Forgotten Girl

Weasleys and Wrongs

"Now, who are you, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked when Lilli reappeared in the kitchen, "And why can't we talk in the hall?"

"I'm Elliana. Most call me Ellie or Lilli. Sirius is my uncle of sorts," Lilli stirred the soup gently, "There's a portrait in the hall of Sirius's mother. Nasty thing, screams all sorts of insults, and permanently stuck to the wall."

"I'm Mrs Weasley," The woman came over, taking over the soup, "Hand me the paprika, dear. What year are you in?"

"I'll be in my fourth year," Lilli handed her the spice, "Same as Ginny, I think."

"Oh, are you in Gryffindor too? She's never mentioned you." Lilli shook her head.

"No, I'm in Slytherin. I've had her in a few classes though."

There was a small shift in Mrs Weasley's attitude, such that if Lilli hadn't been accustomed to recognising it, she wouldn't have been able to tell. It was just a small lean away from her, a little dip in her voice as she said, "Oh."

Lilli sighed a little inside, taking a step away and gathering her book, "Do you want any help, Mrs Weasley?"

"No, dear, I'm fine. Thank you though," Mrs Weasley gave her a smile, "You go on and read."

~

Lilli returned to her room, nodding to Ginny as she sat in the window seat, opening her book. An awkward silence settled over the room as Ginny put her things away and Lilli read.

"If you don't mind me asking," Ginny said eventually, plopping on her bed, "What are you doing here?"

She slipped a piece of ribbon between the pages of her book, "Uncle Remus and Aunt Thia are both Order members. It's not safe for me to be home alone as much as I would be. Besides, Sirius needed the company."

"How'd you know he was innocent?" 

"Remus and Sirius are old friends. If Uncle Remus believes it, I believe it." That seemed to satisfy Ginny and put her at ease because she lay back in bed and fell quiet. Lilli went back to her book.

"What's it like in Slytherin?"

She looked up, surprised, "In what way? Like, what do the dorms look like, or what does it feel like with other students?"

"Both, I suppose," Ginny shrugged, sitting up, "I'm curious how different it is from being a Gryffindor."

"Well, the common room is very... elegant. Like you would imagine Draco Malfoy in," Ginny giggled, "And there's a window that looks out into the Black Lake. Sometimes the merpeople will come and say hello."

"No fair! You lot get merpeople? I just get my brothers' unwashed socks." They both laughed, and the awkwardness eased.

"I suppose we got the better half."

"What about the other students?" Ginny asked, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin there, "Do they treat you differently?"

"Most don't," Lilli said, "Well, the Hufflepuffs don't really. And the Ravenclaws will mostly just say they thought you were in some other house. It's mainly you Gryffindors that visibly act differently."

"How?"

"Well... I'm not sure how to describe it," Lilli admitted, copying her pose, "Like, they'll distance themselves from you, but not enough that you could call them out on it. Course, there are also the ones who will literally call you a slimy snake to your face."

Ginny looked appalled, "People actually do that? I've never seen it happen before."

"Usually, Gryffindors won't do it in front of others. They'll do it one on one," A bitter note seeped into her voice, and she paused, "Or they'll spin it so if you're not the target, it sounds justified."

"Has anyone ever said anything to you?" 

Lilli was quiet for long moments, studying the cover of her book, "Yeah. They have."

~

Although she remained quiet and courteous to the Weasleys, Lilli could tell that some didn't care for the young Slytherin. Mrs Weasley kept the same distant warmth in her voice whenever she spoke to her. Ron actively ignored her. Ginny and she got along well enough, as did she and the twins. Mr Weasley kept mistaking her for one of his own, or, once he found out she had gone to a muggle school, bombarded her with questions.

She spent most of her time, when she wasn't helping clean, in the Black library,  organizing the books. Books in French or Latin went in one pile, pureblood propaganda in another, and the small (very small) selection of books she might actually read. Most of those were marked, in very careful print, R.A.B. She didn't need to ask Sirius who that was.

As promised, her uncle was there once a week, and her aunt brought her to St Mungo's five days a week. Fred and George teased her about getting out of chores, to which she just stuck her tongue out at them.

When Hermione came, Ginny drifted towards her instead. Not that Lilli really minded, they were already friends after all. Besides, it gave her a reason to hang out with Sirius more, not that she needed one. He began asking her for stories, of her childhood, of her time at Hogwarts, or just ones that she made up on the spot.

She was happy to oblige, because he told her ones in return, of her father, of Remus, of the four of them during Hogwarts. It helped them both take their minds off the long days inside.

Then came the news of Harry and the Dementors. From what the twins had gathered with their Extendable Ears, the Order was planning to bring him here, to Grimmauld Place, someday soon. Sirius was ecstatic to see his godson, and Remus seemed quietly proud of Harry's Patronus. The Weasleys were understandably worried, and so was Lilli.

~

"Ah, Miss Simmons. Just the one I wanted to see." Lilli looked up from her book, catching sight of Professor Dumbledore. She marked her page.

"Hello, Professor. What are you doing here? The meeting's not until tonight." Dumbledore chuckled.

"Quite right, my dear, but you are so often volunteering during that time that I cannot catch you." The man settled gracefully into the chair in front of her, folding his hands in front of him, "Am I correct in that you still haven't told Harry?"

"Yes, Professor. Aside from three of my most trusted friends, no student at school knows." Lilli met his twinkling blue eyes, "Why?"

"I believe it is time to tell him, my dear. He could use all the family he can get." 

She hid her surprise, "Are you sure, Professor? He's got quite a lot on his plate without finding a long-lost sister."

Dumbledore chuckled, "I'm sure, Miss Potter. I trust you to be gentle."

~

"Why were Uncle Ron and Mrs Weasley so mean, Mama? What's wrong with Slytherin?"

"Haven't you been listening, Riley? Mum's showed us."

"It's alright, Teddy. Slytherins have been stereotyped far too much, Riley. That's all. Some people just take it a little far."