DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JK Rowling. I just enjoy messing with them lots and lots.

A/N: WAHEY!! I'm on a new laptop and this is my FIRST update from it *cheers* lolol, it's my birthday… in 2 days now (happy dance with me people) and I'll be updating like crazy! So please, review, and ENJOYYYY!!!!

PS! - Bladesofgrass - Thank you so much! I really hope this one gets an O as well haha lol, and yay for the fact you're loving my characterisation! Its one of the things I try my hardest at! Hope you enjoy this one and please let me know!!

Shahayhay - Yay for the Ginny angle again! And I hope this explains a bit of Ginny's actions to y'all, cuz I thought maybe it should make a bit more sense. And of course, there's nothing in it for her, so she wouldn't give a shit… although saying that… maybe now she will lolol… Thanks for reviewing! And let me know, again, what you think of this chapter!!

… and after the long-ass, silly A/N (of which there's another, short one at the end), onto the 4th chapter …

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"I need this house protected by the fidelius charm." I countered. "And I know exactly who I want to protect it." There was a longer pause, "For Merlin's sake, George, I need this."

I frowned slightly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He frowned and sat down on my bed.

"Exactly my point." I sat down beside him on the duvet and looked up into his face. "I want you as my secret-keeper-" I clapped my hand across my mouth and felt myself burning up.

"You what?"

"You heard me." I murmured, "I'm a muggle born. Things are happening I can't control and…" I sighed, and his face darkened slightly in a frown, "I don't care about me," He let out a low growl and I looked away. "I need to protect my parents."

"Katie… I-" He looked at me and I knew his answer now, because there was a kind of unusual sadness in his eyes.

"It's alright." I smiled as he bowed his head, "If you don't want to, I'll find someone else-"

"It's not that I don't want to, Katie, but…"

"It's a responsibility, and… you don't do that sort of thing."

It sped through my mind as I swallowed the purple goo that was the polyjuice potion. George didn't do responsibility. I had known that, all my life, I had known that responsibility wasn't his cup of tea - hell, even Oliver Wood wouldn't let Fred or him put the balls away after practise, and McGonagall couldn't bear to get them to pick up everyone's homework from the back of the class to the front.

Transforming wasn't comfortable, but I knew that as long as I kept sipping the drink every-so-often throughout the reception, I would be fine, I wouldn't have to worry about anything for today.

George had taken responsibility for my safety last night, and he didn't do that. I could be responsible for myself - alright, I was accident prone, and I needed someone… I needed George, but I could take care of myself. I knew I could take care of myself but I… he was taking care of me.

"Katie, dear, this is the only dress I could find at short notice-" Molly offered me the clothes and I looked at them, blushing lightly.

"I… um, I thought of that." I blushed dark again and Molly looked at me with a slight hint of annoyance. "I wasn't sure you'd have any spare, so I brought a dress with me-" I summoned it from my bag and held it out to her, "I hope it's alright, you don't mind-"

I'd borrowed it from mum, it was just nice to wear for occasions, but she never wore it anymore. Personally, I preferred to wear it for nice occasions like these, and what mum didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Molly's eyes went wide and she reached out to touch the fabric and feel it.

"It's perfectly fine, Katie-" She paused and smiled at me, "I wish you didn't have to take that silly potion. You don't look like you. I'm sure George didn't want-"

"George told me to do it."

"Well, I for one don't think you need to, but…"

"It's fine, Molly, really." I paused and weighed my words, "As long as George is happy, I'm happy." She pulled me into a hug and grinned as she pulled away. We were silent as we watched each other for a few seconds, I waved my wand and the dress in my hands appeared on my body, my clothes switching places with it, and landing neatly on the hanger.

"Katie, as happy as I am to hear that, don't submit to his every whim, alright?" She said seriously. I raised an eyebrow and she nodded at me solidly. "I've spent nineteen years raising Fred and George, and in that time, I've learned many things." I smiled and nodded at her, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I won't, Mrs. Weasley." I said softly, "I promise."

"Good girl." She paused before she turned, "And I know you're not you today, but sweetheart, you look absolutely fantastic, regardless." I smiled and turned away to find George.

~.~

We were well into the reception now, and the place was frantic. People were eating, drinking and dancing, but I had lost George twenty minutes ago, and I was feeling a little bit lonely. Still, he seemed to be happy that I was here, he hadn't left my side until now and I was loving spending time with him.

"Molly, I could take some of this out to the garden if you want?" I found his mother panicking over trays and trays of food, looking flustered and overworked.

"It's okay, dear. Go and find George and get doing...well, whatever it is you do." I nodded and left the room, nervously running my hands through my hair awkwardly.

George had better appreciate this, I thought to myself, because being in someone else's body was not comfortable at all. Sighing, I stumbled up the stairs in my high heels and almost fell into George and Fred's bedroom. The familiar scent of gunpowder, sugar and so many other stenches I was afraid to name flung themselves at me, and I swallowed nervously, looking around for the twins.

"George?" I offered, "Fred?"

"Up here, milady," I grinned as George's voice appeared from a hole in the ceiling, and a hand reached down to pull me up.

"You'll hurt yourself, doing that," another voice said, and I looked up to see Fred grinning down at me too. His hand reached down too and I threw my arms up, they caught me and hauled me into the gap. It was surprisingly spacious and... I looked round as my eyes adjusted to the dim light.

"This was perce's room, Katie." George spoke from the darkness. "We sort of busted a large hole in our ceiling for a laugh-"

"-And we realised we were in." Fred cut across. "Seems our dear brother has a few ministry secrets in here..." he pulled a drawer open and tugged out a few random files, flicking through them randomly.

"Anything interesting?" George said nonchalantly as he tugged me flush to him, pulled my lips gently to his, and moved his mouth down to nibble lightly at my neck.

"Merlin, George, cheating on Katie after two days," Fred grinned without turning around, "I am ashamed to call you my twin." I sighed and looked into my boyfriend's eyes.

"Katie, you know if you were another girl, I'd've left you on the floor down there." he murmured into my ear, "I swear." his promises would always work on me, I knew.

"Good."

"Shit!" Fred yelped suddenly, and the pair of us jumped apart and he thrust a file into my hands. "Did you know-"I flicked through the folder quickly, only taking in the title on the first page. It was marked 'Potential partners for the boys' and I shuddered as I saw my name highlighted in purple ink.

"What the fuc-" I ripped the pages from the file and started reading furiously. George was staring at the page over my shoulder, his arms wrapped tight around my waist. "Who-"

"It's not Percy's writing, Fred," George said softly, I looked over my shoulder at him, he looked furious, "who was that-"

"Penelope Clearwater." Fred said, "Loser must have thought we were lonely." he grinned at me, "Merlin only knows what kind of things We'd've done to you in our sixth year, Katie darling," he stepped forward and stroked my arm, perfectly seriously. I grinned at him and leaned my head back against George, reaching up for his collar, and pulling at it hard, so his body ducked forward to mine.

"Save me, George!" I squealed into his ear and he grabbed me tighter around the middle, lifting me off my feet and carrying me over to the hole in the floor.

"On three, please, Fred!" he yelled, and I admit, I panicked, screaming for him to stop. He completely ignored me, and I felt an awful bubbling in my chest. The polyjuice potion was already wearing off, and that scared me, because it meant I was going to faint, and be completely unable to function while the boys did whatever they were about to do.

"George!" I was still yelling, and beating on his back as I watched my skin change from the dark tan of my muggle-polyjuice-person, to the pale, 'English rose' of my own skin. I screamed bloody murder as he shouted "THREE!" and threw me forward through the hole. I stopped screaming as I hit the cushioning charm Fred had cast beneath me, and, pleased that nothing was broken, allowed myself to totally lose consciousness, remembering that conversation about responsibilities, and realising that even though he was caring for my safety... George would always risk me for a laugh.

Fred

I cast the spell on two, just in case.

She was screaming and petrified, her hands beating on my twin's back as her body morphed back to its original state.

"George," I said as I dropped down onto our bedroom floor and looked at her, lying on her back. Her face was frozen, almost, in a scream as I watched her, waiting for her to regain consciousness. "Mate...What was that?" I said furiously as I turned to look at him.

"She wasn't in any danger, you always cast on two. I know you, Fred."

"But she doesn't know the ins and outs of our twinship, bro. I think you terrified her."

"She knows I'd never hurt her. I'd give everything to protect her, Fred."

"Hell, George, you'd think you'd offered her a hand coming downstairs." I don't get mad very often, but this was ridiculous. "You threw her, what, fourteen, fifteen feet?!"

"She was cushioned!" he retorted.

"Yeah, but what if I hadn't been there to clear up your mess, as usual?"

"Excuse me?!" he looked stunned.

"You have the bollocks to look surprised, George! Who do you think she came to when you wouldn't protect her from Davies in her fifth year?! From McLaggen in her Sixth?! Christ, George, for someone in love with her you're not particularly... Protective!!" I said furiously.

Katie stirred on George's bed and I launched myself toward her.

"Katie, are you alright?!" she sat up, blinked and slapped me. Granted, I probably had it coming, but I couldn't work out why.

"What on earth gave you any idea that you were allowed to manhandle me in that way, George Weasley?!" she went to backhand me again, but I caught her wrist and she looked closer at me. "Oh, Christ, Fred! I'm so sorry!" she leaned forward and laid her hand against my cheek, "I didn't hurt you, did I?!" she said softly.

"I probably had it coming." I grinned and she got up woozily from the mattress, stumbled over to George and backhanded him in the face rather accurately. He stood there and took it, and had the good grace to look sheepish and guilty at the same time."If you'd just let me down, I would have fainted knowing exactly what the fuck you were doing and I wouldn't have worried. Instead, I fall god knows how far and land in your bed, wake up and slap the wrong brother and oh, my, god!" She looked at him and I could see the hurt in her eyes."You're never going to be responsible for anything, are you?" her voice was low and she looked like she was going to cry, "I...-" she looked at him again and touched his cheek lightly where she had slapped him, looking as though she wanted to say something else.

He went pink, and looked to the floor, then looked up and had to watch her turn away. He reached a hand out as she reached the door and said the two words he should have said when she slapped him.

"I'm sorry." he sounded sincere, and broken, and I know her next words would cut him in two.

"You're always sorry." she murmured, looking straight into his eyes. "You were sorry at the Yule Ball, and you were sorry two months ago." she looked at him and swallowed loudly, "Maybe sorry won't cut it anymore." She stepped from the room, and as I watched him sprint after her, and he threw open the door, I heard her sobbing as she fled and George shouting her name. It was the single most heartwrenching thing I have ever heard.

~. ~

When I got downstairs, I took in the sight in front of me with more than a little awe.

"Where's George?" I asked Ginny as I took in the sight of her stunned figure sitting at the table.

"He's in dad's shed." She said simply, and then she rose and looked right into my eyes, "What the hell did he do to Katie?"

"Threw her through the hole in our ceiling." her mouth fell open and she looked at me, stunned speechless. She dropped the mug she was holding and it clinked as it cracked and shattered and split apart.

"She could have been seriously hurt-"

"I chucked a cushioning charm out to protect her." I said softly. She swallowed and bowed her head.

"I..." Ginny blushed darkly and looked at me, "I know I never liked her at school, but I'd never wish anything like that on her."

"What did she do to you, anyway, Gin'?" I'd never asked but maybe now was the time. She clenched her fist and looked at the floor.

"She never technically did anything," she said softly, looking at the floor. "It was Leanne and them. All they did was tease her for liking George, and take the piss, like, 'why would you want a Weasley...' and then she wouldn't defend you or George and-"

"Ever think she never stood a chance? That she couldn't stand up for herself in a situation like that? That nobody would look after her?" I smiled as I thought about it. "Me and George... We knew. She came to us every time it happened and she told us and she cried, and she said she was sorry, over and over and I knew she loved him." Ginny stared and I nodded, "Merlin, Gin', who on earth would come to us and tell us her best mates were taking the rise out of her being 'friends' with us? So I asked her, and she told me straight, said what was the point in hiding it if I already knew." I nodded at Ginny's confused face and continued, "And she said that if I told him, she didn't know what she would do. Not because she minded the mickey being taken out of her, oh no." I was shaking my head, "but because he didn't need someone getting in his way and he didn't need that person to be one of his best friends. She wanted to protect him from any stigma. She was the goofy, strange, sixth year chaser when we left school a year and a bit ago. She knows we've all grown up since then, but I still think she needs someone to protect her."Ginny was looking at me, stunned, and more than a little confused.

"Why're you telling me this?"

"Because someone else needed to hear it, and you need to realise that even if you don't like it sometimes-"

"-you feel like you can't say anything, because you have to protect yourself to protect someone else." George stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the yard, and Katie stood in the doorway on the other side of the room. "There's no Polyjuice potion left in the flask." she said softly and looked away, anywhere but at her lover.

"Harry took the rest. I think Hermione's got it-" Ginny jumped in, sensing the tension. "I can ask him for it, if you wan-"

"He needs it more than I do, thanks, Ginny." she said as she straightened her dress and blushed.

"No!" George jumped in, before he could stop himself. "Katie, Please listen to me, I ... You can't... Risk-"

"Because that's what you do, isn't it, George. Play it safe and think before you act."

"Katie-" He started, but there was a set of screams all of a sudden and everything went insane.

"The ministry has fallen, Scrimegour is dead. They are coming."

Ten words and I don't think I've ever moved so fast.

I reached for my wand and summoned the rucksack I had stuffed enough things in for this eventuality and I watched Ginny and George do the same.

"Go!" I shouted at them both and in a matter of seconds, we were all fleeing towards the front door.

Except Katie.

She was frozen, staring out the main kitchen window. As I watched, she took a step forward, then, more confidently, she legged it towards the back door, drawing her wand as she watched her run. George stared,almost in awe of her movements, then, as she moved to push past him, he realised exactly what she was about to do.

"No you don't!" he gripped her around the wrist and apparated away with her before she could protest. I took Ginny's hand and pulled her into the closeness of apparition, then, as we appeared in the greenery of our little clearing, we took in the incredible scene before us.

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A/N. Ah-ha. I've got it! Thank you for the five-plus reviews for the last chapter! If possible, I'd like the same again! Sorry, I'm getting all beggy and annoying, but I love your reviews and thank you so much, I really want to hear more from you!

Ooh, maybe… 7 more please?!

Review, please. Or I will get mad. … Well, I already am, but you know.

(Oh, and if you want to see Katie's dress, link is on my Profile)

Love ya

Xxx