Returning Home

Meeting Harry

Gwyn had spent the rest of her evening once she returned home relaxing with her companions and her grandparents. They had been quite taken with Artemis, the little raven being quite smart and having a full personality, often made up games by holding a stick in her beak and rolling a small ball back and forth with Nero and Nagini. Her grandparents had thought it wonderful and had named Artemis the brightest bird of the century. Gwyn had scoffed while the three animals had all preened under the praise, Nero and Nagini taking credit for all of Artemis' accomplishments.

Before curling up with her journal for the nightly chat with Harry she had made another small to do list in preparation for his arrival. She knew the chances that he would move in were very slim but she wanted to be prepared just in case. She would have his old nursery on the floor below hers renovated like her room had been. She would also need to notify the elves to have full meals prepared for both of them throughout the day on Friday. She had no intentions of letting him leave until after supper. With her list made, she felt a lot better about what Friday would hold.

Their nightly chat had been rather brief, Harry was becoming more exhausted and it showed in his writing. She tried to remain encouraging and kept telling him that she was sure the job he was doing was brilliant, internally she was cursing the Dursleys and thinking of all the ways she could one day repay them for their treatment of him. She sent him to bed earlier that night, only allowing him to select one book from his own portable library to read that way he wouldn't exhaust himself by staying up too much later to continue reading. While she was pleased with the amount of effort he was putting towards his future education she wouldn't allow it to interfere with his much needed rest.

Falling asleep that night had been the quickest yet, almost as soon as her fingertips made contact with the wand beneath her pillow she quickly found herself back in the Forrest. She wasn't in the clearing this time, and it took her a moment to recognize it as the same Forrest. She took her time, projecting her body into the dream and slowly looking around. She kept getting small blips of feelings of urgency and a hint of desperation through the bond she shared with Tom. He wanted her to see something here but what was it? She examined everything around her, every tree right down to the leaves and branches. She had been just about to give up when she noticed what the trees were. Snake wood, he was asking about Nagini.

Gwyn sat down then, making herself comfortable and just started talking. She spoke about having been dropped off at the orphanage, leaving out all the details of what she went through there and the scars she would always carry from it. She spoke about how she had remembered his story of Lord Death and Lady Life and how it was actually Lord Death who had brought her back home. From there she detailed everything that she had been doing since she came back. She talked about the books she read, meeting back up with the Malfoys, her grandparent's portraits, getting Artemis and seeing her play with Nagini and Nero, she spoke about her plans to help Harry. She told him everything, even if she wasn't sure he was actually listening.

When she woke up the next day she almost immediately set herself to work. She just barely finished her shower before she was off, rushing down to breakfast after hurrying Nero and Nagini to gather around her so she could take them down at the same time. Maeve gave her a very unimpressed look when she had rushed through her breakfast but just shook her head in a very amused way when she asked if she minded getting Harry's room ready in the same way that hers had been. Gwyn even went as far as calling one of the new elves, Mixie, and asking her to stock up on foods that someone who ate meat would like for tomorrow. She wanted Harry to have simply the best of everything.

Once she had seen to everyone starting on their tasks she picked up the letters and the paper that she had neglected so far and took them with her outside to read. Theo had confirmed that the blanket she had given him was the perfect reading blanket. Blaise had been very much amused by the secret charm she had added to the new sheath she had gotten him, all he had to do was think of holding his dagger and it was there in his hand. Draco, as she had been informed in his letter, had not been nearly as amused because it was his hair that was threatened by Blaise and his dagger. Grishnar had written to inform her that he would be more than happy to meet with her the following day, keeping his entire schedule clear. She hadn't been able to give him an exact time but she was stunned he would prioritize her and Harry that much, even if he didn't know that Harry was the reason they would be meeting.