I hope I did Fred and George (well, mostly Fred) justice in how I wrote the chapter. This chapter gives a bit of a background of a different sort. I hope you enjoy it, or at least pretend to. If you do, leave a review! If you don't, leave a gentle review! I'm open to just about anything at this point. Oh and thanks to Jessie for beta-ing this, hehehe.
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Suzanne Howard watched as the two teenagers across the street held each other. She stood inside of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes watching the couple from the other side of the window. She sighed as she observed the affections being passed and suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
Earlier that summer, her boyfriend Matthew had been the victim of an attack by Death Eaters. His entire family was eliminated in one evening, save for his infant sister. Matthew's mother had heard the attack begin and before the masked wizards made their way upstairs to the children's rooms she placed the sleeping infant in a closet which contained a loose wall panel. Securing the baby in her bouncy chair, she charmed her baby doll to play soothing music in hope that the child would stay in her peaceful slumber. His mother had just stood from facing the closet door and as she turned around she was greeted with a green light emitted from the Death Eater's wand.
Suzanne knew something was wrong when Matthew did not send her an owl post or contact her on her birthday. Halfway through that day, she had taken it upon herself to walk to his house and give him a piece of her mind.
"That boy has some nerve forgetting my seventeenth birthday!" she thought as she stormed her way up the front porch steps.
At the same time that she raised her hand to knock on the mahogany door, the sound of three people Apparating behind her got her attention. She reached for her wand expecting the worst and spun to greet her attackers with the first spell she could think of.
"Expell…"
She was not fast enough for the Aurors who had appeared alongside her. They disarmed her faster than she could say "stop" and for the next ten minutes asked her about who she was and her business on that day.
"What is your name?"
"How did you know the family which resided here?" "Where were you last night at one in the morning?"
Once she was finally able to understand that they were not there to harm the family, she began to ask questions of her own.
"What business do you have sneaking up on people like that?"
"Why didn't you just approach me like a civil human being?"
Suzanne stopped and thought back to what they had asked her and a sudden realization dawned upon her. All colour left her face.
"Why are you referring to my boyfriend's family in the past tense?"
As she studied the Aurors faces, the events of the night they were inquiring about fell into place. She took a final glance at them and everything went black.
She awoke at St. Mungo's several hours later. Her family was there, as were her Hogwarts friends. They spoke softly with her and treated her as if she were a fragile china doll. Once she was sent home a day later, she stayed locked up in her room, sitting on her bed staring at old pictures of Matthew. They had known each other since they were infants, as her father and his had also grown up together. Matthew and Suzanne knew everything there was to know about the other and they were known to finish each other's sentences at school. Their close friends knew of their plans to get married after leaving Hogwarts and argued over who would be the best man and maid of honor. It was a tight-knit group and the attack left a huge hole that could never be filled.
She was brought back to reality when she was pushed into the Pygmy Puff display by someone passing from behind. Not caring who it was, she ignored it but seconds later felt someone tapping her shoulder gently but firmly. She turned around slowly taking her time to meet the person's gaze.
"I'm really sorry - are you alright? I thought I hit you pretty hard there when I tripped."
A tall lanky looking young man stood looking down at her laughing with an apologetic look on his face. Glancing at the badge on his apron, she found his name to be Fred. Behind him stood his mirror image brother whose name badge read George. Plagued with temporary confusion, she looked back and forth between the two boys. Fred smirked.
"Don't mind that nutcase; that's George." Fred said, rolling his eyes.
Nodding and almost forgetting her despair, Suzanne asked, "Twins?"
George whispered loud enough for Suzanne to hear, "Oooh, don't lose sight of that one, Fred. She catches on fast!" Fred responded with a quick elbow to the ribs and gave a dramatic bow, "Fred and George Weasley at your service. My goofball of a brother was the one to push me into you. He wanted me to tell you that everything is on the house for you today as an apology for his clumsiness."
"I said no such thing!" a voice called out from the other side of the shop as George had moved on to help other customers by that point.
As if she had suddenly realized what was just said, she gasped, "Oh, you're the Weasleys of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"
Fred nodded slowly, amused at her delay. "Yeah, we are. Who might you be?" He crossed his arms in front of him in a sarcastic expectant manner.
Placing a few strands of long blond hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat. "Suzanne Howard. Sorry I don't have any funny anecdotes to go along with that." she shrugged in a defeated way.
Fred placed a finger on his lower lip and seemed to be pondering something. "Suzanne Howard… Howard… why does that name sound familiar. I remember my sister-in-law mentioning it."
Suzanne asked, intrigued, "Well, who is your sister-in-law?"
Looking at her, Fred pulled himself back to reality, "Oh, Penelope Clearwater. She married my brother, Percy but kept her last name. She is a Healer at St. Mungo's."
As a look of understanding came across Suzanne's face, she felt tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to answer as normally as possible, "Yeah, I know her. She helped me this summer when I was a patient there after the accident."
Curious, Fred began to ask, "Accident? Are you alr… oh, hold on… Suzanne Howard. Oh, damn, I feel like such an insensitive prat."
He hung his head low as a realization of why she had been at St. Mungo's dawned upon him. The news of the accident had traveled fast and it did not take long to be mentioned in the Daily Prophet. Since she was found at the scene of the crime, her name was splattered across the headlines. Once people realized who she was in relation to the family, it was even bigger news. It was because of the media attention that she had not been to Diagon Alley until this day.
"It's perfectly fine, Fred. Don't fuss over me. I'd just like to have one semi-normal day before school starts next week. I needed to get out for some air before my family drove me nutters. I might say," she added, "that ever since my uncle took over your father's job at the ministry, I have heard plenty of stories about the Weasley brood. That being said, I am fairly certain that you can understand a little something about needed to get away from nosey family members."
It was the first time she had smiled in weeks. It was faint but it was a smile. Laughing slightly, Fred agreed. "Yeah, I may know a little something about irritating family members sticking their noses in things…"
"Hey! I resemble that remark."
Fred's youngest brother popped his head around the corner of the shelf he was standing next to.
"Take my baby brother Ron, for example." Fred deadpanned. Shoving Ron back to the shelf where he had come from, Fred focused his attention back on the girl in front of him.
"Look," he said, "I'd like to make this up to you… running into you and such. Can I get you a coffee or something?"
Suzanne had a look of horror on her face. 'A date? After what has happened this summer, he is asking me out on a date? The nerve of some people.' As she began to open her mouth to deliver Fred the tongue lashing of his life, he saved himself.
"I just want to clarify; I am not asking you out on a date or anything of the such. That would be cold-hearted and rude. I was a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin."
The last comment made Suzanne give a half cough, half laugh. She looked up and gave a real smile to the red-headed boy in front of her. She sighed, "I suppose one can never have too many friends, huh?"
Satisfied with her answer, he said, "My sentiments exactly, my dear. Why don't you stop by here in, say, an hour? I will get out of here around then since George is closing for me tonight." Fred offered.
"I am not!" came a voice from a few aisles over.
"Yes you are, George." mocked Suzanne. She gave a guilty shrug but smiled at him and turned to see his brother's reaction
Fred almost fell into the shelf he was leaning on and mocked her in return, "Oh, and she has cheek too? I will most definitely be keeping an eye on you. I've got to respect that about a person." Fred was wringing his hands together in excitement. "Seriously, though. Anything you want today is on the house. Only one other person has that privilege and that is our business partner."
Suzanne thanked Fred for everything and took advantage of his offer by picking up some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and some Canary Creams that she promised to "use wisely" at school.
An hour later she met Fred outside the door of the shop. He approached her carrying a pink box. When she opened it she was greeted by a Pygmy Puff's beady eyes staring up at her.
"She wouldn't stop asking for you after you left so I had to get her for you… Please take her now before George and I go crazy and pull our hair out." the twin joked handing her the box.
The two new friends spent the next two hours eating, drinking butterbeers and talking about absolutely nothing of importance which suited Suzanne just fine. He insisted on walking her to her house. As Fred was leaving she promised to return to the shop during their Hogsmeade trips. Once she was safely inside, he Apparated home.
Fred was not looking forward to whatever was waiting for him at the Burrow. He walked towards the door to his home prepared to have the mickey taken out of him.
