The Other Black Book 5

Chapter 6 - The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

Mrs. Weasley followed Aurora and everyone else upstairs looking grim.

"I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," said as they reached the first landing. "We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep," she added to Hermione, "so try not to wake her up."

Hermione and Aurora (Hermione had told Aurora to follow her to their room) bade the boys good night.

"What did you ask Sirius about?" Hermione asked.

"He didn't have anything, so it doesn't really matter," Aurora said as they entered the room.

Ginny was sitting on her bed, and when Hermione and Aurora entered, she jumped to her feet and begged them to tell her what they found out. Hermione obliged, bolting the door, as Aurora laid down on her bed without getting changed.

She just laid there, her back to the other girls, thinking quietly.

They hadn't told her anything she wouldn't've been able to guess. Only thing that seemed to be new was the weapon Sirius mentioned, but neither of them knew what it was.

"Shush!" she heard Ginny hiss as footsteps were coming up the stairs again. A few seconds later they heard the floorboard creak outside their door; Mrs. Weasley was plainly listening to see whether they were talking or not.

Aurora remained still as she could, not that she wanted to move anyway.

The floorboard creaked again and they heard her heading upstairs to check on the boys.

"You've been quiet," Ginny remarked, and as Aurora was the only one who'd been quiet, she assumed that's who Ginny was meaning.

Aurora rolled over onto her back, staring now at the ceiling. "Just thinking."

"So have we," Ginny said. "You don't have anything to add?"

"I think Hermione got all of it," Aurora said, although she wondered how obvious it was she hadn't actually listened to much.

"Was it about your mother?" Hermione asked, looking at Aurora.

She didn't answer.

"He hadn't heard anything?"

"She doesn't know that anybody knows. Why would she expect him to?" Aurora said, rolling back onto her side. "I just want to hear from her. Anything. I don't even care if it's just hello. I want to hear from her. To know more than speculation that she's alive."

"Aura..."

"Don't say anything, please," Aurora said to the wall. "It won't make me feel any better."

Aurora fell asleep to a welcome, dreamless sleep and woke to Mrs. Weasley rapping on their door, telling the girls to get up and have breakfast so they could keep cleaning.

The girls got up and dressed, and as soon as they were done breakfast, Mrs. Weasley told them to cover their faces and led them into the drawing room, a long, high-ceilinged room on the first floor with olive-green walls covered in dirty tapestries. The carpet exhaled little clouds of dust every time someone put their foot on it and the long, mossgreen velvet curtains were buzzing as though swarming with invisible bees. She handed Ginny, Hermione, and Aurora each a large bottle of black liquid with a nozzle at the end. When the twins made their way downstairs, Mrs. Weasley ordered them to do the same as the girls, then told Ron and Harry the same when they came in.

"It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad — what that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years —"

Hermione's face was half concealed by a tea towel but Aurora distinctly saw her throw a reproachful look at Mrs. Weasley at these words.