Undistinguished (H.P.)

Chapter 34: Summer 2

oOo

It was the next morning, and Veronica was finishing packing her trunk, rushing around cursing the fact she hadn't done it earlier. 

She was supposed to be heading to the Burrow any minute and her parents were patiently waiting for her by the fireplace while she stuffed the last minute pieces of homework that she was doing the night before into her book bag. 

Excitement buzzed through her at the prospect of seeing Harry, the dream she had last night filling her with a hope that the boy would be there already and they could spend the rest of summer together. Of course, she had no idea when Dumbledore was going to visit Harry, but she had the feeling that it was while she was asleep. 

Her eyes glanced over her room one more time making sure she hadn't left anything behind. The piled up editions of the Daily Prophet on her desk caught her eye, reminding her of what she had to face when she returns to the Wizarding World, she would no longer have the safety of her parents to hide behind once at Hogwarts. 

Shaking the thought out of her mind, the girl retreated down the stairs, reminding herself that she should be looking forward to seeing her friends again rather than dreading it. 

Saying goodbye to her parents who, despite Mrs Weasley's invitation, decided not to go with Veronica to drop her off, she stepped into the fireplace, grabbing a handful of Floo powder and disappeared in a flash of green flames after shouting her destination, The Burrow. 

oOo

She was greeted with the sight of Mrs Weasley and a beautiful blonde woman she remembers as Fleur Delacour, one of the Triwizard Champions from a couple of years ago. 

Seeing her confused face, Mrs Weasley informs the girl that Fleur is engaged to the eldest Weasley son, Bill, after greeting her with a large grin and warm embrace. She was soon sent upstairs, following behind Fleur, who was guiding her to Ron's room, with a tray of breakfast food in her hands. 

They stopped a few floors up from the ground floor, Veronica amazed by the structure and set up of the wooden house. It filled her with a warm feeling and every room had its own magical Weasley touch, making her stare around dumbfounded but with a smile on her face. 

Knocking once, Fleur floated elegantly into the room, ending the conversation that was happening before her entrance. 

As Veronica stepped through the doorway she grinned from ear to ear when she made eye contact with Harry. He pounced up off of the bed and gave her a massive embrace as if they hadn't seen each other in months, even though it had only been a few weeks. 

From over his shoulder, she saw Hermione, Ginny and Ron staring at the two of them and waved timidly towards the group, before pulling away from the boy to greet them properly. 

Fleur left after placing the breakfast tray on the bedside table, and as soon as the door had shut behind her Ginny began to complain about 'Phlegm' once again, amusing Veronica and the others. Apparently, Mrs Weasley had tried to get Bill and Tonks together, but after Sirius' death, the megamorphmagus was not in a particularly sociable mood. 

With the mention of his Godfather, Harry had stopped laughing and sat there quietly, seemingly lost in his thoughts. 

Veronica noticed the sudden change in his behaviour but knew it wasn't the time to talk about it, so held his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze every now and then to let him know she was there for him. 

Harry wasn't the only one affected by the death of the infamous man, and it was quite upsetting to hear that someone such as Tonks, who was always the bright and cheerful one, had fallen into a depressive slump, unable to even change her appearance at will anymore.