"You alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked as soon as Aurora appeared. "You were in a right state last year."
"She's talking again at least," Ron said.
Aurora rolled her eyes a little. "I already had breakfast."
"Perfect, come on." Ginny pulled Aurora up to where Fred and George's room once was. Now, it seemed, it was Harry's.
"Aura, hey!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Hey Hermione," Aurora said, but her wave was cut short as Hermione wrapped her in a hug.
"Did you see her, Aura?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron and Ginny.
"See who?"
"You'd know. Why'd she hide from you?"
"She just wasn't there, and I wanted to get Aura out of there," Ginny said. "Last thing we need is 'Oh Aura, look at you! Eet's been a long time!'" She said the last bit in a tone that sounded like a mock-version of a French accent.
"Fleur's here," Harry said, looking at Aurora. "She brought me my tray. She and Bill are engaged," he added, looking at Aurora's confusion.
"And none of you like her?" Aurora asked.
"She's a cow," Ginny said.
"Don't you get used to her if she's staying in the same house?" Aurora asked.
"Well, you do," said Ron, "but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then . . ."
"It's pathetic," said Hermione furiously, striding away from Ron as far as she could go and turning to face him with her arms folded once she had reached the wall.
"You don't really want her around forever?" Ginny asked Ron incredulously. When he merely shrugged, she said, "Well, Mum's going to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything."
"How's she going to manage that?" asked Harry.
"She keeps trying to get Tonks round for dinner. I think she's hoping Bill will fall for Tonks instead. I hope he does, I'd much rather have her in the family."
"Yeah, that'll work," said Ron sarcastically. "Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean, Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but —"
"She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm,'' said Ginny.
"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!" said Hermione from the corner.
"Fleur's not stupid, she was good enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament," said Harry.
"Not you as well!" said Hermione bitterly.
"I suppose you like the way Phlegm says ''Arry,' do you?" asked Ginny scornfully.
"No," said Harry, "I was just saying, Phlegm — I mean, Fleur —"
"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family," said Ginny. "At least she's a laugh."
"She hasn't been much of a laugh lately," said Ron. "Every time I've seen her she's looked more like Moaning Myrtle."
"That's not fair," snapped Hermione. "She still hasn't got over what happened . . . you know . . . I mean, he was her cousin!"
Harry picked up a fork and began shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.
"Tonks and Sirius barely knew each other!" said Ron. "Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met —"
"That's not the point," said Hermione. "She thinks it was her fault he died!"
"How does she work that one out?" asked Harry.
"Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she? I think she feels that if only she had finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius."
"That's stupid," said Ron.
"It's survivor's guilt," said Hermione. "I know Lupin's tried to talk her round, but she's still really down. She's actually having trouble with her Metamorphosing!"
"With her — ?"
"She can't change her appearance like she used to," explained Hermione. "I think her powers must have been affected by shock, or something."
"I didn't know that could happen," said Harry.
"Nor did I," said Hermione, "but I suppose if you're really depressed . . ."
The door opened again and Mrs. Weasley popped her head in. "Ginny," she whispered, "come downstairs and help me with the lunch."
"I'm talking to this lot!" said Ginny, outraged.
"Now!" said Mrs. Weasley, and withdrew.
"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" said Ginny crossly. She swung her long red hair around in a very good imitation of Fleur and pranced across the room with her arms held aloft like a ballerina.
"You lot had better come down quickly too," she said as she left. Harry took advantage of the temporary silence to eat more breakfast. Hermione was peering into Fred and George's boxes, though every now and then she cast sideways looks at Harry. Ron, who was now helping himself to Harry's toast, was still gazing dreamily at the door. Aurora was sitting on an empty bed.
"What's this?" Hermione asked eventually, holding up what looked like a small telescope.
"Dunno," said Ron, "but if Fred and George've left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful."
"Your mum said the shop's going well," said Harry. "Said Fred and George have got a real flair for business."
"That's an understatement," said Ron. "They're raking in the Galleons! I can't wait to see the place, we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum says Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent."
"And what about Percy?" asked Harry; the third-eldest Weasley brother had fallen out with the rest of the family. "Is he talking to your mum and dad again?"
"Nope," said Ron.
"But he knows your dad was right all along now about Voldemort being back —"
"Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right," said Hermione. "I heard him telling your mum, Ron."
"Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say," said Ron.
"He's going to be giving me private lessons this year," said Harry conversationally.
Ron choked on his bit of toast, and Hermione gasped.
"You kept that quiet!" said Ron.
"I only just remembered," said Harry honestly. "He told me last night in your broom shed."
"Blimey . . . private lessons with Dumbledore!" said Ron, looking impressed. "I wonder why he's . . . ?"
Harry fixed his eyes on his fork and said, "I don't know exactly why he's going to be giving me lessons, but I think it must be because of the prophecy."
Neither Ron nor Hermione spoke. Both of them had frozen. Aurora too, was silent and looked up at Harry. He continued, still speaking to his fork, "You know, the one they were trying to steal at the Ministry."
"Nobody knows what it said, though," said Hermione quickly. "It got smashed."
"Although the Prophet says —" began Ron, but Hermione said, "Shh!"
"The Prophet's got it right," said Harry, looking up at them both with a great effort: Hermione seemed frightened and Ron amazed. "That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the prophecy. I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From what it said," Harry took a deep breath, "it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort. . . . At least, it said neither of us could live while the other survives."
The four of them gazed at one another in silence for a moment. Then there was a loud bang and Hermione vanished behind a puff of black smoke.
"Hermione!" shouted Harry, Aurora, and Ron; the breakfast tray slid to the floor with a crash. Hermione emerged, coughing, out of the smoke, clutching the telescope and sporting a brilliantly purple black eye.
"I squeezed it and it — it punched me!" she gasped. And sure enough, they now saw a tiny fist on a long spring protruding from the end of the telescope.
"Don't worry," said Ron, who was plainly trying not to laugh, "Mum'll fix that, she's good at healing minor injuries —"
"Oh well, never mind that now!" said Hermione hastily. "Harry, oh, Harry . . ." She sat down on the edge of his bed again. "We wondered, after we got back from the Ministry . . . Obviously, we didn't want to say anything to you, but from what Lucius Malfoy said about the prophecy, how it was about you and Voldemort, well, we thought it might be something like this. . . . Oh, Harry . . ." She stared at him, then whispered, "Are you scared?"
"Not as much as I was," said Harry. "When I first heard it, I was . . . but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end. . . ."
"When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person, we thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the prophecy," said Ron eagerly. "And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a goner, wouldn't waste his time — he must think you've got a chance!"
"That's true," said Hermione. "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably . . . powerful countercurses . . . anti-jinxes . . . and evasive enchantments generally," concluded Hermione. "Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than Ron and me. I wonder when our O.W.L. results will come?"
"Can't be long now, it's been a month," said Ron.
"Hang on," said Harry, "I think Dumbledore said our O.W.L. results would be arriving today!"
"Today?" shrieked Hermione. "Today? But why didn't you — oh my God — you should have said —" She leapt to her feet. "I'm going to see whether any owls have come. . . ."
But when Harry arrived downstairs ten minutes later, Aurora had left slightly earlier with Ginny and Ron, fully dressed and carrying his empty breakfast tray, it was to find Hermione sitting at the kitchen table in great agitation, while Mrs. Weasley tried to lessen her resemblance to half a panda.
"It just won't budge," Mrs. Weasley was saying anxiously, standing over Hermione with her wand in her hand and a copy of The Healer's Helpmate open at "Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions." "This has always worked before, I just can't understand it."
"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," said Ginny
"But it's got to come off!" squeaked Hermione. "I can't go around looking like this forever!"
"You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote, don't worry," said Mrs. Weasley soothingly.
"Bill told me 'ow Fred and George are very amusing!" said Fleur, smiling serenely.
"Yes, I can hardly breathe for laughing," snapped Hermione. She jumped up and started walking round and round the kitchen, twisting her fingers together. "Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?"
"Yes, dear, I'd have noticed," said Mrs. Weasley patiently. "But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time. . . ."
"I know I messed up Ancient Runes," muttered Hermione feverishly, "I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back —"
"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" barked Ron. "And when you've got your eleven 'Outstanding' O.W.L.s . . ."
"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically. "I know I've failed everything!"
"What happens if we fail?" Harry asked the room at large, but it was again Hermione who answered.
"We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."
"Hermione?" Aurora said. Hermione looked at her. "You're not gonna fail everything. Harry made sure of that. None of us are going to fail Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Yeah, well, I didn't get to make a Patronus like you two," Hermione shot back.
"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur complacently, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then —"
Fleur's words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window. Four black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.
"They're definitely owls," said Ron hoarsely, jumping up to join Hermione at the window.
"And there are three of them," said Harry, hastening to her other side.
"One for each of us," said Aurora in a terrified whisper, going to Harry's other side.
"Oh no . . . oh no . . . oh no . . ."
Hermione gripped both Harry and Ron tightly around the elbows. The owls were flying directly at the Burrow, four handsome tawnies, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope. "Oh no!" squealed Hermione.
Mrs. Weasley squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, three, four, the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All four of them lifted their right legs. Aurora moved forward. The letter addressed to her was tied to the leg of the owl in the right middle. She untied it with fumbling fingers.
To her left, Ron and Harry were trying to detach their own results; to her right, Hermione's hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.
Nobody in the kitchen spoke. At last, Aurora managed to detach the envelope. She slit it open quickly and unfolded the parchment inside.
Aurora read through the parchment, her mind racing. She knew she'd done well in most of the exams, but O's in all? She thought for sure she'd do terrible in History of Magic -- the amount of times she fell asleep. True, Hermione let her look over notes after class, but Aurora had thought for sure she'd fail. She'd messed up in a few other exams as well. There was a tiny part of her that wanted to say that she suspected bribery -- her exams had been taken before the Battle at the Ministry -- and while it might be mute now that Lucis and Janus Malfoy were confirmed Death Eaters, money is still money, isn't it?
Aurora didn't want to show her curious friends. What would they say? Should she mention that she doubted the results?
"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" Ron said happily to Harry. "Here — swap —" Harry glanced down Ron's grades. Aurora sneaked a glance. There were no O's that she could see.
"Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"
"Aura, care to share?" Harry asked, noting how Aurora was staring at her parchment.
"I-" Aurora started to say, but Harry took her results from her. "Harry!"
"Outstanding, Outstanding, Outstanding..." Harry repeated the word for every class Aurora took. "Defense Against the Dark Arts is no surprise. You'd always been great. I'm sure your private lessons with June helped. Divination -- once again, you've always been weirdly good at that."
"Actually, it's kind of creepy," Ron said, noting her O as well.
"Care of Magical Creatures... Didn't you calm down an angry Buckbeak in our third year?" Harry was commenting on classes out of order, just sort of noting how he wasn't surprised by any of her grades. He met Aurora's eyes and said, "You deserve all of them," as he handed her back the parchment. "Not a doubt in my mind."
She wondered vaguely if he'd figured out her concerns from the look on her face.
"Well done!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven O.W.L.s, that's more than Fred and George got together!"
"Hermione?" said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"
"I — not bad," said Hermione in a small voice.
"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep — nine 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"
Hermione shook her head, but Harry laughed.
"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!" grinned Ron. "Mum, are there any more sausages?"
Harry looked back down at his results. Aurora peaked at them, noting the way he was staring at his Potions grade with a bit of sadness. It was an E.
"Auror dream?" Aurora asked, looking at Harry.
"You'll tell me what it's like?"
"Oh come off it," Ron said. "Surely there's something else you want do."