Percy Jackson and the Locket of Salazar [Book 6]

7) I Get Punched

"How's she going to manage that?" Harry questioned.

"She keeps trying to get Tonks round for dinner," Ginny explained. "I think she's hoping Bill will fall for Tonks instead. I hope he does, I'd much rather have her in the family."

"Yeah, that'll work," Ron said dryly. "Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. Tonks isn't bad looking, but —"

"She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm." Ginny crossed her arms.

"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!" Hermione piped up.

"Fleur's not stupid," Harry sighed, "she was good enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament."

"Not you as well!" Hermione scoffed.

"I suppose you like the way Phlegm says 'Arry', do you?" Ginny didn't look impressed.

"No," Harry recoiled, "I was just saying, Phlegm — I mean, Fleur —"

"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family," Ginny said. "At least she's a laugh."

"She hadn't been much of a laugh lately," Ron said, and my frustration at my friends unjustly ragging on Fleur transformed into concern for Tonks. "Every time I've seen her she's looked more like Moaning Myrtle."

"That's not fair," Hermione said crossly. "She still hasn't got over what happened... you know... I mean, he was her cousin!"

I grimaced at her grief, feeling terrible all over again. I'd been caught up in my own troubles and worrying over Harry, that I hardly had time to think of how the event at the Ministry affected anyone else. The few thoughts I was able to spare toward the others were spent on Lupin. I hadn't even thought of comforting Tonks.

"That's not what I meant," Ron grumbled. "I was just saying she looked down. Regardless, she barely knew him. Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met. She's not upset that she lost her cousin, she's upset because she thinks it's her fault he died!"

"How does she work that one out?" Harry blinked owlishly. He was too busy blaming himself for what happened to think that other people might find their own guilt, too.

"Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she?" Hermione stared sadly at the door, as if she were trying to recall the fight she never saw. "I think she feels that if only she had finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius."

"That's stupid," Ginny said.

"It's survivor's guilt," I said glumly.

"Lupin's tried to talk her round," Hermione looked away from the door, "but she's still really down. She's actually having trouble with her Metamorphosing!"

"I didn't know that could happen." Harry frowned.

"Nor did I," Hermione said, "but I suppose if you're really depressed..."

The door opened and Mrs. Weasley's head poked around the edge, "Ginny, come downstairs and help me with the lunch."

"I'm talking to this lot!" Ginny fumed.

"Now!" Mrs. Weasley ordered before disappearing behind the door.

"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" Ginny huffed as she flipped her hair back and danced across the room like a ballerina — I admit, the hair flip was a good imitation of Fleur, but the ballerina was a little on the nose. "You lot had better come down quickly too."

I had lost my appetite, so I rummaged around through some of the twins' boxes, finding all sorts of things that were potentially explosive and tossing them casually onto other reactive items of concern.