Conversation at Twilight

"Oh, Bill, I didn’t know you were in here."

"I’m just taking a break from the festivities. Have a seat. Wait, not there--we’re not sure if that chair’s safe to sit in yet. Sirius has his doubts."

"So, what excuse did you use to get away?"

"Incipient migraine. You?"

"I said I needed to clean my room."

"Ginny, I don’t think you’ve ever done that willingly in your life."

"Will, Mum’s still distracted with Ron the Prefect, so she didn’t question me. And I didn’t lie--I do need to clean my room. It just seems like such a waste of energy to do it without magic."

"Just like Fred and George, you are. What are you drinking?"

"Just butterbeer. Firewhisky has a horrid aftertaste...or--or so I’ve heard."

"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that."

"I am fourteen, Bill."

"A fact which isn’t going to win you any arguments with Mum. Especially about firewhisky."

"Can we drop the subject?"

"As long as you haven’t been sneaking off to the Hog’s Head on Hogsmeade weekends."

"Hardly. Even the sign looks dodgy."

"Well, then. Looking forward to another year at school?"

"Oh, sure, Bill. I always look forward to sleepless nights and dodging Filch and dealing with Professor Trelawney."

"Sarcasm isn’t becoming."

"I hate that word. And really, it's not that bad--it will be nice to see Anna and Lisa and Michael again."

"Michael’s your new beau?"

"'Beau'? You sound just like Mum."

"I take it Ron doesn’t know about this development yet?"

"Right."

"I take it you’d like to keep it that way?"

"Right again."

"Then who’s going to look after you while you’re at Hogwarts?"

"I can take care of myself--you know that. When have I ever gotten into a situation I couldn’t hex my way out of?...Bill? What’s wrong?"

"What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong."

"That muscle in your cheek always jumps when you’re upset. Are you thinking about Tom Riddle? Because I've dealt with that."

"I can’t imagine that anyone could have 'dealt with that,' unless they had one hell of a strong Memory Charm."

"No. Mum wanted me to get one, but I wouldn’t allow it. Besides, they don’t work as well when you know what’s coming--you spend the rest of your life trying to break it yourself because you know there’s something you’ve forgotten. That’s how Dumbledore explained it, anyway."

"So you had to dose up on Dreamless Sleeping Draught instead?...Ginny? I didn’t mean that as an insult. You dealt with the whole thing better than most people could have."

"That’s not true. The only reason I can talk about it without crying is Madam Mentis."

"The therapist at St. Mungo’s?"

"Yes."

"I never understood why you’d talk to her about it, but you wouldn’t talk to Dad or Charlie or...me."

"It’s not that I didn’t want to, Bill. It’s just that it was...easier, you know? I didn’t have to worry about disappointing anybody. Or traumatising anybody, for that matter. Madam Mentis treats cases like mine all the time. Okay, maybe not quite like mine."

"So, she just talked to you?"

"Mainly I just talked to her. She hypnotised me a few times. Oh, and she taught me a bunch of visualisation techniques. I used to imagine you fighting off my nightmares. That was my favourite one."

"I’m honoured."

"Sarcasm isn’t becoming, Bill."

"I wasn’t being sarcastic."

"Well, on the bright side, the whole episode sparked my interest in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"If that was a backhanded attempt at getting information about the Order, you really need to work on your technique."

"Hey, it was worth a shot."

"I hope you’ll never be involved with the Order."

"That’s not fair. You could use me."

"Of course we could use you--you’ve a level head on your shoulders, and you’re older than your years. But that’s not the point. You deserve to have the people who care about you fight at least one battle for you in your life."

"Bill? Do you really think I’m older than my years?"

"When you aren’t throwing Dungbombs at Imperturbable doors. Hey! Watch out for the old man’s arthritic knees!"

"Sorry. Am I too old to sit on your lap?"

"Not at all."