chapter seventeen : Christmas on the closed ward

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Juniper and the others spent the following morning putting up Christmas decorations. She could not remember Sirius ever being in such a good mood; he was actually singing carols, apparently delighted that he would spend Christmas as a free man once more. He did so last year but June and the others had spent it at Hogwarts due to the Yule Ball.

Timothée, who had decided to stay for Christmas, helped June decorating the kitchen while telling her that Fleur had decided to spend Christmas at home. However, June wasn't really listening. Her thoughts were with Harry who had been a bit off ever since his vision about Arthur getting attacked. She made a mental note to check up on him once in a while.

"Dance with me, June!" Sirius exclaimed, pulling her along with him. He spun her around and Juniper could stop the smile that was creeping up her face. He was actually a pretty good dancer.

Charlie and Bill were currently in St Mungo's but they would be back before lunch.

Hermione arrived at eleven. Christmas break had arrived. She gestured for June and Ginny to follow her, and after persuading Sirius to let her go, the black haired followed her upstairs.

"How's Harry?" Hermione quietly asked.

"He's acting weird," Juniper said, shaking her head. "I'm starting to get worried. He's been hiding from us ever since we got back from St Mungo's."

They headed towards the boys bedroom where Harry  and Ron were already sitting on their beds.

"How're you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Fine," Harry said stiffly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," Hermione said impatiently. "Ron, Ginny and June say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's."

"They do, do they?" Harry said, glaring at Ron, Ginny and June. Ron looked down at his feet, June raised an eyebrow and Ginny seemed quite unabashed.

"Well, you have!" the redhead said. "And you won't look at any of us!"

"It's you lot who won't look at me!" Harry said angrily.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other," Hermione suggested, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Very funny," Harry snapped angrily.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," Hermione said sharply, causing June to look at her in surprise. "Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears —"

"Yeah?" Harry growled, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it."

"We wanted to talk to you, Harry," Ginny said, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back —"

"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," Harry said.

"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," Ginny said angrily, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."

Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Juniper glanced between him and Ginny, awaiting his response. Then, he turned on the spot to face her.

"I forgot," he said.

"Lucky you," Ginny said coolly.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, and June could tell he meant it. "So . . . so, do you think I'm being possessed, then?"

"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to."

"No," Harry said.

"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," Ginny simply said. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."

"That dream I had about your dad and the snake, though —" Harry began, but he was interrupted by Hermione.

"Harry, you've had these dreams before," she said. "You had flashed of what Voldemort was up to last year."

"This was different," Harry said, shaking his head. "I was inside that snake. It was like I was the snake . . . what if Voldemort somehow transported me to London —?"

"One day," Hermione said, sounding thoroughly exasperated, "you'll read Hogwarts: A History, and perhaps it will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."

"You didn't leave your bed, mate," Ron added. "I saw you trashing around in your sleep for at least a minute before we could wake you up."

Juniper watched Harry pacing up and down the room again. It wasn't until he grabbed a sanwich from the plate, that her worry seemed to ease a bit. After reassuring herself that Harry would be fine with the others, she went downstairs again and found Sirius still singing Christmas carols with Aiden. June was surprised to see them getting along so well. She didn't realise they were friends.

"June!" Charlie said, pushing himself out of the chair he had been sitting on, avoiding both Sirius and Aiden before kissing her softly on the cheek.

"Hi, Charlie," June greeted him with a grin, as she looked up at him, their fingers intertwined. "How's your dad?"

"He's doing better," Charlie said, smiling down at her, which automatically made June smile as well. "Thanks for asking."

"What's up, Junie?" Timothée said from where he was laying on the couch, his head popped up against a pillow.

"I'm good, Timmy, how are you?" June asked, making her way towards him, her hand still in Charlie's. They avoided Sirius and Aiden who had decided to dance now, too.

Timothée removed his feet from the couch so they could sit next to him. "I'm good. How's school? I heard about that Ministry woman."

"Oh yeah, that one," June said, disgust filling her voice. "Merlin I hate her. You're lucky the Triwizard Tournament was last year and you graduated."

Charlie gave her a comforting squeeze and she smiled in return. She knew he hated the fact that he couldn't do anything about it and she could only hope Fred hadn't told anything about the hand incident. Coming to think of it, she subtly pulled her sleeve over the back of her hand.

Timothée gave her a sad smile. "If only she'll be gone when you go back."

If only.

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On Christmas Day, Juniper, Hermione, Harry and the Weasleys were planning to pay Arthur another visit, escorted by Remus, Mundungus, Moody, Sirius and Aiden. Mundungus managed to 'borrow' a car for the occasion, as the Underground did not run on Christmas Day. The car, which June doubted very much had been taken with the consent of its owner, had been enlarged to fit them all. Molly heisted before getting inside — June knew her disapproval of Mundungus was battling with her dislike of traveling without magic — but, finally, the cold outside and her children's pleading triumphed, and she settled herself into the back seats between Fred and Bill with good grace.

The journey to St Mungo's was quite quick as there was very little traffic on the roads. A small trickle of witches and wizards was creeping furtively up the otherwise deserted street to visit the hospital. June and the others got out of the car, and Mundungus drove off around the corner to wait for them. They strolled casually towards the window where the dummy in green nylon stood, then, one by one, stepped through the glass.

The reception area looked pleasantly festive: the crystal orbs that illuminated St Mungo's had been colored red and gold to become gigantic, glowing Christmas baubles; holly hung around every doorway: and shining white Christmas trees covered in magical snow and icicles glittered in every corner, each one topped with a gleaming gold star. It was less crowded than the last time they had been there.

They found Arthur propped up in bed with the remains of his turkey dinner on a tray on his lap and a rather sheepish expression on his face.

"Everything all right, Arthur?" Molly asked, after they had all greeted Arthur and handed over their presents.

"Fine, fine," Arthur said, a little too heartily. "You — er — haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"

"No," Molly said suspiciously, "why?"

"Nothing, nothing," Arthur said airily, starting to unwrap his pile of gifts. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, Harry — this is absolutely wonderful!" For he had just opened Harry's gift of fuse-wire and screwdrivers.

Molly did not seem entirely satisfied with Arthur's answer. As her husband leaned over to shake Harry's hand, she peered at the bandaging under his nightshirt.

"Arthur," she said, with a snap in her voice like a mousetrap, "you've had your bandages changes. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing it until tomorrow."

"What?" Arthur said, looking rather frightening and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. "No, no — it's nothing — it's — I —"

He seeems to deflate under Molly's piercing gaze.

"Well — now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea . . . he's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in . . . um . . . complementary medicine . . . I mean, some of these old Muggle remedies . . . well, they're called stitches, Molly, and they work very well on — on Muggle wounds —"

Molly let out an omnious noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. Remus, Sirius and Aiden strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Arthur; Bill muttered something about getting himself a cup of tea and Fred and George leapt up to accompany him, grinning.

"Do you mean to tell me," Molly said, her voice growing louder with every word and apparently unaware that her fellow visitors were scurrying for cover, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"

"Not messing about, Molly, dear," Arthur said imploringly, "it was just — just something Pye and I thought we'd try — only, most unfortunately — well, with these particularly kinds of wounds — it doesn't seem to work as well as we'd hoped —"

"Meaning?"

"Well . . . well, I don't know whether you know what — what stitches are?"

"It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," Molly said with a snort of mirthless laughter, "but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid —"

"Let's get out of here," Charlie whispered in June's ear. "It will get bloody."

The two of them almost sprinted to the door. As it swung closed behind them, they heard Molly shriek, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?"

"Typical Dad," Charlie said, shaking his head as they set off up the corridor. "Stitches . . . I ask you . . ."

"Ted told me they do work well on non-magical wounds," June said. "I suppose something in that snake's venom dissolves them or something."

The two of them walked side by side, laughing and joking. It was until June saw a familiar figure sitting on the floor, head burried into her knees, that the smile faded away from her lips.

Charlie followed her gaze and frowned in worry. "Friend of yours?"

"Something like that," June said, not averting her eyes from the figure. "Do you mind getting Ginny?"

"Ginny?" Charlie repeated, confused. "Okay."

When Charlie turned around to look for his younger sister, June approached the girl.

"Mabel?"

Mabel's head snapped up and upon seeing it was June, she desperately tried to wipe the tears off her face.

"Oh — hello June," she said.

Juniper sat down next to her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Mabel said, looking at the wall opposite of them. "All fine."

June knew she was lying but she didn't press the matter. A flash of worry entered her mind as she thought of Neville being hurt.

"Is Neville all right?" June quickly asked.

For a moment, Mabel looked confused. Then, realization dawned onto her. "Yeah, he's fine. That's not why we're here."

"Is it your grandmother?"

Mabel shook her heads. "It's my parents." She paused, obviously hesitant to tell June whatever had happened. "They were tortured into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers," she eventually said, casting her eyes down.

June placed her arm around Mabel's shoulders. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mabel."

"It's just weird to see them still alive but not able to recognize us, Neville and I, their own children." Tears started to form in her eyes once more. "I know it was only a month old when it happened and I surely don't remember them, but somehow, I miss them."

This caused June to have a backflash to her conversation with Remus two years ago.

"It's okay to miss someone you didn't really know," June told the younger girl softly. "They are one of the most important people in your life after all."

Mabel leaned her head onto June's shoulder. "Thank you, June."

The black haired girl smiled. "You're welcome, Mabel."

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Published 21.06.2021

I hope you enjoyed it & tell me what you think of it!

I'm back! We're back! Everyone's back! :)

Okay, so for everyone who might have missed: I have made an Instagram account which contains extra information on how I started Mad World and Metanoia and just extra information about certain characters (Liam, Timothée, we all love them ;) don't try to tell me otherwise hahaha). Link is in bio if you're interested!

Anyway, here we have a bit more Mabel-time and she's really starting to grow on me :)

My plan for this summer is to finish act three (aka otop) and begin act four (aka hbp) :)

Next to this, I'm also busy writing an original story that I might or might not publish on July 1st (depends how far I am).

Anyway have a nice day/night y'all and I will see you in the next chapter! :)