Hey everyone! Thanks again for your reviews! I love you guys muchly for taking the time to read this. So does anyone have any idea on how this story is gonna go? Think you've solved a bit of it? Eh? Lets move on and check out the next installment!!


Chapter 3

He couldn't focus. While lying in his bed going over the events of the previous day he just couldn't focus. He had suspected that the owl arrived at the shop late last night or early this morning, and he contemplated staying in bed all afternoon until he received word from his friends. Unfortunately his brain was so cluttered with images of Alicia that he couldn't think straight. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her standing there, and every time he thought of that little boy his breathing came short. He needed to see her again. He needed to be certain that it truly was her and not some figment of his imagination, but where was he to look? After all if he was imagining her there wasn't a way he'd find her. In fact he'd just drive himself mad with the visions of his former lover until he was forced to send himself to Mungos.

Staring up at the ceiling, George let out a frustrated sigh and slowly pulled the blankets from his body. The brisk morning air sent a shiver through him, but the harsh awakening was needed to clear his head. The clock on the wall informed him that it was barely nine in the morning, and he mentally cursed himself for rising so early. How much was he supposed to accomplish if he was half asleep all morning?

Deciding to take a much needed cold shower, George moved towards the bathroom and began stripping his nightclothes from his body. If Angelina had told him it would be absolutely frigid this time of year he would have declined the offer. Yet if that had happened he wouldn't find himself staring into the eyes of Alicia. Merlin did he need help. If he continued on like this he was likely to be completely nutters by the end of the trip.

"I need to see her again." He mumbled to himself as the water poured out of the shower head. Stepping inside the white tub he let the stream of cold wash over his face. He needed one last confirmation before confronting Warrington himself. The only trouble was figuring out where to go.

After a quick shower he pulled on the warmest clothes he had brought, and began the few mile trek toward the small town. His eyes flickered furiously between the passing buggies full of people in hopes of catching sight of Alicia once again. Though his efforts were pointless as he reached the town and had yet to see her. Perhaps he was imagining things after all.

The archway of the art museum stuck out like a sore thumb in the small town, and without any better ideas coming to mind he decided to begin his search at the place where it all had initially started. If he was at all lucky he would run into the girl again and this time he wouldn't let her get away so easily. If he was given a second chance he was going to pin her down and demand some answers. If that didn't work he'd follow her back to her place and confront Warrington himself. Whatever happened George was dead set trying to figure out went on five years ago.

Taking a deep breath George moved towards the museum with tentative steps. For some reason the thought of running into her again also terrified him. He wanted to see her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to ask her a million things that were going off inside his head. He paused at the first step. If this wasn't her he'd be crushed again. Perhaps it was a horrible idea all together. Finding out that this indeed was someone else would just open those old wounds he had tried to cover up for so long.

He placed his foot on the second step.

The last time he had seen her alive he had kissed her softly on the lips and promised her that he'd come for her. He had promised her that he wouldn't let her parents hurt her anymore. He was going to go home, gather his things and meet her at Diagon Alley in two days. She was brave. Alicia had always been the bravest girl he knew. After everything she had endured in her life she was willing to face her demons. He wanted to go with her but she wouldn't let him. Still he promised to take her away in two days.

He stepped onto the third step.

Three days had gone by and he had not heard a single word from her. Every owl he had sent her was returned with no answer. He would have apparated to her home, but she had been so discrete on where she lived. There was no way to get in touch with her, and he cursed himself for allowing her to go home alone. It was at that moment George had realized something had gone horribly wrong.

He reached the fourth step.

When his father had returned home that afternoon he had immediately ordered Fred to owl Angelina, Katie and Lee. His father had not dare look him in the eyes. When the group of them arrived Arthur Weasley couldn't even speak. Instead he handed George the parchment declaring Alicia was murdered by a group of DeathEater's that morning.

Halting on the fifth step George let his head fall back. He hadn't even had a chance to protect her. He had promised that he would be there for her and he let her down. The guilt had torn at him for weeks on end. How was he going to survive again if he worked himself up for nothing?

"People just don't come back from the dead." Gazing up the last few steps George proceeded to climb towards the entrance. What was he going to say to her if he did see her again? He had done his best to talk to her yesterday, and she wanted nothing to do with him. If she saw him lingering around the museum maybe she would run. Maybe he wouldn't even get a chance to follow her. With all of these possibilities running madly through his head he hadn't even realized he reached the top of the staircase. Just like yesterday he felt that odd sense of familiarity as he stood beneath the giant arching entranceway. Closing his eyes, George took one last calming breath before pushing forward and entering the large art museum.

It was a Saturday morning so most of the wings seemed relatively empty. There were a few elderly couples mingling with each other throughout the different halls, and George immediately found himself drawn to the smaller room in which he had run into her last time. Staring across at the bathroom he waited to see her image appear out of nowhere. When nothing happened he moved towards the large bench in the middle of the floor and proceeded to take a seat. His eyes roamed freely amongst the different art pieces, and every now and then he'd let them linger on a particular piece. He never let them stay too long focused in case Alicia would happen to walk by.

For every childish laugh he heard he craned his neck in odd positions hoping it was the little boy from yesterday. Each time it turned out to be a little girl or a group of pubescent children roaming the museum pretending to be much older then they really were. There was one instance when a teenage girl had stopped to take a seat beside him and actually tried to offer him her address. When he arched his eye at the proposal the girl sensed his age and with a rising blush ran back to her friends. The day was not turning out at all what he had expected it to be. As the patrons came and went through the hall, George received more and more stares from people. After all he was alone on a bench staring at some stupid painting for hours on end.

"This is ridiculous." His voice was soft and full of painful desperation, but he continued to sit there until the sun had turned its course and began shining through the opposite pane of stained glass. How long had he been sitting on that bench. His stomach rumbled. Judging from the noise that rose from the depths of his stomach he had been sitting there all day without daring to move for food or a bathroom break. His patience was finally growing thin. She wasn't coming. "Of course she isn't coming you idiot. She was here yesterday." Biting down on his lip, George cursed himself for being so stupid. He had been so caught up in the idea that she'd return to the place he bumped into her that he failed to think logically. Who visited museums more than once in the same week?

Running his hands over his face, George dropped his head down to his knees and choked back a groan of frustration. Every fiber of his being wanted to run across the room and break one of the antique statues. He needed an outlet for his anger, and he stomped at the ground if only to get out what little fury he could.

"Excuse me sir…" An elderly woman's voice brought him back out of the fit, and he let his eyes rise to meet hers.

She was rather sweet looking, with short silvery hair pinned back by a hummingbird clip. Her eyes were aged with lines of intelligence, and George immediately felt like he was back at home with the warm welcoming face of his mother. "Yes ma'am." He straightened himself up properly as though she were an important individual, and the woman let a twinkling smile push to her lips.

"Please…relax. I only came by because I noticed you've been sitting here since early this morning." Gesturing towards the empty seat, George nodded, and the woman sat beside him. "My name is Adele. I'm the curator here at the museum. I noticed you sitting here for so long cause I have a good fifty screens in my private room so I can over see things here." The woman reached out and placed her hand lightly against George's knee. For some odd reason he wasn't disturbed by the thought of a stranger being so close to him, and George simply nodded at her words. "What's your name, son?"

With his head still hung low he opened his mouth and spoke barely above a whisper. "George Weasley. I'm visiting from London." Cocking his head to the side, George took in a better glimpse of Adele and couldn't help but smile when he saw her. If ever a person's smile could make light of a moment, Adele's certainly did that to him.

"Now there's the grin I was hoping to come across." Waving a family walking through, Adele turned her attention back to him. "So tell me young sir…why look so lonely and down when sitting here? Merlin boy you've been here nearly seven hours now and I don't think I've seen you so much as go to the bathroom."

"I was supposed to meet someone…well look for someone really. " He mumbled out through the side of his mouth. Gods he was an idiot. The lot of them back at home were surely getting a kick out of his owl. How the hell could he have truly though that Alicia was alive.

"Look boy…I don't mean to pry, but I'm just concerned for your well being...not to mention your creating a sour feeling in this wing of the museum." Rising to her feet, Adele nodded towards the opposite end of the museum. "How bout you come back to my private room and watch the screens with me. Maybe if your lucky you'll stumble on this person your looking for." Chuckling lightly, Adele began moving towards the far right wing before George even had a chance to answer.

Was it even worth going to look at the silly screens when all he was going to see were faces that weren't close to hers?

"Coming Mr. Weasley?"

Turning towards Adele George felt that same defeated guilt rise again but just to appease the kind woman he began moving towards her. "Sorry. It's just been a long morning." Coming up to her side he began following her steps as she led him through the various areas of the museum. Yesterday he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the sights, and now as he moved through the rooms he took in the sights with baited breath. They were absolutely beautiful. After five minutes of wandering George turned his eyes towards the entranceway Adele was leading him, and assumed that this was the private room she had told him about when she had first introduced herself. Sure enough as soon as he approached the room the name Adele Van Heltz was etched into the wood door.

The private room Adele brought him to was perhaps just as large as the entrance hall of the museum. Paintings and sculptures lined the walls but spared enough room for the massive screens she had earlier described. George, taken back by the complexity of the room, stared at the screens in complete awe. So this was how she had caught sight of him on the bench.

"You were on screen eighteen." She mumbled as though reading his mind.

George's eyes turned to the eighteenth screen and once again he began looking for the short haired brunette. "How do you keep track of them all?" he glanced back over his shoulder towards Adele.

"Last year we had a huge donation that provided us with this." She pointed towards a smaller screen that only showed the numbered areas. "When something strange is going on the charms placed on the room will send a wave to this smaller screen turning the number red. Then of course we can look at the larger model and see for ourselves." She chuckled. "That's how I found you. The poor contraption was convinced you were a thief."

Quirking his brow George shook his head. "I'm no thief...I was just waiting."

"Yes well regardless this thing has quite a bit of advanced magic behind it. It picks up anything out of character for the museum." Turning back to the paperwork on her desk Adele flicked her hand towards the screens. " you can watch for the mystery person your waiting for now."

He took a moment to survey the mess of screens, but found himself oddly amused by Adele and the artifacts around the room. Taking short steps he eyed the framed clippings on the walls and grinned at each of them. Some were filled with historic events such as the opening of certain wings, and others were moments when artists displayed their work for the first time at the museum. Each piece of parchment offered a sense of history, and George suddenly forgot the reason why he had come to the private room in the first place.

"This museum has certainly been refurbished over the last few years." Glancing at the past and present photos of the museum he paused to study one in particular.

"Yes well we received a lot of donations from the Warrington family over the last few years. Mrs. Warrington frequents the museum and has an obsession with art. She likes to spend a couple of extra galleons on exhibitions here. " If she had been looking up Adele would have caught the pale stricken face of George.

"Mrs. Warrington?" He stammered out. "She likes art."

Brining her eyes back up to meet his, Adele nodded as though it were common knowledge of the Warrington contributions. " Alicia comes here nearly every Friday with her son. She loves this place almost as much as I do. Bless that young girls soul." Placing her hand over her heart, Adele sighed. "In fact just last week she donated fifteen hundred galleons to the area we are turning into the children's art wing."

George drew in a sharp breath. "That's awfully generous of her."

"Yes well Alicia...Mrs. Warrington..." She corrected herself, " has always been a selfless person."

"Do you have any photos of her?" Drawing a puzzled expression from Adele George held out his hand gesturing he wasn't through yet. " I mean in case I happen to run into her I'd like to know the face of such a prominent figure in the town."

Winking at his words, Adele nodded and began sifting through papers. " I knew you were from out of town." Her rummaging continued until she pulled a piece of parchment from the pile. " Here we are." Extending the piece of paper towards him, George reached out with a shaky hand.

He was almost too afraid to turn it over, but did so in a way that almost looked painful. There she was. The same almond shaped eyes and tiny scar he had memorized back in their seventh year. Beneath the photo was a blurb mentioning the donation and the appreciation the town held for Alicia. Yet it still wasn't enough proof. He was looking at a familiar face, but when he had spoke to her it was as though she were a stranger.

"That Cassius is a lucky man." Adele went back to her paper work.

George however couldn't stop staring at the photo. What was he missing? There had to be something else confirming who the girl was besides her uncanny resemblance, her name and the scar on her chin. Ok so maybe that sounded concrete enough for some, but this was his heart he was playing with. Furrowing his brow George brought the photo closer to his face and studied the her physical gestures. She stood like Alicia. Her smile was like Alicia's. Even the way she was waving in the photo bared an creepy similarity to her. "This is impossible." He sighed as she bent over to pick up her son in the photo. Something shiny fell from its place beneath her shirt.

He didn't see it at first, but when she began pulling her son up into her arms he caught sight of the small heart shaped locket. His breathing stopped and he began coughing furiously.

"Are you alright dear?" Adele questioned.

"Fine...fine." Taking a deep breath to ease the fit of coughs, George studied the photo and felt his heart explode with the joy of a thousand filibuster fireworks.

He had bought her that locket. He knew it was the one because the bottom point of the heart was encrusted with a small red ruby. He had charmed that ruby on himself right before her seventeenth birthday. He had been the one to place it on her neck. She was still alive, and she was still wearing his locket. His eyes went fuzzy with the thoughts of a thousand restless nights due to her 'death'. Alicia Spinnet was alive. His lover was alive.

Siding up to Adele, George held the clipping out and waved it as to get the woman's attention. " Would you mind if I took this article?"

Adele didn't even bother looking up from her papers. " Oh no dear you may have it if you'd like. I have about six more copies of that article." Chuckling under her breath she finally lifted her eyes and grinned at George.

"Thanks." Backing quickly away from the table he folded up the clipping and began moving towards the door.

"Are you leaving already? Have you found the person you were looking for?" Adele gazed once at the screens and then back towards George.

Almost feeling guilty for leaving the kind hearted woman alone, George flashed her his brilliant Weasley smile. " Yes...yes I found her." Waving a quick goodbye to Adele he bolted from the private room and closed his eyes.

The apparation process was a quick one, and when he appeared in the Jordan cottage he instantly went after the quill he had left on the kitchen counter. Scribbling on top of the clipping he quickly threw down the quill and bolted to the backyard. Just as he had expected the owl he had sent home had yet to return. A rather loud curse escaped his lips and he kicked over the small red wagon that was perched against the side of the cottage.

Making a dash for the broom shed he opened the sliding door and grabbed the closest one to the front. He needed to get to the town owlry and express the photo home. They needed proof...and he had found it.

"Angelina! We were here for nearly five hours yesterday!" Katie whined as Angelina dragged her back down into the musty dungeons of the Ministry.

Upon reading the owl they had received from George, Angelina had made it her mission to find the books on the Spinnet murders and dissect the scene from the inside out. Still completely uncertain of the things George had said, Angelina didn't plan on giving up until she found something on that horrid day. Granted they had pulled out about eighty files yesterday, but that didn't mean Alicia's file wasn't scrambled in with something else. Angelina had already become too blinded by the possibility that George was right. She wasn't about to stop now.

"Yeah I know and we didn't find a single thing. Hence the reason why we've returned." Rolling her eyes, she let go of Katie's arm as the approached the small table they had worked at the previous day. "Don't worry I wont tire you out with reading this afternoon. With any luck you'll be back to shag Lee sometime around supper." A rather large tome came whizzing by her head, and Angelina smirked at Katie's exaggerated behavior. "Come on." She gestured towards the stacks of files they had yet to touch, and one by one they began sifting through the paper work.

Tossing aside one of the smaller files, Katie groaned. "I think I mixed my piles up last night before we left. I looked at these already…"

With her finger slowly skimming the names of people on the table of contents page, Angelina just shrugged at Katie's mistake. "Just grab from the middle and start there."

An overdramatic sigh escaped the petite blonde, and she pushed the stack of files over in anger. "This is so stupid Angelina. Do you understand we are down here searching for evidence that out best friend inst dead." Reaching across the table, Katie tapped her hand against the side of Angelina's head. " Um hello…if she was alive don't you think she would have come home?"

"That's why we are trying to look for evidence you twit." Her patience had grown thin, and Angelina didn't drop her scowl even when Katie's eyes grew wide with worry. "If George is right and Alicia is alive and married to Warrington, Merlin rest her soul, then we need to figure out what the hell happened."

Dropping her eyes to her lap, Katie merely nodded. "I guess you have a point." Though in the pit of her stomach she still thought the idea was pointless. "But what the hell are we going to do with all these files 'Lina?" Gesturing around the room Katie pointed out the shelves of files that sat scattered around. By the looks of it there were at least a thousand files with death reports they had yet to touch.

"So what's your point?" She dealt with Fred's impatience since first year so it wasn't like she couldn't outwit Katie.

Folding her arms across her chest, Katie let her jaw drop open. "My point? What's my point?" Rising from her seat Katie waltzed towards one of the random shelves closest to Angelina and pointed towards it. "Do you see how many files are here? How the hell are we going to find the Spinnet murders?" Angelina just continued to furrow her brow, and Katie let out a noise that sound much like a roar. "Damn it Angelina it's not an easy process! That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Pointing towards the stack of files again Katie felt her anger flare. "It's not like I can knock this stack over…" Swinging her arm back Katie pushed forward and knocked a good portion of the files to the floor around Angelina's feet, " and viola there sits the Spinnet file." She threw her arms up in the air in aggravation.

"Hey look I found it." Angelina bent over and picked up one of the files closest to her feet.

Katie's jaw remained slack. "What?"

"I found the file…look." Waving the file in her hand she indicated that Katie grab the seat beside her.

"But I totally knocked that stack over. If I didn't throw a fit you wouldn't have found it!" Desperate to stake some claim in the discovery, Katie continued to rant about how she deserved credit until Angelina finally gave in.

"Great grand wonderful you found the bloody file. Cheers to you…now shut up and read with me." Flipping to the first few pages of the file Angelina felt her eyes fill with tears at the photos of her friends former home.

Katie took a sharp breath when Angelina paused on the photo labeled Alicia Spinnet's Bedroom and turned her face away from the horrific sight. There had been nothing left. The room looked as though it had been torn to shreds, and charred remains of bookcases, picture frames and other odd objects were positioned in the photo as though it were normal. Angelina felt the bile rise up in the back of her throat and she quickly turned the page to keep herself from getting ill. This was what they had searched for, and this was what she was going to have to face. Still the images were sick reminders of why Arthur Weasley didn't want anyone entering that house.

"Look here…" Katie scanned her finger over one of the smaller paragraphs.

Alastor Spinnet(52): Two hits of killing curse. Found face down at the bottom of the grand staircase. No sign of struggle seeing as wand had not even been removed from his pocket.

Natalia Spinnet(46): Killing curse. Found at the back door propped against wall. Forensics determined she was trying to escape. Large gash on forehead suspect to struggle.

Alicia Spinnet (17): Blasts from explosion spell found upon various objects in room. Subject suspected to have been disintegrated upon blast. Back window found open. No sign of struggle.

"There was no body." Angelina mumbled softly to herself as Katie let out a long breath. "They never found a body."

"But still it doesn't mean- "

"Wait…" Her finger moved towards a different portion of the file, and Angelina began reading the contents out loud.

" The following report is a reenactment of the crime scene as per Auror officials:

June 21st

8pm: William Warrington enters premises of Spinnet estate with Cassius Warrington.

8:15 : William Warrington Jr. sets off distraction charms drawing the Spinnet family to the far side of the estate. (evidence found by examining wand)

8:18 : Esme Warrington enters through back of house hitting Natalie with killing curse.

8:21 : William Warrington and Jr. enter through front of house while Cassius moves towards back of house.

8:25 : Struggle with Alastor Spinnet in front entrance hall. Hit with two killing curses. One from the back and one from the right side. Assumed Esme emerged from back room.

8:27 : Meet Cassius up in Alicia's room. Killed by explosion spell.

Regardless of above statement Aurors only acting upon suspicion due to bitter rivalry between both families, and the unusual wandering of Cassius Warrington on Spinnet estate after murders. No wand has been found for William Warrington Sr. or Esme Warrington. The wand of Warrington Jr. was tested and no prior usage of killing curse was detected. Cassius Warrington failed to produce his wand when questioned, and when he returned with it a day later it was clean. Warrington's free of charge until further proof found

A. Moody "

An awkward silence steadied between them, and Katie just let her hand find its way to her mouth. Angelina on the other hand didn't bother exchanging any words. Instead she ripped out the page from the file, and shoved it deep within her pockets. If someone busted her for stealing Ministry files well they'd be forced to face a lot of question coming from her end. Who the hell authorized a stop search when the body of Alicia had never actually been discovered? Who had allowed for such a suspicious act to go unseen? Katie didn't need any direction from Angelina, and soon the two of them were fixing the files so they could head back to the shop and show the boys what they had found.

Almost fifteen minutes later Angelina and Katie were jogging down the main street of Diagon Alley and heading straight for the twins joke shop. Katie had reached the door first, and in one quick shove they both barged in with frantic looks upon their faces. Fred and Lee, who were busy staring at something on the desk, didn't bother looking up at them when both girls began blabbing at the same time.

Shoving Katie, which of course shut her up, Angelina removed the folded file piece from her pocket and held it out towards the boys. "Look what we found!" There was a hectic tone in her voice, and Angelina just wished Fred would look up from whatever it was he was staring at and acknowledge the fact that the girls had returned. "Hello? Did you hear me? Look what we found!"

"Damn it Lee would you stop looking at that stupid thing! We found the files! Alicia's body was never found! There was nothing in the file officially declaring her dead because a body was never found." Katie reached for one of the twins products and hurled it at her husband.

Ducking out of the way, Lee glared at Katie. "Merlin! We know woman!"

"What?" Came the unified puzzlement of both girls.

Fred didn't open his mouth, but instead lifted a piece of parchment up from the desk. Angelina just arched her eyebrow, and reached out for the slip. For a moment she didn't know what she was looking at seeing as her eyes were still glazed over from the photos she had earlier seen. Though it was Katie's gasp that snapped her into reality and forced her to see what was staring right back into her face.

"Holy Godric." She wasn't sure if she said it loud enough for anyone to hear, but that wasn't what mattered. What did matter was the fact that she was looking down at a photo of Alicia. George had found his proof.

Both girls slowly brought their eyes up to meet the boys, and through an odd mental exchange they knew what they were about to do.

It was Fred however that got them on the ball. "Pack your bags…George is about to get some visitors."

Dun Dun Dun. So the gang is heading to Austria! Fantastic! That means Alicia will be confronted by the lot of them soon...doesn't it? Well I suppose you will have to wait to find out. CHapter 4 will be up soon. This has probably been the chapter I've been looking forward to the most. George has another little run in, but this time it goes a lot better than expected. Dont forget to leave me a little feedback. Tell me what you think. Do you love it? Hate it? Are you completely confused? Please review and let me know!! Cheers all!