𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟐 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐱

 All six of you squeezed together at the very top of the stairs. You were wedged uncomfortably in between Harry and Ron, hands clutching the wooden safety rail in front of you. The paint chipped underneath your fingernails and you found yourself picking off the small chips one by one. It was mostly silent between the lot of you, surprisingly. The only sound came from the strange device hanging from George's fingers.

The device in question was shaped like a pair of ears with a long fleshy string connecting them. George held one in his hand. The other had been extended down the stairway near the door to the kitchen where the meeting was taking place. With the earpiece, voices from inside the kitchen could be heard through a low static. You could barely hear the words being said over the loud beating of Harry's heart beside you.

He took a deep breath and held it, attention focused on the meeting. You and he hadn't discussed last year's kiss or what it meant for you. In fact, neither of you had mentioned it all summer and you had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't about to bring it up now. Part of you just assumed he kissed you to help distract him from Cedric's death but you were never one to dwell on the past.

You looked up through your eyelashes, still listening to the rhythmic thumping of Harry's heart beat. His bright green eyes shone even in the darkness of the stairwell like a beacon. You would stare into his eyes all day if you could. His hands were folded nervously in his lap and you fought the temptation to reach out and hold it in your own. You sensed that now wasn't the time to be sentimental.

All of a sudden there came a loud hiss from the earpiece and everyone jolted back. Hermione leaned over the banister and began waving her arms in the air. "Bad Crookshanks, bad!"

You scrambled to your feet and looked down to see a fat orange cat batting at the other end of the device. George tried to pull it back up but Crookshanks pounced after it, dragging it back down with his front claws. "Control your bloody cat, Hermione," Ron sputtered, looking nervously at the door in case anyone had heard the commotion.

With a faint tearing noise, Crookshanks successfully ripped away the ear, taking it into his mouth before prancing away to gnaw on it someplace else. Everyone groaned and Hermione sighed, looking down guiltily. 

 You wanted to say something, anything, to ease the sudden tension but before you could, the door to the kitchen swung open and Mrs. Weasley appeared. She looked up the stairwell and you had half the mind to duck back so she wouldn't catch you.

"We'll be having dinner in the kitchen now," she called up. "Come on down."

No one wasted another second before trudging down the creaky steps and into the kitchen. You slipped past Molly with an awkward smile, hoping that she wasn't upset with you all for trying to listen into the meeting. Then again, she didn't seem like the type of person to hold grudges.

Dinner went by smoothly. Mrs. Weasley made the meal herself and you scarfed it down quickly, your appetite returning tenfold after recovering from the events that occurred earlier that evening.

The atmosphere was surprisingly optimistic and homey. Members of the Order sat further down the table, discussing what needed to be discussed. Mrs. Weasley was off in the furthest end of the room, washing up after the meal. You had offered to help her but she waved you off, saying that it was probably best that you sat with the others.

A woman who introduced herself as Tonks sat directly across from you and performed tricks using her Metamorphmagus abilities. It distracted both Hermione and Ginny, Ron's younger sister that you had met last year but never truly made a connection with.

Dessert was served, some type of fruit pie, and you played with the crust on your plate with your fork while pretending not to listen to the conversation happening between Harry, who was seated beside you, and his godfather, Sirius.