Don't Cross the Streams

“Nymphadora Charlotte Weasley that is enough,” Ginny yelled knocking the wand out of Dora’s hand.

“My name is Dora. And I didn’t do anything wrong, James stole my wand I just got it back. Him and Albus are the ones who jinxed Lily’s stuff. Believe me just this once please.”

“I don’t think I can, you lie to us all the time.”

“I do not, I want to go home. Let me go home right now it will be ok, I promise I won’t get in dad’s way.”

“Dora you can’t go home, George has a business meeting for the shop and is probably still in Hogsmead and we have to take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school supplies.”

“Yes that’s right let’s here another lie shall we. I hear them all the time from dad, I’m sorry I swear next week you can stay here. I promise next summer I will find time for us to be together, but no never instead I have permanent rooms at your, Aunt Hermione’s, and grandma’s house. So please continue on with your lies.”

“Go to your room.”

“Yes because that is exactly the response I was looking for with that little fit.” Dora whispered with dripping sarcasm as she got up and headed for the stairs that led to her room. Once she enters she picked up the Pigmy puff her dad gave her as a present when she started at Hogwarts. He bred it specifically to turn different colors in honor of her being a metamorph, just like the woman for whom she was named. “You love me don’t you Trixie.” The little puff changed from blue to pink and then chirped lovingly as Dora matched the color.

“Nymphadora?” James said walking into her room, “I’m sorry you got into trouble with mum I didn’t mean for that to happen. But really I don’t know what your fit was about uncle George is awesome. I mean for your last birthday he got you kegs of butterbeer and he gives you whatever he wants from the shop for free.”

“And I never see him. It isn’t fair everyone else gets to see their parents whenever they want and I’m stuck being shuttled around being an inconvenience to everyone.”

“You’re not an inconvenience to anyone.” Harry said walking into the room, “James, go help your mum with dinner.” James ran left the room quickly.

“I just want to go home Uncle Harry, I want to see dad before the summer is over. We go back to school next week and I only saw him for a few days when he stopped by for my birthday. Why did he even have a kid if he wasn’t going to be able to take care of it?”

“He thought he was going to have your mom.”

“Well she died, I had to deal with it.”

“You were six.”

“It doesn’t matter he didn’t even try, he just pawned me off and stayed away.”

“I know how you feel when I was younger I had to stay with my aunt and uncle and they were horrible, kept me in a closet under some stairs. It was honestly one of the most trying times of my life but you know what?”

“What?”

“I wouldn’t change anything about any of it. Now I hope you don’t think any of us to be horrible and tomorrow I will be taking all of you last minute school shopping so you can see your dad then.”

“Great a quick hi and bye, just like always. It isn’t that much to ask for him to just want to be a part of my life. You had to live with your aunt and uncle because both your parents died; my dad is still alive he just refuses to care.”

“Don’t say that he does care it is just hard for him to be around you. You look like them when you are in your normal form.” Dora turned away ashamed of how she was acting this wasn’t the first time that someone had referenced them while speaking about her.

“I can’t help that, she was my mom of course I’m going to look like her and he’s my dad so I’m going to look like him too. And he is going to look like his twin there isn’t anything I can do about that. If he doesn’t want to see them in me I can just change my face.”

“That’s not helpful either because.”

“Because I’m named after Nymphadora Tonks, metamorph who fought and died alongside you guys against Voldemort. None of this was my choice but I’m being punished. I just want him to want to be a part of my life because he is interested in me. I’m not mum, I’m not Fred, and I’m not Nymphadora Tonks. I’m just a kid.”

“You will be fine, tomorrow I will be dropping you off at the shop and you are spending this last week with him.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me would you?”

“Not about this, about scary things being in the forbidden forest yes but not about anything to do with your dad.”

“Is aunt Ginny mad at me?”

“Maybe a little bit, Lily could have been hurt.”

“I didn’t do it.”

“I know I heard James confess. But she insists on you staying in your room so I will be bringing your dinner up here tonight. I suggest tomorrow when we go to the shop you be yourself.”

“Then he won’t take me.”

“I’m sure he will.”

“I thought you just said you wouldn’t lie to me about my dad. Now if you don’t mind Trixie and I would like to be alone.”

“Hey, you’re going to look out for James when he goes to Hogwarts right? You’re not going to mess with him too much, keep the pranks to a minimum.”

“I would never do anything to hurt him.”

“I know, I just wanted to make sure because you are the daughter of George, and you are so much like him.” Harry left the room shutting the door behind him and Dora just curled up inside her bed ready to forget about the day. Trixie nestled up to her and started changing colors waiting for her to do the same. Finally after a few chirps and colors Dora joined in with the shifting until they fell asleep.

“Dad!” Dora yelled running into his open arms he picked her off the ground in a hug before setting her down and rustling her red hair.

“Well don’t you look like my little girl. No crazy colors today?”

“No not today, Trixie and I wore ourselves out last night trying to get new colors. I missed you I wish I didn’t have to go away so often.”

“Not now Dora we can talk about it later. Right now why don’t you guys go find Ron and Hermione and finish your school shopping? I promise we can talk about it later when we go home.”

“Come on Dora, let’s go get Albus’ wand then we will go get your robes and books.” Harry said placing his hand on Dora’s shoulder.

“Can’t I stay here until you get Albus’ wand? I can help here.”

“Go with them, it will be more fun for you.” George said

“What could be more fun than spending time in a joke shop?”

“Come on Dora. Let’s go,” Ginny said, “We have to meet up with Ron and Hermione in a few minutes we can’t be late.” Dora wrapped her arms around George one last time before exiting the shop not saying anything else.

“Raising kids is tough,” Harry said before following his family out. Ron and Hermione were waiting outside with their kids. As they were all walking towards Ollivander’s Dora sneaked away down an alley way and went off on her own.

She found an abandoned building a little ways down and found a way in then curled up in a corner to wait for someone to notice she disappeared. She waited for hours until from the window she saw the sun start to set and still nobody had come for her. She knew her dad would be closing the shop soon so she came out of her hiding spot and walked back with her head down. When she got back to the shop she saw everyone standing outside.

“Where have you been?” Hermione asked pulling her into a hug.

“Waiting for someone to find me,” Dora said brushing her off. “Why didn’t you look for me?”

“We did look for you,” Ron said, “We just couldn’t find you.”

“You didn’t try hard enough.”

“We picked up your school stuff,” Hermione said handing her a bag of items, “Your dad is waiting for you in there, I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Thank you.” She took the bag and went inside ready for a lecture. “Hi dad.” She mumbled when she walked into his office.

“You ran off?” He said not even looking up from the paperwork.

“I don’t think anybody noticed.”

“Then why did they come back here looking for you? Really Nympadora don’t you think it might be time to put these little stunts behind you?”

“It’s Dora. I told you I didn’t want to go with them I told you I wanted to stay here.”

“Then why didn’t you come back here?”

“You told me not to stay here. Either you want me around or you don’t. I’m tired of having to go places I don’t want to go and intruding on everyone else’s family time when I should be having my own.”

“This isn’t just about today is it?”

“You’re my dad, why do I have to spend so much time elsewhere?”

“We will talk about this later I have to finish today’s inventory.”

“Alright, but we will talk about it right?”

“Yes I promise. Now why don’t you go run and play while I finish this.” Dora got up from her chair and made her way back to the sales floor.

She pushed the door open to her room and collapsed on her bed a small cloud of dust rose up as she hit it. She turned onto her side so she could face the nightstand beside her bed; on it was a picture of her family sat. She snatched the picture off of the table and rubbed at the frame with the bottom of her shirt to clear the dust. In the picture she is sitting on her dad’s shoulders laughing at some silly face her mother was making, her dad was smiling a real smile that rarely ever appears in his daily life.

“Dora can I come in?” George asked knocking softly on her door.

“Sure.” She answered quickly putting the picture back on the table and checking to make sure her eyes were dry. He came in and sat down on her bed. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

“I know you’re mad at me. So why don’t you make your peace with it now so we can have the real conversation we need to have.”

“What’s the real conversation we need to have?”

“No, first you need to tell me why you’re so mad at me?”

“But I have told you. That’s the problem you don’t ever listen to me. But then again how can you listen to me when you are never around me. You’re my dad, stop sending me away. That’s why I’m mad; I never get to be here with you. All I want is to spend time with you, but you always send me away. I know I look like mum and Uncle Fred but I’m not them I’m your kid. But ever since mum died you have been sending me away because you can’t deal with it. And I know you’re sad and whatever but maybe if you let me stick around we can work on that together.”

“Ron and Hermione are going to be taking you to the train this year.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“For the winter holiday you will be going to the burrow and we will all be meeting up there. And at the end of the year you are going to be going to Harry and Ginny’s.”

“Are you kidding me? Did you not listen to anything I just said?”

“Calm down.”

“I will go to the train with Uncle Ron, I will meet you at the burrow for winter holiday but I am coming home for the summer and you will just have to learn to deal with it.”

“I’ll make you a deal, how many owls were sent to me because you were in trouble last year?”

“I don’t know.”

“15.”

“That doesn’t seem like that many.”

“They don’t send owls because you skip class.”

“Obviously otherwise the count would be way higher.”

“So that is 15 major offenses. This year I want no more than five and you have to stop skipping class.”

“Why?”

“If I get less than five owls you can come here this summer.”

“You promise, you won’t change your mind come summer? I can stay here, it won’t just be a visit like it is now?”

“No, you can stay here this summer as long as you don’t get into any serious trouble at school.”

“I won’t I promise, less than five owls. I can do that no problem.”

George smiled softly and shook his head getting up from the bed, “I don’t know you are a Weasley, and more than that you are my daughter.” He gave a slight wink before shutting the door.