Chapter 44
Unexpected Messages
Cassie stood in the kitchen for a minute staring at the blank space where Arthur had stood just
seconds ago. It wasn't that she was surprised at the ease with which he disapparated. She had seen
that often enough now that she was almost used to it. Nor was it that he and Molly had been
kissing and laughing. She had seen that enough in her own house. No, it was just the fact that he
had left to go to her house. He was going to see her parents and possibly her brothers while she
was here. And she had to admit that she was jealous. She wanted to go home at that moment
more than she had wanted to since her first night at Hogwarts. Molly smiled kindly at her and she
forced her face into an answering smile.
"He loves your parents dearly, you know." Cassie nodded, not really trusting herself to speak at
that moment, afraid she might break into tears if she opened her mouth. Molly seemed to read her
mind. "How about some tea? It'll cheer you up, I'm sure." Cassie nodded and sank into one of the
chairs at the kitchen table as Molly lit the stove and put the kettle on. "There you are. I don't
blame you for being unhappy. It's hard to be away from home sometimes." Cassie tentatively
sipped the liquid in front of her as she had not recognized the brand of tea that Molly had used. It
was good, although very different than anything she had had before. But it was hot and sweet and
that's what comforted her.
When she finally felt like she could say something, she tried her voice. "How does Ginny do it?
Being away at school for months and months."
Molly sighed. "Well, the first year is usually hard for the children - all seven of them have
struggled a little bit. Bill was the worst because he was all alone. The others have all had at least
one sibling there at the same time and Ginny had four at the beginning. But they adjust quickly.
You know, it's one thing to have Dumbledore tell me that you are Ginny's age and it's another
thing to see you. You are very young. Have you ever been away before - for more than a day or
two, I mean?" Cassie shook her head in reply. "No wonder you're having a difficult time of things,
then. But hopefully you'll feel comfortable here and think of it as a second home."
"I'll try." Molly patted her shoulder gently and looked like she was going to say something when
George walked into the kitchen.
"Hello. Is something wrong?"
"She's just a little homesick, you know. I was telling her that she should think of this as a second home."
"Ah. Any more tea?"
"Certainly. I trust you can make it yourself." And she left the kitchen, muttering something Cassie
couldn't catch. George took the kettle off the stove and made his tea, looking over his shoulder at
her as she sat at the table.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes. I think so. It's just your dad went . . . and I'm still here . . . and, I don't know. I feel
completely useless. I'm not doing one single thing." She sniffed and wished she had a napkin or
something. She had the definite impression that her nose was going to start running. He sat down
across from her and took her hand off the table, rubbing his thumb across the back of her
knuckles in a way that Cassie imagined was supposed to be comforting although she felt anything
but calmed by it.
"Well, you are free to think of this as a second home while you're here. Just don't start thinking of
me as your brother, okay?" She laughed, then blushed as it came out kind of watery-sounding.
"I won't. Your mum is really nice."
"Thanks. I think the whole family is pretty nice, especially her twin sons, well, one of them
anyway." She laughed again and this time it sounded more like her normal self.
"How do you do that? Cheer me up so easily, I mean.."
"That's what I do for a career, remember? If I couldn't cheer up one little girl, I would have to
retire. Are you feeling like working on those notes right now or do you want to wait a while?"
Cassie thought for a minute staring at his thumb as it ran over her hand. She knew he meant the
little girl as an endearment and wasn't offended. She felt butterflies start flying in the region of her
stomach. They were alone sitting here in the quiet kitchen. Completely alone, like they had been in
the kitchen of the Three Broomsticks yesterday morning. And she certainly remembered what had
happened then. She desperately wanted to be held by him again, not necessarily for the kissing
(although she wouldn't complain about that at all) but more just because she felt adrift and hoped
that he would anchor her somehow. She turned her hand over abruptly so that his hand and hers
were palm against palm. He smiled at her and turned his hand so that their fingers could interlace.
"I think now is a good time to write the notes. I guess I'll go get my quill and parchment." She
reluctantly pulled her hand away from his. "That is assuming I can find Ginny's room again, of
course. Last time I got confused and stopped one floor too soon."
"I'm sorry. We haven't really been very fair to you, expecting you to find your way around. The
house is a little, uh, odd at first. You have to get used to it, I suppose."
"It's like Hogwarts in miniature. I think magicked buildings are just a little bit confusing." She
shook her head. "I'm talking like I'm an expert. Sorry."
"That's all right. You didn't offend me or anything. You're completely right. Hogwarts is
confusing and so is this house, well, to a non-family member. Now come on - a complete tour is
going to take a while." He stood up to stand next to her and it was so natural to let their fingers
intertwine again that she barely noticed until he squeezed her hand tight a moment later. "Wait.
Here is the first stop on the tour - the family clock." Cassie looked up at the face of the clock and
did a double take.
"Family clock? What is it exactly?"
"See, each family member had a hand and this is how mum keeps track of all of us. It's a family
heirloom, of course. They're very rare and very valuable and this one only works for Weasleys
anyway."
"But Harry and Hermione have hands, too." Cassie stared with fascination at the miniature
pictures of her four friends, all of which were on hands pointed directly at the word "School."
Arthur's was on "Visiting," George's and Molly's were on "Home" and Fred's was on "Up to No
Good." George laughed as he noted her interest in Fred's hand.
"Actually, I think Fred's upstairs. I think that is our default position, you see, and if we're not
doing anything else, that's where they go."
"I see. That can't be good." Just then, the object of their conversation walked into the kitchen.
"Hullo."
"Hi, Fred." Cassie smiled brightly up at him.
"Looking at the old clock, eh? You know, it's interesting to me how Mum can make the clock
reflect what is worrying her at the moment."
"What do you mean?" Cassie asked after a second when George didn't say anything.
"Well, notice that the old 'In Mortal Peril' spot has been replaced - temporarily of course." She
turned and looked up at the face of the clock. Traveling, Work, Visiting, Snogging, School, . . .
wait a second, Snogging! Cassie felt her heart start pounding double time. The thought of
George's hand pointing there off and on throughout the day yesterday made her extremely
aggravated. His mother would have known all the times they kissed? How humiliating was that?
"Try it! It's amazingly accurate."
"If you insist," teased George and he pulled her into a tight embrace and lifted her chin for his
kiss. Their lips met and Cassie didn't really care what the clock did or didn't say for a moment, but
then her curiosity got the better of her and she pulled away, just in time to see George's hand
move from "Home" to "Snogging." Her eyes got really big, though, when, in golden letters on the
hand, the initials CR suddenly appeared.
"Th, Th, That's for me?"
"Of course. What would be the point of knowing someone was snogging if you didn't know with
whom?"
"That's enough, Fred. I think you've scared her adequately. He's just teasing you, Cassie."
"Spoil sport. You could have let her think that Mum can know every time you two lip-lock.
Would have kept the two of you honest." George's hand moved back to "Home" and Fred readied
his wand to apparently undo whatever he had done to the clock. Before he could do it, though, all
three of them laughed as both Ginny's and Harry's hands moved from "School" to the new
category, a small HP showing up on Ginny's hand and a small GW appearing on Harry's. "You
know, Mum may actually be interested in this after all. Maybe I should ask if she wants me to
leave it like this."
"I don't think so. Remove the charm."
Fred smirked at his twin. "You have no sense of humor. I always knew I was the funnier of the
two of us." He removed the charm and "In Mortal Peril" rewrote itself where "Snogging" had
been just a moment before. The small golden letters disappeared from Harry's and Ginny's hands
and they slid back to "School."
"Yeah. You just keep thinking that." All three of them walked out into the living room where
Molly was sitting, reading a book. "I'm taking Cassie on a tour of the house, Mum."
She looked up at George. "All right." She turned to the other red-headed boy. "You go along
with them."
"I think George can handle it himself. He doesn't get lost too often coming downstairs from our
room." Molly's lips pursed as she regarded Fred and then her eyes fixed on George.
"You had better be a gentleman. I mean it." Cassie could feel the color rising in her face. What did
she think was going to happen? George started to protest, apparently thinking along the same
lines, but she just waved her hand in dismissal. "Go on, then," and George's mouth closed. He
took her hand.
"Obviously, this is the living room." A quick glance revealed a warm and welcoming room,
comfortable looking furniture, and a slightly worn looking rug covering the dark wood beams of
the floor. The room was wallpapered in a pink and green floral pattern that Cassie thought was
quite nice. All in all, she felt like she could have sat right down and felt at home. She would have
liked to spend some time looking at the multitude of interesting objects scattered about on nearly
every available surface. They were all strange and, to her eyes at least, fascinating. The bookcase
was filled to overflowing and she was extremely curious to see what titles comprised their
collection. And there were pictures. Lots of framed, moving portraits, obviously of family
members, that Cassie thought would be very fun to examine. She could see several that had two
small red-headed boys in them, usually dressed in identical clothes, and she really wanted to walk
over and take a closer look, but George started taking her toward the stairs and she didn't protest.
There would be plenty of time for looking later.
On the first floor, George waved at the closed door. "That's Mum and Dad's room, of course.
They have their own small bathroom, but we aren't really allowed to use it. I'm sure you can't
believe it, but they say we make a mess." Cassie grinned. Another flight up, which Cassie decided
was probably where she had stopped earlier by mistake, George actually opened the door this
time. "This is Percy's old room. It's empty now, of course." Cassie couldn't help but hear the
bitterness in his voice. She peered inside. It was almost sterile in its cleanliness.
"Is he a bit . . . clean?"
"Yeah. Not the word I would pick. I would more likely use git, but clean describes him pretty
well." They both looked around at the bare surfaces of the desk and bedside table. She knew
without looking that the armoire would be completely empty. There was not one single personal
item in the room. Even the walls' plain cream color showed no indication that a boy or man had
ever lived here.
"I thought he had made up with the family pretty much?"
George snorted. "I don't know if it'll ever really be the same. Wait until you meet him. He's a
pompous, uh, jerk and he still has never admitted that he was wrong. He insists he was just acting
on the best information he had at the time, blah, blah, blah." He shut the door and the finality of
the click made Cassie feel a little sad.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not." He looked at her. "That's a lie. I am sorry. I just wish . . . ." His voice trailed off and he
didn't finish the sentence. "This is Charlie's room. Did you meet him in June?"
"No. He was hurt during that battle, I think."
"Oh, that's right. How could I forget that? He's great. Really great. He should be here for the
holidays. Maybe you can meet him then. He usually works in Romania."
"And he does something with dragons, right?" She looked inside. George didn't answer her but he
didn't need to. It was obvious that someone had stayed here a few months ago and had packed up
the necessities when they left but much had been left behind. There were posters on the walls -
dragons mostly although she saw one of a lady in a very small robe who Cassie thought probably
had nothing to do with dragon taming. There were small carvings of dragons all over the
bookcase and stacks of papers all over the desk. Some of the carvings were moving and she
instinctively reached for George's hand as they stepped further into the room. He looked around
and smiled. "I always loved this room. I thought I could maybe move into it after Charlie left, but
it is so much him that I couldn't. Didn't want to leave Fred anyway. By then, we were starting our
work that eventually became the store, and . . . I don't know. It just never happened."
"It's nice." It was an interesting room with some odd corners and angles that made her think of an
attic space or something. It was warm and welcoming. "I can see why you'd like it. He really likes
dragons, doesn't he?"
"Loves them. Like you would love any dangerous creature, I suppose. He respects them, though.
He isn't a fool." Cassie smiled up at him. It was obvious that the natural worship a boy had for an
older brother had bypassed Percy completely and settled on Charlie instead.
"I hope I can meet him. I'd like to." George took a deep breath and then hugged her tightly. For a
long moment they stood there and then her arms slipped around his waist and she hugged him
back. He kissed her gently on her hair and then her forehead and then she raised her face a little
more and he kissed her on the mouth. It was not a brief kiss like the one they had shared
downstairs to test the clock. This was one like yesterday and it was wonderful. After a few
moments though, he stepped back.
"Come on. We have a lot more to see." They held hands as they ascended the next flight of stairs.
The next landing was already looking familiar to her. She studied it carefully so she could find it
again. The wooden floor here was a lighter color than the other two had been, maybe indicating
that these floors had been added later. She would remember that next time. "This is, of course,
Ginny's room and your room for the moment."
"What about that one?"
"That's Bill's room. He doesn't use it often now. He has a flat in London where he usually stays.
It's strange having the house so empty when it was always so full when we were growing up.
When we were at school, it was easy to forget that everyone was gone, but now . . . I don't know
how Mum and Dad stand the emptiness." Then, despite the somber tone of his voice, he smiled.
"Of course, Fred and I do our best to make enough noise that they still think all seven of us are here."
"Noble of you."
"I think so." Bill's room was a lot more lived-in looking although it was obviously not anyone's
personal space. There were flowers on the bedside table. No desk, but the armoire was slightly
open and Cassie thought she could see clothes through the crack. The bed even had a rumpled
look like someone had sat or laid on it recently. The curtains were open and she walked over to
the window. It was the first time she had actually looked outside and she blinked as her eyes
adjusted to the bright winter sunlight. There was no snow here although the bare branches and
gray-looking ground testified that it was indeed winter. She supposed that the difference in
climate between northern Scotland and southern England was very much evidenced by that fact
alone. George stood next to her, looking outside, and then slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"Not much to look at in the winter. Much more cheerful in the summer."
"It's not bad. Just wintery. Oh, there's a pond."
"Yes. And before you ask, yes, we do swim there in the summer. This garden is wonderful in the
summer - well, except for having to degnome it. That's not fun no matter what, but we've had
some great times. We play Quidditch over there." He indicated a large field, "Or just walk around
outside enjoying the warmth. Well, we'd better get moving or Mum might send out a search
party."
"That was embarrassing. I guess you told her that . . . we, uh . . ." Cassie didn't know where to go
from there. Fortunately, George finished up the thought and answered her question.
"She knows I like you. It really couldn't be helped because I kept bringing your name up every
other sentence or so this fall and I think my constant fretting over you while you were at
Hogwarts made it official."
"You didn't have to fret about me. I was safe and fine."
"Yeah. Sure you were. Snape didn't threaten you, Malfoy treated you like the prince he is,
McGonagall wasn't a concern, etc. You were just fine." She laughed in amazement.
"I never told you any of that stuff. Well, except for Malfoy, of course."
"Well, I had a spy. And besides, I can guess. I went there for almost seven years. You don't have
to tell me anything."
"Ginny?" He nodded. "I saw the swamp yesterday."
He grinned. "Some of our best work. We sell them now. They're practically legendary."
"Did you know there's a sign there?"
"No."
"Well, there is. It's very nice." He shrugged and Cassie could have sworn he blushed a little
although he turned and led her out of the room before she could be certain.
The next landing only had one door off the hall. "Our room. Did you want to look inside?"
"Sure." When the door opened, Cassie stared in amazement. The room was absolutely packed
with stuff. It was fairly well organized, but there was just so much of it. She stepped in rather
hesitantly, unsure if this was something her mother would approve of.
"That's our inventing station. Never touch anything on there because you could get hurt." Cassie
saw that there were several burn marks on the surface of the large table and some others on the
floor nearby. She grimaced. She didn't want to know. There was paper everywhere and half-covered objects which looked like they were maybe products that hadn't worked out. There were
empty boxes waiting to be packed with items sitting nearby and others that looked like they were
being emptied. There was a large shelf with boxes labeled with names she didn't recognize. She
turned slowly, taking in the whole space. The walls were full of posters, but unlike Charlie's these
were not of animals. These were mostly of ladies, almost all of them in extremely scanty clothing.
Cassie was reminded of her dorm room and the handsome winking wizards in the posters. These
women were not only winking, though. One poster had what Cassie could only assume was a
witch pulling her skirts up very suggestively. Just before it got obscene, the skirts dropped and
she started all over again. Her eyes got big and George, who just noticed where she was looking,
flushed bright red. "That's Fred's poster. Honestly. That's his bed over there. This is mine." Cassie
willed herself not to look at his bed and instead concentrated on his bedside table and the posters
over his bed, which although not as bad as that one, were still fairly, uh, revealing. "Sorry. I didn't
think about it."
"You don't have to apologize. You can do your room any way you want to." George looked at
her for a long minute and she willed herself not to flush or stammer or be embarrassed.
"Do you have posters in your room at your house?"
"Yes. They don't move, though."
"No. I guess they wouldn't. There's only one room left. Come on." As they were stepping back
through the open door, Fred came up the steps.
"There you are. Mum's about having kittens. She's sure you're up here 'getting carried away.' I
assured her, George, that even though you're a randy berk, Cassie has class and taste and that if
you tried anything, you'd be slapped thoroughly." Cassie flushed and hurried out into the hall.
"Fred didn't mean it. He just sometimes forgets that you're not used to his humor. I should hex
him into next week."
"So you don't think your Mum is down there actually thinking we're . . . we're . . ."
"Uh, well. No. I didn't say that. I'm pretty sure she actually is." At Cassie's stricken expression, he
hurriedly added. "She just doesn't know you yet. And she doesn't trust me. It's nothing against
you, truly. It's me."
"Is that your way of saying that you're not trustworthy?"
"No. No. I just mean . . ." And then he caught on that she was teasing him and he grinned. "Do
you want to see Ron's room?"
"Is it decorated with Chudley Cannons posters all over and does he have an orange quilt and
orange pillow and everything?" At George's nod, she then shook her head. "I've seen a very
similar sight at Hogwarts. I think we can pass at the moment."
"Well, sometime I'll show it to you. He's got a small room, but it's interesting. Why don't we get
your quills and things and then you can get started on those notes?" Cassie nodded and they
descended the one flight of stairs. She slipped into Ginny's room while George stayed outside the
door and she opened her trunk to quickly grab out her parchment, ink, and quills. Her eyes fell on
a small bag and she grimaced. She grabbed it and then hurriedly left the room.
They made their way downstairs, George carrying the sheets of parchment, and into the kitchen.
The note writing went fairly well. She carefully wrote notes to both Ginny and Hermione and then
just one for both Harry and Ron. "Do you think that's all right? That I just write one? Ron was so
wonderful to me yesterday and then he took detention because of me and everything. And Harry,
well, you know. . . ." She didn't get to explain any further because Molly came into the kitchen
again at that moment. She had come in once before in the half hour they had been sitting there.
She was ostensibly checking on dinner, which Cassie had been certain was a legitimate excuse.
George, however, had assured her after Molly had left that food being cooked by magic really did
not need to be checked on and that it was just her way of making sure they were behaving
themselves. Cassie wondered if it was going to be like this the entire time she was at the Burrow.
Her mother, she supposed, would be doing the same thing, but still, it was strange to be checked
on constantly.
"So, what did Ronniekins do that was so wonderful yesterday?" George asked as Cassie started
writing her note, carefully concentrating on each letter. Her handwriting had improved
dramatically since she first wrote with the quill, but it was still not easy to do. So, Cassie told the
whole story about the Muggle-repelling charms and about how she had not wanted to go up to
the castle and everything. George laughed at her rendition of the tale but his eyes were serious. "I
never thought about warning you about those."
"No. That's all right. If I ever go back there, I'll be warned in advance." She finished the note and
waited for the ink to dry. "Is Icharus around somewhere?"
"Yes, but I don't think we should use my owl to send the notes." George went on to explain how
his owl was well-known and that it would be too big a clue as to her location if he were to deliver
them. "Fred just got a new owl and he would be the best choice." So ten minutes later, they
finished tying the small bundle to the owl's leg and it went out the window into the pale blue sky.
She reached into her pocket slowly and pulled out the small bag she had found in her trunk.
"George, this is probably stupid but I bought this for you yesterday and forgot to give it to you."
She pulled out the small Quidditch team sticker and handed it to him. He beamed at it.
"Thank you. This is great."
"I bet you already have a lot of them."
"No, actually. I don't. And I know just where to put it upstairs, too. Did you buy one for
yourself?" She nodded hesitantly, embarrassed to admit it. "Here. Give me that one. Which sound
do you prefer, screeching falcons, hooting owls, or an alarm bell?"
"What? Uh, owls, I guess." She had no clue what that question was about. George took his wand
and waved it over both stickers as they lay side by side on the table. As he finished, he handed her
sticker back to her.
"They're linked now. Permanently. If I touch mine, yours will hoot and tell you to touch it. And
the same goes for me. That way, we'll always know what the other person is doing right at that
moment." Cassie stared at the sticker in shock. She hesitantly put her finger onto the surface of
the sticker and then George's which was still laying on the table, hooted softly. He put his finger
onto his sticker and it quieted. Cassie felt a low warmth under the surface of her finger, indicating
that he was doing what he was supposed to. "You don't mind, do you? I guess I should have asked."
"No. I don't mind. That's very nice, really." She decided she would lay it next to her bed on the
table and every night before she went to sleep, she would touch it. Molly came bustling in again
and George rolled his eyes at Cassie, who smiled.
"Before it gets any colder this afternoon, how about a walk around outside? I'll show you the
limits to the wards and everything so you don't get into trouble with them." They both stood there
for a second, waiting to see if Molly would say anything, but she didn't and Cassie nodded in
reply.
"That sounds nice. Thank you." She slipped her sticker into her pocket and George's hooted
again. "Oh, I forgot." She laid it with her other things on the table. "I'll just take that up with these
things really fast and get my heavy robes." George waited downstairs but as Cassie descended a
few minutes later, robes clasped in her arms, she heard George and his mother arguing in the
kitchen. She stopped on the landing, not wanting to eavesdrop but not wanting to interrupt either.
"She's 16, George. 16! What if it was Ginny?"
"What if it was Ginny? If she really liked the bloke, I wouldn't have a problem with it."
"Does she really like you, though? She's very vulnerable right now and I feel responsible to
Rebecca for her. Maybe she just needs some security with everything going on."
"I'm not going to hurt her. I like her. She's special to me and I promise you, I have no ill intentions
with her at all."
"George. I know I'm your mother, but you can't tell me that you haven't had experience with
women. Women who, uh, were more experienced than Cassie is."
"I won't tell you that, Mum. But I will tell you that I would never hurt her, never. I will take care
of her the best way I can." This was intolerable. Cassie was sure her face was glowing bright red
now and so she walked up a few more steps and then clunked heavily on them, making sure they
knew she was descending. The argument ceased immediately and by the time she reached the
kitchen, Molly had left the room and George was sitting there waiting for her. He noticed her
flush even though she desperately tried to act natural. "I suppose you heard that."
She nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm causing problems."
"You are not causing problems at all. It's her. She's convinced I'm going to jump on you or
something and take advantage of you. I think she just is feeling protective because you're Ginny's
age." She nodded again. "I'll talk to her later about what . . . we feel about each other."
"So, you know what you feel about me?" she asked a few minutes later as they walked carefully
over the frozen ground toward the edge of the makeshift Quidditch pitch.
"I think so." He stopped. "You mean a lot to me, Cassie. More than I really have wanted to admit.
It's too soon to say I love you. But, that's where I think it's leading. Is that okay with you?" She
stared at him for a long moment and George looked down at his shoes. "If it's not, I can . . .stop
somehow, or something." His voice trailed off into nothingness.
"Can you? Because I don't think I could stop now, no matter how hard I tried." He looked up and
the light in his eyes almost frightened her in its intensity. "See, George. I've been trying for
months to convince myself that it would be best for everyone if I didn't feel that way about you,
but my stubborn heart just won't listen to me." He laughed and pulled her close and, uncaring that
they were standing in the frozen mud, he kissed her, very nicely, and she realized that she
probably did not need her heavy robes. She was unaccountably warm.
They had just returned to the house and were cleaning the mud off their shoes as best they could
before George did a Scourgify spell on them when a loud pop announced Arthur's return. He had
a suitcase in one hand, a bag in the other, and a letter clamped between his teeth. Molly, who had
run into the kitchen quickly, took the letter and he set both the bag and the suitcase down on the
floor. "I think you asked for five outfits. Your mother, who seemed overjoyed that you were away
from Hogwarts, sent at least 15, maybe more. And this letter is for you, of course." Cassie stared
at the envelope, wanting desperately to open it, but feeling like maybe she should remove her
clothes from their kitchen first.
"Go ahead, dear. I'm sure you're anxious to hear what your family has to say." Needing no further
encouragement, she smiled at Molly and ripped open the thick envelope. As she pulled out the
folded paper from inside, she noticed that two other pieces of paper fluttered to the floor. She
didn't pay too much attention, thinking they were probably notes from her two brothers.
"Hey, one of these is addressed to me. What is this, Cassie?" She was skimming the letter quickly
and she barely heard George's question. But when she reached the bottom of the letter, her eyes
grew round and she stared in horror at her own note which now lay on the table and to the
opened letter in George's hand. He was reading it carefully, his eyebrows raised in what she hoped
was amusement, although it could have just as easily been shock.
"Uh. Give that back. It's nothing. My mum's idea of a joke and everything." She tried to grab the
paper out of his hand, but he just stood up and raised it out of her reach as he continued to scan
the contents quickly. She tried to jump, but he was still too tall for her and she couldn't reach the
blasted thing.
"No. This is addressed to me and I intend to read it thoroughly. Read your own. I'm sure it is the
same as mine."
Cassie reluctantly picked up her own letter and opened it up. A quick look revealed that it was as
bad as she had feared. The note from her mum read, "Dear Cassie, I would be lying if I told you
that I wasn't worried about you there at the Burrow. I don't know George at all but I know you
like him, which tells me he must be pretty wonderful. And I think that the close proximity with
someone you feel deeply about could lead to some problems. I am including this list of rules,
adapted to the fact that you are now living in the same house as George. Please know that I am
doing this, not because I hate you or because I don't trust you, but just the opposite. I love you
dearly and I trust you to do the right thing. I just want to make sure that when you come back
home to me, you are happy and have nothing to regret.
Don't be alone after 10:30 p.m.!!
Make the goodnight kiss a short kiss.
No kissing longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
Kiss only with the lips - you know what I mean.
Don't sit and snuggle in the dark - you're just asking for trouble.
No back or neck massages.
Dress modestly -just because you're in the same house doesn't mean you can parade around in
your pyjamas, etc.
Absolutely do not be alone in a bedroom.
Absolutely do not let George get onto or into your bed with you!"
They were the same basic rules she remembered from before, just slightly adapted, like her mum
had written, for the fact that they were going to be in a lot closer contact than she and Harry had
been. She sighed and folded up the note. Then she braved a glance over at George, who had
folded his note as well.
George hesitated a moment and then cleared his throat. "It sounds like your mother is a little
worried that we might . . . ." He was interrupted by her small squeak.
"Yeah. I think that sums it up pretty well."
"Well, between your mum and mine, I don't think we'll have too much chance to do anything."
"No. I suppose not."
"Your mum doesn't seem to mind that we kiss, though."
"No. Thank heavens she does not have a problem with that." He pulled her close to him and held
her for a minute.
"It's really for the best, you know. You are still very young, as my mum so pointedly reminded me
earlier."
"I feel about 100 years old."
"That can happen when you're fighting a war. I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I have
to remind myself I'm not even 20 yet." He let her go and Cassie wanted to complain and pull close
to him again but she stood there alone and picked up the suitcase and bag.
"I'll run these up to my room and then I think it's almost dinner time, isn't it?"
"I think so."
"I'll hurry back down then and help Molly get it on the table."
"She'd probably appreciate that. Do you need help with the bags?"
"No. I think I'll be all right." She picked up the bags. "This will be fine. They're not heavy."
George had a look on his face that told Cassie he wasn't sure if he should insist on helping or not,
but his eyes strayed to her note which was still laying on the table. It was almost like she could see
him mentally weighing the list of rules against the rudeness of leaving her to carry her luggage
herself.
"I could at least carry them up the steps."
"Okay. Sure." A few minutes later, he set the bags in front of her door.
"There you go. I'll . . . be downstairs. Maybe we could set the table together or something." She
smiled at him.
"Sounds very romantic." His laughter echoed up the staircase as he descended. Cassie opened the
door into Ginny's room and realized that she wasn't going to be doing anything in here right now.
She sat the bags down and exited the room almost immediately. She descended the stairs again
but the kitchen was empty. She tentatively poked her head through the door and saw all four of
the Weasleys gathered around a coffee table. George looked fairly concerned and Cassie felt a
nervous jump in her stomach.
"Is something wrong?"
"You could say that." George turned and drew her into their little circle. "We just got an urgent
owl from Dumbledore. He warned us that Nightscall has just declared all Order members as
enemies of the Ministry and has issued arrest warrants for all of them."
"What?! Why would he do that? I don't understand."
"Apparently, he says it's just for questioning, but Dumbledore does not really believe that."
Arthur's lips were pursed and tight as he muttered this.
"But . . . but that means you are all going to be arrested, doesn't it?"
"No. At least not yet. You see, most Order members are not known to the Ministry. They know
about Dumbledore, of course, and are trying to arrest him right away. But then he is also accused
of actually leading the attack on Fudge. We think Lupin is in serious trouble, though. It is pretty
generally accepted that he is an Order Member, and as a werewolf his whereabouts are carefully
monitored anyway. So, Dumbledore is trying to figure out where he is right now. Bloody bad
timing, I'm afraid, since tonight is the full moon. On the good side, maybe they'll try to arrest him
while he's transformed. He'd probably eat them." George laughed evilly and everyone in the tense
little knot smiled.
Cassie couldn't believe that her gentle friend could actually eat anybody, but she did feel really
sorry for Remus. Poor man just needed a few days of peace and quiet and instead he was likely to
be arrested. Fred continued the explanation. "Dumbledore wants us to continue doing the things
we normally do, George and I should keep working at the shop, Dad can go into work, and Mum
should do her various errands and things." Cassie grasped George's hand firmly. That scared her,
but of course he had to do the things he had to do just like she had to. There was no time or space
for fear or hesitancy.
"Okay. Then that is what you all must do, and I will help however I can, too."
"Thank you, Cassie." Molly looked like she wanted to say more but she was interrupted by
George, who looked at her curiously.
"What are you doing down here? You can't have finished unpacking already."
"No. I couldn't do anything. It's very dark in there and I couldn't figure out how to turn on the
light. Sorry."
"Just use your wand, dear, and light the lamps. There is one on the desk and one near the bed."
Cassie did a double take. What had she just said? But before she could say anything, Arthur
cleared his throat and jumped into the conversation.
"I thought these might come in handy. I bought them in the village when I knew you were
coming." He drew something out of his pocket and held his palm open with his prize proudly
displayed for all five of them to see. It was a box of matches. Cassie smiled in gratitude but Molly
froze. She looked at the box of matches on her husband's palm and then at Cassie. Then back at
the matches, and finally back at Cassie. But when she spoke, she addressed her husband.
"Why would she need those? She can just light the lamp with her wand."
"Actually, Molly. She can't." Molly's brows furrowed and Cassie felt like running back up the
stairs to her room. But she stood still and faced what was obviously coming.
"I can't use my wand, Molly, for a very simple reason, I-"
George interrupted her suddenly. "Mum, there's something you should know about Cassie. She's a
Muggle."
