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XX. GRIMMAULD PLACE
Through the summer, Winnie woke up screaming. Sirius would rush in the room, comfort her until she fell back asleep, and then stay awake in case she needed him. Winnie was thankful to be living with her father; she just wished it was under better circumstances. Memories of the life leaving Cedric's eyes were burned into her brain. The guilt; knowing she could have saved him, but she was too weak.
They sat in the kitchen; the Weasley's would be arriving soon. Winnie sighed as she read another clip from the Daily Prophet newspaper. The headline read: 'THE BOY WHO LIES?' accusing Harry of lying that Voldemort had returned. In another section of the newspaper, they wondered if Winnifred Black, daughter of mass murderer, Sirius Black had something to do with Cedric Diggory's death.
Not only was her boyfriend dead, but now they were blaming her. Dumbledore said it was crucial that she didn't reveal her identity as a phoenix, but now everybody thought she was evil, just like her father was. Winnifred hated the ministry. They didn't know the first thing about what had happened that night, and they couldn't handle the backlash, so they were blaming it on two teenagers. They still didn't know that Sirius was innocent. He was confined to one space, not being able to leave, and it drived him crazy. Grimmauld Place was an old, dusty flat, that one one point had been The Noble House of Black. They had a house elf, named Kreacher, who hated everyone besides Sirius' mother, who was a very loud, opinionated woman who was now in a painting. Sirius told Winnie of his brother, Regulus. He had been a Death Eater, and though Sirius never knew exactly what happened to him, he figured he was killed by Voldemort.
The Weasley's arrived that night, spooking Winnie's cat, Clove. Hermione was with them as well, and had brought her own cat, Crookshanks. Winnie expected the two felines to fight, but they actually got along with each other.
Hermione had pulled her into a tight hug, not letting go for several minutes. "Oh, Winnie, I was so beyond worried about you and Harry! How are you?"
"I'm doing better, really. Being able to live with my dad has really helped. It's filled a part of my life that has always been missing. We've grown quite close. I do love when he tells me about my mother." Winnie told Hermione. Hermione smiled, glad she was doing a bit better. The last time she had seen her, Cedric had just died, and she'd been hit with an unforgivable curse.
"Hello, Winnie." Ron smiled. "Hi, Ron." Ginny was next to greet her.
"Evening, Winnie! Are you excited about quidditch this year? I've heard that Roger Davies is stepping down as Ravenclaw's captain. Reckon you'll take his place?" Ginny didn't treat her like she was broken, which she appreciated.
"I'll give it a go. Sabrina deserves it, though." She'd written her muggle born friend many times over the summer. Sabrina had mourned over Cedric with her, but as time went by, tried to lighten the conversation up.
"That's Dove's sister, right?" Ginny asked. Like Luna, they were in the same year. Winnie nodded.
"How are you, Winnikins? Did you miss us?"
"Yes, I did. Hello to you, too, George."
"You can honestly tell the difference?" Ron asked.
"Just by little things I've noticed." Winnie shrugged.
Fred was the last to greet her, pulling her into a hug. George coughed when he'd thought the hug had gone on long enough, and was bordering on awkward.
"Hello, dear. I'm Molly. I've heard much about you. It's lovely to meet you." Winnie expected a handshake, but she got pulled into a hug, instead.
"It's really nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Weasley. I've seen you like to knit; your children's Christmas sweaters always look lovely." Winnie smiled.
"Please, call me Molly. How sweet! I'll get to knitting you one this year." She winked, before heading to talk to Sirius. Mr. Weasley introduced himself, gave her a handshake, and promptly followed his wife. She noticed that the other three Weasleys weren't there, but she didn't question it, as they had all graduated from Hogwarts.
"So, these meetings, who exactly comes to them?" Ron asked.
"Well, Remus, Dumbledore, Nymphadora, Professor Mcgonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hagrid, a few others, including Snape." Winnie listed. Prim wanted to come to the meetings, but she was underaged, and her parents said no. For the first few meetings, Winnie hadn't been allowed in. It wasn't until after Winnie pointed out that she had been with Harry when Voldemort had returned, and she was above the legal age. Sirius decided to let her stay for the meetings. Mcgonagall hadn't been the happiest - she thought she was still too young.
"As in Professor Snape? The foulest git to walk this earth, Professor Snape?" George asked, and Winnie chuckled, nodding. "That would be the one." She replied.
"I heard what happened to Harry. I can't believe the dementors went to a muggle town, and worse, I can't believe they're trying to punish him for it! When's his hearing?"
"Pretty soon. He'll be joining us soon."
Winnie desperately wanted to talk to Harry. She still didn't have all of that night pieced together, as she had been in and out of consciousness. She would've written him, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant note to receive.
She had, however, been writing Fred all summer. They'd become very close friends. Fred hadn't lied when he said he would be there for her.
It was obvious to everyone but Winnie that Fred fancied her. Winnie's head just hadn't been in the right place. She wanted to move on, but she was scared it was too soon. She still wore the necklace Cedric had gotten her, along with the one Luna had given her, too.
Winnie was extremely thankful for Fred. Above anything else, he'd been able to make her laugh; something very few people had been able to do lately.
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