Harry Potter and the Bucket List

Year 5 - 3

Beta: Cloudy

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

Unlike in canon, when it was time to move to Grimmauld's Place, Harry and I didn't get an epic escort scene. Nope. Grimmauld's floo network was set up at our home, so all we needed was the Secret kept by Dumbledore and we could go through. I wasn't sure why the network was available to us—I felt like canonically it wasn't—nor did I care enough to question it.

We packed up our bags and stepped through the floo. It was the first time we'd see the Black home in several years.

Sirius and Remus had worked on clearing out the Dark magic and prepping it as an emergency home since I was a toddler. Their hard work had clearly paid off. I had anticipated a still dreary or dismal home covered in dust, but nope. It had been heavily revamped into a rather modern townhouse with shiny wooden floors, brick walls, and sparkly new furniture. There were plenty of lights so it wasn't dark at all.

I whistled loudly. "Wow. I was expecting something much... eviler with how much you bellyached about it, Paddy."

"You shoulda seen it at the start," he muttered from behind me, glaring at a spot in the wall that looked perfectly nice to me. "Bloody bitch hid curses in the walls. Curses. In. The. Walls."

"Sounds like a lady who appreciates a good booby trap."

"Traps everywhere. Everywhere! Argh! It took me years to take down her damn portrait."

I patted his arm as Harry stepped past me and further inside. He looked around. "I mean it looks nice, Paddy."

"Now it does, yes," agreed Sirius. "In you go."

There were hurried footsteps and none other than Molly Weasley emerged from a door at the far end of the hall. She was beaming in welcome as she hurried toward us, though I was sad to notice that she was rather thinner and paler than I remember her being.

"Oh! Children, it's so lovely to see you," she said, pulling both of us into a tight hug. I let out a little squeak as the air was knocked out of me. Molly was dear, but I hadn't anticipated that I would ever become dear to her. I knew Harry had kinda become friends with Ron, and I was friends with the twins, but I hadn't dared to assume that meant she'd spiritually adopt me. I was a Slytherin, a trouble-maker, and an enabler of what she thought were the twins's bad habits. If anything I ought to have been on her wary list.

But I wasn't about to say no to a Molly Weasley hug. She was every bit as warm, soft, and cuddly as I imagined her being. She smelled like warm apple cinnamon buns.

I love you, I thought as I relished the hug.

She pulled back as she examined both of us, cupping our cheeks. "Oh dear you both look so peckish. You'll have to wait a bit for dinner I'm afraid, got a meeting."

"Meeting?" asked Harry, intrigued.

"No, don't even think about it. The meeting's only for members of the Order. Ron, Neville, and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait with them until the meeting's over and then we'll have dinner."

"Go visit your friends, kiddos," said Sirius, nudging both of us from behind.

"Lucky you, your best friends are here," I said as I elbowed my brother.

Harry gave me a fleeting smile. "Wanna join us?"

"Well, I think Paddy will literally chain me to my room if I sneak out again so sure."

Harry slung an arm around my shoulder. "It would be well-deserved, dear sister."

"Shut up," I chuckled.