As Orli's silhouette vanished beyond the staircase's summit, Sirius suddenly turned to Lupin:
"What is she truly like? I mean—I always imagined her as another Lily: brilliant, beautiful, but purely Gryffindor at heart, occasionally deceived by that greasy git... Yet increasingly I find Orli possesses something genuinely... disturbing."
Lupin's eyes followed the empty stairwell, his head shaking slowly: "She's nothing like Lily. Nothing at all."
During the final days before term commenced, no soul within Grimmauld Place could remain idle. Kreacher had vanished with Sirius and Lupin, never to return. Mrs. Weasley marshaled the remaining forces into relentless cleaning campaigns—the corridor alone demanded three grueling days, leaving only the ancient tapestry displaying the Black family tree. It had repelled every attempt at removal, whether through brute force or magical persuasion.
When they discovered a teacup-sized spider lurking within a cabinet, Ron launched himself four feet skyward. Every removable portrait and frame suffered merciless banishment into rubbish sacks, their final piercing shrieks echoing before complete obliteration.
The doorbell's persistent chiming punctuated each day, every ring triggering Mrs. Black's shrieked tirades from behind her first-floor curtains. Mad-Eye, Tonks, Kingsley, Arthur, and countless others—familiar faces and strangers alike—flowed through the house in constant rotation. Occasionally they lingered to assist with particularly vexing problems, such as the ghoul terrorizing the third-floor lavatory. When Mundungus heroically extracted Ron from a set of homicidal purple robes, all previous suspicions evaporated—though many had recently suspected him of pilfering the locket, despite his vehement denials.
Orli felt no inclination to defend his reputation. The man remained fundamentally untrustworthy—in the original timeline, he'd systematically looted Grimmauld Place following Sirius and Dumbledore's deaths.
As summer's remnants dwindled, Orli's longing for Hogwarts intensified. She'd grown to consider the castle her true home; this chaotic ancestral house left her perpetually on edge. While cleaning an antique timepiece, she encountered a Boggart that manifested as Snape's corpse. Her explosive fury obliterated the creature, clock, and a substantial portion of the surrounding wall.
Mrs. Weasley maintained constant vigilance over every underage resident. Though Order members maintained their regular circulation—some staying for meals, others conducting hushed conferences—she'd devised comprehensive countermeasures preventing the children from gleaning external intelligence or Order operations, regardless of Extendable Ears or alternative surveillance methods.
One morning, owls delivered correspondence for Orli and her companions. Their eager anticipation crumbled upon discovering mere Hogwarts book lists for the approaching term.
"Only two new texts required," Harry observed, scanning the parchment before discarding it and resuming his sweeping. The enchanted wastebasket devoured the debris with a resounding belch.
"Wonder who'll be teaching Defense this year," Fred mused as he and George materialized beside them with thunderous cracks. Orli had long ceased finding their sudden appearances noteworthy.
"Few weeks back, we intercepted Mum and Dad's conversation via Extendable Ears," Fred revealed conspiratorially. "Dumbledore's encountering serious difficulties securing someone for the position."
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