Wonder // Draco Malfoy

58. 12 Grimmauld Place

Once we enter, it takes a moment to process everything inside. It's very dark in the hallway, and the only reason that I can tell it's a hallway is because I can feel how small the area I'm in is. Moody and George are in front of me; Fred is directly behind me and his mother just closed the door as we all entered.

I grab ahold of George's shirt so I can make sure I don't lose him and Fred does the same to me, making a small train as we follow the sound of Moody's limp toward wherever he feels the need to take us. "There's stairs here," Moody grunts. George lights his wand and it lights enough for us to see the steps we're going down, along with the cobwebs on the edges of the dark stairs.

When we reach the landing, we can hear laughter from a room ahead of us with a small light peaking out from the crack of the door. When we enter, the group that left before us is laughing joyfully with a man at the end of the table. I almost have to rub my eyes to fully make sure it's not a dream; Sirius Black is sitting at the end.

"Ah, Valentine! It's good to see you when you're not unconscious under a traitor," Sirius greets, shaking my hand politely with a light smile. He looks healthier now; his cheeks aren't as sunken as the night I saw him after I followed Harry and Hermione. "And in good company, I find." His eyes shift to Fred and George, who seem almost excited to see him in person. I'm sure they know that Sirius is innocent; even if their parents hadn't told them, I'm sure they would've found out by listening to conversations they shouldn't.

"I haven't quite had the pleasure of seeing all the tasks in person, but I can't help but to state my awe at your performance this year," Sirius praises, dully noting the watchful gaze of Mrs. Weasley. "Have you given any thought to being an auror?"

Mrs. Weasley groans at his words; I'm sure it's the one thing she was warning him not to say. "And your friend that killed the death eater, I doubt he would have a hard time acquiring a position at the Ministry."

"That's enough, Sirius," Remus interjects, though he doesn't seem to disagree with his words. He is most likely interrupting him before Mrs. Weasley does. "It's too late to discuss things of that nature. We have a bit of cleaning to do before we rest, anyway."

Fred, George, and Ron audibly groan at the mention of cleaning. "We have to clean?" Ron complains, earning a stern look from his mother. "You've brought us here to clean?"

"Oh hush it, we should be grateful to have a place to stay during a time like this," Hermione hisses. "Not everyone is lucky enough to be surrounded by powerful wizards."

Ron rolls his eyes. "We've already chosen the bedrooms for all of you, and we'll be showing them to you now. And please be quiet, we can't wake Sirius's mother," Remus says.

The boys leave first, being lead by Sirius. Then Tonks motions for Hermione, Ginny, and I to follow and we do so, barely being able to see the light of her wand as we climb many steps. A small door opens and I'm thankful to see a working light. There are three beds in a decent sized room; bigger than the room we've been staying in. There is also a large desk in front of the small window and a smaller desk in the corner. It's very stuffy and dusty in here. There's a pile of cleaning supplies next to each bed.

"The most we've been able to do in such a short time is clean the beds. All of the bed sheets are new, same with the pillows and comforters. It's just the rest of the room we haven't gotten to," Tonks explains. She checks her watch and then excuses herself to go get our animals.

Once she leaves, we decide to keep the door open and I volunteer to stand on the desk to reach for the small window. "It should feel loads better with it open," Hermione says, already jumping cleaning solution in a bucket and leaving to try to find a bathroom to add water to it.