A few days later, my Dad was released from custody. Fred, George, Julian and I waited outside his flat for him to return. When he did, Julian and I immediately greeted him by running into his arms.
When he saw Fred and George, he gave Fred a once-over before shaking his and George's hands and seriously telling Fred he'd heard of some of the products he'd invented and he wanted to know if he intended to use any of them on me.
I burst out into laughter. I knew he was asking the question just to torture Fred and make him sweat a little. I was sure Fred knew this as well, but he did a good job hiding his smile. It only flickered across his face very briefly.
"No, sir," he answered, meeting my eyes over my dad's shoulder. "We wouldn't want to hurt her." He paused and smirked. "Which is why we'll wait until our products are perfected before testing them on her in her sleep."
I gaped at him, mock-offended as he smiled before turning back to my dad, whose eyebrows had shot up. They stared at each other for a moment before my dad finally broke into a laugh and reached out to shake Fred's hand.
"Good luck with that," he said. "I'm sure she'll let you hear it when she wakes up."
Despite the fact that I knew Fred hadn't been all that nervous about my dad, something in his face relaxed marginally at my Dad's acceptance. "Oh, I know she will," he answered. "But it's worth it. Plus, I know that in the end she can't resist my charms."
"Oh, really?" I asked crossly. "If you'll remember ever so kindly, I resisted them for months before I finally agreed to go out with you."
"That's all water under the bridge," Fred said, waving his hand. "You did agree in the end and that's all that matters."
I stuck my tongue out at him as he laughed and threw an arm around my shoulders, kissing my temple in the process.
"Congratulations on getting your own place, by the way," Dad added. "That's huge. I can't wait to see what you do with it."
"For that, you'll get a discount the second we open up," George beamed.
"Hey, he compliments you once and he gets discounts? I've been complimenting you for years and you've never offered me a discount!" I exclaimed, pretending to be offended.
Fred and George both laughed. "You think we'd give you a discount?" George guffawed, pretending to wipe tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Why on Earth would we do that?" Fred asked with a grin.
"Because I've been your biggest supporter for the longest amount of time," I said matter-of-factly. I hesitated and smiled. "And...because I'm your girlfriend." I smiled at him sweetly and batted my eyelashes.
Fred smiled. "True. Which is exactly why you won't be getting a discount. Not in the sense where we'll deduct a small portion of the price at least. No, you can get anything you want for free."
"For free?" I asked, giving him a look of appreciation. "Nice."
"And what about me?" Julian chimed in. "What kind of discount do I get?"
"You'll have to pay double," Fred said seriously. "You know, to make up for what Lilah isn't paying." He shrugged. "George and I have to make a profit somehow." He looked at Julian sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry, Jules."
Julian glared at him. "I don't think that's a very funny joke at all, you know."
"Ah, well, it's a good thing we do," George said with a smile.
"Of course you do," Julian answered. "You find everything funny."
"Which is why we're so good at what we do," Fred replied with a wink. I snorted and rested my head on his shoulder, feeling as if everything was finally looking up for the first time in a while.
"So you're leaving? Just like that?"
It was a few days after my dad had been released from custody. I was in Fred's room at the Burrow, resting against the edge of his desk, watching him and George pack their bags. Fred had written me that morning, telling me he had something to tell me and that I should come over. When I had, he broke the news that his family was leaving that very day to go to 'headquarters'.
"Yeah," Fred said now. "It's safer for us there. I've told you how it is. We're not safe now that You-Know-Who's back. The Order thinks we'll be safer at headquarters. Nobody can find us there, so we'll be safe if anyone chooses to...attack." He fiddled with the sloppily folded shirt in his hands before snapping out of his thoughts and dropping it into his trunk.
"But what-and where-are these headquarters?" I asked. "And the Order? What's that?"
"Dad said it's an organization that Dumbledore put together during the first war," George said, closing his trunk and turning towards me. "It's really top-secret. I don't even think we're supposed to be telling you about it. But we know we can trust you. And it's not like we're telling you where headquarters are."
"We don't even know where they are," Fred said with a shrug. "Like George said, it's all really secret. But it's safe."
"Fred, are you sure this is necessary? Do you really..." I trailed off and swallowed. "Do you really think you're in danger right now? Do you really think there's a high chance you'll be attacked?" I looked up and tried not to let him see how concerned this had all made me. It had all happened so fast that it made me think that the Weasleys knew something I didn't.
Fred gave me a tiny smile before walking over to me and trailing his hands down my arms until he reached my hands. He gently picked them up and held them in his before looking up at me and just staring at me, taking me in.
"Do you know something?" I asked.
Fred shook his head. "No," he whispered. "All I know is what I told you. And as far as if we're really in danger or not...I already told you we would be if You-Know-Who ever came back. I don't know if we're in any danger right now, but eventually we could be targeted, yeah."
"But I don't even know where you're going," I said. "Even if we'll be able to write, I won't be able to see you. Not for the whole rest of the summer."
"You'll live," Fred said with a smile. "Come on, you're stronger than that. As much as a part of me hates to acknowledge it, I know you can live without me."
"No, I know, I can," I shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I have to like doing so."
Fred snorted. "Someone sure is obsessed with me."
I rolled my eyes and aimed a light punch at his shoulder. "Shut up." I paused. "Are you going to be able to survive without me?" I asked with a smile as I peered up at him.
Fred laughed again before smiling back. "Of course I will. I'm really looking forward to partying it up this summer and forgetting all about you. I'm not going to think about you once, I can promise you that."
"Thanks, Fred, really," I said with a laugh. "That makes me feel so great."
"I know you're worried, Lie, but don't be," Fred said. "There's no need. I'll be okay. And so will you."
"Yeah, Lilah, you're super independent," George added. "You don't need that buffoon around all the time."
I laughed. "That's not the point, George," I said. "The point is that I'm going to miss you all. And it's not fair. You said that Harry and Hermione will end up joining you and...you'll all be there together while I'm sitting at home thinking about you."
"Do you really think your mother would allow you to come stay with us at this secret, unknown headquarters place for the entire summer?" Fred asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No," I answered with a sigh. "I know she won't."
"How's she been, by the way? Has she said anything about me and you?"
I shook my head. "Not a word." It had been nearly a week since Mum had found out about me and Fred and she hadn't spoken a word about it. Not one. She hadn't addressed it at all, which was odd. I expected her to go off about it for hours. Instead, however, she was ignoring it completely. As if she thought it would go away if she pretended it didn't exist. On the plus side, she hadn't freaked out about it, but she also hadn't been warm and welcoming either. She never asked about Fred or attempted to start over with him and the rest of his family.
But she also had been throwing herself into her work. More than ever, actually, which I didn't know was possible. The whole thing with Sam had naturally really upset her and she needed a distraction which had always been work for her. So, I didn't really see her that much anymore, if at all. It actually felt like Julian and I were living in our house alone. Before we'd see her here and there and she when she was with Sam, she had been around for dinner almost every day. But now she wasn't there at all. But we were used to it by now. Every time something went wrong she threw herself into her work to cope. It was nothing unusual.
"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Fred asked.
I shook my head. "I'm afraid bringing it up again will bring on the fireworks," I shrugged. "And I don't want that. I'd rather have her ignore it than her get mad and yell at me over it. She knows and that's the important thing."
Fred just stared at me a moment. "You're okay with that? With her just ignoring it?"
I nodded. "I'm prepared for her to never totally accept this. You know how things are. She's coping with a lot and maybe right now our relationship is the least of her worries. But she's never exactly liked you, unfortunately."
"So you think once she has time to think about it, she'll get angrier?" Fred asked.
"Maybe." I shrugged again.
"Well, on the bright side," George piped up, "Sam isn't around anymore. He's getting sent to Azkaban, isn't he?"
"Most likely," I said. "There's probably going to be a trial this summer, but the odds of him going to prison are good. So that's a positive thing." I smiled briefly up at Fred before looking out the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fred glance at George before he looked back at me.
"Lie, what's wrong?"
I looked back at him. "I know I've always been one to take care of myself," I said, "but maybe after all that's happened...I mean, it worked out well. Sam's gone, my dad's out of custody...But what happened that day did kind of freak me out."
"Understandably," Fred whispered, his eyes sweeping over my face.
"And maybe I can get through it alone, or even with Julian-I just-"
"What?" Fred prodded.
"I still want you here," I told him, chewing on my lip. "And maybe I do need you, too. Just a little. I mean, for the trial and all. That would would be nice."
Fred actually let out a quiet chuckle. "Thanks, Lie. But you do have Jules. Like I said, you'll be fine. You have all your other friends. Tess, Ange, Katie, Alicia...You'll be so busy with them, you won't even notice I'm gone."
"Oh, please, everyone is able to notice when you and George are gone. Everything is unnaturally quiet."
"That is true," Fred said, sighing dramatically.
Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded from downstairs.
"Fred? George?" she called. "We're leaving. Hurry up and bring your stuff downstairs!"
The three of us looked at each other for a beat before George yelled back, "Okay, Mum!" his eyes still on me and Fred.
I sighed as I pushed off from leaning against Fred's desk and brushed passed him. "I guess you'd better get down there," I said, coming to a stop in the middle of the room.
Fred and George were quiet for another moment before George stood up and made his way over to me. He gave me a tight hug. "We'll be seeing you before you know it," he whispered before pulling away and giving my hand a squeeze.
I smiled. "Yeah, hopefully," I said.
George smiled back before looking over the top of my head towards his brother. "I'll leave you two alone." He grabbed the handle of his trunk and levitated Fred's in front of him before leaving the room, Fred's trunk floating in front of him and his own trunk dragging behind.
I sensed Fred come to stand behind me and a second later, he was wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder. "I know you're not happy about me leaving," he said.
"No, I'm thrilled," I said with a roll of my eyes and a wry smile.
Fred laughed. "But George is right. We'll be seeing each other again before either of us knows it. And like I said, I'm going to try to pull some strings so that you can come visit."
"You think you can do that?"
"Have you forgotten how charming I can be?" Fred asked.
"You're not that charming," I said. "That's the problem."
Fred pretended to scoff as he let go of me and stuck his nose up in the air. "Fine, then maybe I won't even try to pull any strings. You'll just have to survive the next few months without me."
I rolled my eyes before turning around, placing a hand on Fred's cheek and kissing him.
Fred's hands found my waist again at once as he pulled me to him and returned the kiss. My head emptied almost at once in the annoying way it usually did whenever I was kissing Fred. My hands slid to his hair and he sighed against my lips as he pulled away slightly. I pretended I didn't notice and kissed him again. I wasn't sure what had come over me, but I wasn't ready to stop. The longer we stayed up here, the more we'd prolong his departure. Or so I hoped.
"Lie, what's gotten into you?" Fred laughed as he pulled away again and gently pushed on my hips to keep me from kissing him again for the time being.
"Procrastinating," I answered simply.
Fred let out a laugh. "So you're using me?"
"Not necessarily," I answered. "I was genuinely enjoying myself while putting off your leaving."
Fred smiled and leaned in for another quick kiss.
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley called from downstairs. "Come on, dear, hurry up!"
Fred half-smiled at me before holding his hand out for me to take. "Come on," he said.
I shifted my gaze from his face to his hand, his long fingers outstreched, waiting for me to fill the gaps between them with my own. I did and the second our hands met, Fred closed his fingers over mine and squeezed before lifting our hands to his lips and kissing the back of mine. And just like every other time that he had grabbed my hand, I felt okay. I felt hopeful. I felt as if everything really would be okay and that maybe I was worrying more than I should have been.
A few nights later, my mother finally made a comment about Fred. She was actually home for dinner, a rare occurance. But she was practically scarfing it down so she could go up to her home office and do more work. As if she hadn't done enough of that all day.
"I noticed that boy hasn't been around much," she said. "And you haven't been going to his house." She looked me up and down. "Have you broken up with him, then?"
"No," I said with a sniff. "He's...away."
"Away where?" Mum asked curiously.
I sighed and looked at Julian, who simply shrugged.
"We don't know," I answered slowly, staring down at my plate and picking at the carrots sitting there.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Mum asked, her tone a mix of surprise and irritation. "He's your...boyfriend, isn't he?" Her nose wrinkled slightly-and quickly, too. The expression of distaste had left her face so fast, it was almost as if I had made it up. "He doesn't even have the decency to tell you where he's going?"
"He couldn't," I answered, determined to provide answers that were as short and vague as possible. I really didn't want to get into this discussion right now. Or ever. I just wanted her to be quiet about the whole thing because I didn't think she'd have anything nice to say. And if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all, right?
"Why not?" Mum asked. "What is his family getting themselves into, Lilah? If they're getting themselves into some kind of trouble, if they're running from the law, then I must insist you-"
"Mum!" I exclaimed as Julian dropped his fork in surprise at Mum's theory and gaped up at her.
"They aren't running from the law," he scoffed. "That's ridiculous."
"Well, then why did they run off so suddenly and why can't they tell you where they're going?" Mum asked. "It sounds to me as if the whole thing is very...shifty."
"Shifty," I repeated dully, staring at her in disbelief.
"They're in danger," Julian finally said. "They had to go somewhere very well protected because now that You-Know-Who's back, they're going to be targeted more than others most likely."
Mum's eyes widened. "And why's that?"
Julian and I silently shared a look that wondered if we should tell Mum the truth-that the Weasleys were blood traitors. Neither of us had ever told her for understandable reasons. We didn't need her freaking out about them any more than necessary. But now there didn't seem to be any other way around it. She knew they weren't Muggleborns.
"They're blood traitors," I said bracingly. "I mean-Mr. Weasley loves Muggles. He's all for wizards and Muggles being equal, which obviously makes him and the whole family very unpopular with the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who."
"I just thought he had a strange fascination with them!" Mum said, putting down her fork, the fact that she needed to eat and head upstairs to do some work clearly forgotten at this point. "I didn't know he was that obsessed!"
"What, just because he's for equality, it makes him over the edge?" I asked. "I mean, I think it sounds like a good idea, too-equality, I mean-and I don't collect plugs. And besides, he's really not obsessed. He's just...fascinated. Nothing wrong with that."
Mum rubbed her hands over her face as she sighed. "Lilah, the point here is that-you just said it-they're being targeted. Do you get what this could mean for you? By association, you could be targeted as well. You, Julian, the whole family, really.
"That's silly," I said. "We're purebloods. We're not blood traitors..."
"No, but what if the Death Eaters try to use you for interrogation? Or for bait or something? You don't remember clearly enough what it was like back then. They're ruthless people." She hesitated and picked up her fork again. "This is all assuming that You-Know-Who really is back, of course."
Julian and I looked at each other again.
"He is," I said flatly, looking at her in disbelief. "Harry saw him."
"And who else saw him?" Mum asked. "Nobody. All any of us have to go on is what one person is claiming."
"It's Harry," I said. "Isn't that enough? Besides, Gabrielle died. How do you think that could have happened? An accident, like everyone else seems to think?"
"A tragic accident, yes," Mum answered. "That young girl being killed by one of those terrible maze obstacles sounds a lot more plausible than You-Know-Who coming back! Honestly, don't you hear yourself? You sound just as unstable as Harry Potter!"
"Harry is not unstable!" Julian cried, jumping to his feet.
"Julian, sit down at once," Mum said sternly.
Julian glared at her steadily for a bit, not moving a muscle. Finally, I grabbed his sleeve and gently tugged, getting him to sit back down in his chair.
"Mum, Harry's not-" I began.
"He's been through a lot lately," Mum said. "An unbelievable amount of stress. I'm not surprised he cracked, to be honest. But putting his own name in illegally was ridiculous and attention seeking as it was, so maybe-"
"Don't say he deserved it," Julian said tensely, shaking his head. "And he didn't put his name in at all."
"That's what Dumbledore is claiming," Mum said. She looked at me. "And what about that boyfriend of yours! He put his name in illegally too! He and his brother both did!"
"Mum, no, I-"
Julian suddenly nudged me hard in the side. I broke off and looked at him to see him staring back at me, his eyes wide and his jaw set. He shook his head slightly, telling me to keep quiet. I knew why he was telling me that, of course. If I told Mum it had been me that put the twins' names in, that would be it. I'd never hear the end of it. I'd be in humongous trouble. But I couldn't let Mum continue to trash talk Fred and George like this.
"Now, getting back on the subject of your...friend. I really don't think it's a good idea that you two date. I've been trying to hold my tongue, but now...now that he's run off. I mean, what kind of person runs off without telling their girlfriend where they're going anyway? You have no idea if what he says is true or if you can trust him! How do you know he's really going into hiding?"
"Mum, I trust Fred!" I exclaimed. "I trust all the Weasleys."
"And," Mum plowed on, "that's not to mention what I said earlier. If he's being targeted, you could be targeted too by extension." She met my eyes, her expression cool and blank. "So, I really don't think it's a good idea that you continue to see him."
I stared at her. "Mum, I really like him," I whispered. "I hoped you weren't going to react like this. Please, give him a chance." My eyes filled with tears and even though I tried to blink them back, my mother saw.
"Don't give me that," she scoffed.
"Fred really likes Lilah," Julian said. "He'd do anything for her. In that respect, he's no different than Oliver. He really cares about her. He'd drop everything to help her if she needed it." He met my eyes and half-smiled. "Trust me, I wouldn't allow him within ten feet of her if that wasn't the case."
I returned the smile and reached over to put a hand on his knee.
"I've given him a chance," Mum said. "And you know I didn't like what I saw."
"You gave him one chance when they were over for dinner. And it's not like you got a chance to really know him. You don't know what he's like besides the jokes and the pranks. He's funny as hell. He makes me laugh like no one else can. He has so much energy that it's contagious. I can't help but feel as if I'm on top of the world when I'm with him. I feel good. And safe. He's smart and passionate and determined. He never gives up. And most importantly, he's compassionate and kind and a brlliant friend."
Mum stared at me and something flickered in her face. Something nostalgic. "What happens when one day you realize many of those traits have somehow become irritating instead of endearing? When the jokes stop being funny, the constant energy just makes you more tired."
"That'll never happen," I said, catching on to what she was getting at. "We're not you and Dad."
Mum's expression turned angry at once. "How dare you," she hissed.
"I thought something was changing between the two of us," I said. "I thought after the whole thing with Sam, we could try to make things better between us and try to start a real relationship. But I don't think that's going to happen as long as Fred's around, is it?"
"I admited I was wrong about Sam, Lilah, but this is a whole different story. This is something different entirely. I'm trying to protect you."
"If you don't believe You-Know-Who is back," I said, "then I don't have to worry about being targeted by extension, do I?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Either way, I don't think it's best for you to be in a relationship wtih this boy. All I see in your future is a repeat of what happened with me and your father if you keep this up. Trust me, I was young and in love once too. And one day, it was all over."
"You can't possibly know that'll happen to me and Fred. Besides, when did you get so bitter?"
"I'm not bitter, Lilah," Mum said briskly, standing up to clear her plate. "I'm just...logical. And I've grown up a lot since I was your age. I'm just trying to help you."
"I need to make my own decisions and risk making my own mistakes," I said. "If dating Fred turns out to be a terrible choice then it's my mistake to make and learn from. Protecting me from something you don't know is going to happen is going to help me."
"Suit yourself, then," Mum said with a shrug. "Just keep in mind that if our family is put in danger because of this boy, well, just know that it'll be on your shoulders."
And just like that, she breezed from the room as if nothing had happened.
Days went by with letters being the only contact I had with Fred. I never got word about if I was allowed to visit, which made me feel a little bit hurt at first, but then I thought that it was all most likely part of keeping him and his family safe. If they couldn't let anyone else know their location, then they couldn't do it. I tried to remember it wasn't personal, but I missed Fred. I missed all the Weasleys, but I really wanted to talk to Fred about everything my mother seemed to think, but I didn't want to write it in a letter. It wasn't the same.
In the meantime, I hung out with my other friends. I went shopping for school supplies with Katie, Alicia and Angelina, who had received news that she had been made Quidditch captain this year, which was amazing and something she definitely deserved. I couldn't have been happier for her. I hung out with Tess and found out that she and Connor, the boy she had gone to the Yule Ball with, had finally started dating officially. It had certainly taken them long enough. But despite the normalcy of hanging out with my other friends and despite Angelina's good news, I still thought of the twins nearly all the time. I was constantly wondering how they were doing and what they were doing. I missed them, to say the least.
I also ended up having to serve as a witness for Sam's trial, which ended up taking place in the beginning of August. Mum, Julian and I had to go and talk about what had happened. We had to not only give accounts of what happened on the day Sam confessed, but answer questions about his behavior and actions since the day we met him. It was terrible and I hated sitting there alone, in the middle of the room, all eyes on me while I talked about everything Sam had done. And in the meantime, Sam himself sat off to the side while I talked, glaring at me menacingly. I kept my hands in my lap, toying around with my fingers in order to keep my hands from shaking. I never looked at Sam once, instead choosing to keep my eyes on whoever was asking me a question. And when it was all over, Julian and I trailed behind Mum as she determindly led us through the building and out the front doors.
The good thing was that Sam had been found guilty for not only stealing but also for assault and battery from the day he threatened me and pinned me up against the wall. The bad thing was that he was only asked to pay a fine and also serve a year in Azkaban. If you ask me, he should have been thrown in there for life.
"At least it's something," Julian said half-heartedly as we left the building. "It's nowhere near good enough, but it's still something."
"I suppose," I had answered as Julian slid an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. It was actually an enormous comfort. Despite how often I put so much effort into protecting and comforting my brother, it did feel really great to have him comfort me this time. But I also wished Fred could have been there. I found myself wishing I could have felt his arms pulling me into a hug or wrapping around my shoulders. I wished he was here trying to make me laugh. Trying to make me happier instead of worried about having to testify at Sam's hearing.
I spent the weeks afterwards not wanting to bring up the trial or Sam in general at all, which everyone else was incredibly glad to do. Nobody else wanted to talk about him either-no surprises there. So instead, I continued to spend my last few weeks of summer spending time with my friends and doing things we'd normally do while we waited for September 1st to arrive.
"You're doing it again," Tess told me, nudging my leg with her big toe as we sat on her bed, looking through magazines. It was the last week of summer and the two of us were spending time at Tess' house, enjoying our last few days of our summer holiday.
"Doing what?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Daydreaming about Fred," she answered with a giggle. "You've been staring at that one page for about five minutes straight. Your eyes weren't even moving, which means you weren't reading."
"I just...I haven't heard from him much," I said. "He writes sometimes, but not much. He says he's been busy...But it would be nice to get some reassurance that he really is safe, you know? And I want to talk to him about my mother and the trial. It didn't feel right putting that in a letter. I want to tell him in person."
"Your mother doesn't know what she's talking about," Tess said calmly. "All that stuff with You-Know-Who...I think she's wrong. And Fred will say the same thing."
I smiled. "I'm glad someone agrees with me."
"Fred's not going to be happy when you finally do tell him," Tess pointed out. "He's going to dislike your mother even more than he already does."
"He doesn't dislike her," I protested slowly.
"Come on, Lie," Tess snorted. "She doesn't exactly like him and he doesn't exactly like her in return. It's no secret. Fred just isn't as rude about his dislike."
"You're calling my mother rude?" I teased with a snort of my own. "I wonder what gave you reason to think that."
Tess smiled. "We've both always known how your mother is."
"I thought things were changing with her," I said quietly, letting out a soft laugh and shaking my head as I turned away to look back down at the magazine. I finally flipped the page and stared down at it without really seeing anything. "I thought-"
"What, that you two would be best friends and share everything?" Tess asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No...Merlin no." I scoffed. "But I thought she'd be different at the very least. I thought maybe we wouldn't disagree so much and she wouldn't be so...mean."
"There isn't that much magic in the world," Tess said.
I gave her a look before breaking into a smile. "No, I know, but I just hoped..."
"I know," Tess answered sympathetically, reaching over to place her hand on my arm. "I know."
"Where do you think they are?" I stretched up on my toes to see better of the tops of all the heads in the crowded station.
"Running late, as usual," Julian shrugged.
It was September 1st and Julian and I were waiting on the platform after being hurriedly dropped off by Mum (nothing new there). I had hoped to meet the Weasleys here even though we had no definite plans. It had been torture going nearly the whole summer without seeing them, but now the summer was over, a new school year was starting and I'd be able to see them soon. If only they'd show up.
"Look," Julian pointed. "I see them."
I looked towards where he was pointing and, sure enough, the trademark bright red hair of the Weasleys was visible coming towards us. I could also notice a few things from where I was standing. Harry and Hermione were with them, and they were also surrounded by a group of other people that included Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Lupin and a woman with bright pink hair.
I watched them draw closer and closer and finally I could see Fred clearly. He was walking next to George and behind Ron. He and George were both laughing to themselves as Fred attempted to sneak something into Ron's bag without him noticing. To me, it looked like a rubber spider. I laughed to myself. I was sure Ron would love that.
Finally, Fred managed to get the spider in Ron's bag. He and George both grinned and high fived. And then Ron had spotted my brother. With a yell of joy, he quickened his pace until he, Harry and Hermione had reached my brother and greeting him happily. I smiled. I knew that it had been just as hard for Julian to be away from his friends all summer as it was for me to be away from the twins.
When I looked up again, I saw Fred standing just behind Ron, looking straight at me and smiling his lopsided, casual smile. He looked older somehow, as if not seeing him for a few months had made him age a bit faster. But in a good way. He was taller, for one thing. And his hair actually looked shorter. I'd bet anything Mrs. Weasley had coerced him into letting him cut it. Apparently, she had a hard time convincing her sons to cut their hair, especially Bill.
"Hi," I whispered, meeting his eyes and smiling. "I missed you."
Fred smiled too before tilting his head and raising an eyebrow. "Then get over here and act like it," he answered.
I grinned before letting go of my trunk handle and flinging myself into Fred's arms, throwing my arms around his neck as his arms wound around me, one curling around the top of my back,near my shoulderblades, and the other around my waist. He kissed my cheek before pulling away and kissing me on the lips.
"I missed you too," he said, grinning down at me. He pulled back completely and held me at arms length as he looked me over. "You look nice."
"It's only been a few months," I giggled. "I'm sure I don't look that different."
"No, but you look...older," Fred said slowly. "And your hair's longer." He reached up and tugged on the ends of my hair, which now reached a point just past my shoulders as opposed to being even with them.
"Yours is shorter," I commented.
"Yeah, well, it was time for a change," Fred said, reaching up to run a hand through his own hair, making it stand up haphazardly. "George and I both agree this haircut will help us get all the girls more effectively than our previous haircut."
"That's funny," I said, narrowing my eyes a bit, "because I thought you already had a girl."
"Nope," Fred said, shrugging and looking at me innocently. "I'm not sure to whom you could be referring."
"Okay," I said with a shrug of my own. "I guess I was mistaken then. I'll just have to go tell Marcus Flint I'm free to go on that date with him."
"Marcus Flint?" Fred asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Oh, yeah, he's so gorgeous," I said, fluttering my eyelashes. "And smart. And polite, too. And we can't forget charming. He's ever so charming." I grinned up at Fred and tried not to laugh.
"I don't want to ever hear you talking about Marcus Flint and dating ever again," Fred said in a low voice as a grin spread over his face and he leaned in to kiss me.
"Lilah dear," Mrs. Weasley said, practically grabbing me out of Fred's hold and pulling me into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again. We all missed you terribly this summer."
"I missed you all, too," I said with a smile.
"Ah, so you must be the Lilah we all kept hearing about."
I looked up to see the woman with pink hair standing beside me, her arms crossed over her chest and a smile on her face. She didn't look much older than me-maybe around Charlie's age, actually, but I didn't have any idea who she was.
"Yeah, I am," I said, holding out my hand. The girl smiled wider before reaching out to shake it.
"Nymphadora Tonks," she said. "But I go by just Tonks. Hate to be called Nymphadora, actually."
"Unless it's Remus calling her Dora," Fred said with a smirk.
"Dora is different," Tonks said, shooting him a look as she smiled.
"No, not really, but the person using the name is," Fred said. "Come on, it's no secret you're all goo goo gah gah for the guy."
"Shut up before he hears you!" Tonks hissed, glancing in Professor Lupin's direction. She lowered her voice even more. "And you two would have never been on this bandwagon if Ginny hadn't told you what she thinks is going on. So, whatever you think is going on is just a theory."
"Sure," George said sarcastically.
Tonks turned back to me. "Anyway, moving on from my love life, Fred told me all about you. I've been dying to finally meet you in person. He showed me a photo, but I don't think it's the same, personally." She grinned. "It's funny because we went to school together. I was a sixth year when you were a first year."
"She's the same age as Charlie," Fred told me. Ah, so I had been right.
"Hufflepuff, though," Tonks said, "so it does kind of make it harder for us to cross paths. I had Herbology with Charlie, but we never really spoke."
"Oh, and guess what else?" George asked excitedly. "She's a Metamorphmagus."
"Really?" I asked in awe. I had never met a real Metamorphmagus before.
Tonks smiled and instead of answering, she turned her hair a light shade of blue before going back to pink.
"Wow," I said with a laugh. "Impressive."
The train's whistle blew just then and we had to say a hurried goodbye to everyone before lugging our things onto the train. It was nearly eleven and the train always left right on the dot, so we couldn't afford to waste much more time.
"It was nice to meet you!" I said to Tonks.
"Likewise," she answered. "Hopefully I'll see you soon!"
"She seems nice," I said to the twins as we made our way down the train.
The twins nodded. "Yeah, she is," George said.
"So, when can you tell me where you were?" I asked. "Can you tell me at all?"
The twins looked at each other before glancing over their shoulders.
"In here," Fred said, ushering me into the last compartment on the right. Luckily, it was empty. The twins both heaved their trunks onto the overhead racks before Fred grabbed mine and did the same.
"I could've done that," I said with a small smile.
"I know," Fred answered, smiling back, "but I wanted to do it for you. Can't a guy be nice?"
"Sure, but not you," I said. "You're devious. If you do anything nice, there's usually a sneaky reason behind it."
"True," Fred said. "Mostly. But it's not true this time. I swear."
I smiled again as I took a seat next to the window. George sat across from me and Fred beside me.
"So..." I began, "what can you tell me?"
Fred took a deep breath and let it out. "We don't know much ourselves," he said. "Mum wouldn't let us into the meetings, even though we're seventeen. She'd put up Impeturbable Charm on the door so even our Extendable Ears wouldn't work."
"Extendable Ears?" I asked. "I remember you making sketches for those! You finished making them?"
"We did," Fred nodded.
"Mum found them and threw them away, though," George sighed, "so we had to nick them back out of the trash. We tried to use them whenever we could, but like Fred said, Mum usually had a charm up so we couldn't hear."
"Okay, so let's start from the beginning," I said. "Where were you?"
The twins were quiet for a moment. "Sirius Black's childhood home," Fred said.
"Really?" I asked in interest. I knew Sirius was innocent after what had happened at the end of my fifth year. Despite the fact that most of the world still thought Sirius was a murderer, my brother, Harry, Ron and Hermione had explained the story of that night over and over after it had happened and it made total sense to me. I believed them. It was my brother and his friends. I trusted them all, so if they said Sirius was innocent, they only had to say it once for me to believe them.
The twins nodded. "I know we didn't write much," George said. "But we were busy. We were working on our products a lot and Mum put us to work cleaning, like we said earlier."
"The house was a mess," Fred continued. "No one's lived there in years, so it was full of dust. There were doxies hiding in the drawing room curtains and a boggart hiding in the desk."
"And then there was Mrs. Black's portrait," George said.
"And the house elf heads," Fred continued.
"And Kreacher," George finished. They both shuddered.
"All terrible things," Fred said. Then he laughed. "But remember when Tonks kept tripping over the troll umbrella stand and waking up the portrait? So finally Sirius picked up the stand and threw it out the back door?"
I looked at them blankly and, not for the first time since they'd been away, I felt left out. Even though I had had Tess, Angelina, Katie and Alicia to hang out with over the summer, I had hated not being able to see any of the Weasleys. And Julian had hated not being able to see Harry, Ron and Hermione, despite the time he spent with Neville, Dean and Seamus. I hated myself for feeling this way too. It wasn't like they had been off on vacation. They'd basically been in hiding. But they had all been together and clearly had done what they could to make the situation a little brighter. I could only imagine them all hanging out while Tonks changed her hair color and facial features at everyone's request, while everyone laughed and called out more suggestions. I imagined them all spending time together without me, getting to know Sirius better and exploring his childhood home. Discovering things like the portrait, the elf heads, and Kreacher (whoever-or whatever-that was). Even though they were apparently terrible things, they were all things the Weasleys could talk about together. Maybe the house wasn't the greatest place to spend a summer, but I would have done it if it meant I could be there with Fred. He and George always had a knack for turnng the worst scenarios into funny or amusing ones, so I knew their summer had to have been at least somewhat interesting.
"What do you mean she woke up the portrait?" I asked.
"Oh, there was a portrait of Sirius' mother in the hallway," Fred said. "It was covered by a curtain and whenever there was a loud noise, the curtain would fly open and Sirius' mother would start screaming."
"Loudly," George jumped in. "Screaming about how there were Mudbloods and blood traiters in her house. Lots of horrible things, really. My personal favorite was how we were all scum of the earth."
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my shoulders slumping. Any feelings of being left out had vanished. I knew it had been silly to feel that way. Silly, stupid and very selfish.
"And then there was Kreacher," Fred continued, reaching over and picking up my hand. He kept his eyes on our fingers as he threaded his through mine and rubbed his thumb back and forth over my skin. "Kreacher's the house elf who lives there. He'd throw just as many insults at us as the portrait. But he wouldn't scream them, so that was a plus."
"Fred," I whispered, closing my eyes. "I'm so sorry, that must have been awful."
"Only if we'd let it get to us," Fred said. "Which we didn't, so it wasn't as bad as you might think."
I looked up at him and smiled slightly. "You never cease to amaze me."
Fred smiled back and leaned in to give my nose a quick kiss. "Well, I also managed to stay positive by reminding myself that hopefully one day, Kreacher's lifelong dream would be carried out."
"What was his lifelong dream?" I asked.
"On the wall beside the stairs," George began, "there were all these house elf heads just hanging there. Kreacher wants his put up once he dies."
I felt myself pale. "What?"
Fred chuckled. "You should see your face right now."
"Fred, stop, I think I might be sick," I whined, swatting his chest with the back of my hand. "How could any of you stand it?"
"We dressed them up," Fred said. "We added scarves, hats, fake beards...some old pairs of sunglasses Sirius found lying around."
"Fake beards?" I asked. "Where'd you get those?"
"Zonko's," the twins answered.
"Aisle five: disguises," Fred said with a grin.
"You have that whole store memorized," I snorted. "Of course. Why am I not surprised?"
"We've had it memorized since third year, Lie," George said with a laugh. "So you shouldn't be surprised."
"We have other news too," Fred said. "Two things, actually."
"Well, three if you count the hearing," George said.
"Harry's hearing?" I asked. "I heard about that. He was writing Julian like crazy. But Julian was as much in the dark as he was. He was here. Hermione and Ron were the ones at headquarters with you."
"But they didn't know anything either," Fred said. "None of us did. I told you, we were all kept in the dark, even me and George and we're of age. Also, Dumbledore made them promise not to say anything to Harry in a letter. There's always a chance it could be intercepted."
"Okay, well my point was that Julian really couldn't help Harry either, but Harry kept him updated anyway. He was really upset and angry."
"Was he really?" Fred asked in mock surprise. "I don't know, Lie, when he showed up at headquaraters, he was talking to Hermione and Ron so calmly and quietly that George and I had to go tell him to speak up a bit."
George laughed and I actually smiled a bit too.
"It's good that he got off, though," I said. "Expelling him would have been..." I shook my head. "It was self defense."
"Right, and the Ministry knows that," Fred said, "but they're looking for any reason to bring him down. They all think he and Dumbledore are liars. Fudge is so warped by fear that he won't admit what's going on." He paused. "But speaking of trials...I am sorry I couldn't be there for Sam's."
"Don't worry about it," I sighed. "I know you couldn't be."
Fred shook his head. "I should've been, though. If I hadn't had to be at headquearters, I'd have been there in a second. Ron said Julian mentioned the trial in a letter and said that you held your own pretty well, though." He smiled. "I'm proud of you."
I half-smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
"I wish Sam got more prison time," Fred added, "but either way if he comes near you again, he's going to be in serious trouble."
"Thanks, Fred," I said quietly, leaning into his side.
It was quiet for a moment until George spoke. "Our next bit of news is that Fleur's back. She's working at Gringott's. And she wanted to improve her English. So guess who she managed to score as her own private tutor?"
"Who?" I asked, my brain still stuck on the fact that Fleur was living here now and working at Gringott's. I had thought about her quite a bit since the final task of the tournament. I'd wonder how she was and how she was coping. I barely knew her and had never spoken to her, but my heart went out to her. She had gone through something that no one should ever have to go through.
"Bill," Fred said with a laugh. "I think she saw him the day of the third task, actually, when he and Mum came to watch. And I think she liked what she saw."
"I'm sure he liked what he saw, too," George added with a laugh of his own. "Who wouldn't?"
"George," I sighed, giving him a look.
"What?" he asked with a shrug. "I'm single, I can make comments like that."
"Anyway," Fred went on, "I think Bill's been a huge comfort to her. I mean, I don't think she wanted to stay in France anymore after what happened to Gabrielle. It was probably too painful."
"But wouldn't coming back to the country where the tournament happened bring back memories too?" I asked.
Fred shrugged. "Maybe, but maybe they're not as bad as the ones that come back from her being in France, where she and her sister grew up. Either way, she's been doing pretty well here. Bill seems to really like her."
"I doubt she'll ever fully recover from what happened," I said sadly with a shake of my head. I stared blankly down at my and Fred's still intertwined fingers before looking up again. "But I'm glad Bill's been helping her out. I'll bet she really needs someone right now."
Fred nodded as his eyes wandered over my face. "Oh," he finally said, "and the other bit of news is that Ron was made Gryffindor Prefect."
"He was?" My mouth dropped open as I looked at Fred in surprise.
The twins nodded. "We were all just as shocked as you," George said. "Who would have thought ickle Ronniekins would be made Prefect?"
"He looked surprised himself, but also kind of pleased," Fred added. "Maybe he'll follow right along in Percy's footsteps."
"Don't say that," I said quietly.
Fred didn't answer. Instead, he kept his eyes on the window just past my shoulder and stared stonily out at the scenery passing by.
"I know you're angry with him," I whispered. "And you have every right to be. I would be too if I were you. Actually, I am angry. He was out of line. But..."
"But what, Lie?" Fred asked, finally shifting his gaze to my face. "There is no but. You were there. You heard him. You saw him leave. And he hasn't contacted us since. Mum still cries if you say his name."
"He's a git," George added vigorously.
"He's your brother," I said almost pleadingly.
"We know that," Fred answered, "but just because you're family doesn't mean you can't have a falling out. Unfortunately, it happens all the time."
It was quiet in the compartment for a moment. "Well," I finally said, "I doubt Ron will do what Percy did. It's not in him to do that."
"You'd be surprised," Fred said. "When we were younger, Ron used to threaten to run away more times than any of us combined. And Mum would just tell him to go ahead. Go, she'd say. If being out on your own and away from your house and family makes you so happy, then go. So he would. He'd pack a bag and leave. But he wouldn't even make it to the end of the lane before he'd turn around and come back inside saying that he was hungry. And Mum would just smile. She knew he'd never leave. He just gets hot headed and thinks irrationally when he's angry, but he always regrets any decisions he makes when he's upset."
"Okay, so there you go," I said with a smile. "If he ever did walk out on you for real, he'd be back just in time for dinner. Problem over."
Fred snorted with laughter. "True, but Percy, on the other hand, was gifted a normal stomach and the determination and patience to teach himself how to cook, so he's probably doing fine right now."
I gave him a sympathetic look before squeezing his hand and resting my head on his shoulder.
"How was your summer?" he finally murmured, resuming his act of rubbing his thumb back and forth over mine. "Besides having to go to Sam's trial, obviously."
"Fine," I shrugged. "Except..."
"Except what?" Fred asked, caution immediately present in his tone. "What happened?"
I lifted my head off of his shoulder and looking him in the eyes. I didn't know how to begin telling him about my mother. I almost didn't want to tell him at all anymore. But at the same time, I did. Plus, he had every right to know. "Nothing bad, exactly," I said. "It's just...my mother."
"What's going on now?" Fred asked with an agitated sigh.
I swallowed and looked down. "She asked about you. She asked why I hadn't been seeing you as much, so I told her you were away. She asked where. I said I didn't know. She started making comments about what that implied. That you had just disappeared without telling me where you were. So I snapped and told her it was for your safety. That you were targets because you're blood traitors. She didn't like that."
"What'd she say?" Fred asked quietly.
"She doesn't think it's a good idea that we see each other."
The compartment was silent. Fred suddenly let out a harsh laugh. "You're not going to listen to her are you?"
"No!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening. "Merlin, Fred, no. Of course not. It's just my mother's opinion. Not mine. I have no intention of listening to her." I glanced out the window for a moment and swallowed before continuing. "She thinks that I'll become a target by extension if You-Know-Who really is back."
"If?" George repeated.
"She doesn't believe he is?" Fred asked in disbelief.
I shook my head. "Nope. She doesn't think Harry's word is good enough. She thinks the stress of the tournament made him delusional."
Fred let out a dry laugh of disbelief. "I don't believe it. It's Percy all over again. But at least she didn't walk out on you."
"Fred, drop the Percy thing for a minute," George said gently.
Fred was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, you're right-not about us right now." He looked at me. "So, what are you going to do?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. I do know that I'm not breaking up with you, though." I looked over at him and smirked. "You wanted me, you got me, and now you're stuck with me. You're just going to have to deal with it."
"Uh-huh," Fred said, a smirk developing on his face. "Well, dealing with being stuck with you won't actually be that hard, actually." He nudged me and I smiled.
Before long, Angelina, Katie, Alicia and Lee had met up with us. Fred and George updated them on the same parts of their summer they had told me-the only bits they were allowed to share. Not that they knew anything else anyway.
And before we knew it, we were changing into our robes and exiting the train. We headed for the carriages that took us to the castle and squeezed into one. As we skirted around the lake, I stared up at the cloudy sky and shivered slightly. As excited as I was to finally get back to Hogwarts and get back to some kind of normalcy, I also had the feeling that even Hogwarts couldn't be an escape for what was happening in the real world.
