So school's been going alright?

Depends on what you think "alright" is.

Fred chuckled as he wrote to Michael in the notebook they and George had created. Michael had one for each of the twins and Clara so that he could talk to them whenever he wanted.

Is it that bad?

Well, Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Can't really say I'm learning much. Clara was right, too; I'm way more ahead of my classmates in Charms now

Just don't give him any of our products and I'm sure you'll survive the rest of term. And that's great! Maybe we can convince old Flitwick to put you in a higher class next term. Get you ready to make more products

There was a long pause between replies, Fred understanding that Michael was probably busy with his other friends.

Hey, Fred, can I ask you something?

Fred's brow furrowed as he wrote his response.

Anything.

Are you and Clara alright?

So much for this distracting from everything that happened that day.

I believe so.

What a lie.

What makes you ask?

Dunno. When she wrote to me today she talked about going on a date. When she said it was with Oliver, I was kind of surprised.

We're just fine, Mikey.

Fred leaned back at his desk and stared at the wall ahead of him, willing himself to not feel so emotionally involved with this girl. In his mind, he knew that he had already lost. It was Oliver Wood, for crying out loud. How could he compete with the smart, professional-Quidditch-playing ladies' man? He was a great friend, no doubt about it, but Oliver was competitive; always got what he wanted.

What got Fred thinking was what Michael said. Why would he be surprised that she was dating Oliver? Why would he think about Fred and his sister?

After about 15 minutes of no reply, Fred figured Michael had fallen asleep. It was really late and he knew that he should get some rest too. Closing his notebook, he took a brief shower and then got ready for bed, curling up in his blankets and hoping the bed would just swallow him whole.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

Michael –

As promised, I told you I'd tell you everything that happened last night with Oliver. I promise, no mushy stuff.

We went out to eat at that little restaurant in town that you like, the one with the chowder and sandwiches we used to completely kill for when we were kids. The chowder still tastes the same. The sandwiches felt like they got smaller. We should go there again when you come home for summer.

Anyway, things were pretty normal. We talked about his Quidditch games, my job, you and Roman. All the while that we were there, though, I just felt…I dunno…

Something just didn't feel right.

You know how you told me that I shouldn't sweat this date? I was internally freaking out.

I guess he could tell that I wasn't really feeling it. Oliver even asked me if I wanted to go home early. What hit me was what he asked next.

"It's Fred, isn't it?"

…maybe you were right, Mikey. Feel free to say "I told you so."

Talk to you soon. Love you

–Clara

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

The next day at work, Clara was the first to open up all of the displays in the shop. She was thinking back on the letter that she wrote to Michael. Admittedly, there were things that she had left out for his sanity's sake.

She had left out that Oliver had been a gentlemen and lent her his coat after dinner when they had strolled through a nearby park.

She had left out that he had his arm around her when they sat on a bench and that her stomach had been full of butterflies.

She left out that he admitted he was still a little hung up over her after they had separated.

She left out that he had kissed her.

And that's exactly how she remembered it: he had kissed her. And it was that very moment afterward that he asked about Fred.

She could feel throughout the night that there was a looming cloud hanging over her head. She felt like she was somehow cheating on Fred without actually being with him. It seemed that even though she had been going back and forth for months about whether or not she actually liked him, this confirmed it.

Oliver's expression when she hadn't answered his question seemed sad, but relieved at the same time. He had simply smiled and her and thanked her for the evening. After he took her home, he told her he wanted to keep in touch. He missed the friendship, as did she.

As she finished setting up the displays, she walked around the shop one last time and stopped in front of one of the mirrors. She could see the little badger in her necklace moving around, excited for the new day. It seemed that it was even more rejuvenated when it was in the shop, and she wondered if that was a purposeful move on Fred's part.

She brought her gaze up to her face and noted the tired bags under her eyes. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep that night and was hoping that it would be a slow day.

"Ready to open already?" George called out.

Clara nodded as she turned to look up towards the twin who was in his 3-piece suit, prepared for another day of joking and pranks.

"Long night?" he asked with a smile.

With that remark, her expression dampened and she turned back to the mirror. Taking one last look at herself, she sighed and proceeded to walk to the backroom to check what they had in inventory.

George's gaze followed her with a furrowed brow as he continued to walk down the stairs. His thoughts were partnered with the various trinkets it the store making it bubble and teem with life. His expression relaxed as he allowed himself to get lost in the wonder that was the place he and Fred had created. It was amazing to think that something they had been getting in trouble for throughout the years would turn around to become other peoples' joy.

Meeting Clara was a blessing not only to them, but to their family. He felt that it was definitely a mutual feeling. Part of him knew that Clara was someone different, someone that he and his brother needed in their lives.

Definitely Fred more so than himself.

Thinking back to when Fred had first wanted to hire her, George couldn't recall another time he had had that same spark in his eyes aside from when they wanted to open the shop. And look at where they were now.

Whatever had happened that night prior, though, was something that would possibly make or break how things progressed from that day on.

Fred walked down the stairs with his tie in hand as George stood with his hands in his pockets admiring the store.

"That was fast," Fred noted, also gazing at the set up displays.

"Clara was early this morning."

"Early?" Fred, like this brother, was slightly surprised. If anything he thought that she would have been rushing through the door right before they opened.

"Yup. Went straight back into the storeroom when I asked her about last night, too."

Fred nodded as he looked down at his tie. He could hear his brother groan.

"Still didn't learn how to tie that bloody thing?"

Fred shook his head with a slight smirk. Usually he'd just steal George's ties when they were already tied or have Clara tie them for him. Maybe this was a good time to ask her.

He walked downstairs and to the back and could hear Clara shuffling around boxes behind the closed storage room door. A few grunts of frustration and a loud noise told him that she should probably come back to the front portion of the store.

"Clara?" he called.

Things in the room grew quiet. "I promise I didn't break anything…expensive."

Fred smirked. "Don't worry about it. Can you help me with something?"

Clara stuck her head out sheepishly, the first thing that Fred noticed being the bags under her eyes.

He held up his tie. "Can you help me?" he asked softly and quietly.

Clara's face relaxed instantly, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "You still didn't learn how to tie one of these?" she echoed from George. Fred swore that some days, those two shared the same mind.

"I've had this conversation already with George. We're going to open soon, so any help would be appreciated."

Clara stepped out and walked over to Fred, reaching out the grab the tie. She tip-toed to put it around Fred's already popped shirt collar. As her hands worked to tie the tie, Fred studied the features of Clara's face that may have given him some kind of implication of how her night went.

He expected her to be beaming brightly as she walked in the door that morning, which is why he was a little later in getting ready. Instead, her usual blush was absent from her features. Her hair wasn't in the perfect pony tail as it usually was, several hairs sticking out of place. He was missing her morning smile that set his day on the right track, her attempts not satisfying enough for him.

"Okay, all set," she announced, tucking Fred's now tied tie into his vest and smoothing out the wrinkles on his coat with her hands. Clara stepped to Fred's side to walk to the front of the store as she said, "Time to open."

Without thinking, Fred reached out and grabbed her arm gently.

Clara stopped and just stared at where Fred had grabbed her arm.

He switched hands and turned her, bringing his other hand to her chin so she'd look at him.

Fred was greeted by a pair of confused eyes that peered deeply into his. They were brimming with questions and worries, making them appear much dimmer than when he had first approached her in the shop so many months ago.

His hand fell from her chin as he asked, "You want me to walk you home tonight?"

Clara's eyes widened temporarily, her stomach suddenly struck with a million more butterflies than what she had felt the night prior. With a small smile, she nodded.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

Reading his sister's letter, Michael couldn't say that he was disappointed. He was currently sitting at the Quidditch pitch waiting for his teammates to show for practice, hoping to pass the time by replying to Clara. The pitch was a great place to gather his thoughts when things were getting a little too crazy in his life. As a fourth year, he had a lot on his mind.

Dear Clara –

I'm sorry your date didn't go well. But…I told you so.

At one point, he considered writing that he had talked to Fred. Mikey had to admit that he really, really wanted Fred to be the one that ended up with Clara. He didn't trust many of the guys that Clara brought home, but Fred was completely different. He liked Fred, and George too. George seemed more like the type that filled the void of his missing brother. Fred was the one he knew that would take good care of his sister and make her happy.

And Michael knew how badly Clara needed some happiness in her life. He never saw her more happy than when either he and his brother were both home together or when she was with Fred and the Weasley clan. The thought of that made him excited for the summer.

I hope you're doing okay. I'll talk to you soon. Got Quidditch practice.

–Mikey

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

After work, Fred and Clara found themselves walking through Clara's small town after apparating from the shop to go to Clara's place. For the first few minutes, it was quiet.

Fred's mind was going back and forth over whether he should ask her if her date went well, or if he should just ask about something completely different. Maybe ask about Michael or Roman?

"So I saw that we sold out of that notebook you, George, and Mikey made," Clara began.

Fred relaxed a little now that Clara settled his internal argument.

"Yeah. I'll have to write to him and let him know how successful it was. He was telling me that Charms is too easy for him now."

Clara chuckled. "He did learn from some of the best Charms students."

He was glad Clara wasn't looking at his face. Every time she laughed, he could feel his blush creeping up his neck to his cheeks. She was admittedly one of his favorite people to make laugh. He loved how innocent and joyful it could be. When she'd laugh, he couldn't help but laugh with her. It wasn't because it sounded funny, but he couldn't help but share in the happiness she made him feel.

"I suppose so. I told him maybe Flitwick can put him in a higher class next year and he can help us make more products."

Clara nodded as she looked at the buildings that lined their walk. There were various small shops in her town. It was as if the darkness that was spreading throughout the wizarding world had forgotten that this place existed. A lot of small mom and pops places were bustling with life as people finished work and ran last minute errands or grabbed dinner.

"This place is amazing," Fred commented. "No wonder Mikey always talks about it."

Clara smiled. "He loves it here, I guess because it was where he and our dad would go a lot before dad passed. I'm surprised that he remembers so much since he was so young when it happened."

Fred stopped near a park bench, causing Clara to turn when she saw her partner had disappeared. He sat down and gestured next to him. She walked back and plopped next to Fred on the bench, taking a deep breath as she gazed at the people that walked by.

"Is everything alright with you?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"But I asked first."

Clara rolled her eyes with a smirk as she buried her hands in her pea coat pockets. "Well, if you're talking about what happened last night, there isn't much to talk about."

"It went that well, huh?"

Clara nodded. "Something just…didn't connect with Oliver. Not like it used to, anyway. I was kind of surprised that he was so forward with his feelings."

Fred nodded. "At least everything's out in the open."

Unlike his own feelings.

"I suppose so. We're still friends and all, and he said he'd keep in touch. He's very busy with the whole Quidditch thing, though. I think he's even going to Hogwarts to have a practice or two with the teams to give them pointers. Mikey'll love that.

"So what about you, Mr. Weasley?"

"What about me?" he asked.

"What about your love life? Or George's? I feel like all you two do is eat, sleep, and prank."

"Is that not what life is about?" he asked with a smile.

"I think that depends on who you ask," Clara chuckled.

Between his laughs, Fred replied, "I'm not sure I suppose. I had flings when we were in school but none of them were too serious. George is talking to someone now but who knows if we'll ever get to meet her. He's pretty private, that one."

Clara nodded. "You think that, with everything going on, it would push you to want to find someone sooner?"

Fred turned to Clara, his arm resting on the bench that was behind Clara's shoulders. "You mean with our shop?"

"I was thinking a little more big picture."

Fred made an "o" with his mouth in realization. "Well, if we were going to all die tomorrow then sure, I'd definitely be making a lot more moves than what I am now. No one wants to die alone in this world. But for now, I'm okay with just taking things slow."

He reached over and brushed Clara's hair out of her face. She seemed to tense up at first, but a smile soon escaped her lips along with a small giggle.

The growl of her stomach told them that it was probably time to head back to Clara's house. They continued to talk about past relationships and even got onto the topic of relationships their siblings have had as they walked. Clara pointed out that Roman was definitely not ready to settle down, the last girlfriend he had being when he was also in school. But he was young, and had a lot going for him.

As they reached the end of the pathway of Clara's house, she noticed that the lights were on in the living room and kitchen.

"That's odd…" she stated, starting to relive the last time she had come home and things weren't as they should be. The smile she was wearing slowly slid off of her face.

She slowly brought out her wand, Fred doing the same. He led them up to the path to the house. Clara waved her wand to unlock the door and they both proceeded inside.

Nothing was damaged or out of place that they could see. As Clara moved deeper into the house, she noticed that all of the photos that had her face in them had been singed. None of the other faces were tarnished, just her own.

Swallowing hard, she started to make her way towards the stairs. She was nearly there, but Fred pulled her back, having himself lead their search party instead of Clara.

"Lumos," he whispered. A bright light spewed out of the end of his wand, light painting the walls and ceiling of the second floor. As they walked up the stairs, the silence weighed heavily upon them.

Clara could feel her chest tightening with anticipation, her heart pounding the hardest it had ever been. She could feel the adrenaline pulsing through her veins, causing the arm she was holding onto her wand with to shake.

As Fred's wand lent them more light, Clara's eyes fell onto Griffin's old room. The door had been blown off of its hinges. Wood bits were strewn everywhere. Her mother's room door held the same story.

"Homenum revelio," Clara whispered. The two held their breaths and waited.