FLIPPED - harry potter

༺ 62 - secret detours.

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| SECRET DETOURS |
"I got a little freaked out when you asked me to the Yule Ball many times."

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ALORA SPENT THE NEXT FEW WEEKS ATTEMPTING TO get her spirits back. She kept close to Harry and Aria most of the time, and even managed to play a couple of Quidditch games — despite still feeling utterly sorrowful, there was a hint of hope inside her that was beginning to alight with every day the summer went along.

Well, that was until the series of mysterious disappearances, strange accidents and deaths that began to appear in the Daily Prophet, almost daily.

Harry's sixteenth birthday came; Remus Lupin, as grisly as ever, with brown hair that had streaks of grey running through it, whose clothes were ragged and patched still managed to make the event special.

"There have been another couple of Dementor attacks," he announced, as Mrs Weasley gave him another slice of birthday cake. "And they found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it—well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius's brother Regulus only managed a few days as far as I can remember."

Alora shifted uncomfortably in her place.

"Yes, well," Mrs Weasley frowned, "perhaps we should talk about something diff—"

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" Bill interrupted, who was getting piled with wine from Fleur. "The man who ran—"

"—the ice cream place in Diagon Alley?" Harry said, with a pained feeling in his stomach that was telling him something he did not quite want to believe. "He used to give me free ice creams. What's happened to him?"

"Dragged off, by the look of his place."

"Why?" Ron asked as Mrs Weasley shot a glare towards Bill.

"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."

"Talking of Diagon Alley," added Mr Weasley, "looks like Ollivander's gone too."

"What?" Alora knitted her brows together, "the wand-maker?"

"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"But wands—what'll people do for wands?"

"They'll make do with other makers," spoke Lupin. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not good for us."

The day following after this rather despondent birthday tea, their letters and book lists arrived for the upcoming year at Hogwarts. Harry's included a rather hopeful surprise: he had been made Quidditch Captain.

"That makes you equal status with prefects!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "You can use our special bathroom now, and everything!"

"Uh oh," Alora drew with a laugh, taking another look at the letter, "don't all go running off to the bathrooms and leave me."

Harry looked at her and whispered, "I bet they're not that great anyways."

"Wow, I remember when Charlie wore one of these," said Ron, peering towards the badge in pure exhilaration. "Harry, this is so cool, you're my captain—if you let me back on the team, I suppose, ha ha. . ."

"Well, I don't suppose we can put off trip to Diagon Alley much longer now you've got these," Mrs Weasley sighed, looking towards Ron's book list. "We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. I'm not going there without him."