Getting Settled
�Rogue? Rogue, wake up!�
�Huh? What?� Rogue looked up at Bobby in confusion. What was he doing in her room?
�We�re here,� he said. �The X-jet has landed.�
�Oh.� The events of the day came back to Rogue and she remembered where she was. She must�ve fallen asleep sometime along the way.
Bobby shook his head and reached out a hand to help her stand up. �I don�t know how you can sleep during the day.�
�I don�t know how you can sleep at night,� Rogue shot back, pulling on her gloves and taking Bobby�s hand.
�All right,� Piper�s voice echoed from across the jet, �coast is clear. Everybody out.�
They all stepped off the X-jet, blinking their eyes against the bright light of morning. �Wait a minute,� Rogue said. �Xavier said we�d arrive in the afternoon.�
Paige shrugged. �Maybe it�s afternoon in New York. Does anybody know where we are?�
�I�d say we�re about ten miles outside of London,� Bobby said suddenly.
�Why do you say that?� Piper asked. Bobby answered by pointing to a sign that read:
London 10 miles
�Cute,� Piper said. Then Rogue heard her mutter under her breath something about teenagers.
�So,� Phoebe rubbed her hands together and looked around the group, �what do you say we grab a bus to London and maybe get some breakfast.�
�Does anyone have any money?� Paige asked.
�That�d be me,� Bobby said, pulling a wallet out of his back pocket. �Xavier gave me this before we left.� He opened it and Rogue could see some strange looking paper money in it.
�Right well,� Piper looked a little uneasy about having a teenager in charge of the money, but she didn�t say so. Instead she shaded her eyes from the sun and gazed around the field they seemed to have landed in. �I think I see a road that way. We can catch a bus and see where we are from there.�
And so they started off toward the road. When they got there, they luckily didn�t have to walk far to find a bus stop. Soon they were on a bus and on their way to London.
~~~~~~~~~~
Harry, Hermione, and Ginny spent the day talking about the years since they�d left Hogwarts. Just as Harry and Ginny had suspected, Hermione�s life did seem to have turned out a lot better than theirs, though, as she pointed out, it hadn�t been great. Helen spent the time exploring the Leaky Cauldron, running up and down the stairs and asking Tom questions. Hermione told her several times to stop bothering him, but he would just shake his head and say he didn�t mind.
About mid-afternoon, Ron came downstairs. There was a moment of tense silence in which Harry and Ginny glanced nervously between Hermione and him, but he simply went to sit at the table farthest away from them and purposely kept his eyes turned away from them.
�So�� Hermione said quietly after a moment of tense silence, �what happened to him? Ron, I mean��
Ginny shook her head sadly. �Like I was saying to Harry earlier, he�s been having some drinking problems. He couldn�t keep a steady job either. For the last few months, Seamus and I�� her voice cracked a bit at this point, �had to help him pay the rent on his apartment. Even then they were threatening to evict him.�
Hermione didn�t say anything to this, instead taking this time to look up at the front desk where Tom was now pointing his wand at a glass to make it dance across the table for Helen, who was giggling and clapping.
Ginny saw this and continued. �Look, I know it doesn�t change anything, but Ron never forgave himself for leaving you. He told me so himself.�
�You�re right,� Hermione said coldly. �It doesn�t change anything.�
�Well, can you at least try to be civil with him,� Harry said. �I mean, we are going to be working together for who knows how long.�
�Yeah,� Hermione said reluctantly. Then, she shook her head and turned back to the others, lowering her voice. �So, do you know exactly what we�re supposed to be doing?�
Harry shook his head. �My letter just said to go talk to McGonagall and that she�d tell us what to do.�
�Yeah,� Ginny agreed, �I get the feeling we all got the same letter. Did you guys burn yours like it said to?�
Harry and Hermione both nodded. Ginny opened her mouth to speak again, but immediately shut it again, staring at a spot over Harry�s shoulder and paling several shades. Harry and Hermione turned around to and saw what had stopped her.
The cloaked man they�d seen before had come down the stairs and was now sitting down in a table across the room. He lifted his head slightly to look in their direction, but his hood still kept his face in shadow.
�Who the hell is that?� Harry asked under his breath as he and Hermione turned back to face Ginny again.
�Don�t know,� Ginny said, shaking her head, �but I get the feeling we�re going to have to be more careful than even Dumbledore told us to be.�
~~~~~~~~~~
The man heard all of this and smiled to himself. He�d long since perfected the art of eavesdropping and could hear a whisper from across a room if need be. It was just as the Dark Lord had suspected. They�d been summoned by Dumbledore to help in the fight against the Dark Lord�s newly acquired allies. It was a pathetic attempt really. The man would find out everything, and he would report back with more information than anyone. He would move up in the ranks of Death Eaters and finally not have to worry about being punished for every little mistake. He would finally be able to show up those who had said he was too young for this task.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ron sighed as he watched Helen from across the room. He still had a hard time accepting that he had a daughter, but he had been sincere in his offer to Hermione. If she would only let him back into her life, he would help out in any way he could. He would stop drinking; he would get his life back on course, if only she would believe that he could.
�Hi,� Helen had gotten bored with Tom and was now sitting across from Ron, staring at him curiously.
�Uh�hi,� Ron said awkwardly.
�What�s your name?� she asked, pushing herself up onto her knees so she could see over the table better.
�Ron,� he said hesitantly, knowing he had to be careful about his answers.
�You went to Hogwuts?� she asked eagerly.
Ron nodded. �Yeah, I did.�
Her eyes widened and she grinned. �You and Mommy were friends?�
He glanced at Hermione who was giving him a warning look from across the room. �It�s complicated,� he said finally.
�Oh,� she looked disappointed for a moment but then she opened her mouth to start asking more questions.
�Helen,� Hermione called, �Aunt Ginny and I are going shopping, would you like to come with?�
�Uh-huh!� Helen jumped off the chair and hurried after Hermione, calling back over her shoulder. �Bye Ronny!�
�Bye,� Ron sighed as he watched them leave. Maybe Hermione was right. Perhaps it was best if he just stayed away. She had a point when she�d said his promises weren�t worth much. After all, he�d been sure last time that he would stick around, but then when she�d confronted him with news of her pregnancy all he�d wanted was a way out. He couldn�t be sure that something else wouldn�t drive him away again.
�Hey.� Ron looked up and saw Harry standing by the table awkwardly, looking down as though he couldn�t quite meet his eye.
�Hey,� Ron replied as Harry sat down, still not looking him in the eye, �so, how�ve you been?�
Harry gave a dry laugh. �Besides the fact that my life�s gone to shit? I�m doing great. You?�
Ron raised an eyebrow. �Just take one look at me, that should give you your answer,� he said. The next words he spoke were more to himself than to Harry. �God, what was I thinking? Hermione wouldn�t take me back if I was the last man on earth.�
�Don�t be so hard on yourself,� Harry said. �I have no idea what I would�ve done in the same situation.�
This time, it was Ron�s turn to laugh, a bitter cruelness in his voice that scared even himself. �You never would�ve gotten into it in the first place. No, the Boy Who Lived would never get his girlfriend pregnant, and if he did he would marry her and raise the perfect family. But then again, you always did have the perfect life, didn�t you?�
Harry visibly flinched and shook his head. �My life hasn�t been any better than yours. I was playing Quidditch up until last year, but then I blew out my knee, and nobody in the wizarding world will hire me, so I�m stuck living as a Muggle.�
�At least you�re not a drunk whose daughter doesn�t even know who he is,� Ron shot back.
�Look,� Harry said, �Hermione�s just upset. Maybe instead of sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, you should be trying to think of a way to prove to her that you�ve changed.�
Ron thought about this for a moment and nodded. �I guess you�re right. I�m sorry about the �perfect life� thing.�
�No worries,� Harry said. �I get it a lot. It�s been a long time.�
�Yeah,� Ron agreed. �Speaking of which, I don�t blame you for taking Hermione�s side back at Hogwarts. Hell, I would�ve taken her side too if I wasn�t going up against myself.�
Harry laughed at this and Ron even smiled a little.
�Yo, Tom,� Ron called. �Can you get me some firewhiskey?� He received a warning look from Harry and quickly said, �Wait, change that to butterbeer.� He turned back to Harry. �I guess I better get started now.�
�Indeed,� Harry said, then called up towards the front. �Can I have the firewhiskey?�
Ron glared, but Harry just smiled. �What?�
Ron shook his head in mock disgust. �You haven�t changed a bit.�
As Tom chose that time to bring their drinks over, Harry merely wiggled his eyebrows and set to work on the firewhiskey while Ron glumly drank his butterbeer.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ginny closed the door and quickly pulled up her hood to cover her face, turning to Hermione. �You could stand to be a little nicer to Ron,� she said. �He hasn�t had an easy life.�
�Oh, and you think my life�s been any better?� Hermione asked angrily as she pulled Helen�s hood up, adjusting her own as she did so.
�I didn�t say that,� Ginny said quickly. �Will you please stop jumping down my throat?�
Hermione�s anger disappeared and she smiled sadly. �I remember when it used to be me saying that to Harry.�
Ginny returned the smile and nodded. �Yeah, he always seemed to be mad about something. I�m glad to see he finally grew out of it.�
�Yeah,� Hermione agreed, looking around for something to change the subject, �hey, look!� She pointed to a sign over a shop, proclaiming it to be Weasley�s Wizard Wheezes. �I thought your brothers� shop was in Hogsmeade.�
�Nah, that�s just George�s shop now,� Ginny said. �This is Fred�s.�
�Oh.� Hermione looked impressed. �Why don�t we go in?�
Ginny was going to object but stopped herself at the last minute. How could she explain to Hermione that she didn�t want to see her brother? �All right,� she said instead, hoping she didn�t sound too reluctant.
�Come on Helen,� Hermione said, and they opened the door to the shop. Hermione jumped slightly when a bloodcurdling scream erupted from somewhere above their heads, but Helen laughed and Ginny simply yawned. That charm on the door was getting a little old.
�Hey Fred,� Hermione said as she pulled her hood down, waving to Fred, who sat with his feet propped up on the front desk, looking bored.
�Hey Herms!� Fred announced, jumping to his feet as Ginny pulled down her hood too. �And Gin! It�s a party! And who is this?� he asked, peering down at Helen.
�Helen,� the little girl said, giggling.
�No, it can�t be,� Fred said, shaking his head with a smirk. �Not that ugly little creature I met back at Hogwarts. How old are you now?�
�Six,� Helen said proudly, �and I�ll be seven in May. Who are you?�
�This is Uncle Fred,� Hermione said, crouching down beside her daughter and whispering loud enough for the others to hear. �Remember, I showed you his picture. He�s one of the crazy twins.�
�Gred and Forge,� Helen said immediately, grinning.
Fred grinned and nodded. �Indeed. I still haven�t figured out which one I am yet. So, what brings you to my humble abode?�
�Helen, why don�t you go have a look around,� Hermione suggested as she straightened up. �I need to have a talk with Uncle Fred.�
�Okay,� Helen said, going to a shelf labeled Crackerbox Crackups.
There was a moment of tense silence. Ginny shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the floor to avoid Fred�s eye. �I�m going to look around with Helen,� she said finally, hurrying after Helen, who had just raced up the stairs to the second floor at top speed.
�All right,� Hermione said in an undertone once Ginny was out of hearing range. �Spill it. What happened?�
Fred sighed, shaking his head. �Well, you heard about Seamus, didn�t you? Well, Ginny�s been in a right state since it happened, came back to our parents� house and didn�t leave her room for almost a week. Then this morning she came right downstairs, suitcase in hand, announced she was leaving, and left without a word to any of us. I don�t suppose you know why?�
�Well,� Hermione said hesitantly, �I�m not supposed to tell anyone, but I guess it�ll be all right. We�re on special business for Dumbledore, but he wouldn�t tell us what it was about. He didn�t even tell us who we would be working with,� she added bitterly.
�Ooh, let me take a guess,� Fred said quickly. �Let�s see�since it�s Dumbledore, I�d say one of them would have to be Harry, of course. And, judging by your expression, I�d say another is�Ron.�
�Yeah,� Hermione said sullenly. �You know, he could�ve chosen any four people in the wizarding world, and he had to choose us.�
�I always thought he was a bit off his rocker, but no doubt, he has his reasons,� Fred said. �So�how is Ron?�
�What do you mean how is he?� Hermione asked in disbelief. �He�s your brother.�
�Well, apparently that doesn�t matter,� Fred said bitterly. �Ginny�s the only one he�s spoken to in years, and now she won�t even talk to us. Anyway, I�d ask you to yell at him for me, but I suspect you�ve already bitten his head off at least once.�
�I think I kept my temper well enough considering,� Hermione said. �I only spoke to him enough to inform him that I did not want Helen to know anything about him. I know that when she greeted Harry and Ginny and then asked who he was, he would�ve told her if I hadn�t stopped him.�
Fred winced. �Ouch, no offense Herms, but that was kinda harsh. I can only imagine what that must�ve been like for him to have her recognize her aunt and her mum�s friend but not her own father.�
�He didn�t want to part of her life then,� Hermione pointed out, �why should he be allowed to now?�
�Look, I know it�s not my place to meddle,� Fred said, �but maybe you should give him a second chance. God knows somebody needs to if he�s going to get his life back on track.�
Hermione sighed heavily. �I don�t know if I can,� she said quietly. �I remember what it was like when he left, the pain I went through to let him go. My own feelings aside, I don�t want Helen to be hurt like that. It�s better that she never knows her father than to have to watch him leave.�
Fred nodded. �Yes, but eventually she will grow up. She will go to Hogwarts, or some other school, and she will see all of the other children with their fathers. She�ll wonder why she doesn�t have one of her own. Isn�t it better that she should know him now, even if only for a little while, than to spend her whole life wondering why she never did?�
Hermione�s eyes stung and she shut them quickly, willing herself not to cry. After a moment, she gave a small smile. �I can�t believe it,� she said. �Fred Weasley, giving relationship advice. What would George say?�
�He�d make a joke about how I�ve gone soft,� Fred said, winking, �and then he�d slip a Ton-Tongue Toffee into my drink and let me choke to death as punishment.�
Hermione stifled a giggle and shook her head in mock disgust. �I wouldn�t put it past either of you.�
�I�ll take that as a compliment,� Fred said, grinning broadly.
Hermione smirked. �You would,� she muttered under her breath as Helen came running up to the desk, a long, rectangular box in her hand.
�Can I have this Mommy?� she asked, jumping up and down to try to see over the desk.
�I�ll tell ya what,� Fred said, opening a drawer and pulling out a box of Bertie Bott�s Every Flavor Beans. �Since I haven�t seen you in a few years, why don�t you take that and these as late presents for the birthdays and holidays I�ve missed.�
As Helen opened her box of Every Flavor Beans, Hermione mouthed a quick �thank you� to Fred. He smiled and replied with a silent �no problem.�
�We�d better go,� Hermione said, taking Helen�s hand. Then, she added in an undertone to Fred. �We�ll give you time to talk.� She jerked her head towards the second floor, where Ginny was walking around examining the items on the shelves.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ginny watched as Hermione left the store, silently cursing her for leaving her here with her brother. To delay the inevitable, Ginny picked up a Skiving Snackbox and pretended to read the label. Finally she decided to just get it over with. She put the box down and walked slowly down the stairs, keeping her eyes focused on her feet. She didn�t look up until she reached the front desk.
�So, you�re back at work?� she said awkwardly. She didn�t mean for it to be a question.
�Yeah,� Fred said, sitting down and drumming his fingers on the desk, �we were all in a shock after you left this morning, and Mum finally told us all to just go back to work.�
�I bet Percy was happy,� Ginny said bitterly. �You by any chance got another chair?
�Uh�no, actually,� Fred said, glancing around the shop.
�I�ll improvise,� Ginny said. She went around to the side of the desk and pulled herself up onto it, her feet dangling over the edge, almost touching the ground.
The room was completely silent except for the steady tapping of Fred�s fingers on the desk. Ginny wanted to tell him to quit it but couldn�t, because she knew that as soon as the silence was broken, he would start asking questions.
Fred was the first to speak. �Are you all right?�
�I�m fine,� Ginny said, deliberately avoiding his eye.
�You always were a terrible liar,� he said. �I know Seamus meant a lot to you. This might seem a little harsh, but you have to find a way to let him go.�
Ginny bowed her head and shut her eyes against the tears. �I can�t,� she whispered. How could she let him go when she carried a part of him with her?
�I know it might seem like that, but��
�No,� Ginny shook her head, �you don�t understand. I can�t let him go.�
Fred sighed. �I guess��
�Hey Weasel, another new girlfriend?�
Ginny whirled her head around to face the new person. A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties had just walked in. He was very handsome, with long, coal black hair and dark, brooding eyes. He wore a simple black cloak with a silver clasp in the shape of a snake.
Fred stood up immediately, smirking. �Hardly, Gremlin. This is my sister, Ginny. Ginny, this is my assistant manager, Jamil Grimlock.�
Jamil swept his cloak back and bowed. If it had been anyone else, this move would�ve seemed ridiculous, but for him it seemed as commonplace as a simple �hello.�
�A pleasure,� he said, straightening back up.
�I was just leaving,� Ginny said, sliding off the desk and starting towards the door. She didn�t want to talk to Fred anymore, and this was the perfect excuse to leave. Fred seemed to sense this, because he didn�t call after her. Once outside, she pulled her hood up and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.
~~~~~~~~~~
Harry looked around when the door opened to see Hermione and Helen walking in. Hermione was glaring at a spot over Harry�s shoulder that he guessed was Ron.
�I�m going upstairs,� Ron said, his eyes downcast as he stood up. Before Harry could say another word, he was gone, moving sulkily up the stairs.
�Where�s Ginny?� Harry asked as Hermione came to sit in the now vacant chair in front of him. Helen went over to the front desk, where Tom was busy counting out a stack of galleons.
�Talking to Fred,� Hermione said. �Did you know he has a shop here now?�
�No,� Harry said bitterly, �I�ve been living in the Muggle world, remember?�
Hermione suddenly looked really uncomfortable. �I�m sorry, I forgot. It seems only yesterday that the four of us would sit around the common room, complaining about our days as though they were the most awful things in the world.�
�Yeah,� Harry said, and was saved from saying anything more when Ginny walked in, pulling down her hood and wiping her eyes. �Hey Ginny, everything all right?�
She looked almost startled to see them. �Yeah, it�s fine.�
�So, what�d you talk to Fred about?� Hermione asked as Ginny pulled up a chair next to Harry.
�Nuthin� much,� Ginny said, shrugging. �He does have the strangest assistant manager though��
And so they talked, drifting from topic to topic as the hours past, picking up almost as though they hadn�t been away all those years. They were not even aware of the man who listened from the corner, taking in every single word.
~~~~~~~~~~
The man, as it was, started getting bored after a couple hours. This was all just meaningless drivel. It was obvious they didn�t know anymore than he had already found out. And so, he stole quietly up the stairs, not daring to pull his hood down until he was safely in his room.
~~~~~~~~~~
Phoebe turned around on the spot, ignoring the strange looks she received from passersby. �I can�t believe he sent us to London,� she said, squinting through a window display of a clothing store.
�Yeah, you�ve been saying that all day,� Paige said with a loud yawn. �Come on, it�s getting dark. We need to find somewhere to spend the night.�
�I can�t believe we�ve been wandering around all day,� Rogue said, staring up at the darkening sky.
�Well, there�s a motel over there,� Bobby said, pointing across the street. When Phoebe looked, it seemed that the building appeared out of nowhere, it�s dusty brick walls standing out from the shops that surrounded it. A sign hung above it, the name all but worn off so that only the word �motel� remained.
�Ugh, creepy,� Phoebe shivered as they crossed the street and entered the motel. The lobby, if it could be called that, was dimly lit by several candles spread out through the room, casting eerie shadows that danced in the slight breeze from outside. A man sat behind the counter, his face in shadow.
�I�ll handle this,� Piper muttered. �Uh�hello, can we��
�Three rooms,� a drawling voice said, and the man leaned forward so that his face was illuminated. If Phoebe didn�t know any better, she would�ve thought she�d gone colorblind. The man seemed to be entirely black and white, from his pasty skin to his greasy black hair and sunken, black eyes. He was even dressed in black.
�Yeah,� Piper said, looking a bit unnerved, �um�Bobby��
Bobby pulled out the wallet, but the man shook his head. �No need,� he said. �It�s already been taken care of.�
�I don�t�� Piper started.
�Rooms six, seven, and eight,� the man said, taking three keys from the desk drawer and handing them to Piper. Then, he added in an undertone, �You will be staying here until the others arrive with further instruction.� He seemed to cringe when he said �others� as though this was some unpleasant task he�d been set to.
�Okay, thanks,� Piper said nervously. Phoebe gratefully looked away from the man and followed the others out through into a long hallway.
�All right,� Rogue said, pointing at the nearest door on the opposite wall. �There�s room eight. Room six must be down the hall a little bit�and room seven is right here.� She pointed to the door just to their right.
�Okay,� Piper said. �Bobby, you can take room seven. Paige and Phoebe, you�ll be in room eight. Rogue, that leaves us in room six.�
Everyone nodded to show this arrangement was fine with them and they all went to their rooms. As soon as the door was shut, Phoebe noticed that Paige was smirking.
�What?� she asked.
�You know why Piper arranged the rooms this way?� Paige asked.
�Why?� Phoebe said.
�She wanted to keep an eye on Rogue,� Paige said, �so she won�t sneak off to Bobby�s room.�
Phoebe gave a little laugh. �God, I miss being a teenager.�
�And what about the manager?� Paige said. �I�ve seen a lot of demons in the past couple years, and that looked like a demon.�
Phoebe shrugged. �Maybe he�s just creepy.�
�Whatever he is, he has something to do with this whole mess,� Paige said. �I�m going to bed.� She turned and went to the bed on the far side of the room.
Phoebe lay down on her own bed, but kept her eyes wide open, staring up into darkness. She was in a strange motel, in a foreign country, and damned if she was going to trust a perfect stranger who looked like a refugee from the Middle Ages. She didn�t fall asleep until several hours later.
__________________________________________________________
Author's note: I know, I know I said the cloaked figure's identity would be revealed, but give me a break, I didn't know these scenes would take up so many pages. I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible.
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