12; ST. MUNGO'S

When Theodore opened the front door to Number 12 Grimmauld Place with the rest of his Slytherin friends and Hermione behind him, he was not expecting to see a familiar looking broom in the hallway and beside it, a suitcase.

"Is that-" Bianca pushed past him, looking at the broom closely.

"I thought she wasn't getting here until later." Daphne frowned, confused.

"Seems not." Theodore replied. Sirius appeared out of the kitchen and closed the door behind him, walking towards the teenagers. He hugged Theodore and greeted the rest of them with a smile, before noticing them looking over at the suitcase and broom.

"See you've noticed who's here." He smiled.

"Is she actually here?" Theodore asked.

"Yeah. She got here late last night. Arthur Weasley was attacked by a snake while on duty for the Order. Harry saw it all. Ginny sent El a letter, and El came here last night. She's probably still asleep in the living room. Harry wasn't feeling too good, so she just sat with him, and they both fell asleep." Sirius explained.

Just as he finished, the door to the kitchen opened and a messy haired Elara Black walked out. Her uniform was all ruffled, and her hair sticking up at the top. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Hey, Dad? Can I get some coffee?"

She hadn't even noticed the crowd stood by the door. "El, love?"

"Hmm?" She still had her eyes closed.

"Want to maybe look at who's here?"

"Who?" She opened her eyes and they widened when she saw who was stood there. "Oh. Hi?"

"El!" Bianca launched herself at her friend who barely caught her. "I missed you!"

"Ow." Elara whined as Bianca hugged her tightly. "I missed you too, but I'm really, really sore from training."

Her brunette best friend let her go and looked at her uniform. "Nice outfit."

"Yeah, thanks. Didn't have time to get changed last night. I fell asleep on the couch." Elara yawned once more. "I'm still tired."

"We can tell." Blaise called from behind his sister. Elara pulled a face in his direction before his expression softened at the sight of her boyfriend and she opened her arms, gesturing for him to hug her.

He did so happily, tucking his head in the crook of her neck and letting his arms wrap tightly around her waist, brushing his thumb gently on the small of her back. Then, he pulled back slightly and looked at her uniform in awe.

"Wow."

"Nice, huh?"

"Very cool." Theodore nodded.

"You all do realise we saw her a week ago." Blaise deadpanned.

"Yeah, yeah, come on. Bring it in." Elara motioned for him to hug her and he rolled his eyes but did so anyways. "I missed you too."

Then, she turned to the two sisters stood there as well and hugged them. "Right, I need to get changed because I stink. See you all in a bit for breakfast."

She summoned her broom and her suitcase before Apparating to her bedroom. There, she stood her broom up against the wall and opened her suitcase to pull out something to wear. After a hot shower, she got dressed in some black jeans and a grey sweater.

She ran a comb through her hair and then messed it up slightly with her fingers before slipping her boots on and sticking her wand in her boot. She headed downstairs to find everyone sat in the kitchen, so she took a seat beside Theodore and immediately poured herself a mug of coffee, which she sipped on while Molly Weasley made breakfast.

"How's your week been?" Daphne asked her older friend.

Elara pretended not to notice everyone looking over, eager to hear about what she'd been doing with the Harpies. "Very fun, and very exhausting. Got my apartment, and it's beautiful. I'll take you guys there if you want. Training's every day, some days its morning, some days its evening. We haven't got any matches right now, but there will for sure be a couple after Easter."

"Which we won't be able to come to." Harry pouted.

"Afraid not." Elara smiled sheepishly. "You've got school. But, I've got confirmation on free tickets to at least one match in the summer holidays."

"Hell yes!" Ginny exclaimed happily. "Do you think I could meet Gwenog?"

"Of course. I've told her about you. She knows about the poster in your room." Elara winked at the younger girl.

"No you didn't." At the nod Ginny got, she groaned and dropped her head onto the table. Everyone laughed at her misfortune.

"It's alright, Gin. She thinks it's cute." Elara assured the redhead. "I'm pretty good friends with our Seeker, Jemma. She was in Hogwarts when I was in first year I reckon. Hufflepuff."

"So, is it everything you dreamed it would be?" Theodore asked.

"Everything and more. Have you got anything from the Magpies?"

"Not yet, no. But I'm hoping before the end of the year." Theodore replied.

"They will. I have no doubt Adrian put in a good word for you." Elara kissed his cheek before being handed a plate of food and thanking Mrs Weasley for it. "You know he came to see me at the stadium. I think Gwenog was going to kick him out if I hadn't intervened and told her he was my friend, even if he was a Magpie player."

Bianca laughed. "I would have paid good money to see Gwenog Jones take on Rian."

"He was terrified. I thought he was going to piss himself when he saw her. Gwenog is a terrifying woman. Especially when she's giving us training drills. Bloody hell, she's brutal and ruthless. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We're back to the masochist thing, El." Blaise sighed.

"Oh, haha. Very funny, Blaise."

"I know I am." He smirked before Bianca smacked the back of his head. "Ow."

"Idiot." His sister rolled her eyes.

"What have you all done without me?"

"I taught them about Patronus'." Harry mumbled through his toast.

"Oh, did you really?" Elara sat up, intrigued. "That must have been fun. Did you all manage to find out your forms?"

"You know I already know mine." Theodore shrugged.

"Not you, I know that." Elara waved him off, turning her attention to the others.

"Mine's was an otter." Hermione said shyly, sipping on some tea.

"That's lovely, Hermione. That actually fits you very well. Otters are very intelligent." Elara explaining, smiling fondly when the bushy haired girl went pink. Ron mumbled something through his food, spitting some of it onto the table. "That's disgusting, ginger. Ew."

He gulped it down. "I said, jack russell terrier."

"Awe, that's adorable." Elara cooed, managing to make him go red. "Wow, I'm getting good at making people blush."

"Don't take advantage of it, please." Bianca said nonchalantly, stealing her best friends coffee and drinking some of it before handing it back with a scrunched up face at the lack of sugar.

"Do you even know me, Zabini?" Elara fake-gasped. Bianca rolled her eyes. "Come on, what was yours?"

"Jaguar." Bianca winked.

"Of course. You absolute cougar."

"Always."

"Blaise?"

"Fox."

"Seems about right. Cunning little shit."

"Aw, thank you." He threw her a sarcastic grin.

"Mine was a swan." Daphne said as she pulled her blonde hair into a neat bun, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

"I got a hare."

"Guess Patronus' really are that accurate. Damn." Elara looked impressed.

"Mine was a horse." Ginny grinned, clearly happy with it.

"Hyena." Fred stated.

"Coyote." George finished.

"Wonderful." Elara nodded.

"Not going to tell us what you got, El? Theodore?" Bianca asked.

"I can't tell you, because then Lara, and I told myself I won't tell her." Theodore shrugged, to which Elara shot him a playful glare.

"Mine's a Hungarian Horntail." Elara shrugged, before finishing off her coffee and looking back up to see everyone looking at her with varying expressions of shock, pride and some fear. "Everyone ok?"

"A bloody Horntail?" Ron screeched.

"Are you kidding me?" Harry's eyes widened.

"Yes. A Hungarian Horntail." Elara said slowly.

"I should have known." Blaise face-palmed.

"Is that why you're good with dragons?" Astoria asked.

"Partly." Elara smirked. "Can't disclose the other one. it may be illegal." She shrugged. "But nothing new there. Half the shit I do isn't legal."

"High five." Harry held his hand out and she slapped it with hers laughing.

"No, Harry. Don't encourage her." Hermione protested.

"If he doesn't, someone else will." The younger Black said. "Someone worse."

After they had lunch, the Weasleys went to their rooms to try and catch some sleep before visiting their father, considering they had been up majority of the morning and night. So, while she slept, Elara spent time with her friends and was caught up to speed on the happenings at Hogwarts.

When they woke up, their trunks from Hogwarts had arrived and they got dressed after lunch to head to St. Mungo's.

Her fellow Slytherins elected to stay behind, considering they didn't know Arthur that well and so didn't want to impose. Tonks and Mad-Eye showed up to escort them and Elara greeted Tonks with a massive hug. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, little Black!"

They were led through London, trying to avoid contact with muggles because they were a large group and Mad-Eye wasn't exactly blending in, and neither was Tonks' bright pink hair. They finally arrived outside a large, old fashioned department store. It looked shabby and the window displays were simply some chipped dummies with lopsided wigs.

Tonks walked forward towards a dummy with false eyelashes and a green pinafore dress. "Everybody ready?" Everyone gathered around, nodding, and Elara hooked her arm around Harry's so he wouldn't get lost. "Wotcher, we're here to see Arthur Weasley."

The dummy nodded and gestured with its finger. Tonks grabbed Ginny and Mrs Weasley and walked through the glass, disappearing. Then, Fred, George and Ron followed. Elara dragged Harry with her, and Mad-Eye came in behind them.

They appeared in a crowded reception area. Elara hadn't been to St. Mungo's many times, maybe once or twice when she was younger, but she vaguely remembered the place. Wizards and witches were sat on wooden chairs, some looking normal and reading copies of magazines, while others had gruesome disfigurements like elephant trunks or extra hands.

The room was quiet. Well, quieter than the outside. Elara recognised the Healers as witches and wizards in lime-green robes walking up and down, asking questions and jotting things down on clipboards. There was an emblem on their robes, a wand and bone crossed. "Are they doctors?" Harry asked.

"Doctors? Those Muggle nutters that cut people up?" Ron looked startled.

"Shut up, Ron. No, Harry. They're Healers, the magical equivalent of a Doctor."

"Over here!" Mrs Weasley called to them, and they followed her to a queue in front of a desk where a blonde witch sat. the wall behind her was covered in posters and notices and a portrait of a witch with silver ringlets, labelled:

DILYS DERWENT

St. Mungo's Healer 1722-1741

Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 1741-1768

As they approached the desk, Elara caught site of the floor guide propped to the side.

ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS – Ground Floor (cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.)

CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES – First Floor (bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.)

MAGICAL BUGS – Second Floor (contagious maladies, e.g. dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus)

POTION AND PLANT POISIONING – Third Floor (rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.)

SPELL DAMAGE – Fourth Floor (unliftable jinxes, hexes and incorrectly applies charms, etc.)

VISITORS' TEAROOM AND HISPITAL SHOP – Fifth Floor

If you are unsure where to go, incapable of normal speech or unable to remember why you are here, our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help.

In Elara's opinion, their Welcome Witch didn't look too welcoming. Mrs Weasley finally moved up to the desk. "Hello, my husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us-?"

"Arthur Weasley?" The witch ran her finger down a long list. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right. Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Thank you. Come on, you lot."

They all followed behind the older redheaded woman through a pair of double doors and down a corridor lined with portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles floating up on the ceiling. More Healers walked in and out of the doors.

They climbed up some stairs and entered the 'Creature-induced Injuries' corridor, and into the second door on the right which bore the words:

"Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites

Healer-in-Charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck

Trainee Healer: Augustus Pye

"We'll wait outside, Molly." Tonks smiled. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once. It ought to be just the family first."

Mad-Eye growled his approval and Elara nodded, sitting down beside Tonks while the Weasley's and Harry went inside. Elara distracted herself with her wand, producing butterflies and then vanishing them.

A few minutes later, they all walked out and the other three walked in to see Arthur. Elara walked forward. "So glad to see you're doing alright, Mr Weasley."

"Thank you, Elara." He smiled softly at the younger girl. After some pleasantries, they went straight to business.

"They searched the whole area, but they couldn't find the snake anywhere, it just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur." Tonks said. "But You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get it, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout." Mad-Eye growled. "'Cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there, the beast would've had much more time to look around. So, Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes." Mrs Weasley had an uneasy look on his face. "You know, Dumbledore seems to almost have been waiting for Harry to see something like this."

"Yeah, well. There's something funny about the Potter kid. We all know that." Mad-Eye said.

"He's just a kid, Mad-Eye." Elara retorted defensively. "He doesn't know what's happening to him. He would if Dumbledore gave him some bloody answers, but the wanker's shut up as always."

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning." Mrs Weasley tried to defend the man.

"He isn't worried about Harry. He's worried about the implications of this." Elara rolled her eyes.

"'Course he's worried. The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him-"

"We need to do something, anything, to help him." Elara looked desperate. This was her brother they were talking about. Her 15 year old brother. Possessed by the Dark Lord. She was not going to stand by and do nothing. "I'm going outside."

She sighed and walked towards the door, opening it and raising her eyebrows to see everyone gathered around, holding Extendable Ears. "Why do we even bother kicking you out?" She sighed again, rubbing a hand down her face.

She looked at Harry who was pale and breathing heavily. "Harry?"

He didn't seem to have heard her, so she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He snapped out of his trance and looked up at her. "El."

"Come here, sweetheart." She wrapped her arms around him. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he must have been feeling after hearing their conversation. "I know you didn't want to hear that. It's alright. We'll figure something out to help you. I promise."