a/n: in case anyone is confused from the last chapter, Rob is Tonks and and Remus's son, and is 17/ going into his 7th year. Gwen is is muggleborn.

Anyway - just one more important character, bear with me!

All reviews are much appreciated. :)

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Brianne sat a picnic table in the Weasley's backyard, surveying all the people around her and sipping pumpkin juice. She was currently nurturing an overfull stomach, courtesy of Molly Weasley, who even approaching old age could cook up a storm.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her. She swung around to see Rob ducking behind her chair.

"Hide me! I see Sharon over there – she's with her mother," he seemed to be slightly panicked. He had used to date Sharon, but that was ages ago. She didn't understand why Sharon's mother would have anything to do with it, after all, she seemed very nice.

Feeling she was missing something, Brianne said "Why would you,"

Rob cut her off, "That woman is the devil!"

"Seems fine to me," she paused in thought, "And Sarah's mom is so much worse."

"Hey! She gave us cookies! And I should know about Sharon's mom, I dated that girl for a year!"

"And I never even dated Sarah!" Rob simply stared at her for a few seconds, and then started chuckling. His laughter set her off, and she started laughing too. She continued to laugh hysterically to the point where she fell out of her chair and gasp for breath.

"What's wrong with you?" said a familiar voice walking over. Gwen giggled as Rob pulled her into his lap.

"She cracks herself up," he told her smiling.

Brianne finally calmed down enough to speak. "I never think what I have to say is funny until you guys start laughing!" she exclaimed. "And then well –it's all downhill from there," she said helplessly.

"Anyway Brianne, I pity any guy who dates you and has to meet your parents. Your father is scary as hell."

"No he's not!" she cut Rob off. She never understood why everyone thought her dad was so intimidating. Rob and Gwen merely raised their eyebrows at her.

"He's like a massive wall," Rob said.

"Well, maybe he makes a bit of an impression," she admitted, after all her dad was an accomplished, oversized Auror.

"Your brother's pretty intimidating too," Gwen said, "I thought he was the Monster of Slytherin the first time I met him!" Rob and Brianne erupted into peals of laughter again at this. Brianne reflected on how weird it was that she could never stop laughing. The first time she had ever had one of her "fits" as Gwen liked to call them, she had been about ten. They had been debating what to get her dad for his birthday, and something raucously funny in her mind had occurred to her. When asked by her mother what was so funny she had breathlessly said, "We should get him his house." Ever since then she had laughed at everything, twisting it to be somehow humorous in her mind. Gwen, who she had known since first year, had never been perturbed by it – which was probably why they had become such good friends.

Sighing, she looked over at her friends. They were feeding each other ice cream, and somehow very little of it was ending up in their mouths. When Rob started licking the whip cream off of Gwen's nose, she decided it was time to leave. They were so cute together, it was quite sickening. She walked over to get a soda, and thought of all the people present. All the surviving members of The Order of the Phoenix were probably there. It was odd, she realized, how Mad-Eye Moody looked like he was on his last legs (or leg, rather) and Ginny Potter seemed barely old enough to be Lily's mother. Looking at the Potters, it scared her to think of all the shit they had been through at school; which at 16, she could scarcely imagine. It made her feel incredibly lucky to have been born in a time of peace.

She spotted her mom and dad and went over to sit between them. "Hey guys, Mom, Dad," she greeted them. It felt so funny to sit between her parents, who were opposites in so many ways. Her dad had been greeted with disapproval for marrying a muggle-born, but the animosity of her mom's family from Mississippi had been just as bad when she had married a black man. It was actually pretty ironic.

"Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley," she nodded to Bill Weasley, who's severely marred face contrasted sharply with his wife's flawless face.

"Hello zere, Brianne. You are getting quite bee-utiful, ze boys must be all over you, no?" asked Fleur a little too loudly.

Thankfully, Brianne was long past blushing. "Not really, they're generally too busy gaping at Adeline," she paused, "by the way, where is she? I haven't seen her around at all."

Bill sighed, "She said she didn't feel well. Seems to have been acting a little odd lately. I really think we should take her to see a Healer," he said turning towards Fleur, who waved her hand dismissively.

"'Ow many times do I 'ave to tell you? She is just mooning over zome boy – isn't that right, Brianne?"

"Er…" she was caught off-guard. She really didn't know Adeline all that well; she was a year below her and in Ravenclaw.

"Of course it iz'!" Fleur continued, thankfully sparing Brianne an answer.

Luckily, she didn't have to listen to the French woman much longer. It was starting to get late, and she left with her parents. She bid everyone good night, with a twinge of regret that the summer was finally over, and she'd be returning to Hogwarts for her sixth year tomorrow morning.

She made her way home, via floo, seeing as she was still underage. She stepped out of the fireplace into her living room. As she brushed the soot off herself, she shook her head ruefully, just a few more months till I can apparate, she thought.

Her parents immediately started grilling her to make sure she was ready to leave the next day. "Are you sure you have everything?" Her mom asked for about the twentieth time.

"Yes, mum."

"Just because we have to leave pretty early, you won't have time to get your stuff together tomorrow morning!"

"Trust me, I've got it under control," she rolled eyes, "I am 16."

"I know, I know."

"Night mum, Night dad," she kissed each of her parents on the cheek before disappearing into her bedroom.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she looked up at her reflection in the mirror. A pair of chocolate eyes stared back at her from a coffee-colored face. She pulled her dark curls back into a ponytail.

Finally getting into bed, she was tackled by a sudden bout of insomnia. She tingled with anticipation for the next day. Sure, she was just starting out another year at school, but maybe things would be different because she was a N.E.W.T. student now – she had managed to scrape a handful of O.W.L.s in June (five to Gwen's ten). And despite her rather apathetic feelings towards returning to school just a few hours ago, she was starting to feel somewhat excited.

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a/n: To clear up any more confusion, Brianne is Kingsley Shacklebolt's daughter. Sorry, that wasn't too clear.