Spectators: What Would Come Would Come
This is my final installment of Spectators.
Expressionless
Hestia was home the night Megan came back from Hogwarts, of course. Normally the Tonkses would've been too, but they'd claimed to have other plans. Really they were helping Sirius settle into Grimmauld Place. That, and positively cross with Phyllis and Glynn for not believing Dumbledore - but Hestia's parents didn't know that.
Hestia wasn't sure where Megan stood; she couldn't read her sister at all. She did notice that Megan was holding herself much differently - in September, Megan had been prone to giggling, and she'd hugged Hestia tightly. Now she walked with the gait of a young woman, did not giggle, and Megan's wide hug offering had been met with a surly half-hug in return.
As they ate, Hestia tried to diverge the conversation from the Ministry. But eventually, it came up.
"So is it true," Phyllis began, "that Dumbledore told you some... tall-tale?"
Hestia tried to read the expression on Megan's face, but it was impossible. Since when had it been impossible? They'd always been able to read each other.
"He told us You-Know-Who is back, if that's what you mean," Megan said flatly.
Glynn held her hand. "I hope you understand that Dumbledore... well, the Ministry's had their eye on him for a while now, apparently. He's not who he used to be. Fudge has promised us that You-Know-Who never returned."
Hestia bit her lip. Hard.
"Of course," Megan said. "I know a lie when I hear one."
Glynn and Phyllis both looked relieved. Hestia wasn't sure whether they should feel relieved, or if she was the one who ought to feel relieved.
"I forgot to tell you," Megan continued, "that I'm going away with Susan next week. She's visiting her Aunt Amelia for a month, see. You know Amelia Bones."
"I wish you'd asked your father and I first!" Phyllis said with a frown.
"Oh. I hadn't thought it might be a problem. I guess I can tell her no after all... I'd hate to turn down an invitation I already accepted, though."
"It's not a problem," Glynn said, but Hestia knew he'd probably had father-daughter time in mind. "Please ask us next time, okay?"
"Okay," Megan agreed. "Can I go unpack now?"
Without waiting for them to respond, Megan hopped from her chair and trotted out of the kitchen.
Hestia hurried after her sister, not sure what that would accomplish, exactly.
"Meggie," Hestia said, shutting the door.
Megan turned. "Yes, Hestia?"
"I..."
The sisters locked eyes, and Hestia wondered if she should say it. What if Megan was merely upset about Cedric, and none of this had anything to do with You-Know-Who? What if she said something to their parents? The Ministry was clearly going lengths to cover this up, and they would want their daughters to be completely loyal to Fudge.
What if Megan was wondering the exact same thing about her?
"If you need to talk," Hestia began, "just... let me know. I'm still your big sister."
Megan cracked a smile. "I know you are. And... I'd be lying if I said I'm okay. I'm not. But I will be."
"I know. Me too."
Hestia made to leave, but Megan shook her head. "I'd rather you stay. Just as long as we don't have to talk about any of... that."
Someday soon, hopefully, they would be able to talk about things in earnest. For now, this would have to do.
(Side note: Exactly. Sort of., which I wrote a few years ago, serves as a continuation of this drabble.)
Gringotts
"Beel!"
Bill had been on his way to lunch when he heard a familiar voice call his name in a French accent. To his surprise, the girl he'd met at Hogwarts - the Champion, no? - was walking towards him. Fleur Delacour.
"I 'ad 'oped I might bump into you," she said. "But I zhought you were in
Eegypt."
"You have quite the memory," Bill laughed. "No, with..." he stopped.
"'oo know 'oo?" Fleur whispered.
Bill looked around cautiously. "Yes. You want to be careful-"
"-I know. I am."
"I'm sorry, you know," Bill said. "About Cedric."
Fleur nodded. "'e was too good for zat death."
"So what brings you here?" Bill couldn't imagine why anyone would come at time like this.
"I want to improve my eenglish. Zee zings. Ze reasons you went to Eegypt. And now zat you air 'ere, it is clear we were meant to meet again."
Bill was rather taken aback. "Were we?"
"Oh, yes, I zink so." Fleur smiled. "'ere we are, ze only ones 'oo know ze truth-"
"I wouldn't say the only ones-"
"-and we should not 'ave met again, but we did. Fate."
Fleur checked her watch. "I only work part time, and my shift is over. I was zinking of grabbing lunch. If you would like to join..."
Bill felt a tiny spark of hope, so he followed her.
Maybe there were some good things ahead.
The Temporary Departure of Charles Weasley
They were to meet at The Leaky Cauldron again. Just the "core lot" as he thought of them, maybe a few others from the Order. It was a celebration before Charlie returned to Romania.
He'd considered staying, but Dumbledore thought he might be of use there. Tonks had all but forced him to go back; she'd tried to get Bill to go back to Egypt, and Hestia to follow either Bill or Charlie. Both of them had refused. Charlie wanted to stay too, but he'd already made a commitment to Dumbledore, and he had to keep it.
Charlie secretly wished Tonks would come back with him. But that ship had sailed, particularly taking into account the laughing that was going on at the table. Remus and Tonks had arrived first, and were laughing loudly at some private joke.
"Hi Charlie," Remus said. "You just missed -" he snorted.
"This man, he was..." Tonks was wiping tears out of her eyes. "Oh, I think you'd had to have been there."
"You're having fun without me before I've left?" Charlie joked as he sat.
Tonks stuck out her tongue.
"I have to ask," Charlie said quietly, "how's Snuffles?"
Remus and Tonks exchanged a dark look.
"Don't ask," Tonks said. "I really wish they'd let him stay with Mum and Dad."
"You know what Dum - he said," Remus reminded her.
"What did who say?" Hestia asked as she sat next to Charlie.
"We were talking about Snuffles," Tonks explained.
"Ah. Is he okay?"
"He's... Snuffles. How about you?"
Hestia sighed. "I don't know. Megan's still away, my parents are still..." she trailed off.
"Hello."
Bill had finally shown up; with him was a blonde woman Charlie thought he'd seen before.
"This is Fleur," Bill said. "She's a new friend of mine."
Everyone greeted her politely, if not warmly; could they talk freely around her?
"I know 'oo you air," Fleur added. "I'm glad."
Charlie stood and extended his hand. "In that case... Charlie Weasley, Bill's brother."
"Ze one 'oo works with dragons!" Fleur eyed Tonks's pink hair. "And you would be ze quirky one."
"That's not exactly how I put it," Bill muttered.
But Tonks laughed. "No, that's my evil twin."
Fleur frowned, clearly not getting the joke. She'd learn soon enough.
It only then occurred to Charlie that no one else was actually in the pub, except for Tom and a hag a few tables away.
It was just as well. They didn't have to whisper. Not that there was much to whisper about; as the night went on, it felt much more like a gathering of friends than anything he was in much too good of a mood to worry about.
When it was time to leave, Charlie just left; he slipped a note under Bill's plate and made a quick exit while pretending to be headed to the men's room.
If anything bad happened, he didn't want to remember long faces and goodbyes. He wanted to remember his friends laughing like their lives had changed, new friends a natural blend in their little group.
Hopefully his departure was only temporary, and he would be back before that had to be the case.
But if not, he couldn't have had a happier memory, a more hopeful reminder.
Expressionless
Hestia was home the night Megan came back from Hogwarts, of course. Normally the Tonkses would've been too, but they'd claimed to have other plans. Really they were helping Sirius settle into Grimmauld Place. That, and positively cross with Phyllis and Glynn for not believing Dumbledore - but Hestia's parents didn't know that.
Hestia wasn't sure where Megan stood; she couldn't read her sister at all. She did notice that Megan was holding herself much differently - in September, Megan had been prone to giggling, and she'd hugged Hestia tightly. Now she walked with the gait of a young woman, did not giggle, and Megan's wide hug offering had been met with a surly half-hug in return.
As they ate, Hestia tried to diverge the conversation from the Ministry. But eventually, it came up.
"So is it true," Phyllis began, "that Dumbledore told you some... tall-tale?"
Hestia tried to read the expression on Megan's face, but it was impossible. Since when had it been impossible? They'd always been able to read each other.
"He told us You-Know-Who is back, if that's what you mean," Megan said flatly.
Glynn held her hand. "I hope you understand that Dumbledore... well, the Ministry's had their eye on him for a while now, apparently. He's not who he used to be. Fudge has promised us that You-Know-Who never returned."
Hestia bit her lip. Hard.
"Of course," Megan said. "I know a lie when I hear one."
Glynn and Phyllis both looked relieved. Hestia wasn't sure whether they should feel relieved, or if she was the one who ought to feel relieved.
"I forgot to tell you," Megan continued, "that I'm going away with Susan next week. She's visiting her Aunt Amelia for a month, see. You know Amelia Bones."
"I wish you'd asked your father and I first!" Phyllis said with a frown.
"Oh. I hadn't thought it might be a problem. I guess I can tell her no after all... I'd hate to turn down an invitation I already accepted, though."
"It's not a problem," Glynn said, but Hestia knew he'd probably had father-daughter time in mind. "Please ask us next time, okay?"
"Okay," Megan agreed. "Can I go unpack now?"
Without waiting for them to respond, Megan hopped from her chair and trotted out of the kitchen.
Hestia hurried after her sister, not sure what that would accomplish, exactly.
"Meggie," Hestia said, shutting the door.
Megan turned. "Yes, Hestia?"
"I..."
The sisters locked eyes, and Hestia wondered if she should say it. What if Megan was merely upset about Cedric, and none of this had anything to do with You-Know-Who? What if she said something to their parents? The Ministry was clearly going lengths to cover this up, and they would want their daughters to be completely loyal to Fudge.
What if Megan was wondering the exact same thing about her?
"If you need to talk," Hestia began, "just... let me know. I'm still your big sister."
Megan cracked a smile. "I know you are. And... I'd be lying if I said I'm okay. I'm not. But I will be."
"I know. Me too."
Hestia made to leave, but Megan shook her head. "I'd rather you stay. Just as long as we don't have to talk about any of... that."
Someday soon, hopefully, they would be able to talk about things in earnest. For now, this would have to do.
(Side note: Exactly. Sort of., which I wrote a few years ago, serves as a continuation of this drabble.)
Gringotts
"Beel!"
Bill had been on his way to lunch when he heard a familiar voice call his name in a French accent. To his surprise, the girl he'd met at Hogwarts - the Champion, no? - was walking towards him. Fleur Delacour.
"I 'ad 'oped I might bump into you," she said. "But I zhought you were in
Eegypt."
"You have quite the memory," Bill laughed. "No, with..." he stopped.
"'oo know 'oo?" Fleur whispered.
Bill looked around cautiously. "Yes. You want to be careful-"
"-I know. I am."
"I'm sorry, you know," Bill said. "About Cedric."
Fleur nodded. "'e was too good for zat death."
"So what brings you here?" Bill couldn't imagine why anyone would come at time like this.
"I want to improve my eenglish. Zee zings. Ze reasons you went to Eegypt. And now zat you air 'ere, it is clear we were meant to meet again."
Bill was rather taken aback. "Were we?"
"Oh, yes, I zink so." Fleur smiled. "'ere we are, ze only ones 'oo know ze truth-"
"I wouldn't say the only ones-"
"-and we should not 'ave met again, but we did. Fate."
Fleur checked her watch. "I only work part time, and my shift is over. I was zinking of grabbing lunch. If you would like to join..."
Bill felt a tiny spark of hope, so he followed her.
Maybe there were some good things ahead.
The Temporary Departure of Charles Weasley
They were to meet at The Leaky Cauldron again. Just the "core lot" as he thought of them, maybe a few others from the Order. It was a celebration before Charlie returned to Romania.
He'd considered staying, but Dumbledore thought he might be of use there. Tonks had all but forced him to go back; she'd tried to get Bill to go back to Egypt, and Hestia to follow either Bill or Charlie. Both of them had refused. Charlie wanted to stay too, but he'd already made a commitment to Dumbledore, and he had to keep it.
Charlie secretly wished Tonks would come back with him. But that ship had sailed, particularly taking into account the laughing that was going on at the table. Remus and Tonks had arrived first, and were laughing loudly at some private joke.
"Hi Charlie," Remus said. "You just missed -" he snorted.
"This man, he was..." Tonks was wiping tears out of her eyes. "Oh, I think you'd had to have been there."
"You're having fun without me before I've left?" Charlie joked as he sat.
Tonks stuck out her tongue.
"I have to ask," Charlie said quietly, "how's Snuffles?"
Remus and Tonks exchanged a dark look.
"Don't ask," Tonks said. "I really wish they'd let him stay with Mum and Dad."
"You know what Dum - he said," Remus reminded her.
"What did who say?" Hestia asked as she sat next to Charlie.
"We were talking about Snuffles," Tonks explained.
"Ah. Is he okay?"
"He's... Snuffles. How about you?"
Hestia sighed. "I don't know. Megan's still away, my parents are still..." she trailed off.
"Hello."
Bill had finally shown up; with him was a blonde woman Charlie thought he'd seen before.
"This is Fleur," Bill said. "She's a new friend of mine."
Everyone greeted her politely, if not warmly; could they talk freely around her?
"I know 'oo you air," Fleur added. "I'm glad."
Charlie stood and extended his hand. "In that case... Charlie Weasley, Bill's brother."
"Ze one 'oo works with dragons!" Fleur eyed Tonks's pink hair. "And you would be ze quirky one."
"That's not exactly how I put it," Bill muttered.
But Tonks laughed. "No, that's my evil twin."
Fleur frowned, clearly not getting the joke. She'd learn soon enough.
It only then occurred to Charlie that no one else was actually in the pub, except for Tom and a hag a few tables away.
It was just as well. They didn't have to whisper. Not that there was much to whisper about; as the night went on, it felt much more like a gathering of friends than anything he was in much too good of a mood to worry about.
When it was time to leave, Charlie just left; he slipped a note under Bill's plate and made a quick exit while pretending to be headed to the men's room.
If anything bad happened, he didn't want to remember long faces and goodbyes. He wanted to remember his friends laughing like their lives had changed, new friends a natural blend in their little group.
Hopefully his departure was only temporary, and he would be back before that had to be the case.
But if not, he couldn't have had a happier memory, a more hopeful reminder.