disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you all like it!

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

The next couple of days were quite slow. Arabella was in her room packing her school truck while Remus was outside, chopping wood with the help of Sirius. Remus had slightly modified Sirius's facial appearance in order for him to spend some time outside as a person, not a dog.

"Where are you heading after this?" Remus asked Sirius, watching the wood break into two.

Sirius shrugged. "Not quite sure. Probably head down south. Very south, to be honest. I'll try to let you know where I am, if I can. I'll might try and make it back here for Christmas or if I see something in the papers."

Remus looked back towards the house and up the little window that belonged to Arabella. "I know she'll like that. Both her and Harry."

Sirius gave him a half-smile and they continued on in silence.

By two o'clock the next day, Arabella was completely packed with all her clothes, books and possessions, such as the Firebolt from the Tonks', and the Marauder's Map. Shay was perched onto of her truck next to the fireplace, hooting and nibbling at the cage, trying to get out.

Lunch was a quite affair. They all ate their sandwiches in silence, with Sirius taking more than both Arabella and Remus combined. Once they were all done eating and the dishes were clean, the three of them retreated to the living room. Remus was sitting in the armchair, the latest copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands. Sirius turned back into his Animagus form and sat on the sofa next to Arabella with his head on his lap.

Arabella smiled down at him and softly scratched behind his ear. She then said, softly, "I'll miss you."

Sirius beat his tail against the sofa and Remus looked up from his newspaper. Arabella gave him a small smile and whispered, "You too, Remus."

"I know," said Remus, going back to his article.

It was strange to think about it, that she would actually miss Sirius. That she would long to see him once again. Not long ago she hate the mention of his name, she wanted him gone and she wanted to forget that he was ever her father. But everything changed. She was getting closer and closer to finally having a real family now. She waited nearly fourteen years for this. A little bit longer wouldn't hurt her.

By four o'clock sharp, green flames erupted from the fireplace. One by one, four Weasleys entered the living room, each with bright red hair and identical freckles. Mr. Weasley was the first to come through. He was tall, thin and balding. He was wearing his best suit and moved towards Remus with his arm stretched out.

"Ah, Remus, it's good to see you again."

"And you, Arthur," said Remus, returning the smile and the handshake.

"Hello, Arabella!" Mr. Weasley said brightly. "Got your truck ready, I see. Are you excited for the World Cup?"

"Definitely," said Arabella, standing up. "Can't wait to see Ireland."

"Don't you mean Troy?" asked Fred, smiling with George.

"He's got a Firebolt," said Arabella. Despite her cheeks turning red, she lifted her chin defiantly. "He's going to be unstoppable. Not even Krum could stop him."

Ron began to splutter at her declaration. "Viktor Krum is the –"

"We have all the time in the world to discuss this, children," said Mr. Weasley, checking his watch. "We have to head back soon and I've got to check to make sure that Harry's family's fireplace is connected to the Floo Network."

"When did you get a dog?" asked George, looking over at Sirius, who was pretending to be asleep.

Arabella looked at Remus instantly, but he seemed to have anticipated this answer.

"It's not ours," said Remus smoothly, hands in his pockets. "We're watching it for a friend in the village."

"Well, what's his name?" asked George, going to scratch Sirius behind the ear.

Before Remus could say anything, Arabella blurted out, "Snuffles."

Behind Mr. Weasley, Ron snorted loudly, but he tried to pass it off as a cough into his hands. Remus gave her a pointed look but said nothing and smiled politely at Mr. Weasley.

"Well, we best get cracking then," said Mr. Weasley, checking his watch once again. He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. He pointed at the fireplace and said, "Incendio!"

The fireplace roared once again, crackling merrily. Mr. Weasley took out a small pouch from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of powder and threw it into the flames. It turned emerald green and roared higher than before.

"Off we go, then," said Mr. Weasley. "Fred, get the trunk."

George helped Fred carry the truck forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. Fred then cried, "The Burrow!" and vanished instantly.

"George, you next," said Mr. Weasley. "You and the owl."

Shay was staring wide-eyed at the green flames. As he got closer towards the flames, Shay began to hoot and bang against his cage furiously.

"It's going to be fine, little fella," said George, reassuringly. "It'll be over soon. The Burrow!" George and Shay vanished in seconds.

"Ron, you next," said Mr. Weasley.

"See you, Professor Lupin," Ron said to Remus. "You too, Snuffles." He grinned toward the dog and stepped into the fire, shouting, "The Burrow!" He disappeared.

"I'll leave now," said Mr. Weasley. "I'm sure you know the way back by now. I'll see you shortly, Arabella. It was good to see you again, Remus."

"Likewise, Arthur," said Remus.

Mr. Weasley disappeared into the roaring flames with her Firebolt and Sirius turned back into his human form immediately. He brushed his hair away from his forehead and smiled at Arabella.

"They seem nice, the Weasleys," said Sirius. "Ron's your friend, right?"

Arabella nodded. "All of them are, really. Well, except for Percy, but it's not that much of a loss."

Sirius then looked at Remus and said, "Well, this is it then, isn't it?"

"For now," said Remus. "There's holidays and Hogsmeade trips."

"And I'll write to both of you," said Arabella. "Granted, you both don't forget me, of course."

"Never," Remus and Sirius said together.

"How could we?" said Remus.

Arabella smiled at both of them and nodded. She then hugged Remus very tightly and buried her face into his shoulders.

"I'll miss you," mumbled Arabella.

"And I'll miss you," said Remus, softly rubbing her shoulder. "Stay safe and don't get into too much trouble. I would like for you to have a normal year for once."

Arabella snorted. "Doubt that's going to happen." She then pulled away from him and said, "Love you, Remus."

"Love you too, Arabella." Remus then kissed her forehead and glanced at Sirius. A second later, he was in the kitchen.

Sirius looked very awkward and out of place. It seemed as though he had no idea what to do in this situation. Neither did Arabella. But she wanted to try. She cleared her throat and came forward, hugging him tightly. It took him a moment to respond and finally do the same, holding her close. It felt right and so real.

"Take care of yourself." His voice was hoarse. "Look out for anything unusual. Watch out for Harry, make sure he doesn't get into danger. Write to me if anything happens, or write to Remus and he'll find me."

Arabella let go of him and nodded. "I'll try. Don't get caught and, um, take care of Buckbeak. Hagrid really loves him."

Sirius smiled and nodded. "I'll try." He then looked at her very closely and sighed. "You're so… you're so big and grown up now. I can't believe it. Fourteen and already in your fourth year. Your mother would be so proud of you, Arabella. So proud of… of everything."

Arabella nodded once more and smiled. "You think so?"

"I know so," Sirius said firmly.

Arabella swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, looking down at the carpet. "Whatever you say, Dad."

Realizing what she did, Arabella looked up quickly. Sirius went still for a moment before breaking out into a wide smile. They didn't need to say anything else on the matter. Sirius was her father, it was natural to call him 'Dad'.

"You better get going, then," said Sirius. "They're probably waiting for you. And have fun at the World Cup. I'm sure it will be an amazing game."

Arabella smiled at him and nodded. She walked towards the fireplace and, just before stepping in, she turned around once last time. Remus was back in the living room, giving her the thumbs-up, while Sirius gave her a warm smile.

"I'll miss you both," Arabella said quietly. She then stepped into the fire and yelled, "The Burrow!"

Her last view of the living room was of Sirius and Remus waving at her silently with smiles on their faces. Arabella began to spin very fast on the spot, and was now whipped out of sight in a rush of green flames. She was spinning faster and faster by the second. Arabella closed her eyes and tucked her elbows by her side. When she felt herself moving slower, Arabella braced herself from falling face forward out of the Weasleys' kitchen fire.

A hand came forward to help her up.

"Thanks," said Arabella, wiping the dust from her pants.

"Care for some sweets, my lady?" asked Fred, holding some out for her.

Arabella eyed then suspiciously. "What did you do to them?"

George gasped very loudly. "How dare you!"

"To think that we would poison you," said Fred, shaking his head. "Offended –"

"Highly offended –"

"Do you really think that –"

" – we would do something to harm you?"

"Well, what is it, then?" asked Arabella.

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," said Fred brightly, returning to his normal self. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer. We would have offered some to Professor Lupin, but then we remembered that –"

"He was your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said Arabella swiftly. "That he would have cursed you both with no remorse and without breaking a sweat."

"Yup," said Fred.

"Pretty much," said George, shrugging. "But we've got more unfortunate test subjects coming up, don't we, Fred?"

"Right you are, George."

Arabella smiled at both of them and looked around the tiny kitchen. Sitting at the wooden table was Ron and two red-haired people she had never seen before.

"There's more of you guys," said Arabella.

"Just Bill and Charlie," said George.

"No one really important," said Fred.

The nearer of the two Weasleys rolled his eyes ad stood up, holding out a large hand. "How you doing, Arabella?"

Arabella took his hand and immediately felt the calluses and blisters under his fingers. This must be Charlie. He was built like the twins, but shorter and stockier than Ron, who was long and lanky. He was at least still taller than Arabella. His arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it. He had a broad and pleasant face with many freckles. She nearly blushed at his smile.

"How's Norbert?" she asked.

Charlie laughed and Arabella did blush this time. "You mean Norberta?"

"Really?" asked Arabella, shocked. "How did you tell?"

Charlie shrugged and said, "Female dragons are more vicious."

Bull then got to his feet and shook Arabella's hand. He was a bit of a surprise. She imagined him to be a taller version of Percy – works for Gringotts and had been Head Boy at Hogwarts. But, Bill was, well, he seemed pretty cool. He was tall with long hair that was tied back into a ponytail. He had a fang earring dangling on his right side, and he looked as though he was dressed for a rock concert.

"So, where's your mum?" asked Arabella to the room.

"She's upstairs putting your truck away in Ginny's room," said Ron. "And probably trying to figure out how the three of you guys are going to sleep there."

Just then, Mr. Weasley reappeared in the kitchen and clapped his hands together. "Boys, it's getting late. We've got to go and get Harry. Let's move."

One by one, Arabella watched as they disappeared into their fireplace, leaving Arabella alone with Bill and Charlie, two Weasleys she was not quite sure of.

"So, you're Arabella Black," said Bill.

He took a seat at the table with Charlie and Arabella soon followed.

"Is that a problem?" asked Arabella, her thumbs hitting her thighs.

"No, no, there's no problem," said Bill. "Just curious. Heard somethings about you. Everyone here seems to like you."

"Really?"

"Well, maybe not Percy," said Charlie shrugging.

"Already knew that," Arabella waved it off. "Where is he anyway?"

"Upstairs working on a report for the Ministry."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Arabella told them. "Ron said something about it a couple weeks ago. Department of International Magical Cooperation, right?"

"He seems to like it," said Bill.

"Really like it," said Charlie, sighing. "Won't shut up about it. Don't ask anything about Abroad or he will bore the socks off of you."

"That bad, huh?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to cover it," said Charlie, shaking his head.

Bill rolled his eyes and said, "It's not that bad."

Arabella nodded her head and looked at both of them for a moment. "So – er – which team are you guys rooting for?"

In seconds, the three of them launched into a debate about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. Arabella and Charlie were firmly on Ireland's side while Bill was rooting for Bulgaria.

"They defeated Peru in the semi-finals," said Arabella, urging Bill to see it her way. "Peru had no chance against Troy, Mullet and Moran."

"But Bulgaria has Viktor Krum," Bill said firmly, shaking his head. "He's just that good. Sorry."

"One good player against seven good players doesn't make up for a good team. There's Lynch –"

" – Ryan –" said Charlie.

" – Mullet –" continued Arabella.

" – Connolly –"

" – Moran –"

" – Quigley –"

" – and Troy! Keegan Troy, Bill! How could you not like Troy?" Arabella was practically sitting on top of the table, staring intently at Bill.

Bill, however, seem more amused at her display of love for the Irish National Team than moved. "Though your love for Troy is quite noted and both your listing skills are indeed something else, let me list something else for you – Levski – "

"He's been on a bit of a decline," commented Charlie.

" – Dimitrov –"

"Hasn't been the same since the collision with Edric Vosper," said Arabella. "Come on, Bill, Troy can run circles arou –"

Arabella's sentence was cut off when the fireplace to the kitchen lit up. She covered her eyes as Fred stepped through with a huge smile on his face.

"That's not good," whispered Charlie.

Seconds later, George came through the fireplace with a trunk next to him. He also had a big smile on his face.

"That's really not good," Charlie said once again.

Ron came through the fireplace and Fred finally told them. If all went according to the twin's plan, there is a good chance that Harry's cousin took some of their invention. Arabella's mouth was agape. It was brilliant and they were going to be in so much trouble.

"Oh, my god," Arabella whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

The fireplace roared once more and Harry finally appeared. He seemed much taller with his untidy black hair and bright green eyes. He was wearing a shirt that was too big for him, but other than that, he looked quite nice. She didn't realize how much she missed him until seeing him after this long.

"Did he eat it?" Fred asked immediately. He was beyond excited.

"Yeah," said Harry. "What was it?"

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," said Fred brightly. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer…"

The whole kitchen table exploded with laughter. Charlie and Bill then introduced themselves to Harry, both shaking his hands. Harry then spotted Arabella and smiled. To her utter surprise, Harry embraced her.

"It's good to see you again, Arabella," Harry said, letting go of her quickly.

"You too, Harry." Arabella was sure she was blushing furiously.

Before any of them could say or do anything, and Fred and George seemed like they did want to say something, there was a faint popping noise. Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air at George's shoulder, looking madder than Arabella has ever seen him.

"That wasn't funny, Fred!" he bellowed. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"

"I did not give him anything," said Fred with a smirk that said otherwise. "I just dropped it… It as his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to."

"You dropped it on purpose!" roared Mr. Weasley. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet –"

"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly.

"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!"

Arabella's mouth dropped as Harry and the Weasleys roared with laughter once more.

"It isn't funny!" shouted Mr. Weasley. "That sort of behaviour seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons –"

"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!" said Fred crossly.

"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git," said George. "Isn't he, Harry?"

"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley," said Harry sincerely.

"That's not the point!" fumed Mr. Weasley. "You wait until I tell your mother –"

"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them.

They all turned to see that Mrs. Weasley had just entered the kitchen. She was a short, plump woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were narrowed with suspicion. Arabella liked her a lot, but she knew that Fred and George were in serious trouble right now.

"Oh hello, Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, spotting him and smiling. "It's nice to see you as well, Arabella." She then turned her eyes back to her husband. "Tell me what, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley hesitated. No matter how angry he was at the twins, Arabella was sure he was never going to tell Mrs. Weasley what happened at the Dursley's house. There was a long silence at the end of her sentence. Two girls then appeared behind Mrs. Weasley. Hermione's hair was bushier than ever while Ginny grew a couple inches over the summer. They both smiled at Arabella and Harry.

"Tell me what, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley repeated once more. Her voice was now low and dangerous.

"It's nothing, Molly," mumbled Mr. Weasley. "Fred and George just – but I've had words with them –"

"What have they done this time?" said Mrs. Weasley. "If it's got anything to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes –"

"Why don't you show Harry where he's sleeping, Ron?" said Hermione from the doorway.

"He knows where he's sleeping," said Ron, "in my room, he slept there last –"

"We can all go," said Hermione pointedly.

"Oh," said Ron, catching on. "Right."

"Yeah, we'll come too," said George.

"You stay where you are!" snarled Mrs. Weasley.

Arabella, Harry and Ron edged out of the kitchen quickly. Then the five of them set off along the narrow hallway and up the staircase to the upper stories.

"What are Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" asked Harry.

Ron and Ginny both laughed, but Hermione did not.

"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room," Ron said quietly. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that…"

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things," said Ginny. "We thought they just like the noise."

"Only, most of the stuff - well, all of it, really - was a bit dangerous," said Ron, "and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it, and burned all the order forms… She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected."

"And then there was this big row," Ginny said, "because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."

Arabella nodded. She couldn't see Fred and George in suits and ties, going to the Ministry every day to some sort of desk job. But she could see them opening their own joke shop, inventing things in the back and just have a blast doing so. They would be a success, there was no doubt in her mind.

Just then a door opened on the second landing. A face poked through the doors with a very annoyed expression.

"Hi, Percy," said Harry.

"Oh, hello, Harry," said Percy, ignoring Arabella. "I was wondering who was making all the noise. 'm trying to work in here, you know – I've got a report to finish for the office – and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs."

"We're not thundering," said Ron irritably. "We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Ministry of Magic."

"What are you working on?" said Harry.

"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation," said Percy arrogantly. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin – leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year –"

"That'll change the world, that report will," said Ron. "Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks."

Percy went slightly pink and frowned. "You might sneer, Ron, but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow-bottomed products that seriously endanger –"

"Yeah, yeah, all right," said Ron, and he started to walk upstairs again.

Percy slammed the door shut. As they went up three more flights of stairs, shouts were echoed up from the kitchen. Arabella looked down the stairs. It sounded as though Mr. Weasley had finally told Mrs. Weasley about the toffees. Arabella glanced at Harry. He seemed a little worried, but it was out of their hands now.

They finally arrived to the room at the top of the house. Ron's room looked the same since the last time Arabella was there. Posters of the Chudley Cannons were still plastered on the walls. The only thing different was the tiny grey owl hopping up and down in a small cage, twittering madly.

"Shut up, Pig," said Ron, edging his way between two of the four beds in there. "Fred and George are in here with us, because Bill and Charlie are in their room. Percy get to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work."

"Er – why are you calling that owl Pig?" asked Harry.

"Because he's being stupid," said Ginny. "Its proper name is Pigwidgeon."

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Arabella, making a face. "What kind of a name is that?"

"Yeah, not stupid at all," said Ron sarcastically. "Ginny reckons it's sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that."

Pig zoomed happily around his cage, hooting shrilly.

"Percy's enjoying work, then?" asked Harry.

"Enjoying it?" said Ron darkly. "I don't reckon he'd come home if Dad didn't make him. He's obsessed. Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr. Crouch… as I was saying to Mr. Crouch –"

"Mr. Crouch?" asked Arabella. "As in Barty Crouch? Barty Crouch Sr.?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Ron.

"Nothing," Arabella said quickly. "I think they've stopped arguing."

"Shall we go down and help your mum with dinner?" said Hermione.

"Yeah, all right," said Ron, looking at Arabella curiously.

The five of them left Ron's room and went back downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was alone in the kitchen, looking extremely cross.

"We're eating out in the garden," she told them. "There's just not enough room for twelve people in here. Could you take the plates outside, girls? Bill and Charlie are setting up the tables. Knives and forks, please, you too," she said to Ron and Harry. She was pointing her wand viciously at a pile of potatoes in the sink, which shot out of their skins so fast that they bounce off the walls and ceiling. "Oh for heaven's sake."

Arabella, Hermione and Ginny grabbed the plates very quickly and went outside. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George were already outside with a pair of battered old tables in the garden.

"Shall we make this a little more interesting, William?' asked Charlie in a mock posh voice.

"What were you thinking, Charles?" Bill copied Charlie's tone.

Within seconds, both brothers had their wands out and were now making the worn out tables fly high above the lawn. They were smashing into each other, trying to knock the other out of the air. Arabella, Fred and George were cheering them on, Ginny was laughing, and Hermione was caught between amusement and anxiety.

Harry and Ron came out of the house just as Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang, knocking one of its legs off. There was another bang from overhead, and they all turned to see Percy poking his head of a window on the second floor.

"Will you keep it down?!" he roared.

"Sorry, Perce," said Bill, grinning. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?"

"Very badly," snarled Percy. He slammed the window shut.

Both Bill and Charlie chuckled and directed the tables back to safety. Bill then reattached the table leg and conjured tablecloths from nowhere.

By seven o'clock, the two tables were covered with dishes of Mrs. Weasley's cooking, and the nine Weasleys, Hermione, Harry and Arabella were settling themselves down to eat underneath the clear, deep blue sky. It was simply amazing.

Conversations were flowing about. At the end of the table, Percy was telling Mr. Weasley all about his report while also trying to get the others to ask him about some sort of top-secret event coming up after the World Cup. Arabella couldn't imagine anything else being more important than the World Cup. In the middle of the table, Mrs. Weasley was arguing with Bill about his earring and the length of his hair, while Ginny came to his defense. Arabella, however, immediately got into it was Fred, George and Charlie about the World Cup.

"It's going to be Ireland," Charlie told them through a mouthful of potatoes. "They destroyed Peru."

"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," said Fred.

"Not this again," groaned Arabella. "That's only one good player, Fred. Ireland's got seven."

"Wish England had got through," said Charlie. "That was embarrassing, that was."

"What happened?" said Harry eagerly.

"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred to ninety to ten," said Charlie gloomily as Arabella shook her head. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg."

"Wales almost had it though," added Arabella. "If it wasn't for the collision…"

Both Arabella and Charlie shuddered at the thought.

Later on, Mr. Weasley conjured up candles to light the garden before they had some homemade strawberry ice cream. By the time they had finished, moths were soon flying around them. Arabella was feeling quite full as she watched several gnomes getting chased by Crookshanks.

Ron looked down up at the table very carefully before turning towards Arabella and Harry.

"So – have either one of you heard anything from Sirius lately?"

"Yeah," said Harry softly as Hermione leaned in. "Twice. He sounds okay. I wrote to him yesterday. He might write back while I'm here."

Arabella leaned in close and whispered in Harry's ear. "He was at my house for a while. He stayed a couple nights. He's doing fine. Should be heading down South right about now."

Harry turned to look at her. "He came to your house?"

Arabella nodded, but didn't say anything as Mrs. Weasley stood up.

"Look at the time. You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you – you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry, Arabella, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time."

"Wow – hope it does this time!" said Harry enthusiastically.

"Well, I certainly don't," said Percy self-righteously. "I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."

"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred.

"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, face completely red. "It was nothing personal!"

"It was," Fred whispered to Arabella and Harry. "We sent it."

Once all the dishes were put away and the last of the occupants went to bed, Arabella gently touched Harry's hand and jerked her head towards the door of The Burrow. Harry understood and followed her out. They were a couple feet away from the door. Though they were sure that everyone else was asleep, they still whispered to each other.

"So, what happened?" asked Harry. "How was Sirius?"

"He's fine," replied Arabella. "Broke into the house in the middle of the night, scaring both me and Remus half to death. Didn't even bother telling us that he was going to do that."

Harry brought his fist to his mouth, trying to stop himself from laughing too loudly.

"Oh, sure it sounds funny," Arabella rolled her eyes. "But it wasn't funny at four in the morning, let me tell you."

"Okay," said Harry, smiling. "I'm sorry. Go on."

"Well, he looks like he's getting better. He ate a lot of our food. Nearly wiped us out clean. But he looks like he's getting back into shape, so that's good. Took a lot of showers as well, and, um, we visited my mum's grave."

"Oh," said Harry, looking around. "How – er – how was it?"

Arabella shrugged, looking down at her shoes. "Same old, same old. It's not like her grave's moved since the last time I've been there. It was just weird having him there, though. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, I couldn't read his face. I know he drank later with Remus, that's about it."

"I'm sure he was upset," muttered Harry.

Arabella nodded and turned a little, looking at the fascinating grass. "Yeah, well, things happen. I just forget that… he didn't have much time with her either, you know. But he's doing good for now. I'm sure Remus has given him enough food for the journey, and that everything is going to be okay. It's all going to work out in the end, right?"

Harry gave her a soft smile and moved closer, embracing her once again. Arabella blinked for a moment in shock before returning the gesture. She felt the palm of his hand on her spine turn into a fist, his thumb making a small circle.

"Everything's going to turn out good," whispered Harry. "It's going to be okay."

Arabella closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She was so close to having a complete family.

"Okay," Arabella told him, moving her head slightly away from him. "Okay. I'm counting on it. You better be right, Potter."

Harry gave her a lopsided smile. "Trust me. I'm always right."

"Didn't realize your name was Granger."

Harry snorted and laughed as Arabella followed suit. It took her a while to realize their positon. Harry's arms were around her hips while her arms were around her shoulders. Her face tuned red and there was a blush appearing on Harry's neck. He must have realized as well. They were so close to each other, it was unreal. They looked at each other for a moment before Harry's green eyes flickered towards Arabella's lips. Her heart was racing at the thought.

They instinctively moved closer to each other. She could feel his grip on her hip tightening a little and his breath getting closer and closer and –

Someone was giggling. Arabella and Harry jumped away from each other. They turned towards the door to see the culprits. Ron, Fred, George, Bill and Charlie were all looking at Harry and Arabella with identical wicked grins.

"Are we interrupting?" drawled Bill as his brothers snickered.

Arabella clenched her fists behind her back.

"No," said Harry quickly.

"Are you quite sure?" asked George, biting his lips. "Really seems like we were interrupting something important."

"It was nothing," said Arabella at once. "We were just talking."

"I never talked that closely to someone before," jested Charlie.

"That's cause you never brought anyone home," Bill told him.

"I was talking about Hogwarts."

"Oh, who at Hogwarts were you interested in?" asked Bill, baffled. "I distinctly remember you being interesting in nothing else by dragons."

"We're getting off topic," said Charlie, waving it off. He then turned back to Harry and Arabella. "So, what's going on, kids?"

"Yes," said Fred.

"What is going on?" asked George.

"Do we need to defend your honour, my lady?" Fred drew out an imaginary sword from his pocket.

"It was nothing," gritted Arabella. "Just… leave it alone."

Arabella shoved her way past all of them and made her way upstairs towards Ginny's room. She did not appreciate all of them interrupting her and Harry. It was a private matter that did not concern any of them. Just before entering the bedroom, Arabella gently touched her lips. He was so close.

Thank you so much for reading! Tell me what you guys think!