Lily Potter (Harry Potter's Twin)

Chapter 26

Mrs Weasley came back to Gimmauld Place on the very last day of holidays to say her goodbyes and spend some time with her children. She looked even thinner and seemed to have this bittersweet air around her. The clothes Mrs. Weasley was wearing were less bright, she smiled less often. When she said goodbye to each of us, she hugged us as if we would disappear.

Snape came by on the last day, to talk to Harry about Occlumency lessons.

I spent the last day gathering all my things which somehow spread throughout the whole house. Fred and George helped me look.

"Do you have Riley's toy I got her?" Fred asked, holding Riley's brush and food bowl.

"Umm," I looked under my bed where Riley liked to hide my socks and random articles of clothing to  see Riley's new favorite toy, a baby plush kitten. She acted as if it was her real baby and carried it around and cuddled it. "There it is." I pulled out a few more random socks and grabbed the toy.

Eventually, we seemed to have gathered most of my things, although I didn't trust it. Tonks and I had went shopping in the Muggle Mall area and had gotten me some more clothes and makeup. I was prepared for spring. 

The nights meal was a cheerful one with Mrs Weasley back with us. We were to return to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus the following day, escorted once again by Tonks and Lupin. I was excited to return to Hogwarts, but a little sad that I would be leaving Gimmauld Place.  Sirius was moody again that we were leaving.

The following morning was bitter cold. I walked down stairs to breakfast to find the adults talking quietly, they stopped mid sentence when the door opened as they usually do so the kids wont get any information about Order business.

After a hurried breakfast we pulled on jackets and scarfs against the chilly gray January morning. I had an unpleasant constricted sensation in my chest, I did not want to say goodbye to Sirius. What if it was the last time I would see him, what if I couldn't save him as I failed to do so with Mr. Weasley?

"Here, Lily dear, wear these mittens," Mrs Weasley pulled out hand-knitted mittens and handed them to me, then went to Hermione and Ginny to give them a pair. Mrs. Weasley had given us multiple new knitted things as she was knitting nonstop now a days. Before I knew it I was saying goodbye to everyone, then shoved out the door into the chilly air where Tonks was heavily disguised as a tall, tweedy woman with iron-gray hair.

The door of number twelve slammed shut behind us. We followed Lupin down the front steps. As I reached the pavement, I looked around. Number twelve was shrinking rapidly as those on either side of it stretched sideways, squeezing it out of sight. One blink later it was gone.

"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus the better, " said Tonks, and I thought there was nervousness in the glance she threw around the square. Lupin flung out his right arm.

BANG.

A violently purple, triple-decker bus had appeared out of thin air in front of us, narrowly avoiding the nearest lamppost,  which jumped backward out of its way.

A thin, pimply jug-eared youth in a purple uniform lept down onto the pavement and said, "Welcome to the-"

"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," said Tonks swiftly. "On, on get on-"

She shoved me forward towards the steps.

In the early morning the bus was crammed with an assortment of mismatched chairs grouped haphazardly around the windows. Some of these appeared to have fallen over when the bus stopped abruptly in Grimmauld Place. A few witches and wizards were still getting to there feet, grumbling. Somebody's shopping bag had slid the length of the bus.