and felt nauseous again.
"Your daughter," I heard Moody say. "I actually don't think it's a good idea for her to be here. I heard she used to be very close to that Death Eater's child. If – "
"Alastor – "
"You don't need to worry about that," I interrupted Mum numbly. "First, I've stopped contacting him. Second, Mum has confiscated my owl. Third, you can search my things. To avoid trouble, I only brought books and clothes – do you need me to open my trunk?"
"Liz, Mum didn't do this because she doesn't trust you – " Mum turned around in a panic.
I kicked the trunk violently, spilling all the contents onto the dirty carpet with a clatter. "Search it as you like."
Mad - Eye Moody's blue eye spun wildly. I was sure he had scanned me from head to toe carefully, then looked at the pile of books and clothes on the floor, and only then stepped aside to let us pass through the corridor behind him.
"Little girl, I don't distrust you," I roughly threw the luggage, which was now covered in dust and cobwebs, back into the trunk and silently dragged it as I followed them inside, hearing Moody say gruffly. "Although I've never actually taught you a single class, I know your mother. She wouldn't raise a child who goes astray. On the contrary, she's good at rescuing those who are on the verge of going astray, like your father. But basic caution is necessary, especially at a time like this... You can't imagine what despicable means those Death Eaters will use to spy on us. Their honeyed words are certainly very alluring to young wizards. It's not – "
"Regarding this matter, I thought I had relayed Dumbledore's exact words to you, Mad - Eye," I heard my father's voice, he seems a bit angry and impatient. "Or do you think that after being trapped in a trunk by Death Eaters for a whole year, you've developed a more acute judgment than him?"
"Severus!" Mum said sharply. "Alastor is just doing his duty. He's not deliberately making things difficult for Liz! He checked the other children when they came too. You shouldn't say such things in front of the child! Alastor, Severus is just... He felt that he didn't protect Liz well before, and then he wasn't by her side. He's frustrated... Liz, don't think too much. Of course, Mum and Dad trust you! Dumbledore trusts you too. No one can enter this house if they're not trusted by him."
I was glad that a bunch of people rushed down the stairs at this moment, so I didn't blurt out "What an honor it is for me" which was already at the tip of my tongue. I didn't know why I had become like this. It seemed that suddenly, I was no longer the well - behaved kitten who wanted to snuggle up to Mum all day. Instead, I could read a sense of distrust from their various behaviors and became aggressive because of this suspicion. I felt that suddenly my past had become a disgraceful stain that I needed to cover up. Then why was I made to know Draco Malfoy when I was a child? Why didn't anyone tell me from childhood to adulthood, "You shouldn't be friends with him. You should keep your distance from him"?
"Iris!" Hermione exclaimed and rushed forward to hug me. "We've been waiting for so long. We almost thought you wouldn't come until tomorrow!"
"Be careful, girl!" A witch wearing a monocle came down the stairs. Her thick eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her gray hair was tied into a tight bun – which instantly reminded me of Professor McGonagall. "You all go upstairs quickly – Harry, you tell Taurus that if he still doesn't understand how to be a host, I'll consider confiscating his Firebolt."
"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Black," Hermione let go of me uneasily. Harry behind her gave me a smile.
"Taurus and Ron are upstairs. They're still being made to do chores," Harry took my trunk and stuck his tongue out at Hermione. "Taurus was caught playing with bowtruckles by his mother just now... It's better not to mess with the adults at this time. They seem to be on the verge of exploding at any moment. Come on, this way... Where's Vivian?"
"It was commandeered by my mom," I said simply.
Harry seemed to have grown a few more inches. Strands of hair on his head kept getting caught in the drooping cobwebs. Hermione and Harry led me as we tiptoed past two long, worm - eaten curtains, as if there was something inside that they were afraid of waking up. We walked around a large umbrella stand that looked like it was made from a broken leg of a troll, and then went up the dark stairs. To my surprise, I saw a whole row of house - elf heads hanging on the wainscoting, which made the house seem even more ominous and eerie.
"Hey, you're here?" Taurus straddled a staircase banister that looked like it could collapse at any moment. His long legs swung in the air, and he held a dirty rag in his hand. "Come and help. My mom said if we can't clean this place up by the end of the meeting, I won't get any dinner."
"Who told you to play with that bowtruckle without gloves?" Hermione carefully sidestepped a sunken step. "We'll take Iris to her room and then come over. Where's Ron?"
"When he was cleaning the cupboard, he found a nest of spiders as big as saucers inside," Taurus said indifferently, wiping his handsome face with his dirty hand. "He's probably still in the bathroom upstairs. Ginny is watching over him."
"Who else is here?" Everyone was speaking in hushed tones, and I unconsciously imitated their tone.
"Welcome to the Grimmauld Place Teenagers' Summer Camp," Taurus said gloomily. (I had no idea where he had picked up this term that seemed to be only used in the Muggle world.) "I don't know which adult came up with this idea. They're busy fighting You - Know - Who and think we don't have the ability to protect ourselves at home alone. ('We really don't,' Hermione said, and Taurus rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.) So their solution is to gather us all together, so that they can leave one person to watch over us each time ('To safeguard the security of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters!') and carry out their top - secret operations without any worries, which we're not allowed to know a single word about."
"Harry and I were the first to arrive. Of course, this was originally our family's house, an old, dilapidated house. I never thought I'd have to live in it one day. It sounds like a nightmare," Taurus nimbly flipped off the banister and walked to the front. "Then Hermione and Ron came, and Fred and George too - only us students still at school have to live here."
"Isn't Neville coming?" I asked. "Shouldn't he be the one who most needs to be protected?"
"My mom even wanted to directly bring Neville to our house for the summer," Harry turned around and whispered. "But Dumbledore insisted that Neville stay with his great - uncle. However, we think he'll be here soon. We overheard something before, and I'll tell you in detail after you get settled."
After walking across the dim landing, we stopped outside a room. Hermione turned the serpent - shaped doorknob of the bedroom. There was a window in the room, but the view outside couldn't be clearly seen. More than half of it seemed to be stuck with something unpleasant. A short and plump witch was using her wand to conjure up clean sheets and pillowcases, which jumped onto a single bed that had been bare just now.
"Molly Weasley," she said with a beaming smile as she shook my hand. Then she suddenly came to her senses. "So everyone downstairs has arrived? Merlin! Why didn't they remind me! I've made up the bed. Have a good rest. It's more comfortable than it looks. Hermione, you and Ginny show Iris where to put her luggage. I have to go downstairs!"
She patted Hermione's shoulder hastily, then disappeared at the door like a gust of wind. I didn't even have the chance to say a polite "Hello, Mrs. Weasley".
"I'll help Iris unpack. You and Taurus go back to clean the stairs," Hermione instructed the two boys. "You can't just stand here watching us sort out girls' clothes, can you?"
"At your command, ma'am," Taurus made a funny gesture and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let's go, buddy. You'll have a whole summer to look, no rush for now."
I only brought half a trunk of luggage, and half of it was books. But it took us quite a while to clean the places that got dirty when I dumped them on the floor just now. Hermione sighed and said that if Mrs. Weasley were still here, she could get rid of all the stubborn stains in a second. The two of us were still struggling with the last stubborn cobweb on the robe when Ginny pushed the door open. It seemed to be stuck there by some kind of spell.
"How's Ron?" Hermione tried Scourgify one more time, shook her head disappointedly at the unchanged cobweb, and turned to ask Ginny.
"Not very well," Ginny lay down on her small bed. "A spider crawled all the way up his arm to his neck. No matter how much I tried to persuade him, he thought that spider had the ability to burrow through his skin and into his throat. He was clinging to the toilet, retching. Of course, it's also possible that he was just trying to slack off and not clean those cupboards anymore."
"Go and check on him," I said quickly, seeing the worried look on Hermione's face. "I don't usually wear this robe anyway. It doesn't matter if it's dirty."
After she left, an awkward silence fell over the room. My interactions with Ginny at school were limited to the fact that we were both Hermione's friends. When we were around Hermione, we could talk naturally, but in fact, we hardly ever spent time alone. She mostly hung out with girls a year younger than us.
"Sounds like Fred and George are Apparating in the house again," a short explosion came from outside the door. Ginny stared calmly at the ceiling. "You have to get used to them popping out from some corner at any time. Don't scream and don't touch things you shouldn't because of panic."
"Okay." Although I still didn't know exactly what things I shouldn't touch, considering this house looked as if it was cursed all over, I nodded.
"I heard your conversation with Mad - Eye when you came in. I didn't mean to. The floor I was assigned to clean was right above you. There's a big hole in the floor, so it was hard not to hear," she turned to look at me. "He was like this when we came, too. He mistook Fred and George's Extendable Ears for some amazing Dark Magic items and confiscated a lot of their stuff... I don't know where they got the money to buy those things. Anyway, you know what I mean, right?"
"I know," I forced a smile at her. "Thank you."
"Then stop looking so gloomy and cheer up," she said rather bluntly. "We've got plenty to do. We've finally cleaned most of the bedrooms, but the living room hasn't been touched at all. Only Merlin knows how many disgusting things are in there. Mom said she's sure there's a whole nest of bowtruckles hiding under one of the curtains."
It was not until dinner time that I finally understood what "don't touch things randomly" meant. A young witch came out of the meeting room and clumsily tripped over the umbrella stand made from the troll's leg. She apologized repeatedly, but before she could stand up, those of us coming downstairs heard a spine - chilling scream. For a moment, I thought someone downstairs was being attacked. But when I drew out my wand, I found that Hermione and the others were just covering their ears with calm expressions, as if they were used to it.
The screams seemed to be passed on like a relay. Only then did I notice that the two long, worm - eaten velvet curtains we had passed by when going upstairs were drawn open. Behind them was a life - sized portrait. By the dim light, I could barely make out that it was a wrinkled old man. Her voice woke up the other sleeping portraits in the house, and I felt my ears starting to throb.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The young witch tried to drag the huge and clumsy troll's leg back into place. Mrs. Weasley, who had failed to draw the curtains, turned around and began to cast Stunning Spells on the other portraits. A man rushed out from another door, and Taurus jumped up and ran over to help him.
The old woman, who had looked dazed just now, seemed to wake up in an instant. She stared wide - eyed at the two in front of her and shouted harshly, "You - you good - for - nothing! How dare you come back, bringing a bunch of filthy things from who - knows - where to defile the home of my ancestors!"
"Shut up!" Taurus shouted. "Do you think anyone wants to come back?"
This sentence seemed to have exactly the opposite effect. The old lady's eyes were instantly filled with tears, and she yelled viciously, "Fine! Look at what you've raised - exactly like you - all good - for - nothings! All a disgrace! I don't have descendants like you - "
"Shut up." Before she could finish, the tall, dark - haired man and Talos, with the help of another familiar figure, finally closed the curtain. For a long time, I felt that the echoes were still ringing in my ears.
"For Merlin's sake, Nymphadora," the dark - haired man tied up his disheveled long hair, making him look like an adult version of Taurus. "How could you not see such a big umbrella stand?"
"It won't happen next time! Don't call me Nymphadora just because I made a mistake!" The young witch mumbled. To my surprise, her hair changed from violet to a light pink. "I'll go help in the kitchen - ouch!"
She almost knocked over the umbrella stand that had just been put in place. Professor Lupin, who was the familiar figure just now, immediately pulled her to the side.
"You'd better take a rest, Tonks," Professor Lupin seemed to have aged a bit more. He was about the same age as my parents, but his hair had turned grayish - white. However, there was still that reassuring and reliable smile on his face. "I think you're exhausted from your shift."
The witch's hair had now turned a dazzling red. I was certain I wasn't mistaken. How could she transform her appearance so easily?
"Come on down, kids. Be careful not to wake those paintings again," Lupin politely let go of the young witch, turned around, and smiled at us. For a moment, I had the illusion that I was back in my third year. "Iris, long time no see."
"Oh! This is Lily's daughter!" The witch came over enthusiastically (everyone watched her nervously, afraid she'd knock something over again). "I know they all say you're as beautiful as your mother, a real beauty - but you're even prettier than I imagined! God, I couldn't conjure up such a beautiful face even if I tried to imagine it. Hello, I'm Tonks!"
"Nymphadora Tonks," Taurus added from the side. "Her mother is my father's cousin."
"Just call me Tonks," Tonks said quickly. I watched curiously as her hair slowly returned to violet. "Please, don't call me Nymphadora."
"God, who would have thought she's Snape's daughter?" Tonks was still looking at me intently. "Right, Sirius?"
The dark - haired wizard slightly furrowed his brows upon hearing my father's name, but still gave me a nod. Talos stood proudly beside him and introduced his father to me (actually, it wasn't necessary. Anyone could tell they were father and son, just as the portrait had said, they were cut from the same mold).
We passed through a door and entered a room as dim and gloomy as the hallway above. It really didn't make one feel like eating. Those heavy iron pots and pans didn't seem like they were used to cook human food. Many messy chairs surrounded a long table. Mom came over in a hurry and gave me a hug.
"Mom and Dad both have some tasks to do," she kissed my forehead. "Dad was in a hurry, so he left first. Liz, promise Mom you'll stay here well, okay?"
"I won't cause them any trouble," I said, looking into her eyes, which were exactly like mine. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Can we have a little chat, okay?" She reached out her finger to tidy the stray hairs by my ear. "I'm sorry, mom knows you're sad—"
"I'm not," I evaded her eyes. "I'm fine... Don't worry about me. You two should also take care. I'll be waiting here for you and dad to come back."
"We'll take good care of her, Lily," Mrs. Weasley said with a beaming smile. "Don't worry."
"Yeah, we promise," Harry chimed in right away. Mom looked at him with a smile, then turned to look at me.
"Then Amelia and I won't have dinner, Molly," she said to Mrs. Weasley. "Sorry to trouble you and Fiona."
"Not at all." Only then did I notice that Mrs. Potter, who was directing a large pot of onion soup on the other side, didn't turn around. "I need someone else to give me a hand—no, Tonks, you just rest. Harry and Hermione, come and help me."