A.J RYAN IN THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Chapter 22 - Black Family Tree

Fred, George and A.J stood on the first-floor landing, looking into the drawing room that was now wide open. The Christmas tree was towards the centre of the room, and the live fairies were lighting up the whole room and dark landing. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had come to join them.

"Yeah, what happened?" Ron asked.

"Sirius and I were testing whether Sticking Charms could withstand the wall being blasted down." A.J grinned.

"Wicked!" The twins grinned.

"But why didn't you wait for us?" Fred said disgruntled.

"Has Kreacher seen this?" Hermione asked in a panicked voice.

"He tried really hard to protect that tapestry." Fred nodded snidely.

A.J shifted uncomfortably. The house-elf was going to be distraught.

"What did you get for Christmas then?" Hermione asked cheerfully.

A.J froze as everyone turned to her curiously.

"Ah," She sighed; "We just have a family lunch every year."

Christmas to her was spending quality time with family and friends.

"No presents?" Fred's eyes popped.

"I'm an only child, I get presents all the time. Besides the last present they gave me is good for at least ten years." A.J smiled.

"What was the present?" Fred asked sceptically.

"I might show you one day." A.J answered vaguely.

They filled the afternoon playing exploding snap; Sirius even came to join in. A.J, staying longer then she had intended to, left shortly before tea.

She visited Grimmauld Place only a few times over the last two weeks of holidays. By the end of them, Sirius was becoming more withdrawn, his Christmas spirit evaporating as Harry returning to school drew nearer.

The Knight Bus dashed into Hogsmeade out of thin air on the day before term started, depositing Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins outside of the Hogwarts gates.

A.J nodded to Tonks, who was disguised as a tall, tweedy woman with iron-grey hair, and Remus, who was looking his usual self, who had just got off the bus with them.

"Hello Love." Fred greeted A.J.

She helped lighten the load by hovering their luggage up the slippery drive to the school.

The following day, the first Monday of the term, A.J was in Professor Snape's office from four o'clock that evening, a darkish room lined with shelves of various ingredients in jars of potions, a copy of advanced counter-spells open on the teacher's desk between them.

The Professor had put the deep lash in her arm. A.J had numbed most of the pain and was now attempting to heal it.

As the lesson wound up, A.J eyed the Pensieve – a shallow stone basin engraved with symbols.

Harry was due any moment for his first Occlumency lesson.

"Can't you try and be nice to the kid? I heard he isn't even that much like his father." A.J pleaded without any real hope.

He sneered.

A.J rolled her eyes and left after packing her book away. She passed Harry in the Dungeons corridor.

"Hey Harry." She gave a sympathetic smile.

"Hi." He replied, with an expression full of doom.

A.J followed him with her eyes, until he knocked on Professor Snape's door and entered.