𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 || h.potter

fifty-three || year 7 ✔️

Four figures approach in the distance. Harry, Hermione, Amelia and Ron.

Then, faintly, so faint it can barely be heard at first, a soft whistling sound rises on the breeze. Amelia frowns and looks up the sky, Slowly, one by one, dots perforate the blue. The whistling sound builds. Harry stops, listening, then turns. Hermione trailing a few feet behind, stops, eyeing him questioningly. Over Amelia's shoulder, the dots attenuate, and takes the shape of plumes.

*

The whistling is ear-splitting now, as the Quartet scarper into a listing barn and throw shut the doors. As they peer upward through the skeletal remains of the hayloft, their faces lashed with light, they see a succession of Death Eaters strafe the blue above. The rotting timber buzzes and bats dance crazily in the loft above. Gradually, the sound recedes. The bats start to settle.

Ron and Amelia trail behind Hermione and Harry, Amelia looked dreadful. Under her eyes are dark circles, her hair draping over her face as she walks. She ignores the other three as she reads the Diary of her Fathers. She's currently reading his day in their second year. The book is the only thing that kept her sane when Harry can't.

Today, James, Peter and I found out that Remus is a werewolf. He had been disappearing lately, and his excuse will always be that his mother is ill. Of course I couldn't believe it, because his sister is still here in Hogwarts. I started to observe, every time Remus would disappear, I observe Evangeline. She would always sleep in class, which was very rare. She would always have dark circles under her eyes, and would always look like she lacked sleep. I asked Lily about it, which Lily always replied the same thing, that Evangeline didn't feel well and that she needed to sleep. So, I confronted Eva about it. I saw her jump, and I heard stutter. She's always annoyed with me, but each time I brought up the subject, she would always shrug it off and answer the same thing as Remus said. Anyways, before the wolf thing happened, I pranked Snivellus again. I turned his ink into a disappearing one, and that it would disappear twelve hours later. I saw him use it on our test today, I couldn't help but snort, making James hit me in the ribs super hard.

I can't wait to see the look on Snivellus' face tomorrow.

"My turn." said Harry, holding his hand out to Ron, making Amelia look up from her book. She closed it, and put it back in her bag. She took out her compass, and held it in her hand.

*

"Can you cut my hair, it's starting to itch my neck." said Harry, Amelia frowns and looks up at him.

"I can recall our fourth year, when everyone forgot to have a haircut." stated Amelia, "Maybe you can grow it out."

"Oh come on, I looked hideous." scoffed Harry.

"You did not." stated Amelia, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, I can't cut your hair. My hands are shaking these days, I can't even grip my pencil properly."

"Then who will cut my hair?"

"Is there a spell to do that?"

"I don't know."

"Ask Hermione."

"But I don't trust Hermione with my hair." Harry looks around, then added: "Don't tell her I said that."

Amelia chuckles, "Ask Hermione, love. She knows more spells then I do."

"Fine." Harry lets out a defeated sigh, he walks away and calls for Hermione. "Hermione!!"

*

In the shadows, Ron lies on his back, staring gloomily at the pitched ceiling of the tent, listening to the Radio's murmur, while Hermione, wearing a red scarf against, runs the fingers of her left hand through Harry's hair, alternately employing the wand in her right hand to trim Harry's hair and flip the pages of A History of Magic. Amelia is sat in front of the large table, her head on her hand, trying to sleep.