Roses and Riots | f. weasley

Chapter 30: Grimmauld Place

When Emilia told the twins that she'd be working over the summer, she hadn't been referring to her previous summer job at Flourish and Blotts.

In the days following the events of the Third Task, before everyone was due to go home for the summer, she'd received a letter from Remus, giving her directions to follow, and an address to go to as soon as she'd gotten off the train at Platform 9¾.

She said goodbye to the twins, hoping she'd see them soon, and then she hailed a Muggle taxi to take her from King's Cross station to Islington, London. She thanked the taxi driver and gave him the Muggle money she'd meticulously counted out in the back seat, and walked down the street following Remus' vague directions.

She stood on the street and reread the instructions on the letter, checking around her for Muggles, then she pulled her wand out to use magic outside of school for the first time, having turned seventeen the month before.

She tapped her wand three times on the gate between number eleven and number thirteen, and stood back to watch in awe as Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place materialised in front of her.

She knocked on the front door, not sure what else to do since the front door was locked and the Unlocking Charm hadn't worked, presumably due to a protection charm of some sort.

Within moments, though, the door swung open, and a familiar face made her grin widely and drop her trunk right there on the threshold so she could run into his arms.

"Remus! I missed you," she said, hugging him tightly, immediately feeling comforted from the darkness of the past few days as her godfather held her firmly in a loving hug.

He kissed the top of her head and beamed down at her when he pulled back, looking healthier and happier than he had in a long time, and it only took her a moment to realise why.

Sirius was leaning against the doorframe of another room, almost unrecognisable to the last time she'd seen him. He no longer looked gaunt and haunted; he was well-dressed, well-fed, and his hair and beard were trimmed neatly, and most of all, his eyes sparkled as he smiled at her.

She rushed over and hugged him tightly, "Sirius!"

He wrapped his arms around her, smiling widely, "hello, sweet girl."

After pulling back from the hug she looked at them both, beaming, "it's so good to see you both."

"And you, Emilia. Fancy a cup of tea?" Sirius asked cheerfully, gesturing for her to follow him down the corridor, and she linked her arm through Remus' as they followed after him, her trunk hovering behind them thanks to a quick twirl of Remus' wand.

Several hours and multiple cups of tea later in the basement kitchen of the house, she had filled Remus and Sirius in on everything she could think of right there at the kitchen table. Sirius then told her about the house, that it had been his family home until he ran away and stayed with her father and her grandparents.

"I've been hiding out here for the past few months, trying to restore the place so it can be used again," Sirius said and he shared a brief look with Remus and nodded.

Remus angled his chair towards her more, "Emilia, we were wondering if you'd like to stay here? You could live here properly, we could pick up your things from the cottage. You'll have your own bedroom, of course, we've got it cleaned up for you just in case."

"Is that even a question? Of course I would!" Her face hurt from smiling, "can Harry live here too?"

Bpth mens' smiles faded and Remus sighed, "unfortunately no, not yet. He's in more danger now than ever, so staying in the Muggle world is the safest thing for him at this time."