she spent most of her days playing watching two-a-side quidditch games in the weasleys' orchard (harry and hermione against ron and ginny; hermione was dreadful and ginny good, so they were reasonably well matched) as elara still wasn't over her fear of heights. her evenings were spent eating triple helpings of everything mrs. weasley put in front of her and napping with harry.

it would have been a happy, peaceful holiday had it not been for the stories of disappearances, odd accidents, even of deaths now appearing almost daily in the prophet. sometimes bill and mr. weasley brought home news before it even reached the paper. to mrs. weasley's displeasure, harry's sixteenth birthday celebrations were marred by grisly tidings brought to the party by remus lupin, who was looking gaunt and grim, his brown hair streaked liberally with gray, his clothes more ragged and patched than ever.

"there have been another couple of dementor attacks," he announced, as mrs. weasley passed him a large slice of birthday cake. "and they've found igor karkaroff's body in a shack up north. the dark mark had been set over it — well, frankly, i'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the death eaters; sirius's brother, regulus, only managed a few days as far as i can remember."

"yes, well," said mrs. weasley, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about something diff —"

"did you hear about florean fortescue, remus?" asked bill, who was being plied with wine by fleur. "the man who ran —"

"— the ice-cream place in diagon alley?" harry interrupted, with an unpleasant, hollow tone in his voice. "he used to give me free ice creams. what's happened to him?"

"dragged off, by the look of his place."

"why?" asked ron, while mrs. weasley pointedly glared at bill.

"who knows? he must've upset them somehow. he was a good man, florean."

"talking of diagon alley," said mr. weasley, "looks like ollivander's gone too."

"the wandmaker?" said ginny, looking startled.

"that's the one. shop's empty. no sign of a struggle. no one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"but wands — what'll people do for wands?"

"they'll make do with other makers," said lupin. "but ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

the day was rather gloomy, and elara felt badly. sixteenth birthdays are supposed to be fun, but supposedly it was only a big deal in the states. it was around nine that night and elara and harry were still lounging on the couch in the living room. elara was (surprisingly) reading a book about the salem witch trials, her legs thrown across harry's lap as he flipped through a book titled 'quidditch through the ages'. his hand was absentmindedly running up and down her leg, causing butterflies to erupt in elara's stomach.

"'m sorry your birthday was kinda sad," said elara, placing her book on the side table.

"it's all right," said harry, closing his book, "it seemed kind of weird to celebrate, especially with everything that's been going on."

"yeah, but i still feel bad. birthdays are supposed to be fun."

"well," said harry, taking a peek at his watch, "there's still three hours until tomorrow. we could do something."

elara sat up quickly.

"i'm going to regret this," she said rather happily, "but we could go for a joyride on your firebolt?"

harry blinked.

"are you sure?"

"this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said elara hastily, "i will never offer again. besides, there's a full view of jupiter tonight."

"you're a dork," said harry.

"and you're a pain in the ass," said elara, "c'mon, it'll be fun."

"let's do it."

elara smiled as harry pushed himself up off the couch and extended a hand. she accepted it gratefully and suppressed laughter as they snuck into harry's room to grab his firebolt. they were lucky everyone had either retired to their rooms or gone to bed.

they ran out to the meadow adjacent to the burrow, laughing and chasing each other. elara was ecstatic that she felt like an innocent kid again. no worries, no prophecy, no voldemort, just ignorant bliss and laughter.

"hey," said elara, stopping suddenly, "wait."

"what? what's wrong?" said harry, the smile dropping off his face as his eyebrows laced together in worry

a devious smile spread across elara's face.

"what — "

elara snatched the broom out of harry's hands.

"let's fly."

harry began to smile too.

"you don't have to if you don't want too."

"it's your birthday, dumbass, we're flying."

harry took the broom from elara and mounted it towards the back.

"get on in front of me, you'll have a better view."

elara took a deep breath and gently swung a leg over the broomstick. the entire time she was telling herself over and over again that this was for harry, that it was his sixteenth, and that she loved him no matter if he did any weird tricks that would make her vomit.

"are you ready?" asked harry gently.

"just start flying before i change my mind," said elara tensely.

she relaxed when harry's hands came around and gripped the broomstick just above where her hands were. he kicked off from the ground surprisingly gently. elara felt as if she were going to fall from the broom any moment as each shuttle shift felt like it was magnified by ten. they rose steadily in the air, elara trying her best not to curse and to focus on the beautiful night sky above her.

"doing okay?"

"just fine," said elara, although her voice was strained.

harry rested his chin on elara's shoulder and she immediately felt herself relax. harry wouldn't let her fall. and even if she did, he would catch her. he was the youngest seeker to play at hogwarts first year.

"i get why you like astronomy," said harry rather quietly, as if he thought his voice would shatter the sky above.

elara breathed in sharply as she realized something.

"what is it? do you want to go back down?"

"no, its just — we are so small. we and our petty problems don't even begin to make even the tiniest dent in the universe. the vastness of the sky and the stars put life into perspective. all these problems, just like life, will pass eventually. i don't know, maybe its dumb, but — "

"i think," said harry, who's voice was full of adoration, "you're a poet along with the savior stuff."

elara smiled. life, even in the midst of all the darkness, seemed so perfect.

"i wish we started dating sooner," said harry, who's hand was clasped in elara's. "you make me feel safe. i knew i was in trouble when i first saw you smile."

"it's your fault we didn't start dating sooner," said elara teasingly, relaxing into harry's arms.

"i didn't want to fuck things up. i couldn't lose you, even if you were just my friend."

"friends don't look at each other the way we do."

"if i had known what love felt like then it wouldn't have taken so long. ginny had to throw a book at me and scream that it was 'painfully obvious' i love you and that if i didn't talk to you she would shave my hair off in me sleep."

elara snorted.

"i've taught her well."

harry smiled.

"how'd you realize?"

"remember when i told you someone had to tell me?" said elara reluctantly, not sure if harry would be thrilled with the fact her cousin had to smack sense into her. "draco found me crying and told me that i definitely loved you."

"and..." said harry slowly, "you didn't fight him?"

"i called him a dickhead, but i wasn't going to start swinging at someone after i'd seen you snogging someone else."

harry chuckled.

"i'm surprised you didn't punch me after i claimed you were a death eater."

"believe me, i wanted too."

"i'm glad you didn't."

elara sighed contentedly. even with the threat of inevitable death, her life seemed to perfect at that moment. it was hard to believe that outside their bubble of the burrow, the world was chaos, uncertain, and disorderly.

"i'm sorry, i've never been good at emotional stuff," said elara sheepishly, lacing her hands with harry's.

"except anger."

elara didn't have to turn around to know harry was smiling.

"that's true. anger, i'm good at."

they were silent for a moment before elara leaned back into harry.

"i think," she said slowly, "no matter what happens, no matter what our future is going to look like, it'll always be you."

harry wrapped his arms around elara and held her tight.

"i like when you're like this."

elara laughed softly.

"don't get used to it, i have a reputation to uphold."

they were silent for another moment, gazing at the stars.

"i can tell you're hiding something, elara, what is it?"

elara swore under her breath.

"its — its," stuttered elara, thinking desperately of a reason other than, 'oh, i've just been sentenced to death by a goddamn glass orb'. "er — i, well, i'm — i'm just scared. what if i can't fulfill my prophecy? what if i can't save everyone? what if i'm not enough?"

harry's hand squeezed elara's arm in assurance.

"you are enough. if there's one person in this entire universe that could do this, it's you. women like you drown oceans, lara."

elara's heart soared as she remembered the exact same words ted had told her.

"god, i love you," she said as she traced circles on the palm of harry's hand.

harry wrapped his arms tightly around elara and let her relax into his chest.

"what's something that is your infinite?" said elara, staring up at the stars, "like, no matter what happens, no matter where you are, if you're okay, it's always on your mind."

"er," said harry, thinking of an answer, "you. you're my infinite."

the day after this rather heart-warming escapade, their letters and booklists arrived from hogwarts. harry's included a surprise: he had been made quidditch captain.

"that gives you equal status with prefects!" cried hermione happily. "you can use our special bathroom now and everything!"

"wow, i remember when charlie wore one of these," said ron, examining the badge with glee. "harry, this is so cool, you're my captain — if you let me back on the team, i suppose, ha ha. . . ."

"ooh," said elara, running her fingers over the badge, "don't mess up!"

"thanks, lara."

"well, i don't suppose we can put off a trip to diagon alley much longer now you've got these," sighed mrs. weasley, looking down ron's booklist. "we'll go on saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. i'm not going there without him."

"mum, d'you honestly think you-know-who's going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in flourish and blotts?" sniggered ron.

"fortescue and ollivander went on holiday, did they?" said mrs. weasley, firing up at once. "if you think security's a laughing matter you can stay behind and i'll get your things myself —"

"no, i wanna come, i want to see fred and george's shop!" said ron hastily.

"then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before i decide you're too immature to come with us!" said mrs. weasley angrily, snatching up her clock, all nine hands of which were still pointing at "mortal peril," and balancing it on top of a pile of just-laundered towels. "and that goes for returning to hogwarts as well!"

ron turned to stare incredulously at harry and elara as his mother hoisted the laundry basket and the teetering clock into her arms and stormed out of the room.

"blimey . . . you can't even make a joke round here anymore. . . ."

but ron was careful not to be flippant about voldemort over the next few days. saturday dawned without any more outbursts from mrs. weasley, though she seemed very tense at breakfast. bill, who would be staying at home with fleur (much to hermione and ginny's pleasure), passed full money bags across the table to harry and elara.

"where's mine?" demanded ron at once, his eyes wide.

"that's already theirs, idiot," said bill. "i got it out of your vault for you, because it's taking about five hours for the public to get to their gold at the moment, the goblins have tightened security so much. two days ago arkie philpott had a probity probe stuck up his . . . well, trust me, this way's easier."

"thanks, bill," said harry, pocketing his gold.

"yeah, i would rather not have a probity probe shoved in. . . places, thanks," said elara, as ron choked on his milk.

"'e is always so thoughtful," purred fleur adoringly, stroking bill's nose. ginny mimed vomiting into her cereal behind fleur. elara choked over her cornflakes, and harry thumped her on the back.

it was an overcast, murky day. one of the special ministry of magic cars, in which elara had ridden once before, was awaiting them in the front yard when they emerged from the house, pulling on their cloaks.

"it's good dad can get us these again," said ron appreciatively, stretching luxuriously as the car moved smoothly away from the burrow, bill and fleur waving from the kitchen window. he, elara, harry, hermione, and ginny were all sitting in roomy comfort in the wide backseat.

"don't get used to it, it's only because of elara and harry," said mr. weasley over his shoulder. he and mrs. weasley were in front with the ministry driver; the front passenger seat had obligingly stretched into what resembled a two-seater sofa. "they've been given top-grade security status. and we'll be joining up with additional security at the leaky cauldron too."

elara said nothing; she did not much fancy doing her shopping while surrounded by a battalion of aurors.

"here you are, then," said the driver, a surprisingly short while later, speaking for the first time as he slowed in charing cross road and stopped outside the leaky cauldron. "Iim to wait for you, any idea how long you'll be?"

"a couple of hours, i expect," said mr. weasley. "ah, good, he's here!"

elara imitated mr. weasley and peered through the window; her heart leapt. there were no aurors waiting outside the inn, but instead the gigantic, black-bearded form of rubeus hagrid, the hogwarts gamekeeper, wearing a long beaverskin coat, beaming at the sight of elara's and harry's faces and oblivious to the startled stares of passing muggles.

"harry! 'lara!" he boomed, sweeping them into a bone-crushing hug the moment they had stepped out of the car. "buckbeak — witherwings, i mean — yeh should see him, harry, he's so happy ter be back in the open air —"

"glad he's pleased," said harry, grinning as he massaged his ribs. "we didn't know 'security' meant you!"

"i know, jus' like old times, innit? see, the ministry wanted ter send a bunch o' aurors, but dumbledore said i'd do," said hagrid proudly, throwing out his chest and tucking his thumbs into his pockets.

"this'll be much more fun!" said elara happily.

"let's get goin' then — after yeh, molly, arthur —"

the leaky cauldron was, for the first time in harry's memory, completely empty. only tom the landlord, wizened and toothless, remained of the old crowd. he looked up hopefully as they entered, but before he could speak, hagrid said importantly, "jus' passin' through today, tom, sure yeh understand, hogwarts business, yeh know."

tom nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glasses; elara, harry, hermione, hagrid, and the weasleys walked through the bar and out into the chilly little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood. hagrid raised his pink umbrella and rapped a certain brick in the wall, which opened at once to form an archway onto a winding cobbled street. they stepped through the entrance and paused, looking around.

diagon alley had changed. the colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large ministry of magic posters that had been pasted over them. most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of death eaters known to be on the loose. bellatrix lestrange was sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary. elara resisted the very tempting urge to set the photo on fire. a few windows were boarded up, including those of florean fortescue's ice cream parlor. on the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. the nearest one, which had been erected outside flourish and blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

AMULETS

effective against werewolves, dementors, and inferi

a seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passersby.

"one for your little girl, madam?" he called at mrs. weasley as they passed, leering at ginny. "protect her pretty neck?"

"try that again one more time and you'll have an amulet shoved so far up your ass that — " elara's threat was cut off by a loud snort from ron.

"if i were on duty . . ." said mr. weasley, glaring angrily at the amulet seller.