(a little bit of fooling around in this chapter but nothing explicit)

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Chapter 25.

Mad with desire.

June.

Having Fred and George back was like…it was like Lara had been on a diet for the past year, abstaining from her favourite chocolate and sweets, and suddenly she was allowed to eat as much as she liked again. She hadn't allowed herself to miss them, to even think about them, because she knew it would hurt, and now they were back permanently and the world seemed brighter and smells seemed sweeter and…

Okay, so maybe she was going a little crazy, but she'd just missed them. The laughter and joy they created, the easiness of their company, their smiles, their little pranks that lightened the mood, how happy they made everyone around them…at least, that's how Lara saw it, though others may disagree. She could imagine Snape wasn't too pleased about them joining the Order.

Despite the delight of being reunited, Lara didn't actually get to spend much time with the twins. She was busy at work, they were busy setting up their new shop in Diagon Alley, and they were all busy with the Order. In mid-June, however, Lara finally got a day to herself. She had nowhere to be and no one that needed her attention. Walter was off visiting Charlie in Romania for the weekend, so he was (relatively) safe. With nothing to worry about (…except the impending War), Lara decided to head to Diagon Alley to see Fred and George's new shop.

She floo'ed to Flourish and Blott's, then headed down the cobbled pathway into the rest of the village. It was a very warm day, the air thick and humid, the sun blazing when it peaked out from the thin clouds, and people had gravitated to the area for ice-cream and a spot of shopping. It was mostly couples, friends and young families, as the Hogwarts generation were still at school, and Lara felt rather out of place as she wandered the streets alone. Fred and George had said it was at the far side of the village, past Terrertours and before Whizz Hard Books…

Lara came to a sudden halt, a small laugh escaping her lips. Why she'd ever worried about not being able to find the shop, she didn't know—of course Fred and George would make it stand-out. Among the greys and blacks of the village, there was a large, obnoxious orange shop with things fizzing and sparking in the windows. In the middle of the explosions and the bright colours, there was a large sign that read:

NEVER FEAR

THE SKIVING SNACKBOX IS HERE!

PERFECT FOR ALL YOUR UMBRIDGE-ITIS NEEDS

Giggling under her breath, Lara bounded into the shop and was immediately met by brightly coloured displays and shelves. Considering it was still term-time, the place was very full. Families and young adults wandered about the aisles, beaming and laughing over products. In the distance, Lara could see one of the twins talking to a young boy. She slowly walked over, listening to the conversation.

"—they make your nose bleed. Gets you out of dentist appointments and going to visit your strange family members," the twin was saying brightly.

The young boy sniggered. "I have a dentist appointment next week."

"Problem solved," grinned the twin, and Lara realised it was George. "But tell your mom it's just normal sweets, otherwise she won't let you buy it."

"Thanks Mister," the boy beamed before grabbing the package and running off.

"You're a terrible influence," Lara smirked, crossing her arms in mock disappointment. "Merlin help the teachers of Hogwarts. McGonagall's going to go spare."

"I think you'd find I'm a fantastic influence," George smiled, undeterred, as he brought Lara into a side-hug. "You saw that kids smile. I made his day."

"More like his week."

"Even better. Anyway, what're you doing here? Don't you have work or do Order stuff or have dinner with Erin or—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Lara chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'm very busy, but so are you and Fred! And I've come to see you on my day off, to answer your question."

"I'm honoured." George chirped and began to lead her through the shop towards the back. "Fred's in the back. Go find him. He'll be over the moon you're here. He pines, y'know. Like an owl that's lost its owner."

Lara grinned slightly. "He does not."

George only winked in reply before a customer demanded his attention.

Leaving him to work, Lara walked towards the back door, her heart doubling in speed at the thought of Fred being on the other side. They'd met up a few times since his and George's spectacular return, but not as much as Lara would have liked. It was mostly a stolen hour here and there, when their lunch breaks miraculously coincided and Lara would floo to Diagon Alley and meet Fred at the ice-cream shop. Once, they'd got to spend at least four hours together…but that was at an Order meeting, and half of it was spent talking about centaur habitats.

The stock room was less dramatic than the rest of the shop. There were hundreds of boxes stacked on shelves and against the walls, and there was a table at the back filled with crinkled scrolls and half-opened potion bottles. It looked like the place Fred and George continued to work on their inventions, if the black burn marks and florescent goo stuck to the floor were anything to go by.

Fred was among the merchandise, stood on a ladder reaching for something, dressed in glowing magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his hair. On a whim, Lara decided to get her own back on him and snuck over to the ladder.

"Boo!" she yelped, grabbing his thighs.

The ladders wobbled dangerously as Fred whipped around, trying to attack the intruder. He only managed to turn halfway before he fell backwards with a loud, "Ahhhhh!"

Lara instinctively reached out to catch him, grabbing his waist to hold him up right. As he straightened himself out, Lara fell into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry!" she snickered. "I forgot how jumpy you are!"

"I'm not jumpy."

"You leapt at least ten foot in the air."

"Yeah, well…there're death eaters about, okay? I have a right to be jumpy!" he huffed, then looked at Lara and burst into laughter. "Or, y'know…I grew up a Weasley and when something unexpected happened, it usually meant having no eyebrows or your hair turning green."

"Oh, poor you," Lara simpered. "I'm 99 percent sure you and George will have been the culprits for most of the pranks."

"Hey, Ginny helped sometimes! And Charlie, when he wasn't obsessing over dragons. I swear that boy has problems…"

"Off topic, Fred."

"Right." He said, shaking his head. A big smile came to his face as he looked down at Lara. "Hi."

"Hello," she replied with a grin of her own. "How're you?"

"Better now you're here."

Lara's eyes narrowed. "That's so cheesy, Fred."

"Like I've said before, I like cheese," he shrugged. "Have you seen George yet?"

"He sent me to you. Said you were pining after me."

"He's such a grass."

"I thought it was cute," she grinned, then reached on her tip-toes to press her lips against his. He eagerly leaned down to deepen the kiss, but Lara pulled back before they could get carried away. Knowing their luck, they'd be stark naked and a customer would walk in looking for Fred's help.

"I'll give you a tour," Fred said, winking as he took her hand and led her back into the main area.

Lara spent the rest of the afternoon helping out at the shop, sticking mostly to the tills because she knew little about the actual products. George pointed out multiple times that she was doing unpaid labour, but Lara just waved him off; honestly, when she'd decided to come and see the twins, she'd expected to end up helping out. The boys were working long, long days, waking up at eight in the morning and sometimes not getting back to their flat until six PM, at which point they'd have to do inventory, work out the money stuff and decide what products they needed to restock at the weekend. Sometimes, Lara would receive Fred's reply to her owl at around ten PM, and they'd all start with;

Sorry for the late reply, only just got a spare minute to write.

So if spending time with the twins meant working in their shop for a while, that was fine with Lara. Honestly, she had fun; George was right, seeing the smiles on the kids' faces was actually rather heart-warming. And watching the parents walk away, smiling, thinking their children had just bought a few innocent sweets to enjoy after their tea…well, it was more amusing than Lara cared to admit.

At half-past six, the last of the customers wandered out of the shop, giggling and gossiping together. George waved them off with a smile before shutting the doors and locking all the bolts. He turned, his back against the wood, and let out a long sigh.

"Thirsty work, this," he said, his dark eyes popping open as he turned to Lara. "Could do with a beer. Shall we go up?"

"Sounds spiffing, Georgie," Fred appeared from the backroom, coming up to the till with a smile. "You up for it, Lala?"

Lara nodded. "Sure, why not?"

The trio made their way into the backroom, and Lara realised this was the first time she was going to the twins' flat. She knew they'd moved out of The Burrow a few weeks ago—much to their mum's displeasure—but she hadn't had time to see it.

At the back of the stockroom, there was a flight of stairs that Lara hadn't noticed before. George went first, pulling off his robes as he went, and Lara trailed behind, careful not to trip on George's disregarded clothing. Coming to a small landing, George pushed open a weathered white door, revealing a medium-sized living room decorated in mismatched couches and a rather hypnotising rug. On the back wall, there was a large fireplace that probably connected to the floo network.

"Nice rug," Lara commented easily, staring at the multi-coloured monstrosity. "It's like one of those optical illusions."

"Fred picked it."

"Of course he did."

"George picked the couches," Fred said as George collapsed onto said furniture, leaning his head back against the pillows. The one he was laid across was a plush-looking bright purple thing, while the other was dark red and velvet.

"Merlin," snorted Lara, glancing past the living area and to the right, where there was a smallish 70s style kitchen with orange and yellow counter tops. "It's certainly…colourful. Reminds me of my house, actually."

"Your house?"

"We went a little crazy with the animal-themed furniture," Lara admitted, sinking onto the red couch. "Except the couches, I'm pretty sure everything has some sort of creature on. Our coffee table has a penguin underneath."

"Sounds about right," Fred grinned and collapsed beside Lara, throwing his arm on the back of the seat and around her. "You have a slight obsession."

"Walter encouraged it."

"I'm sure. Is the dragon statue up?"

"It's on the landing," Lara muttered bitterly. "Scares me half to death whenever I use the loo."

Fred laughed and rested his forehead on Lara's shoulder, his hair tickling the side of her jaw. Without really thinking, she reached up to tangle her fingers in the back of his ginger locks as she rested her lips against the top of his head. He still had that soft, floral smell to him, which all but confirmed what Lara had been thinking; Mrs Weasley still did their laundry.

"Well, at the risk of feeling like a third wheel, I'm going to meet up with Lee," George said, and Lara's eyes slipped over to him as he pushed himself up. "Give me ten minutes to shower and change and then…have fun. But not too much fun. Clean the surfaces you use. If anything is sticky when I get back, I swear to Merlin—"

"George," Fred and Lara whined simultaneously.

"I'm going, I'm going…"

Fred and Lara remained cuddled up. Fred seemed so peaceful that at one stage Lara worried he'd fallen asleep. She was weighing up the pros and cons of waking him up when George appeared again, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and freshly washed.

"Oi!" George yelped. Fred instantly sat up, blinking rapidly. "Are you asleep? Wake up! You're besmirching the oath!"

"What oath?"

"The oath of the male species, the oath of the Weasley boys, the oath that no customer should be left unsatisfied!" George cried, throwing his arms around dramatically. "Not that you're a customer, Lara. But, y'know, I feel like the meaning stands."

Lara snorted and waved her hand dismissively.

"Wake up." George grunted, batting Fred on the back of the head. Fred yelped and reached to punch his twin, but George easily jumped out of the way and towards the front door. "Bye! Don't break anything! Furniture or bones!"

He walked out and slammed the door behind him.

"I can't believe I share DNA with him," mumbled Fred, his head in his hands.

"You don't just share DNA, you are his DNA," Lara smirked. "Identical twins have identical DNA. You're basically him cloned."

"You're not making me feel better."

"You wouldn't have it any other way," Lara smiled, inching closer to him. She gently rested her hand on his shoulder, then her chin. Fred took his hands away from his face and glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. "You know, I can see some differences between you."

"You can?"

"Well, I have to tell you apart somehow. It would be rather awkward if I couldn't."

"Be pretty funny, though. Imagine you snogging George thinking it was me—"

"I'm not even going to allow you to finish that sentence," Lara interrupted and Fred sniggered evilly. "Anyway—you have different smiles."

"No we don't."

"You do. Yours is goofier than George's, 'cause you use your cheeks more," she giggled as his eyebrows rose almost into his hairline. "You walk differently, too. You have more of a wiggle because you're more confident than George."

"I'm not more confident!"

Lara's lips quirked; she adored Fred, but he could be so blind sometimes. He just didn't pick up things about people, especially feelings, which was so strange to Lara because she did. Not intentionally, she just noticed things, usually small stuff that didn't really matter, such as the differences between Fred and George Weasley.

"You look at me differently, too, which helps," she continued, running her hand along the top of his back. "Like I'm crazy and weird, but you want to snog me anyway."

Fred guffawed. "That's a good sum-up, actually."

"And you have a small mole here," she reached just behind his ear, where a small, very dark freckle sat just before his hairline. "And George doesn't."

"I'm not sure whether to be impressed or worry that you're stalking me," he grinned.

"Fine, if you want to be rude—"

Fred laughingly reached for her as she made to storm off. "I'm joking, I'm joking!" he cried, ticking her ribs as she squirmed. Lara squealed and collapsed into his chest as he fell back into the cushions, holding onto her waist. "Nobody's ever took the time to notice the differences between us before," he murmured into her shoulder.

Another fact about Fred; not only did he struggle to see other people's feelings, he struggled to admit his own. Jokes, laughter and taking the piss he could do, but the serious stuff…well, that was usually done through mumbled lips and darting eyes. Or not looking at the person he was talking to.

"Well, like you said," Lara sighed, resting her hands on his. "It would be awkward if I snogged George thinking it was you. I kind of had to figure out how to tell you apart."

Lara felt Fred smile against her skin. "And here I thought I was special."

"You are special…to your mum."

"Ha-ha," Fred scoffed. "And thanks…for noticing," he whispered, before his lips fell back to her shoulder again.

"You're welcome," she murmured in reply as his lips wandered across her back, then up her neck.

Gulping thickly, Lara slowly turned in his arms until she was straddling him, his hands sprawling across her back. Lara cupped his neck before bringing their lips together, gently at first, until the pressure started to build and build and her heart felt like it was going to pop out of her chest. Fred's tongue swept over her bottom lip and then he tugged, making Lara buck her hips with a moan.

"Let's christen my bedroom," Fred panted, reaching to squeeze her bum.

Lara yipped, her body jerking automatically, before she laughed and said, "Yeah…let's."

For the next several days, Lara found herself working long hours at the Ministry. There was an outbreak of pixies in a muggle London shopping centre and at least a dozen Obliviators were needed to modify the memories of the rather terrified muggles, and another dozen Beast Tamers to capture the pixies. It took three days to clear the whole mall, then another two days to finish all the health and safety paperwork (a muggle may or may not have accidently ran into a wall trying to get away from the pixies).

On Thursday, Lara was sat at her desk looking over some files when Walter appeared.

"What?" Lara mumbled tiredly.

"Bill's asked me to go to Grimmauld Place after work," he smirked. "You're invited, if you want to come."

"Is Molly cooking?"

"Yep."

"Then I'll be there."

Walter sniggered and rolled away on his spinny chair.

An hour later, the siblings decided to call it a night and headed into muggle London. It was only five PM, so it was still warm and light outside. The streets were busy with people rushing to get home and the Culpepper's joined the throng, heading north. The walk felt long and winding in the heat, but eventually Lara found herself on a familiar street. Walter went ahead to open up the house, while Lara trailed behind allowing him to take over.

They snuck to the kitchen, where the Weasley's and a few members of the Order were gathered together. Everyone seemed to be in great spirits and there were open bottles of alcohol on the table, some half empty. As Lara watched, Bill and Arthur Weasley toasted, flinging wine everywhere.

"What's going on?" yelled Walter.

Bill turned, a giant smile on his freckled face. "Fleur and I are engaged!"

"Holy shhhh—shoot," Walter coughed glancing awkwardly towards Molly. "That's great, man! Congrats!"

They shook hands before Walter moved to congratulate Fleur. Smiling widely at the eldest Weasley, Lara took him into a quick hug. "Congratulations, Bill!"

"Thanks, Lara," he patted her back before they parted.

Lara had just opened her mouth to ask the details of the engagement, when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, lifting her into the air. "Fred!" she squealed, knowing instantly he was the only person who would dare be so openly exuberant. "Put me down!"

"We're celebrating!" Fred beamed, setting her back on the floor and dramatically kissing her cheek. "Hi, by the way."

"Hi," she giggled. "I need to congratulate Fleur."

"She's over here," he said and pulled her to the back of the kitchen, where Fleur was chatting away to Tonks.

Lara hugged the veela, who kissed both her cheeks before launching into a vivid tale of how Bill proposed on the White Cliffs of Dover. Tonks squealed in all the right places and Lara laughed along, mostly amused by Tonks' excitement. After listening to the story, Lara moved to the table to sit beside Fred, who flung an arm around the back of her chair. George, who was on her other side, handed her a glass of rum and coke.

"I see you have those boys well trained," Bill grinned from opposite the table, one arm around Fleur, the other holding a whiskey. "Well done, kid."

"It took me a year," joked Lara.

"She had treats and everything," George said.

"And a bell," Fred added. "And she sprayed us with water when we did something wrong."

"I did not," Lara smirked, rolling her eyes. "You just don't want to admit that you can be nice."

"It's just payment for all the fireworks," laughed George.

Molly's eyes widened with horror. "What fireworks?"

"Aw, my boys!" Lara cried, flinging her arms around the twins and purposely pretending she hadn't heard Molly. "Look at you being all sweet!"

"Speaking of sweet," grinned Tonks, wiggling her eyebrows. "When do you think you'll propose, Freddy?"

"Yeah, Fred," Lara demanded and Fred's eyes widened in horror. "When are you going to ask George to marry you?"

A relieved smile crossed Fred's face as he realised Lara was teasing him. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe when we make our first million."

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" George squealed and the kitchen fell into laughter.

The night wore on, and more and more alcohol was consumed. Bill and the twins drank the most, until eventually they were all stood with their arms wrapped around each other singing Odo the Hero. Lara sat in her chair holding her rum, staring at the boys, half amused and half wondering why she associated with any of them. Across the table, Tonks and Fleur looked like they were thinking the same thing.

"Bill, Bill," Sirius suddenly burst out, leaning across the table excitedly. Lara hadn't seen him drink anything other than butterbeer all night, so there was no way he could be drunk. This was just natural excited Sirius…which was slightly worrying. "You should get Charlie to get a dragon for the wedding—"

"Sirius," Remus said exasperatedly. "Don't be stupid—sit down. You can't just involve yourself—"

"Like hell I can't," scoffed Sirius. "I helped plan Lily and James' wedding, look how well that turned out!"

"The curtains in the ceremony room caught on fire from the fireworks," Remus snapped. "And then you broke the punch bowl and it turned the dance floor into a bloody swimming pool. Peter slipped and broke his elbow. Dorcas bruised her coccyx bone. And you got so drunk, you hit on Alice Longbottom and Frank ended up punching you in the face. And then we all ended up rolling down a hill, ruining our rented robes and dresses, and the robe shop refused to take them back."

"Yes, well." Sirius cleared his throat awkwardly. "They made a good bonfire, didn't they?"

Remus simply rolled his eyes.

"It must have been stressful being the Remus of the group," Tonks grinned. "Trying to keep everyone in line."

"I was the only sensible one."

Sirius huffed, "The only boring one."

"I had a book," Remus continued, shoving Sirius in the face with his hand. "And I used to mark down whenever one of them was bad. When they got five strikes, they had to forfeit either money or clothing. Sirius usually picked the clothing."

"I had a great body," said Sirius wistfully.

"I imagine you were rather handsome in school," Lara blurted out, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Sirius, on the contrary, looked delighted and leaned back in his chair with a cocky grin. "Did you do the hair flick thing?"

"The hair flick thing?"

Lara quickly turned her head slightly to the side, whilst also brushing her hair from her face. Then, she gave Sirius what she hoped was a smouldering look, though in reality it probably made her look constipated and angry.

"Oh, he totally did the hair flick thing," Remus smirked. "So did James, actually. It drove Lily mad."

"Mad with desire," Sirius said instantly. "…she just didn't like to admit it in the beginning."

Lara grinned, resting her chin onto her hand, her brain hazy with alcohol and stolen memories of a group of boys and girls, friends and allies, trying to find a reason to laugh and smile in the middle of a war. She wondered, briefly, if she would soon be doing the same.

"Can you remember the time—"

Sirius was cut off as a pair of feet quickly made their way down the kitchen stairs. Instantly, everyone was on alert. Tonks reached for her wand and Remus put his hand on Lara's shoulder, as if he was ready to throw her behind him. To the whole room's surprise, Severus Snape appeared in a flash of black, billowing robes.

"Black." He snapped irritably into the room.

Sirius looked rather confused. "Eh…yeah?"

"You're here," Snape said.

"Of course I am," Sirius replied slowly. "Where else would I be?"

"The Dark Lord has used his and Potter's mind link to his advantage," Snape drawled. "Potter seems to think you're currently being tortured by the Dark Lord in the Department of Mysteries."

There was a short, stunned silence. Lara felt her stomach knot and twist. Her hands began to shake.

"He'll be going to the Ministry with his silly friends, I assume," Snape continued, as if simply discussing the weather. "To save you, though you don't deserve it. The Order need to get themselves to the Ministry, otherwise I hazard a guess that Potter and his friends will meet their untimely ends."

He swept back up the stairs again, leaving a shell-shocked room after him.

"We need to get to the Ministry," Tonks said, jumping to her feet. "Come on—"

"Wait, wait," cried Remus as everyone moved at once. "Surely Harry won't go to the Ministry. He knows he and You-Know-Who share a mind connection, he knows You-Know-Who would eventually use it against him. He wouldn't risk his life like that. He wouldn't risk his friends' lives like that—"

"To save Sirius, his only family?" scoffed Tonks. "I think he'd risk everything!"

"Even if he hasn't gone, we need to make sure," Sirius said. "Shit, my wand—where's my wand—"

"I'll come with you," Walter stood up and immediately lolled to the left. "Whoa."

"Anyone whose drank alcohol cannot go to the Ministry. It's a suicide mission," Arthur snapped, and the twins began to protest. "No, boys. Ron—Ron will already be at the Ministry with Harry, we don't need to be worrying about you, too. Same goes for you, Bill."

Bill's eyebrows pulled together, but he sat down, knowing he had no argument. Fleur gently began to stroke his arm.

"Oh, bloody hell," Tonks muttered and began to wave her wand. "Expecto Patronum," she whispered before a large jack rabbit shot out the end of her wand, sprinting off into the night. "That will alert the rest of the Order. Moody will probably meet us at the Ministry."

"What if it's a trick?" Lara asked, her heart thumping in her chest. "What if Voldemort's there waiting to kill you all? To kill Harry?"

"Of course he's there," Sirius said, sounding unconcerned. "So are his followers. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't go. It just means we need to prepare to fight."

"Or die trying," Remus said, and the two old friends grinned widely at each other, a sense of comradery passing between them.

"Just be careful, alright?" Molly spoke for the first time, her face pale and drawn. "We don't—we don't need more bad news. And please, please get Harry and Ron home…oh, Ron…"

"He'll be okay, mum," Fred said, reaching across the table to comfortingly pat her shoulder. "You know what he's like—luckiest bugger I've ever known."

"Ugliest, too," nodded George. "But Fred's right, mum. He'll be fine. He's got Harry and Hermione with him. When those three are together, good things happen."

Molly sank back into her chair, her face in her hands.

There was a few minutes of chaos as the three Order members got ready to leave. Eventually, Sirius, Remus and Tonks scrambled towards the stairs together, Tonks screaming, "DUMBLEDORE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET DUMBLEDORE!"

Lara was pretty sure these screams were rather aimless, for no one in this room knew where the Headmaster was, but it seemed to be helping Tonks, who left the kitchen with her wand held high as if she was preparing for battle.

Which, Lara guessed, she sort of was.

"Oh God," Lara mumbled, digging her hands into her hair. "I can't believe I drank."

"I know, we were so stupid," Bill sighed irritably. "Ron's there. Ron's there right now, fighting Merlin-knows-what and we can't even help him—he's sixteen—"

"A sixteen-year-old that can cast a corporal patronus," said Fred, still smoothing his hand over his mum's back. "He'll be fine. You don't give him enough credit."

"Credit? This isn't about credit—"

"He went against Voldy-pants himself in first year," George interrupted Bill, who had started to turn rather red in the face. "On the back of a guy's turban, but still. Then he followed Harry into a bloody snake den or whatever, went searching for a supposed serial killer in third, was a bit of a git in fourth but he got over it, and he's spent all this year being a co-founder of club that resisted not only Hogwarts, but the Ministry itself. Fighting some Death Eaters is probably just a regular Thursday night for him."

"Like having dessert," Fred agreed. "Except with more swearing and less chocolate."

"He's so stupid," Bill sighed, sounding utterly exhausted. "Or brave. I'm not entirely sure which one yet. I'll make my mind up when he turns up alive or dead tonight."

Molly let out a small, pitiful whine.

"Sorry, mum."

"Harry's his best mate," Lara said with a small, humourless laugh. "Hell, they're practically brothers. Ron's never going to leave Harry alone, nor is Hermione. Whatever this is…they're in it together for the rest of time, I think."

"I'm going to an early grave," murmured Bill, horrified, as he slipped further into his chair.

Fred left George to comfort their mum for a moment, coming back around the table towards Lara. She stood up meet him halfway, gently taking his hand as he leaned down to say, "What these guys don't know is that Ginny's probably with them, too."

"Ginny?"

"She's in love with Harry," Fred said matter-of-factly. "And she's Ginny. She's stupidly loyal and idiotically brave. The thought of waiting behind would kill her, especially not knowing if everyone was alright. She's one of those that…that would rather die with her friends, than stay behind and be safe, you know?"

"Isn't everyone like that?" Lara shrugged quietly. "Imagine if they all died and you were left behind. The guilt would see you off, anyway."

Fred grinned and squeezed her hand. "This is why I like to snog you."

"Comforting, thanks."

He snorted and led her back down the table, where they sat together to wait. After getting over her initial shock, Molly began to busy herself with making tea and biscuits. Arthur meticulously checked his watch every few minutes and Walter stared at the clock on the kitchen wall. Bill sat with his head in his hands, while Fleur ran her hand along his back and whispered comforting things into his ear in French.

The twins seemed fine at first, but as time ticked by, they got more and more restless. Fred got up to pace the kitchen (which annoyed the hell out of Molly) and George remained seated, his knee bobbing up and down impatiently. When George's face began to pale, Lara reached over and took his hand, squeezing tightly. He looked up and gave her a small smile.

It was hours later, hours that felt like days—weeks, even—when footsteps rumbled across the ceiling above them. Walter, who was half-asleep on the table, jerked awake as the others stood. Lara could barely breathe; something had happened. At the very least, someone was hurt—they had to be. Death Eaters weren't exactly known for their mercy.

Remus burst into the room, looking around in a moment of absolute panic. When he saw the tired, anxious faces staring back him, he let out a sigh of relief, his whole body slumping.

"What is it?" Molly asked instantly. "Is it Ron—"

"It's not Ron," Remus choked and his grip on his wand visibly tightened, his eyes squeezing shut with pain. "It's—it's Sirius. Bellatrix Lestrange g-got him. He fell through the veil…"

Fleur gasped. "He's dead?"

Remus only managed a small nod.

Lara's hand flew to her mouth. Sirius…Sirius, whose tragic story had made Lara cry, who had finally found a piece of happiness with his godson after twelve years of false imprisonment…was dead. Dead in his late thirties, with his whole life ahead of him, with so much to make up for. He and Harry were meant to be a family. They were meant to survive the war together and make all the bad memories less painful.

"Oh God," Lara whispered. "Oh my God."

"We have to get out of here," Remus came to his senses, rushing towards the cabinet at the back of the room. He began to pull out draws filled with scrolls, stuffing them into his robe pockets. "With Sirius gone, we think the house might go to Bellatrix because she's the oldest Black left. She might be able to get in here. We need to move everything important."

"Take them to The Burrow," Molly said hurriedly, waving her wand around. Things started flying in the air, so many things that Lara couldn't tell what was what. Molly, however, did not seem overwhelmed; she simply pulled out a bag and all the things in the air immediately flew into it. "Bill, help Remus. We need to be out of here within the next two minutes."

"Do you have anything upstairs that's important, Mrs Weasley?" Lara asked, shakily getting to her feet. "I can go grab stuff—"

"Can you clear the personal things in mine and Arthur's room, please, dear? Fred, George, you can clean out your room and Ron's. Make sure nothings left."

One minute and fifty-two seconds later, Lara found herself stood in the living room of Grimmauld Place with a large trunk. She watched the Weasley's floo away one by one, until finally it was her turn. Stepping into the fireplace, she threw the powder onto the ground and yelled, "The Burrow!"

In a swirl of green, Lara's feet were taken from under her and she found herself stumbling into a mismatched kitchen. A little in front of her, the Weasley's and Remus were having a hurried conversation.

"—and Tonks needs to stay in overnight, but she'll be okay," Remus was saying. "I'm heading back there now—I need to speak to Moody. Dumbledore's with Harry—"

"Dumbledore isn't family," Molly stressed. "He needs us—he needs me. That poor boy must feel so alone."

"You know what Harry's like, Molly. He won't want to see anyone—"

"What he wants and what he needs are two entirely different things—"

"He'll just shut you out, mum," Fred argued. "Leave him to Ron and Hermione for a bit. Then when he comes round, you can complain about him being skinny and try to stuff him with cookies."

"Get some sleep," Remus said sternly. "None of you have slept, I can tell. We'll see what happens tomorrow. The Prophet will probably be going stir-crazy and we can see how Harry is then."

"The Prophet?" questioned Walter, appearing from the floo network with another trunk. "Why will the Prophet be going crazy?"

"Fudge saw You-Know-Who," George replied. "So now he has to admit he's back."

"Voldemort was there? Merlin…"

"We'll have an Order meeting sometime this week," Remus said, nodding once. Lara was almost sure her old Professor had tears in his eyes, but she just didn't know what to say. He'd lost his best friend…his only friend, really. Everyone else he associated with was because of the Order. Sirius was the only one he really hung out with; hell, Remus had even lived with him. Lara wasn't even sure if Remus had a place to sleep tonight.

She wanted to tell him he could stay at her and Walter's place; on the couch, in Walter's bed, on the floor, anything he wanted. Or he could stay with her parents, who had two spare rooms now, or she'd pay for a hotel for him herself—

He disappeared into the floo network. Lara was left staring after him.

"Walter, Lara, you can stay here, just to be safe," Molly said firmly. "Lara, you can stay in Ginny's room. Walter, you can stay in P-Percy's old room. I'll show you where they are. Boys, you can stay here in your rooms. Fleur can stay…oh, she'll have to stay in Ron's room…"

"I'll stay in Ron's room," Lara offered. "I don't mind. And then Fleur can stay in Ginny's."

Molly looked satisfied and motioned towards the criss-crossing stairs. She showed Walter to a small room on the second floor, then continued upwards to the fifth floor to put Lara into a small room covered in Chudley Cannons memorabilia.

"Goodnight, dear," Molly said.

"Night, Mrs Weasley. And thank you."

Molly smiled and softly closed the door behind her.

Sighing heavily, Lara stripped of her thicker clothing and shoes before climbing into the small bed. She was exhausted, so exhausted. Her eyelids felt like lead and her head was spinning…but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking of Sirius; his dark hair, his barking laugh, his sparkling eyes, his cocky smirk. She hadn't known him that well—if at all, really—but how could he be dead? Just like that? One minute he was joking about his old school days and now…now…

Tears welled in her eyes. Whimpering, Lara reached to shove her palms into her eye sockets. She felt stupid crying for a man she barely knew, especially when Harry was probably at Hogwarts right now, devastated beyond belief, having lost the only family he had left. Lara—lucky, lucky Lara—was laid here with all her family members, her friends and her…Fred, all safe and sound. And yet she still felt like her chest was caving in.

A small squeak echoed through the room. For a moment, Lara thought she'd imagined it, but then she heard footsteps. She instantly shot into sitting position, gasping for breath, ready to scream—

"Fred." She hissed, just able to make out his face from the small amount of sunlight peering through the curtains. "Merlin, you idiot."

"My bad," he said though he looked anything but sorry. "I wanted to come check on you."

Lara collapsed back into the bed and scooted over, pressing her back against the wall. Understanding her intentions, Fred sank into the bed beside her. She noticed for the first time that he was only in his underwear. Snorting quietly, Lara snuggled into his bare chest as he threw his arm around her waist.

"Did…did I hear you crying when I walked in?" Fred whispered after a beat of silence.

Lara didn't know how to respond; she knew Fred got awkward with serious emotions, and she didn't want to make him feel out of place. Still, he was her sort-of-not-really-maybe boyfriend and wasn't sharing feelings a part of a relationship? Joking and laughing was fine, but if they couldn't do the real stuff, too…

"Maybe," she murmured. "I know I didn't, like…know him, but he was nice. He made me laugh. And I'm really sad for Harry. That poor kids been through enough, this was the last thing he needed."

"He'll get through it," Fred said. "I know when bad things happen you feel like you're going to die from the pain…but it gets better, even if you don't want it to."

"But how can he move on? He's just a baby and he's lost the one person he loves most…"

"He moves on because he has to. Because Sirius would want him to. Because it would be insulting to Sirius' memory if Harry let himself get lost in his grief."

"That all sounds good, but I think the reality is different."

"You can't die of a broken heart, Lala."

"Maybe not, but you can try," she whispered back.

Fred, it seemed, didn't really know what to say to this. Letting out a tired breath, he squeezed Lara close to him and kissed her forehead. "Let's just go to sleep," Fred murmured. "I'm bloody knackered."

"Me too," Lara sighed. "Night…and thanks for coming to see me."

Fred grinned against her skin. "My pleasure."

Lara closed her eyes, and within minutes she had fallen into a restless slumber.

hey everyone! hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, but most importantly hope everyone is doing well. been a wild year already.

as always thanks for reading, reviewing and just appreciating the story in any way. see you in the next chapter.

also just kind of want to address something even if nobody knows what i'm talking about. i wrote another harry potter story called Mistakes and recently got a load of reviews rightly calling it out for some stuff. i just want that person to know-if you're even reading this story-that i know there's a lot of problematic things in that story. i was 15/16 when i wrote it and didnt know any better. i've grown up a lot since then and i hope it shows in my writing. I've even got a warning for people about reading it on my profile, and i'm going to flesh it out a little so people really know what they're getting into. that being said, i do keep the story up because it still gets reads and reviews and i dont want to take it down if it provides people with a little entertainment sometimes, and i dont have the time (or the want, to be honest, since it was so long ago) to edit it all.

but I'd also like to say, some of the reviews were hard to read. I'm sorry that you didnt like my story, but maybe just dont read it once you realise it's not for you? leave one review calling it out rather than telling me over and over again? I dont mind constructive criticism or even a bad review at all-i even agree with most of what people say, since i dont do this professionally-but one or two tells me all i need to know. after that it just hurts. most people on here write for fun, and for free, so it's nice to be nice, you know? especially when the world is so shitty at the moment. so if you're reading this story and dont like it...please just dont read it. or tell me in one or two reviews that you dont like it rather than over and over. there are so many other, better written stories out there for you to read if you think my writing isn't very good haha. but still, i know you have the right to an opinion and if you want to call me out then that's your right. but...yeah. ouch.