mother of wands (d.m) part two

XXV

We make our way into an unfamiliar beach side home, Ron and Hermione heading in first to tend to Hermione's wounds. Athena wraps her shoulder under my arm and assists me down the sand dunes, my legs still weak from our battle at Malfoy Manor.

My head pounds as I rake over every second spent in Draco's presence, his teary eyes and sunken cheeks burned into my memory. What I would have done to be swept away in his arms, taken upstairs to my bedroom and tended to by Narcissa.

Instead, I found myself sitting in a fluffy recliner that smelled of mothballs and dust, staring at another red headed man and a blonde woman.

"This is Shell Cottage," Ron says, anxiously shimmying his leg. "We used to come here when we were children."

I shrug, stupidly, unsure of how to respond. "Oh... Cool. Seems like a nice place to come in the summer."

The longer red haired man looks to Ron, confused. "Should I know who she is?"

Ron shakes his head, "Right, sorry. Bill, this is Everett and Everett this is Bill, one of my older brothers."

"Nice to meet you," I state with a smile, extending my hand to shake his, the Weasley family tree growing larger in my mind.

He returns the gesture and sits back into the dining chair, curling his fingers around the woman. "This is Fleur, my wife."

I nod to her as well, her teeth glowing brightly as she brushes a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. She was beautiful, her tiny frame and high cheekbones creating a stark difference to Ron's brother.

He had shoulder length ginger locks, lanky shoulders and a round but angular face that was riddled with light pink scars. His clothes were much like what I saw on Ron at school, hand me down knitted sweaters and pants that were just slightly too big. I wondered if maybe they had fit at one point, but the stress was wearing on him.

The house had the same energy, the furniture was dusty and lived in and the walls were covered in knick knack and tchotchke filled floating shelves. It felt like what I imagined a family summer home would feel like, inviting and comfortable.

"You all are safe here," Bill said, standing and reaching for mugs. "We use this as a safe house for the Order now."

Athena nods, "We're very grateful for everything, that was a close call."

"Ve are just glad 'ou are safe," Fleur responds, her voice thick with a French accent.

"Yeah," Bill says, putting water on to boil. "And it looks like Hermione will make a full recovery."

I watch as Ron relaxes, his shoulders finally settling in their usual place instead of staying rigid around his ears. Athena sighs thankfully next to me, her lips forming a tight smile.

I copy them, unable to produce anything real after everything that just happened.

"Iz 'arry still outside?" Fleur questions, helping Bill by grabbing a few tea bags.

Athena nods, "Yeah... He, Dean and Luna are out by Dobby's grave."

A silence washes over all of us, just the bubbling water creating an eerie white noise. Bill and Fleur try to distract us with steaming cups of tea, the boiling liquid just hot enough to burn my throat and distract me.

The floor creaks above us, Griphook and Ollivander waiting upstairs for our next move. Truthfully, I had no idea what we were going to do, I had only just joined the trek for Horcruxes and I still wasn't entirely sure what was happening.

How much did Bill know? Had Ron clued him in to everything that was going on or was he as clueless as I was? Did he know I was a Death Eater? Or, used to be, I suppose.