𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞 | h. granger

lxxvii | christmas at the burrow

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
christmas at the burrow

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𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐊𝐎𝐓𝐀 to spend the Christmas holidays at the Burrow. Upon arriving, Harry went straight to Hadley, Lupin, Sirius, and Tonks to tell him everything he had overheard between Lyra and Snape in the corridor.

Sirius frowned deeply, a crease forming between his brows. If all of this was true, then his baby cousin was in serious danger. "You're joking," he said in disbelief.

"That's what I heard," Harry confirmed.

"I don't know, Harry," Hadley said from where she sat on the floor in front of Tonks, her knees hugged to her chest. "I know grief can sometimes make people do crazy things, but I just can't see someone as sweet as Lyra going over to the dark side."

"You're completely sure that Voldemort has chosen Lyra Black for a mission?" Lupin asked, frowning.

"I know it sounds mad," Harry admitted.

"Has it occurred to you, Harry, that Snape was simply pretending to offer Lyra help so he could find out what she was up to?"

Harry shook his head. "That's not what it sounded like."

"Perhaps Harry's right, Remus." Tonks sighed, not believing what she was hearing. "I mean. . .to make an Unbreakable Vow—"

"It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore's judgment," Lupin interrupted. "Dumbledore trusts Snape, therefore, I do."

"Dumbledore can make mistakes, he said so himself," Harry stated.

"You're blinded by hatred!"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. People are disappearing, Harry, daily. We can only place our trust in a handful of people. If we start fighting amongst ourselves, we're doomed."

"Don't do anything stupid, Harry," Hadley said, eyeing the look on his face. "Death Eater or not, Lyra is still your friend. You know she wouldn't be doing this if she had a choice."

"But she does have a choice," Harry argued. "She could've told Voldemort to give the task to someone else—"

"It's not that easy, Harry," Sirius told him sternly. "To argue against Voldemort is to wish for instant death. I have a feeling that Narcissa probably did everything she could to stop him from tasking Lyra with this but was unsuccessful. Now, I know it might seem like she's changed sides, but there is still a kindhearted girl in there. She needs her friends now more than ever. It's like Remus said, you can't turn against her."

"You didn't hear what she was saying to Snape! Or how she talked to Filch! She's changed Sirius, she's evil now!"

"Harry James Potter, you listen to me right now." Sirius placed a hand on top of his godson's. "Lyra is not a bad person. Remember what I told you two last year? Everyone has both dark and light inside of them. Lyra's in a dark place right now because she was raised in a family of Death Eaters and she feels the need to prove herself to them. You and your friends need to be there for her so she makes the right decision."

Harry sighed and looked down at his hands. With those words hanging in the air, the adults left the room.

Dakota was in the kitchen making a tower out of the pastries that Molly had baked for the holidays. Hadley walked in with Tonks and Sirius, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face as she pulled out her wand. She flicked it, and the tower of cookies and miniature pies sprang to life.

Dakota gasped in surprise and jumped back. "Hadley!"

The pastries whirled around in a frenzied dance, creating a chaotic sight. Dakota watched in shock as the tower of treats whirled and spun in a flurry of crumbs, the once-tidy kitchen now a mess thanks to the youngest Weasley triplet.

Tonks covered her mouth to hide her amused smile. Sirius doubled over in laughter, and Hadley smirked at the shocked look on Dakota's face.

"Hadley, what are you doing in there?!" Molly shouted from the other room.

"Nothing, Mum!" Hadley giggled. She flicked her wand again, and the pastries returned to a neat tower.

"Jesus Christ, Hadley." Dakota placed a hand to her racing heart. "That was not funny. I was concentrating!"

"Awe, come on, Dakota, it was a little funny." Hadley grinned as she reached for a cookie. She spit it in half to share with Tonks. "So," she leaned forward over the table, taking a bite, "ickle Ronnie told me you finally put the moves on Hermione Granger."

"I did not put the moves on her. We're sixteen."

"But you kissed her." Hadley smirked when Dakota's face flushed. "You know, in a way, you have Fred, George, and I to thank for that. If we hadn't introduced you guys your first night at Hogwarts, you never would've become friends."

"We still would've become friends even if it hadn't been for you guys uniting one student from each house," Dakota stated as she sat down in a chair. "Besides, all of us have survived death about a hundred times, so we're all bonded for life now with our shared trauma."

"And yet you still can't tolerate being in the same room as Ron."

"We're frenemies. It's a mutual dislike."

"She's a menace!" Ron yelled from the other room.

"Bugger off, Ronald, no one's talking to you!" Dakota shouted back.

As the night came to an end, Dakota bid everyone goodnight and went upstairs to Ginny's room, which the two were sharing over the holiday break. Just as she was drifting off to sleep with her tabby cat, Bongo, curled up on her chest, the smell of smoke jolted her to consciousness.

She didn't have time to process what was going on. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there. She held Bongo tightly and pulled her shirt up over her nose as she ran through the burning house. She made it outside, where the Weasleys were all watching as the Burrow became engulfed in flames.

I know Hadley likes to play with fire, but this is way too far.

"Where's Harry?" Dakota asked, frantically looking around for her cousin.

"He and Hadley ran after Bellatrix," Ron told her.

"Lestrange? Who the fuck invited her?"

"I've got a pretty good guess," Ron mumbled as he watched his home burn down. "I just wish it wasn't true."