( chapter xl. TWO-FACED )

✦

Birdie could not believe what she had seen. It was unimaginable, it was so wrong and so sinful and she could not believe that it had happened. That her parents had done this – probably so many times while she thought they there were the best and most amazing people (okay, so she never thought that, but she did think that they were good people) – and had done it multiple times.

          It was not a first occurrence, this was too familiar, too orderly for it to be the first time. And they kept playing into the game, kept doing this and allowing it to happen and for what? To play both sides so they could choose the winner at the end and say we've always supported you and knew you could win! No, Ramona Bishop was not like her family. She was not two-faced liars like them.

          But she was not Ramona Bishop; she was Birdie. Birdie Bishop who was the only Ravenclaw in her family, the rest being Hufflepuffs, and she was different; she was not like them at all. They could all act the part of a Ravenclaw but their loyalties were different, but now it didn't seem like they had any sense of loyalty at all. At least not to others.

          She knew loyalty; she was loyal to her friends and she was loyal to the good side. She knew who would win the oncoming war and she would not play both sides so that she would have the chance to survive with whoever won, she didn't need to. And she knew that it wasn't right to do so. Seems like her parents didn't get the memo...

          The bookshop was deadly silent with Maia Greene accompanied by Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape walked it. It seemed too low profile for them, those were all big names and they must have more credit in the rankings of Death Eaters to accomplish this (Snape had fooled Dumbledore for years, Maia killed him, and everyone knew Bellatrix's name) but Birdie did not dare question them on it.

          She knew her place with them; she was a pureblood who wasn't worthy of their time. She was loyal to good with ties to Gryffindor, Slytherins greatest enemy, and she knew she would be killed if she talked back to any of them. But still, seeing Snape who pretended to be on the side of good at Hogwarts and seeing Maia, Calypso's cousin and a murderer, filled her with rage.

          She wanted to hurt the younger girl for hurting her friend. Calypso meant the world to her and here this girl was, throwing everything away for Death Eaters. How could this girl join them when she knew what they did to Remelda and her siblings? How could she do that when she looked into Remelda's eyes and called her Aunt Mel? She was a disgrace and Birdie would never forgive her even if one day Calypso decided to turn the other cheek after the war, not that she thought her friend would...

          The bookstore was empty when they crashed in, walking around as if they owned the place. Bellatrix had gone straight up and asked them for the information that her parents had promised them. Maia looked at her and glared, no doubt knowing who she was to Calypso. She just glared right back.

          Her jaw was clenched and she wanted to reach for her wand and yell a curse at the girl. She would deserve it anyway. Yet she stayed still because she knew what would happen if she did; they had two others and she would be dead in less than a minute after her act and she was not dumb enough to risk her death.

          When Maia knew that she was in compliance, she smirked. There was a wickedness in her eyes, void of all innocence – not that Birdie could confirm there was ever any innocence at all. She never knew the girl before, only knew what Calypso had said about her. But this...how did she end up like this? A murderer; a Death Eater? How...?

          They didn't stay after they got what they came for, storming back out without looking back and all they did was stare and watch them leave. It was tense for a moment, no one speaking until Birdie turned to her parents with a fire in her eyes. "How dare you? How could you do this?" she asked them, not bothering to keep the venom out of her voice as she did.

          Her mother flinched, looking at her with sadness and guilt. "You have to understand, we have no choice..."

          "Of course you have a choice!" Birdie roared back at her, "There is always a choice and this is the one you made! Don't act like you couldn't say no."

          "Ramona –" her father began but she cut him off.

          "– Don't call me Ramona, that is not my name! My name is Birdie and I sure as hell am never being called Ramona again. I don't want anything to do with this family if you going to work with Death Eaters!" Birdie yelled at them.

          "Ramona!" her father said again, this time more sternly, getting her to stop for a moment before he continued, "We don't want to do this, but we have to."

          Birdie could only roll her eyes at them, there was always a choice and they made the wrong one. How could it ever be the right one to help Death Eaters, to help You-Know-Who?

          "Please, just let us explain," her mother begged and she stayed silent for a moment, though it wasn't like their explanation would change anything, "They threatened us. All of us. They said they would kill you and your brothers if we don't comply."

          "You're cowards then," Birdie decided, "We could always go on the run, they would never find us. But no, you have to stay at the bookstore and help them."

          "We didn't want you to die! Any of you!" her father hissed back at her, "You have our lives and the thought of them killing you or torturing you...we can't bare it. And there was no time to think of running away. You were upstairs when they came the first time and there were so many of them. If we said no then they would find you so easily and you would be dead...they would just get your brothers later."

          She stared at them, unable to believe that. No, they had to be lying. They had to just be playing both sides like a double agent, cheering for both and championing with however the winner of the war was. This was all a lie; there was no threat, they never said they were going to kill her and her older brothers, it was all a lie...it had to be a lie.

          But they looked so sincere, so earnest. And these were her parents, the same Hufflepuffs who fell in love so young. Of course it would make sense for them to want to protect their family, the people they were seemingly most loyal to. But still...they were helping the other side. They were helping Him – You-Know-Who.

          They were going against everything Birdie and her friends stood for. They were helping the people that killed Remelda Black and destroyed her life when she was younger, she was the reason why Regulus Black faked his death and why Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban...how could she stand to help them?

          How could she keep this a secret from Calypso, who symbolized everything good in the world? The girl who came from a family of darkness and shined her light so bright for everyone to see. Who viewed herself as a monster because of her curse but was such an angel. A true angel living on earth to grace others.

          It wasn't fair.

          "What do they want in return?" Birdie asked them, deciding that the answer to this question would determine if she would stand with her family or go tell the Order, "What are you giving them to keep us alive?"

          "Anything about the Deathly Hallows," her father told her, "You-Know-Who's been obsessed with the thought of it, apparently. Well, the Elder Wand anyway."

          Birdie frowned at that, "But the Elder Wand is a myth – none of the Deathly Hallows exist. It's just a part of a fairy tale."

          "You never know. Fairy tales are often based on at least a little bit of truth, and people claim to have had it in the past or know who did have it," her mother contradicted, going quiet for a moment before adding, "They always said that it was Grindelwald's wand for almost the entirety of his reign."

          "But it can't be true," Birdie insisted, "It's just – it isn't real, it can't be. None of it can."

          "And it may not," her mother said in comfort, "but it can be, and You-Know-Who is banking on that possibility. We've looked through every book that even mentions anything on the Deathly Hallows, documenting everything. That's all he wanted and then they said they would leave us alone."

          Birdie looked between her parents in hesitation. "And that's all?" she asked in confirmation. It didn't seem like that, and it looked like they had gotten the information that the Death Eaters required so there was no reason to bring it up to the Order. It was all over now and they would never be bothered again and her parents weren't evil at all. It was okay.

          They both nodded though said nothing verbally. Birdie's shoulders relaxed knowing that. It was going to be okay, it was fine, because it was all over now. You-Know-Who had everything that he needed from them and they would be fine. They had to be.

✦

          CALYPSO HAD TO admit that she was surprised when she received an invitation to Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding. She had only ever seen Fleur – never really talked to her – and she had never even met the groom. It wasn't like she was a close family friend of the family either, her relationship with the Weasleys was rocky at best. So, it left her with the only option that they invited her because Remus and Nymphadora were invited along with Sirius and Nadia so it was be rude if she didn't receive an invitation as well.

          Not that she cared. She didn't know the soon-to-be married couple and having other members of her family be invited and her not even though she had lived with the family for a year wouldn't hurt her feelings. She was eighteen, an adult, and petty little things like that weren't going to get to her.

          But whatever. She had been invited and it would be rude if she didn't show up, so here she was in an emerald green dress (the Blacks' complexion always went with jewel tones, especially emerald) and fixing her hair in the hallway of her house.

          It wasn't just her house, but it was hers too. The thought of that excited her and always made a smile come to her face.

          Her Uncle Regulus came out of the dining room, probably from the kitchen as well, to see her fretting about her appearance. He sighed and went up behind her, "You look amazing, Cal, stop worrying."

          "I know, I know, but it's just – I know none of them like me. Well, Ron might be alright with me but after Maia...well, you know, I doubt it," Calypso frowned, "I'm just trying to give a good impression. I already know everyone's going to be talking about me."

          Regulus sent her a sympathetic look but he couldn't help but also smirk at her troubles. He looked her up and down before cracking a smile and laughing at her. "I doubt showing up in an emerald green dress is going to leave a good impression on them."

          In alarm, she looked back into the mirror before realizing what he was talking about. Groaning, she frowned and looked back at him, "I should just skip, shouldn't I? I doubt anyone would be upset – actually, I think it would be a relief for them. They probably don't want me there anyway."

          "No," Regulus told her sternly, "You're going to that wedding and that's final."

          "Uncle Reg!" she whined, "Can you at least come with me? I'm sure I can bring a plus one."

          "Yes, because bringing your uncle as your plus one definitely isn't weird," Regulus rolled his eyes at her, "That's only reserved for people you're dating and bringing me would give the wrong idea. And it would make more people stare and talk about us."

          Calypso made a face of disgust, "Ew. Why does everyone think about sex and dating so much? I understand."

          Regulus gave her a smile, shrugging, "I don't know, but maybe they'll understand later that all you want is to be a cat lady."

          "You know me so well," she sighed. Then, she looked at her watch and cursed, "Shit, I'm going to be late if I don't leave now."

          "Well, have a good time – and drink responsibility," he reminded her.

          She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll see you tonight."

          Regulus pulled her into a hug and before they let go, gave her a kiss on the head. She smiled at they parted, standing there for a moment more before Apparating to the Burrow.

          Once there, she knocked at the front door and was shortly let in after, though no one stayed to greet her. She was fine with that, they were busy and by the looks of it were rushing way too much. She blinked before walking to the back of the house, seeing the tent where she knew the wedding was being held – her dad informed her earlier – and went to it.

          She looked around when she got inside the tent for anyone she knew and was unsurprised when the people who noticed her started to whisper to each other. It had happened to her too many times in her life for her to care anymore.

          Finally, she found her family and smiled, walking to the row and sitting down with them. "Hey, star," her dad said when she sat down next to him.

          "Calypso! We weren't sure if you were coming," Sirius said as his greeting.

          She laughed, "Well, I thought about it, but Uncle Reg was about to Apparate here himself with me to get to me to come."

          "Sounds like Regulus," Nadia laughed before looking at her with earnest, "Well, we're glad you came, hon."

          Looking around, she noticed that one member of their family was missing (not counting the bloodtraitor who she would never ever mention again), "Leo staying home?"

          Nadia nodded. "Yeah, you know how he is in crowds and, well, we got the feeling that while Molly invited us...she didn't really extend it to him."

          "I understand," Calypso hummed, "I mean, I'm still surprised I was invited."

          Remus frowned, "Why wouldn't you be?"

          "I thought you and Harry were friends," Nymphadora added.

          Calypso shrugged. "We were for a while, I guess. But after I ignored him last year and Maia, well...I wasn't expecting it. Wasn't like they ever really liked me," she admitted before turning to her dad, "I remember Ron not even letting Harry eat the chocolate you gave him on the train after the Dementor attack because I told him to eat it."

          "That's rather rude," Remus commented with a frown on his face, then muttering, "It's bloody chocolate. No one would ever dare to ruin chocolate with poison – that's a disgrace!"

          They all laughed at him and Nymphadora placed a hand on his shoulder as she did. Calypso noticed and couldn't keep the small smile on her face at it. While part of her wished that it could have been Remelda doing that to him, the majority of her was happy for them. Her mum would've wanted it this way, too.

          "Oh!" Sirius said, "I almost forgot to mention this, but the Minister was here a couple hours ago."

          Calypso frowned, "Why?"

          "Carrying out Dumbledore's will. Apparently he left some of his stuff to Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Sirius said before looking at her, "And something for you."

          Her frown deepened as all their eyes trained on her, as if she knew what he could have possibly left her. "Me?" she asked, "Why? I never knew him – we barely had one conversation together. Really, I think the only time I spoke to him one-on-one was when I had to go up to his office to meet Fudge when you escaped from Azkaban."

          Sirius raised an eyebrow and gave a face of disgust, "They questioned you about my whereabouts at Hogwarts?"

          Calypso nodded. "Pulled me out of class and everything. It was a bit sad because it was dad's first class of him, but oh well..."

          "Of course," her uncle snorted.

          Before the conversation could continue further, music started to play and everyone settled with their eyes trained to the front. The ceremony began and, of course, it was beautiful and Fleur looked like an angel. No one could keep their eyes off her.

          When the ceremony was over, they started to dance and the altar was cleared with magic to make room for a dance floor. The happy couple took their first dance as Calypso got a drink from the bar. She watched everyone who was dancing as well, like her dad and Nymphadora. They looked happy and it made her smile.

          Sirius and Nadia sat down, talking to Harry so she left them be. Harry probably didn't want to see her. She stayed near the edge of the tent, watching everyone else as she sipped at her wine. It was a joyous event and part of her wondered about her own wedding, if she would ever have one.

          The thought of marriage was not one she ever entertained. Maybe it was because she grew up with divorced parents or maybe it was because the concept of falling in love with someone seemed so foreign. Really, the idea of a relationship was almost too much for her. She could never see herself doing that.

          Yes, she could agree that people were beautiful together and complimented each other perfectly, but she couldn't see that for herself. She liked being single and with her cat, working at the bakery and living with her uncle. She couldn't see her life being any better because she was in a relationship.

          Tearing her eyes away from the scene, she left the tent to go head into the house, determined to see if what Dumbledore left her was sitting somewhere for her to find easily. If not, she'd just have to come back another day or contact the Ministry itself.

          The door was unlocked, making it much easier for her and with a quick Lumos she had enough light to see. Looking around the living room, she found nothing on the coffee table or side tables for her. So she went to the kitchen where she found a piece of parchment that was rolled up and necklace sitting on top of a counter.

          Going towards it, she picked up the letter and unrolled it, surprised to find that it was addressed to her.

          Miss Black,

          When you read this, I will have joined the land of the dead. I know that we have had no previous connection and you must be wondering why I have addressed this letter to you, but it is of the upmost important matter.

          I have good reason to believe that where Harry and I are going to travel to will not have the true horcrux we seek. I believe that it was stolen by someone in your family and you know where it is hidden. I do not mean for any of the previous statement to sound like a threat, it is not my intention, but you must know that I have sent Harry on a quest to find the rest of the horcruxes.

          It is key for him to find and destroy the others if he wants to succeed in killing Voldemort. I hope you understand that you must give the horcrux – the locket, as we both know – to him so that he can destroy it.

          I have also left you the other copy of the locket that your relative placed as the alternate to the original in the cave so that you know exactly which locket is the horcrux.

I wish you well,
Your Old Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore

          Calypso frowned as she read the letter. How could he have possibility figured out that Regulus and Remelda had stolen the other horcrux? She knew that Dumbledore was a genius but this seemed like too much. Maybe someone told him, like Nadia. Nadia knew about the horcruxes as well and maybe she told Dumbledore...

          No. If Regulus told her to keep it a secret, she would believe that it needed to be kept between them and she would have never told Dumbledore. Even after his death. Hopefully, anyway.

          She looked at the locket that was laying on the counter, remembering the same necklace that was in the china case of the dining room in her own house. Taking the locket and letter, she tucked the letter into her bra (it was convenient and quick, she didn't have time to think of an alternative) and placed the locket around her neck. At least it went with her dress...

          All she could hope for was that no one at the wedding recognized it besides Harry and maybe Sirius. He had probably stared at that china cabinet for hours so there was no way to hide it from him and there was no way she could have the locket in her bra as well.

          She sent back out to the tent and went back to the bar as to not look like she had just left and then returned. Looking around, she found that her family was gathered at the table Nadia and Sirius was at before with Harry, though the boy was now talking to the Lovegoods.

          Calypso went to sit with them, acting as casual as she could as she sat down. Everyone looked at her and gave her a smile, even Sirius, and not even his gaze lingered on the new necklace. Good, that was a good sign.

          "Drinking so early into the night, Cal?" Sirius joked with her and she forced out a small laugh.

          "Regulus told me to drink a few before I got home," she told him and he raised an eyebrow.

          "Oh, did he know?" Sirius asked and she just nodded before chuckling. "Ah, I knew you were lying."

          "Well, I'm legal now, so why not?" she asked instead.

          Sirius raised his own glass to her words, "Cheers to that," he said before taking a sip. She did the same in solidarity.

          Nadia looked at Nymphadora, who was the only one at the table with punch rather than alcohol. "Not feeling up for a drink tonight, Tonks?"

          The woman blushed. "Um, no," she then coughed and looked at Remus and then back at them before saying, "I, uh, don't think I'll be feeling up for a drink for the next, oh, eight months or something."

          Everyone froze at that realization as the couple smiled at their shocked reactions. "Oh my God," Nadia breathed out before saying, "Wait, really?"

          Nymphadora nodded and Nadia practically squealed, causing them to laugh. Sirius clapped Remus on the back as he said, "Congrats," which left Calypso.

          Calypso, who burst into laughter, causing alarm from the others. "Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry, but this – God, just last month you were telling me that you wanted to 'go slow' and 'not rush things this time' and now she's pregnant? You are the worst at going slow, dad," she laughed at him.

          Remus' cheeks and ears went back, "Well, you were one who told me to jump into the relationship."

          "I didn't think this would happen so quickly!" she shot back to him, "No, but really, congrats. I've always wanted a sibling and now I'll finally have one!"

          Nymphadora smiled at her, "Thanks, Cal, it means a lot."

          Calypso waved her off, "No problem, Nymphie."

          The woman scowled at that. "I am never getting rid of that nickname, am I?"

          "Nope!" Calypso cheered, grinning at the woman who just shook her head.

          "Wait, did he really say that he wanted to take things slow last month," Nadia broke in, "Because...wow, this really isn't slow at all."

          "I know!" Calypso exclaimed, glad that someone was seeing it from her perspective, "And yes, he did say that."

          "Well, in my last serious relationship we weren't together long before Remelda became pregnant and we got married. I just...wanted a better outcome than that one," Remus defended himself.

          Calypso snickered at him, "Well look how that turned out; she's pregnant which probably means another wedding – please tell me we don't have to make such a big deal out of it, I really hate wearing dresses – and you're having another accidental child. Or, how Bob Ross would say, a 'happy little accident'."

          Remus rolled his eyes at her but Sirius gave her a confused look, "Who the fuck is Bob Ross?"

          "A painter. He has a show, it's really calming," Calypso answered as she took another sip of her drink.

          Sirius opened his mouth to say something back when everyone else became silent as a Patronus of a silver lynx appeared.

          "The Ministry has fallen. The Ministry of Magic is dead. They are coming..." the urgent voice of Kingsley Shackelbolt's told them.

          There was a panic after that. Everyone started to get up and leave and it was only seconds after that the Death Eaters showed up and began to cast spells.

          Nadia and Sirius were together and so were Remus and Nymphadora, all ready to go, but Calypso was moving away from them. If Dumbledore was right, Harry and his friends were going on a quest to find the other horcruxes which meant that she wouldn't be able to find him. This was her last chance – she needed to get to them so that she could give him the locket.

          "Calypso!" she heard her dad call out after her as she ran to find Harry.

          Finally, she spotted him and yelled out his name, watching him look in her direction as Hermione and Ron got to him. She raced towards them and latched onto his arm as they Apparated away. They materialized into the middle of the street as a double-decker bus raced towards them. Narrowly, they made it out of the way.

          "Where are we?" Ron asked before looking and seeing Calypso, "How did you get here?"

          "I latched onto Harry," she explained, "I needed to talk to you – it's really important and can't wait at all."

          Harry frowned at her and raised an eyebrow, "You had time to talk to me at the wedding."

          She was quiet for a second before answering, "So I got a little carried away, sue me. I thought I had more time but apparently I don't."

          "What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, always one to cut to the chase.

          So, she blurted out, "You're hunting for horcruxes, aren't you?"

          They all stiffened and she knew she was correct. Ron coolly asked her, "What do you know about horcruxes?"

          It was clear what his implications were. She was a Black, the daughter of a woman who was supposed to be a Death Eater. The niece of a once supposed mass murderer and Death Eater and cousin of an actual Death Eater and the murderer of their beloved Dumbledore.

          She huffed, "It's nothing like that. I didn't even know you were searching for them until I found Dumbledore's letter that he left for me in his will along with the fake locket."

          She pointed to her neck where it was hanging from and a flash of familiarization blared in Harry's eyes. "You know where the real one is?"

          Calypso nodded, "Duh. My mum and uncle took it years ago. It's in my dining room, I'm sure you guys saw it when you stayed at 12 Grimmauld Place."

          Hermione looked at her, "It's been there all along and neither your uncle nor your mum handed it over to Dumbledore or someone else."

          "Of course not," Calypso said, "It's a fucking horcrux, you can't trust anyone else with that shit. And it wasn't like my mum knew Dumbledore back then, and my uncle was supposed to be dead so he couldn't do it."

          "Well, what are you waiting for?" Harry asked, "Let's go get that horcrux."

          Calypso nodded and they all linked hands again. One second they were still standing on the sidewalk and the next they were in the foyer of her house.

          "Uncle Reg, I'm home!" she yelled out for her uncle to hear, taking off her shoes.

          "I'll be down in a minute!" he yelled back at her. Soon enough, she heard his bedroom door open. "You're home early. I thought I had at least another hour or two to myself before you came – oh shit, what did you do?" he stopped at the top of the stairs when he saw her standing with the trio.

          She gave him an offended look, "Why do you think that something happened just because they're here?"

          Regulus rolled his eyes as he started down the stairs, "Because he –" he pointed at Harry, "– attracts trouble and so you do. Then, when you're together, shit just happens to hit the fan."

          Calypso thought about it for a moment before nodding, "Fair."

          "I know," Regulus said, looking at their guests, "So what happened?"

          "Death Eaters attacked – oh, and the Minister of Magic was killed earlier today," Calypso told him simply.

          "Okay," Regulus nodded, "So why are they here?" he pointed at the trio.

          "Calypso said that you have a horcrux here," Harry spoke up and Regulus froze for a moment before nodding.

          Regulus raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "You told them about horcruxes at a fucking wedding? That is not getting into the festive spirit."

          She rolled her eyes at her uncle as they moved into the dining room. "It wasn't me that told them. Dumbledore, apparently, informed Harry all about them last year and he's told the two of them."

          "So how do you get involved then?" her uncle asked her.

          "Dumbledore left me a letter and this," she indicted to her locket, "in his will. It's the fake one you placed in the cave, of course, but the three of them are looking to find the other horcruxes and destroy them, so here we are."

          Regulus nodded in understanding. "Alright," he said before moving over to the china cabinet and taking out the real locket, his grip was tight on the jewelry when he went back towards them, "Be careful with this, alright?"

          The three nodded and Harry reached out his hand to take it but Regulus withdrew his own, still holding onto the locket. "I'm being completely serious, okay? This has really dark magic in it and it will have a hold over you and tempt you. You can't listen to it – at all."

          They nodded again and Regulus finally handed it over to Harry, who placed it around his neck. "Have any tips of how to destroy it?" Ron asked.

          Regulus shook his head, "None. I researched a lot into horcruxes when I was looking into it all, but I didn't find much on destroying it. Basically just said the only way to crush it was with the opposite of whatever made it. Don't really know what that means. Sorry I can't be of any more help."

          "You've done plenty," Hermione assured him, "Thank you, both of you. We would have never gotten this without you."

          Regulus blushed at the thanks and shook it off, "It's nothing. I got it to one day destroy it, but I never found out. I hope you three have better luck than me."

          Harry held onto the locket and looked down at it, as if it was calling to him. Calypso noticed this and attempted to snap him out of his seemingly trace as she said, "You can stay here for the night. I don't imagine you guys brought a lot of money – or any at all – for a place to stay and we have plenty of empty rooms."

          It worked as Harry's eyes snapped up to hers. Regulus nodded in confirmation as her offer, "She's right. We can help you help so more."

          "That's really nice but you've already done so much for us, we wouldn't want to obtrude," Hermione turned them down sweetly.

          Calypso waved it off, "It's fine, we don't mind. It's for a good cause, isn't it? Come on, we'll cook breakfast in the morning and then you can be on your way."

          Harry looked at her with gratitude. "Thanks, we'd like it if it wouldn't be of any trouble..." his gaze went to Regulus.

          The older man smiled back at him, "None at all. Go on, it's getting late. You should all get to bed. I'll show you the available rooms."

          They all went upstairs, heading off separate ways as Calypso made it to her own room. It was much cozier and homier than it was the month before when she was still decorating it with the intentions of it being her guest room rather than her actual room. She liked to think that she had done a good job with that.

          She took of her dress and got into some comfy pajamas before cleaning the makeup off her face and taking off extra jewelry she put on. Exhaustion took her over and practically as soon as her face hit her pillow she fell into a dreamless sleep.

authors note
so this chapter was a hell of a lot longer than i thought it was going to be. like at around 4600 i checked the word count because i thought it was around 3500...i was super wrong. but whatever, it's cool. i just had a lot that needed to happen this chapter and it did.

of course a lot of things in canon were changed in this chapter because a) 12 grimmauld place isn't vacant and therefore mudungus wouldn't have gotten in and pawned the locket to umbridge and b) the trio knows that 12 grimmauld place is occupied and wouldn't have gone there after the coffee shop scene. so yeah this happened instead

also it's so late when i finished this chapter so late night update for you guys ya yeet!!!