Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Callie…..and the situations I put her in

Authors Note: The twin's birthday party brings together Weasleys and friends and reminds Callie of the family she has lost. Who will be there to comfort her? P.S. A very hearty thank you to Fat Old Sun for your awesome review

April 1st, Nearly three years later

Callie woke up very early because she had a lot of planning to do and she had been given a special task to perform. It was the twins' birthday and Molly had asked her to keep the twins occupied while the rest of the family got the party set up.

Callie was so excited and she had spent weeks thinking of the perfect presents for the twins. They were each unique, just like the twins, and fit their personalities perfectly. She just hoped they liked them.

She walked the narrow road that she had travelled so many times over the last three years. She remembered back to the first time she had met Fred and George and it always made her smile. They were so alike yet so different.

They looked very similar with only minute differences in appearance. Fred had a small scar on his left eyebrow and George had a mole on the right side of his neck. But the biggest difference for Callie was their eyes. Their eyes were and had always been the same color but George beheld a kinder, gentler spirit while Fred's were more mischievous.

George's eyes often looked at her with such intensity that it made her nervous. She blushed unwillingly when thinking about George's eyes and before she knew it, she was at the Burrow where Mr. Weasley was de-gnoming the garden.

"Hullo Mr. Weasley, how is everything coming?" Callie asked excitedly.

"Oh hello my dear, everything is coming along well. How are your aunt and uncle?" he answered kindly.

"Oh they send well wishes. You know my aunt, doesn't like to get out much." Callie said, looking at her shoes. Her Aunt Fiona was a very talented witch, just as Callie's mother had been, but she had a crippling fear of crowds so she often did not venture out. She often brewed her potions from home and sent them with uncle Xeno when he would make it into town.

This received only a comforting smile from Arthur. He had known Callie's mother and aunt very well, they were a few years behind he and Molly in school. He knew what a hard time she had had when her sister and brother in law were killed so he didn't push the issue.

"The twins are inside so you may go in and get them if you want, just try not to get into too much trouble. This is a very important birthday and Molly wants everything to be perfect." He chuckled to himself.

Callie ran in and said hello to Molly and Ginny and caught Fred and George both trying to steal a tart fresh from the oven. She smiled to herself at her boys. Even though she was younger than the two of them by a year, she often felt more mature in many ways.

"Come on you two, we have to get going. That fort isn't gonna build itself!" she yelled at them. The three of them had been busy trying to build a fort for weeks and it was only half finished. She loved spending time with the twins and the fort was one of Fred's favorite places to be. As for George, he and Callie had a favorite hollowed out tree that they would sit in and talk for hours. They really were as close and siblings.

When they finally got to the fort, Callie starting thinking about what she had gotten the twins. Her uncle had taken her to Diagon Alley earlier in the week to get their presents.

She bought a hand zapper, a sugar quill, and a handful of chocolate frogs for Fred and for George she bought an alarm to protect private things, invisible ink that could be revealed only with secret liquid, and with her uncle's help she made a carving of them sitting in their secret tree.

"So Callie…What's Mum up to for our birthday?" Fred asked her point blank.

Callie had to think quickly on her feet so she just said the first thing that she thought of.

"I have no idea. She said she would probably wait until Bill, Charlie and Percy come home so everyone will be together. Eleven is an important birthday you know. Speaking of eleven, did you two get your Hogwarts letters?" She said, hoping she sounded convincing enough.

Fred seemed satisfied and rattled on about their Hogwarts acceptance letters, but George eyed her suspiciously. She thought for sure he'd make an issue of it but didn't. They got busy building and had made quite a bit of progress when the little buzzer alarm went off in her pocket, letting her know it was time to go back.

As she walked up the path, George continued to watch her. He knew she was up to something, there was nothing she could hide from him. He reached and grabbed her hand and swung her arm. Fred glanced over and grabbed her other hand and together they swung both her arms and walked laughing up to the house.

The party was a huge success. They started with a huge dinner with all of the twins' favorite foods and the twins enjoyed all of their gifts. They were sad that their brothers didn't get to come home for the party but some cousins had come in from London so the Burrow was filled to capacity. Molly even showed the entire family the twins' acceptance letters much to their chagrin.

Fred laughed and joked with his hand buzzer and set loose the chocolate frogs throughout the house. George thanked her for his gifts and promised to write her letters with the special ink when he was away at Hogwarts in the fall. Eventually everyone settled down to a huge chocolate layer cake and frozen custard.

Callie just watched as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged their sons and laughed with them. Callie felt a pang in her heart, even though she had not known her parents well she missed them greatly. She would give anything to be able to be held by them again, to see them again. Overcome with emotion, she left quietly, careful not to draw attention to herself. One person did see her, however and became quite concerned.

"Where are you going Callie?" Fred asked.

She would not turn around and face him. There were tears in her eyes and she refused to let him see her like that.

"Home. My aunt will be wanting me home soon. I have to go." She said between sniffles.

Fred walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He cared for her like a sister and hated to see her upset.

"No one wants you to go. We really liked your gifts. The hand buzzer was brilliant." He said trying to cheer her up.

"I miss them Fred. How can I miss them when I barely knew them? Why does it hurt so much?" she asked, finally facing him.

Fred didn't know how to answer so he did the only thing he knew to do. He cared about Callie like she was part of his already large family. She was their partner in crime, and the only person besides George that he trusted with his secrets.

He grabbed her and hugged her while she sobbed, hoping that if he hugged her tight enough that he might be able to take some of her pain away. The two had no idea they weren't alone, however. Someone was watching them quietly from the doorway.

A/N So who do you think was watching them from the doorway? Yeah the answer is probably easy to guess but I love a cliffy anyway So you know the drill, I love reviews like I love me some Weasley twins :P