Firecracker | George Weasley

Chapter 45

Scarlett waved goodbye as her aunt drove off with her dad, a few tears fell on her cheek that she quickly wiped off hoping she was too far for her dad to see. She kept a wide smile on until they were out of sight then she let her face relax into the exhausted and sad expression she had been trying to hide. She took a deep sigh when she walked into the house once so full of life, laughter and happiness now empty with only the ghosts of her memories. She waved her wand and all the personal objects around the house started to fly into boxes in the basement. Family pictures, childhood drawings, diaries, anything that could connect the house to the Diggory family rushed past her as she walked towards the living room. She kept her eyes to the ground as her happy life flew by, not having the strength to face what she had lost. Silent tears fell from her eyes straight onto the carpeted floor as she waited for the items to have finished packing themselves up before she got up again, quickly stopping herself from crying anymore. She walked into the kitchen which now felt bare, even though it was still fully furnished the little details that made the kitchen the Diggory kitchen had gone, the framed picture of Cedric and her as children smiling at the camera trying to push each other out of the frame. The drawing she had done of her and Cedric riding a dragon towards a castle when she was 6. Cedric's prefect badge pinned on the fridge next to his drawing of the two of them fighting off an Obscurial he had done when he was 9. She made herself a cup of tea as she waited for members of the order to arrive and help set up the house as a safehouse for muggleborns and members of the order.

The doorbell rang and Scarlett ran to the door, desperate not be alone in the house anymore. Sirius, Remus and Mrs Weasley were welcomed by a smiling Scarlett. Sirius and Remus were taken aback at the sight, when they had last seen Scarlett she had lost all her colour, could barely hold herself up and her eyes were blank, now she had regained her colour and was standing proudly and confidently. They still noticed her face hadn't regained it's previous fullness but for the most part she seemed back to normal. Only Mrs Weasley noticed the slight puffiness and the faint lines left by tear streaks on Scarletts face where she hadn't blended her makeup perfectly.

"Good morning Scarlett" Mrs Weasley said as she pulled Scarlett into a hug

"Morning Mrs Weasley, this is just what I needed" Scarlett whispered the second part into Mrs Weasley's ear which lead to a tighter squeeze that Scarlett loved.

Once Mrs Weasley let go and walked deeper into the house Remus gave Scarlett a quick hug

"I'm glad you're feeling better." He whispered before letting go and following Mrs Weasley leaving Scarlett and Sirius at the door

"Please come in Sirius." Scarlett said noticing Sirius' hesitancy

"I'd like to talk with you first Scar, if that's okay?"

"Sure."

Scarlett walked out closing the door behind her as Sirius led her around the house to the back garden

"I wish I had taken your mothers place. I would have done anything to have kept her here with you. There hasn't been a day go by I haven't repeated that day in my mind trying to figure out how she knew that curse was coming."
"I might be able to help you with that. I told her."

"Oh...oh...so you have the gift your mothers ancestors had...you can communicate with Cedric?"

"Ho-how do you know about that?"

"Your mother told me back at school. We tried to find any written documentation about it in the library and managed to find one book but it suggested that the ability had been lost for centuries."

"Well, that book is wrong."

"So Cedric told you I was going to die that day?"

"Yes and I told mum. She saw me trying to get to you that day and she must have put two and two together. It's not your fault, it's mine. If I had made it to you sooner she wouldn't have been hit."