An Evil Truth

The remainder of the year passed with little excitement aside from the second task and Fred and George's seventeenth birthday which Karen and Lindsay celebrated with a prank to rival anything ever seen at Hogwarts. Both boys agreed it was the best birthday they had ever had. However, as the third task drew nearer, things began to get, as Fred put it, weird. Karen began to act strangely, eating far less than normal and spending more time alone and less with her friends. Fred was extremely worried, but Karen insisted it was nothing. "She gets like this sometimes," Lindsay reassured him one day. "She'll come around, I promise."

Fred was less certain and continued to question Karen every chance he got. "Honestly Fred, I'm alright. I just have something on my mind, and I need to work it out. It's nothing to do with you, so don't worry about it, ok?"

"Tell me what it is, K; maybe I can help you. That's what you do in a relationship; you deal with things together."

Karen shook her head. "Not this, Fred. I'm sorry, but this is one thing I don't want help with. It's nothing personal, love," she continued, putting a hand on Fred's shoulder, "I just have to deal with this alone, alright?"

"I don't understand why," Fred pressed.

"It's fine, just trust me. I can handle it."

"Mate, if she says she can handle it, then leave her to handle it," George said when Fred continued to express his concern. "She's a tough girl; just leave her to work it out."

Finally, Karen's mood broke somewhat the week of the task. She started to eat normally again and spent a little more time in the common room, but she still refused to say what had been wrong. On the day of the task, the four spent the time after their exams together on the grounds just enjoying the nice day. "I wonder who'll win," Lindsay said after a while.

"It's got to be someone from Hogwarts," Karen said with confidence. "The others haven't had anything on us the whole time."

"If Cedric wins, I'm gonna pretend I was routing for Krum," Fred said with a growl.

"Fred," Karen said warningly. "You shouldn't hold Cedric that much of a grudge anymore. After all, he may have won that one match, but you got something he didn't get too, remember?"

"I know," Fred said with a grin, "but that match still stings…"

Karen rolled her eyes and shook her head but smiled anyway. "I just hope Harry does well," she said.

"Does he ever do anything else?" George asked with a laugh. "I mean, it's Harry. He always seems to find a way to beat the odds."

"Speaking of odds, are you two gonna be doing more betting tonight?" Lindsay asked.

"Of course we are!" the boys said together.

"We've raised so much money already, it would be insane to stop now," Fred said.

"Besides, we need a whole lot more if our shop's gonna get off the ground next year," George added.

"I just hope your mother doesn't kill you before she gets a chance to see it," Karen muttered.

"I heard that, Karen," Fred teased. "Don't worry about Mum. We've got a plan to keep it all quiet this time."

"You'd better, or this is gonna be over before it starts," Lindsay warned.

"We've got it all under control," George soothed before looking down at his watch. "We'd better get going if we want good seats tonight. Remember what happened at the last task."

"Yeah, I'd prefer being able to see tonight if you don't mind," Fred agreed.

"What's there to see?" Lindsay argued as they headed for the stands set up around what was normally the quidditch pitch but was now a large maze. "All they're gonna do is show off the champions, and then we're gonna sit there until they all come out. We don't get to see anything."

Fred and George stayed with the girls long enough to choose seats then they disappeared into the crowd to run their bets. Karen and Lindsay sat chatting with each other and those around them until just a few minutes before the task was set to start. "Where are those two?" Lindsay exclaimed, craning her neck in every direction looking for Fred and George.

"Who knows," Karen laughed. "They'll make it back in time, don't worry."

"Here we are!" George called, and Karen turned to see them climbing down the stands towards them. "Good lot this time, too!" he told them before sitting down next to Lindsay.

"Talk about cutting it close, you two," Karen remarked as the band located right in front of them began to play, signaling the start of the task.

All four clapped politely for Fleur and Krum, Karen and Lindsay cheered for Cedric (Fred and George flatly refused to), and they all went crazy for Harry. Once all four champions were inside the maze, however, everything was just as Lindsay had said: boring for the spectators. Karen and Lindsay helped Fred and George organize their betting materials then simply sat in conversation, waiting for the champions' return. After about half an hour, both Fleur and Krum had returned having sent up red sparks signaling that they wished to be rescued. "It's going to be Harry," Fred said with confidence.

"Definitely," George agreed.

"I hope so-ow!" Karen cried grabbing her left forearm suddenly.

"Are you ok?" Fred asked, instantly concerned.

"Yeah…I think something bit me; that's all," Karen replied, rubbing her arm.

Finally, after about another half hour, Harry and Cedric reappeared in the arena clutching the Triwizard Cup. All four friends stood up and cheered, but it didn't take long for the crowd to realize that something wasn't right. Neither Harry nor Cedric had moved, and Fleur had suddenly let out a horrible scream.

"What's wrong?" Lindsay asked George. "Why hasn't Harry got up yet?"

"I dunno, Lin," George said quietly.

Karen watched as Dumbledore hurried to Harry and Cedric as the Minister whispered something to Snape and McGonagall. Suddenly Harry's voice echoed throughout the arena; "He's back! Voldemort's back!"

The entire crowd fell silent as one, and no one seemed to be even breathing. Slowly, people began to mutter amongst one another in utter disbelief. Lindsay turned to George with a look of horror on her face. "He can't be back…right George?"

George didn't say anything but pulled Lindsay into a hug and allowed her to continue expressing her fear against his chest.

"Karen…are you alright?" Fred asked slowly.

Karen was staring straight ahead as her mind flew in every direction at the same time. She knew Lindsay hadn't thought as far ahead as she currently was, and she was glad for it. It was as though all her worst fears had been realized all the space of a few seconds. How could this have happened? It was all supposed to be over; she wasn't supposed to have to worry about him anymore, but now… She looked up at Fred with wide eyes and realized for the first time what could very easily happen now, and she began to slowly back away. It was all too much for her; she saw Fred reach out to her, but she turned on her heel and bolted from the arena.

"Karen! What the-come back here!" Fred called.

"Go get her, mate. I've got the other one," George said.

Fred nodded once then darted off after Karen. He wondered what could possibly be so wrong with her that she needed to run, and he also wondered where she had gone. Pausing to think for a moment, he realized exactly where she would have gone to be sure she was alone: the Room of Requirement. He hurried through the castle until he found himself faced with a blank wall. Closing his eyes, he focused on seeing his girlfriend so he could help her. When he opened his eyes again, a door had appeared. He slowly pulled the door open to see a comfortable room that resembled a condensed version of a house. After looking around for a moment, he saw Karen lying face-down on the bed in the fetal position with her arms wrapped around a pillow. He crossed the room silently and stopped beside the bed. Reaching out, he gently stroked her hair until she looked up to see him.

Her eyes were wide with apparent fear, and she was shaking slightly. "Fred?" she asked quietly. "What are you doing up here? How did you know where I would be?"

"I know you too well, sweetheart," he replied with a small smile. "As for why I'm here, I think you know the answer to that."

"You want to know what's wrong again, don't you."

"It would be nice to know, yeah," Fred agreed.

Karen bowed her head, and he heard her sniff once as though she were about to cry. "I'm torn between not telling you and being safe and finally telling you the truth and risking everything. This isn't an easy thing to admit."

Fred was slightly taken aback, but he sat down next to her and squeezed her hand. "Tell me," he said.

"Lindsay, do you know what's wrong with your sister?" George asked hesitantly.

"She's probably gone to get everything straight in her head. With him back, we're in a lot more danger."

"Aren't we all?" George asked, confused. "What's so different for you two?"

Lindsay bit her lip and looked away from him. "I want to tell you, but Karen said you'll leave us if you know."

"Nothing could be that bad," George declared. "I love you, and I want to know what's bothering you. What the heck is going on?"

"Promise you won't-"

"No matter what you say, I'm not going to move from this spot; I promise."

Lindsay took a deep breath. "It's our father…you remember what we've told you in the past, right?"

George nodded. "You always said he was a bit strict with you and that you weren't very close with him."

"Well, we weren't exactly lying; we just weren't telling you everything. You see, our father…he's, well he's…"

"Please tell me," Fred repeated when Karen remained silent.

Karen sighed. "It'll be easier if I start at the beginning. You remember what I've said about my father? Well, when Lin and I were little, we actually were close to him. He was the sweetest man, and we were such a happy family. He worked at the Ministry, and I can remember sitting on the front porch waiting for him to come home. Lindsay and I used to have races to see who could get the first hug. Then one day, something changed. He came home from work and walked right past us. At first, I thought it was just him having a bad day, but then he started yelling at Mum, and I knew something was really wrong; he never yelled at Mum. Later that night, I snuck back downstairs and saw them having a shouting match in the living room. Then I saw him pull up his sleeve and shove it at Mum. She screamed and ran out of the room. I cried out, and he turned to me with a smile like he used to have when he looked at me. 'Karen, come see Daddy's new tattoo,' he said. I walked over, and he grabbed my arm. 'I'm going to give you the same one so we match,' he said, but it sounded so evil. I fought him then Mum came running back in and pulled me away from him. She took me upstairs and locked herself in with Lindsay and me. We stayed like that for a couple days until he broke down the door and said that as long as we didn't try to run away, we'd be safe."

"Karen…" Fred said slowly. "What was the tattoo he was talking about?"

"I think you know that, Fred," Karen whispered. "My father is a Death Eater: one of Voldemort's followers. He kind of let up after Voldemort fell, but now…now who knows what he'll do."

Fred sat in stunned silence for a moment. "Karen-"

"Well what are you waiting for?" she cut across him. "Go on; run out of here and hate me."

"What the bloody Hell are you on about?" Fred asked.

"Did you hear what I just told you?" Karen asked incredulously. "My father is a servant of the most evil man in the world. You do not want to be around me…I'm dangerous."

"No you're not; well, not unless you're facing a Slytherin." Karen looked up at him with an expression of disbelief. "Karen, love," Fred sighed moving his hand from hers up to her cheek. "Just because your father isn't the best doesn't change who you are."

"How can you look at me the same way knowing that, though," Karen pressed.

Fred rolled his eyes in frustration, and his gaze happened to land on a vanity in the corner of the room. A sudden idea struck him. "Come with me," he said, pulling her over to it and forcing her to sit down. "Look at your reflection. Now, I don't care what you see at the moment; I'm going to tell you what I see." He gently ran his hands through her hair. "I see the same perfect hair that I run my fingers through all the time when you're stressed. It's so soft and shiny, and I love listening to you fight with it in the morning. I see the same lips that I love to watch laugh and smile but that also have the ability to keep me in some kind of line. They are also the lips that I've spent a good bit of time kissing and have given me a lot of happiness when they kiss me back. I see the same eyes that I have a tendency to get lost in quite often. You think that you hide everything so well, but I can always tell how you really feel just by looking in those eyes. I know it sounds so cheesy, but your eyes really are the windows to your soul. I see the same face that's haunted my dreams for months and will continue to do so for a very long time." He slid his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's funny; everything I just said, I think every time I see you, and it didn't change because of what you told me. I see and love you, Karen. Who or what your father is doesn't matter to me. Can you believe that?"

Karen fought back tears and nodded vigorously. "Y-you promise you aren't going to-"

"I would sooner take one of Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts for a walk than leave you," Fred said firmly. He loosened his grip enough so she could turn around and pulled her into his arms. "I'll always be here for you."

Karen clung to his shirt and pressed her face into his neck. "I love you so much, Fred. You are, without a doubt, the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you too, K." They stayed that way for several moments until Fred forced himself to pull away. "Not that I mind being like this, but don't you think we should be heading back to the common room?"

Karen shook her head. "I'd like to stay here tonight if you don't mind; I don't want to face the other girls tonight."

"Then I'll stay with you," Fred grinned. "I'm not leaving you alone like this."

"I appreciate that," Karen smiled. "I hope all went well with George."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure Lindsay told George. She's been wanting to tell you both since we met, but I told her not to. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends with us if we told you."

"George'll be fine," Fred said with a wave of his hand. "It won't bother him any more than it bothered me. All it means is that we're going to be twice as protective of you now."

"Oh great," Karen said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Just what I need."

Fred pouted at her for a moment then suddenly got a peculiar glint in his eyes. Before Karen could react, he had scooped her up into his arms and spun over to where the bed was. "Fred what on Earth are you doing? Put me down!" Karen cried, clinging to his neck.

Laughing, Fred let his arms slide out from under her, and she fell flat onto the bed. He gently eased himself down so that he was lying on his side facing her. "What? I thought every girl's dream was to find a knight in shining armor that would protect her and sweep her off her feet."

Karen smiled. "I guess it is. That was always more Lindsay's thing than mine, though."

"You really need to loosen up and live a little," Fred reprimanded. "That's my new personal goal; I'm going to teach you how to enjoy yourself and stop worrying."

"You already have," Karen whispered before lightly touching her lips to his.

Fred slid his hands to her hips and gently pulled her closer to him. When they broke apart, he guided her head to his chest and gently held her as he stroked her hair. "You should get some sleep," he muttered, pressing a gentle kiss to her head.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked.

"Over on the couch. I won't be far away," Fred assured. "Is that alright?"

"Stay with me until I'm asleep?" Karen asked quietly.

"As you wish," Fred quoted from a movie Karen had shown him over Christmas.

"I love that line," Karen muttered, half asleep.

"I know you do," Fred grinned and continued to stroke her hair. The feeling of his arms holding her and her lying against his chest, trusting him and needing him, was so soothing. He closed his eyes and breathed in her perfume, smiling to himself. Without realizing it, he fell asleep right there with her.