pretty girl diggory- R.Weasley

5:3

Weeks passed at 12 Grimmauld Place quickly. After the incident, Celeste only left her room to help clean in the early morning with Lyra and Mrs. Weasley, change her cats' litter boxes, and when Ron forced her to go eat dinner with them and the passing Order members. Celeste would have preferred if they left her alone with her feelings but, of course, Hermione and Ron always brought wizard chest up to the attic to play.

    "I'm not letting you fall into a deeper depressive state, Celeste," Hermione said as she brushed Celeste's hair. "Harry is coming today, and we haven't been able to talk to him a lot, wouldn't that make you feel a little better?"

    "I owl him every day," Celeste said.

   "Celeste! You could get in a lot of trouble!"

     "I don't tell him about the order stuff," Celeste said. "just about how he's doing and talking about the things that I can't really talk to you two about."

     Hermione and Ron glanced at each other.

    "Celeste, you know you can talk to us about anything, right?" Ron said.

    "Ron, I know, but you two didn't see Voldemort come back, you guys still have all of your primary family. Harry is the only one who can relate to what I'm feeling."

   "Talking about me? Mrs. Weasley told me you guys were up here --"

    . "HARRY! Ron, Celeste, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know me and Ron's letters were useless — but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us, Celeste just told us you've been writing every day, but anyway — the dementors! When we heard — and that Ministry hearing — it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations —"

     "Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said, grinning, closing the door behind Harry.

     Hermione, still beaming, let go of Harry.

     Celeste stepped up and hugged Harry as well.

     "How are you," Harry murmured into Celeste's shoulder.

    "Well," Celeste said, but before she could say another word there was a soft whooshing sound and something white soared from the top of a dark wardrobe and landed gently on Harry's shoulder.

    "Hedwig!"

    The snowy owl clicked her beak and nibbled his ear affectionately as Harry stroked her feathers.

    "She's been in a right state," Ron said. "Pecked Hermione and I half to death when she brought your last letters, look at this —"

    He showed Harry the index finger of his right hand, which sported a half-healed but clearly deep cut.

    "Oh yeah," Harry said. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know, and Celeste's letters were the only ones that didn't seem so rushed. ..."

     "We wanted to give them to you, mate," Ron said. "Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us —"

       "— swear not to tell me," Harry said. "Yeah, Hermione's already said."

    There was a strained silence in which Harry stroked Hedwig automatically, not looking at either of the others.