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Zinnia stood peacefully in the cottage kitchen, the early morning light graciously beaming through the small windows. She took a gentle breath as she stopped whisking the eggs in front of her to look at the grandfather clock she could see standing strongly in the living room. It was quite uncommon that Zinnia was up before the hours of 10 am in the summer. Her schedule would usually follow getting up after everyone else in her family and getting relentlessly teased as she stomped down the stairs in search of morning coffee.

Alas this morning she was up early, making breakfast ever so kindly for her whole family. With flour in her hair and pancake batter dripping on the tiled floor she raced around the kitchen in order to disguise the mess she had made. Zinnia was not a terrible cook but it was really hit or miss, sometimes she would make a perfect meal and sometimes they would have to get fish and chips from the nearest local shop.

Placing the pancakes and scrambled eggs on the long dining table, she placed a fresh bunch of flowers which she had packed that morning in a jug. Her small brown fluff of a cat, Maurice, brushing her leg as he meowed at her expectantly.  Just as she began to put away the clean dishes she heard the thumping of her family descending the stairs.

"What on earth is all that noise?" Poppy yelled from her closed bedroom who was quickly shushed by her parents.

Dahlia and Tristan carefully walked down the stairs, Tristan stretching his wand out and Dahlia holding the nearest weapon she could find, of which was her bedside lamp. Carefully they turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs and directed their weapons at Zinnia.

"What the fuck?!" Zinnia shouted as she dropped the metal bowl on the ground, putting her hands up in sacrifice as her parents took defensive stances. Dahlia and Tristan visibly relaxed and lowered their arms.

"Language. What the hell are you doing?" Tristan walked towards his daughter with a slight laugh.

"I'm making breakfast" Zinnia obviously stated, pointing at the table filled with food and the abundance of dishes in the sink.

"We thought you were a death eater!" Tristan shouted, although relieved everything was alright.

"Why on earth would you think that?" Zinnia questioned with her hands raised in the air.

"We heard all this clanging in the kitchen, '' Dahlia reiterated, putting her bedside lamp on the kitchen bench. Zinnia looked at it strangely and went back to her mother.

"Yes because the first thing a death eater would do is raid the kitchen for all the good china" Zinnia sarcastically remarked, gesturing to the dishes.

"Who are you and what have you done with Zinnia?" the voice of Basil echoed through the kitchen as he walked through and spotted the layed out breakfast. Zinnia poked her tongue out as she placed a jug of orange juice in the middle of the table.

"I thought I would make you breakfast," she simply stated, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"Well forget about Zinnia then, I like this new body invader. She cooks for us" Basil sat down and threw a cut strawberry into his mouth.

"The body invader thanks you" Zinnia stated as she went around the corner to the bottom of the stairs.

"BREAKFAST" she shouted up the stairs, to which her siblings replied with a series of groans and profanities as she sat at the table. Only a few moments later the rest of the children entered the kitchn with a shocked expression looking at the overly large arrangement of food laid out on their table.

"What on earth is going on here?" Aster gasped as he put down Daisy who was perched on his back.

"We've already been through the body snatcher conversation, just sit down and eat" Zinnia sighed humorously as she gestured to the table. The entire family descended into chatter as they all took their places at the table. The morning feast passed in echoes of laughter and flinging eggs at each other, mainly coming from Aster.

"I have to leave soon, got to work" Violet mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes looking at her wristwatch.

"Look at you miss ministry" Prim teased her older sister with raised eyebrows.

"Hey, be proud of you sister!" Dahlia exclaimed, not fully understanding the ministry but knowing enough to know it was a big deal.

"It's not everyday you get a job in the department of international magical cooperation!" Tristan boomed proudly, bragging at the title of his daughter who unsurprisingly got to top marks of her class.

"I better be heading off soon too, but before I do I have something to tell all of you" Basil apprehensively let out as he put down his glass of juice. A silence fell over the table as everyone stared at him

"You're not pregnant are you?" Aster mumbled through a mouthful of eggs.

"What? No! That's not even.... Anyway, I wanted to say that I've bought an apartment in London, I'm moving out." Basil let out hesitantly. After a few seconds of processing a series of cheers and a few desperate no's were let out.

"That's so great"

"That's no fun!"

"Im so happy for you Basil"

"My first baby is all grown up!"

"That's so much worse than you being pregnant. I'LL BE THE ONLY BOY!"  Aster let out over the abundance of comments.

"What am I? Chopped liver?!" Tristan accused.

"But youre old" Aster moodily spoke as his head dropped to his plate

"Im hardly old" Tristan scoffed in a fake offence.

Once the eldest children along with Tristan had exited the cottage for work and promptly apperated outside the daily mail flew into the window, their family owl perching itself on the windowsill. The mail that day however was one singular letter that was dropped right in front of Poppy. She looked around and promptly ripped open the letter.

"I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS!" she screamed as she dropped the letter and danced around the kitchen. The whole family hugged and congratulated her and Dahlia wrote down a note that they would have to go to Diagon Alley to get supplies.

After the chaos of breakfast, Prim and Zinnia grabbed their bikes for their daily bike ride, they went through the beaten tracks of the fields onto the crumbling gravel that led to the path to the Weasley's house.

"Can I ask you something?" Prim spoke up, finding herself a lot more open to her sister this summer

"Yeah?" Zinnia replied, her face directly in the sun as her white sunglasses blocked the beam to her eyes. She let go of the handles in balance as she continued to ride.

"Do you love him?" Prim simply stated

"What?" Zinnia gasped as her hands returned to the handlebars to steady herself

"Harry, do you love him" She repeated clearly

"Why would you ask that?" Zinnia let out a shaky breath. Thinking of Harry made her a bit uneasy, although they had kissed and established they liked each other she was still unclear where they stood considering much larger events that took priority.

"Im not stupid. It doesn't take a genius to tell" she let out a small chuckle.

"That's a complicated question" Zinnia's eyes diverted to the gravel beneath the wheels of her bike.  They rode in silence from then on, ignoring the concept until they returned back to their home. Zinnia opened the door to the cottage and was met by the whole family frantically racing around, Tristan and Arthur conversing quietly in the living room.

"Where have you two been?" Basil quickly paced towards them

"Just riding around, what is going on here, why are you home?" Prim replied, coming into the door quickly followed by basil shutting and locking it.

"We're leaving, pack everything for the rest of the summer and for school." He instructed, grabbing the basket of daisy's laundry from the end of the stairs.

"Woah woah....what , why, where are we going?" Zinnia yelled after him.

"Order of the Phoenix safehouse" Basil explained as he directed the sisters upstairs.

"What the hell is the Order of the Phoenix?" she yelled back as she followed Basil into Daisy's room where he was packing her things for her. He looked at the small Daisy idly sitting on her beanbag with fearful eyes and moved Zinnia out of the room so she could not hear.

"It's an army... it's starting" he whispered to her. That was all she needed to understand and raced back to her room, bumping into Aster and Poppy who were chasing after different things they had left around the house.

Zinnia got to her room and packed in a haze, first everything she would need for school in her trunk and then everything for the rest of the summer in a different bag, she figured she could leave that behind when she went to school. She shoved clothes, books and spare parchment lastly into her bag swiftly before she picked up Maurice and carried him downstairs frantically.

"Dad?" she muttered as she hastily turned the corner into the living room. She was met with the sight of Arthur talking to Dahlia and Tristan with a concerned and stern face. They all abruptly stopped talking as she entered and Tristan walked towards her.

"What is it dear?" he breathily let out, the reminisce of utter concern lingering on his face.

"Maurice?" she uttered, holding up the small cat. Tristan let out a sigh unsure of what to do

"Take him, Hermione is taking her cat." Arthur spoke up from behind tristan.

"Hermione is going? Who else?" she proceeded towards the redheaded man.

"All will be explained later dear, just pack for now" Dahlia spoke as she guided her daughter out of the room, giving her a kiss on her head before walking back into the living room and closing the double doors.  Zinnia thought to herself that she had never seen those doors shut in her entire life.

"Zinnia what's happening?" Poppy spoke from the stairs, Zinnia turned up to the stairs and led her sister back up.

"I don't know, but it will be okay" She assured as she led her back to her room to pack.

Once everyone had packed and had their bags outside Dahlia picked up Daisy and placed her on her hip, opening the doors of the small car they barely used as Dahlia was the only one who could drive it.

"Okay, Daisy, Poppy and Aster, you're coming with me in the car. Your father and siblings will apparate." she spoke as she packed as many bags as she could into the car.

"What? No, I want to apparate!" Aster spoke up, looking desperately at his father.

"Aster, go with your Mother. Now is not a time to argue. You're too young."  Tristan spoke as he frantically took people's bag's with Athur.  Aster did not utter a word after that and silently got in the car with Poppy as Dahlia strapped Daisy into the carseat. Zinnia walked forward and passed Maurice to Poppy as she thought it best not to apparate with an animal.

Zinnia watched them drive off as her younger siblings looked longingly out of the window and she stared at her feet, processing the serious tone of the moment.

"Zinnia you come with me, Prim you go with Basil" Tristan directed as Zinnia moved to her father. Before she knew it she felt the unearthly motion of sickening pulling.

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Zinnia hated apperating. As soon as she landed on the pavement outside a row of old townhouses she trew up into the nearest bin, alongside prim who also wasn't used to the feeling. Zinnia looked up and saw the street was empty as the moon had settled into the sky, she hadn't even noticed the time passing into night as her thoughts were completely preoccupied with the little amount of explanation she was given to what was going on.

When she turned around she noticed the houses moving smoothly away from each other to reveal another slightly darker townhouse that wedged itself in between the muggle homes.

"What the hell is that?" Zinnia exclaimed as she walked back to her family.

"Grimmauld place. Safe House" Arthur sighed as he led everyone into the house, when he opened the door Zinnia was immediately met with the grimm and dusty atmosphere of the house. The lights were covered in cobwebs and the wallpaper was old and frayed. There was almost no light let into the dim hallway. They walked down with clattering trunks in their hands.

"Tristan." the voice of Remus Lupin alerted Zinnia as he walked out of the kitchen where everyone seemed to be sitting. He came up to him and shook Tristan's hand.

"Lupin" he laughed at the tall man "my you've grown up"

"Where is your wife?" Remus questioned

"Dahlia is on her way with our three youngest, we thought they were too young to apparate"

"Well, i'll be glad to meet her" He assured, making way for the shorter black haired man behind him.

"Oh Beaumont, you king" Sirius Black laughed as he shook Tristan's hand.

"How do you know each other?" Zinnia chimed in from further down the hall, still gripping her bag tightly.

"Your father here was inspiration for many of the Marauders pranks, along with tutoring Moony here he also was quite the prankster in his day" Sirius boomed, glad to see even more people in his home; especially Dahlia as he took joy in disrespecting his mother by having a muggle in the house.

"I'm sure Aster will be glad to hear that, where should we put our bags?" Violet asked, her arms obviously straining from the weight of her duffell.

"Oh yes, umh upstairs there are plenty of rooms, feel free to pick any of them to share." Remus explained pointing up the tall stairs.

"Are you sure there are enough rooms, with the Weasley's here as well?" Tristan questioned

"No no, there are plenty of rooms, Merlin knows he had way too many of them growing up, not to mention the help of the extension charms my mother put on this place" Sirius blankly looked at the interior, a ghostlike vacancy occupying his eyes.

"Thank you Sirius" Zinnia smiled at the familiar face, he looked so much better than when she last saw him in third year, his face no longer sunken and his bones were no longer poking through his skin.

"My my you've grown brave girl" He smiled as he patted her shoulder, relishing in how much she reminded him of his old days at hogwarts. Zinnia smiled back at him before following Basil up the stairs. They approached a hall of doors and quickly found the vacant ones.

"There seems to be around two beds in each room so Daisy will probably stay with mum and dad, then Basil can bunk with Aster, Zinnia with Poppy, and Prim you and I" Violet promptly ordered, pointing to the respective rooms.

"Sounds fair" Zinnia stated as she walked to a vacant room, claiming the bed closest to the door as Poppy wouldn't be there until a few hours later. Zinnia set down her trunk and her bag then took a long sigh as her body hit the bed. She dwelled in the fact that only a few hours ago she was basking in the warm sun of summer but now stuck in this dull room for the rest of her break. Zinnia's rest was interrupted by the door bursting wide open.  

"Zinnia!" Hermione came bursting in and engulfed the girl in a large hug. Zinnia returned it solemnly.

"Hey Mione" he spoke as she took in the comforting warmth of the bushy haired girl. "Weasley" she stated as she gave Ron a hug as she was standing behind Hermione. Zinnia notices that he had shot up even more in the summer, although they had seen each other many times in the summer, he seemed to get taller with each visit.

"Is Harry coming here?" Zinnia asked, noticing his absence.

"I don't think so, Dumbeldore says he's safer at the Dursleys" Ron explained

"That's ridiculous, doesn't he know how they treat him!" she started to fume

"He said there is an explanation. Also he.... He instructed us not to tell Harry anything about this, to keep our letters short." Hermione explained further.

"What? Why? No way in hell am I doing that" Zinnia reflected in the almost page long letters she had been sending to Harry, her heart broke for him, thinking about him getting basically no correspondence from his friends.

"Dumbeldore's orders" Hermione stated, trying to calm the girl.

"Screw Dumbledore!!" she started to shout

"Zinnia!" Hermione interrupted. A moment of silence passed between the two as Zinnia let out a sigh to calm herself. "We'll leave you to unpack" she stated after pushing Ron out of the room.

Once Dahlia had returned with the others everyone was dead tired. After a very silent and tense dinner, Zinnia returned to her room and fell asleep almost straight away next to Maurice who had been dozing on her bed, longing to tell Harry everything and anything.

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(A.N- okay first chapter of the fifth year, super exited for harry and zinnia drama and i'm introducing a new character. i'll write a bit more about Grimmauld place because i love it so much and it wasn't in the movies as much as the books.

TYSM FOR 800 Reads❤️❤️

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