Chapter 2

Back at the Burrow, Alli, Fred, George, and Ginny sat outside gazing at the stars. It wasn't long before the boys got bored and began to chase each other around the yard, tackling the other and wrestling until one escaped. The girls watched them for a few minutes but then brought their attentions back on the glistening sky. Ginny rested her head on Alli's stomach as Alli played with the young girl's light red hair.

"What are you thinking about Alli?" Ginny turns on her side so she can look at Alli's face.

Alli sat up a bit, glancing at Ginny then the boys, and laughed. "I'm wondering why I stay with that goofball of boyfriend. Why?"

"Just wondering," Ginny said as she laid back down.

"What are you thinking about?" Alli asked.

"What it would be like to be an only child."

"What," Alli sat up and Ginny's head slid onto her lap.

"It's silly, I just sometimes think of what it would be like to be you." Ginny got up and sat facing Alli but looking at the grass. "To not have six older brothers who pick on you. You know, for it just to be me and my mom, like you."

"Trust me darling, nobody should want my life." Alli giggled

"Come on, your mom seems nice and all the stories you tell me sound so fun!"

"Yeah but those are only small parts of my life, I mean I fight with my mom just as much as any other girl; maybe even more. When I tell you stories, I try to make my life sound perfect but in reality it is far from it."

"Well I still think it would be nice to be an only child."

"Ha, Ron will be joining us at Hogwarts next year, and it will just be you in the house after that; so after two weeks of that, send me an owl and let me know if you feel the same way."

The two girls laughed and talked about their plans for the next three weeks until they hear Mrs. Weasley calling them inside. Before Alli could even take a step towards the house, Fred ran up behind her and scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the door. Mrs. Weasley moved out of the way as the teenage boy rushed through the door laughing; Alli wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck until they came to a stop.

"Now Fred put the poor girl down" Mrs. Weasley joked, gently hitting her son on the arm. Fred released Alli while George entered the house carrying Ginny the same way. The girls giggled, looked at each other, and then, reading the other's mind, simultaneously punched the boys in the stomach.

"Abusive much, I'm surprised I keep you around" Fred joked. Alli hadn't hit him hard enough to hurt him; so she knew him sinking onto the floor was all and act. Nevertheless, Alli played along and knelt down to kiss his cheek.

"All better?" Alli stood back up.

Fred leapt back onto his feet and took a superhero stance, "One hundred percent! Your kisses must be magic."

The group laughed and Mrs. Weasley just shook her head with a smile on her face. The kids then retreated to their rooms and readied for bed.

"You two are so cute it's disgusting" Ginny said when the girls were in her room.

"Ha, yeah that boy's smile is all I need to brighten my day."

That night Alli was restless, her dream was haunting. She was walking through a large room but everything around her was blurry. She could hear people around her crying but couldn't see them; also she could feel moisture on her own face, not tears but sweat. As she continued walking the sounds of sobs grew louder. Eventually she found herself at a group of people who she could see clearly. As she approached them, they all began to slowly turn to face her. She recognized each face; they were the faces of the whole Weasley family and Harry Potter, the boy who killed her father, and Hermione. As she passed Hermione, her friend put a hand on her shoulder; then she reached the center of the group and saw what they had been staring at. It took her mind a moment to register what she was seeing but there he was lying on the floor. Fred with his eyes closed and not moving a muscle; it almost looked like he was sleeping but Alli knew right away that he was not. Her wand fell to the ground in shock, and then she crumbled to the floor in sadness. The group reformed their circle and they continued to stare, with stoic looks on each face.

Alli shot up in bed immediately, frantically gasping for breath. It took a few seconds but she finally realized where she was. Looking at the wall clock, she saw that it was after two in the morning but Alli was afraid to try to fall back asleep. As got out of bed quietly, she must not have screamed at all because Ginny was still peacefully sleeping. Alli pulled on her robe and left the room; before going down to the kitchen, Alli had to stop and look in the twins' room. In her mind she knew it was just a nightmare but in her heart Alli needed to see for herself. Opening the door just a crack, Alli was able to see the scruffy red hair and calm face of her boyfriend bathed in the moonlight. This eased Alli enough that she began to stop shaking.

In the kitchen, Alli made herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves and then decided to write to Professor Dumbledore. She wasn't sure if this was one of her visions or just a bad dream; usually it's obvious but this one was different and Alli didn't know what to think about it. Alli needed a second opinion so she grabbed the first quill and clean piece of parchment she found. She described the dream as best she could which took several pieces of parchment. She didn't finish it till the sun began to peak over the horizon; Alli had to pause from writing every so often to remind herself that Fred was really asleep just upstairs. Finally as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Alli sealed the envelope and set the Weasley's owl, Errol, out into the morning air.