I have one reviewer… I'm happy… I'd like more, but I'm not picky… *cries*

~Hoshiko

Secrets of Teresa Doony

            The next day the twins weren't getting any better. George was getting ill to his stomach, and Fred's eyes were watering horribly.

            'I can't allow you to go to the shop today,' Mrs. Weasley said as she gave them both potions. They took them quickly, to get the taste done with, and immediately started to feel better. George stopped getting sick, at any rate.

            'We're fine, mum!' Fred said through a stuffy nose, and Mrs. Weasley frowned.

            'I'll tell Terry she doesn't have to come to work today. Where does she live?'

            'We'll do it.' George sat up, but started feeling queasy again, and lay back down.

            'I'll do it. What's her address?'

            'Number twenty-two Charterhouse Street,' Fred sniffed, and Mrs. Weasley left the two, who groaned when she left.

            'Wonderful bloody day,' Fred said, and George agreed silently.

            Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, made her way downstairs and to the fireplace. Quickly she threw a handful of floo powder into the dying flames, and stuck her head in.

            'Number twenty-two Charterhouse Street,' she said, and the floo powder took her there the way it always had. She gasped at what she saw.

            The room was dark; chairs and tables upturned everywhere. Three inches of dust had settled on the floor, and rat droppings could be seen everywhere. The only light source was on small, dusty beam, protruding from the torn shades like a flimsy attempt at 'lumos.' No one had lived there for years. She pulled her head back immediately, and the green flames disappeared. She must have gotten the address wrong; it wasn't possible that Terry lived there. Mrs. Weasley didn't take the time to go up the stairs and aparated into the twin's room, shaking them both.

            'Mum, don't do that!' Fred exclaimed and sunk back down in the bed.

            'What was the address?' Mrs. Weasley asked sharply, and the twins repeated it. Her suspicions were confirmed. 'Boys, she lied to you. She doesn't live there. No one has for years.'

            'Are you sure you said it correctly?' Fred asked, and their mother nodded.

            'Yes, I'm positive,' Mrs. Weasley said and walked down the stairs. She was going to ask why. The girl must have had a good reason for lying; she seemed extremely nice and good-natured. In one quick movement Mrs. Weasley threw the powder into the fire, stepped into it and cried 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Shop!' After a bit of spinning she landed in their fireplace, to find Terry's head in her arms, asleep. 'Terry, dear,' she said quietly, shaking the girl with one hand. Terry awoke slowly, her eyes focussing on the rather large woman.

            ''Ello Mrs. Weasley!' she said as she rubbed an eye, 'where's Fred and George?'

            'Sick, dear.'

            'Oh, is the shop not going to be open today?'

'No.'

'What's wrong, are they horribly ill?' Terry asked, noticing the woman's normally smiling face wearing an expression of anger, and a slight hint of confusion.

'No, it's just a chill, but I want to ask you something.' Mrs. Weasley said, and put her hand on Terry's shoulder, 'at my house, if you don't mind.'

'Not at all, ma'am, not at all,' Terry said, and they used the floo network to get back to the Burrow. 'It's a loverly 'ouse, it really is.' Terry said, taking another look around. Mrs. Weasley bid a teapot come over, and in two cups she poured some, giving one to Terry. 'What's on your mind, Mrs. Weasley?'

'Terry…' Mrs. Weasley said slowly, not particularly sure how to start it, 'I visited number twenty-two Charterhouse Street today.' Terry's face fell at those words, the hollows of her face more pronounced. She looked older than her early twenties, quite more like her mid thirties.

'Oh…' was all she said, and stared down at her teacup.

'Where do you really live?'

'Well… you see…' Terry's mind was racing. She didn't want to tell Mrs. Weasley that she really didn't have a home, that she would make herself invisible every night and wash in the stream, as well as do her clothes. No Muggles ever saw; she had put up a sign that said 'dangerous waters,' so that she would be given her privacy. She had enough money for soap and a few sets of clothes, but that was about it; not nearly enough for a house or an apartment. 'Well, like I've said- money's tight, and er- yeah…' she trailed off and dropped her head in her arms. Mrs. Weasley could tell she was clearly ashamed.

'Dear…' she said softly, and Terry lifted her head, 'where have you been sleeping all this time?'

'By the river…' Terry said and Mrs. Weasley sighed.

'For how long?'

'A month.'

'Your lucky it's been warm.'

'I know.'

'That simply won't do!' Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, standing, 'you'll simply have to stay here.'

'I couldn't!' Terry said as she watched the older woman walk around the room. 'You're very kind and everything, but you have so many children, it would be-'

'Nonsense,' Mrs. Weasley said, 'you can…' she sighed, 'have Percy's old room for the time being.'

'Where will Percy sleep?' Terry asked, but immediately realized she had done a no-no. Mrs. Weasley sobbed silently for a second, and Terry stood.

'I'm sorry if I ins-'

'No, dear, you didn't. I'm just getting worked up. I'll check and see if my husband has any objections.' She said, and again used the floo network to talk to him. Mr. Weasley agreed, and Ron showed her to Percy's room.

'Redecorate it,' Ron said, looking around the badges that Percy hadn't bothered to take with him, 'I need a change of setting.' He said sourly, and went back to writing Harry a letter. She had just sat on the bed when the twins came in to the door.

'I see she gave you his room,' Fred said, glancing around it. A picture of Percy still shining his Headboy badge around hung on the room.

'So you 'eard us?'

'Wasn't that hard,' George said, grinning, holding up an extendable ear.

'I see.'

'Like Ron said, redecorate, I know the next time that bloody picture shines it's badge again it's going to get torn to pieces.'

'What did Percy do, anyway?' Terry asked, taking the picture off the wall and stuffing it under the bed.

'Sided totally with the Minister,' George said venomously. 'The rest of us are with Dumbledore, but of course Percy had to be the best for his boss.'

'Oh, yes, I do remember him… he was a prefect, wasn't he? Got me in trouble once or twice for sneaking out at night.'

The twins grinned, looking at each other and asked in unison, 'for what?'

'Set off a few stink bombs in Snape's office, putting an odd ingredient in a simmering potion, leaving a Screaming Yoyo in the hall to wake up any teacher there. Oh, yes, it was a grand time.'

'Not bad, but did you hear about our escape from Umbridge?' George asked, and explained the whole predicament. Terry was thouroughly impressed.

'If I remember correctly I could never live up to your par,' Terry said, shaking her head, 'most of your stuff was brilliant from the start.'

'Aww… thanks,' the twins said together, pretending to blush. 'You probably would have done fine if you had someone to work with.'

'Should have given us a call.'

'Did Bighead boy catch you with screaming yo-yo?'

'Naw, 'course not. 'E did catch me coming back from setting off the stinkbombs, turned me it. I don't even think 'e was a prefect at that point, just sort of tattled. Snape and I never got along very well after that, if it's possible to 'ate a Gryffindor more than 'e does the 'ouse itself.'

'Why'd you do it?' George asked, and Terry shrugged.

''E spilled my potion purposely because I actually got it right for once,' she said, and George nodded.

'He has a knack for doing that to people. Did the same thing to a kid named Harry Potter. He was there when you were in school, wasn't he?' Terry thought for a moment, and told them she remembered a little black-haired boy running around and having Gryffindor win the house cup.

'Yup, that's him, best friend's with Ron, nice boy-'

'FRED AND GEORGE!' Mrs. Weasley was standing in the doorway, and they winced when she bellowed their name.

'Mum?'

'Get yourselves back in bed right now!' she said, and they sighed, dragging their feet into the next room.