Prologue

The Ministry of Magic really was an unbelievably huge place. It was all a little bit unnecessary actually, with fountains all over the place and weird magic ways to get to places. There were elevators and all, but no stairs. People got to places through toilets, up chimneys and there was always the distinct smell of floo powder around the place. There was always some weird way to do things. A part of me missed the muggle world I'd grown up in, but considering the reason that I was here I didn't ever want to go back. I was sitting in an office, in the Witness Protection office to be precise. They were going to put me somewhere, in a home somewhere secluded and far away with a wizard family. I observed the office. It was only bland, the walls were plain and white and there was only one painting where on the dandelions in the foreground swayed in the artificial wind. There were certificates hanging on the walls, the wax seals pale from being exposed to the strong artificial light. The door opened with a click and flung open a bit harshly.
"Oops, oh, sorry!" the intern stumbled in, with her wand outstretched, "I'm still getting used to the charm." The door didn't have a handle, it was wand activated. Like I said, unnecessary although safe. She straightened out some papers on the desk and adjusted her skirt.
"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" she asked nervously. She studied me like people in the Ministry of Magic did now.
"I'm fine," I replied. She nodded and shifted her weight onto her other leg, checking her watch.
"He won't be long. As you can imagine, it's been a busy day," she laughed uncomfortably, but her eyes narrowed on me. I challenged her eye contact until she backed away. The corner of my mouth twitched upwards, but my half smile was abruptly interrupted by a short and stout man shuffling through the doorway. The intern made a fuss about his appearance, pulling the chair out and giving him his reading glasses. He propped them on his wide nose and peered down at the file she had handed him.
"Hmph. Hm. Yes, okay," he put the yellow file down and entwined his fingers together on his round belly.
"Name?" his voice was gruff as if he had smoked one too many pipes in his time. His grey hair was slicked to one side and he pushed it back as it fell over his eyes.
"Lilah Cole."
"Blood?"
"Pure blood, muggle upbringing."
"Age."
"16."
"Schooling?"
"Going into my 6th year at Hogwarts," I thought about how long until I would be back there. I still hadn't decided whether I liked it yet.
"Aha," he pondered. He pulled a quill out of the breast pocket of his robes, and held out a hand where the intern swiftly put a notepad. He flipped open the cover and jotted down a few things. He never moved his thick neck, but his eyes flicked up to me and then back down.
"Don't you use those magic quills everyone else uses?" I wondered aloud. I had a habit of doing that, but really I wanted to fill the silence in the room.
"Less accurate," he paused, and sat back in his chair. He observed me for a while and I sat on and let it happen. It was creepy. Finally he spoke, "do you want to talk about what happened."
"What is there to say?" I picked my words carefully. I didn't want to reveal too much about my level of vulnerability.
"We could start at the start. What happened," he looked sympathetic. I sighed and crossed my legs.
"It's simple really," I shrugged.
"Is it?" he said condescendingly.
"Sure it is. I'm 15 and I was put under the Cruciatus curse and he sent the werewolf after me because I got away. Fenrir Greyback's after me and no one knows what to do about it."

Chapter 1

They treated me so delicately, like I was a jar they have used craft glue to put together. Of course, no one would even understand that in this world. They didn't use glue here. They used magic. A flick of the wand and the vase was flawless again. They walked me down the hall towards the fireplaces where I was supposed to be meeting the person whose home I would be going too. Arnold Wossle or something of the sort. The woman in front of me was the lady they had chosen to try and counsel me. I was so annoyingly unresponsive that even she had had enough of me. The Ministry was quiet at this time of night. Everyone had left an hour ago, at about 8. But there was still one person there and he was getting impatient. I could tell and I felt guilty for being the reason he was still around. The woman, her name was Lareena, had told me he had children and a wife and I felt terrible for keeping him away. I wondered if they would all be in bed. Apparently, he was unwilling at first to take me in, but he was the only person with a spare bed at the moment. He spotted us, probably because Lareena was monstrously tall and had wild blonde hair that sprayed in all directions. I could hear the sigh of relief.
Finally, we were face to face. He wasn't a particularly tall man and his ginger hair was deflated on his head after being stuck under the hat that was now in his hand. Just as I noticed that, he put it back on and offered out his hand with a friendly smile.
"You must be Lilah. I'm Arthur Weasley. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he grinned, the bags under his eyes becoming more apparent. The poor man.
"It's a pleasure now, but just wait until I eat everything in your cupboard," I wasn't sure if it was an appropriate joke. Lareena looked shocked, but Arthur laughed heartily.
"Oh, you'll have to fight my sons for that!" he patted my hand and let it go and we headed towards the fire place. Ugh, sons. That meant more than one. Two? Three? I could imagine the little red headed beasts wreaking havoc and having to deal with it until they found a place for me.
"Okay, Lilah, if you need anything you know where to write too. I will check on your progress everyday with Mr Weasley here. You're going to be okay," Lareena patted my shoulder. I craned my neck to look at her.
I nodded and turned to Arthur, who handed me some floo powder.
"It was a bit of a trouble getting the Ministry to keep the network open from here to The Burrow, but I managed it. We usually just Apparate," my eyes sagged in further guilt.
"I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused, Mr Weasley."
"Oh not to worry! And please call me Arthur," he sounded chirpy despite he had been working all day, "Now, we're going to The Burrow. Remember to say it loud and clear!"
I stepped into the fire and the smell was overwhelming, but I'd always been fond of the feeling of the fire on the exposed skin of my legs. I was still wearing my muggle clothes. I shouted 'The Burrow' and I was swiftly whipped off my feet and there were flashes of deep emerald. I tried to land graciously, but I tripped over my feet in effort and stumbled very awkwardly into a warm room. I went head first into a soft, incredibly cushioned couch, violently whacking my knee on a table. I groaned and pulled my head out from between two stuffed full cream pillows. I stood up and observed the room around me. It was cluttered, with flower pots and decorations lining every wall and couches shoved together. I'd once had a dream where I was drowning in cushions and the living room was much similar to it. I didn't feel the same amount of panic though. The warmth of the fire and the slight breeze coming in from a slightly ajar window had a wonderfully comfortable effect.
"Um," someone said from my left. I turned my head and sitting on one of the couches was a boy with intensely red hair that was running a little bit wild. His face was confused beyond belief, as I would have expected. He had a notepad in his hand and his quill was resting beside him. I was kind of speechless, in a dumbstruck state of embarrassment. What do you say to a boy whose house you had just intruded? How do you explain that? Mr Weasley landed with a puff of smoke and I spun around, glad to have a way out of the uncomfortable silence between the red head and I.
"Sorry I took a while, I've always had a bit of trouble with the fireplaces at the Ministry. Never seemed to light when I want them too. Oh! I see you've acquainted yourself with my youngest son, Ron. I opened my mouth, to explain that we hadn't actually really spoken, but before I could, a middle aged woman with a wooden spoon and an apron on came bustling in.
"Arthur! Why did you come through the fireplace? Whatever took you so long, your supper has gone-" she froze when she saw me. I guess no one knew I would be coming.
"Molly, before you say anything, I think we should have a chat," Arthur said calmly. They left the room and I could hear the muffled voice of outrage from Molly and the smooth, low tone of Arthur who was trying to explain my situation. I was stuck in the room with Ron, who was still staring at me with his mouth gaping open. I shuffled my feet on the brown carpet and took a tentative seat on the arm of a chair, kind of hovering before actually touching down. Ron continued to stare and I got a little bit impatient with him. It was late and I'd had a long day. Hell, I'd been under the Cruciatus Curse like 7 hours before.
"Didn't you parents ever teach you not to stare," I growled. He closed his mouth and frowned. I zeroed in on his blue eyes and noticed how his silvery eye lashes brushing the top eyelid. They were long and luscious, something I appreciated.
"Didn't you parents ever teach you not to fall out of peoples fireplaces?" he scowled back at me.
"My parents are muggles. I think that answers that," I snorted and looked away, into the fire that glowed brightly in the room.
"What's your name," he asked after a while. I'd lost myself in the beauty of the flames as they licked their surroundings.
"Lilah," I replied simply, not needing to ask the same of him.
"Last name?" a part of me was prepared to just tell him, but a part of me wanted a bit of mystery.
"Nope," was all I said.
"You've gotta have a last name," he probed. I didn't have to reply, however, because Arthur came back into the room and beckoned me to follow him into the kitchen.
The little kitchen was as cluttered as the lounge room. It was cosy though, with teapots hanging everywhere, a dish brush was scrubbing at pans in the sink and Molly was sitting in a chair, looking friendlier than when I had first seen her.
"Lilah, is it? Oh you're a very pretty girl. Simply beautiful hair," I swept my chocolate brown hair to the side and blushed furiously. She stood up and started making a fuss over me, straightening out my clothes. She raised an eyebrow at what I was wearing.
"Muggle clothing,"
"I see. Well, Ginny will have some spare clothes somewhere, until… well until you get some new ones," she smiled sympathetically. I guessed she knew something about my future that I didn't. Everyone seemed too. I'd just like a little information.
"Should we call everyone downstairs?" Arthur suggested. Molly nodded, reaching behind her back and untying her apron, hanging it delicately over a chair. A dish clattered as it collided with something in the dish tray and Molly cursed under her breath, rolling her eyes.
"Hopeless things," she muttered. She corrected the mistake and the brush continued scrubbing. Arthur disappeared and I could hear him calling out a bunch of names.
"Percy! Don't you ignore me! I'm calling a Weasley family meeting," Weasley, that was it. The name kept slipping my mind and I felt terrible since this kind family was taking me in. There were grunts and stomps as people forwarded down the stairs. Molly gestured that I move out of the room.
"I'll call you in momentarily dear," she smiled and I nodded. I was standing in a doorway and I could see the shadows of people moving into the room. A few minutes later, everyone was in apparently and Arthur began to explain the situation.
"There's been a bit of an… incident today and this has resulted in someone having to have a place to hide. And that place, it seems, is here. She'll only be staying for a few weeks, but I trust you will all make her feel welcome," he finished. There were noises of interest and whispering.
"And no silly jokes, boys," Molly said in a stern, motherly tone. There was a sigh that reverberated around the room, "Come in, dear," Molly said. Oh, she meant me. I hesitated, choosing my plan of action. Do I jump in dramatically? Do I waltz in like I don't have a care in the world? Do I look like the victim of the Cruciatus Curse?
I just kind of half walked half awkwardly shuffled around the corner and into the immediate limelight. There were 5 new people in the kitchen, all with solid red hair. There were so many gingers. So many. I was drowning in a sea of red hair, but I tried not to notice. I observed all of them as they observed me. Ron looked smug and less dumbstruck as the rest of them. He scoffed at how shocked they looked and I wanted to scoff at his pride. There was only one girl and she looked a few years younger than me, at least. There was a lanky boy who looked down his slender nose at me, like he was so superior to me. There were two identical boys who were sitting in an almost symmetrical way at the far side of the table.
"Go ahead, deary. Introduce yourself," Molly gestured from her chair.
"Oh yes, please introduce yourself," one of the twins grinned hungrily. I tried not to widen my eyes in surprise by his tone.
"Oh, okay. I'm, uh, Lilah," I said simply. There was an awkward silence as they waited for me to say more. When nobody did, the other twin spoke up.
"Oh I know you! You're in my Transfiguration class and you were the one who turned your model aeroplane into two frogs and Professor McGonagall couldn't work out how you did it," I laughed at the memory. I did remember the two of them being in my class. Once they'd sent a mice flying into my hair and I'd never really forgiven them.
"That was me," I avoided eye contact with everyone.
"I'm Fred," the second twin said.
"I'm George," the first said.
"I'm Ginny," the girl said.
"I'm Percy, and I'd like to return to my important report. You should understand, father," he pushed his chair out and waited to be dismissed. He seemed disgruntled by my presence.
"Oh off you go," Molly waved him away.
"Ron, care to introduce yourself?" Arthur said.
"I already did, when she burst through the fire place and went head first into the sofa," he laughed. I blushed and looked down at my feet.
"Ron! Don't be rude!" Molly roused.
"Sorry. I'm Ron," he sulked.
"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you all," I said, trying to sound confident. Arthur looked at me reassuringly and Molly smiled with a nod of the head. I wasn't sure what they wanted me to say. There was a long silence that probably only last a few seconds but felt like a few hours while every member of the family, excluding Percy who had gone upstairs, inspected me.
"Well! I think it's time you all got to bed. Lilah, you'll be in Ginny's room so Ginny, if you could take her up there. Um, Lilah, your trunk will get here tomorrow morning. They're just doing routine checks to make sure there's nothing that Fenr.." he faded out, looking over at his children who were, despite being told to go to bed, were still sitting there tentatively looking at her, "Well that could compromise your position."
"You must be so exhausted, Lilah. Alright everyone, off to bed!"
"But we want to talk to her," the twins said in unison. It was weird how in sync they were.
"You can talk to her in the morning. She's had a big day," Molly's eyes were apologetic, but she turned them stern so that she could usher everyone upstairs. Ginny leapt to her feet and waltzed towards me.
"Come on then," she said sweetly, grabbing my limp hand down by my side and dragging me out of the room. We swung out of the room and I bumped into one of the twins. I had no idea which one, but his brown eyes were plagued with interest and a curiosity that matched one of a toddler who was just seeing the world. His long red hair flicked at the ends and the sly smile on his lips was confusing, but intriguing. I bit my lip and followed Ginny up the stairs. And that was the first time I ever wanted to kiss Fred Weasley.