Until We Meet Again

Noel couldn't believe her luck! She'd been dreading spending the summer with her aunt since her parents told her of the arrangement while she was still at Beauxbatons. Not that she didn't like her aunt; on the contrary, she adored Aunt Figgy and loved spending time with her. She had just expected the summer to be... uneventful. Boring, even.

Of course, she'd had no idea that Harry Potter and two of his friends would also be on Privet Drive.

She'd seen the three of them, the 'Golden Trio' as some called them, at Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament. Noel had been fascinated by Harry, like many of the other Beauxbatons students, so she'd kept a curious eye on him during her stay at his school. And of course she knew of his two best friends. She had seen Harry with the ginger boy and the curly haired girl enough to put two and two together. They had to be the ones staying with him across the street.

Noel glanced at her aunt, who was in a chair at the sitting room window, her eyes wide open as she watched for any unusual movement in or around the Dursley home.

"Aunt Figgy, how long are you going to sit there?" Noel asked, a bit concerned. Her aunt hadn't moved since she'd taken up the post after dinner, nearly an hour earlier. While Noel had spent the hour dawdling over her book, her aunt hadn't done anything besides blink occasionally. It didn't seem healthy.

"Dumbledore wanted me to watch Harry Potter, dear. So I'm going to do that to the best of my abilities." This declaration seemed to revitalize the old woman, who straightened her posture and held her head higher.

"Yes, but surely Dumbledore didn't mean for you to keep twenty-four hour surveillance on Harry, did he?"

"Well, no, I suppose not. Most summers I just kept a close eye on him, but not twenty-four hours. And two summers ago I even had a partner assigned to me to help keep watch, but that Mundungus got himself locked in Azkaban for impersonating an Inferius. Serves him right, the dirty thief! And last summer, Harry barely arrived before Dumbledore sent me a letter saying he'd be fetching him."

"And this summer?"

"The Order is very busy right now, dear. I'm sure Remus and the others have got more important things to worry about than whether or not I have someone to change shifts with."

"Well I don't think it's a good idea for you to be sitting at this window for two whole weeks," Noel said sternly. "Why don't I take over for a little while? That way you can have a quick nap."

The woman started to protest, but Noel held up her hand and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Aunt Figgy! I'll wake you if I see anything out of the ordinary."

"Oh, alright," she said, rising. "I probably should get some rest before tonight. The overnight watch can be quite boring, and I would hate to fall asleep on duty." She ran a hand fondly over Noel's dark hair before shuffling off to her bedroom and closing the door.

As if on cue, the Dursley's front door swung open and three figures came outside. The warm glow of sunset was enough to illuminate their faces. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger walked down the street, chattering amongst themselves. Noel wondered if she should go get Aunt Figgy, but decided against it. What could the three of them possibly get up to on their first night at Privet Drive?

Noel chewed on her bottom lip uncertainly. Maybe she should follow them. Yes, maybe she should go out for a little stroll.

She grinned at the prospect of running into the Trio. She might even get to speak to them, if she was quick enough.

With a giggle, Noel jogged to the guest room she was staying in. She laced up her trainers and tugged on a navy blue track jacket over her t-shirt and jeans, hoping she hadn't missed them. But by the time she returned to the sitting room window, the three were nowhere in sight.

Slightly disgruntled but not wholly discouraged, Noel decided on a walk to the neighborhood park. She may not have caught the Trio as they were leaving, but she would certainly run into them on their way back to #4.