Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 88

While everyone argued over where I could stay that summer, I laid back on my chair, watching them with an amused grin as they went back and forth.

     But at last, Mrs. Weasley told Fred that a sixteen year old girl wasn't old enough to decide these things for herself as she went on and said,

     "Look, her parents aren't here, and it is our responsibility to look after her. Now quit arguing!"

     "You've got nothing to say on the matter?" Fred turned on me, raising a brow.

     "Nah," I shook my head with a grin. "I'd rather watch the drama from afar."

     "Well, now that that's settled, I think I'll be going to bed now," said Sirius with a triumphant smile as he stood up from behind the table.

"Hang on — before you go, there's been something bothering me for some while now," I said all of a sudden.

Sirius stood there paralyzed, staring at me anxiously along with the others. "Wh-what?"

"Well," I started, "around a week before we had left for the Ministry, I — I received a note — it didn't say anything important; just wishing me luck — but it was anonymous and I had no idea who it was from. Did — did any of you send it?" I asked, looking around the table.

But everyone shook their head. "Maybe it was Dumbledore," said Lupin.

"No." I shook my head. "He'd sent me letters before and the handwritings didn't match."

"Maybe it was from a secret admirer," said Ginny with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Haha, very funny," said Fred flatly, glaring at her.

Sirius's face finally relaxed and he chuckled. "Don't worry about that, Lexi. It was probably nothing important. Anyway, thank you for the dinner, Molly." He sighed happily, moving away from the dinner table. "Goodnight, everyone."

We bid him goodbye as he started on, looking at Crookshanks as he said, "Come'n, Kitten."

     With that, he left the kitchen and went upstairs, the cat following him right behind as Lupin shook his head at them with a smile.

     Soon after Sirius had gone upstairs, Lupin and Tonks left too, thanking Molly for the amazing night and the delicious food.

     "We should get going, too," said George, standing up as well. "There's lots to do at the shop tomorrow. What do you say, Fred?"

     By that, Fred looked between me and his mother, but when Mrs. Weasley gave him a knowing look, he sighed in defeat.

     "Fine, let's go," he said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lex. You can come to our flat by Floo Network."

     "I — I was actually hoping to come from Leaky Cauldron's entrance," I said hesitantly.

     "Leaky Cauldron?" George repeated curiously. "Why?"

     "Just wanna — you know — give it a try," I shrugged.

     This had always been my dream since the first time I'd read the Sorcerer's Stone, imagining myself as Harry when him and Hagrid had gone to Diagon Alley for the first time.

     "Alright," Fred nodded. "See you tomorrow, Lex."

     With that, the twins left the house as well and we soon heard them Apparate outside. I felt an exciting lurch in my stomach, realizing that I could do the same in about a year.

     After we helped Mrs. Weasley to clear out the table, she told Ron, Ginny, and I to go to bed. But of course when I went with Ginny to her room, there was no way we could sleep as we stayed up for hours, talking.

     She asked me for the details of the Concealment Potion and about how it was revealed to me that I was a witch, because she had only heard a little part of it from the adults.

     "I only saw you pass out at the Ministry," said Ginny. "And only then we saw those blue lights coming from your skin. Although, it slowly faded away. But when Lupin went toward Sirius and realized he was still breathing and realized that he had been stunned, we figured it was you who had do e it. I mean we didn't believe it at first, of course."

     "Then who told you?" I asked as we were both sitting down on the floor.

     "We were at hospital wing at Hogwarts, when you were unconscious," she said. "Mum came with the news, and explained to us what Dumbledore had told her about you being alright and well... a witch."

     I smiled at that, my heart once again lurching excitedly at the word. "I still can't believe it. It feels like a dream."

     "Yeah," she grinned. "But who would do that to you? How cruel can someone be to take away someone else's magic!"

     "Actually Dumbledore said it could've been an act of protection."

     "But wouldn't it be easier to protect yourself if you had magic?"

     "No, it's not that," I shook my head. "By concealing my magic, the ministry couldn't place the trace on me. Which meant that no one could track me down."

      "But — who would want to track you down?"

     I pursed my lips together, thinking. "I really don't know..."

***

Throughout the last month that I had spent in St. Mungo's hospital, I could barely sleep from excitement, but tonight it was worse than ever.

     No matter what I did, I couldn't get myself to even close my eyes as I thought about going to Diagon Alley for the first time and getting a wand.

     Although soon, I told myself that I had to talk to Sirius again, even though it seemed impossible to get answers out of that man.

     But the next morning, I was highly disappointed when I woke up later than usual and found out that Sirius was already gone.

     "But — why?" I asked Mrs. Weasley, who was preparing breakfast. "He said he was going to stay for another day or two."

     "He said he'd go the moment the Daily Prophet wrote about him being innocent, and it came out today," Mrs. Weasley explained. "You can send him a letter, you know."

     "No," I shook my head. "This has to be face-to-face talk. And to be honest, it can wait."

     I really meant what I said; before, I was stressed out about not having enough time to ask him, knowing what his fate was going to be.

     Although now that he was alive and a free man, I knew I had all the time in the world with him.

     But with that thought, as if on cue, I immediately frowned, a grim thought making its way through my head.

     Before, at least I knew what to expect. I knew what was going to occur, when it was to take place, and to whom it was supposed to happen to.

     But now, I knew nothing of what fate awaited Sirius Black, which once again managed to surge the feeling of fear from within me.