𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 12

CHAPTER TWELVE
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-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH MORE IS REVEALED

. . .

"I'm sure Hermione's house elves club has had it's fair share of recruits from those methods." Sirius quickly said, as an awkward silence settled over the kitchen. "But I am afraid Aviana has a point. Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry. He tricks, jinxes, and blackmails them. He's well-practiced at operating in secrecy. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in, he's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on them at the moment."

"I suppose some of his most loyal are in Azkaban.. would the news have reached them? If Fudge still visits then surely Bellatrix and Dad and the Lestranges will have heard?" Aviana mused, and it seemed to people that she had said something else that was correct. "Needs to get them out before anything happens." 

"What's he after apart from followers?" Harry asked swiftly, following the abrupt silence that came from Aviana's insinuation - a prison break is probably in the works.

The Rosier girl thought she saw Sirius and Lupin exchange the most fleeting of strange looks before Sirius said, "Stuff he can only get by stealth." When Harry continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, "Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time."

"Like what kind of weapon?" said Harry. "Something worse than the Avada Kedavra -?"

"What's worse than the killing curse?" Aviana interrupted again. "He didn't get the Elixir because of you lot, and God knows how strong he is after that strange little rebirth ceremony you told everyone about." 

"How do you know about that-" Harry said, and Aviana deadpanned. 

"My dad wasn't carted off to Azkaban right away. I heard him talking about it with my mother. I'm not supposed to know anything but Draco talks as well and it's not really that hard to convince a house elf to do something." Aviana shrugged. 

"That's enough." Mrs. Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door.Harry had not noticed her return from taking Ginny upstairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious. 

"Just when it was getting good as well." Aviana sighed, and through the lack of emotion those around her displayed she thought she saw a hint of a smile on Sirius's face.

"I want you in bed, now. All of you," she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione. Fred went to protest, but it was shut down quickly. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. "You've given Harry - and her - plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct them into the Order straight away."

"Why not?" said Harry quickly. "I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight —" He looked across at Aviana, expecting some kind of fight from her. 

"I think I would quite literally be murdered in cold blood. One thing is worse than a killing curse than Voldemort and it's your parents being the one using it. I can't even deal with my angry French mother when she catches me paying the butler who sometimes comes around to look after me but more often than not ends up in my dad's meetings, let alone if I were to join the opposing side's little Order thing." Aviana rambled. 

"Rich people problems, imagine being caught paying off a butler." Fred mumbled, and Aviana hid her smile. 

"Well good, because neither of you will be joining." It wasn't Mrs Weasley this time, but Lupin. "The Order is comprised only of average wizards," he said. "Wizards who have left school," he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you... I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough."

Sirius half-shrugged but did not argue. Mrs. Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons and Hermione. One by one they stood up and Harry, recognizing defeat, followed suit.

Aviana was the last to leave, and didn't say a word as she left, pushing past the crowd of people who stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Well, that was nice enough. Now I don't have to talk to any of you again - and please can you not start shouting again, the walls are very thin here." She said, and was about to move quicker when Mrs Weasley stopped her.

The older woman followed them upstairs looking grim. "I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," she said as they reached the first landing. "We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep," she added to Hermione, "so try not to wake her up."

"Aviana, I expect you already know what to do." As usual, Mrs Weasley's tone was cold towards the Rosier girl, and considering she was really the only one who still treated her like that - the others weren't constantly horrible to her, and when they talked it was almost like they were friends (they weren't, of course) - Aviana had really had enough.

"I do, yes." Aviana sighed, contemplated her options, and decided just to not say anything else as they continued up the stairs, but pausing just before she disappeared into her room. "Mrs Weasley, you may not like my parents or the beliefs that I have grown up with, and whilst I may be friends with people and have said things in the past that you disagree with, I have done absolutely nothing for you to act this way with me."

"This probably won't help my case either, but I do respect you and thank you for your hospitality that you have shown me. But I would appreciate it if you didn't treat the only free Rosier as if she wasn't a prisoner, or some criminal. I don't ask to be friends, or even for you to listen to me when I say this, but I just want to be treated normally. I have never truly believed in the blood prejudice that my family pushed onto me, but my family's beliefs are not something I should be punished for." 

Mrs Weasley, Fred, George, Harry and Ron just stared at her. "I apologise if that was rude in any way, shape or form, I'm just concious that I have a month left living here and to still have everyone else treat me somewhat normally other than you. Goodnight." Aviana finished, and disappeared into her room. 

"She might not be the nicest, but she does know what she's saying, to be fair." George said, and beside him, Fred chuckled, walking past Harry and Ron towards their room. 

"Just because you think she's pretty." Fred chuckled. "It's her upbringing, I suppose. Sleep tight." He winked at Harry and Ron, before going into their own rooms. The final two disappeared into their own room, whilst Mrs Weasley returned back downstairs. 

It seemed that Tonks, Bill, Mundungus, Mr Weasley, Lupin and Sirius had all heard it, and they stared when Mrs Weasley. "I suppose she gets that from you." She said shortly, slipping down into her chair and taking the cup of tea from her husband, looking across at a certain someone.

"Suppose she does."

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