Stars in Her Eyes {Wolfstar's Daughter}

Chapter 79: Eavesdropping

When Harry and Nell stepped through one of the many grand fireplaces of grimmauld place, the house was still and quiet.

There was no one was hanging around the corridors, or populating the sitting room or parlour as they usually were. It was clear that order was in full swing.

By the time they reached the closed doors of the dining room, overlapping voices could be heard on the other side, though muffled as hidden from them behind a thick wall of cotton.

"They silenced it" a small voice behind them made them both jump, and turning around they were met with a very bored looking Lucas sat on the staircase.

Though seeing his brother and Nell, he seemed to forget his boredom and broke into a small toothy grin.

He jumped up, rushing forward and plastering himself against his brother's lower torso as Harry grunted at the initial impact. Shortly though, the older boy couldn't help but smile slightly as he hugged his brother back. It had after all been a while since they'd seen each other; Harry was sure his brother hadn't been this tall when he'd hugged him goodbye in September.

"Are you home properly this time?" The boy looked up at Harry, his arms still tightly around him.

"Till January" Harry nodded, ruffling Lucas' hair as he hugged him tighter with a grin.

Then, after finally pulling away, he turned to Nell, running forwards to hug her as he has his brother. But jut before he reached her he paused in his tracks, remembering something and looking at her up and down carefully.

The last time he had seen Nell, much more recently than he had seen Harry, it was just after the moon, a particularly rough one too. So as always he had taken extra care to be careful not to hurt her, and now was wary to take the risk.

Seeing him waiting cautiously as he tried to asses whether or not he should hug her, Nell smiled and opened her arms.

"I'm good, come here"

After her reassurance he watched her for just a second longer before wasting no time in hugging her too. Though, even now, he kept his arms gentle and didn't squeeze too tight.

She bent her head down, so that her chin was just resting on his forehead and whispered "So, have you done your best eavesdropping?"

"Yeah, but I told you they charmed the room." He huffed.

"Charmed eh?" Harry said, hiding a grin as he and Nell looked at each other with the same idea forming.

He began to rummage through an old chest of drawers in the hallway digging around for something in each drawer until he finally found what he was after.

Lucas watched, puzzled as his brother pulled what looked to be a small dusty glass vase from the antique junk that populated every bit of storage in the house.

He chucked the vase to Nell who promptly pressed it up against the door to the kitchen when Lucas shook his head.

"I already told you that won't work" he crossed him arms as no one seemed to be listening to him.

"Not on your weak little ears" Nell grinned, placing her ear against the glass.

"Hey!" The little boy pouted in offence.

"She means her heightened hearing you idiot!" His brother swatted him on the shoulder, now going to crouch next to Nell who was on her knees trying to find a weak spot in the wood of the door to best create an echo.

"Oh" he realised, then feeling left out, joined the two by the door, using his brother's back as a ledge to get closer to the door where Nell had finally found the best spot for the glass.