Finding Neverland | George Weasley ✓

Chapter Ninety

Thea stood outside the Diggory family home, a large lump in her throat as she couldn't find the courage within her to open the door.

Elliot stood behind her in silence, watching. He wanted to help her but he knew that Thea had to do this on her own.

Even though the house held many good memories from the time where the Diggory family was a happy, carefree household, the bad memories overweighed the good and Thea could feel her body trembling as she tried her best not to cry.

The memories of the last summer she had spent in the Diggory household after Cedric's death only added to her feeling of despair. Thea hadn't done anything that summer except sit in her room and dream about better memories.

She hadn't been back to the house since her parents left even she had wanted to go back to get a few more of her things and to visit more than once but she knew that she wouldn't be able to force herself to actually go.

So she didn't know what went through her as she eventually reached for the doorknob and twisted it, hearing the click and watching the door slowly creak open.

Even though the door was open, Thea still stood in front of it her hand still extended stuck in whatever memories she was thinking about.

Elliot stepped forward, gently pushing Thea's arm back down into its normal position. That seemed to startle her back to life as she didn't even need Elliot's encouragement to take the first few steps into the home.

It looked almost identical to the last time, Thea had seen it, except for the furniture that had covers over it all to protect it from dust. The stack of letters that she had sent during her last year at Hogwarts still sat high on the mantle, dust covering them. Thea walked over to the stack rubbing her finger across the envelope and old scrawl of handwriting, creating a path in the dust.

Thea began coughing violently as all the dust was chucked up into the air when Elliot pulled the covers off the couch and other furniture. She quickly headed over to the window pulling it open to let light as well as to draft the dust and musty air smell out of the house. She headed through the house, doing the same routine, opening all the curtains and windows as Elliot followed behind her taking all the covers off the furniture and cleaning all the surfaces as he did. It didn't take long for the two of them to finish the entire bottom floor of the house.

But it was the top floor that Thea was really worried about. With Elliot by her side, Thea eventually made it up the stairs already feeling another lump forming in her throat.

"Well, I'm guessing this room is yours," Elliot said jokingly as the two of them made their way down the hallway towards a bright yellow door which bore four letters, T-H-E-A.

"What told you that? The bright yellow door or the letters? Or did you just assume."

"I simply assumed but I would never have guessed Thea was someone who liked the color yellow."

"You are forgetting that I am a Hufflepuff."

Thea pushed open the door to her room which lay exactly as she had left it, minus a few items which were at her apartment and the tidily made bed that Matilda must have done before they left.

Similar to the rooms downstairs everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. However, Thea and Elliot continued their routine, opening the windows and cleaning the room of dust.

Thea nearly tripped over the book lying at her feet before she realized what it was. It had been too painful to take this book with her so she was forced to leave it behind but it was still as beautiful albeit a little dusty as the title blared up at her.

'Peter Pan'.

Thea gingerly picked up the book opening the front cover as she found herself overwhelmed with memories.

'At the sound of the shower turning on. The fairy lights were back on, Cedric was back in Thea's room and the two of them reading Peter Pan again.'

         

"Is that our old copy of 'Peter Pan'?"

"It is."

"What's it doing here, I thought it was back home?"

"I've brought it to school with me every year since the first year."

"Have you really?"

"Yeah."

"That's awesome! Why didn't you tell me? We could try to memorize the pages again, like when we were kids. Do you remember that? Reading it over and over, every night."

"Of course I remember. You and I reading this book every night is one of my favorite memories."

"Well, what do you say? Do you want to read this with me again?"

"Of course."

         

"How was your evening with Cedric," Max asked.

"It was really good."

"Let me guess you two read Peter Pan again."

"Of course," Thea replied. "Well, I don't know about you, Max. But I'm using the rest of the day to just get ready. I'm going down to the great hall for breakfast."

"I'll come with you, I'm starving."

"You always are."

         

"Oh, Ced." Thea managed to get out her breath, gone, sobbing.

Thea could her father's loud sobs as he held Cedric like he did when Cedric was a baby rocking him back and forth.

"My boy. My precious, precious boy."

Thea blinked slightly as even more memories came rushing back.

All the way from one of the first memories she could remember, sitting in her room with Cedric, reading Peter Pan using only the fairy lights as their guide. From Cedric finding her in the hallways reading Peter Pan by herself, to Max knowing full well the Diggory sibling's history with the book all the way to the moment, Thea had seen her brother's dead body for the first time to now.

Where in the midst of a war, Thea found herself without any real family to turn to anymore but instead with a giant second family where despite the war good things still happened.

Fred and George's business was still booming.

Tonks and Remus were expecting their first child.

The Weasley were still happy despite Ron having currently left Harry and Hermione and still in danger.

Even though people were dying every day, people had learned to find the best in every situtation and to hold onto the happy memories, it was time that Thea did the same.