Disclaimer: Harry Potter is © of J.K. Rowling, I do not own it in any way (but I wish I owned Remy, Sev, and Siri!)

Chapter Nine

"Hello, Stella!" the Twins chorused cheerfully from where they poked their heads over an upstairs banister. Their freckled faces were split in identical wide grins, and at her beckoning gesture, they gave loud cackles and without hesitation hopped on the stair rail and slid down the banister to greet her. She burbled happily in their embrace.

"Hwi, Fred, Hwi Gweorge!" she exclaimed brightly as they swept her up in their arms. Nearly eleven already, and already taller than their mother, the Twins towered over the tiny eight-year old, but they had never tired of having the girl toddling behind them while they terrorized the rest of the household, unlike they had of Ron, whom had been demoted from 'brother' to 'we have no idea who he is' after failing his first rookie mission of stealing cookies from the enchanted cookie jar (as he'd been too slow in snatching the cookies, the jar chomped on his hand).

Remus smiled slightly as he noticed Ron lurking moodily behind the Twins, in his hand a suspiciously green lollipop. Acid Pops. As a retired prankster himself, it was a bad habit of Remus's to ignore the danger and, with a tiny wink to the slyly grinning Twins, slip off into the kitchen to talk with Molly and Arthur.

Just as the Twins and Stella had finished giggling as Ron howled, a hole burnt in his tongue, and settled down to play Gobstones, Exploding Snap, and Wizarding Chess, the doorbell rang. Molly bustled over, wiping her hands on her apron, and undid the latch, ushering the latest arrivals inside. Stella's eyes lit up as she recognized Amos, his face slightly pink as Molly fussed over him and Aspen. The Diggorys!

Stella, ignoring the Twins's curious looks, ran over and launched herself on their latest visitor, a slightly surprised and more than embarrassed Cedric Diggory. As he staggered in, trying hopelessly to get the clingy child off him, the Twins stalked over like cats, a suspiciously crafty glint in their blue eyes. Cedric noticeably stiffened as they edged closer, circling him like vultures. "Er, hello," he said uncomfortably as Fred stuck his face close to Cedric's own for a closer examination. The two did not answer at first.

"So who's he, Stella?" George asked finally. Stella beamed, tightening her grip and burying her nose in Cedric's robes, unaware that the Twins were shooting a fidgeting Cedric even frostier looks as she did so.

"Twis is Cweddy!" she proclaimed happily, rubbing her cheek against his leg like an affectionate pet cat as Lunar watched on in masked amusement. He was beginning to color slightly, as well as break into thin sweat at the hawkish glares he recieved from two particularly overproctective, envious twins.

"Get off me Stella," he said weakly, eying the Twins warily, noting out of the corner of his eye that all the adults had deserted the kids, presumably to chat and drink a bit while 'the kids go and have their fun together'. Right. Fun. Cedric noted dully that during times of great pressure, he turned sarcastic. Kind of like Mr. Lupin himself. Except he didn't dump off his kid every month at somebody's house and leave her there for a week or so. Not that Stella was a bad thing to have around, it was just... Sigh... How could he put this? Eh, odd how the man treated the girl with such affection yet always left her alone a week every month. Very strange.

As Cedric was pondering this, the Twins had huddled together to chat in private about the weird new kid with hazel eyes and a way of making Stella latch onto his body permanantly. Was it a Sticking Charm? Whatever it was, the mere sight of Stella glued to a, a, a boy of all things made their fists clench. Why? They hadn't a clue. Stella was just like their little sister they never had. Finally the twins broke apart, having reached a conclusion- Cedric was to be banished- he was actually Lord Voldemort in disguise!- only to turn around, ready curse him with a snitched wand from Diagon Alley, to find the boy actually playing nicely with Stella and Lunar with toy broomsticks, of all things! Fred and George watched, stunned and gaping, as the hazel-eyed brunette gently showed Stella each of the tiny, working broomsticks and figures of international Quidditch sensations- Aiden Lynch, for example. Suddenly the boy turned around and offered the boys a tiny, if not sincere smile. "Would you two like to play as well? I'll let you guys borrow my Comet Three-Sixty later too, I brought it so I could fly, but you can try it if you want..." he trailed off hesitantly, but Fred and George were already grinning warmly at him and slapping his shoulder playfully like he was a long-lost old friend.

"Sure!" they replied, settling down on either side of Lunar. Fred brushed aside several loose chess pieces and withdrew a pack of Chocolate Frog Wizarding Cards to swap with Diggory while George scratched behind Lunar's ears and nibbled thoughtfully on a Pumpkin Pastry Cedric had mysteriously obtained. Later, as the Twins, Cedric, Stella, Ron, a slightly blushing Ginny, and even Lunar flew about the yard throwing apples to one another in midair, they didn't notice their parents watching them fondly, hints of nostalgia in their eyes as the children and cat played, Stella occasionally losing her grip and tumbling off, only to be caught by one of the Twins, or even an unsuspecting garden gnome as it trundled secretively through the long, wild grass, cursing like a drunken sailor as a bundle smashed into it from skyward. The Twins were chortling good-naturedly about that one for years later.

"How sweet," Aspen remarked dreamily, chocolate-brown eyes glowing in the dim light. "The boys actually aren't killing each other." Molly narrowed beady eyes at her disapprovingly, but her husband chimed in.

"True, true, Aspen. I was sure they'd be at each other's throats!" Amos said grinningly. Molly's eyes softened slightly as the other two men murmured agreement.

"I suppose Fredrick and George did seem a bit touchy when Cedric came in, Aspen," she said finally.

"It's all puppy love and brotherly protectiveness, really," Remus commented thoughtfully. The adults sat in companionable silence for awhile before Arthur voiced all their thoughts in seven simple words.

"But will it turn into something more?"

AN: Friendship's the main idea in it, with all the Weasleys and Diggorys and Lupins and Black all getting together. Ah, brotherly love... Reminds me of the Ouran High manga... Heh heh. Anyway, review?

-The Last Gypsy Princess has logged off