Karen's Boggart

In the weeks following Harry's arrival, almost all of their time was spent cleaning and sanitizing the various rooms of the house. With Mrs. Weasley leading the charge, it meant that every child in the house fell exhausted into bed every single night. Fred was secretly happy about this because it meant that Karen slept easily through the night and was unbothered by her infamous nightmares. But Karen wasn't so positive.

Never before had exhaustion kept her night terrors at bay. She could easily remember weeks where sleep had been so scarce that she had almost fainted at breakfast. Still, seeing how pleased Fred was with her improved health, she kept her concerns to herself; there was no need to worry anyone over what was probably just a paranoid delusion.

Their relentless work schedule was interrupted by only two events near the end of summer: Harry's trial, which Fred, George, and Ginny celebrated to the point of everyone in the house wanting to throw things at them, and the arrival of the Hogwarts letters which put Fred and George in a state of anger and depression for the afternoon.

"What's the big deal about a bloody badge?!" Fred yelled suddenly as he threw his cloth back into the bucket which caused the soapy water to slosh over the sides.

"Calm down, love," Karen soothed, cleaning the water with a flick of her wand. "Your mum's just excited because it happened to Ron, that's all."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal," Lindsay added consolingly. "It just happened to be Ron that got it."

"So now Ron's better than us too," George groaned. "It was bad enough being in Bill, Charlie, and Percy's shadow, but this…"

"You are both galaxies above Percy," Karen said firmly. "At least you two know where your loyalties lie."

"Yeah, I don't see your mum making a fuss about Percy anymore, do you?" Lindsay pointed out.

"Oh she does, just in a different way," Fred sneered. "She talks about how sad it'll be if something happens and we never all make up."

"Well…" Lindsay said bracingly. "That's a natural mother instinct. You can't expect her to just-"

"He insulted Dad and abandoned us as the enemy!" George seethed. "What more does he have to do to prove to her that he wants nothing to do with us?"

"She wasn't saying your mother is right," Karen tried. "She was just saying that-"

"I mean are we that bad?" George asked.

"No of course you're not!" Lindsay cried desperately.

"Then why doesn't she treat us the same?" Fred demanded. "She encourages everyone else in the family except for George and me. And don't deny it!" he added pointing at Karen. "You know we're the only ones she comes after for our career choice."

"That's just because she's worried it won't be enough to sustain you," Lindsay said. "She just wants you to be taken care of and happy."

"So now she doesn't think we're smart enough to run a shop," Fred said sarcastically. "That's way better, thanks."

"That's not what I…oh you two are just impossible!" Lindsay growled in frustration.

"Oh so now you're on Mum's side?" George shot at her angrily.

Lindsay gaped at George as he continued to fume.

"No we're not!" Karen replied firmly. "You just refuse to listen to reason because you'd rather wallow in self-pity!"

"That's rich coming from the girl that hid in the Room of Requirement for twelve hours because her daddy's Voldemort's right hand man," Fred snorted.

Lindsay gasped just before two very loud cracks sounded in quick succession. The first was Karen's hand connecting with Fred's cheek, and the second was Karen disapparating from the room.

"Brilliant…just bloody brilliant," Lindsay muttered under her breath, and with a pointed look at both boys, she too disapparated.

Fred blinked several times before finally raising a shaking hand to his now throbbing cheek. He turned his stunned stare to his twin who had a very similar expression on his face. "What the bloody Hell just happened?" he muttered.

"Karen and Lindsay sided with our mother over us," George whispered. "I can't believe it…"

Fred gingerly touched his cheek and hissed in pain. "What do we do now?" he asked.

George shrugged and seized the nearest cloth. "We were upset, and they should've been on our side…maybe that should be that." He attacked the case they had been cleaning with a new vengeance. "Maybe we're better off a duet, bro."

Fred pondered his brother's words. He, too, was angry at the conversation that had passed. Karen, as his girlfriend, should have taken his side. After all, when she had told him about her father, he had done nothing but assure her that her fears were unfounded. Maybe George was right…

His head turned suddenly upwards as he heard the unmistakable sounds of Karen's voice through the ceiling. She was obviously upset as he heard the sound of heavy objects being flung across the room, but when that stopped, he heard her screaming sobs that meant only the deepest emotional distress. Try as he might to stay angry, he felt the undeniable twinges of guilt as her sobs wrenched at his heart.

Dinner that night was a strained affair to say the very least. Although everyone present was too busy fawning over Ron and Hermione to notice, Fred and George stayed at one end of the kitchen while Karen and Lindsay pointedly stayed at the other end. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement for the four of them to not speak of their earlier row, but the tension between them was thicker than it had ever been.

Karen had attached herself to Mrs. Weasley early on in the evening, but she always kept an eye open for a way to leave the kitchen early. She hated not speaking to Fred, but she couldn't keep his final comment from replaying in her mind. How could he have said that to her? Didn't he understand how much of a touchy topic that was with her?

"Well I'm going to go and tackle that boggart!" Mrs. Weasley said, breaking in on Karen's thoughts.

Seeing her chance, Karen seized Mrs. Weasley's arm. "Don't bother, Mrs. Weasley," she smiled. "I'll go do it for you."

"Oh dear I don't mind," Mrs. Weasley argued gently.

"No it's alright," Karen insisted. "I'm a bit tired anyway, and this is a celebration for your son; you should stay. I'll take care of it."

"Alright dear if you're sure," Mrs. Weasley finally caved.

Karen smiled and hurried out of the kitchen. Once she was in the hall, she forced herself to take a shaky breath. She missed Fred and wanted nothing more than to tear back into the kitchen and kiss him forever, but Lindsay's words rang in her ears. "That one he has to apologize for…you can't just let everything go to keep a relationship alive."

Fighting tears, Karen forced herself away from the kitchen and up to the drawing room where the boggart was waiting. Once inside the drawing room, Karen pulled out her wand and approached the cabinet the boggart had taken residence in. With one last calming breath, she pointed her wand at the door, and it flew open.

Karen gripped her wand tightly in preparation for whatever the boggart would turn into, but nothing could have prepared her for what it did become. She gasped as she saw a tall and serious looking man emerge into the room. He was dressed in perfect dress robes covered with a long black cloak. His once warm eyes were cold and his smile had morphed into an evil smirk.

He moved slowly across the room towards her, and Karen felt herself unconsciously backing up to the wall until she could go no further. The man continued to advance on her until he was only a few feet away. When he stopped, he stared into Karen's frightened eyes and sneered. Standing straight, he spread his right arm then lowered it to reveal Fred with his arms wrapped around Angelina Johnson. As she watched, Fred glanced over his shoulder and sneered at her before pulling Angelina in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Karen gasped in pain and sank down the wall while tears rolled down her cheeks. The man smirked even wider before raising his right arm. When it lowered, she saw Fred lying dead on the floor, his eyes wide and empty. Karen screamed out in horror, and the tears came even faster now. The man before her began to laugh silently at her.

Karen couldn't tear her eyes away from Fred's unmoving body as she continued to scream and cry. Suddenly, several pairs of footsteps could be heard thundering up the stairs towards the drawing room. The door to the right of Karen thudded open to reveal Lupin followed closely by Mrs. Weasley, Moody, and Fred looking terrified.

"Karen what is it?" Lupin cried as he hurried over to her.

Karen did not move, but Lupin followed her eyes to the boggart that was still laughing silently at her. Lupin's lip tightened as he waved his wand, and the boggart became the full moon. Another wave of his wand, and the boggart disappeared.

"Karen, it's alright…he's gone," he said soothingly as Karen continued to shake and cry on the floor.

"Oh the poor dear," Mrs. Weasley cooed from the door, but Moody stopped her from entering the room.

"This is a job for someone else," Moody growled with a pointed glance at Fred.

Fred didn't need telling twice. All thoughts of their argument earlier had vanished the moment he had heard her screams echo through the house. He eased his way into the room before hurrying over to Karen's side. Kneeling beside her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Karen…" he said apprehensively. "Are you alright?"

Karen's head flew around to face him, and her eyes stared as though she had never seen him before.

"K, it's me, I'm alright," Fred soothed moving his hand to her cheek. "It was just a boggart. I'm fine and right here." Karen continued to shake as she looked him up and down. Fred slid his arms around her and pulled her to his chest.

Once she felt herself in Fred's arms, Karen broke down into tears again. She clung desperately to Fred's shirt and sobbed openly.

"Shhh…" Fred soothed gently. "It's alright, love, I'm here. You're safe, and I'm safe…it's alright."

"Let's give them some privacy," Lupin advised and ushered everyone out the door before pulling it closed behind him.

Fred continued to stroke Karen's hair as though no one had left. He knew he needed to get his own head on before he could help the frightened girl in his arms. He had just seen himself snogging Angelina again, and he had also seen himself dead. That had been a weird experience to say the very least! But who was the man that had Karen so terrified?

"Love," he whispered gently. "Karen look at me, please." Karen raised her head to look him in the eye while tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Karen began to tremble again, and she shook her head violently before attempting to push away from him.

"Karen what's wrong?" Fred asked in shock as he struggled to hold onto her.

"Y-you don't c-c-care!" Karen sobbed still trying to separate herself from his grip. "W-why should I t-t-tell you?"

"Is this about earlier?" Fred sighed. "Please, Karen, you're obviously terrified, so tell me what happened, and I promise to try and understand."

Karen laughed bitterly. "W-what's to understand?" she choked. "The b-boggart turned into my father showing my b-both my worst fears: y-you l-l-leaving me, and y-you…you…"

Fred pulled her flush against him again and struggled to not cry himself. So that had been her father…no wonder she was terrified of him. And to know that her greatest fears were him leaving her or dying…he felt horrible for everything he had said to her earlier. He had forgotten just how sensitive Karen was with that topic.

"Karen look at me, I'm begging you," Fred whispered still trying to keep his tears in check. When she finally looked up, he couldn't hold back anymore. "I'm so sorry for what I said! I'm so stupid to have gone there, no matter how upset I was! That was so out of line, and I can't apologize enough. What you're dealing with is so much more serious than a stupid little badge. I'm sorry I forgot that."

Karen stared into Fred's eyes for a moment before a small smile crept onto her face. "Oh Fred…why can I never stay mad at you?"

Fred looked at her hopefully. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

Karen laughed and wiped her eyes. "Of course it does. I love you, and forgiveness is what love's all about. I know you were just upset and didn't mean it, and I don't blame you for being upset. Your problems are just as serious as mine, and we have to work through them together. That's a relationship, Freddie."

Fred grinned and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so glad we've straightened that out," he said into her hair.

"Any particular reason?" Karen smirked.

"Yeah, I missed you!" Fred cried before kissing her soundly. "Now, let's get you upstairs and into bed; you've had a very long day."

In response, Karen snuggled into Fred's chest and tightened her arms around his neck. "Be my guest," she mumbled into his shirt.

Fred laughed before disapparating out of the room and into Karen's room which was, thankfully, empty. He carried her over to her bed and sat her down. "Good night you," Fred grinned as he kissed her lightly on the nose.

"Good night," Karen smiled back. "Before you go to bed, could you maybe try to fix things between Lindsay and George? I would feel awful if they broke up over this."

Fred nodded firmly. "I'll do everything I can to reason with him," he promised. "And if that doesn't work, I'll threaten to slip a Puking Pastel into his juice if he doesn't snap out of it."

"What's so bad about the pastels?" Karen asked with a knowing smirk.

"We haven't figured out the antidote yet," Fred winked. "That'll get him to listen!"

Karen laughed and hugged Fred. "Let's never fight again," she suggested.

"I second that motion," Fred agreed firmly. "Now, off to bed you. I have couple's counseling to do."

"Good night!" Karen called as Fred left the room, stopping to blow her a kiss just before the door clicked shut.

Karen sighed and readied herself for bed. Her day certainly had been a stressful one, but she was happy with the ending. Fred still loved her; that was good. But unbidden, the image of her boggart crept back into her mind as she flicked off the light. Just the reality of the creature had made her shudder; she had been convinced Fred was gone. How would she react if it really happened?

"No!" she told herself sternly. "You will not think like that! There's no reason to panic...you haven't even seen him since Voldemort returned. Just relax, and everything will be fine."

With that thought, Karen climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. Despite her positive thoughts, Karen felt a strange unease as she settled herself to sleep, and she felt a strange tick in her mind as she closed her eyes almost as though there was someone watching her…

Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it shouldn't be too long before I update again. What do you think about her boggart? Will George and Lindsay make up? And who or what is watching Karen? Leave comments/questions/predictions in a review because I love that stuff! Thanks guys, and I'll see you all soon!