A/N: Obviously, characters you recognize, I do not own, characters you don't, I do own. Okay. Now that that's out of the way ...
This story is one plot line, told in three separate points of view. This is the Alana and George Weasley story. Feel free to read one, two, or all three of them! Each story will give you three stories, and will give you background on the minor characters!
This story is a collection of the works of three people, including myself. We are very proud to present to you "To Trust With Your Heart."
Enjoy!
By the way: a good song to listen to for this chapter would be "Take It Off" by Ke$ha.
Chapter One: Double Take...
Alana Reinan blinked a few times. Where was she? What was she doing? That's right, she was running. Where, though? Where indeed? Right! She was running home! She had to get her papers and things. She had to hurry to Dumbledore. She had important things to tell him.
Why was she on the ground, then? Because of Fenrir Greyback! She had stopped to make sure it was him, and he had knocked her into a wall and unconscious with a spell. During the time that Alana had been unconscious, several people had gathered around her. She could barely hear herself think, due to all the murmurs and whispers floating about.
Alana suddenly gasped. There were more important things for her to do than lay around on the ground. she bolted up to her feet, despite the pounding headache that made her vision fuzzy. The people that surrounded Alana gasped at her sudden movements, but Alana didn't have time to reassusre them that everything was normal. Immediately, Alana took of into a run toward the bridge. She only lived on the other side of the bridge, so she would be off to Dumbledore soon enough.
As she looked up to the sky, Alana felt the presence of several forces of energy floating above her. It couldn't be anything other than the Death Eaters, waiting to cause trouble. Alana could feel their malice, and she knew what they wanted to do. She had to hurry.
Alana kicked of her black, high-heeled shoes and pulled off her black, long-sleeved jacket. The less weight, the faster she'll run, she reasoned. She was nearly halfway across the bridge, ignoring all the blank or disgusted stares from passerby, when the Death Eaters had swooped down around the bridge.
Suddenly, the bridge began to swerve, as if a large gust of wind had blown. The bridge began to shake, and it felt as if a violent earthquake had truck the area. Alana had to stop to catch her balance, but it was of no real use, since the bridge had broken from the center and began falling into the cold water below.
Alana made an effort to run to the other side of the bridge, but gravity pulled down the half of the bridge she was on, plunging Alana into the ocean below. Under the water, Alana wasn't sure which way was up or down. The current engulfed Alana and dragged her deep into the water for what seemed like an hour. Alana's lungs felt like they were being crushed under the water pressure. She could feel her body trying to shut down. Her eyes began to close and she felt light-headed, as her brain had been deprived of oxygen for far too long.
Before she completely blacked out, Alana saw a figure coming toward her, but she couldn't see who or what it was, as the light reflected in a way that showed only a silhouette. The silhouette reached out toward Alana, but she had lost consciousness before the figure had touched her.
Alana blinked a few times. As her vision cleared, Alana fought to remember what happened. Upon realizing why she was in this situation to begin with, Alana immediately sat up and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a medium-sized room that had a cozy feel to it. It looked a bit old, seemingly wooden, and posters of famous Quidditch players decorated the walls. A small lamp sat on the nightstand to Alana's right, as well as another bed on the other side of the nightstand, and in the light sat a miniature version of the Hungarian Horntail that Harry had chosen but given to her as a gift after the Triwizard Tournament.
The dragon poked its head up curiously at Alana, but she put her index finger to her mouth as she realized another person was on the cozy, little bed upon which she had been placed, but this person sat in a chair and was leaning over, asleep with half his body next to Alana. He had short, flaming, red hair. It was none other than George Weasley.
Alana smiled as she brushed a piece of hair away from George's ear. When she touched George, however, her sight was suddenly directed to another place, but at first, she couldn't tell where or when this vision was taking place. She suddenly saw the Death Eaters destroying the bridge, but this time, she she wasn't on the bridge. Instead, she saw it from one side of the bridge. Alana saw herself running across the bridge, with her wavy, reddish-brown hair blowing in the wind behind her. Her hazel-brown eyes were looking out at the dark figures looming around the bridge. It was weird, watching herself in the background as if she were a spectator. As she watching herself falling into the water, George Weasley pulled out his wand and jumped into the water after her. The vision itself seemed to fast forward a bit to when Alana began to lose consciousness. George reached out to Alana before the vision ended.
As her vision cleared, Alana was back in the bedroom, with George still by her side. Alana gave a gentle smile again, and ran her hand through George's hair, and bent down to give him a kiss on the forehead.
Alana was sure she saw George smile and murmur something that suspiciously sounded like, "That feels nice."
Grinning, Alana rolled her eyes and slipped around George, careful not to wake him, she had almost gotten off of the bed when she felt an arm around her waist. When she looked over, she saw that George had sat up and was looking at her as a blush was creeping on his face.
"Hey sleepyhead." George said, sheepishly.
"Hello, lovely." Alana replied as she reached over and hugged George. She felt George's ears grow warmer. She couldn't' really understand why, though. She had hugged George many times and he had never blushed before.
"Um … Alana?"
"Yes, George?"
"Do you honestly want to walk around the house dressed like that?"
For the first time since she had woken up in the room, Alana had looked down at herself. She sighed as she realized that she was wearing nothing but her orange, polka dotted undergarments. Alana looked at George, ready to ask for something to wear for the time being, but George had already had a long-sleeved shirt in his hands and was offering it to her.
"Ginny had already taken your clothes to wash." George said, quietly, still with a blush on his face. "I had to undress you, but I swear, I didn't see anything!"
"How long was I out?" Alana asked as she took the shirt from George.
"George looked at the clock. "Eight hours, or so."
Alana sighed. "It seems like it only happened a moment ago." She said to herself as she put on George's shirt. It was a grey, button-up shirt that was five sizes to big for her, as George was much taller than she was. The sleeves were too long and the shirt was so long, it fell almost to her knees. After she finished rolling up the sleeves, Alana asked, "Where is everyone else?"
"They're all downstairs or running about." George answered, as he tried not to watch Alana dress.
Alana opened the door and looked around. "Hello?" she called.
"Alana?" a female voice called. Alana immediately recognized the voice as Hermione's.
"Hermione!" Alana grinned as she saw a girl's head pop out from a door down the the to the right of George's room. She had curly brown hair and dark, brown eyes. She wore a blue, long-sleeved shirt and dark blue denim jeans.
"Oh, Alana!" Hermione ran toward Alana and gave her cousin a hug. "We were all so worried about you!"
"I'm okay, Hermione, really."
"What happened? No one knows what's going on!"
"Is that Alana?" another voice came from the floor below, this time, it was a male's voice.
"Yes, Alana is awake." Hermione responded.
There was a quick shuffling of feet from the floor below as people came up to that floor. All of the five people who had rushed upstairs had matching red hair and freckles. Looking at Alana were a tall, tired-looking man, a short, slightly pudgy woman, a tall redhead with hair slightly longer than George's, a tall boy who looked almost identical to George, and a girl with long, straight, red hair who was slightly taller than Alana.
"Alana, dear!" the short, pudgy woman stepped forward and embraced Alana. "I'm so glad you're okay! We were worried you were going to be out longer!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm okay, really." Alana responded when she and Mrs. Weasley broke from the embrace.
"Did you want something to eat or drink?" the tall, tired-looking man asked.
"That sounds great, Mr. Weasley." Alana answered.
"We'll whip up something delicious for you, dearie!" Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully before she hurried down the stairs to the kitchen.
Mr. Weasley patted Alana on the shoulder. "I'm glad to see you up and well." He said before he followed Mrs. Weasley down the stairs.
Alana waited until Mr. Weasley was out of sight before she turned to the other people behind her.
"Are you sure you should be up, Alana?" One of the boys frowned. "You were in really bad shape."
Alana smiled at him. "I'm fine, Ron. Really."
The tall boy the looked almost identical to George picked Alana up and hugged her. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay."
As Alana was suspended in the air (as he, like George, was much taller than Alana), she was sure she had seen a frown pull at the corners of George's mouth.
The boy gave Alana a kiss on the cheek before he put her down. Alana replied, "Yeah, it's great to be up."
"Fred! Move! I want to hug her, too!" the girl with long, red hair said as she shove the boy away. "Alana!" she practically threw herself onto Alana.
"Hey, Ginny!" Alana grinned.
"You had us all scared!"
"I'm sorry."
"What happened? Fred and George brought you home unconscious!"
"Oh, man!" Alana slapped her forehead. "I'll tell you guys later! I have to get to Dumbledore!"
"No need, Alana." A girl's voice came from the top of the stairs. She was slightly taller than Alana and had straight, shoulder-length, brown hair and green eyes. She wore a navy blue coat, a matching navy blue knitted hat, and light blue denim jeans.
"Alix!" Alana smiled and ran forward to hug her friend.
"Alana, we were so worried!" Alix frowned.
"I'm okay, really." Alana was beginning to get irritated with everyone asking if she was okay. "But what happened to all of my information?"
Alix sighed. "I don't know if you really want to know… but…" Alix pointed her index finger out at Alana.
Alana gulped as she reached out her own index finger toward Alix's. When their fingers made contact, Alana's vision went completely white. As the white fog cleared, Alana was taken back to the scene of the falling bridge. As she looked around, her eyes immediately darted to the apartment that she and Alix shared. She watched as the Death Eaters destroyed the bridge and swooped by the apartment, casting spells that set the apartment on fire.
On the verge of having a heart attack, Alana's eyes quickly scanned the area and caught sight of Alixandria Larkin, still dressed in the same outfit, leaping from the window and holding a portkey in her left hand and a small bag of papers in her right. Alix had gotten out with the information. In the blink of an eye, Alix had disappeared into thin air, off to Dumbledore, Alana was sure.
Alana's vision flashed again and she was back in the Burrow once again. She frowned. "The apartment." Alana said. "I can't believe they destroyed it."
"I'm sorry, Alana." Hermione said as she placed a hand on Alana's shoulder.
Alana shook her head. "It's all right."
"Tell us what happened." Fred said.
"Do you want to get dressed, first?" Ginny asked as she handed Alana the clothes she had taken to wash.
Alana remembered that she was borrowing George's shirt and laughed sheepishly to herself as she grabbed her clothes from Ginny. She ran back into Fred and George's room and shut the door behind her. Quietly, Alana changed into the clothes that Ginny had washed for her. It was the same outfit she had worn before: a short, grey, long-sleeved dress and black leggings. A few things were missing, though. Her jacket and shoes were discarded when she was still on the bridge, but where was her belt? Her belt had concealed her wand.
In a split second, Alana burst out the door.
"Did you find my wand?" Alana asked Ginny.
Ginny scrunched her face in thought. "No, we didn't find your wand, Alana. I'm sorry." She replied.
Alana sighed and leaved against the wall. A look of distress crossed her face. "It must have fallen out when the bridge collapsed."
"We can ask Mr. Ollivander to fix you a new one." George patted Alana's arm.
Alana shook her head. "No. you guys don't get it. The reason I was even on the bridge to begin with was because of the Death Eaters."
"What?" Hermione immediately asked.
"I saw Fenrir Greyback in London." Alana began, sliding her back down the wall. "I followed him into Diagon Alley. And I watched him destroy Ollivander's Wand Shop."
The entire group became silent and each of them looked down at their feet.
"I was running to find Dumbledore, but I had to get my information to him, too." Alana continued. "Halfway across the bridge, the Death Eaters destroyed it. They're planning something, you guys."
"What, though?" Hermione pondered, as she and the group sat down to join Alana.
"Yeah, what could they want with Mr. Ollivander?" Fred asked.
Alana shook her head. "I don't know, you guys."
"At least the notes you collected are safe." Alix said.
Alana nodded wearily.
"Children!" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from downtairs. "If you're hungry, I've made pea soup!"
"Oh, dinner sounds amazing!" Alana exclaimed, slightly energized.
"Come to think of it, that really does." Hermione added.
The group migrated to the first floor of the Burrow, where Mrs. Weasley had gone to fix food for Alana. Following dinner, Mrs. Weasley shood the children to bed, and Alix, Hermoine, Ron, and Ginny all stumbled upstairs, barely able to keep their eyes open. After Fred, George, and Alana helped the others into bed, the three of them made their way back to Fred and George's room. The lot sat against the wall, Alana between the twins.
"Are you sure you shouldn't be resting, Alana?" Fred asked.
"You could sleep here and we'll find something else to occupy our time." George continued.
"I'm okay, you guys, really." Alana reassured. "Why aren't you guys sleepy, though?"
The twins grinned. "We're busy organizing our joke shop!" They whispered simultaneously.
"Oh?"
"That's right, beautiful." Fred winked.
"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has all your essentials!" George continued.
"From false quills and parchment-"
"-to love potions and pygmy puffs!"
Alana struggled to hide a grin. "Sounds like you two are very busy! Have you opened the shop yet?"
"Yeah, but we closed it down for today." Fred said.
"Why?"
"To make sure you're okay, silly!" George answered, poking Alana's nose.
Alana smiled as she looked from Fred to George. "Thanks, you guys." She hugged the twins.
For hours, Alana sat between the twins, talking, reminiscing, laughing, and planning new gadgets for the joke shop. Around four am, Alana began to feel drowsy. She yawned and leaned to her left and let her head slide down the wall until it made contact with George's shoulder. The last things Alana thought about before falling asleep were how sweet George's scent was and how much she had missed her friends.
When Alana opened her eyes the next morning, she realized that she was, once again, laying in George's bed and someone had pulled a blanket over her. Yawning, Alana sat up and looked around, only to find that Fred and George were no where in sight. The miniature dragon was still asleep, but next to the dragon was a brand new cell phone and a note written in George's handwriting.
Hey, Beautiful.
You're finally up. I'm sorry that I'm not to wish you a good morning. (Or afternoon, rather, seeing as it's 11:00 as I'm writing this.) Fred and I had to get back to the shop. Stop by when you can. I miss seeing your beautiful face already. Have a nice day.
George
P.S. I found your water-logged cell phone in your dress's pocket, but I couldn't find it, so I got you a new one. I hope I didn't mess up putting anything in. You should still have the same number.
P.P.S. Don't worry. I didn't do anything while you were asleep. ;)
Alana rolled her eyes and picked up the cell phone left by her bedside. It was a hand-sized, touch-screen phone. She turned it over in her hands a couple times. It seemed pretty sturdy and durable enough to be left in her pocket.
Suddenly, the door slammed, making Alana jump, since she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings. Immediately, Alana jerked her head to the door to see who had entered the room. Her heart was still pounding, but she felt as if it dropped when she saw a tall, beautiful, slim, blond woman running toward her. Her blond hair was wispy and seemed to glide In the air behind her.
"Alana, my darling!" The woman exclaimed as she hugged Alana and kissed her on both cheeks. "'ow are you? Eet 'as been much too long, dear!"
Alana tried very hard not to cringe. "Hello, Fleur. How are you?" she forced a smile.
"I am so 'appy you remember me!" Fleur Delecour beamed. Her bright, blue eyes reminded Alana of a little bug. An annoying little bug. One that she wanted to squish into the ground.
"How could anyone forget you, Fleur?" Alana asked, truthfully, but with a hint of sarcasm.
"I am so glad to see you again! Seence you 'ave 'elped in sav-eeng my I am forever een your debt."
Then why can't you just leave me alone? Alana thought, but she responded politely, "I'm glad your sister is okay."
"Alana?" a familiar female voice called from behind Fleur.
"Atara!" Alana exclaimed, glad to have an excuse to not be in Fleur's presence any longer.
Alana quickly ran out the door to see her old friend, Atara Shield. Atara was about five feet, six inches tall, therefore, a bit taller than Alana, who was five feet, two inches tall. Slim and blond, Atara was truly a sight for sore eyes. Her bright, blue eyes, pale, pink, short dress, white zip coat, and white heels added to the image of perfection.
"I weel prepare break-fuhst for you, my friends!" Fleur grinned as she passed Alana and Atara.
Both Alana and Atara waited until they were sure Fleur was out of earshot before they uttered an irritated sigh.
"I really wonder what Bill sees in her…" Alana whispered.
"You're asking me?" Atara responded, making a face.
Alana smiled. "How was San Francisco?"
"Fabulous." Atara beamed. "Here! I got us something!" she reached into her purse and pulled out two necklaces. "And watch!" Atara excitedly held the two charms up at eye level. One charm was a miniature silver dolphin and the other was a curved silver rod that had an opaque white pearl ball on both ends. Enthusiastically, Atara pressed the nose and tail of the dolphin onto the two pearl balls, and Alana watched in amazement as the two pendants connected, forming a single, heart-shaped pendant. "You like it?" Atara grinned.
"I love it!" Alana replied.
Smiling, Atara pulled apart the charms and pulled the necklace with the dolphin pendant around Alana's neck. "It suits you perfectly." Atara grinned triumphantly.
"Where is everyone?" Alana looked around.
"Well, Fred and George are at the shop, Ron and Hermonie have gone for a walk, Alix is reading in the library, Ginny is cleaning her room, Mr. Weasley is at work, Mrs. Weasley is taking a nap, oh, and Bill is visiting." Atara counted on her fingers.
Alana nodded. Upon looking at the clock, Alana saw that it was nearly two in the afternoon. "Hey!" Alana turned back to Atara. "Want to do me a favor?" Alana winked.
"What kind of favor?" Atara raised an eyebrow.
"Let's go visit Fred and George at their shop!"
"Oh!" Atara blushed. "Yeah, I'll come with you." Alana had known that Atara liked Fred for a while. This could be a chance for Atara to finally tell him.
"I'll change first." Alana pouted. She wished she still had her clothes. It seemed that everything was destroyed when the apartment was attacked.
"Yeah. I'll grab breakfast."
Alana didn't much like Fleur, but she was nice, despite being desperately annoying, and she was an okay cook. With a sigh, Alana climbed a flight of stairs to Ginny's room. Ginny's door was open, so Alana poked her head through. The room was medium-sized and quiet. Ginny's bed lay in the lower right-hand corner and various bookshelves were placed along the walls. The walls were painted a light teal clor that matched Ginny's rug, bedsheets, pillows, and even the sheets on the pull-out mattress by Ginny's bed (on which Alana assumed that Hermione slept). Ginny, however, was no where to be seen.
"Ginny?" Alana called.
"Alana?" Ginny poked her head from the other side of the bed.
"Hey." Alana smiled.
Ginny scrambled around the bed and over to Alana to hug her. "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
"I'm doing okay, Ginny. Thanks for your concern. I just wanted to ask if I could borrow something to wear."
"Of course, help yourself to my closet. I know what happened with your apartment…" Ginny touched Alana's shoulder.
Alana smiled.
"Ginny!" came a voice from downstairs. "Can you help me sort the letters?"
"Coming, Mum!" Ginny replied. She turned to Alana. "Like I said, help yourself." Ginny said before rushing down the stairs.
Alana opened the door to Ginny's closet and sorted through the clothes. Ginny was about the same size as Alana was, so choosing clothes wasn't exactly difficult. After a few moments, Alana decided to wear a short, white skirt, a black tank top, a red, ¾ sleeve boat neck sweater. Satisfied with her outfit, Alana walked downstairs, into the kitchen, where Atara sat at a table, eating a strip of bacon.
Fleur was humming to herself and moving things from cupboard to cupboard. Next to Atara at the table sat, or rather lay, Bill Weasley. His red hair fell over his face and he looked as though he'd slept in his clothes.
Alana patted Bill on the shoulder. "Bill?"
"Hmm?" Bill responded, lifting his head and opening his eyes. Alana could see the scar under his left eye. "Oh, Alana!"
"Hi, Bill." Alana smiled.
Bill grinned as he stood up to hug Alana. "thanks for your letters." Bill whispered as he knew Fleur was watching. "They got me through the last few weeks."
Alana smiled. "No problem." Alana was sad to pull away from Bill. She rather enjoyed the smell of rum and mint. "Atara and I were going to see Fred and George. Would you like to come with us?"
"Oh, I can't right now. I'm going to spending time with my new fiancé." Bill motion to Fleur, who beamed.
"Congratulations!" Alana smiled.
"We should get going." Atara stood up, still munching on her piece of bacon. "Thanks for the bacon, Fleur. It was delicious."
"You ah very welcoom, Atara." Fleur replied. "I very much eenjoy kook-ing."
Atara and Alana bade Fleur and Bill a quick good bye before they stepped outside. Once outside. Atara sighed, glad to be away from Fleur.
"Ready?" Atara asked, offering her arm to Alana.
"Always." Alana replied, linking arms with Atara.
"Right, then." Atara said. She then took a deep breath and the two friends quickly Disapparated.
Alana felt as if her body were being stretched in every direction. He rstomach was being tugged out of her body, and her brain felt like it was being ripped from her head. Once she felt her feet touch solid ground, the rest of her body seemed to squish into its regular position. Once her vision cleared, Alana saw that she and Atara were in front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was colorful and vibrant on the outside, and Alana could see the myriad of items that hung from the walls and floated in midair.
"Ugh." Alana remarked. "I hate Apparating." She rubbed her temples in an attempt to sooth her headache.
Atara patted Alana's shoulder. "I know, but Dumbledore prefers that we travel this way."
Alana sighed as she took Atara's hadn and entered the shop. Inside the shop, people of all ages were browsing through the items, which occasionally exploded, covering nearby customers in colored powder. To her left, Alana saw Atar picking up a hear-shaped vial filled with a pink liquid. In front of Alana was a large display of similar potions, and overhead was a sign that read "LOVE POTIONS." Alana rolled he reyes and began to look around for Fred and George.
Suddenly, Alana felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist. Her captor picked her up and swung her around before putting her down. The delightful smell of chocolate and Vodka filled Alana's senses.
"Hello, beautiful." George whispered into Alana's ear.
"George!" Alana exclaimed, as she spun around.
George kissed Alana's forehead before hugging her. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to visit me at all."
Before Alana could respond, she saw none other than Fred Weasley had quietly snuck up behind Atara and gently touched her side. In shock, Atara gasped and dropped the love potion. Alana watched in amazement as Fred skillfully reached out and grabbed the vial in midair. If she had blinked, Alana would have missed it.
"Frederick!" Atara blushed as she turned to playfully slap Fred on the arm.
"Hello to you, too, Atara." Fred patted Atara on the shoulder.
Atara pouted and turned away as she continued to blush. Fred turned to face Alana and george. Both twins wore similar outfits, but in different colors. They both wore long-sleeved, button-up shirts, vests, and long dress pants. Alana was having a hard time deciding whether or not Fred was completely oblivious to the fact that Atara had liked him for years.
"How do you like the shop?" Fred asked Alana.
"It's great!" Alana replied. She was excited to explore the shop and browse through the items.
"Help yourself to anything you want." Fred said before turning back to Atara, who was fiddling with a bright, pink fuzzball.
Alana rolled her eyes and turned to face George. "May I have a tour of your shop, Mr. Weasley?" Alana asked, with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Of course, my lady." George replied, offering his arm, which Alana graciously accepted.
Alana and George walked through the shop as George gave Alana a quick tour that involved a summary of items in stock, which items were most popular, and a demonstration of how his favorite pranks worked. The last stop of Alana's tour was Fred and George's office, which, to Alana's surprise, was meticulous. There was a desk on both sides of the room, and multiple shelves stacked along the walls. Boxes were neatly stacked in the corners and by the dekss. The room had a very comfortable feel that was almost home-like. There were windows at the end of the room, which allowed for a bit of sunlight to pierce through and enlighten the room. The walls were plastered with blueprints and drawings of new pranks and toys on which the twins were working.
"Your shop is great, George." Alana turned to George.
"I'm glad you like it, Alana." George smiled.
"It's very sweet. I'm glad I got to see it."
George didn't respond. He seemed to be in a daze, staring at Alana. Alana bit her bottom lip and nervously began to think that the skirt she'd put on was too short. Wordlessly, George took a step forward and backed Alana into the wall behind her.
He placed his hands against the wall on either side of Alana and tilted his head down until his forehead touched Alana's.
Alana felt her heart rate increase, though she tried not to show it. This was new to Alana. After years of friendship, George had never acted this way around Alana before. With a quick breath, Alana bit her lip again and allowed George to slowly lower his face toward hers. Before their lips met, however, Alana's cell phone rang. Disappointed, George sighed.
"You have to take it, don't you?" George asked, sadly.
"I do." Alana whispered.
"I regret getting you that phone." George joked and gave Alana a crooked smile."
Alana didn't respond, but she slipped out from George's grasp and answered her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Hello?" a female voice asked. "Alana?"