𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘

ACT ONE, CHAPTER ONE
summer with her boyfriend.

PENELOPE LESTRANGE ALREADY loves her new summer home, and she's only been here about two days.

Well, if somebody were to ask her last summer what plans she had for the holiday, she would've told them that she was going to hang out with Andromeda and Ted (best guardians ever), go to a Weird Sisters concert with Nymphadora if she wasn't busy with the Order of the Phoenix (yet nowadays, she was always busy with both that and being an Auror), and maybe go to the Muggle town by her house and get coffee with one of the cute boys there without telling her friends about it.

But this summer, things have changed.

Okay, yeah, she was hanging out with Andromeda and Ted for a while. That was only normal, she means, Penelope lived with them, but the other two . . . they kind of weren't possible anymore. With the resurgence of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, going to a Weird Sisters concert without getting killed would be practically impossible. As for the last one about getting coffee with a cute Muggle boy, that would definitely be considered cheating, because she had a boyfriend now, one whom she had been dating since last December.

Then she got a letter from said boyfriend (oh, it's Ron Weasley, did she forget to mention that?) inviting her to come stay at the Burrow. Obviously she accepted. She hadn't seen him in a month — they had been sending letters back and forth, and Penelope always found herself longing for his touch on her skin or his sweet kisses. It was a joyful moment when the two finally embraced each other again in the front yard of the Burrow underneath the warm July sun, Penelope's small golden crown necklace glinting as a reminder of how their relationship had begun.

Ron, at first, was embarrassed about showing his house to Penelope. It was no secret that the Weasleys' didn't have a lot of money and it was hard taking care of all of them underneath one roof. However, the second Penelope stepped inside the Burrow, she felt a sense of home and coziness. It reminded her a lot of Andromeda and Ted's house, in a way. In short, she loved it.

She had been here in for the past couple of days, and especially with the arrival of Hermione Granger and Venus Black, she couldn't help but notice a sort of . . . tension in the house. Fleur Delacour, former Triwizard champion from Beauxbatons, was now the new fiancé of none other than Bill Weasley. It was evident that Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione didn't really care for her. Penelope and Venus, however . . . they just thought the other girls needed to give Fleur a chance.

And then there was the issue of Nymphadora. For reasons Penelope cannot disclose — although she knew what they were — her cousin had been extremely sad, ever since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. It was also affecting her Metamorphosing. Instead of her bright pink bubblegum hair, she had let it faded to a mousy brown. Mrs. Weasley kept having her over for dinner or tea in effort to try and set her up with Bill instead of him marrying Fleur (how ridiculous.) Penelope had asked Mrs. Weasley to wake her up every time Nymphadora came over, no matter how late it was, because she was worried for her.

That's where she currently was. It was the middle of the night — the night before Harry Potter was to arrive, in fact — and her, Nymphadora, and Mrs. Weasley were all sitting at the table in the kitchen drinking cups of tea. Penelope stifled a yawn behind her mug as she sat there in her pajamas and messy hair. She longed for the comfy bed that was in Ginny's room (it was a bit of a tight squeeze with four girls in one room, but they managed to make it work), but Nymphadora was more important.

Suddenly, three knocks were heard on the door. Penelope straightened up in alarm and took her wand out of the waistband of her pajama shorts. She wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school since she wasn't seventeen yet, but in these dark times, protecting herself was probably more important than getting in trouble with the Ministry for underage magic.

"Who's there?" Mrs. Weasley asked nervously as she moved towards the kitchen window. "Declare yourself!"

"It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Harry," the familiar voice of Dumbledore replied.

Penelope suddenly became more awake. Harry? He was here, already? They had also exchanged letters over the summer, talking about the nightmares they had of what they had witnessed in the Ministry with Voldemort and Bellatrix. And sure enough, as Mrs. Weasley opened the door, Dumbledore and Harry were standing there.

"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!"

"We were lucky," Dumbledore revealed as he ushered Harry into the house. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora! Hello, Miss Lestrange!"

"Hello, Professor," Nymphadora greeted. "Wotcher, Harry."

"Hi, Tonks," Harry responded. "Hey, Penelope."

"Harry!" Penelope said brightly, a smile appearing on her face. She got up from her place at the table and took the boy in her arms. "Long time no see."

He hugged her back as enthusiastically as she did. "It's good to see you, Pen."

"I'd better be off," Nymphadora then quickly announced, and Penelope let go of Harry only to turn and see her pulling her cloak around her shoulders. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly. I'll see you later, Nel."

"Please don't leave on my account, I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour," Dumbledore told her.

Nymphadora didn't meet Dumbledore's eyes. "No, no, I need to get going. 'Night . . ."

Penelope frowned. "Dora, are you sure . . . ?"

"Dear, why not come to dinner at the weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming . . . ?" Mrs. Weasley suggested.

"No, really, Molly . . . thanks anyway . . ." She then leaned down and hugged Penelope tightly for a second before pulling away. "Good night, everyone."

Nymphadora hurried past Dumbledore and Harry into the yard. Once she got a few paces beyond the doorstep, she turned on the spot and Disapparated. Penelope's frown deepened as she stared at the spot where Nymphadora once was.

"Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry," Dumbledore stated. "Take care of yourself. You as well, Miss Lestrange. Molly, your servant."

He bowed at Mrs. Weasley before going to the same spot where Nymphadora went and Disapparated. Mrs. Weasley closed the door to the empty yard and took Harry by the shoulders. She steered him to the full glow of the lantern on the table to examine his appearance. Penelope watched in amusement and crossed her arms over her chest.

Mrs. Weasley sighed as she looked Harry up and down. "You're like Ron. Both of you look as though you've had Stretching jinxes put on you. I swear Ron's grown four inches since I last bought him school robes."

Penelope nodded in agreement. "No, for real. It's annoying how much taller he is than me."

Mrs. Weasley chuckled at her before addressing the boy in front of her again. "Are you hungry, Harry?"

"Yeah, I am," Harry answered.

"Sit down, dear, I'll knock something up."

Harry sat down at the table. Penelope joined him in the seat she was using before which was the one next to him, drawing her mug of tea closer to her with her hands. Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, then jumped up onto his knees and settled there, purring in content.

"So Hermione's here?" Harry questioned happily as he scratched Crookshanks behind the ears.

"Venus, too," Penelope added, noticing how Harry's face brightened even further at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

"Oh yes, they arrived the day before yesterday," Mrs. Weasley voiced, tapping a large iron pot with her wand. It bounced onto the stove with a loud clang and started to bubble. "Everyone's in bed, of course, we didn't expect you for hours. Well, besides Penelope, but that's because Tonks was here. Here you are . . ." She tapped the pot again, and it rose into the air, flew over to Harry, and tipped over. Mrs. Weasley slid a bowl beneath it just in time to catch the stream of thick, steaming, onion soup. "Bread, dear?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry told her.

She waved her wand over her shoulder. Instantly, a loaf of bread and a knife soared gracefully onto the table.

"Would you like some too, Penelope?" Mrs. Weasley offered.

Penelope shook her head. "No thank you, I'm all right."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her before making the soup pot drop back onto the stove. As the loaf of bread started to slice itself, Mrs. Weasley sat down opposite of them.

"So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job?" Mrs. Weasley inquired.

"You're talking about the Defense job?" Penelope cut in, and Harry nodded, his mouth full of hot soup.

"He taught Arthur and me," Mrs. Weasley admitted. "He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think. Did you like him?" Harry nodded again, his mouth now full of bread. "I know what you mean. Of course he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much. The Ministry's littered with Slughorn's old favorites, he was always good at giving leg ups, but he never had much time for Arthur . . . didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well, that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters . . . it's only just happened . . . but Arthur's been promoted!"

It was clear that Mrs. Weasley had been practically bursting to say that. Penelope smiled softly. Ron had been so excited to write that to her in one of his letters over the course of the month they were apart.

Harry swallowed his food. "That's great!"

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "You are sweet. Yes, Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation, and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job, he's got ten people reporting to him now!"

"What exactly?"

"Well, you see, in all the panic about You-Know-Who, odd things have been cropping up for sale everywhere, things that are supposed to guard against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. You can imagine the kind of thing . . . so-called protective potions that are really gravy with a bit of bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off . . . well, in the main the perpetrators are just people like Mundungus Fletcher, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then something really nasty turns up. The other day Arthur confiscated a box of cursed Sneakoscopes that were almost certainly planted by a Death Eater. So you see, it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing with spark plugs and toasters and all the rest of that Muggle rubbish."

"Is Mr. Weasley still at work?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he is," Mrs. Weasley replied. "As a matter of fact, he's a tiny bit late . . . he said he'd be back around midnight . . ."

She turned to look at her large clock, which was perched awkwardly on top of a pile of sheets in the laundry basket at the end of the table. It had nine hands, each inscribed with the name of a member of the Weasley family. Mrs. Weasley had been carrying it around the house with her just to make sure every single one of her family members was accounted for. Every single one of its nine hands was pointing at mortal peril.

"It's been like that for a while now, ever since You-Know-Who came back into the open," Mrs. Weasley explained. "I suppose everybody's in mortal danger now . . . I don't think it can be just our family . . . but I don't know anyone else who's got a clock like this, so I can't check. Oh!" She then pointed at the clock's face, where Mr. Weasley's hand switched to traveling. "He's coming!"

Sure enough, there was a knock on the back door a moment later. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and hurried over to it. She placed one hand on the doorknob and pressed her face against the wood.

"Arthur, is that you?" Mrs. Weasley called softly.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley's weary voice responded. "But I would say that even if I were a Death Eater, dear. Ask the question!"

"Oh, honestly . . ."

"Molly!"

"All right, all right . . . what is your dearest ambition?"

"To find out how airplanes stay up."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and turned the doorknob. However, Mr. Weasley was apparently holding onto it tight on the other side, because the door remained firmly shut.

"Molly!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "I've got to ask you your question first!"

"Arthur, really, this is just silly . . ." Mrs. Weasley trailed off.

"What do you like me to call you when we're alone together?"

Even through the dim light of the lantern, Penelope could see Mrs. Weasley turn bright red. Her eyes widened and she looked over to Harry. The second their eyes met, she fell into a silent fit of laughter, him joining her as well. Harry clattered his spoon as loudly as he could against the bowl to both cover the sounds of their laughter and give Mrs. Weasley time to answer.

"Mollywobbles," a mortified Mrs. Weasley whispered into the crack of the door.

"Correct," Mr. Weasley approved. "Now you can let me in."

Penelope and Harry attempted to compose themselves as Mrs. Weasley opened the door. Mr. Weasley, a thin, balding, red-haired wizard wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a long and dusty traveling cloak entered the house.

"I still don't see why we have to go through that every time you come home," Mrs. Weasley said, still pink in the face as she helped her husband out of his cloak. "I mean, a Death Eater might have forced the answer out of you before impersonating you!"

"I know, dear, but it's Ministry procedure, and I have to set an example," Mr. Weasley responded. "Something smells good . . . onion soup?" He then turned hopefully in the direction of the table. "Harry! We didn't expect you until morning!"

They shook hands. Mr. Weasley dropped into the chair on the other side of Harry as Mrs. Weasley placed a bowl of soup down in front of him too.

"Have a good day at work, Mr. Weasley?" Penelope questioned politely.

"Thanks, Molly," Mr. Weasley told his wife for the soup before glancing at Penelope. "It's been a tough night. Some idiot's started selling Metamorph-Medals. Just sling them around your neck and you'll be able to change your appearance at will. A hundred thousand disguises, all for ten Galleons!"

"And what really happens when you put them on?" Mrs. Weasley inquired.

"Mostly you just turn a fairly unpleasant orange color, but a couple of people have also sprouted tentacle like warts all over their bodies. As if St. Mungo's didn't have enough to do already!"

"It sounds like the sort of thing Fred and George would find funny," Mrs. Weasley stated hesitantly. "Are you sure . . . ?"

"Of course I am!" Mr. Weasley insisted. "The boys wouldn't do anything like that now, not when people are desperate for protection!"

"So is that why you're late, Metamorph-Medals?"

"No, we got wind of a nasty backfiring jinx down in Elephant and Castle, but luckily the Magical Law Enforcement Squad had sorted it out by the time we got there . . ."

Harry then stifled a yawn behind his hand. Penelope agreed. She was eager to get back to sleep.

"Bed," Mrs. Weasley ordered at once. "I've got Fred and George's room all ready foryou, you'll have it to yourself."

"Why, where are they?" Harry asked.

"Oh, they're in Diagon Alley, sleeping in the little flat over their joke shop as they're so busy. I must say, I didn't approve at first, but they do seem to have a bit of a flair for business! Come on, dear, your trunks already up there. Penelope, back to bed with you, too."

Penelope nodded as she stood up. "Goodnight, Mr. Weasley."

"'Night, Mr. Weasley," Harry repeated, pushing back his chair as Crookshanks leaped lightly from his lap and left the room.

"G'night, Penelope," Mr. Weasley said. "G'night, Harry."

Mrs. Weasley glanced at the clock in the laundry basket as they left the kitchen, all the hands still on mortal peril. Together, her, Penelope, and Harry then began to climb the steps.

"Why were you awake?" Harry questioned as they climbed.

Penelope shrugged. "Dora's been coming over a lot more lately. I'm really worried about her, so . . . I've told Mrs. Weasley to wake me up if she comes."

They then reached the first floor landing, where Ginny's room was.

"Try not to wake the other girls, will you?" Mrs. Weasley questioned.

Penelope nodded and yawned slightly. "Of course. Goodnight, Mrs. Weasley. Goodnight, Harry. I'll see you in the morning — I can't wait to laugh at Ron that I saw you before he did."

Harry chuckled. "Goodnight, Penelope."

"Have a good night's sleep, dear," Mrs. Weasley told her.

Penelope successfully creeped back into Ginny's room, where Ginny, Hermione, and Venus were all sleeping soundly. The second her head hit the pillow, she fell back into the deep sleep she had before.

It only felt like seconds later when the sounds of movement were heard. Penelope's eyes fluttered open to see sunlight pouring into Ginny's room with the other girls getting ready for the day. She slightly groaned and rolled over, burying her face into the pillow. Penelope was never an early riser.

"Oh, don't give me that," Ginny playfully scolded, throwing what was presumably a pillow at Penelope's back. "My brother's probably dying to see you — Merlin forbid that you spend a night apart."

"I will fucking end you, Ginny," Penelope grumbled, finally sitting up and rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"I'd like to see you try, Penny. Anyways, get up — mum's got breakfast ready downstairs."

Penelope sighed. She (unfortunately) got up from her bed and started to get ready with the rest of the girls. After brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she went back to Ginny's room and got dressed for the day — a pair of jean shorts and an oversized green t-shirt she may or may not have stolen from one of her best friends, Daphne Greengrass — before brushing her hair and putting it in two French braids. She slipped on her Converse before descending down the stairs, Venus right behind her since Ginny and Hermione were already down there.

"Good morning," Penelope greeted to the rest of the people gathered in the kitchen — which was Ginny, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Fleur. She noticed Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione all giving Fleur a sort of harsh look, so she smiled at the French girl. "Hi, Fleur."

"Hello, Penelope," Fleur replied politely in her French accent.

Penelope seriously didn't understand why the others had such a problem with Fleur. She was such a sweet girl.

Shaking her head, she settled down in the seat next to Ron, who instantly leaned over and kissed her on the cheek in greeting. Penelope smiled at him before putting some toast on her plate. Mrs. Weasley must've been waiting for them to finish their breakfast, because once their plates were cleared, she broke the news.

"Mind saving some breakfast for Harry, dears?" Mrs. Weasley announced casually. "I have to make him a tray, that boy looks unhealthily underfed."

Venus instantly perked up at this news. "Harry? But he isn't supposed to arrive until later . . ."

"Nah, he's upstairs," Penelope revealed, taking a sip of her water. "Came last night with Dumbledore."

"And you didn't tell me?" Ron demanded.

"It was late. He's in Fred and George's old room—"

As if on cue, Venus, Hermione, and Ron all immediately stood up. Ron grabbed Penelope's hand and forced her to come along as well. They ran up the stairs up to the second floor. Ron burst the door open, and once inside, Hermione instantly opened the curtains. Harry — who was evidently still sleeping — awoke and shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and reached around for his glasses with the other.

"Wuzzgoinon?" Harry stated.

"Good morning, sunshine," Penelope commented.

"We didn't know you were here already!" Ron exclaimed before hitting him on the head.

Penelope scoffed. "Yep, just give him a fucking concussion right when he wakes up. Great going, Ron."

Ron ignored her as he grinned down at Harry, who had just put his glasses on. "All right?"

"Never been better," Harry answered, rubbing the spot on his head where he was hit and slumping back onto his pillows. "You?"

"Not bad." Ron pulled over a cardboard box and sat on it, Penelope sitting beside him and placing their interlocked hands on her lap. "When did you get here? Mum and P's only just told us!"

"About one o'clock this morning."

Venus then asked if Harry had been treated all right by his family. Harry, just seeming to notice her there, instantly shot up from his place on the bed and wrapped the girl in his arms. Penelope smiled softly as she watched them embrace. Merlin, they were so cute.

Penelope watched them for a moment before looking over at Ron. "You didn't greet me like that."

He stared at her. "Were the twenty kisses not good enough for you?"

"Fair enough."

Harry then sat back down on the bed, Venus right next to him with the covers over them. "The Muggles were same as usual, they didn't talk to me much, but I like it better that way." Hermione then sat herself on the end of his bed. "How're you, Hermione?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Hermione responded, looking at Harry like she wanted to talk about something — probably about Sirius' death or about the Prophecy.

Harry clearly didn't want to discuss those, so he moved on. "What's the time? Have I missed breakfast?"

"Don't worry about that, Mum's bringing you up a tray; she reckons you look underfed," Ron reassured him, rolling his eyes. "So, what's been going on?"

"Nothing much, I've just been stuck at my aunt and uncle's, haven't I?"

"Come off it! You've been off with Dumbledore!"

"It wasn't that exciting," Harry admitted. "He just wanted me to help him persuade this old teacher to come out of retirement. His name's Horace Slughorn."

Ron looked disappointed. "Oh. We thought . . ." Penelope, Venus, and Hermione then flashed warning looks at him, making him move on. ". . . we thought it'd be something like that."

"You did?" Harry inquired in amusement.

"Yeah . . . yeah, now Umbridge has left, obviously we need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, don't we? So, er, what's he like?"

"He looks a bit like a walrus, and he used to be Head of Slytherin."

Penelope nodded. "Wicked."

Harry then cast a look to Hermione. "Something wrong, Hermione?"

Hermione placed an unconvincing smile on her face — Merlin, they were making it so obvious. "No, of course not! So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?"

"Dunno. He can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?"

"I know someone who's worse than Umbridge," Ginny's voice suddenly said, and Penelope looked to see her coming into the room, looking irritable. "Hi, Harry."

"What's up with you?" Ron asked.

Ginny sat herself down on Harry's bed. "It's her. She's driving me mad."

"What's she done now?" Hermione questioned sympathetically.

"It's the way she talks to me . . . you'd think I was about three!"

"I know." Hermione dropped her voice. "She's so full of herself."

"Guys, come on," Penelope cut in. "She's nice."

Ron nodded in agreement. "Can't you two lay off her for five seconds?"

"Oh, that's right, defend her," Ginny snapped. "We all know you can't get enough of her. The only other person you get that flustered around is Penelope."

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open again. Harry instinctively yanked the bedcovers all the way up to his chin. Venus was hid underneath the covers, but Hermione and Ginny fell to the floor. Penelope turned again to see none other than Fleur standing in the door, carrying a heavily loaded breakfast tray.

"'Arry," Fleur began in a throaty voice. "Eet 'as been too long!"

Mrs. Weasley then came in as well as Fleur approached Harry, looking rather cross. "There was no need to bring up the tray, I was just about to do it myself!"

"Eet was no trouble." Fleur kissed Harry on each cheek, and his face turned red in the places where she had kissed. "I 'ave been longing to see 'im. You remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again."

"Oh . . . is she here too?" Harry asked.

Fleur giggled. "No, no, silly boy, I mean next summer, when we . . . but do you not know?"

"We hadn't got around to telling him yet," Mrs. Weasley revealed to a very shocked Fleur.

Fleur turned back to Harry while swinging her silvery sheet of hair so that it whipped Mrs. Weasley across the face, and Penelope kept her composure so she wouldn't laugh. "Bill and I are going to be married!"

"Oh," Harry replied blankly. Penelope then rolled her eyes upon noticing that Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny were all avoiding each other's gazes. "Wow. Er . . . congratulations!"

Fleur swooped down and kissed him again. "Bill is very busy at ze moment, working very 'ard, and I only work part-time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so he brought me 'ere for a few days to get to know 'is family properly. I was so pleased to 'ear you would be coming . . . zere isn't much to do 'ere, unless you like cooking and chickens! Well . . . enjoy your breakfast, 'Arry!"

With that, she turned gracefully and floated out of the room, closing the door quietly. Penelope laughed quietly to herself.

"Always a good nature with her," Penelope voiced. She then noticed Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione's shocked gazes, making her scoff. "Oh, come on. She's so nice!"

"Mum hates her," Ginny explained to Harry quietly.

"I do not hate her!" Mrs. Weasley protested in a cross whisper. "I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!"

"They've known each other a year," Ron argued, sounding very groggy.

"Well, that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. Its all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center . . ."

"Including you and Dad," Ginny interrupted.

"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting? Whereas Bill and Fleur . . . well . . . what have they really got in common? He's a hardworking, down-to-Earth sort of person, whereas she's . . ."

Ginny nodded. "A cow."

Venus instantly scolded her.

Ginny waved her off. "But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamor . . . I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm."

"Stop calling her that, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley told her, and Harry and Hermione laughed. "Well, I'd better get on . . . eat your eggs while they're warm, Harry."

Mrs. Weasley then left the room, looking careworn. Ron still seemed a little punch-drunk.Penelope rolled her eyes. Oh, here they go again. It was no secret that Ron had been crushing on Fleur since the Triwizard Tournament. He got all sort of flustered around her, due to her beauty and being part Veela. Penelope was of course annoyed the first time he got stupid under her gaze, but then she sort of noticed that Ron got flustered around her sometimes. That made her feel better.

Nevertheless, Penelope raised her fingers and snapped them in front of his face. Ron jumped and shook his head. He looked back to Penelope with a sheepish smile. Penelope shook her head and kissed the side of his jaw gently.

"Don't you get used to her if she's staying in the same house?" Harry questioned.

"Well, you do, but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then . . ." Ron trailed off.

"It's pathetic," Hermione announced, walking away from Ron as far as she could go and turned to face him again with her arms crossed once she had reached the wall.

"You don't really want her around forever?" Ginny inquired to Ron incredulously. She then rounded on Penelope. "You're okay with this?"

Penelope shrugged. "Ron wouldn't cheat on me with her, and Fleur wouldn't cheat on Bill with him. Simple as that. I trust him. And if he did . . . well, he'd have lost a bad bitch like me, so I'm not bothered. Plus, Fleur's pretty and sweet. I wouldn't mind having someone like her around."

Ron pointed at his girlfriend. "What she said."

Ginny scoffed. "Well, Mum's going to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything."

"How's she going to manage that?" Harry asked.

"She keeps trying to get Tonks round for dinner. I think she's hoping Bill will fall for Tonks instead. I hope he does, I'd much rather have her in the family."

"Yeah, that'll work," Ron said sarcastically. "Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean, Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but . . ."

Penelope then slapped the back of his head.

"Ow!" Ron complained, rubbing the back of his head. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"That's my cousin you're talking about," Penelope stated. "And she's gorgeous — stop talking about her like that."

"She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm?" Ginny countered.

"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!" Hermione added from the corner.

"Fleur's not stupid, she was good enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament," Harry reminded them.

"Not you as well!"

"I suppose you like the way Phlegm says 'Arry, do you?" Ginny questioned scornfully.

Just like Penelope, she rounded on Venus. Venus responded with basically the same thing Penelope had. Seriously, couldn't Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley see what Penelope and Venus saw?

"No, I was just saying, Phlegm . . . I mean, Fleur . . ." Harry stammered.

"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family," Ginny admitted. "At least she's a laugh."

"She hasn't been much of a laugh lately," Ron stated. "Every time I've seen her she's looked more like Moaning Myrtle."

Penelope blinked at him. "It's like you want me to hit you again."

Ron raised his free hand in surrender. "I'm just saying."

She sighed. "Guys, you just need to lay off of Dora. She still needs some time."

"You know Tonks better than any of us," Hermione responded. "Is she having survivor's guilt?"

"Tonks and Sirius barely knew each other!" Ron interjected. "Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met . . ."

"That's not the point. She thinks it was her fault he died!"

"How does she work that one out?" Harry inquired.

"Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she?" Hermione continued. Penelope tensed up at the mention of her mother's name — Ron tightened his grip on her hand. "I think she feels that if only she had finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius." She cast a look to Penelope. "Is that what's wrong?"

Penelope shrugged. "It's a lot more than that, but it's not my secret to tell. Lupin and I have both tried to cheer her up, but she's so depressed that her Metamorphosing is reflecting her mood."

"I didn't know that could happen," Harry responded.

"Metamorphosing can often reflect moods until you learn to control it," Penelope explained. "Dora's had lots of practice controlling her abilities, which is why it's so concerning that she's so upset it's showing. I'm really worried about her."

Mrs. Weasley's head then peeked through the door. "Ginny, come downstairs and help me with the lunch."

"I'm talking to this lot!" Ginny shouted in outrage.

"Now!"

Mrs. Weasley withdrew.

"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" Ginny said crossly.

Ginny swung her long red hair around in a very good imitation of Fleur and dances across the room with her arms held like a ballerina. Penelope — for what felt like the millionth time — rolled her eyes. She loved Ginny, and she loved that she had a good relationship with her boyfriend's younger sister, but this was just getting ridiculous.

The redhead then looked back to their group. "You lot had better come down quickly too."

Once she left, the room was encaptured in silence. Harry was taking this time to eat more of his breakfast, occasionally sneaking in looks with Venus. Hermione was looking into some boxes left by Fred and George, every now and then casting a sideways look at Harry. Meanwhile, Penelope let out a small sigh and leaned her head against Ron's shoulder as he munched on one of Harry's pieces of toast. She smiled in content as she felt him kiss the top of her head. They were so mushy it was honestly disgusting, but who could blame Penelope? Ron made her feel all giddy inside.

"What's this?" Hermione eventually asked, holding up what seemed to be a small telescope.

"Dunno, but if Fred and George left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful," Ron answered.

"Your mum said the shop's going well," Harry recalled. "Said Fred and George have got a real flair for business."

"That's an understatement. They're raking in the Galleons! I can't wait to see the place, we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum says Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent."

"And what about Percy? Is he talking to your mum and dad again?"

"Nope," Ron revealed.

"But he knows your dad was right all along now about Voldemort being back—" Harry began.

"Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right," Hermione cut in. "I heard him telling your mum, Ron."

"Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say," Ron replied.

"He's going to be giving me private lessons this year," Harry announced casually.

Penelope lifted her head up and blinked. Well, okay. Venus stared at her boyfriend in shock, Ron choked on his bit of toast, and Hermione gasped.

"You kept that quiet!" Ron voiced.

"I only just remembered," Harry responded honestly. "He told me last night in your broom shed."

"Blimey . . . private lessons with Dumbledore!" Ron repeated, looking very impressed. "I wonder why he's . . ."

His voice trailed off. Penelope, Ron, Hermione, and Venus all exchanged looks within the room. They obviously all knew what it was about — the very thing they had found at the Department of Mysteries not so long ago.

Harry kept his gaze on his fork that he had laid on the tray. "I don't know exactly why he's going to be giving me lessons, but I think it must be because of the Prophecy." None of them spoke for a moment. "You know, the one they were trying to steal at the Ministry."

"Nobody knows what it said, though," Hermione quickly stated. "It got smashed."

"Although the Prophet says . . ." Ron started to say, but Penelope elbowed him harshly in the ribs.

"The Prophet's got it right," Harry admitted, finally looking up at them. "That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the Prophecy. I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one the Prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. Then I told Star that morning when she woke up in the hospital wing. From what it said—" Harry took a deep breath "—it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort . . . at least, it said neither of us could live while the other survives."

Well, shit. Venus looked like she was about to be sick any moment. Penelope couldn't even imagine what she was going through, knowing that her boyfriend was the one who had to either kill Voldemort or be killed. Suddenly, Penelope was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud bang and Hermione vanishing behind a puff of black smoke.

"Holy fuck!" Penelope shouted, jumping slightly.

"Hermione!" Harry, Ron, and Venus yelled at the same time.

The breakfast tray then slid to the floor with a crash. Hermione emerged from the smoke, coughing and holding the telescope, which now had a tiny fist on a long spring protruding from the end of it. She was sporting a brilliantly purple black eye.

"I squeezed it and it . . . it punched me!" Hermione gasped.

"Don't worry, Mum'll fix that, she's good at healing minor injuries . . ." Ron reassured her, plainly trying not to laugh.

"Oh well, never mind that now!" Hermione continued hastily. "Harry, oh, Harry . . ." She placed herself down at the end of his bed again. "We wondered, after we got back from the Ministry . . . obviously, we didn't want to say anything to you, but from what Lucius Malfoy said about the Prophecy, how it was about you and Voldemort, well, we thought it might be something like this . . . oh, Harry . . . are you scared?"

"Not as much as I was," Harry replied. "When I first heard it, I was, but then I told Venus which made it a little better . . . but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end . . ."

"When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person, we thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the Prophecy," Ron said eagerly. "And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a goner, wouldn't waste his time — he must think you've got a chance!"

"That's true," Hermione agreed. "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably . . . powerful countercurses . . . anti-jinxes . . . and evasive enchantments generally. Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than Ron and me. I wonder when our O.W.L. results will come?"

"Can't be long now, it's been a month," Ron responded.

"Hang on," Harry interrupted. "I think Dumbledore said our OWL results would be arriving today!""

Penelope's eyes widened. "Fucking pardon?"

"Today?" Hermione shrieked. "Today? But why didn't you . . . oh my God . . . you should have said . . ." She leaped to her feet. "I'm going to see whether any owls have come . . ."

Hermione then left the room. Penelope got to her feet as well, her eyes still wide and her heart beating against her chest.

"I'm gonna join her," Penelope rushed out. "Exam results . . . oh, Merlin . . . this determines everything—"

"P," Ron cut in, squeezing her hand. "Hey, you're gonna be fine."

She nodded. "Yep. Yeah, totally fine. Doesn't matter if I don't have the qualifications to be a Healer." Penelope leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "If you hear yells from downstairs, just know that the result have come."

Penelope then left the room, a very anxious Venus right behind her. However, when they got downstairs, there were no owls — only Hermione sitting at the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley was standing over Hermione with her wand in her hand and a copy of The Healer's Helpmate open at Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions. Harry and Ron then came down a little after them. Ginny and Fleur were sitting at the table.

"It just won't budge," Mrs. Weasley voiced anxiously. "This has always worked before, I just can't understand it."

"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," Ginny suggested.

"But it's got to come off!" Hermione exclaimed desperately. "I can't go around looking like this forever!"

"You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote, don't worry," Mrs. Weasley reassured her, and Penelope felt herself relax as well — Mrs. Weasley's motherly nature reminded her a lot of Andromeda.

Fleur smiled serenely. "Bill told me Fred and George are very amusing!"

"Yes, I can hardly breathe for laughing," Hermione snapped. She then jumped up and started walking around the kitchen, twisting her fingers together nervously. "Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?"

"Yes, dear, I'd have noticed," Mrs. Weasley responded patiently. "But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time . . ."

"I know I messed up Ancient Runes, I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation," Hermione muttered feverishly. "And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back—"

"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" Ron shouted. "And when you've got your eleven Outstanding O.W.L.'s . . ."

"Ron, please shut up for, like, five minutes," Penelope pleaded. "Let her freak out audibly and let me freak out in silence."

Hermione flapped her hands hysterically. "Don't, don't, don't! I know I've failed everything!"

"What happens if we fail?" Harry questioned.

"We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."

Penelope's stomach twisted. Discussing options after failing, with Snape? She would honestly rather jump off the Astronomy tower.

"At Beauxbatons, we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better," Fleur admitted. "We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then . . ."

Her words were drowned in a scream from Hermione, who was pointing through the kitchen window. Penelope quickly made her way over there to see five black specks clearly visible in the sky, growing larger by the moment.

"They're definitely owls," Ron confirmed hoarsely, appearing next to Penelope's side.

"And there are three of them," Harry added, him and Venus joining Hermione's other side.

"One for each of us," Hermione whispered in terror. "Oh no . . . oh no . . . oh no . . ."

Penelope gripped onto Ron's arm as she watched the owls fly directly at the Burrow. It was five handsome tawnies, each of which carrying a large square envelope. They flew lower over the path leading up to the house to deliver their mail.

"Oh no!" Hermione squealed.

Mrs. Weasley squeezed past their group to pen the kitchen window. One after another, the five owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All of them lifted their right legs. Penelope moved forwards slowly. The letter addressed to her was on the owl to the far left. With trembling fingers, Penelope removed her envelope. She stared at it for a moment — taking a deep breath — she opened the envelope. Penelope pulled out the parchment, unfolded it, and began to read.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades:
     Outstanding (O)
     Exceeds Expectations (E)
     Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:
     Poor (P)
     Dreadful (D)
     Troll (T)

Penelope Bellatrix Lestrange has achieved:
     Arithmancy: O
     Astronomy: O
     Care of Magical Creatures: E
     Charms: O
     Defense Against the Dark Arts: O
     Herbology: O
     History of Magic: E
     Potions: O
     Study of Ancient Runes: E
     Transfiguration: O

It suddenly got a lot easier to breathe. Penelope turned to Ron and Harry, who were in the midst of looking at each other's grades, with a bright smile on her face.

"You look happy," Ron commented. "Let me see."

She handed the parchment to him, Harry peering over his shoulder. Both of them looked up at her with impressed expressions on their faces. Penelope smiled even brighter. She threw her arms around Ron and hugged him tightly in celebration as Harry went to go talk to Venus. Ron wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Ten O.W.L.'s!" Penelope exclaimed excitedly. "Plus, an Outstanding in everything I need to become a Healer!"

"See, what did I tell you?" Ron replied, pulling away and looking down at her with an expression of such adoration it made her heart race. "Still not sure why you want to be one of those crazy people, but . . ."

"Oh, shut up," Penelope told him, but it was more playful than malicious.

"Hermione?" Ginny began tentatively, for she had not turned around yet. "How did you do?"

"I — not bad," Hermione said in a very small voice.

"Oh, come off it," Ron responded, walking over to her and taking her piece of parchment. "Yep — nine Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"

Hermione shook her head.

Ron grinned. "Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now! Mum, are there any more sausages?"

Penelope laughed to herself before walking into the kitchen to help Mrs. Weasley finish up lunch. And, at least for a little while, she was reminded of how good things could be even in a time of darkness.

☆ 彡

HI HI HI WELCOME TO FAVORITE CRIME <3333

I'm vvvv excited for this book!!!!

also, just a warning, I'm making lavender still be a sort of prominent character in act one of this story for ~dramatic~ purposes. I don't hate her character, she's very overly hated in the fandom just because she wanted ron to love her back, but I decided to keep her liking ron in this story for my own plot!!! anyways, sit back and enjoy this rollercoaster of a book <3

also *** why the fuck would you make them hate fleur. she's an icon. girls supporting girls