Chapter 298 - Suspicious Thoughts

"This is amazing," George laughed.

It was the New Year's Eve and Sirius decided to bring some fast foods from a Muggle food place to celebrate, which granted him several disapprovals from Mrs Weasley but as usual, he ignored. They were enjoying it in the living room of Burrow.

"What's t'is cal'd agai'?" Fred said with his mouth full.

"Pizza," Hermione laughed.

"Don't talk with mouth full of food," Mrs Weasley snapped. "You will choke."

"Leave them, Molly dear," Mr Weasley smiled at his wife. "Let them enjoy. This is some really good food. Where did you get this, Sirius? You have to take me there — I mean I should take Molly there, sometimes, you know for a little break from cooking," he added quickly noticing Mrs Weasley's glare.

"Sure, Arthur," Sirius laughed. 

"He brought this today because he promised Harry but couldn't take him out for lunch in Muggle world and tomorrow you five will leave for Hogwarts," Aurelia informed Chris, Ginny and Harry. "He can't help himself when it comes down to his godson."

Ginny chuckled.

"I just hope he is okay after the thing with his brother," said Harry absently.

Chris and Ginny sharply looked at Harry then to Aurelia. Harry also realised and tried to change the topic but Aurelia smiled.

"Don't worry, I know," she said.

"You do?" Chris said surprised.

"Yes, after coming home that day, he locked himself inside Regulus' room. I knew that instant that something was wrong," Aurelia sighed. "After asking him for an entire day, he finally told me everything. He —" she looked back at Sirius, who was talking with Fred, George and Tonks. Her expression softened. "He was so guilty of everything. He thought, if he hadn't pulled away from Regulus when he ran away from home then his brother could have trusted him and told him what's going on, Regulus would have asked his help rather than Kreacher's."

"I don't know," said Harry. "What I understand is, Regulus wanted to punish himself for joining Voldemort. I don't think he would have asked for Sirius' help."

"Maybe, but he isn't ready to accept that," said Aurelia. "But I'm glad he is a lot better now. Not his old self but a lot better."

"Oh, I brought ice cream too," announced Sirius. "I think I left that in the kitchen."

"Ice Cream?" Mrs Weasley stared at Sirius. "In this cold?"

"Wait, I will bring it," smiled Aurelia getting up.

"I'll help you," Ginny hurried after her.

Mrs Weasley huffed angrily.

"Why can't you just summon the ice cream?" asked Ron sitting near Harry and Chris.

"Because it will melt by the speed," Harry explained.

"You've tried it, didn't you?" Ron said.

Harry shrugged and they laughed.

It was fun, a lot normal than last few days or years, probably. Chris found herself smiling. The thing with her magical and emotional outburst was still in the back of her mind but she decided not to think about it all the time.

"We will need more spoons," said Fleur but before she could call out to Ginny to bring the spoons, Chris got up.

"I will bring it, Fleur," she said and Fleur nodded with a smile. Chris did that because she knew that if Fleur ordered Ginny then Ginny and Mrs Weasley both will get fired at Fleur, again. So better let's not come to that. But as Chris entered the kitchen she caught a little of Ginny and Aurelia's conversation.

"— but can you like a person you thought you can't like at any cost. Like never," Ginny said.

Chris was surprised but didn't interrupt them, and to be honest, she wanted to know the answer too.

"You can," Aurelia smiled knowingly. "You can even fall in love with a person, you thought you can't stand. It is weird, I know. But sometimes things just happen and affection is one of those things."

"But how —?" Ginny looked utterly confused and Chris tried to think why?

"As I said, these things just happen. The stuff you hate or didn't like about them will be still there but you will find stuff about them which will give you the reasons to like them," Aurelia explained. "And the good stuff will always out weight the bad if you really like them."

"Maybe," Ginny smiled.

"But remember, that person has to be good at heart, like you," Aurelia smiled back at Ginny. "Let's get the ice cream before it melts completely."

"Spoons," Chris said walking to them. "They need spoons."

Ginny was surprised to see her but Chris didn't give any sign that she had heard the conversation between them. But as she walked back with the spoons, she felt something odd about the conversation. Dean and Ginny had almost broken up and the other boys who liked Ginny weren't her type then who was she talking about? 

It isn't Harry, is it? A doubtful voice said in her brain as she stared at Ginny, who went and sat beside Harry. 

She liked her when she was eleven but then she said she will never like him that way, but maybe now she does and that's why she asked that question to Aurelia.

*****

By the time, Chris, Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione lined up beside the kitchen fire to return to Hogwarts the next afternoon, Chris was convinced (due to her all night overthinking) that Ginny likes Harry and she needs to stay away from him. So that she didn't come in between Ginny and Harry.

"Don't cry, Mum," said Ginny, patting Mrs Weasley on the back as she sobbed into her shoulder. "It's okay. . . ."

"Yeah, don't worry about us," said Ron, permitting his mother to plant a very wet kiss on his cheek, "or about Percy. He's such a prat, it's not really a loss, is it?"

Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever as she enfolded Harry in her arms.

"Promise me you'll look after yourself. . . . Stay out of trouble. . . ."

"I always do, Mrs Weasley," said Harry. "I like a quiet life, you know me."

Chris chuckled and Harry sideways looked at her. But she hastily dropped the smile.

"Be good, then, all of you. . . ." said Mrs Weasley hugging Chris for the second time. 

Chris stepped into the emerald fire first and shouted "Hogwarts!" She had one last fleeting view of the Weasleys' kitchen and Mrs Weasley's tearful face before the flames engulfed her; spinning very fast, she caught blurred glimpses of other Wizarding rooms, which were whipped out of sight before she could get a proper look; then she was slowing down, finally stopping squarely in the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office. She barely glanced up from her work as Chris clambered out over the grate.

"Good evening, Professor," Chris said.

"Evening Christina," she said. Then as Harry appeared she said, "Try not to get too much ash on the carpet, Potter."

"No, Professor," Harry said straightening his glasses and flattening his hair.

When all of them trooped out of McGonagall's office and off toward Gryffindor Tower, Chris glanced out of the corridor windows as they passed; the sun was already sinking over grounds carpeted in deeper snow than had lain over the Burrow garden. In the distance, she could see Hagrid doing something in his garden.

"Baubles," said Ron confidently, when they reached the Fat Lady, who was looking rather paler than usual and winced at his loud voice.

"No," she said.

"What d'you mean, 'no'?"

"There is a new password," she said. "And please don't shout."

"But we've been away, how're we supposed to — ?" said Hermione. "We're Prefects we should —"

"Chris! Ginny!" 

Dennis came running toward them, very pink-faced and wearing a cloak, hat, and gloves.

"Hey Dennis!" smiled Ginny.

"Hi, I saw you coming in so I thought I will give the password," grinned Dennis breathlessly. "Colin and I arrived this morning in that purple wizard bus. It was brilliant! How was your Christmas?"

"It was good, Dennis," said Chris. "Where's Colin?"

"He is inside. Oh, wait — the password. Abstinence."

"Precisely," said the Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swung forward to reveal the portrait hole.

"What's up with her?" asked Harry walking in.

"Overindulged over Christmas, apparently," said Colin laughing. "I thought I heard your voice outside."

Colin hugged Ginny and Chris then led them through the crowded common room.

"The fat lady and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks down by the Charms corridor. Anyway Harry, I —" Colin started to rummage through his pockets for a moment, then noticed Dennis with them. "Deni, I think your friends are looking for you."

"You are not lying, are you?" Dennis asked suspiciously.

"No, 'course not," said Colin defiantly.

"Okay," Dennis ran away.

With a sigh, Colin pulled out a scroll of parchment with Dumbledore's writing on it.

"Here," he handed it to Harry.

"Great, I was wondering when —" Harry began unfolding the parchment.

But at that moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms. Several onlookers sniggered; Ginny made a gagging noise and said, "There's a table over there. . . Let's sit down."

Leaving Ron and Lavender locked in a kind of vertical wrestling match, they made their way over to the spare table.

"So how was your Christmas?" Colin asked Chris. "Luna told me your Dad was here."

"It was good," Chris shrugged, she could see Harry and Ginny exchanged a worried look. She focused on Colin. "I think that means you also know about the Minister?"

"Yeah," Colin nodded seriously.

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To be continued. . .