The War | The Sister Book #4 | Harry Potter Fanfiction

Chapter Seventeen

Vote if you Enjoy!

"He was a snatcher, Clara, what he did was bad, and by the sounds of it, you didn't have a choice," Fleur says slowly, placing a cup of tea in front of me and rubbing my back.

I sit at a small wooden table in their kitchen. Their cottage, which is far larger than any cottage I've previously been too, is made of grey stone and white-washed wood. The kitchen is small, with a large stone fireplace holding a blue woodstove at one end, and benches lining the wall ahead of me and wrapping around the corner to my right. The ceiling is a blurred glass, letting the dull daylight in. Wherever we go within the house or its garden you can hear the ocean, which is a calming constant noise. The stone walls are embedded with shells and Ron told me on our way up that they used to visit this place as kids, over the summer. Now we sit in its kitchen, the dull grey light falling around us. From what I can tell the ground floor is the entirely open plan, apart from a bathroom, with two more floors above us each holding a few bedrooms.

I sniff, "He was still a man, he could've had a family, what will they do now? What he did he only did to survive,"

Ron sighs, glancing at Bill and then back at me, "He took people to the ministry to be-"

"I know..." I say slowly, " I just didn't want to kill him. I shouldn't have killed him."

Everyone is quiet for a moment, the only sound is the boiling kettle and the windchimes outside. Bill sighs, looking over at Fleur, then back at me,

"You'll feel better in a few days. You're in shock." He says, nodding, at me, and Fleur walks over to him, looking at Ron,

"So you don't know where they are?'

Ron shakes his head, "No clue."

Bill sighs, wrapping an arm around Fleur's shoulders, "I always knew your temper would get the better of you, Ron, honestly, the angriest baby I've ever seen..."

Ron rolls his eyes, taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, you can stay here, for as long as you need," Fleur says, smiling, "You're family."

"Thank you, Fleur, really," I force a smile, sipping the tea and as my body starts to warm I realise how heavy and cold my sweater is. I shiver.

"Clara, you'll be alright, you know." Fleur smiles, brushing a stray blonde hair off her face, "When I first saw you, I didn't think you stood a chance in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and now... You're not a kid anymore. You've grown up."

I nod, looking down at the swirling cup of tea and nodding.

"You can have the attic rooms, they're all set up for unexpected guests these days," Bill says quickly, nodding towards a staircase behind us. I smile thankfully,

"That'd be great, thanks Bill, Fleur, really. I know that- Well, I know we've fucked up pretty bad. I'm sorry you have to deal with us." I say slowly, wincing when I swear, as I know how much Fleur hates it, "Sorry," I say quietly, "I'll get my swearing in order." I smile, "After a few months in a tent with that lot, even you'd be swearing, Fleur."

Fleur chuckles, and Bill presses a kiss into her forehead. I smile, swallowing the bitter taste of jealousy and taking a last mouthful of tea. I bite my lip, "You wouldn't happen to have warm water, would you?"

Fleur looks up, smiling at me, "Oh! You must be freezing, of course, we do, come on, I'll get a bath sorted." She walks around the table, and towards the stairs, "We'll use the upstairs one- Ron, wait your turn. Don't pout at me like that!"

I look over at Ron, who's giving her big sad eyes, and I grin getting up and hurrying after her. The cold stone floor against my feet makes me skip quickly to the wooden staircase, following her up. Her blonde hair is pulled into a low ponytail, and she wears tights underneath a long blue dress with a grey cardigan over the top. She climbs the staircase slowly, her clothing seems to float around her, she really doesn't see human, much more faerie. We get to the second floor and she leads me across the landing and into a bathroom.