Ron's face went deadly white as he read the parchment. Ginny stroked
Errol's soft feathers, thinking about what else to add to her Potions
essay. "What is it?" She asked absentmindedly.
Harry stopped reaching for a breakfast roll, and Hermione looked up from her book. "Ron?"
Ginny glanced up and saw his face. "Ron, what is it?" Her voice was slightly shriller then normal. "Is it Mum? Dad? Bill or---"
"No." Ron's voice came out in a horse croak. He motioned for the twins to join them. He stared out the writing a moment more, then told them all in a whisper, "It's Beth."
Ginny's eyes went wide, and the twins' faces went white.
"You mean.they found her body?" Ginny whispered.
Harry and Hermione both looked shocked and worried. "Whose body?" Harry asked quickly.
Ron shook his head. "No, it's not that." He read the words once more, and then stated flatly, "She's alive."
~*~
"I have five older brothers," Ron began. He glanced at Ginny. "And one little sister."
Hermione and Harry both nodded, too confused to do much else.
"And one older sister."
"What?"
"But I thought-"
"-I've never met-"
Ron shook his head and they quieted. "Her name is Beth. She's.Charlie's twin."
This time Harry and Hermione kept their mouths shut, but their eyes widened.
"She was thirteen when.when." Ron closed his eyes briefly, then continued in a pained voice. "It was her and Charlie's third year, Bill was still here, and it was Percy's first year. She stayed back from Hogsmead, because she had detention. When the group of Gryffindors came back, there was.the third year girls' dormitory was ransacked, and there was.blood.everywhere."
Ginny let out a little sob before hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Hermione held her hand, and tried to comfort her.
"Beth was gone. A lot of that blood was.hers. Not all of it, but a lot." Ron took a deep breath. "They left a message.in the blood." He stared at the floor, and blinked furiously. "It said, 'She's the first.'"
"But.what does it mean?" Harry asked, feeling horrible.
Ron shrugged hopelessly. "At first everyone thought it was.You-Know-Who.but nothing else happened, no other attacks.until our first year, Harry. So no one knows."
They fell silent, no one knowing what to say. They were separated form the rest of the common room, sitting in the corner by the fireplace. The common room was almost empty, with only a few stranglers attempting to finish their last minute homework.
Suddenly Ginny burst out, "I remember her."
Ron looked at her, but didn't say anything. She bit her lip and continued. "I.I'm not sure what she looked like.all I can picture is red curls and blue eyes.I think. Her hair is different though. It's darker, like Bill's and.Charlie's. And you two are the only ones with blue eyes." She sighed, and hugged her knees closer to her body. Hermione, not knowing what else to do, squeezed her hand and hoped to help. Ginny looked at the ceiling. "The only thing I remember.was once when I was crying, I don't even remember why.this tornado rushed into my room, and I was flying in the air, until I was laughing and couldn't remember why I was crying in the first place." She sighed softly. "Red curls and blue eyes, and a tornado. That's all I can remember."
"You were only six."
"I wish I could remember." She whispered raggedly.
Another silence stretched out before them. Finally Hermione asked timidly, "But she's alive?"
Ron looked at her. "Yeah.for now. She's a prisoner of Death Eaters."
Ginny's shoulders shook with silent tears as Hermione gasped. "Oh no."
"Mum owled Bill and Percy and told them." Ron told them miserably. "All four of them are coming to Hogwarts in the morning. She owled Charlie and asked him to come.she wanted to tell him in person, with his family surrounding him."
Soundless tears were falling from Hermione's eyes now. Harry sat, one arm around his best female friend, who was clinging on to Ginny trying to offer comfort while her heart broke for their family, and awkwardly wrapped one arm around Ron's shoulders as well, wishing he could do something to help.
"Do you think Fred or George would remember her?" Ginny asked, desperately grabbing on to the thought. "I mean, really remember her?"
"I dunno," Ron said lifelessly. "They were nine or ten when."
"We were nine." Fred said as the twins came to sit with them, distanced from the other Gryffindors. "Only nine when."
"When Beth."
"Yeah." There was a silence where the Weasley's sat lost in memories, and Hermione and Harry exchanged looks of helplessness.
"Do you remember her?" Ginny asked finally, unable to hold back. "Do you remember her at all?"
Fred took a deep breath. "I remember how when we kids got into trouble, she distracted mum and dad with some story of how her knight in shinning armor rescued her from the dragons."
"She was always telling stories about that. 'My hero will come,' she'd say," George told them.
"'He saves me from the dragons,'" Fred added.
"I remember how she'd always play with you two when no one else wanted to," George smiled bitterly. "She would laugh and grin and sweep you little ones into a tale of castles and princes, and princess with magic powers. And, always, with her knight, her dragon slayer."
"I remember how she used to help us with our pranks. Winking at us and giving us ideas. And how she would sneak into our room at night and tell us a story when we couldn't sleep." Fred looked deep into the fire, blinking back tears.
" I remember how she always made Percy laugh. She would talk him into going out side after dark to sit on the roof, and she always asked him to tell her the stories of the constellations. And he would laugh and agree to sneak out side to lay on the roof and watch the stars." George scrubbed his hands over his face, willing the need to cry the pain away to disappear. "He never does that anymore. Doesn't even look at the stars. Say's he had no time."
"And she always managed to talk Bill into taking her for a ride on his broom. He would stop whatever he was doing to fly with her. They used to sing together, all the time. They were real good, had amazing voices. He wouldn't sing with anybody else." Fred swallowed hard. "He won't sing at all anymore."
"She and Charlie." George closed his eyes before continuing. "They were inseparable. They shared everything. They were twins and."
".and twins lean on each other." Fred finished, staring at his own twin.
George stared back. "I don't know how he managed to.to."
"Yeah."
Fred and George didn't let the tears take them until they were alone. They cried for Beth, who was lost. They cried for Charlie who was broken. And they cried for themselves, because they leaned on each other. And wouldn't survive the loss of one.
Harry stopped reaching for a breakfast roll, and Hermione looked up from her book. "Ron?"
Ginny glanced up and saw his face. "Ron, what is it?" Her voice was slightly shriller then normal. "Is it Mum? Dad? Bill or---"
"No." Ron's voice came out in a horse croak. He motioned for the twins to join them. He stared out the writing a moment more, then told them all in a whisper, "It's Beth."
Ginny's eyes went wide, and the twins' faces went white.
"You mean.they found her body?" Ginny whispered.
Harry and Hermione both looked shocked and worried. "Whose body?" Harry asked quickly.
Ron shook his head. "No, it's not that." He read the words once more, and then stated flatly, "She's alive."
~*~
"I have five older brothers," Ron began. He glanced at Ginny. "And one little sister."
Hermione and Harry both nodded, too confused to do much else.
"And one older sister."
"What?"
"But I thought-"
"-I've never met-"
Ron shook his head and they quieted. "Her name is Beth. She's.Charlie's twin."
This time Harry and Hermione kept their mouths shut, but their eyes widened.
"She was thirteen when.when." Ron closed his eyes briefly, then continued in a pained voice. "It was her and Charlie's third year, Bill was still here, and it was Percy's first year. She stayed back from Hogsmead, because she had detention. When the group of Gryffindors came back, there was.the third year girls' dormitory was ransacked, and there was.blood.everywhere."
Ginny let out a little sob before hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Hermione held her hand, and tried to comfort her.
"Beth was gone. A lot of that blood was.hers. Not all of it, but a lot." Ron took a deep breath. "They left a message.in the blood." He stared at the floor, and blinked furiously. "It said, 'She's the first.'"
"But.what does it mean?" Harry asked, feeling horrible.
Ron shrugged hopelessly. "At first everyone thought it was.You-Know-Who.but nothing else happened, no other attacks.until our first year, Harry. So no one knows."
They fell silent, no one knowing what to say. They were separated form the rest of the common room, sitting in the corner by the fireplace. The common room was almost empty, with only a few stranglers attempting to finish their last minute homework.
Suddenly Ginny burst out, "I remember her."
Ron looked at her, but didn't say anything. She bit her lip and continued. "I.I'm not sure what she looked like.all I can picture is red curls and blue eyes.I think. Her hair is different though. It's darker, like Bill's and.Charlie's. And you two are the only ones with blue eyes." She sighed, and hugged her knees closer to her body. Hermione, not knowing what else to do, squeezed her hand and hoped to help. Ginny looked at the ceiling. "The only thing I remember.was once when I was crying, I don't even remember why.this tornado rushed into my room, and I was flying in the air, until I was laughing and couldn't remember why I was crying in the first place." She sighed softly. "Red curls and blue eyes, and a tornado. That's all I can remember."
"You were only six."
"I wish I could remember." She whispered raggedly.
Another silence stretched out before them. Finally Hermione asked timidly, "But she's alive?"
Ron looked at her. "Yeah.for now. She's a prisoner of Death Eaters."
Ginny's shoulders shook with silent tears as Hermione gasped. "Oh no."
"Mum owled Bill and Percy and told them." Ron told them miserably. "All four of them are coming to Hogwarts in the morning. She owled Charlie and asked him to come.she wanted to tell him in person, with his family surrounding him."
Soundless tears were falling from Hermione's eyes now. Harry sat, one arm around his best female friend, who was clinging on to Ginny trying to offer comfort while her heart broke for their family, and awkwardly wrapped one arm around Ron's shoulders as well, wishing he could do something to help.
"Do you think Fred or George would remember her?" Ginny asked, desperately grabbing on to the thought. "I mean, really remember her?"
"I dunno," Ron said lifelessly. "They were nine or ten when."
"We were nine." Fred said as the twins came to sit with them, distanced from the other Gryffindors. "Only nine when."
"When Beth."
"Yeah." There was a silence where the Weasley's sat lost in memories, and Hermione and Harry exchanged looks of helplessness.
"Do you remember her?" Ginny asked finally, unable to hold back. "Do you remember her at all?"
Fred took a deep breath. "I remember how when we kids got into trouble, she distracted mum and dad with some story of how her knight in shinning armor rescued her from the dragons."
"She was always telling stories about that. 'My hero will come,' she'd say," George told them.
"'He saves me from the dragons,'" Fred added.
"I remember how she'd always play with you two when no one else wanted to," George smiled bitterly. "She would laugh and grin and sweep you little ones into a tale of castles and princes, and princess with magic powers. And, always, with her knight, her dragon slayer."
"I remember how she used to help us with our pranks. Winking at us and giving us ideas. And how she would sneak into our room at night and tell us a story when we couldn't sleep." Fred looked deep into the fire, blinking back tears.
" I remember how she always made Percy laugh. She would talk him into going out side after dark to sit on the roof, and she always asked him to tell her the stories of the constellations. And he would laugh and agree to sneak out side to lay on the roof and watch the stars." George scrubbed his hands over his face, willing the need to cry the pain away to disappear. "He never does that anymore. Doesn't even look at the stars. Say's he had no time."
"And she always managed to talk Bill into taking her for a ride on his broom. He would stop whatever he was doing to fly with her. They used to sing together, all the time. They were real good, had amazing voices. He wouldn't sing with anybody else." Fred swallowed hard. "He won't sing at all anymore."
"She and Charlie." George closed his eyes before continuing. "They were inseparable. They shared everything. They were twins and."
".and twins lean on each other." Fred finished, staring at his own twin.
George stared back. "I don't know how he managed to.to."
"Yeah."
Fred and George didn't let the tears take them until they were alone. They cried for Beth, who was lost. They cried for Charlie who was broken. And they cried for themselves, because they leaned on each other. And wouldn't survive the loss of one.
