Trish tried to do as she was told, but she couldn't get settled in the dorm with Ginny and the other girls. Once she realized she was the only one still awake, she crept softly out and went to sit in the common room. So much had happened in the last full day that she needed time for her brain to catch up more than she needed sleep. She sat and stared at the empty fireplace just quietly processing until she heard someone else coming into the room.

Fred sat down beside her. "Can't sleep?"

"No." Trish answered with a sigh. "Must have gotten enough rest when I passed out."

"Right, and I got enough rest when I was dead." Fred muttered.

Trish immediately elbowed him and snorted. "That wasn't funny. Don't you dare let your mother hear that one!"

"Yeah, right."

The two sat lost in their thoughts for awhile. Trish finally turned to Fred. "So what now?"

"Prepare for the funerals, I guess. After that, help my parents fix up the Burrow, and after that, repair the shop and the flat." Fred shrugged.

There was silence for a few minutes until Trish spoke again. "Then there'll be all the weddings of course."

"I suppose." Fred answered. "Wonder who'll be first, Ron and Hermoine or Ginny and Harry."

Trish shook her head. "Definitely not Ginny and Harry. She says things feel awkward after having been apart so long. I expect they'll take their time getting back together. You're forgetting George and Angelina. I don't think they'll wait long."

"That's possible." He looked thoughtful. "What about you? Going to go after your daydream prat?"

Trish sighed deeply. "He does think of me that way."

"You do realize we sell love potions, right?" Fred answered.

"That's exactly what George said to me." Trish laughed.

"What brilliant thing did I say?" George asked as he walked into the Common room and sat in a chair opposite them.

"That she should use love potion on her prat." Fred answered.

George laughed too. "She's too honest for that." Then with a smirk he added, "Probably couldn't fool him into taking it anyway. He's sure to spot it."

"Wait, you know who the prat is?" Fred sat up interested. "Who?"

"That's the lady's secret, not mine." George answered with a wink.

Fred turned to Trish. "Right then, spill the beans."

Trish glanced at him sadly. "I tell you it doesn't matter, he's not interested." Then with a shrug of her shoulders, she countered, "What about you? Which one of your harem will you choose?"

George burst out laughing. "That's rich! His harem!" He settled slightly and with a smirk he said. "He's had eyes for only one, but he's been being too noble to let her know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trish asked, confused.

George leaned towards her. "Just like our noble Harry did to Ginny, he kept distance between him and the girl, just in case something went wrong."

"Yeah," Fred said glumly. "And now it might be too late."

"You won't know if you don't ask." George said with a grin.

The twins stared at each other for a moment. George continued to grin madly. Trish studied him trying to figure out what maddening game he was playing. When he winked at her, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly came together. Her jaw dropped briefly and then she smiled widely. She winked back at him. "Fred, I think George is right. You should ask her."

He shrugged without looking at either one of them. "Maybe I will one day. Ginny suggested I take things slow since she's been through a lot lately."

"That's true, she has." George conceded.

"And I'm pretty sure I hurt her, and I'm not sure how to fix it. It feels awkward, like Ginny said she feels with Harry."

"Well, life's been fairly out of sorts lately. Maybe it's best to wait for the dust to settle a bit before you go jumping on her." George said. "Just don't wait too long. She is quite a catch you know!" He laughed and left the room.

Trish leaned her head back on the couch. She realized it did indeed feel awkward sitting there with Fred. The silent message she'd gotten from George gave her hope though. "So," she said finally. "I imagine I also have to find a place to live."

"Long as no one's pushing you out, I don't see why you can't stay in the house." Fred sounded surprised.

"Now that it'll be safe for everyone to go back home… I don't think I want to stay there on my own."

"Try not to worry about it. I'm sure something will turn up." Fred smiled at her. "We haven't left you in the lurch yet, have we?"

Just then George came back. He dropped a smooth stone on the table. "Well Fred, let's get to work." He winked at Trish. "Our best customer needs a replacement."

The rest of that day and the one that followed were a blur of activity. Trish stayed at Hogwarts with many others, cleaning, repairing, and getting things ready for the group funeral taking place for those who'd lost their lives in the battle. No one needed directions as everywhere you looked there was something else that needed attention. As she made her rounds doing different things, she was surprised to hardly meet up with the twins or really anyone she knew very well.

Though she'd hoped to avoid it, she did get cornered by Molly in a broken classroom. "I want you to know how sorry I am for hitting you." The older woman was wringing her hands nervously. "I was in a rather dark place right then, and I'm afraid I took it out on you. I should have known you wouldn't lie to us."

Trish shook her head. "No harm done. I completely understand. It was a difficult time for all of us." She shivered. "Seeing the school like this, I can imagine what it was like here, and I'm awfully glad I wasn't here."

"We each have our strengths dear. There are people who were much more comfortable facing the battle than clearing up after it." Molly smiled.

"Not me!" Trish laughed and turned her attention back to removing the glass and splintered wood from a demolished window. She didn't even notice when Molly left.

As the funeral loomed, the school's appearance improved greatly. The morning of the funeral dawned bright and clear. Trish volunteered to escort grieving family members to the seats set aside for them. As a result when it started to get underway, she wasn't sure where she was going to sit herself. She stopped at the row the Weasleys' were in, hoping there was an empty spot but there didn't seem to be.

Trish was about to turn away and look elsewhere when from the row in front of them, George's girlfriend Angelina yelled to get her attention. As she looked in that direction, she saw the twins' friends all shifting so that there was room for her. She smiled her thanks and moved through the row to the space.

The funeral was very different from her parents'. Each name was read, followed by a short history of that person's life and mention made of the bravery that had been shown in the battle. By the time the speakers had made it through the first ten, quiet sobs were heard in every silent pause. There were cries of indignation when the program reached Severus Snape. The crowd quieted as the speaker told the truth of the former headmaster's life and death. Trish found herself crying by the end of that portion, sorry for the tragic tale of the misjudged man.

"Weasley, Fred." Trish heard sharp gasps all around her. "So sorry," the speaker continued. "small clerical error. Next we come to..." Trish tuned him out as she swiveled in her seat to find the twins. Fred and George were sitting directly behind Angelina and herself. George looked as though he was barely under control, and Fred was pale. The twins had a hold of each other's hand and Trish reached back to place hers on top. Angelina added her hand as did Percy and Ron from either side of the twins. The support of friends and family broke the fragile control George had and he began to quietly sob.

Stricken, Fred pulled his hand from the pileup and put his arm around George's shoulders. "I am so sorry!" He said earnestly as tears began to leak from his own eyes.

Everyone pulled their hands away as George turned and hugged his twin tightly. As the tears subsided, he gave Fred a shaky smile. "Right then, don't let it happen again."

The funeral was over shortly after that as the names had been in alphabetic order. As people went forward to say farewells at the grave sites, Trish made her way to the back, making herself available again as a guide for those who wanted to stay for lunch afterward but not able to find their way. Once everyone had cleared the grounds, she stood outside the Great Hall. Inside she heard people talking and crying and laughing, working through their grief together. Feeling as though she didn't belong, and not wanting to intrude, she instead went home.

The house was abnormally silent, and empty. Sure enough, when she went upstairs, she looked in the other bedrooms and saw that the twins' friends had cleared out. Realizing she was alone in the house and likely to stay that way, Trish felt very depressed. As the afternoon wore on, she wondered if she should start looking for another place to live. She found herself thinking of Fred and wondered what he was doing. It was awfully lonely by herself. With a heavy sigh, she finally decided to go to the shop and see if she could get in and do anything.

Diagon Alley was a shock. Trish saw many shop owners repairing damage to their windows and doors. The great bank, Gringotts had an armed guard in front of it as repairs were made to the whole front of the building. Trish made her way down the alley and stopped in shock when she saw the front of the shop. It had obviously been used for target practice. The bright colors were splattered with mud, the windows were destroyed and the door was a splintery mass piled in the doorway. Even with the assistance of her new pendant, Trish didn't think she could stand looking inside. It would be some time before it would be put to rights. Feeling even more depressed, she went home, fixed a bite for dinner, and went to bed.

The next morning, Trish felt incredibly weak and tired. She figured it was just the depression wearing her down when she saw the bags under her eyes, so she went back to bed. Waking hours later she realized she had a fever. Feeling too weak to do anything but lay there and shiver, she wished her mom was there to take care of her. Crying made her feel worse and she fell back asleep. When she woke again it was evening and she didn't feel any better. Longing for a drink of water, she tried to get out of bed only to have the room spin around her. Laying back down she fell into a fitful sleep.

Sometime the next day she heard someone calling her and tried to open her eyes, but she was too weak now to even do that. She hoped whoever it was would check her room. But she heard the person leave without even coming upstairs.

Later, who knew when, she heard voices again. It sounded as though they were arguing. "She has to be here, we've looked everywhere! Trish?"

The voices sounded closer, almost too loud now as pain assaulted her head. "Dear Lord" someone said softly, then cried out, "Quick Ginny, get mum! And tell the others we found her!" She heard footsteps approach the bed and a cool hand touch her. "Oy, you're as hot as a dragon." Trish was aware of more sounds downstairs as people came and rushed up the stairs. "She's burning up!" Another cool hand touched her forehead gently. "Oh dear. Right then boys, we need to get her to the hospital, who's carrying her?" As someone cradled and lifted her she heard them say softly, "Poor little Hufflepuff."

Then they disapperated to a busy sounding place with more voices and confusion. The pain in her head increased with the noise and she succumbed to the blissful void of sleep.

When she finally woke again, Trish felt much better. A nurse came into her room a short while later.

"Oh good! You're awake. How're you feeling?" She asked as she felt Trish's forehead.

"Better." Trish though her voice sounded scratchy and cleared her throat.

"Here, have a drink." The nurse gave her something that tasted fruity. "Just some juice, with a bit of something to help you feel stronger. You were rather dehydrated."

Trish nodded and drained the cup. "Now if you feel up to it there're some people who really want to see you." The nurse waited for her to nod again and then opened the door. "Right you lot, take it easy on her, or I'm throwing you right out!"

The room quickly filled with red hair as the Weasleys all rushed in. Ginny claimed the chair to her right and flashed her a bright smile. Molly sat in the other chair, patting Trish's hand. "You gave us a bit of a scare there missy." Said Arthur. "The doctor said you were pretty far gone when we brought you in."

"Why didn't you send me a message? I'd have come to take care of you." Molly offered.

Tears came to her eyes as Trish squeezed Molly's hand. "Thank you." She croaked and cleared her throat again. "I had no idea how sick I was. Then I tried to get out of bed and couldn't."

"We got worried when we sent you an owl and it came back unopened." Ginny said.

Trish shook her head. "The windows were shut."

Molly smiled. "I heard everyone else had moved out and was asking if you wanted to come stay with us for awhile."

"Really?" Trish took a deep breath as tears filled her eyes. "That would be wonderful!"

"Didn't I tell you there was always room for one more?" Molly said gently. She patted Trish's hand again and stood, turning to her family. "Looks like we've got some packing and moving to do." Looking to Trish again she continued. "We'll have it all ready for you when they decide you're well enough to leave."

As they started to leave, Trish suddenly didn't want to be alone again. She raised a hand towards them as more tears blurred her vision. A hand gripped hers gently but firmly. "Perhaps you'd like some company? I'm rubbish at packing."

"Please." Trish's voice broke. She wiped away tears to see Fred sitting beside her. With a smile she settled back against her pillow.

As Fred continued to hold her hand, he began speaking tentatively. "At first I thought that maybe you didn't answer because of me."

Trish frowned. "Why?"

Fred was silent for a moment, looking down at his hand holding hers. "I haven't seen much of you since… since you brought me back… I thought maybe you were avoiding me, that maybe I'd hurt you so badly that you didn't want anything to do with me."

"No Fred." Trish shook her head and squeezed his hand. "Yes, it ripped my heart all to pieces that you were dead and I didn't think that the counter was going to work. But it only hurt so much because I care about you so much. You'd have to make me a lot madder than that to push you away completely."

Fred nodded thoughtfully. "When we found you and I didn't think I'd get a chance to make things right…"

Trish gave him a sad smile. "There I scared you too, we're even."