Thanks to all of you who left reviews and assured me that you'd stick with me as I edited my story. I was originally going to leave the rest of the chapters up as I went through and re-did each one, but I realized that I was making changes that disturbed the whole continuity. So hopefully things will be different enough that my old followers will still find pleasure in re-reading.
…Elvira…
I woke slowly to beams of sunlight streaming through wind chimes, which were attached to the gutters outside. Sounds of pots and pans came from the kitchen, along with the smell of frying bacon. Fred and George were still asleep. During the night, George had slumped over so that his head rested in my lap. Hesitantly, I let my fingers run through his bright orange hair. It was longer than in the picture Molly had shown me the night before. I guessed that no one had cut it since it was taken.
"Wakey, wakey." Another boy, also red haired but older than the three of them, smirked as he leaned against the door jam. His appearance startled me and I quickly pulled my hand away from George's head, embraced. Fred stretched behind me.
"Toss off, Charlie." He groaned.
"You two should really learn to watch your mouths in front of guests." The older boy retorted. He looked nine or ten.
"He said it, not me." George grumbled.
"Speaking of guests, I suppose it's proper to introduce myself. My name is Charlie." He stepped forward and offered his hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Elvira." I shook his hand.
"You can call her Vira though, that's her nickname." Fred was quick to butt in. I turned to shoot him a look, but he pretended not to notice.
"Well then, Vira, boys, if you're done snuggling, mum sent me to tell you breakfast is almost ready." With that he turned and headed back towards the kitchen, a satisfied look on his face. I blushed at his comment.
"What a git." George decided. He was sitting up now.
"A nickname?" I turned to Fred.
"Don't act like it doesn't sound way better." He defended casually. I scoffed and turned to George for backup.
"What?" He leaned away from my harsh gaze. "I quite like it, actually." I sighed. They grinned at each other, as though they'd won a victory.
"Come on now, Vira. Time for breakfast." Fred gloated as he scooted out from behind me.
The dining table was long and bordered with mismatched seating. The twins led me to a bench stool and gestured for me to sit. I sat on the end, leaving room for both of them on the other side. Apparently, this wasn't good enough for them. Fred sat down on the other end, as I had expected. George however, squished in on the other side, forcing me to move over so that I was effectively sandwiched between the two of them. At this point, Molly turned around the stove and noticed me.
"Elvira, dear! Good morning. I hope you slept comfortably." She cooed, turning back to the stove mid sentence.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for making arrangements." I responded graciously, as I had been taught.
"Why don't you ever greet us like that, mum?" Fred complained from my left.
"It's like you're not even happy to see us." George backed him up.
"Oh, hush you two. Be grateful I don't ground you for getting out of bed last night." She turned around with a look on her face that oozed gotcha. I smirked at the twins' responding silence. "They didn't keep you up, did they dear?" Molly switched gears from sassy back to sweet and nurturing faster than she could flip a blueberry pancake.
"Not for very long at all, Mrs. Weasley." I assured her.
"Why don't you call me Molly?"
On beat, the rest of the Weasley's filed into the kitchen. Aside from Charlie, there were two more boys older than Fred and George. Over the course of breakfast I would learn their names were Bill and Percy. Then there was Ron and Ginny, both younger than me, followed by Mr. Weasley, who seemed to be herding them all.
"Who's this?" Bill, the oldest asked right away, gesturing to me.
"Fred and George's new girlfriend." Charlie responded, still amused with himself from before. George angrily stood up from his seat, getting ready to do who knows what, but Molly stopped the chaos before it began.
"Hush." She demanded. "This is Elvira." She went around telling me everyone's names. "Why don't you all tuck in, and then your father and I will explain everything." She served everyone and let us take a few satiating bites before getting our attention once more. She explained, using a lot of euphemisms, that I had to be taken away from my parents and that I would be staying with them until they could work out a more permanent solution. I kept my eyes down through all of it.
"A more permanent solution?" Fred interjected.
"You're going to send her away?" George continued. Molly looked to Arthur, who was shoving a piece of bacon into his mouth. He startled, nearly choking at the realization that he was being called upon for explanation.
"Right." He cleared his through, regaining composure. "Well you kids can see how crowded it is around here. The fact is that your mother and I just don't have enough room or money to keep her." He frowned at the end of his statement, as if wondering if he had misspoken. His phrasing did somewhat allude to a pet that was too much trouble. Molly smoothed things over.
"We're sure that Elvira would be much more comfortable in a home that can afford to provide for her comfortably." She smiled weakly.
"Vira isn't any trouble." Fred defended. "You can't send her away!"
"She can stay in our room and wear our clothes!" George concluded.
"Settle down now boys." Mr. Weasley firmly demanded. "We haven't made any decisions just yet. But the truth of the matter is that we're not sure that we can take care of her. I'm sorry, Elvira."
"It's alright, Mr. Weasley. I understand." My voice was quiet. I realized that I wanted to stay. The burrow was cluttered and messy, but it felt like a real home. Even though everyone bickered and teased each other, there was no real malice behind it. I remembered how my father would sometimes yell at my mother. He would raise his voice and use foul names and sometimes they wouldn't speak for days afterward. I averted my eyes from everyone as tears started to swell. My father always told me that crying was a guilt tactic that wouldn't work on him. I didn't want to make the Weasley's feel guilty for something they couldn't control.
The twins seemed to sense my discomfort. George placed his hand on my elbow in reassurance. Fred, still irritated, managed to calm himself enough to politely ask, "May we be excused?"
"Yes." Arthur allowed. Molly almost stopped us. I saw her eyes lock onto our unfinished plates. But she didn't say anything, instead looking away in frustration.
The twins took me up to their room. The walls were painted light green. Several abandoned activities were set up around the carpet, a half build tower of blocks, a deck of cards strewn about, quidditch action figures left in a pile… We sat on one bed together, our backs up against the wall. Tears were still threatening to spill over.
"If mum and dad send you away, I swear they'll wake up to a stink bomb in their bed every morning." Fred seethed.
"It's just not fair, sending you to some strange place…" George shook his head.
"Could we still be friends? If I have to go, that is?" Saying the words sent me over the edge. I was crying, despite my best effort. At this, the twins snapped out of their own stupors to address me.
"You're not going anywhere." Fred said.
"We'll make sure of it." George agreed.
"How?" I asked, hopeless.
"We'll think of something." Fred held out his hand to me. It took a few seconds to realize that he wanted me to hold it. Hesitantly, I slid my hand into his. George mirrored the action on the other side. Away from the breakfast table, I could smell them once more. It was comforting, so much so that I almost believed them.
…Fred Weasley…
George and I knew our mum well. As tough as she acted, she really only wanted us all to be happy. We hadn't pushed very hard for something since we got our junior brooms last Christmas. Maybe it had been long enough that she'd forgotten how persistent we could be. I knew with enough confidence that we would find a way to make her crack.
Vira, George, and I sat without talking for a while. She was getting her tears under control quickly. She made Ron look like an absolute crybaby when he went off. I thought about telling her that she didn't need to stop, that we wouldn't judge her. But I could tell she wanted to be tough and it was far from me to stop her.
"We could do more chores around the house." George suggested. "You know, give mum a break once in a while. She might appreciate it enough to let Vira stay." I flinched at the initial thought of doing more chores. But in exchange for Vira's presence, it seemed like a fair enough trade. I nodded.
"Yea, and maybe if we looked after Ginny more. Got her out of mum's hair." I added.
"Do you two really want to do all of that?" Vira asked. She seemed as though she was already removed from the situation. It bothered me.
"Don't you want to stay?" I asked, a little offended. She looked taken aback at this.
"Well, yes. I do." She stammered; gaining confidence the more she spoke. "I just don't understand what the two of you get out of taking care of me." She looked down, as if her own words had hurt her. I wasn't sure what to say. The truth was that I hadn't thought about why I was so ready to do anything for her.
"We like you. We want to be your friend." George said simply. She seemed to accept this and I sighed in relief.
The next few days were quieter. Mum and dad didn't say anything else about sending Vira away, but we knew they were still having private conversations. George and I carried out our plans by washing dishes, picking up our toys, and even playing with Ron for an hour or two. Mum eyed us wearily just about the whole time. We said that her lack of faith offended us, her well mannered, adoring sons.
Dad set up a "temporary" cot in Ginny's room, but we told Elvira that she could sneak down to our room whenever she wanted. This bothered our parents, but whenever they brought it up, Vira would apologize sincerely and say that she just couldn't fall asleep upstairs. It was brilliant watching the way mum and dad would cave for her. I don't think she ever even tried.
A week had passed when Vira came down with a cold. It started with a sore throat and quickly escalated to a fever. Mum tried a slew of healing potions, but none of them had any effect on her. Because of this, she kept Vira separate from the rest of us. We could play together, but we weren't allowed any contact. Mum followed her around all day, sanitizing anything she touched. It seemed extreme, but I think she was scared because she couldn't figure out what illness she had or how to help it.
On the third night of Vira's sickness, George and I lay awake in our beds. I had a heavy feeling in my chest. It was clear that she was getting weaker. Just looking at her thinning face was upsetting. I knew that George felt the same way.
"Do you think…?" He began hesitantly. "That medicine her father used to give her… do you think she actually needed it?" Until this point, George had been silent for a long time. I could tell he was ruminating.
"She said it always made her feel worse." I responded.
"That's true." He agreed and then spaced out into another long silence. I let him be until he eventually continued. "Do you think she'll come tonight?" Mum had set her up on the couch again and absolutely prohibited her from coming to our room at night. She really didn't want whatever it was spreading.
"I don't think so Georgie. She's too responsible for that." She hadn't come to us for the past two days either. The bags under her eyes made it obvious that she wasn't sleeping well.
"Maybe we should go to her?" George suggested. I frowned for a second, wondering why I hadn't thought of that. After a moment of contemplation I realized that something inside of me had been screaming to do exactly that for the last hour.
"I think you're right." I agreed.
…George Weasley…
I led the way downstairs with Fred following close behind. My heart was racing beyond that of the fear of being caught by mum. I usually found those sorts of jitters exciting. This was all together different. It felt sort of desperate and nerve wracking.
When we found Vira she was breathing shallowly. She was awake, but not all together conscious. I felt her forehead and she was burning up. I looked to Fred, who was stricken pale as a ghost. "Vira." I shook her gently. "Vira, say something." Her head rolled toward me and her eyes opened enough to see my face.
"George" was all she said in a raspy tone. Then, with what seemed like the rest of her energy, she pulled me down beside her. I didn't hesitate to take her into my arms. I felt that if I didn't, I might lose her. Fred was still frozen, his eyes locked on her face.
"Vira, should we go get mum?" I asked her, slightly panicked, trying to do what was best without knowing what that was.
"No." Her voice was weak but assertive. "Just stay with me." Her eyes shifted up to Fred then in silent instruction. He complied by lifting her legs enough to rest them on his lap where he sat; as I had done on the first night we met her.
"Are you sure, Vira?" I kept saying her name, thinking it would keep her conscious. "You don't look well." But she just shook her head very slowly.
"I know what I need now." She sunk down further into my arms. I looked down to where Fred was curled up against her legs. I half wondered if he was feeling ill as well. No doubt we would both be in the morning. Mum would have a fit. I wasn't concerned though. The terrible feeling that had been welling up inside me was finally gone. That was enough for now.
Both of them fell asleep before me. My body was calm now, but my mind still raced. When we had first arrived, it felt as though Vira might have been on her last breaths. Every time I replayed the image in my head it seemed more serious. Although it didn't make any logical sense to associate our presence with her health, I couldn't help but wonder, what if we hadn't come down stairs?
I listened as her breathing slowly returned to normal. I felt her forehead every so often. Her fever was definitely dropping. I calmed as I took note of these things. Eventually, my eyes got heavy and I too fell asleep.
I woke to a tickle under my nose. I observed that it was light out as I scrunched and wiggled my nose in attempt to relieve the itch. Finally, I gave up and carefully untangled one arm from the web that was Vira and Fred to bring a hand up to my face. As I scratched, I became more aware of the culprit. Something silky smooth and… attached to Vira's head. Alarmed, I stained backwards to observe the pair of fuzzy animal ears. I hesitantly touched them, first to assure myself that they were real, and then to check if they were actually attached to her. Upon further inspection I discovered that her old ears were gone, completely erased.
"Fred." I whispered it first. Then as panic built, I raised my voice, kicking him where he lay further down the couch. "Fred!"
"Bloody-hell, what do you want?" He groaned, not too happy about my tactics.
"Did you do this?" I pointed to Vira's head. I knew by the look on his face as his eyes adjusted that he didn't do it.
"Do what?" Vira asked as she stretched. When her eyes opened she looked around the room, searching for the issue.
…Elvira…
We were sat in the kitchen, the twins on either side of me as usual. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took the chairs directly across from us, as opposed to their usual heads of the table. I wanted to keep my head down as Fred and George explained what happened, but that only brought my freakish ears to a point, right at eye level for whoever was looking at me. I struggled with the best way to hold myself as everyone around me panicked.
Mr. Weasley had already tried every curse-breaking spell he knew. Molly was at the stove, brewing another potion which no one had much faith. "How are you feeling?" Mr. Weasley asked me.
"I feel fine. My headache and sore throat have gone." I told him.
"Her fever is down too." Fred informed.
"Arthur, perhaps we should reach out to Dumbledore. He might provide some insight." Molly suggested.
"Perhaps we should." Mr. Weasley agreed. He began rummaging through a drawer for a quill and parchment. I stayed quiet.
"Dumbledore is a great wizard. He'll help you." George whispered into my ear.
It was after dinner when a knock sounded on the front door. I was in the living room watching Bill and Charlie play chess. The twins were on the couch small pieces of popping candy at Ron and pretending to be oblivious every time he got upset. At the sound of the door, I stood and moved closer to the twins without really thinking about it. We listened quietly as Mr. Weasley greeted the visitor. A moment later, a tall, grey bearded man stepped into the living room. His eyes found me immediately.
"Elvira, this is Albus Dumbledore." Mr. Weasley introduced us. "And I'm sure you remember my children, Fred and George, Bill, Charlie, Ron… I believe Ginny is in the kitchen with her mother." He pointed everyone out individually. "Perhaps that would be a good place to talk." He let the man toward the kitchen. "Come along Elvi." I stood and followed them. The twins weren't far behind.
"Albus, welcome!" Molly greeted the man enthusiastically. "Have a seat. Would you like some tea?" The old man smiled graciously.
"Thank you Molly, I'd be much obliged."
"Of course." Ms. Weasley turned to the stove. "Ginny, why don't you go play with your brothers." She commanded more quietly. "You too boys." She nodded at the twins.
"No way. That's not fair!" Fred all but shouted.
"We want to know what's happening." George agreed. The two parents exchanged uncertain looks.
"It'll be easier if I don't have to repeat it all later." I pointed out. Molly reluctantly agreed, threatening severe punishment at the first sign of funny business. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the development. It seemed more curious than judgmental.
"Right, Albus." Arthur begun. "So I'm sure you've noticed the issue." He gestured toward me. "Elvira, why don't you explain what happened leading up to this morning?"
"Oh, um." I was hoping not to have to speak. "Well I was ill for three days. And no one knew what it was. And then I woke up this morning and…" I wasn't sure what more to say. It's not as if I had more insight than anyone else.
"It started last night though!" Fred interjected.
"Her fever started to go down around midnight." George attested. Dumbledore had the curious look on his face again, this time angled at the twins.
"Yes, these three have a habit of being infuriatingly inseparable." Molly explained. "Even when I forbid them from seeing each other to prevent the spread of illness, I wake up and find they've converged!" She was clearly still irritated. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Pardon me Molly, but I'm not convinced that this is an illness we're dealing with."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"Well." Dumbledore deliberated for a moment. "The girl is completely fine this morning. Perhaps it was a… lets say a growth spurt." He concluded.
"A growth spurt?" Arthur repeated. "How can that be?"
"I've been researching the er, sample you brought from the Graystons home." He nodded to Mr. Weasley, referring to the syringe of medicine he had pocketed the night they found me. "I had trouble finding a match. It's an extremely rare substance, in fact I'm not even sure how William Grayston got his hands on it… I didn't want to say anything because there was no proof of his success until this morning."
"Please, Albus. What are you getting at?" Mr. Weasley attempted to steer the man.
"Elvira, did your father ever mention why you were put through so many treatments?" The old man asked me.
"Um, he said that I was too weak, and that I needed the medicine to be strong." This was the best explanation he ever gave me. Although vague, it was easy to believe him. I always felt weak, powerless… until I came to the Burrow.
"The substance inside the syringe you brought me, amongst other things, contained the blood of a very powerful ancient creature. I believe that the Graystons were attempting to assimilate the DNA into their daughter." Dumbledore tensed in preparation for the incoming bombardment of questions.
I managed to shut out the conversation as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley panicked. I could imagine they wanted to know how much of a danger I would be to their family. I wondered that too. So much for a comfortable life with the twins, somehow I doubted that any amount of housework would make a difference now. One word made its way through the commotion.
"Sphinx". Dumbledore said it, snapping me out of my daze.
"Does that mean Vira's gonna grow a tail and wings too?" Fred asked. Molly shot him a look but Dumbledore answered seriously.
"It is impossible to be sure how her development will continue. Aside from the fact that we're not sure how far her father got in the procedures, no one has seen a sphinx in over four hundred years. Claims of their anatomy are just that, claims." His words filled me with dread. My father turned me into a monster.
"Why don't the three of you go upstairs and let us adults talk in private?" Arthur suggested. The twins began to protest but I wordlessly stood and excused myself from the table.
When we got to their room I wasn't sure where to sit. I wouldn't assume that they wanted a monster on their beds. Instead I paced around, focusing on the trees beyond the windows so that I didn't have to see the looks on their faces.
"Vira, are you alright?" Fred asked. I almost found the question laughable.
"You must think I'm a freak." I responded.
"We don't." Fred said earnestly. I looked up at his face to see that it was pained.
"You've got cat ears, not talons. It's not such a big deal." George tried to assure me.
"I'm a mutant."
Fred caught me when I paced too close to his bed and forced me to sit next to him. "They don't look so bad." He reached up to lightly scratch behind one of them. I reflexively let out a sound that wasn't far off from a purr. I froze, mortified. The twins broke out in laughter.
"It's not funny!" I insisted, batting his hand away from my head.
George came over to sit with us. "It's kind of funny." He smirked as he reached up to pet my other ear, causing me to emit another involuntary sound. I roughly pushed him away as the twins let out another round of laughter.
…Molly Weasley…
Molly was relieved when the kids went upstairs. There were questions that needed addressing which were much too serious to dance around for the sake of children. "If you're not certain how she'll develop, how can you be sure that she isn't endangering our family?" Arthur asked.
"Surely these things develop slowing." Albus wagered. "Personalities rarely flip in the span of a single day. You will have to watch her closely."
"Those ears sprouted up in the span on a few hours, Albus. There's not much that would surprise me." Molly pointed out.
"I know that the two of you are concerned about the safety of your family. But consider the girl. Your home might be the safest place for her." Molly and Arthur quieted at this. "Whatever the Graystons intentions were, I'd wager they weren't particularly savory. Your family has been loyal to the order for generations. Your home is far away from prying eyes… I'm afraid I must beg you, protect the girl."
"You're saying you believe that they intended to use her for something?" Arthur clarified.
"The potential of a wizard who had been bonded with the blood of a magical creature is… uncharted." Dumbledore offered.
"So what are you asking us to do, Albus? Keep her hidden away?" Molly asked.
"I believe that with the right precautions, she could live a relatively normal life." Albus assured them. "I have a few suggestions."
…
If you enjoyed, please leave a review!
To explain a little, we all know that it's cannon for Fred to take the lead and for George to graciously follow. Fred exclaims and George explains. Because of this, George is shown to be the more empathetic of the two. I'm stretching this to where George is also more aware of his own emotions. So when Vira was ill, George would be more likely to listen to his instincts, which is why he uncharacteristically took the lead in that situation. Fred on the other hand, was mortified that he hadn't been as intuitive as his brother in such a vital situation.
