pretty girl diggory- R.Weasley

5:20

The ride back was quiet and awkward. Very awkward. Harry avoided their eye contact, only talking when Mrs. Weasley asked if he was alright.

"Harry, dear, are you sure you're alright?" Mrs. Weasley said in a worried voice as they walked around the unkempt patch of grass in the middle of Grimmauld Place. "You look ever so pale... are you sure you slept this morning? You go upstairs to bed right now, and you can have a couple of hours' sleep before dinner, all right?"

"He's not coming down, is he?" Ginny asked after dinner had passed. They were still sitting at the table, so if he would come, he could know they weren't avoiding him.

"Maybe he wants to be alone," Celeste said.

"No one likes to be alone," Fred shook his head. "I think we should go up and talk to him."

"He'll think you'll be pitying, and he does not like pity. Let's leave him alone." Ron said, sitting back in his chair.

* * *

Everybody else spent the following morning putting up Christmas decorations. Celeste could not remember Sirius ever being in such a good mood; he was actually singing carols. She could hear his voice echoing up through the floor in the cold and empty drawing-room where she was cleaning with Ginny.

It was around six o'clock in the evening that the doorbell rang, and Mrs. Black started screaming again. Guessing it was Hermione, Celeste and Ginny went down to greet her.

"Hello Lyra," Hermione greeted as she was let in. There was snow in her hair, and her face was pink from the cold. "hi Celeste, Ginny!"

"Hey, Hermione!" Ginny grinned at her. "Harry's still locked up with Buckbeak. He thinks we're afraid of him or something." she rolled her eyes before explaining what had happened yesterday. "wanna see if you can get him out from in there?"

"I'll try," Hermione smiled a little before walking upstairs, with Celeste and Ginny close behind.

They were sitting in Celestes' room when Hermione and Harry came in.

"...Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's, and he'd given you all permission to visit. So ..."

Hermione sat down next to Celeste, and the three girls and Ron looked up at Harry.

"How're you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Fine," Harry said stiffly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," she said impatiently. "Ron, Celeste, and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo's."

"They do, do they?" Harry said, glaring at them. Ron looked down at his feet, but Celeste and Ginny seemed quite unabashed.

"Well, you have!" Ginny said.

Celeste said. "And you won't look at any of us!"

"It's you lot who won't look at me!" Harry retorted.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other," Hermione suggested the corners of her mouth twitching.

Very funny," Harry snapped, turning away.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," Hermione said sharply. "Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears —"

"Yeah?" Harry growled, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it. ..."