Serenity Silverwing & The Hogwarts Five

Chapter Four

The Wreck of Serenity

Last Seen: Serenity received the letter notifying her of her parents' and grandparents' deaths. She's a wreck at the moment but what will her Gryffindor friends be able to do?

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Dear Mrs. Weasley,

"Oh, lemon drops! That won't do! That won't do at all!" Dumbledore mutters, crumpling the parchment.

He'd been trying but failing miserably to write a letter to Mrs. Weasley. Not about Fred and George for a change.

Mrs. Weasley,

Due to a tragedy at home and problems in her house, I'd think it wise, as being a family friend, to escort Miss Silverwing to your home so as to avoid any...

"Any what?" agonizes Dumbledore. "Oh blast it! Why didn't I think of this before?!?" With that, he continues writing.

... further questions from the student body and staff.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

"There!" Dumbledore exclaims and starts folding the parchment.

Just then, an old owl that Dumbledore recognized as Errol, the Weasley's owl, flew in. Now what could the Weasleys want with me?

Dumbledore takes the letter that Errol has and opened it. Dumbledore read aloud:

Professor Dumbledore,

Have Serenity packed and ready. I'm coming to get her NOW.

                                                                                                         Molly Weasley

Dumbledore sets Mrs. Weasley's letter on his desk and looks at his own then to the floor that's littered with crumpled parchment balls.

"What a waste." he mutters, crumpling the parchment in his hand into a ball then tosses it over his shoulder.

He casts another glance to the study's floor. "Oh well. Can't have Mrs. Weasley arriving to this!" Dumbledore thought as he set about to pick up the numerous balls of parchment.

As Dumbledore finishes cleaning and heads toward the fireplace, Mrs. Weasley pops in but Dumbledore didn't notice in time to save Mrs. Weasley from a shower of balled up parchment.

"Oh dear! Good morning Mrs. Weasley." Dumbledore greets her flushing to a darkish pink.

Mrs. Weasley takes a ball out of her hair and reads the crumpled letter. "It seems that we are on the same track." Mrs. Weasley says, grinning slyly.

"But running in totally different directions. Yours was worded better besides." Dumbledore demurs quickly. " I wasn't able to..."

"Hermes came by with word from Percy. I told him to slip a warning to her."

~*~^~*~^~ Earlier that morning ~^~*~^~*~

And warn her, he had. After glaring at Ron, who was rereading yesterday's letter and muttering curse words under his breath, and after scowling at Fred and George, who had been trying to get Serenity to help scheme a prank, Percy made his way to the seven chairs by the fireplace. Only two of which were occupied.

Harry, or Fred if he wasn't getting himself into trouble, had been trying to get Serenity to talk since she had come down to the great Hall for dinner last night.

Harry was taking yet another stab at it while Serenity seemed to be oblivious, staring into the empty fireplace.

"Harry? Try to get Ron out of his dark mood. I need to talk with Serenity."

Harry got up and left while Percy sat in the other chair that was next to Serenity.

"Serenity, I just received a letter from my mother telling me that she had been a friend of your mother's and that she's coming to take you back to our house for a while." Percy told Serenity in a soft voice so that the others wouldn't hear.

Serenity wiped a tear away with the palm of her hand, and spoke for the first time in over twelve hours; "Really?" she asks in a croak-ish whisper.

"Yes. Now go get your things together. Mum'll be in Dumbledore's study when you're ready."

~*~^~*~^~ Back to the Present ~^~*~^~*~

"How long ago was that?" Dumbledore asks in earnest.

"Oh, about and hour ago." Mrs. Weasley answers dismissively, "She's probably not done getting ready yet.

No sooner had Mrs. Weasley finished, there was a knock on the study's door.

"Yes? Who is it?" Dumbledore asks.

"Serenity Silverwing, Professor. Is Mrs. Weasley there?" asks the muffled voice through the door.

"Come in, Miss Silverwing. Yes, Mrs. Weasley is in here." Dumbledore answers while casting an amused sideways glance at Mrs. Weasley.

The door creaks open and a solemn-faced Serenity comes in with her trunk held with difficulty against her hip by her right hand and Bluemoon perched on her opposite shoulder looking distinctly ruffled.

"You know I positively despise riding on shoulders!" Bluemoon hisses in Serenity's ear.

"Yes, I know. Would you rather be in your cage?" Serenity hisses back out the side of her mouth then looks at Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry, sir, about the featherweight charm. Fred taught me it just now. He said it would be. . ." Serenity's voice cracks slightly and she clears her throat, "useful."

"It's not a problem, Miss Silverwing, but tell me, was it difficult to learn?" Dumbledore asks with a mysterious glint in his eyes.

"No, sir, not at all. It's probably just a fourth year charm that I would have learned next year anyway." Serenity says, waving her left arm dismissively.

Bluemoon lets out an undignified squawk of annoyance that Serenity heard as, "Watch it! I have enough troubles with out you waving your arms about like one of those dratted hummingbirds!"

At this, Serenity lets out a short bark of laughter that lifted the veil of sadness and, for a moment, she looked thirteen again. Just as suddenly as she had looked young, her face returns to a solemnity that made her look far older than any thirteen-year-old could or should.

"Serenity?" Mrs. Weasley asks.

"Yes?" Serenity answers, sniffing audibly.

"What did your hawk say?" Mrs. Weasley asks cautiously.

"She said, 'Watch it! I have enough troubles with out you waving your arms about like one of those dratted hummingbirds!'" Serenity answers, trying hard not to cry.

The answer had taken Mrs. Weasley aback because she had been expecting 'How am I supposed to know?' or something along those lines. She was about to ask when she noticed Serenity trying vainly to hide her tears.

"Whatever is the matter, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asks.

"It's just that. . . before I left. . . my. . . he said that. . . I may have. . . been named. . . after a hawk. . . but I. . . flitted around like. . . a humming bird. He called me. . . his little humming bird."

As she finished, Serenity broke down into sobs and collapses into the chair behind her. Bluemoon had sense enough to take off from her perch and takes up another atop a bookcase, crooning encouragement down at Serenity (her trunk had glided to the floor at her feet).

Mrs. Weasley kneels in front of Serenity and looks at her tear-streaked face. "Whom are you talking about, dear? Who called you 'his little humming bird?"

"I can't say. . . his name or. . . relation to me." Serenity sobs.

"Why-ever not?" Mrs. Weasley asks, astonished and puzzled.

"It's tradition. You can't say the name or title of relation of a loved one after they've passed on." Serenity answers, down to incessant sniffles.

"Oh. I see." Mrs. Weasley says comfortingly, but it was obvious to Serenity that she didn't understand.

"Professor Dumbledore, you see I brought a. . . It's just that I don't. . . well. . ."

Mrs. Weasley fumbles about for the right words. Then decides to be straightforward, "I have an inactivated portkey since I don't want to try Floo Power because, well, she might try. . . Did you get my point? I'm so horrible about wording these things."

"Yes, I got your point, Molly. Go ahead." Dumbledore says with a laugh.

"Thank you, Professor!" Mrs. Weasley says with a sigh of intense relief. "Come on, dear. We need to get you settled in."

Mrs. Weasley picks up Serenity's trunk, the featherweight charm, thankfully, hadn't worn off yet, and held Serenity's hand tightly.

"Tell Bluemoon to follow Errol home." Mrs. Weasley says and mutters something indistinguishable.

They disappear.