The Wandmaker's Granddaughter

The Wandmaker's Granddaughter Talks to Fire

The great hall rang with the usual morning chatter.  Owls swooped in and out bringing letters, parcels, random bits of scraps they found interesting, the usual.  Amelia sat by Lucy and James struggling to stay awake.  It had been three nights since Amelia last slept more than an hour.  The nightmares kept finding her, pulling her in.  James looked at her worried as she dropped her cup onto her plate.
For a moment Amelia closed her eyes when a familiar screech startled her awake.  Rowan sat perched on the table beside Amelia, a note tied to his foot.  She untied the note and handed Rowan a piece of sausage before he flew off, back to the owlery. 

Amelia unrolled the letter which read:

Midnight, common room.
~Mr. Potter

"Who's it from?" Lucy asked, mouth full of breakfast.

"Mr. Potter," Amelia said furrowing her brow.

"Let me see," James said snatching the note from her hands.  "Why does it sound so suspicious?"

"Maybe he was in a hurry," Amelia said taking the note back and looking it over once again.

"Do you want us to wait up with you?" Lucy asked taking a sip of her juice. 

"That's not a question, we're staying up with you," James said refocusing on his plate. 

James and Lucy were both asleep when midnight struck and the fire place spluttered to life. Amelia looked up from her third year potions book to see the outline of Mr. Harry Potter peering through the fire.

"Amelia?"

Amelia scrambled over and peered into the flames.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Sorry to meet you like this. Some things just can't be written as well as talking.  If we were in the muggle world I would have just called you but," Mr. Potter broke off in thought before recalling why he called. "I went to the wand shop yesterday."

"Did you see grandfather?"

"No, it was locked and it looked like there was no one there. I asked around and it seems the shops been closed since Halloween. Mr. Ollivander didn't say anything to you about where he could have gone?"

"No."

A snore from the dorms upstairs startled Amelia.  She looked back to see but no one was there but her two sleeping friends.  Amelia turned back to the fire, her brow furrowed.

"Sometimes he goes traveling, finding rare wand woods or cores, things like that, but never for this long."

"Well, that's probably where he is but I'll have someone keep an eye on the store and the second I know anything I'll let you know."

"Thank you."

"Meanwhile, you should get some rest, the dueling championships are just around the corner. James tells me you've been keeping him busy with all the extra practice."

"He said that?"

"Of course, you're one of his best friends you know.  Is he there with you?"  Mr. Potter looked around where his field of vision allowed him to.

"He's sleeping in the chair, do you want me to wake him?"

"No, let him sleep.  Tell him and Lucy we love them and we're very proud of them."

"I will."

"Goodbye," Mr. Potter said and he disappeared.  The fire died to nothing more then hot coals as the sound of her sleeping friends was all that was left.  Amelia turned to them and envied their sleep. 

Amelia silently padded to the window and cracked it open.  The winter winds were changing to spring.  The smell of the trees and lake came washing over Amelia.  It would have been calming if she didn't feel like something in the woods was watching her.  Waiting for her to break so it could take her it to it's grasp.