Prologue

I was awakened by the screeching of the alarm and two male voices outside my bedroom door.

George would not and could not wake up to anything that was at all soft, soothing, or pleasant. I was pretty sure he had enchanted our alarm clock to scream like a mandrake, but George told me that my ears were too sensitive. I flailed my arm around on his nightstand until silence rung in my ears. I glanced at the clock—I had ten minutes to get ready.

"She's up!" Fred's voice shrilled. He pounded his fists against the bedroom door, rattling its hinges. "Up, up, up! We're going to be late!"

"They'll leave without us!" George joined in on the purposeful banging. Both boys were lying—the Order would absolutely not leave for Little Whinging without Fred or George.

"I'm awake!" I hollered back just to stop them making so much noise. The boys erupted in laughter, and then continued their hushed conversation.

It took all of the strength in my body to move, but I managed to haul myself out of bed and over to the Mirror. Although it no longer spoke, I still used it daily. A picture of Cedric was stuck underneath the edge of the mirror; Cedric smiled and waved at me. I began to play with my hair when I heard the voices rise outside my door.

"It's not the right time," George whined to Fred.

"Who knows what will happen on the way back from Harry's though," Fred countered, his voice serious.

My stomach flopped. I tried very hard not to imagine the potential outcomes of this new Seven Potters plot; Arthur had reassured all involved that it would go as smoothly as planned. But my brain could only conjure up images of George coming home mangled, George coming home dead, or worse of all, George not coming home at all…

"We're not going to die," George insisted. I strained my ears to hear him say, "I'll ask her later. It has to be perfect."

Fred laughed, "Because you're the perfect guy."

I briefly wondered what they were talking about. Cedric played with his tie.

"Ready yet?" George cracked open the door and poked his head inside.

I forced a smile. George was wearing a suit—his and Fred's new fashion trademark since they hit it big with their joke shop—and he looked very handsome. I drank his image in, trying to commit to memory the anxious smile on his face and his soft eyes.

"Yeah," my voice cracked. I wandered away from the Mirror, and noticed Cedric wave goodbye.

"Did you get a nice nap?" Fred asked thoughtfully, something he almost never did.

I wanted to sleep; I had worked an endless twelve hour shift at St. Mungo's and my body was exhausted, but every time I got comfortable I saw George with Cedric's lifeless eyes.

I lied, "Definitely. I'm energized."

"Not sure how slept with us talking out here," George admitted.

Fred shrugged. "She's had a few years to get used to hearing us all the time now. Our voices probably soothed her to sleep."

I rolled my eyes. "That's right."

I moved in with Fred and George shortly after I graduated Hogwarts, but it didn't come without its battles. Molly vehemently objected to me moving into George's bedroom, but what could she do about it? After the guilt trip subsided, I realized that sleeping with George suddenly got very difficult. Sleeping together at school had been nice, but now we were fighting over the blankets, sleep schedules, and worst of all, that damned alarm. Living together was also a completely different situation. The twins were complete slobs, and aside from basic hygiene, had absolutely no idea how to take care of themselves. I had given them a crash course in making dinner (but they stunk at it even with magic) and doing laundry (the twins put this chore off until the last minute, which made our bathroom smell worse than the changing rooms at Hogwarts after a particularly long Quidditch game). Those first few months were frustrating and stressful, but I stuck it out. I had fallen very deeply for George Weasley. We had been together for over two and a half years, but it seemed like so much longer. He made me better every day.

Whenever I saw George, my heart tightened and squealed like a twelve-year-old girl. I wanted to wrap my arms around his waist and press my ear against his heart. I was usually so calculated, so rational, so levelheaded… But love made my stomach spin and my palms sweat. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I was a Trainee Healer for Spell Damage at St. Mungo's; on my off days, I helped the twins run their shop. After graduation, Kim had moved to Sweden to help rural wizards make ends meet—or something noble like that. At least, Kim didn't do very well on her NEWTs to justify doing anything else. Kelly had found a job in the Ministry, but went into hiding after the Death Eaters infiltrated last summer. I assumed she was with Kim, but I had no real way of knowing; Kelly did not tell me where or when she was leaving, nor did she leave a note of any kind. For all I knew, she could have been captured and executed. But thinking that way would only make me sick, so I tried to think positively.

"Let's go," Fred urged just as soon as we were sure we had everything. We had packed overnight bags just in case we needed to stay the night; I triple-checked my bag for all of the healing supplies I managed to swipe from work.

We apparated onto the Burrow's front lawn. The night was still warm from the day's summer sun. Fred ran ahead to his childhood home while George and I lagged behind.

George intertwined our fingers together. He told me, "You look very pretty tonight."

And despite everything that was about to happen, I blushed.

A/N: Welcome to the sequel of And He's Loved You Forever, For Selfish Reasons. If you haven't read AHLYF, I would consider reading it before you delve into this masterpiece (har har). I look forward to reading your reviews and stuff! :)