𝐉𝐈𝐆𝐒𝐀𝐖

Chapter 13

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Chapter Thirteen:

The Return to Hogwarts, Round Six

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Harry had to wake up early the day he was supposed to go the Hogwarts Express. It was still dark and the clock had an ungodly hour displayed on it. He slumped out of his bed at Lupin's insistence, numbly showering, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair. He put on some clothes--he was too sleepy to pay attention to what--and stumbled downstairs.

"I don't want to wake up this early! It's inhuman! You are a cruel, cruel man!" Draco whined from up the stairs, in his room.

"I'm not leaving until you get up. Now hurry it up, I don't like being up this early anymore than you do," Lupin said, sounding stern.

Harry yawned and smiled a little. His smile faltered as he saw Contessa standing by a window, rolling up The Daily Prophet and some other papers and tying the package to the Malfoys' eagle owl's leg. Whatever she was sending was no doubt for Lucius and Narcissa. Harry wondered how the eagle owl knew how to find her.

She cast a glance for Harry when she was done. "Narcissa sent her three drops of blood. I gave them to Snape already. He stopped by to pick them up while you were in the shower," she said coolly. She had tried to act like everything was the same since their return from Azkaban, but Harry hadn't spoken to her at all.

Harry shrugged, looking away from her. She had been trying very hard to get him to talk to her for the past couple days. His initial anger with her had faded, but he realized he would probably never trust her again. He couldn't just swear her off, he still needed her to help him bring back Sirius. Mostly, he was just indifferent.

"Breakfast is ready. I made eggs benedict and some breakfast crêpes," she said conversationally. Harry stared at the pile of suitcases and bags that were by the door.

"She was willing to give her blood to help you bring back Sirius, you know. It's Narcissa's way of saying thank you for saving Draco. She wasn't too fond of Sirius, but she never really hated him or anything. He was still blood," Contessa continued, moistening her lips with her tongue.

Harry made a noncommittal noise and walked into the kitchen. There were three plates on the table: one piled very high with a tall glass of lemonade by it, one arranged artfully, and one arranged sensibly with plenty of food on it. At the fourth seat, there was only a cup of coffee. Harry sat by the sensibly filled plate and began to eat.

Lupin walked in, sitting by the plate piled high after pouring himself some coffee. Contessa seemed to have gotten him addicted to it. Either that or it was so early that he wanted some caffeine. Contessa came in and began to nurse her own cup of coffee, working her jaw.

"Your cousin is impossible, Contessa. I couldn't get him out of bed. I had to physically peel him off, unhook the pillows from his grasp, and dump him in the tub," Lupin said with some annoyance.

"Uncle Lucius would always just peel the sheets off him and then hose him down with water spells. Getting him to go to school before his first year at Hogwarts was a nightmare. Aunt Narcissa had levitated the bed and everything and he still wouldn't get off. Eventually, Uncle Lucius just had the house elf jump up and down on him until he got up. I don't think I'd ever seen the house elf have more fun. I wonder what happened to him. Such a masochistic little beast. I don't think he liked us much," Contessa said with a small smile. It took Harry a few moments to realize she was speaking of Dobby.

"How are we going to get to King's Cross Station? Knight Bus?" Harry asked Lupin, biting back a nasty comment to Contessa in favor of giving her the silent treatment again.