The Burrow was in an uproar. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione paced anxiously across the yard, scattering chickens and periodically swerving to avoid each other. Kingsley waited grimly by the door, ready to attack should anyone unwanted appear. Somewhere inside George was resting, recovering from having had his ear blasted off.

Without warning Charlie and Amanda spilled into out into the yard, further adding to the chaos. Twigs stuck from Amanda's hair and Charlie was cradling her close to his chest, looking for all the world as if he would murder anyone who tried to take her from him.

"It's Charlie and Amy!" someone shouted, it sounded like Kingsley.

"Charlie, are you alright?" Amanda asked quietly, ignoring the yelling around them. "What happened?"

He looked relieved to see her awake but frowned anyways.

"I'm fine. Are you –?"

Mrs. Weasley interrupted him. "Thank goodness you're both – Remus what in heavens name do you think you're doing?"

The sharpness of her tone, coupled with years of it being directed at them, caused the Amanda and Charlie to look up and forget about their questions for the time being. Or maybe it was the wand being held less then a foot from their faces by a very stern faced Remus Lupin.

"Look at them! They're injured, surely this can wait!"

"We've been betrayed, Molly! The Death Eaters knew we were coming tonight."

Behind him Mrs. Weasley was being restrained by Kingsley, who, despite his rather impressive build, still looked as though he was going to lose her at any moment. It truly was amazing how violent a woman could get when her child was being threatened. Behind the flailing woman, Bill was keeping Fluer behind his back while Harry and Hermione were peaking out from behind him, craning their necks to see past the struggling Kingsley.

"But –"

"It's alright Mrs. Weasley," Amanda said, trying to sound reassuring. "It's not nearly as bad as it looks. Go on, Remus."

"What shape does your Patronus take, Charlie?"

"A dragon," he said.

"Good, good. Now, Amy, what was the first piece of magic James taught you?"

A slight smile found its way into her voice, "Expelliarmus."

Remus nodded and Kingsley released Mrs. Weasley, allowing a small flood of people to surround them. Fluer was already back, along with Bill, Tonks, Ron, and Hermione. But she didn't see the twins anywhere, or Moody.

"Kingsley, Remus, could one of you take a look at Amy? Severus did something to her."

"Did not," she said distractedly, still looking for the twins. "He even said so."

"Yeah? Well I find his word a bit hard to take at the moment."

"Doesn't matter, he still didn't do it. Now where are –"

"You were lying at his feet," he was shouting now, angrily, and right into her ear, "unable to even stand! And you expect me to believe he did nothing to you? Have you lost your mind?"

Amanda narrowed her eyes and shoved him away from her, landing with a thud on the ground.

"No," she said coldly, picking herself off the ground to stand above him, "but if you'll recall, I had the same problem before we left Harry's house. How do you think he would have been able to cause that? Hhm? He wouldn't. And, in case you haven't noticed, I'm perfectly fine now, except for someone yelling in my ear that I've gone crazy! I'm not stupid Charlie; but he didn't do it!"

Silence followed her words, and something horribly akin to defeat and disbelief had settled on Charlies face.

"You're still defending him, after everything that was said?"

Those words, spoken so quietly, were like a punch in the stomach. He hadn't said "after what Severus said," he meant what he'd said. What Charlie said… And she'd just yelled at him for being concerned. Guilt flooded her again.

"I…" How could she make him understand? She hadn't meant to take Severus's side, she just knew he hadn't done it. But the words wouldn't come. "I didn't mean…"

Amanda sighed and gave up on words, it was time to do what she did best and walk away. She left a defeated looking Charlie on the ground, Mrs. Weasley looked stunned, Kingsley and Remus kept their faces carefully blank, but she wasn't blind; Kingsley might not know what was going on but Remus had pity in his gaze. Fleur looked utterly confused, just like Hermione, Ron and Tonks; and Harry just looked angry. Then again, Harry tended to look angry a lot these days, not that he didn't have good reason to be.

Amanda ignored them all and ran upstairs to the attic, where she knew they'd leave her alone, if only because the ghoul would shriek and throw a tantrum if too many people invaded his space.

All in all the trip shouldn't have been considered a success; Moody was dead; Fletcher was off hiding somewhere; and George had lost an ear to Severus's hand. But they had gotten Harry to safety, and that was all that mattered at this point.

The shock of losing Moody hung over the house for days, leaving people more subdued then normal. Amanda spent most of her time alone in the attic, avoiding Charlie. But there were times when she had to leave the solitude of the room, mainly in the mornings when she had to be sick in the bathroom down the hall.

"Good heavens Amy, are you alright?"

Mrs. Weasley had caught her on her way back from one such visit.

"Just a tad queasy is all."

"Why don't you come sit with me for a few minutes?" she said, pulling Amanda gently along behind her.

Mrs. Weasley ushered her into her room and shut the door before settling on the bed and motioning for Amanda to do the same. The semi-grave look on the older woman's face made Amanda wonder if perhaps she ought to be afraid, but she sat down anyways.

"Dear," Mrs. Weasley started out softly, "I think we need to have a mother-daughter talk."

Of course, it wasn't the fact that Mrs. Weasley wasn't her mother that made this strange, Mrs. Weasley had been a mother to Amanda since the first time she'd visited them for Christmas. No, what made this strange was purely the awkwardness of all such talks. It didn't matter where you were, who you were talking to, or even what language you were talking in, all talks that started this way were awkward.

"Mrs. Weasley," Amanda started, panicking on the inside, "if you're going to explain the bird and the bee's to me, Mr. Weasley already beat you to it."

And what an awkward talk that had been. Arthur had caught Bill snogging his girlfriend on the sofa and had immediately sat them all down to give them a rather embarrassing lecture. The horrified looks on Charlie and Bills faces, along with the completely mortified expression Amanda had worn while Mr. Weasley had tried to explain the female reproductive system was enough to make the already bright red man scream for his wife while the rest of them tried to make a break for it.

Mrs. Weasley smiled in fond nostalgia for a moment before her gaze turned serious again.

"Not exactly what I wanted to talk about. But dear, how long would you say you'd been having this sickness?"

"Only a few weeks." Mrs. Weasley nodded as if she'd expected that answer. "I'll admit it's a little strange but I'm a tad bit on edge lately. It's probably just stress."

"And it only happens in the mornings?"

"Yeah, it's weird like that. I'll feel perfectly fine in about an hour or so."

"So it's some sort of morning sickness?" Mrs. Weasley prompted.

"Yes but…" Amanda suddenly trailed off, finally realizing what Mrs. Weasley was getting at.

"No!" she said, standing up quickly. "There's no way. That's not even – there's not a chance in – it's not even remotely poss…ibil...ity…" Amanda trailed of as sudden realization hit her.

It was possible. It made sense even. "Babies…" she murmured.

Babies… loud, smelly, giggly, soft, adorable babies. She'd always wanted to have a child but she'd assumed it would take her years to convince Severus. This, this was not how she had expected this to happen. Were it not for Mrs. Weasleys voice bringing her out of her daze it was likely Amanda would have gone into a panic attack.

"Charlie," Mrs. Weasley said in surprise, "did you want something?"

Sure enough, Charlie was standing in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face. He just turned and stalked away. Amanda ran out to the hall just in time see his door slam close and hear the lock click loudly.

Amanda growled and kicked the door. "You have no right to be angry with me!" she shouted. "Open this door!"

"No!"

"So you're just going to lock me out when something doesn't go you're way? Yeah, that's real mature!"

"Go away, Amy!"

"I'm not leaving until you open this door!"

"Then have fun standing in the hallway!"

"Stop being so dramatic!"

"Stop siding with the enemy!"

"Jerk!"

"Cow!"

"Pig face!"

"Slut!"

"Bloody wanker!"

"Ignorant woman!"

"You're such baby!"

Silence.

Amanda groaned and stomped downstairs to the kitchen, she hadn't eaten a good meal in days. Just her luck, Mr. Weasley and Bill were sitting at the table. Both of them raised their eye-brows at her.

"Language," Bill said, smiling behind his cup. "There are children in the house."

Amanda growled and stormed back upstairs, she'd eat later.

Several hours later Amanda returned to Charlie's door.

"Charlie? Charlie, come on, let me in."

There was no sound from behind the door.

"Charlie please, I'm sorry I yelled at you, please talk to me."

A soft click signified the unlocking of the door. She pushed it open and slipped in, closing the door behind her. Charlie was sprawled on his bed, pointedly not looking at her. Amanda just rolled her eyes and climbed over him so she was lying next to him. He turned his head the other way.

"Please don't be mad at me," she said, wrapping an arm around his back. "Charlie, I need you. You're my best friend and I don't know what to do."

He sighed but otherwise didn't move.

"Don't you think I want to love you? I wish I could, you're the perfect guy... And I know you wouldn't hurt me. But I can't, and it hurts that I can't. Please don't leave me to this without you. I need my best friend."

Lose tears were running down her cheeks and she knew she must sound pathetic right about now, but she couldn't lose Charlie.

"You need to leave," he said finally.

"What?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"If you want me as your friend only then I can't have you in my bed."

Relief flooded through her, followed by the slight hurt that their friendship had obviously changed. She climbed back over him slowly.

"Alright then, whatever you want."

Charlie suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back tight against his chest.

"One night," he growled.

"Thank you Charlie," she whispered, "I really am sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive."

"You really are the best Charlie."

"The Best is tired, go to sleep."

Amanda smiled and rolled over so she could snuggle into his chest the way they had done as kids. Charlie pulled her tighter to him and followed her quickly into sleep.

"Sh, you're gonna wake them up if you don't shut up."

"Look at them, they're so cute."

"Quiet, Charlie'll kill us if he wakes up –"

"He's clutching her as if she were his teddy bear."

"– not to mention her. She's right scary when she's mad."

"Aw, look, she snuggled closer to him, like a kitten to its mother."

There was a pause, then, "You know it's gotten really hard to talk to you since you lost that ear."

"I'm sorry Fred, did you say something?"

Amanda decided it was about time she opened her eyes. She immediately wished she hadn't. Something large and hairy with eight legs was clutched in the distracted Georges hand, right in front of her face. Amanda screamed, making Fred and George jump and Charlie to roll off the bed, amazingly not waking him up.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" she shrieked.

Thundering footsteps were heard as Remus and Bill appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on? Amy, why did you scream?"

Fred and George looked guilty.

"Get that – that thing out of my face right now!"

"Is that a spider?" asked Remus, sounding exasperated.

"Oh, like you wouldn't freak out if there was a giant spider in front if your face?" she said sarcastically, still eyeing the spider that was between Fred's fingers.

Bill shouted that everything was fine, presumably letting Mrs. Weasley and the others know that there was, in fact, not an army if Death Eaters upstairs getting ready to murder them all. Remus grabbed the twins and was about to leave but Charlie chose that moment to groan, alerting them to the fact that he was there and still asleep.

Bill raised an eyebrow and the twins got suggestive looks on their faces. Remus just looked surprised.

"You can all wipe those looks off your faces, we didn't do anything."

"Uh huh, sure Professor," said George.

"Dressed like that you can be doing whatever you want," added Fred.

Bill did her the honor of hitting him in the head while Amanda pulled her robe back into place. Blushing furiously Amanda clambered off the bed and made to step over Charlies unconscious body.

Charlie groaned and rolled over, grabbing her leg and pulling it to his chest. Amanda went down like a lead balloon.

"Charlie!"

"Go back to sleep," he groaned, pulling her back until he could use her as a pillow.

Remus and the others snickered quietly.

"A little help please?" she asked, clawing at floor trying to crawl away.

"Not a chance, this is just too hilarious."

"I hate you all," she hissed, before attempting to address Charlie. "Charlie?"

"Hhm?" he murmured, still half asleep.

"You know that soft thing you're resting your head on?"

"Hhm-hm," he confirmed, giving it a little pat of acknowledgment.

Amanda fought the urge to kick him, he was a sleep after all. Bill on the other hand, who was laughing his butt off in the doorway, she was definitely going to kick him when she got free.

"That... uh, that's my bum."

She couldn't see the confused expression that appeared on his face, but she did feel the hand that felt her up trying to confirm that her rear end was, in fact, not a pillow.

"Charlie! Just what do you think you're doing?"

It seemed Mrs. Weasley had decided they were taking too long, and had come up herself to investigate. Amanda didn't think it was possible for her face to get any redder.

Charlie shot up, dragging his "pillow" with him. "Wha- mum, why're you yelling at me? What's going on?"

"Charlie?" Amanda said sweetly, face still on the ground and butt it the air. "You think you could let go of my bum maybe? I think I want it back now."

Charlie practically shoved her away from him in surprise.

"Now, now, Charlie," said Fred, "be gentle."

"Yeah," agreed George mockingly, "there's no need to shove."

Amanda decided now would be a good time to make her escape; unfortunately fate seemed to have it in for her that day. Her bad leg gave out as she picked herself up from the ground and she fell forwards, right onto Charlie. She ended up straddling his chest with his hands on her waist to catch her.

It was impossible to tell if Amanda's face or Charlie's was redder. But Amanda definitely moved faster, she was off and down the hallway before Charlie could so much as blink.

Amanda returned to the sanctuary of the attic, bright red and plotting revenge on the twins. Charlie appeared several minutes later, looking thoroughly sheepish and apologetic. She waved him off, blushing once again, and together they made their way to the kitchen.

The twins and Bill were the only ones in the room when they got there, everyone else having already been cornered by Mrs. Weasley for cleaning duty.

"So," said Fred, raising an eyebrow. "Spiders, professor?"

Amanda pulled out her wand and nonchalantly pointed it straight between his eyes.

"Did you know," she started quietly, "that if I were to transfigure you into, say, a cockroach, and put you in a box in Percy's room, that charming clock of your mothers would still show you safe at home? No one would ever suspect."

Fred gaped openly.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm informing you," she said quietly. "And now here's a promise, for the both of you. If I so much as see a spider or even hear mention of one, I'm going to tie your arms into a knot above your heads and then shrink you down and leave you to the garden gnomes."

The boys continued to gape, and anything either of them might have said was interrupted by the arrival of Mrs. Weasley.

"Ah, there the two of you are." She said, bustling in and rounding on Charlie and Amanda. "Neither of you has eaten properly in days and there's no call for that in my house. Now, why don't the two of you take this basket I prepared and go eat in the garden?"

Amanda was all for it, as was Charlie; anything to escape cleaning duty. After breakfast it made perfect sense for them to continue evading cleaning duty so they just stayed out in the garden for a few more hours.

"Oh look!" Amanda exclaimed. "That one looks like a bunny!"

"There's a boat!" Charlie said, pointing upwards excitedly.

"Look! That one looks like an alligator attacking the mad scientist that mutated him from the toad that he used to be with a rock!"

There was a long pause, then, "Have I ever told you that you're the strangest person I've ever met?"

"I should hope so, otherwise we would have to hunt down the odder person and take them to the asylum. They're too dangerous to leave on the street."

"So are you really…?" Charlie asked, suddenly serious, if a bit nervous sounding.

"It would certainly explain a few things," she whispered. "And Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell my mother."

A sudden voice snapped them out of their serious moment, making them both jump up and whip out their wands.

"Don't tell your mother what?" Professor McGonagall was stepping carefully through the dense growth that made up the back yard. Her long robes kept getting caught on the thistles. "Mr. Weasley if you don't lower your wand and help me through these bushes I'll give you an earful you won't soon forget."

Amanda let her wand drop back into her sleeve and relaxed. "I'm convinced. If that's not mom I'm a fish."

"There are scientists who believe we evolved from fish," Charlie said thoughtfully, also letting his wand drop.

"Really? Well then, maybe I should go join the mer-people."

"I don't know, I can't do that screaming/singing thing they do."

"Not to mention you couldn't hold a tune if we strapped it to your back."

"I resent that –"

"Ah-hem. I'm sure the Weasley family sleeps soundly in their beds knowing the security of their house is in such good hands," Minerva said coldly.

"Oh, come off, we knew it was you," Amanda said defensively.

The elder McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "What is it you're not telling me?"

"That I'm madly in love with Mr. Weasley and that I want to have ten thousand of his babies," she said, as seriously as possible.

"I have news from the school," Minerva said, after a long moment of staring at her daughter oddly.

That caught their attention. "The Ministry has taken over, and they have decided that it would be best if I remained as Deputy Headmistress."

"Then who's going to be Headmaster?" Charlie asked.

"Severus Snape."

A moment of shocked silence – and then Amanda burst out into laughter.

"Of course!" she cried. "Who better? Oh Charlie there is a God, and he absolutely loathes Severus!" And me.

So… it's only been one, two, maybe three months… sorry. But I'll get better on the updates again, for those of you who still actually read this. And thank all of you who reviewed! I've had a weird screwed up couple of months but
I'm not going to bore you all with the details so… once again sorry for abandoning this story for awhile!

I'm also sorry for the fact that even after several months, this chapter really didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to, the next one will be better!

Let me know what you guys are thinking though!