Holly took Sirius's words to heart and tried talking to Ron. She tried to meet his eye during tense cleaning sessions. She opened her mouth more than once as they passed bottles of solutions back and forth. She tried sitting next to him at the dinner table only for Ron to stumble away from her. The problem was her throat closed up every time she met his bright blue eyes. Words failed her. Ron's face was constantly blazing with anger in such a way that Holly had never seen before.

Over the next several days, Hermione and Ginny played interference. When Holly walked into a room, one of the girls would quickly engage Ron in a game of chess or a stilted conversation about Quidditch. Ginny would grab Ron's elbow at dinner and firmly plant him in a seat next to her in order to avoid any confrontation with Holly. Hermione, too, would grab Holly's elbow and steer her toward Sirius or any other Order member who happened to be present at dinner. More often than not, Holly was stuck between Sirius and Remus.

On a Thursday evening just days after the Horcrux incident, Holly found herself seated between Sirius and Remus with Hermione directly across from her. At the other end of the table, Tonks sat with Ginny, Bill, and Ron. Mrs. Weasley was making a pot of tea at the stove. Holly had been staring blankly at the tabletop for many minutes, lazily listening in on Sirius and Remus's whispered conversation. It seemed that Remus was still having no luck winning over rouge werewolves and Dumbledore had instead asked him to remain close in order to protect Holly and the other teenagers for the summer. Remus spoke quietly of his worry for Tonks, who was working diligently from morning to dusk with the Auror Department and handling missions for the Order almost every night. She was, according to Remus, all but living off of Wide-Eye and Pepper-Up Potions.

Sirius nodded his head while Holly watched out of the corner of her eye. He whispered, "I understand, Remus, but you know how this goes. All who are able must keep fighting. Tonks is strong. Damn strong and skilled. She can handle this."

Remus sighed heavily and murmured, "Working herself into the dirt is causing her to get sick. I caught her vomiting at four o'clock in the morning just after my last mission. She insisted it was a bad reaction to the amount of Pepper-Up she had ingested the day before. When I asked why she was drinking Pepper-Up so often, she said she has a cold she hasn't been able to shake."

Sirius whispered, "She can take a moment and run by to see Poppy."

Remus muttered, "She insists she is perfectly okay. That is what worries me the most, Sirius, she believes herself invincible as only the young can."

Sirius patted Remus on the shoulder and replied, "Take her to Poppy yourself tomorrow evening. Dumbledore can fill her spot with the Malfoy Manor surveillance for one night. I'm sure somebody is available."

Remus took a gulp of Pumpkin Juice and shook his head, tawny eyes catching Holly. She startled, quickly looking back down at her nearly full plate of food. There was a slight flush of pink to his cheeks when Remus asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

"No." She mumbled, offering a feeble smile. "Just tired, I think."

Sirius was grinning as he chuckled, "Ease-dropping, Hols?"

Holly blushed and mumbled, "Sorry."

Remus gave a soft smile and replied, "It's okay. Are you feeling alright? Not sick?"

"I'm fine." She muttered, "I think I'll just head to bed."

She pushed back from the table, glancing at the group of Weasleys huddled far from her. Holly turned and nearly ran into Mrs. Weasley, who had a mountain of teacups trailing behind her and an apple pie in her hands. She fretted, "Was the casserole not to your liking, Holly, dear? I have leftover kidney pie."

"Oh, no, Mrs. Weasley." Holly assured, feeling her face warm even more as multiple pair of eyes, including fiery blue, looked her way.

"You don't want apple pie, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she sent her wand aflutter. Spoons, cups, and small plates landed neatly in front of each person. There were two additional place settings left open and Holly frowned, wondering who was meant to show up at Grimmauld Place. She knew from listening in on previous conversations that Mr. Weasley was currently surveying Malfoy Manor along with Fletcher, Flitwick…and Severus. Despite the lovely smell of warm apple pie, Holly politely denied dessert and headed up the staircase.

She lied in bed for hours, tossing and turning and huffing under her breath. When the girls came in at half past eleven o'clock, Holly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. There were fumbles and the quiet fluttering of clothes. Ginny offered Hermione a 'goodnight' and then all was quiet. Holly tossed and turned some more and finally settled on watching the dim light of the moon and stars pour through the bedroom window. She tried not to think of Severus. And when her gritty eyes felt heavy, Holly reluctantly fell into a restless sleep. She dreamed of dark eyes, a smooth voice, and gentle caresses only for those images to turn ruby-red with a river of blood and cold, green light.

Holly woke with a gasp and rolled across the bed, blindly fumbling for her wand under her pillow. She sat up, eyes darting around the bedroom and taking in everything. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She whispered, "Just a dream."

The furniture was all in the same place it had always been in. Hermione and Ginny were sleeping peacefully, the latter snoring softly. The window was the same shape and permanently Charmed shut as always. As her heart slowed and there was no more thunder in her ears, Holly could hear the occasional groan of old floorboards. All was as it should be at Grimmauld Place. She swallowed thickly multiple times before crawling out of bed and tip-toeing down the hallway. She hovered at the landing, debating of whether to go up or down.

A slight creak and a cough had her easing down the rickety staircases. She heard mumbling voices, both male and muffled, coming from the ground-floor sitting room. She eased her way, pausing often and listening intently. As she came to the closed door, the voices became clear enough for her to realize one of them was Ron. And he sounded frustrated.

Holly watched, eyes narrowed, as the door shimmered slightly with a yellowish light. A Ward. A Ward that she had seen Bill cast once before. She stuck her ear to the wall, squatted down and listened.

"I'm telling you, Bill, this isn't like her." Ron grumbled, "Holly hates Snape. Always has. There has to be a Dark Curse or a wicked potion being used to confuse her. She didn't give me much to go on, but Hermione knows. Bloody hell, Hermione knows a lot more than she's letting on."

"I've told you once already that you have no proof." Bill sighed heavily, "There are so many other things happening and not a single adult will take you seriously if you start mouthing off about Snape and Holly having an affair."

"She admitted she loved him out loud." Ron snapped, "She said it in front of me, Hermione, and Ginny. If you need proof, I'm sure Ginny would be willing to vouch for what I'm saying."

"I believe you, Ron." Bill replied tightly, "I caught the end of the argument. I was outside the Great Hall. I saw Holly myself. I believe you."

"So, you think he's Cursed her? Confunded her?" Ron asked eagerly.

"No," Bill explained slowly, "Professor Snape is a wicked genius. He wouldn't use any spell or potion commonly known."

"Then, what? A potion he's created?" Ron asked hotly.

"No." Bill said simply, "I don't think he's used any magic on her at all."

There was a long pause before Ron demanded, "What are you saying, Bill?"

The eldest Weasley brother sighed, "I think Holly is just infatuated with him."

"W-What?" Ron choked stupidly. "What do you mean?"

Bill gently said, "You know exactly what I mean, Ron. I'm sorry, but I think all of the trauma Holly has suffered caused her to attach herself to an older, experienced man."

Ron stuttered, "N-No. That doesn't…"

"Think about it. You're smart, Ron. You can fit the puzzle together better than I can, if you would only try. Professor Snape is her teacher and is around her often. He's close friends to Dumbledore, who has been a mentor to Holly for years. The combination of trauma, close-quarters, and friendship with Dumbledore has convinced Holly that Snape is trustworthy. Somehow, through the last few years, Professor Snape has become just as much a respected mentor to her as Dumbledore has. The only difference is that Holly has a crush on Snape."

"Why? How?" Ron spit spitefully, "The man is a greasy, old bat. He's an arsehole and has been from the beginning. How in the bloody hell could Holly suddenly fancy Snape?"

"I don't think this was sudden." Bill replied quietly. "Emotions are powerful things, Ron. Even if you don't like it, and I know you don't, the truth of the matter is that Holly respects Snape. You've said it yourself that she has been defending him for a long time. She's been in remedial studies with him since the end of your Fifth Year. Holly, as she says, loves him. There is nothing you can do to change that fact. She will feel what she feels no matter your input."

Ron let out a shuddering breath and whispered, "I'm suppose to protect her."

"Oh, Ron." Bill sighed sadly, "You do. You jump in, head-first, and regularly terrify Mum and Dad, just to protect Holly Potter. Anybody with eyes can see that the two of you are best mates. Don't let this ruin a good thing. She's too important to you."

"This isn't right." Ron mumbled, "He's twice her age. He's a Death Eater. He's a git to everyone, including her. This is…some kind of punishment thing she must be doing to herself. She doesn't think she deserve nice things."

"If you push her, she will push right back." Bill replied, "You know her and her temper. You need to focus on controlling your own temper. You can voice concerns, but don't bully her, Ron, or you will be no better than what you think Snape is."

Ron cleared his throat and sarcastically asked, "You think I should just keep my mouth shut and act like I don't know Holly fancies Snape?"

"Yes." Bill sighed, "Yes. Just keep a watch on her. If she shows signs of being coerced, come to me immediately. Or Mum and Dad."

Holly scrambled to her feet and only caught the mumbling of Ron's voice before she slipped into the nearest broom closet, eyes squeezed shut and lips trembling as the soft footfalls of the brothers' feet echoed throughout the house. Hours passed before she slid to the dusty floor and closed her eyes, wishing she could forget the anger and hurt she heard in Ron's voice.