Chapter 14
Hermione woke up early Christmas morning. Their room had yet to feel comfortable filled with the silence of its lone occupant and Hermione knew that the books she had laid out on Ginny and Rebecca's beds had only been put there to fill in the emptiness.
If she had been at home, her mother would be sitting on their couch with her eyes half-opened until both Granger girls sat up straighter with the entrance of Hermione's dad. Steaming mugs on a tray, Hermione would have the same hot chocolate she always did while her mother would make the same joke she always did about how he didn't like coffee so much as he liked cream and sugar.
Then, of course, Hermione's dad would quip back that he simply needed something as sweet as his wife on such a special day.
With a sigh, Hermione pulled on her robe and slippers as she filled with homesickness. Harry would be downstairs already, she just knew it. Pausing at the doorway from the dormitories to the stairs below, Hermione gathered as much positivity as she could.
It was the least she could do, really. She was missing a happiness she couldn't help but wonder if Harry had even known. Realising that, at that exact moment, Rebecca would most likely be having the very Christmas Hermione cherished, the smile on Hermione's face came freely.
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"Wake up!"
Rebecca tumbled out of bed, her eyes wide and scrambling for her glasses. Being woken up so loudly, so ferociously, was a startling start to Christmas morning.
"We have to open up presents before Aunt Muriel gets here!" Ginny shouted once more, pulling her robe on and tearing down the hall towards the bathroom.
"You have an aunt?" Rebecca asked Ron, walking down the hall with him.
"Yes." Ron scowled. "She's horrid."
"Got to get all of the happiness over with before she gets here." George tacked on, tossing the tube of toothpaste into the air as he left the crowded bathroom.
Rebecca found that their excitement didn't fade in the slightest as she joined the parade of Weasleys down the stairs Christmas morning. Molly and Arthur beamed up at the children entering, standing from their tea to kiss and wish each of them a happy Christmas.
"Happy Christmas!" Molly kissed Rebecca's forehead, putting her arm around the girl's shoulders. "Sleep well?"
Rebecca nodded, crossing her legs and sitting on the floor next to Fred and George as the living room was filled. Arthur brought in plate after plate of the cookies that were left and the exchanging of gifts started fairly quickly.
Rebecca gave Ron the parcel Harry had asked her to and she hoped Harry wasn't cross about his gift. She had bought him a broom maintenance kit long before the Firebolt fiasco. Hopefully he wouldn't be cross at Hermione-
"There you go, for you." Fred laid the gifts they had all been given first out and looked to Arthur and Molly, waiting to be given the go-ahead
"Well? They're not apt to open themselves!" Molly laughed, watching the range of movements from the children in front of them. Ron and Bill, ever-alike, tore into their wrapped jumpers like animals. Fred and George tossed theirs between them, the letters having been swapped. Charlie had yet to put his on, though it sat on his lap. He was watching how Rebecca had pulled her jumper on and then folded the paper she had opened so carefully, as if to reuse it.
Arthur shook his head discreetly before giving Charlie a nod. He and Molly had put off tarnishing the holidays with such dark talk, but clearly their second-eldest would not let Rebecca's origins go unspoken about.
"I have something for you, too." Rebecca said quietly as the others tried to speak over one another. "I tied a bow for it-couldn't quite wrap it right."
George's attention was caught at Rebecca's words. All of the Weasley children had noticed there were things Rebecca had never known how to do and Harry himself had taken it upon her to teach her how to tie her shoes. He wondered if he should have offered to show her how he had wrapped a gift.
"This is lovely." Molly set the ribbon on the seat next to her, waiting for Arthur to remove the pillowsheet from the gift. "Oh-"
"Good Merlin." Arthur breathed, his knuckles turning white around the rendering.
"I'm sorry." Rebecca's face when white next, her mind bounding to the worst conclusions it could.
"No!" Arthur looked up immediately, realising that his words needed to be considered carefully. "No, sweets. That's entirely not what I meant."
"You made this?" Molly asked, finding her voice.
Rebecca nodded. The rendering came out exactly how she had wanted it to after trial and error, attempt after attempt. The Burrow on its hill as warm as it had looked when she had first seen it. There was so much possibility fit into the image, so much hope. That Rebecca couldn't lessen too much, not when it was what the Burrow had come to mean for her.
"Can you sit up here?" Molly asked, moving to the side as Arthur did the other. The others had noticed that something had happened and they were quieter, but they gave the three of them the illusion of privacy. "Rebecca..."
Rebecca was enveloped in the arms of the adults, the rendering set gently against the wall beside them for Arthur to hang later. "My dear, that is amazing. Thank you."
Rebecca couldn't see much through their arms, but she also had her eyes closed to memorise how full of love she was too.
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Malfoy Manor hadn't been free of the tension it had been in since Draco returned. Despite his mother's warnings to not bring word of asking the withdraw their case against the hippogriff, Draco asked so that he could maintain his end of his promise.
His father took the question...as a more personal insult than his mother had. Draco's cheek throbbed just thinking about it. It hadn't been the first time the ornamental handle of Lucius' cane had bruised him and it wouldn't be the last.
"Two weeks until term starts." Draco whispered to no one. He had spent every minute he could in his room without company. It was more peaceful, albeit lonelier, this way.
"Master Draco, your presence is needed in the parlor." The butler spoke from the doorway as he always did, calmly. The bruise still fading on Draco's cheek filled the man with hurt, but nothing could be done without risking his employment...or his safety. "Immediately, sir."
"Yes, I understand." Draco stood and put on his jumper by the door. Malfoy Manor was always cold. He had to go downstairs where he'd be forced to watch his mother open a pair of earrings from his father, his father open a tie, and he open his own present of some gaudy decoration emblazoned with the Slytherin or Malfoy crest as he had every year.
But as his mother ogled the jewelry and his father nodded in acceptance at the ties muted pattern, Draco was handed a far larger box than usual. "Go on boy, open it!" Lucius ordered, sensing hesitation.
Draco did as he was told, trying to avoid confrontation. It was a strange gift, even for his parents. It was a large wooden shield, shined to perfected with a hook in the middle.
Lucius nodded his head once. "A mounting board for once the beast is finished!"
Narcissa laughed, it had been her idea as a joke and she hadn't expected her husband to follow through with it. Draco's lack of a reaction bothered her though. "Thank your father for such a thoughtful gift! Have we taught you no manners?"
Darco was silent a moment, wondering if this was a hill to fall on. "Thank you, father." He muttered. He was angry at the gift.
He was angry at the situation.
He was angry at himself.
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"Go on then! Everyone's too be changed and ready before she arrives!" Molly called, watching as the children filed out of the living room happily chatting.
"RJ..." Fred called, pausing Rebecca's exit.
"Yeah, Fred?" Her face had finally felt back-to-usual after Molly and Arthur's compliments on their gift but was warm once more when both parents had whispered another thank you before hurrying off to make sure final preparations for Muriel's arrival had been completed. "Something the matter?"
"Not at all!" Fred said quickly, reaching for the last present behind the tree. "I had something else for you."
"Fred-"
"I didn't buy it, I made it." Fred held it out to her with a darting of his hands. "Just open it before you say anything, okay?"
Rebecca was curious as to why he was acting this way, so oddly-not-Fred-like. "It's not a prank, is it?" Fred scowled and shook his head, causing Rebecca to giggle and slide her finger under the edge of the paper. His handwriting was on the bottom of a tile, the usual scratchy lettering Holland and Hawai'i.
Rebecca turned the tile so that the image was towards her and gasped. It was their day on the bench in the courtyard. Every detail was pristinely clear, from the end of her lightning bolt scar peeking out from under her hat and hair to the fading plume of air from the laugh she had been in the middle of sharing with him. "Fred, this is-"
"It's what?" Fred interrupted, wondering if he might actually be ill. This was horrible, wondering if he'd made a mistake or if she didn't like it or-
"This is absolutely brilliant. It-It's better than brilliant, really. I don't have words for it." Rebecca tore her eyes away from the rendering and looked at him. "You said you weren't any good at the Infunde charm."
"I wasn't." Fred admitted, his face warming. "Not until your lesson." Fred stepped to her side, looking over the gift with her quietly a moment. "Do you truly like it?"
Rebecca looked up to him quickly. "Of course I do! How couldn't I?"
Fred shrugged, opening his mouth to speak when a little jingle rang out above them. Inspiration hit him like lightning.
Rebecca leaned forward, wondering what had rang above his head. "Oh, mistletoe." She peeked over her shoulder, hearing how Molly shouted up the stair for all of them to have combed their hair. "No one's around, we don't have to-"
Fred shook his head. "Oh no, not with this." He glanced up at it. "This is wizard's mistletoe. If you don't kiss under it..." He shivered. "It can be horrid. You don't even want to know what can happen."
Rebecca pondered on that a moment. She had seen and heard about what magic could do and he was right, she really didn't want to test it on Christmas of all days. In all honesty, enchanted mistletoe was far from the wildest thing she would have learned about. Peeking over her shoulder once more to ensure that they were still shrouded in privacy, Rebecca nodded. "Alright."
Fred's stomach launched into acrobatics--What had he been thinking? She was supposed to call him on it, this foolhardy plan. "Alright?" He cleared his throat and stepped once closer to her. He couldn't back out now, that would force him to admit that he'd lied and Fred couldn't imagine doing that.
His movements weren't as smooth as he hoped they were, nerves forced him to lean closer jerkily. Closing his eyes--afraid of freezing if he were to be captured by the green depths he'd so brilliantly captured in her gift--Fred's lips brushed against Rebecca's.
It wasn't a kiss by adult standards. They were still children after all. It was a peck, nothing more and nothing less. But there was its own form of magic nonetheless.
"Happy Christmas, Fred." Rebecca said softly, stepping backward before they were caught. Fred's gift was securely tucked under her arm as she proceeded up the stairs to get dressed for meeting this aunt of the Weasleys, but any nerves had been forced out of her thoughts. Fred had held her hand once and she had returned to that memory more often than she would ever admit; now she wondered how often mistletoe would cross her mind.
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Christmas lunch at Hogwarts was quiet, subdued. Hermione and Harry snacked on the sweets sprinkled about the table but for the most part, they were filled with thoughts of their friends.
"If you are cross-"
"I already said I'm not!"
Hermione pushed forward. "IF you are cross, keep it to yourself when they return. She had no way of knowing there'd be so much...unpleasantness regarding brooms before Christmas."
Harry smiled and shook his head. "You mean you don't want me to undo all your hardwork."
"Well," Hermione looked away, not accustomed to Harry being not-so-oblivious. "That certainly would be a shame." Hermione had confided in Harry ages ago how deeply Rebecca was agonising over the idea of gift-giving. Not that she would offer the information freely, that is. "Won't be long now until classes start again."
Harry let his head hit the table. "Hermione, try to sound less excited."
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"Not one of yours." Aunt Muriel, Rebecca had already learned, was exactly what everyone else had treated her like. A terror. The old woman entered the house and regarded the line-up of Weasley children in turn with one jab or another. Charlie was deemed the returned dragon, Ron the walking mess, Ginny the empty-headed. Fred and George were hardly offered words and more of a scoff of disappointment. Percy was looked right over to get to Bill who Muriel greeted warmly. "No, wrong hair."
Rebecca held her hand out. "Rebecca, pleasure to-"
Aunt Muriel took a step back. "I don't like this one. Not a fan, not at all."
Rebecca blinked once, lowering her head a notch. "May I lead you to your seat?"
Ron snorted where he stood, turning his head to his elbow to hide his laughter. It wasn't even funny, but something about how Rebecca ignored the insult entirely was entirely Rebecca-like.
"Does this barn now have piglets, I wonder?" Aunt Muriel glared down towards the boys. Molly and Arthur winced as Aunt Muriel's presence was made disappointingly clear. "Molly? Arthur? Why am I surrounded by wide-eyed, far-gazed children? Are there no forsaken adults here?"
"I'm an adult, Aunt Muriel." Charlie piped up, picking at something on his shirt.
"Hardly, you-"
"Alas, that makes me an adult as well. Come, I'll tell you about what I've been up to for Gringotts lately." Bill held his arm out for the foul wretch and mouthed an apology to the newest receiver of Muriel's harshities--The same someone who Bill had tasked himself with keeping an eye on.
"I am happy to see you, Bilius. It's been far too long." Aunt Muriel's voice faded as she was led to the tea ready in the living room.
"That's Aunt Muriel for you." Ginny murmured, disappearing up the stairs to hide as long as she could.
"I'd have let her call me 'rat's nest' again this year if it would have...distracted her, I guess." Ron offered, heading off to the kitchen glumly.
"Alright, lunch is almost finished. We'll eat and-Who's turn is it this year?" Molly asked, leaning towards Percy who she hoped would remember.
"George was ill last year, and Ron the year before."
Arthur nodded and looked towards the stairs. "Excellent, let's have Ginny say she's not feeling well. I'll go survey the damage and let her know."
"Well, that's that. What are you thinking?" George asked, bumping Rebecca's arm from one side while Fred took the other.
"I don't know." Rebecca wasn't really sure, either. "She doesn't even know me."
"No, no she doesn't." Fred said abruptly. "Don't pay attention to anything she says--It's how she's lived this long, horrid words and prune juice."
"Is that right?" Rebecca asked with a smile. She knew what they were doing and she loved them both for it. "What?" They were looking at her in the way they did before they ended up with detention.
"If you're going to ask..." George intoned cheekily.
"We've had an idea." Fred fell silent as Molly hurried back into the hall.
"Lunch is ready, dears!" Molly pecked the tops of all three of their heads. "Go on up and get the others, I'll get Bill and Aunt Muriel."
Fred and George sniggered, slinking off to their room to grab what they had pieced together in a rapidly formed plan while Rebecca grabbed the others. Before long, they were all at the table in a tense silence.
"Well, I've had better conversation at funerals." Aunt Muriel sighed, letting her spoon clang against her bowl.
"Do you go...often?" Rebecca asked, unintentionally hilarious to Ron once more.
"Never mind. Silence is better." Aunt Muriel rolled her eyes and looked to Bill. "That is, unless you have anything to say. You must teach this lot manners, Bilius. Including the stray."
"I have nothing, Aunt Muriel." Bill's tone was delicate, betraying how barely he was maintaining control over himself at the moment.
Aunt Muriel felt something brush against her shoulder, causing her to lean to the side and peer at the nothing behind her. There was a rapid popping of dungbombs and then a smell so horrid it brought tears to the eyes of the room. "What is that stench? Ronald, I-"
The intense and immediate laughter of George, Rebecca, and Fred, redirected her attention.
"This was you tw-three?" Aunt Muriel stood up as quickly as she could, holding her hand to her nose and backing up towards the door. "I should have known, it's foul just like-"
"That will do, Aunt Muriel." Bill was beside her in a second, holding his arm out. "Would you like help with your coat?"
"Consider yourself out of my will, I will not let such farce inherit anything!" Aunt Muriel directed towards Fred and George who only began to laugh harder as Rebecca was taken aback.
"Such farts? She can't truly think this is human, can she?"
Their laughter grew into howls and Aunt Muriel left without another word.
Molly went to the door, watching as Muriel left and Bill closed the door with chuckles of his own. Turning around and finding the room the happiest it had been if far too long, she looked at the three children and waited for an explanation.
She was met with three, frighteningly identical shrugs. Letting the slightest of smiles reach her lips, Molly sent a breeze through the room until the air was breathable and took her seat once more.
Arthur handed his hands out for those who needed more to give him their bowls. Bill gasped as he did. "Do you think this means she doesn't like me best anymore?"
Charlie declined anymore, though Molly only took his bowl from in front of him and had Arthur give him seconds anyway. "However will you deal with the loss?"
Ron looked up from his soup, a mustache of tomato left behind.
Arthur sat back down when lunch had been restarted and laid his hand on Molly's knee. "Merlin, what a family."
"Wouldn't change a thing though." Molly leaned over and pecked her husband's cheek.
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"Are you sure you don't want to play another match? It's early." Hermione didn't truly want to play again. She was tired of Wizard's Chess. But the truth of the matter was that it was very early and it was still a holiday.
"No, no I'm alright." Harry chuckled drily. "Don't really want to win again, if I'm honest. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"
Hermione nodded, giving him a quick hug. "Good night. Happy Christmas, Harry."
"It was a happy one, I mean it." Harry and Hermione climbed the stairs opposite the common room, both knowing they wouldn't be going to sleep just yet. Hermione was using the late hours to research any lead for Buckbeak's case while Harry was still familiarising himself with the Marauder's Map.
Climbing under his covers after a quick wash, Harry activated the map with the required words and unfurled it entirely. There, in the middle, was what he was hunting for.
"Peter Pettigrew!" Harry whispered, tracing the path before the name disappeared once more. "This just doesn't make any sense."
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"Mum? Dad?" Charlie asked, poking his head into the living room and finding his parents and Bill chatting quietly in the long-asleep house. The children had tired themselves out playing wildly out in the snow through the afternoon before filling themselves entirely with Molly's Christmas supper and had yawned and denied-their-tiredness all the way to an early bed. "It's time, I-"
"Sit, Charles." Arthur nodded to the free chair, using his son's full name to end any proclamations of needing an explanation.
"Oh, Arthur-" Molly sighed and hoped he wasn't going to go to far.
"No, he wants to know things." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "He wants to know things but he doesn't want to write or visit."
"That's not what this is about." Charlie deflected, fighting to keep his voice level. "This is about the damned child you've collected from somewhere!"
"Watch your language." Bill warned, sitting straighter in his seat. "If everyone wants to take a moment to themselves, I'm sure we will have a better conversation afterwards. We're not calling names or arguing here."
Molly nodded, soothing the bruised feelings of both men. "Come now, it is still Christmas."
Charlie took a slow breath, wanting to start from the beginning. "Where did she come from?"
"Some slum where-whe-" Arthur stood up too fast, looking to the door. "I'm sorry, my dear. I can't. Can-"
Molly stood up and caught Arthur at the door, letting him keep his back to the boys as she knew that was why he was hurrying off. Bringing him down to her level, Molly kissed Arthur briefly and used her thumb to wipe the defiant, escaping tear. "Go on, love. I'll be in shortly."
"I'm sorry."
"For what? Now, off you go." Molly opted to not take her seat, instead taking the one closer to her eldest sons. "It's very hard for him to talk about this."
"What is going on?" Charlie asked panicked. "You-you're not separating, are you?"
Molly laughed, surprising herself. She shook her head, reaching for Charlie's hand. "No! Never! Charlie, Rebecca came from poor circumstance."
"That's hardly the word for it." Bill's jaw clenched momentarily. "She's from hell-on-Earth, Charlie. That's where. I didn't realise you hadn't met, I'd have said something if I knew."
"She just what? Stumbled in one day?" Charlie asked, not connecting these vague details.
"Well, that's part of it." Molly explained how she had noticed the missing food at first, then the footsteps. "It was more like one night, really."
"You're all speaking in half-events and half-truths." Charlie muttered, connection dots slowly. "So she appeared. Why did she stay?"
"You have been out of this house too long if you have forgotten the one most important lesson your father and I have tried to teach you all." Molly said sadly, standing up. There had been enough darkness spoken about for the evening, especially when her son was being so incredibly obtuse. "Don't you dare speak a word of this to anyone, Charles. Rebecca is here--to stay. Find your kindness and hold onto it tightly."
Bill shook his head, standing up as Molly left. "I'd like to say that of the two of us, I'm generally the arse...but you've really taken the cake."
"I didn't-"
"Good night, Charlie." Bill paused at the door, looking back at his brother and realising that while there was a certain degree of truth to his questions--that Charlie really did want to know the story behind the Lost Potter having been found in Weasley care--there was the underlying feeling that Charlie had been entirely left out. Sparse letters had been sent back and forth in the years that Rebecca had joined them without word of anything going on in the house because Charlie had never asked.
And that, Charlie realised as he sat alone, was the worst part of it all.
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"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked quietly. "Really, I-I appreciate it and can hardly tell you how much this could help, but-"
"I am as sure as I am of anything." Charlie interrupted. "You have a big heart and I'm afraid I..." Charlie glanced up at Arthur as the parents strolled past, poorly hiding the fact that they were eavesdropping. "I forgot one of the most important things in life: To have is to share."
"You're sure your leader will want to sign it?" Rebecca asked, handing over the summary of Buckbeak's case Charlie had asked for the evening before. "To put their name against Malfoy?"
"I think the dragons will handle any threats, thank you." Charlie chuckled, running his eyes over the information Rebecca and the team had compiled. "This is quite a list!"
"I told you I was looking into Wizarding law, didn't I?" Rebecca dropped the cheek. "You and Bill are leaving after supper, aren't you."
"There's no question in your tone." Charlie stood up and held the paper at his side. "So you know good and well that we've got to get back to work."
"But..." Rebecca guided, waving her hand slightly to show that Charlie ought to finish the phrase.
"But I'll be writing far more than I ever have before." Charlie laughed again, nodding to excuse Rebecca as shouts for her came from upstairs. "I hope that fixed all that ugliness from last week?" He asked loud enough for anyone listening to know that he was speaking to them.
"I believe so." Arthur answered back. "As long as you stick to your word and write."
"Now, if you're both calm and collected, maybe we should have another go at that conversation." Molly asked. "With tea, that ought to ensure it goes smoothly."
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"You're quite the packer." Molly remarked, making her final stop in Rebecca and Ginny's room. "I trust you help those beastly boys, since I know there's no way they come home with closing trunks without it!"
All three of them laughed, despite the sorrow filling the air. The days between Bill and Charlie's departure had gone too quickly and now it was time to finish the school year.
"RJ?" Fred asked, knocking on the door and peeking through. "Can I-Oh, mum, you're still in here."
"Why yes, Fred." Molly shook her head with a smile. "It's been a whole minute since I've entered so I would imagine I have a little longer."
"I-I'll come back." Fred said, disappearing back down the hall.
"I don't even want to know what trouble he wants you for." Molly warned, rearranging the one off thing sticking out of Ginny's trunk. "Merlin, you're all so capable."
"Please don't cry, mum!" Ginny whinged, flinging her arms around Molly. "Ron will always need you!"
"That is no comfort!" Molly cried out, dabbing at fake tears as she tucked Ginny in for the last time until summer.
Rebecca busied herself with tidying the last few things on her side of the room so that when she came back everything was alright. Making sure she had her jumper out for the train, Rebecca closed her eyes as Molly sat on her bed and kissed her forehead. "Ready for bed?"
"I guess."
"Guesses are for games." Molly teased, smoothing Rebecca's hair back and ignoring Arthur's entrance as he went to Ginny. "I know, sweets. Summer will be here before we know it though, right?"
Rebecca nodded. "Thank you for Christmas." Rebecca said with a yawn as punctuation. "It was perfect, wasn't it?"
"It was." Molly kissed Rebecca's cheek now, forcing away the dampness that threatened to form in her eyes. "But now it is time for sleep. Can't have a grumpy return now, can we?"
Rebecca laughed and shook her head, finding Arthur's good night to be just as happy.
Molly and Arthur paused at the bottom of the stairs as they heard the footsteps of someone going down the hall sound out and the covered their giggles just barely.
"RJ?"
"Yeah, Fred?" Rebecca slipped out from under her mass of blankets, moving to the door as to not disturb Ginny.
"Charlie wrote me earlier, said that we might be able to see Mars tonight." Fred glanced over his shoulder at the window down by the boys' room. "Want to take a peek?"
Rebecca closed the door behind her slowly so that the latch didn't click. "Of course! Did he tell you which direction to look in?"
Fred paused in their sneaking back down the hall. "No..." The two of them looked at each other for a moment before dissolving into smothered laughter. "Guess we'll just look and say we tried!"
Rebecca straightened her glasses, looking up into the sky past the window. Mars or not, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was a perfect night for stargazing. There were countless stars above, the moon in it's waxing phases as it rebuilds towards the full moon at the end of the month.
Fred blanked as he looked up at the sky so stunningly full: Mars wasn't exactly identifiable without so much as a direction to point their looking.
"They all look like stars to me." Rebecca whispered. "Well, actually, that one just there looks a touch brighter than the rest, yeah?"
"Yeah, definitely." Fred nodded, not knowing at all which one she was looking at. As soon as he resigned himself to looking at the sky, his attention was dragged back to noting how deeply she appreciated the view. "Brighter for sure."
"What are you two doing?" Percy demanded, leaving his room. "I better not get dungbombed."
"There's no dungbomb, you prat!" George defended, poking his head out of he and Fred's doorway. "They're looking at stars--know what those are? Not sure with how far you have your head shoved up your-"
"I don't even know why I bother with conversation." Percy sighed, closing the door behind him.
"Conversation my..." George muttered, closing his door so that Fred and Rebecca were once more the only two in the hallway.
Rebecca looked up only a moment longer before turning to Fred. "Thank you, Mars was quite enjoyable."
"You think you saw it?" Fred asked after her, before she reached her room again.
"Of course we did, didn't we?" Rebecca asked back before being layered underneath Ginny's scolding tone.
"What'd he want? Mars? What the hell's he know about Mars? That's what I thought!"
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