Chapter 1: The Walk

"Arthur!" Molly rushed to greet her husband as he entered the Burrow, the bags under his eyes showing how tired he was. He hugged his wife tightly, then hugged Bill, Charlie, Percy, the twins, and little Ron before answering all his children's questions about how he was without giving anything of his work away to them. Then he made an excuse to get them out of the room before turning back to Molly, who was pale. "Is it true then?" she whispered, as if afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes." Arthur slumped down in a chair and held his head in his hands "It's true."

Molly closed her eyes, letting her tears escape her eyes as the fact that two of her good friends had been killed, murdered, set in. She moved round to behind her husband and gently massaged his shoulders, trying to relive his tenseness.

"But their son Harry...he lived?" she asked softly

"No-one knows why." Arthur lifted his head "All anyone knows is that they were betrayed and You-Know-Who killed them."

"Betrayed?" Molly repeated "But...no." Arthur got to his feet and hugged her again as her tears fell and she said "Not Sirius. Please don't say it was him."

"I'm afraid it was." He replied quietly "He betrayed them, as well as killing Peter."

"Pettigrew?" Molly's eyes widened in horror "Oh poor poor Remus! That's...all his best friends...in one night."

"It's horrible, I know." Arthur nodded, gently rocking her in comfort. They stayed like that for a while before Molly pulled back and dried her eyes.

"It is horrible." She agreed, going to get his supper out of the oven and setting it on the table for him.

"Thanks. It's been a long day."

"So I can tell." Molly nodded, then dusted off her hands "You know, I think I'll go for a walk. You don't mind if I do?"

"I can look after Ron or any of the kids if you want." Arthur offered, looking up at her.

"I'll ask if any of them want to come." Molly walked through to the sitting room, where her children were and said "Anyone want to come on a walk through the fields with me?"

"Yeah!" Fred and George called grinningly in unison

"I'll come too, Mum!" Bill got up

"And me!" so did Percy.

"Do you want to come as well, Charlie?" Molly questioned as she summoned their coats and helped Fred and George button theirs up

"No thanks" was the reply, no explanation given, so they said goodbye to Arthur and headed outside.


"What's wrong, Mummy?" Percy asked. Molly was jolted from her thoughts, but she forced a smile.

"Nothing dear." She said "Remember what I told you?"

"The war is over. No more fighting." Bill repeated. Molly nodded

"We're safe now." She smiled "Fred! George! Don't go near that stream!"

"Why?" Fred called over his shoulder as Bill went over the rainy field to almost drag them away from the swelling stream.

"It's dangerous-George!" Bill shook the twin's shoulder. George had been staring at the stream intently and part of it had begun to flow up into the air, as if controlled by George's gaze. "Not here!" the eldest boy hissed as he brought them back to Molly.

"Thank you Bill." She said, then leant down "Listen boys. He's right. None of that outside of home, ok?"

"Ok..." they replied in unison, glancing at each other. Just then, a sharp guest of wind blew Percy's hat off his head and he turned to get it, only to see a tall man use the summoning charm to bring it into his hands behind them.

"Here you are." He smiled, leaning down to give it back.

"My hat!" Percy gleefully took it back.

"Percy, what do you say?" Molly said sharply

"Thank you." Percy said obediently and the man replied that it was no problem.

"Thank you for that." Molly said, trying to keep half an eye on the twins, who were running round in circles as if chasing something. "He loses that hat so often..."

"Well this windy weather certainly doesn't help either, 'ey?" the man commented

"Oh of course! It's been windy for ages now, it seems." Molly nodded.

"Good old English weather." The man nodded, then gave the children a friendly glance over "These all yours?" he asked

"Yes-Percy, put that hat on now before you lose it again!" Molly turned slightly to fix her son's hat.

"You are Percy?" the man enquired with a smile.

"Yes I am." Percy grinned broadly up at him "Nice to meet you." Bill snorted with laughter at this and Fred and George collapsed into giggles, but the man chuckled and shook Percy's hand formally.

"Nice to meet you too, Percy. I'm John." He straightened up "A future Ministry kid there, I think." He smiled

"Well we hope so!" Molly smiled warmly at Percy. "Would you like that, Perce?"

"Yeah!"

"I don't think I'd like the Ministry much." Bill suddenly said "It sounds like too much writing."

"No-one likes paperwork, young man, you're completely right." John beamed.

"Work is borwing!" George and Fred skidded to a halt on John's right.

"vewy borwing!" Fred added to his twin's comment.

"Very boring, please speak properly." Molly sighed

"Kids these days, hmm?" John chortled, looking from Fred to George "How do you manage telling these two apart, anyway?!"

"He's Fred and I'm George!" Fred grinned.

"Nice try, boys." Molly shook her head, smiling "It's the other way round; Fred has the small birthmark just above his left eyebrow."

"Extremely subtle, then!" John laughed as Fred tried to flatten his fringe to hide the mark but it wasn't long enough.

"Mummy..." Bill was looking at the sky "Did you bring the umbrella? It's raining."

"Oh Merlin's beard, I knew there was something I forgot!" Molly also looked at the darkening sky as Percy covered his hat with his hands. John grimaced.

"I forgot mine as well..." he muttered "And I've got to be home soon..."

"Oh, don't let us take up any more of your time." Molly started to help Percy pull his hood up over his hat.

"Not at all!" John reassured her "It was lovely talking to you and your children, but I must bid you farewell!"

"Bye bye!" Percy waved at him.

"Goodbye!" John turned on the spot and vanished with a crack as Molly got to her feet and Bill raised his head from getting his gloves on.

"Oh where are they now?" she exclaimed exasperatedly as she saw no sign of Fred and George.

"I'll check the stream." Bill said, half glumly yet half smilingly. Molly and Percy waited for a minute or two before he came back with a slight frown on his face. "I didn't see them..." he said.

"Fred! George!" Molly called, but no reply came.

"Not a funny joke!" Percy called as well, but there was only silence as the rain fell faster. Molly was beginning to panic.

"Georgie!" she cried "Freddie! Where are you!" The three of them walked back along the path, calling for the twins as they walked and soon they were back at the Burrow, but without Fred or George. "Boys, go inside." Molly commanded, trying to keep the worry out of her voice "I'm going to keep looking."

"Ouch!"

"Let go!"

"What you dowing?"

"Shut up, the pair of you! Stupify!"


A/N: (gasp) what's happened to our favourite twins? Stick around to find out... and R&R of course :)