Willow sat watching the rain pattering on her windowsill. The sound was oddly calming to her. She traced the shapes of the water droplets with her fingers, comforted by the storm outside. Her head was fuzzy and clogged with too many cobwebs to filter her thoughts. She simply stared out her window in the early hours of morning, drowning in snippets of time that she wished would wash away.

The nightmares had only gotten worse since her uncles and grandparents had left. Every night, she was reliving her torture, the pain as fresh as it had been the first time. She always woke up in a cold sweat and still aching from the curse. Willow missed Hogwarts, but more than anything, she missed her friends. They hadn't contacted her yet, and she was beginning to wonder how good of friends they really were when her ears picked up a low buzz in the corner of her room. It took a few seconds for her brain to catch up and realize that her name tag was going off. She scrambled over to it, knocking over a few things in the process, cursing, then tapping her wand to the card. Fred's face appeared in front of her.

"Willow! It's been so long! How are you?" he exclaimed.

Seeing Fred's cheery face and bright orange hair was enough to make Willow smile. "I'm good, for the most part. Has Percy tried to murder you yet?"

"Nope, George and I are still intact," Fred chuckled. "Ginny's been driving Ron insane with asking him all about Harry. He's all she'll talk about anymore, and quite honestly, I think she's obsessed. She keeps trying to send you an owl, but I think that bloody bird Errol has gone off and gotten himself killed. We haven't seen him in a few weeks."

"Oh, well, I'm sure Errol will come back."

"Have you gotten your new wand yet?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, it's actually a lot different than my last one," Willow replied, showing Fred the wand. "It's Rowan wood, Dragon heartstring core, twelve and a half inches, unyielding flexibility. I like it a lot more than my last one."

"Unyielding, of course," Fred sighed, rolling his eyes. "You never yield for anyone."

"Nope, and you'd better think twice before you think that even you could change me," Willow said. "Stubbornness can be a handy trait at times. At others, it gets me waist-deep into trouble."

"You know it. What are you doing today?"

"Sulking in my dark room while it storms outside," Willow pretended to joke.

"That's a load of dung. What would you say if George and I took you into London today? Paige said she'd like to give us a guided tour of downtown, with the added bonus of street soccer."

"I'd say get your butts over here as fast as possible!" Willow exclaimed, her mood swinging into a high. "I'll let my dad know where I'm going and get ready! Don't take your time!"

"We won't," Fred laughed. "See you in a bit, Willow."

The name tag returned to its normal state. Willow quickly threw on her favorite soccer shirt and a pair of shorts, then raced down the stairs to find her dad sitting at the table, reading the Daily Prophet. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and started eating it rapidly.

"Willow, your face is a mess," Carlos chortled. "Why are you eating in such a hurry?"

"I'm going into London today with Fred, George, and Paige," she said through a mouthful of cereal.

"Oh, well, be careful, and do smile," Carlos said, giving Willow a look.

"I will, I just have to have some fun first. Thank goodness this storm is clearing up."

Just then, two redheads flew out of the fireplace in the living room. Willow sprang to her feet and wrapped them both in a hug.

"Wow, this is a nice house, Willow," George commented as he glanced around.

"Much more organized than the Burrow," Fred remarked. "Then again, that's kind of our fault."

"Are we traveling to London through the Floo network?" Willow asked.

"Yes, unless you'd rather walk," George laughed. "We promise we'll return her in one piece, Mr. Guerrero. She might be just a bit dusty, but other than that, intact."

"That's fine with me," Carlos said. "Have fun!"

Fred stepped up to the fireplace, fistful of ashes in hand, and said, "Enterprise Manor" before disappearing into the emerald green flames. George went with Willow, placing her beside him in the grate. Carlos waved goodbye to them, then Willow was sucked into the Floo Network. Her stomach turned upside down as if she was on a roller coaster. She hated floo travel much more than Apparation, even though the two methods should have had similar results within her stomach. Willow had a strong stomach, but when it came to floo travel, she nearly threw up every time. That was in addition to the fact that she struggled to exit on the right grate. Had George not pulled her arm, she would have gone right past the fireplace she was supposed to use. Willow stumbled and fell in the same way she had the first time she floo traveled.

"Is this going to become a ritual?" Fred laughed.

Willow opened her eyes and realized she was suspended above the ground in Fred's arms- again. He set her down as she brushed herself off, cheeks slightly reddening.

"I think so, to be honest," she said. "If I can't learn to jump out of fireplaces and land on my feet, I'm going to need someone to go ahead of me every time I floo travel."

"There you guys are!" a voice exclaimed. "You take forever to floo travel."

Willow turned around, a bright smile lighting up her face. "Paige!"

Paige smirked at her. "Miss me much?"

Willow ran up and squeezed the older girl in a tight hug. "I missed you a lot!" She pried herself away, looking around at the room she had landed in. "Where are we, exactly?"

"In my parents' mansion," Paige explained. Willow raised her eyebrows in question. "Relax, they don't know I have the key to this room. It's supposed to be an extra dining room, but they use it as a giant storage closet. I figured out how to charm the fireplace to connect it to the floo network a few weeks ago, though it earned me a warning from the Ministry. Hopefully they don't care too much in the future."

"Mum was lying, then!" George said. "She told Freddy and I that we would immediately get expelled if we used any magic outside of school!"

"What else did you expect, though? It's Mum, for Merlin's sake," Fred said.

"Come on, let's get out of here before my parents get a chance to hear us," Paige interrupted, directing their attention to an open window. "I already knocked the screen out earlier today. All you have to do is squeeze your fat butts through here."

Paige crawled through the window and helped Willow, then the twins. They climbed down a short ladder and hit the sidewalk below. London stretched out in front of them, downtown only a block away. Willow was already giddy with excitement.

"Where to first?"

"A special coffee shop," Paige said. "Follow me."

Paige lead the group into the downtown area. They crossed several streets, turned more times than Willow could count, passed a wide variety of buildings, and finally ended up on a crowded walkway. Cars honked on the bumper-to-bumper street as the morning rush hour set into full swing. A bus alarm chirped annoyingly loud as it let out some passengers. A crew of street repairmen worked nearby, their jackhammers creating a racket loud enough to rival the monkey enclosures at the London Zoo. The city air had a tang to it that only Willow could detect, and though it stung her eyes and throat, it wasn't bad enough for her to complain about. Several tourists were stopping to take photos in front of ornate buildings that ranged from clothing stores to fancy restaurants. Paige walked up the steps to one of the smallest buildings and opened the door, beckoning them inside. Willow noticed the vines that grew across the facade. They were surprisingly decorative, controlled enough that they didn't look wild, but natural enough to give the shop a unique look. Paige pulled Willow through the door and shut it, a tiny bell ringing as she did. The loud noises of the city street were sealed on the other side.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Willow glanced at the new surroundings. The aromatic smell of fresh-brewed coffee tingled in her nose. Her ears appreciated the humble, relatively quiet background noise that was the customers chatting across their tables. A woman and her son walked by, carrying a fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. Willow fancied herself being sent to Heaven when a hint of chocolate was wafted to her nose. Paige got in line, and the other three followed.

"Is this a place where Muggles typically spend their morning?" Fred asked.

"Some do, some don't, and for others, it depends on their mood," Paige responded. "As for me, you can probably guess that I come here every morning. I practically live on coffee in the summer. You could call it a morning routine. Without caffeine, I'm a zombie."

"We know," George said. "What about you, Willow, which kind of person are you?"

"My dad would murder me if I drank coffee every morning. I already have loads of energy at the crack of dawn; can you imagine how much I would drive you guys nuts?"

"I can, actually," Paige said. "You walk a dangerous path every morning you decide to wake me up early."

Paige ordered a coffee, then asked for three extra cups. She sat them down next to the window in a booth. Willow wished there was a park nearby for her to stare at instead of the dull grayness of inner-city London. It couldn't be helped, though, so she decided to be sociable. Paige poured a little bit of her coffee into her and George's cups from across the table, and after hesitating, she poured a little into Fred's, too.

"What, you think I couldn't handle a little coffee?" Fred asked.

"Well, having two equally crazy pranksters on the loose in London sounds a bit dangerous, if you ask me," Paige said. "But no one has to know it's me. Enjoy."

Willow took a sip from her cup and swore under her breath as she burnt her tongue. She always did that with hot drinks. In the winter, every time she would drink hot chocolate, without fail, she would take a small sip the moment she poured it and burn her tongue. It was a bad habit that she couldn't break. Aside from how hot it was, the coffee wasn't all that bad. It was a little bitter for her liking, but Willow liked some of the most obscure and odd of tastes, so coffee was definitely something she could acquire.

"I kind of like it, actually," George commented. "When does the caffeine kick in?"

"Believe me, you'll know," Paige said. "You'll start talking even more than you usually do. My- someone used to tell me that I sounded like a rabbit with its tail on fire after I drank coffee."

"As odd as that sounds, that's a good visual," Willow said.

"Thanks."

"Oi, Paige, I almost forgot, why would your parents be mad if they discovered us floo traveling?" Fred inquired. "I mean, you haven't told them anything bad about us, have you? Most Muggle parents are thrilled to see their magical children do non-Muggle things."

Willow tensed up. She looked at the table, hoping that Paige wouldn't try to make eye contact with her. Thankfully, the older girl was so used to these types of questions that she smoothed it over without skipping a beat. "I'm grounded right now."

"Typical. Always getting in trouble somewhere."

Willow let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Thank God the twins were always accepting of Paige's answers and knew not to push further. That could have gotten out of hand fast. Paige chugged the last few ounces of her drink, then set down the empty cup.

"How is Wood coping with the last loss on the year?"

Fred's and George's expressions soured. "He went into full-on rage mode. After the game, he destroyed practically everything in the locker room that wasn't stored out of sight. He vowed to come up with a training plan this summer that will make us unbeatable next year. I have a bad feeling about it."

"If he makes us train even more than last year, he's going to wake up hanging from the rafters."

"Now I'm kind of thanking my lucky stars that I suck at Quidditch," Paige said.

"We have a bet going for whether Wood's plan will fail or not," George continued. "I bet that Wood will go down in flames. Fred bet that he will somehow succeed."

"That reminds me," Fred said, a sly twinkle in his eye. "It has come to my attention that a time period for one of our previous bets has ended, dear brother, and you owe me ten galleons."

"Wait, what?" Willow asked as George groaned.

"I hoped you'd forget," he grumbled. He fished out a handful of golden nuggets from his pocket and handed it to Fred, who high fived Paige. "Here, you won."

"What was this bet about?" Willow questioned.

"These two idiots had the dumb idea to bet on who would spend more time with you over the course of your first year," Paige said. "I think Fred won by a lot."

"Yeah, he did," Willow chortled, though something dropped in her stomach. She decided to puzzle herself over it later. "What are we going to do now?"

"Street soccer won't be taking place for several hours yet, so we're going to walk the streets of London and see if we can't find any interesting places," Paige said. "I know of a few, but word on the street is that there's a new hangout spot that I'd like to check out."

"Let's get going, then," George suggested.

The four got up to leave, Paige leading the way. Willow was about to bring up the rear when a voice stopped her.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Willow turned around. A boy around her age stood there, his cheeks slightly red. He wasn't anything special in appearance, just dressed in all black to match his darker features. Willow wondered why a Muggle boy would pay any attention to her.

"I w-wanted to know if I could buy something for you," the boy stammered, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red. "Y-you're really pretty, by the way."

Willow blushed. "Thanks, but I have to get going. You're very sweet."

The boy looked up hopefully at her. "Can I at least know your name?"

"Yes. It's Willow, Willow Guerrero."

"That's a beautiful name."

Willow smiled. "Thanks. It was nice to meet you."

"It was n-nice to meet you too, Willow."

Willow turned and exited the coffee shop, going so quickly that she nearly ran into all three of her friends, who were standing open-mouthed at the door. She wished she could force the redness out of her cheeks.

"What- what just happened?" George asked.

"I hate to say it, but Willow's already being hit on, and it's not fair," Paige answered. "Why can't anyone be that nice to me? Not that you guys aren't, but you know what I mean."

Fred looked furious. "Nope. This is not okay."

"Oh, relax, will you?" Paige said. "Willow doesn't like it when people fancy her. The only reason she stands there and takes it is because she's nice. If she didn't like the way someone was treating her, or if it was a really creepy person, she would not hesitate to punch them in the face. Come on, let's get going."

Even after they walked nearly a mile away, Fred was still fuming. Willow wished he'd stop being so overprotective and get over himself, but she didn't mind having that extra protection if she would ever need it in the future, so she didn't say anything. Paige and he were whispering together ahead while George lagged behind, occasionally rolling his eyes when Fred said something too loud. Suddenly, they stopped in front of a store window. It displayed a few fancy, fashionable, and popular dresses. Willow wanted to throw up when Fred and Paige looked at each other, sharing the same smirk. They grabbed her by the arms and dragged her into the store despite her protesting. George caught on and helped make sure Willow couldn't escape.

"We've come up with the perfect idea," Fred announced. "It will kill two birds with one stone- you entertain us while receiving light punishment. George, Paige, you know what to do."

The two nodded and went off in search of the perfect dresses for Willow. Fred guarded her, making sure that she wasn't going to get up and escape. She pouted, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Do I have to do this?"

"Yep."

"But making me try everything on in this store is not what I'd call 'light punishment'," Willow said.

"Trust me, we could do much worse."

"You know how much this tortures me!" Willow hissed.

"Exactly my point. You tortured me, I get to torture you," Fred said. "It makes things even."

George and Paige returned, giggling out of control and high fiving. Willow raised her eyebrows, seeing that they were empty handed. She didn't even have to ask before they answered her silent questioning.

"We set up a dressing room for you," Paige explained. "Go try the first one on. Oh, and hand over your camera. I am not missing a chance to embarrass you even more."

Willow held her camera behind her back. "Um, no?"

"Um, yes," Paige said, stepping closer. "Hand it over, chica."

"Wait, you know Spanish?"

"No, she just looked it up to impress you with her limited knowledge of your favorite language," George answered from behind her. Willow realized the camera was no longer in her hands and gaped as George looked through the lens. "Wow, Fred, this thing is cool! Paige, show me how to work it!"

"No, no, no!" Willow said, swiping at her camera. George transferred it to his other hand. "You can't do this to me!"

"Actually, we can," Fred snickered, taking the camera from his twin. "I can see it now: your embarrassing photo plastered all over the halls at Hogwarts, students making copies, and maybe even people asking you to sign them. It might make the comedy section of the Daily Prophet if enough students ask for it."

"I hate you guys!"

"We know," all three of the fourth-years chorused. "Now get in there!"

Willow groaned, but complied before they could come up with another more embarrassing way to punish her. She entered the dressing room, shutting and locking the door behind her, then sized up the dresses she had to try on. The first one she saw was a white, fancy, floor-length dress fit for a wedding reception. It was adorned with enough pearls and diamonds to make it stand out in a crowd. The next one she noticed was more casual and trendy. It was shorter in length, almost too short for Willow's liking. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she could tolerate the unique patterns of blacks, whites, and grays that streaked across the fabric. The dress to the right of that was automatically her favorite when she saw that the tag read, "Made in Mexico." It was a neutral green background with several pops of lighter, brighter colors and tropical designs. She thought back to when she vacationed in Mexico and bartered for one very similar to it. Maybe she would actually like this one. That little bit of hope wasn't nearly enough to help her get through the sight of the last dress. Willow almost threw up in her mouth. The dress was enormous, poofy, and sea green. It was one of those gypsy wedding dresses. Worse, it was bedazzled with an ungodly amount of sparkles. Willow hated sparkly clothing. The only person that knew that was her dad, but it was pretty easy to guess. She had never had a stronger desire to burn something in her entire life.

"Hurry up, Willow!" Fred called. "George finally figured out how to work the camera!"

Deciding to get it over with, Willow disappeared into the giant dress. She hastily zipped up the back and majestically tripped on her way out the door, nearly tearing it off its hinges trying to right herself. Willow thanked her lucky stars that George wasn't there to take a picture of that.

When she finally stepped out into the open, George lowered the camera, Paige smirked, and Fred stared in complete shock. Then, as if on cue, they all burst out laughing at once. Willow's expression didn't change at all. She wished she could laugh at herself, but the dress was itchy and put her in a foul mood.

"I think you would look just as pained if you had a deep cut in your arm!" Fred guffawed.

"This was so worth it!" George said, snapping pictures from where he sat. "Great idea on this one, Paige!"

Willow's mouth dropped open. "Paige! You did this to me?"

Paige wiped the tears out of her eyes from laughing so hard, her stomach heaving. "Of course I did! What else would you expect? I wouldn't miss a chance to torture you like this if it meant passing up millions of pounds!"

Willow sighed heavily. "You guys suck. If we weren't surrounded by Muggles, I would try out my new wand on you guys! I'm due for hexing a person or two."

"Just go try on the next one," Fred laughed. "You look even funnier when you're angry in that thing!"

Willow stomped all the way back to the dressing room, but her anger left for the most part when she took off the hideous dress. The modern dress was met with only a little bit of giggling. Willow looked completely out of place in anything modern, "normal," or fancy. She couldn't wait to get in the Mexican dress. The soft fabric was just how she remembered it, cool and sturdy. She tied the strings behind her neck to hold it up, and, taking a deep breath, stepped out to show her friends.

This time, there wasn't any laughter on anyone's face. Instead, Willow was met with starry gazes. It took her a few seconds to realize her friends were in awe. Her cheeks reddened tremendously. Finally, Fred managed to speak.

"You actually look...I dunno...right, in that one," he said. "Like you aren't completely having your spirit broken."

"Thanks," Willow said, ignoring the few photos George was taking. She turned to leave, wanting to escape all of the positive attention, when something stopped her in her tracks. Her ears would have flicked had she been in a different form. Something had caught her ears off guard. It definitely wasn't her friends' pleas for her to come back. There was something that had just changed in the store, something she hadn't heard in a long time-

Suddenly, it hit her. Willow's favorite Spanish song had just came on the radio in the store. The familiar beat thrummed as fast as her heartbeat, transporting her an ocean away to the restaurant where she had first heard it played. Her feet automatically tapped it out, coursing with energy, begging her to dance. Willow nearly panicked as she found herself coming back to where her three friends were.

"Yes! More pictures, George, ASAP!" Paige ordered.

"Um, guys, do you know this song?" Willow asked.

"No, why?"

"Don't judge me, then."

Before they could even say a word, Willow grabbed Paige's hand and dragged her out into the open space in front of the dressing rooms. She whispered in her ear, "Just go with it, okay?" and started dancing. Paige jumped right into action, not skipping a beat. Willow's feet took off in a complicated rhythm, outpacing Paige by a lot. She shouted out movements to the older girl mid-dance, and by the third chorus, the two were dancing perfectly together. Fred and George cheered them on from the sideline. Willow hoped that these pictures wouldn't make it far. She couldn't care less, though, because she was having more fun with Paige than she'd had in years. When the song ended, both girls were panting hard and genuinely smiling.

"Not bad for picking it up on the move," Willow commented.

"Not bad yourself, Guerrero," Paige winked.

"Where did you learn to do that, Willow?"

"That was amazing! I have so much blackmail to use on you now!"

"I'm going to destroy that camera when I get home," Willow said.

"Oh, shut up already and go try on the last dress! I need a little bit more before I'm satisfied with my collection," George said.

Willow rolled her eyes and complied. She returned in the white dress and pretended to pose for her friends, keeping a serious face the whole time. Judging by the amount of laughter she received from her audience, her facial expressions were painfully out of place with what she was wearing. Willow couldn't help but laugh at herself when she got to see the pictures. After her torment was finally over, Paige and George went to put back the clothing, and the three left, finally returning Willow's camera to her with promises of torture if she deleted any of the pictures ("I need those for several possibly shady purposes!").

The afternoon came and went. They went nowhere in particular, just exploring the downtown area of London, every now and then spotting a burst of light from where Diagon Alley was hidden in the distance. Willow had fun, but what she was mostly holding out for was the street soccer game she was promised that evening. When the sun was beginning to set, Paige finally announced that they had to head to the game.

"It's kind of hidden, between two buildings," Paige explained. "Follow me closely and don't wander off. It's a tricky spot to get to. We made it that way so that no creeps could interrupt our games."

"That's happened before?" George asked.

"Yeah. Long story short, half a gaggle of idiots was talked down by a handful of kids until police arrived. Nothing much, but we didn't want it to happen again. It was annoying more than anything."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "Exciting. I really don't want to kick anyone with a soccer ball, but I will if I have to."

Paige wound through several buildings, traced well-worn gravel alleys, followed some secret messages coded on the sides of the buildings, and climbed a fence with ease. It took the other three a little longer to get over. Willow almost gave up and changed into a falcon before she realized that Paige didn't know yet. They finally reached a locked door with a slit cut in it. Willow peered into it and saw a pair of suspecting eyes staring through, glancing at the twins and her with a tinge of wariness.

"Password?" The guard was a girl, as far as Willow could tell.

"God save the Queen," Paige responded. "I brought a few friends with me. They won't cause you any harm."

The door creaked open, and the girl ushered them inside. Willow found herself staring at a makeshift soccer field surrounded by an a porch-like deck with an overhang. It looked very homemade, as if the kids that played there had patched up and connected several old decks. There were a few kids already out in the grass warming up, laughing and kicking the ball back and forth with the skill and ease that was specific to street soccer kids. Older kids dotted the perimeter, chatting in hushed tones, some smiling, some frowning, almost all with dirty faces. Willow guessed these were some of the kids that guarded the field, similar to the girl that was letting them in. She was older, too, maybe a year older than Paige. Her auburn hair was striking against her darker, dirtier clothing. She nodded towards the field, a neutral expression on her face.

"It's all yours. The game will start in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks," Paige said. "Fred, George, I'm warning you now- if you try to do anything dumb while we're playing, I will make sure you never see Hogwarts again."

"Yes, yes, we know."

"We don't have anything with us."

Paige raised her eyebrows. "Time will tell."

The older girl guided Willow out onto the field, explaining the boundaries, rules, and what to expect. They both took their shoes off and found a beat-up ball to kick around. A steady trickle of players continued to arrive, and the atmosphere improved exponentially with each one. Willow enjoyed watching Paige light up each time another kid she recognized showed up. She liked seeing that smile on her face, and it wasn't until her face hurt that she realized she was smiling, too. Fred and George talked between themselves, most likely scheming for their next great prank. Willow was caught off guard when a friendly face appeared in front of her.

"Oh my God, Dean!" she exclaimed, hugging the taller boy. "I almost forgot you play here, too!"

"Yeah, this is my summer hangout place," Dean said. "It feels like an eternity since I've seen any first years from Hogwarts. I don't like it at all. Do you feel that way, too?"

"Definitely. I've been spending my summer holed up in my room wallowing in self-pity for all I know."

Dean chuckled. "Honestly, I never thought I'd miss the chaos of Hogwarts as much as I do now."

"Me neither. Have you talked to Seamus lately?"

"Yeah, I think our owls are probably ready to fall over dead, as much as we've sent them to each other."

"I should probably send my friends more owls. It might make me feel a little better."

"You'll feel a ton better if you win this game," Dean said. "These guys are a lot tougher than they look. Don't take that the wrong way- they won't injure each other on purpose or on accident. Most people here can't afford a trip to the doctor. We've all learned how to have clean contact and not kill each other's shins or knees. But you have to be light on your feet and quick, or they're going to be running circles around you."

"Hopefully I can keep up," Willow mused.

"You will. Oh, look, they're sorting out teams," Dean said, glancing to his right where everyone was gathering in the middle of the pitch. "Let's go before you get left out."

It turned out, Paige was actually a captain, along with another girl named Jewel. Naturally, Dean and Willow ended up on Paige's team, along with several other kids that were of varying heights and ages. The teams were given sides, and the game began.

"I can't believe we won! We make a pretty good team."

"You've improved dramatically since our Hogwarts scrimmage."

"Aw, Dean, you have too! I'm sure you haven't practiced nearly as much as me, and you're still better than I'll ever be."

"Oh, shut it with the modest nonsense already!" Paige scolded. "You both did amazing! Now quit trying to escape and come talk with the rest of the team."

Willow and Dean glanced at each other, then turned on their heels and raced back to the field, where both teams were gathering for what was shaping up to be social hour. Dean won by a stride.

"Ha! That's what you get for stealing my glory!"

Willow rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Prince Thomas, did I hurt your pride? I score one goal and suddenly I'm a threat to your leadership?"

Dean playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Shut it already. You did great, actually."

"And you could have done better."

"Hey!"

"Oy, new girl!" a girl shouted. Willow recognized her as Jewel, the other team captain. "You're pretty good for a rich girl. Where are you from?"

All eyes turned to Willow. She blushed under their attention, but Dean jabbed her in the back to remind her to speak. "On the outskirts of London. It's considered the countryside, really."

"You're one of the good ones, then," Jewel said, her blue eyes crackling with electricity. "I haven't met too many nice rich girls. Normally you're spoiled brats, and downright awful at football. I'm glad that there's at least one out there that can break the stereotype."

Willow smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, and actually, I wouldn't mind sharing the pitch with you more often," Jewel said. She looked at Paige. "You should bring her more often. I like this one."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she knows the passwords," Paige promised.

Jewel nodded appreciatively, then offered her hand to Willow. "It was nice getting to know you, Willow."

The two girls shook hands, then Jewel turned away to have a conversation of her own with her friends. Dean bade goodbye to Willow and joined a group of guys spectating on the deck. Paige lead her away to where Fred and George were waiting for them next to the exit.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I can kind of understand why Muggles love this game now," Fred admitted. "There are some things other than quidditch that can be fun, I guess. But they'll never come nearly as close as pranking."

"How surprising," Paige said sarcastically.

"Willow held her own out there," George said. "It was entertaining to watch. I only wish she could be that good on the quidditch pitch."

"Oh, be quiet!" Willow scolded, hitting him with her shoes. "I'm getting better. Maybe I'll make a reserve position by third year. I'm trying, I swear."

"You swear?" Fred cried, feigning disgust and surprise all in one.

"Okay, now you're both being ridiculous. I'm going to put my shoes on and ignore you."

"I haven't heard from the Smith twins in a while," Paige commented, suddenly drawing their attention. "Usually they'll owl me once a week to let me know how they're doing. They used to play soccer until their dad died. I became their legal guardian, you could say, and it's really off for them to not say anything. We should drop by their house."

"We definitely should," Willow said, struggling to untie her right shoe. "That's really worrying. I wonder..."

"What?"

"Nothing," Willow said quickly. "Let's just go."

The four headed off to the Smith house. It was a pretty far walk, on the outskirts of London, so Paige showed them how to get there by floo traveling. Fred jokingly went before Willow, but it turned out to be necessary when she fell right into him again. She was never going to get the hang of landing properly. Paige took them away from the abandoned building where the fireplace was located and down a few streets, and finally they arrived at a gated path named Smith Road. The black, rusting fence stretched out as far as Willow could see in either direction. There was something about the place that was unsettling to Willow. Whether it was the gloomy clouds that seemed to droop over the yard, the wild, manicured plants, or the fact that there was no sign of life within a mile radius, she didn't know. But her friends lived here. She couldn't run away because the atmosphere was less than cheery. The four continued towards the gates, where Paige showed them a hole in the fence. They popped out on the other side.

Willow liked it even less. It felt like an icicle had been driven down her back, sending chills up her spine. The grass was patchy and swathed in mud puddles, and despite the excess moisture, most of it was yellow and dying or already dead. The trees that lined the roadway were short, gnarled, and menacing. Their leaves appeared greasy and malnourished, like they were getting poison in place of water. Willow's powers started acting up again, detecting the slightest movement in the grass, sensing the few lifeforms that were barely surviving on the property. Her powers only got stronger as she became increasingly petrified. The grass started turning green around her, almost drawing the eye of Paige. Fred had to kick her in the shin to get her to notice. Willow immediately stuffed them deep down into her stomach, hurting her chest. She ignored it. Willow hated being afraid of the dark now more than ever.

"Why is this place so creepy?" George whispered to Paige, deafening in the silence of the cemetery-like property.

"It's always been like this," Paige explained. "Well, sort of. When their father was alive, they were a well-off family, renowned for their kindness and generosity. This place used to be a public park for the whole of London to visit. People voluntarily took care of it."

"Then what happened?" Willow asked.

"I'm going to let Sally and Samuel tell you the majority of the story, but here's what I can tell you: their mother is not nearly as kind as their father was. She refused to let anyone step foot on her property after he died. She locked the gates, and ever since then, the park has fallen into disuse, a wasteland formerly full of life."

"Wow," Fred whistled. "That's quite the dark tale."

"It is," Paige agreed. She stopped, pointing to the woods circumscribing the rectangular area. "That forest is arguably more dangerous than the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts these days. The Smith twins have been telling me that it now supports all sorts of dark creatures. Their house is nearly broken into by werewolves every full moon."

"What is the moon going to be tonight, exactly?" George asked, his voice pitched as he worriedly glanced at the sun disappearing behind them. "Because this is not the sort of place I'd like to have a monument describing my death."

"Relax, it's a waning gibbus," Paige said. "It's been at least two or three days since the werewolves have appeared."

That didn't seem to settle George's nerves very much. Willow didn't get any less jittery, either.

The four, now more conscious of where their wands were located, forged on, walking along the extremely long road to get to the Smith Manor. It wasn't until they'd crested the third of three large hills that the mansion came into sight. Willow almost threw up in her mouth. It resembled exactly how a haunted house looked in movies, with dark, dreary siding that was falling apart, creaking walls, and howling wind whipping at the gutters, making them sound like wolves. There were actual wolves at the edge of the woods, Willow's senses told her amid the paranoia, but they weren't howling yet. A few broken windows and a single light completed the picture. Paige continued towards the house, apparently used to this haunted appearance.

"Come on, guys, we have two crazy kids to find," she reminded them.

Not wanting to be separated, Fred, George, and Willow ran to catch up with Paige. George was obviously trembling in his boots, but Fred was putting on a braver face. She hoped that Paige and Fred's combined bravery against the dark would be enough to protect them. They reached the front porch. Skipping a step to avoid falling through a broken one, they made it before the front door. Willow tried to swallow the sense of dread that her senses were dragging her down with as Paige knocked on the front door. No answer. After a few seconds, she tried again. No answer again. Paige knocked as loud as she could the third time. The only sound was the tinkling of scary-looking wind chimes.

"Oh well, no one's home. Can't say we didn't try," George said, relief evident in his voice.

"No, they're home," Paige said. She blinked, as if steeling herself against a sudden realization. "Something's wrong. They always answer the door right away. No matter what."

Willow's heart stopped, yet the adrenaline was beginning to seep into her veins. Her friends were in trouble? She could barely piece together a coherent thought as Fred logically questioned, "What should we do, then?"

"We break in," Paige said, already picking the lock with a wire in her pocket.

"Do you seriously carry that around everywhere you go?" Fred said.

Paige paused, raising her eyebrows at him. "I'm pretty sure you can come up with a sure answer for that one, Weasley. I've seen you pick locks plenty of times to know that you do the same thing."

"Hey, it's a useful skill. Never know when it'll come in handy."

The door lock clicked. Paige hastily turned the handle and shoved the door open. The four flooded inside, taking positions on either side of the entrance hall. Paige put a finger to her lips to signal being quiet, then stealthily snuck down the right hallway, the other three in her wake. She lead them along a few passageways, and finally they ended up in a dark dining room. Paige gestured for them to circle up.

"Willow, you've got the best hearing," she breathed. "Can you hear the Smith twins anywhere?"

Willow listened intently to the world around her. At first, it was all the normal creaking and groaning of the house, but then something caught her attention. It was so faint, she almost thought she imagined it until it came again, louder this time. She was even able to pinpoint where it was coming from.

"I hear them," she said at last. "They're on the floor above us, maybe three rooms to the north and one west."

"That's detailed," Fred noted.

Paige slapped him. "Not the time, Weasley! This is serious!"

Fred rubbed his bruised shoulder. "Ouch, sorry. Just lightening the mood before we go off and blow stuff up."

"We are not blowing stuff up," Paige scolded. "Alright, I think I know which room you're talking about, Willow, and if I'm correct, there aren't too many deadly spots along the way. Let's go."

"Hold on, deadly spots?" George squeaked as they rose to follow Paige. "As in possible traps?"

Paige didn't answer. She guided them up the stairs, painstakingly checking every step before putting her full weight on it. They made it through three more rooms and were about to head through the fourth when Paige stopped them all suddenly.

"Listen," she hissed.

Now, the sound was closer than ever. Willow had pinpointed them, alright. The others may have only just begun to hear it, but to Willow, it was as if they were standing right next to her. Fear really did increase her powers. Without warning, bloodcurdling screams would erupt from two rooms down. The door was shut, blocking out a good deal of the sound, and Willow couldn't imagine what it would do to her eardrums if it was actually open. Another scream sounded, bringing her to her knees. The horrible reality of the situation pieced itself together as her senses picked up more sounds- the sheathing and unsheathing of a knife, the blast of magical spells reducing walls to rubble, the snap of a belt that might as well have been the crack of a whip. Willow covered her ears and managed to stand back up, her friends staring at her.

"Guys, Sally and Samuel are in trouble," she choked out. "We have to rescue them. Someone is beating them."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the twins, and Paige was barely able to stop herself from charging straight into the room. Her eyes glinted with malice and the thirst for a certain villain's blood. She drew her wand, aiming it at the door.

"No!" Willow snatched her wand away. "That person in there has a wand. If they see the door get blown off its hinges, they might kill everyone in sight."

Paige sighed. "Fine. You're right. Give me my wand back." Willow complied. "What's your plan then, Guerrero?"

Willow thought for a moment, her mind racing in panic. The screams were hitting higher pitches now, as if calling out for help with more urgency. She had to act fast. They couldn't use their wands without facing an inquiry at the Ministry. No, those had to be saved for a last resort. Her friends might be punished if they did that. She could use her powers- wait, no, Paige and the Smith twins couldn't know. A piercing cry followed by sobs nearly sent Willow into the wall.

Think, think! she frantically screamed at herself. We could all charge in there at once, take her by surprise. Wait, no, we've already ruled that out. There's no other options!

"Willow, five seconds, or we're coming up with our own!" Paige said.

For some unknown reason, Willow made eye contact with Fred. They understood each other perfectly. He gave a little nod, which told Willow everything she needed to know. They would have understood each other just the same had they spoken out loud.

"I've got it," Willow said. "Paige, you're probably going to panic. Don't. I haven't told you anything about this yet. I promise I'll explain afterwards. No time right now."

"What- why would I panic?" the older girl asked, caught off guard.

Willow ignored her question. "Fred, George, cover me!"

Sprinting to the door before she could change her mind, Willow turned the handle and blindly threw herself into the room, knowing her courage would fail if she stopped. She briefly glanced at the situation and summed it up in her head.

Blond woman with belt, Sally unconscious behind Samuel!

The woman didn't even get a chance to turn around before Willow willed herself to morph. Since the ceiling was high, she didn't even have to worry about folding up her wings. The scales grew in bright red, her pupils were reduced to slits, long, curved, deadly claws replaced her fingernails, and a spiked tail grew out of her back. She stared at the woman, and the woman at her.

"How dare you come in my house, filthy animal!" she shrieked. "Samuel, this is all your fault! You deserve everything that's coming to you!"

Willow watched, wide-eyed as a dragon could be, as the woman attacked Samuel with the belt, cracking it over his cheekbone, his forehead, his neck, shoulder, arm, stomach, legs- everywhere. She beat him so fast with such accuracy that Willow wondered if this wasn't the first time she'd beaten the children. That was confirmed when Willow saw the scars poking out from underneath Samuel's now torn long sleeve shirt. The boy fell to his knees, covering his head and begging the woman to stop.

"Mum, please, stop!" he begged. "I didn't mean to!"

"You damn well did, Samuel Smith! You're lucky you'll even get dinner tonight!"

That was it. Willow snapped. This was the Smith twins' mother. She was torturing them, beating them, abusing them verbally until they actually believed everything was their fault. How dare this woman touch them. How dare she hurt her friends like this?

"Willow?" Paige gasped. "What- did you- did you just-"

Willow barely even heard her. She roared louder than she had ever roared before, unleashing her fury on the woman. Willow swiped her claw at the woman's soft stomach, cutting her deep and knocking her into a wall. She hit it with what would have been a sickening thud had she not deserved it. The woman stumbled to her feet, pointing a wand at Willow.

"You'll pay for this!" she spat. She literally spat blood on the floor. "Samuel deserves this! How dare you attack me, his loving mother! I'm teaching him right from wrong! What is the harm in that?"

Willow roared as an answer, shaking the entire house. She pounced on the woman, snapping her jaws inches from her face just to scare her, then picked her up and threw her against the opposite wall. Willow's friends stood by, open-mouthed. The woman was even more beat up now and took longer to get to her feet.

"I see how it is," she cackled. "I see now! One of you little brats called them for help, didn't you? Look at me!" she barked. Samuel's fearful eyes turned to his mother. "You know the rules, Samuel! You're not allowed to ask for help, not when you deserve this!"

"Shut up! Don't listen to her, Samuel!" Paige shouted. "She's manipulating you!"

"Silence!" the woman shrilled, casting a silencing charm at them. Willow's blood boiled when she saw that her friends were trying to say something, but no sound was coming out. The woman smirked.

"Ah, yes, where were we?" she tutted. "Oh, right, punishing Samuel!"

The woman cast a spell at Samuel, but Willow saw the words forming on her lips and reacted quicker than she could cast it. Willow threw herself in front of the woman, blocking the spell and absorbing it in her tough dragon hide. Although it didn't hurt like a normal Crutiatus Curse, Willow's form flickered, and she realized how quickly her strength was fading. The woman's face contorted in agitation.

"Fine! I guess I need to kill you guys to get some quality alone time with my children," the woman said, as if they were annoying pests that she absolutely had to get rid of. She raised her wand and pointed it directly at George. "Avada Kedavra!"

Willow originally thought she jumped too late. The spell rocketed towards the frozen redhead as if it was shot out of a canon. Her chest constricted with fear. George was about to die! She couldn't let that happen, not while she still had life left in her! Willow jumped without a second thought, directly into the path of the spell. She stretched her body as far as it would go and beat her wings for extra propulsion. Suddenly, she was in front of George, then in the next moment, she was flung across the room from the sheer power of the spell. Willow hit the floor with a loud thud, leaving a nice battle wound for later. She realized a second later she was now in human form. Apparently, taking a killing curse, even in the form of a dragon, was the last straw for her shape-shifting abilities. Willow rolled over, trying to get to her feet. She must have hit her head. It was super fuzzy and unable to focus correctly.

"Look what you've made me do, Samuel!" the woman shrieked, stepping closer and closer to her son, who weakly stood in front of his sister. "This all could have been prevented if it weren't for you."

Willow stumbled to her feet. Her head suddenly cleared, as if a foggy morning ascended into noon. She took in the current situation. While she had been down, the woman had cast a spell that held Fred, George, and Paige against the wall. They struggled against invisible bindings, silently insulting her. It didn't take a very experienced lip reader to decipher what they were saying. Samuel's mum had returned to his side, her belt at ready, wand in her pocket. Willow's brain made up its mind in a split second. Just as the belt came down again, Willow charged.

How the woman didn't see her coming, she didn't know. Maybe she thought that Willow had been knocked unconscious when she hit the wall. Maybe she was that stupid. Whatever it was, she yelped when Willow bowled her over. She tried to grab her wand, fumbling for it in her pocket, but Willow had thought ahead and stolen it before they even hit the ground. The woman angrily thrashed and hacked at her attacker, desperately trying to grab her wand again. Willow transferred the wands to her left hand. She didn't even stop to think before she brought her right fist down with everything she had into the woman's face.

A satisfying crack strangely echoed off the walls. The woman's jaw was at a gross angle, and her eyes were closed. She had probably been knocked out. Willow massaged her bleeding, throbbing knuckles. That was a hard hit. Just in case the woman was faking, Willow sprang off of her, pointing both her own wand and the woman's wand at her. She counted to ten seconds to make sure she was down. Then, she returned to Samuel, who had joined his sister on the floor. Quickly checking their pulses, Willow determined that both of them were alive and as well as they could be after being beaten. Maybe just a little head trauma, but other than that, no life-threatening injuries. Her knuckles were even beginning to heal themselves already. Willow breathed a sigh of relief.

That didn't last long. A hefty blow hit her in the back of the head. Willow hit the floor hard, her nose instantly gushing blood. Of course, she had turned her back on that dumb woman! She had been so careful to get off of her right away, but she made the fatal mistake of turning her back when she checked on the twins. How much more of an idiot could she be?

Willow's friends were still stuck in their soundless prisons against the wall, struggling harder than ever to remove their bonds. The woman rolled Willow over, blood dripping out of her mouth, and placed her hands on her throat. For a second, Willow simply sat there and blinked. Then, reality set it.

Oh, how convenient. I'm being choked to death.

Willow struggled. She was used to having little ability to breathe, but nothing like this. There was nothing to prepare her for the sheer panic that sets in when someone is cutting off her airways. The woman's bloodshot eyes showed no mercy, only thirst for blood. Willow groped for something, anything to help her.

Then, she saw it. The slightest breeze outside rustled the leaves in the tree. She vaguely heard them. The window right beside her was open, only a screen separating inside from out. If she could just get this woman off of her...

Willow closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. She didn't need to breath just yet, and the less she struggled, the less oxygen she would need. The wind rustled peacefully outside. On top of her, the woman continued crushing her windpipe, determined to murder this intruder in her "morality" lesson with her kids. She slowly inched her way towards the window. Her vision was beginning to falter, the pain in her neck worse. But she kept going. Maybe she was so close to death that she had reached nirvana, because Willow would never be able to explain later how she stayed so calm while the life was being choked out of her. Finally, right when they were next to the window, Willow opened her eyes. She glanced at her friends, saw their worried expressions, saw their screaming, and had the audacity to wink and grin before throwing herself and the woman through the screen and plummeting towards the ground below.

The tree reacted to Willow's silent commands. It caught the both of them. Willow gasped a fresh breath of clean air, the woman still screaming from their fall. The tree ripped them apart, cutting up the woman a little bit. Then, while the tree held her in its highest branches, Willow gave one last command. The tree coiled up all of its branches, tightened them together to form a little ball, and trapped the woman inside. They encroached on her space until only just enough of it was left for her to stand up. The tree stood still, and Willow, satisfied that the woman was safely trapped inside the tree, commanded it to throw her back through the window. It had surprisingly good aim and she landed without any harm on the bloody second floor dining room of the Smith Manor. She fell over upon landing, as usual with any sort of traveling anymore, then sprang to her feet and ran over to her friends. They were still trapped in their invisible prison, but the silencing spell had finally worn off.

"Willow! You're alive! You made it!" Paige cried. "How did- what did you do?"

"A long story for another time," Willow croaked, wincing at how sore her throat was. "Fred, George, did one of you leave your name tags at the Burrow?"

"I did," George said.

"Good," Willow said, fishing hers out of her pocket. "I'm going to call in some help. I don't have a clue how to get you guys down from there, the twins need medical attention, and their mum it currently waiting for aurors to come pick her up." She tapped her name tag. "Ostende faciem tuam!"

A strangely angled view of the Burrow's living room came into view. Arthur Weasley was on the edge of the frame. Willow's heart sped up in a small ray of hope.

"Mr. Weasley!" Willow shouted. "Mr. Weasley!"

Arthur stood up so suddenly that he spilled a bit of his coffee. He fumbled with the name tag for a moment before his face settled into view. "Willow? What's that matter? Why aren't you home yet?"

"Mr. Weasley, there's been an incident," Willow said. "We went to see the Smith twins at their house because Paige hasn't heard from them in a while, and we found their mother beating them. Paige, Fred, and George are stuck against the wall, Sally and Samuel are unconscious with minor injuries, and Mrs. Smith is- harmless, at the moment." Willow angled the name tag so that Mr. Weasley saw the three hovering midair, the twins on the floor, and the tree wrapped around Mrs. Smith. "Can you send a little bit of help?"

"Merlin's beard, Willow, do you go looking for trouble?" Mr. Weasley exclaimed.

"No, sir, but please send that help. I don't have the counter-curse to get your sons and Paige down."

"Yes, yes, I'll gather some extra wands and be there as quick as I can. Stay there, and for God's sake, don't try to do anything rash!"

"I won't," Willow promised as Mr. Weasley's face faded. "Abscondam faciem tuam."

The name tag returned to its usual cheery self, reading, Hello, my name is: Willow Guerrero! Willow slipped it back into her pocket and waited with her friends, trying to keep them entertained by randomly changing conversation topics. It didn't work to well. Her voice was reduced to a half-gurgle, half-whimper within minutes. She decided to save her voice for when help arrived. The Smith twins remained completely unconscious, so the only other noise left in the room was the crackling of the fire pits on either end and the pounding of Mrs. Smith against the tree outside. The tree didn't even budge. Willow made a mental note to thank that tree later with extra water and attention. Finally, Mr. Weasley burst through the door, a minimum of ten other witches and wizards behind him. They all had their wands at the ready.

"Where is Mrs. Smith?" a dark-skinned wizard demanded.

Willow pointed to the tree outside. "Follow the knocking and you'll find her."

While the majority of the witches and wizards crossed the room to figure out how to apprehend Mrs. Smith, Arthur worked on freeing his twin sons and Paige from the wall. He muttered a few simple counter-curses, and within seconds, all three of the third years were group-hugging Willow. She didn't know how to react, so she simply stayed still. Paige finally pried them off of her.

"Mr. Weasley, is there anyone here to help with the Smith twins?" Willow asked.

"That would be me," a familiar voice said.

Willow whipped around to find herself facing her dad, relief and worry etched into his face. The colored drained out of hers. She wanted to jump into his arms and back away at the same time, profusely apologizing. Of course, something ridiculous came out of her dumb mouth.

"Please don't take away my day trip privileges," Willow said quickly.

Carlos burst out laughing. He pulled his dumbfounded daughter into a tight hug. "You almost get killed for the God-knows-which time, and the first thing you do is beg to keep your day trip privileges?"

Willow cracked a shy smile. "I have my priorities."

"You need to sort those out," Paige snickered. "Back to the topic of the Smith twins, please?"

"Oh, right," Carlos said. The group crossed the room to where the Smith twins laid at awkward angles next to each other. Carlos pulled them into regular lying positions and checked them out, every now and then trying a spell. He glanced at Willow as he finished his examination.

"Have you tried healing them yet, just in case my magic doesn't work?"

"Oh, shoot, no," Willow said, shaking her head in self-disappointment. "I was so distracted by everything else that I nearly forgot I could do that. I can't believe myself..."

"Less self-pity, more healing, please," Paige said. "We'll cover you. Well, they will. I haven't seen this yet, so I'm watching."

Willow half-smiled. As the four guys sat on their knees, talking with one another and creating a shield, Willow and Paige attended to Samuel and Sally. The familiar tingling feeling warmed up her hands until they were glowing, then spread in simple curling designs across the twins' bodies. Just like last time, it mainly concentrated in their heads. Now Willow had an inkling as to why.

"Wow," Paige breathed. "I don't know whether to be mad at you for not telling me about this, terrified that you're going to impale me with a tree, or mockingly bowing at your feet."

"All three would be fine," Willow said.

Paige told the guys they were fine to stand again, and Willow wandered closer to where the other witches and wizards were discussing an elaborate plan to capture Mrs. Smith. She was still knocking against the tree and making zero progress. The tree held firm. She actually got lost in thought, dreaming up satisfying images of the woman trapped in the tree, when Mr. Weasley tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, Willow, did you do that to Mrs. Smith?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I think it would be a good idea if you made it easier for the Ministry workers to capture her," he hinted.

"Oh, right," Willow said. She lazily flicked her hand, and the tree chucked Mrs. Smith through a window. She smashed the glass so hard that she was unconscious by the time she landed in her own ruined family room. The dads and her three friends stared at her in shock.

"What?" Willow said, shrugging. "It's a lot easier to manipulate plants than you think."

"Well, it's not that."

"It's the way you carelessly threw a woman into her own house."

"Hey, the tree did it, not me," Willow reasoned, holding her hands up in innocence. She didn't know whether it was her imagination or not, but she could have sworn that she heard the tree creek and grumble in complaint.

"Arthur," the dark-skinned man said, walking over. "We've got Mrs. Smith from here. I'll keep in touch with you guys about the details of her trial and what will happen with the twins. You guys go home and get some sleep. You'll need it after this kind of ordeal."

"Thank you, Kingsley," Mr. Weasley said. With several flashes, all of the Ministry employees apparated back to the Ministry, taking Mrs. Smith with them. The Smith twins took that perfect opportunity to wake up.

"Hey, guys," Sally coughed. "How did you get in here?"

"Paige picked the lock. What did you expect?" Willow chuckled.

Samuel looked around in a daze. "Where's Mum? She went to bed, didn't she? She'll be really mad if I have visitors at this hour...what time is it, anyway? I seem to have lost track."

Willow glanced between her dad and Mr. Weasley. They nodded, as if giving permission. Willow took a deep breath. "Your Mum has been apprehended and taken to the Ministry to await trial. You don't have to worry about her anymore."

Sally and Samuel looked at each other, unsure of how to react at first, then melted into an emotional hug. They cried on each other's shoulders, squeezing tight as if they were afraid the other might get ripped away at any moment. At length, they pulled away from each other, wiping their eyes on their dirty shirts.

"Sorry, it's just- God is that a good feeling, getting rid of Mum," Sally sniffed.

"It's alright. We understand," Paige said.

"Well, since it's late, and my house is closest, you can all crash at my house tonight," Carlos offered. "Does that sound good to everybody?"

Everyone nodded in assent. Samuel showed them which fireplace was connected to the Floo Network, and they were whisked away to the Guerrero Mansion. Fred was there to catch Willow (again). Carlos prepared all of the extra bedrooms for the guests while Willow gave her guests a half-tour of her mansion. By half past eleven, the Weasleys were sleeping in the room next to Willow's, the Smith twins were in the room next to Carlos's, and Paige was in Willow's bed. Willow, of course, had chosen to sleep on the floor instead of shoving Paige down there. Her back hurt from all of the fighting, anyway. By midnight, the Guerrero Mansion had fallen into silence again, and everyone sank into a peaceful sleep, and for once, that included Willow.