Have I mentioned how much I love you guys? Cause I totally do. Thanks so much for all the reviews. I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. The school semester is coming to a close and I have about a thousand papers to write. The next chapter may take a little while to get up as well. In the meantime if you'd like to take some guesses as to whats going to happen in the future go for at. Leave a review with your theories, and I'll be sure to address you right here within this AN's section in the next chapter.
Again I thank you so much for reviewing. It makes me excited to continue on with this story.
Chapter 10
The mood in the Jordan cottage was a somber one the day after the Gala. Each one of them looked as though they had barely any sleep, and Fred truly gave himself away by walking into the kitchen with his clothes from the previous night still on. He had no energy to remove them when they had returned, and instead dropped into the spare bed with Angelina beside him. You could cut the silence with a dull knife. Katie sat at the kitchen counter with her head resting gently in her hands. Perhaps last night had been hardest on her. She had seen the wrath of Esme Warrington, and felt the threat of both Marcus and Cassius. Alicia had stood there and done nothing. The brunette did not remember Katie's face or even her name when she yelled it out. It was a blow that Katie had not been prepared for, and the dreams that plagued her that night were awful. She had imagined Alicia back in her old house while Death Eaters attacked from various angles. Katie could do nothing but watch as Alicia fought her way through them and to the only open window in her estate. She had called to Katie, but Katie ignored her. Much like Alicia had practically ignored her pleas the night before. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
Lee sat on the couch in the sitting room with an old worn out Quidditch book open on his lap. He wasn't reading it. Instead he was staring across at the blank space on the wall with a glazed look on his face. His fingers toyed with the edges of the page, but his eyes never once left that spot on the wall. He too was in a daze over the nights events. He had almost lost his wife to the hands of scumbag Death Eaters. For some reason he wanted to blame George for bringing them into this nightmare. Normally Lee was a cheery sort of fellow, but after watching Katie whimper in their bed for nearly two hours last night he had no smiles left to give. The spot on the wall was the only thing keeping him from opening his mouth and blaming his best friend.
Fred was pacing wildly across the kitchen floor and through the sitting room. Every now and then he'd pause and tap his finger against his chin in thought. Angelina had offered him a smile when he looked up at her, but he went back to his zoned out pacing without returning it. Zombies. They had all turned into walking zombies. And for what? To have Alicia still in that house without her memory. It seemed like a futile effort, and together they sat there waiting for someone to make the first noise. Angelina coughed, and they all turned in her direction with baited breath. When she widened her eyes in surprise and returned to twiddling her thumbs, Lee groaned and went back to staring at the spot on the wall. The door to the back bedroom finally opened revealing a very calm looking George. Out of the lot of them it was expected that George would probably look the most distraught. That wasn't the case. For some reason he looked relaxed, and almost refreshed. His own twin even quirked a brow at George's appearance.
"Good morning." He said a little blandly, but moved across the kitchen towards the coffee pot. There was just enough left for one more mug full, and George grabbed the closest cup and started pouring the black contents. The fresh aroma even brought a brief smile to his face, and Angelina looked over to Fred with a puzzled expression.
Had they missed something last night?
After the entire fiasco they had spoke briefly about what happened in the Estate. George had been there the entire time. Had he heard something out of context when the were discussing the outcome? "Morning." Lee turned his head and watched George sip at the black coffee.
"Awfully good coffee." George held up the mug and flickered his eyes between Katie and Angelina.
When things couldn't get any weirder they did. George moved around the table and grabbed the news paper that someone had brought in from outside. There was nothing about the disturbance at the Warrington estate, and they had figured it was because Esme or Cassius had paid off the people at the Gala. George flipped open the first page and began browsing the columns as though it were any normal day out of the week. The group of them studied each other's expression, and then turned back to the still very calm George. How could he be so cool knowing that Alicia was still with Warrington? How could he be so quiet knowing that their plan had failed? Angelina rose from her seat and moved across to Fred who was staring at his brother.
"You think he's snapped?" She whispered softly in his ear.
Fred shook his head to disagree though couldn't help but wonder if maybe he had. George had loved Alicia with his entire being since their fifth year. When she had 'died' George had thrown himself into a similar mode where he just pretended that everything was all right. It was so eerily close to the way he was behaving now that Fred moved across the kitchen and ripped the paper from George's hands. "Newsflash brother…things didn't go exactly according to plan last night." He arched his eyebrows. "Are you ok? You look…"
"Like your bloody mental." Lee finished from the sitting room. Placing the Quidditch book back on the table, Lee stood and crossed towards Fred and George. "George, mate, are you ok? You've got that weird look in your eye again."
George knew what they were referring to. He had last acted this calm when he thought Alicia had died. On the surface of his emotions he wasn't sure why he was behaving so oddly. When he went to bed the night before he had stared at the ceiling in anguish for almost four hours. He had been furious that things had failed, and he was even more furious that Warrington was going to bed with Alicia again. He hated knowing that there were lies upon lies festering in that house, and once again he had failed protecting her. That was last night. When he awoke this morning he had a new feeling surging inside of him. Something that he wasn't sure about, but nevertheless it had put him in a place where he felt relaxed. "I'm not mental." He stated coolly. "Just clear." He shrugged, and took another sip of the coffee.
A silence crept across the room, and George placed the mug down on the counter. " I want to see Harry." It came out of his mouth so nonchalantly that it even surprised him. Fred ran his hand over his face and let out a disgruntled noise. "What?"
"We come out here to help get back Alicia, and now you tell us you want to go back to London?" Fred let out a noise that sounded a lot like a choke, "Katie nearly gets killed last night and now you just want to walk out of here without Alicia?" Moving his hand, Fred slapped George lightly on the side of the head. "What's going on in there, mate? Just let us in for a second. What's the problem?" He looked over at Angelina who shrugged again.
"He's a selfish prat." Lee shot out quickly, his arms folding across his chest. "That's his problem." By this time Lee's temper had snapped, and he shook his head at George's sudden change in plan. He had wanted to remain calm, but everything that was eating at him from inside only peaked over the edge when George mentioned leaving.
Katie was busy biting her fingernails down to the cuticle. It was a nervous habit that she had never let go of. Multiple times she had tried to shake it, but something huge always came back to eat away at her nerves. The only comfort was ripping off her nails slowly. Katie cocked her head to the side and exchanged a worried look with Angelina. Both girls knew how heated the boys could get in situations like this, and judging by the look in Lee's eyes and the scowl on Fred's face things weren't going well at all. In fact Angelina quickly moved from the stool she was sitting on and stepped between George and Fred.
"This isn't going to help Alicia." She spoke calmly even though her heart was beating madly in her chest. "Last night went wrong…but when has anything ever gone easy for us?"
"Katie almost died last night, Angelina!" Lee shot out and passed a shattering glare at George. "What would have happened if she didn't get out of there in time? How would you be feeling right now if we were planning Katie's funeral?" His usual comforting voice was replaced with anger. "This isn't some school like problem we can just sort out with clever little tricks and plans. This is a serious matter that involves dangerous people….and as much as I hate to be the one to say it…Alicia has been fine for five years. Maybe she is better off just staying there with Warrington." It was the anger getting to him, and he knew it as soon as it left his mouth.
It happened so quickly, but there was a short scream as George watched his fist pull back and slam directly into Lee's face. Katie's shrill yells to stop it were muffled by Fred's booming voice. Lee didn't swing back. On any other occasion he would have gone off on George like a rocket. He knew he was wrong with what he said. Alicia had been like a sister to him, and he suddenly felt ill for dismissing her so quickly. George on the other hand had lost that sense of calm that he had entered the kitchen with. There was a fury in his facial expression, and if Fred hadn't grabbed him by the arm he would have probably continued to work his fists into Lee.
"This needs to stop! We aren't going to get anywhere by fighting!" Katie reached Lee's side and grabbed at his arm. "I don't care what happened last night. I don't care what's going on right now between the two of you…all I know is that it has to stop!" There was a muffled agreement from Angelina.
George wrenched himself out of Fred's grasp and turned towards the kitchen sink. He took a few steps and let the water run until it was icy cold. Bending forward he let the water hit his face and numb the horrid feelings inside of him. Why was everything falling apart so fast? One minute he had been pleased to find Alicia in that museum, and now he was fighting amongst his friends. Pulling away from the running water, George let it drip slowly onto his shirt before turning to speak again. "I still want to go see Harry. If anyone is going to be able to help us, Harry is our best bet. He has a direct in at the Ministry, and we will be able to get a few Aurors out here to help us."
There was an awkward silence that filled again, and George lowered his eyes to the floor. He knew that once they got home they'd have to move quickly if they were going to help her. From what Katie had gathered, Alicia wasn't exactly living in a safe environment. If they could just convince a few of the Aurors to get Warrington's confession they could have Alicia back. He needed Alicia back. Why was everything falling apart in front of him? They were so bloody close, and at the same time everything just kept falling further out of reach.
"I agree with George." Katie piped up quietly from across the way. All eyes turned to face her, and even Lee shot her a surprised look.
"But we came all this way to settle it now." Angelina, who had to admit she agreed with Lee, tossed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "How is going back to London going to solve this now?"
"Look…" Katie marched over to George and raised her head a little higher. She had never been the bright one with the plans. She was just Katie. She was the bait. She was the one good for a laugh. For once she felt like her opinion matter a bit more than everyone else's. "For all we know Esme Warrington is outside this cottage right now waiting for us. She saw me, Angelina, and for Merlin's sake Cassius and Flint saw me too. If they know that we are here it's just a matter of time before we all get killed. George is right…we need to see Harry. He would understand this more than any one else." She shrugged. "Plus don't think it would be easier if we got a little bit more support from home?"
Fred opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it immediately. Katie was right, and they all knew it. If Esme Warrington had enough time she was probably locating the lot of them as they stood there and argued. How stupid were they? He hated leaving Alicia at that estate with a group of Death Eaters, but perhaps she was safest at the moment being in the dark. It was going to be hard enough getting her out of there with her son when the time finally came. At least if they went back to London and spoke to Harry they'd have a little bit more magic behind them. After all he was the one who stopped the majority of Death Eaters in the past. Whatever information he could supply them with would surely come in handy. Not to mention his sister worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Having her quick mind behind them would do wonders for their current situation.
Fred sighed. "Ginny will help too. She always liked Alicia plus she can get us some inside information." Fred couldn't help but grin as he caught George's thrilled expression.
There was another sigh of defeat, and Angelina, who had also been against leaving, stepped forward. "I hate to think that we are just going to leave this, but…" Her eyes moved towards the front door. "I also hate to think that Esme Warrington is just waiting beyond that door for us. I'm in." At this she turned her eyes towards Lee who had remained very quiet. Even Katie seemed to be studying her husband as though she was seeing something about him for the very first time. "Geez Lee, I've never seen you look so serious." Angelina murmured, but made sure it was loud enough for Lee to overhear.
Lee didn't say much. Instead he just walked across the room and opened up his bedroom door. The lot of them exchanged looks while their friend disappeared, and Katie made to step forward to see what he was doing. There was a shuffling noise, and then a click, and Lee appeared back in the door frame with two brown suitcases suspended in air behind him. There was a defeated look on his face, but all the same a familiar glimmer of humor had appeared back in his eyes. "I packed this morning. I may think this is pointless, but I'm not stupid." He shrugged.
Katie sprinted across the short distance and flung her arms around the taller wizard. "This is going to work for the better. You'll see." She buried her face in his chest, a place where she found her most comfort, and sighed.
George began pointing towards the spare rooms. "We better get moving then. We don't have much time to get out of here and back to the floo network. For all we know Warrington has shut down the system to keep us here. The longer we stand around the more we make ourselves good target practice." His steps were already leading him towards the guest room he was occupying.
Quickly they began dashing around the cottage grabbing anything that was in arms reach. Angelina wasn't even sure if she was packing her own clothes when she closed her trunk and brought it to the sitting room. George and Fred brought two more trunks from the other spare room, and in less time then they had argued about it they were ready to leave. Katie did one last sweep just to be sure that nothing important was left behind, and came back to the room with two thumbs up.
" I'm going to head halfway down the road and be sure that we are in the clear" Fred started towards the door. " Once I send up red sparks that will be the cue to leave."
George suddenly raised his hand. "Um excuse me sir, but how do you expect us to get there? I took a cab car, and so did you lot." He raised his eyebrows and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. They could always head to town and find a buggy, but the prospect of running into Warrington was still too great.
Fred tapped his finger to his chin. " Good point, brother."
At this point Lee raised his hand. "We can get the buggy from two roads over. It stops there every twenty minutes."
Katie began to raise her hand, but Angelina cut her off. "Why the hell are we acting like we are still in school?"
"Because its fun." Chimed Katie.
"I like the authority." Fred added.
"I actually just had a wicked cramp in my arm." George grinned.
Angelina groaned, and began locomotoring the trunks in front of them. " Fred why don't you get going, and we will stand ready here. Once those sparks go up we will get to the pick up point where you will eventually meet us. Eh?" she turned her head so that she cast a quick look at each of them.
"Just be ready." Fred nodded and opened the door.
"How will we know if you get into trouble?" Katie piped up while he was halfway out the door.
"Well if you don't see sparks go up in the next five or so minutes I'd assume something bad has happened." He laughed at this but Angelina frowned. "No worries, love." With that he was out the door and dashing down the front walk way.
Quiet. The sitting room was deathly quiet besides the hovering trunks behind them. Angelina kept her face glued to the front window waiting for the sparks to fly. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite grasp her mind around what it may be. Ever since she woke this morning there was this funny little nagging in her mind, but she blamed most of it on the stress from the previous evening. "Something isn't right." She mumbled loud enough for them to hear.
"Something hasn't been right for five years, Angelina. Its all finally coming clear..." George pushed one of the trunks away as it repeatedly bumped into his side.
"No...its something else. Something just feels strange about us leaving." She pressed her nose harder against the glass. "It's this weird feeling I keep getting in my stomach. I used to get it back in school right before something wonky would happen. It's come and gone since then, but it's really crazy right now." She placed her hand on her stomach and sighed.
"Maybe we shouldn't leave then." Lee cut in, but was hushed instantly by Katie.
"Sparks." Angelina pointed to the left. " lets go."
Esme Warrington burst into her son's bedroom with heated fury. She had known that there was something suspicious about the previous evenings episode, and sure enough when the parchment arrived early this morning the name was clear as day. Spinnet. How had they been such fools for the last five years? The blasted girl was sitting right beneath their nose, and they had not been the wiser. It was a rather good thing that William was still asleep when she read the results. She wanted to take care of the problem once and for all. She wanted to watch the life leave the eyes of the pureblood bitch who had managed to sneak into her family. And the boy. Her blood boiled. The boy wasn't even a Warrington. She had sensed the difference present in him, and now it all was perfectly clear. She needed to finish what she had started at the Spinnet household five years ago. Alicia needed to be wiped from existence…Cassius' wife or not.
"Where the hell is she?" She wheeled around on her son, her own flesh and blood, and pointed her wand at his throat.
Cassius was panting and covered in sweat by the time he reached his mother. As he surveyed the room he felt relief seeing that Daphne had made it in time. By now he hoped that they had reached the broom shed, and if was truly lucky he hoped that they had already taken flight. "I don't know, Mother." He spoke through gasps.
Stepping forward she wound back and slapped him hard across the face. "Son or not, I should kill you now." Lowering her wand she began storming around the room "Where have you hidden her? Where is the boy?" she turned over the vanity and cursed.
Cassius stepped aside as his mother proceeded to search the room. He was glad to see that Daphne had concealed the door with the wardrobe. There was a panicked moment where he thought she would just take Alicia and bolt down the passage way. She must have been thinking things through because there was no trace that the wardrobe had even been moved, and his mother had yet to move something that large. He watched as she continued to turn over smaller objects in the room all while swearing at the top of her lungs. When the desk in the corner of the room fell to its side, Cassius moved his eyes briefly to the wardrobe again. By now they had to be halfway to the drop point. Cassius hoped James was alright, and that Alicia was keeping her composure.
Alicia.
He lowered his eyes to the floor. There was always a sneaking suspicion that this would eventually happen. He just never planned on it happening like this. In his head he had planned out different ways to tell her that everything was built upon a lie. But he loved her. Everything he did was because he actually loved her. He could never bring himself to shatter her world again. It was bad enough he had done that once in the past. Cassius wasn't the most whole hearted wizard, but he did care deeply for her.
"Where is she?" His mother had wheeled back around on him. She was at his side in less than a second. "How could you do this to us, Cassius?" Her voice was low and raspy and Cassius was reminded of a frog. "You have betrayed us...this family!" Her eyes grew dark with fury. "After her family disgraced our family name you bring her here!" Dhe smacked him again. "And for what? She has been an enemy of this house for years. What could you possibly gain by this? How did you do it? There is no reason great enough to defy the Warrington name!"
"But I love her. " This was received by a wail, and a red stream shot from the end of her wand into the wall behind him.
"We killed her family! You said she was dead! You have lied to us all this time! She is the daughter of your father's greatest enemy, and you have brought her into this house under lies for five years." Another crack sounded from across the room as she flicked her wand in anger.
Cassius scoffed. "You will leave her alone, Mother. That was five years ago. Alicia is my wife…she is a Warrington." He knew it was a futile effort, but he had to at least try.
Esme shrieked in manic laughter. "You think it is so simple now boy? She is pureblood...she is on the list. She wont join us, and you know perfectly well what that means." Her eyes shined with glee "And her brat..." Cassius felt his eyes go slightly wide. "The brat is the son of a pureblood traitor. He will be taken care of as well…and you will help us."
Cassius spit at his mothers feet. "No."
She laughed again. "Oh silly boy you constantly forget the family bonds...you will help us. You will or you will be just as traitorous as those we plan to eliminate. You will lose everything Cassius...the business…the money…you will not only lose this phony family you have created, but you will lose your own flesh and blood as well!" She pounded her bony hand against her chest.
Cassius stared blankly at his mother and merely turned to walk away. He knew it would be difficult to defy those involved in the uprising. Especially when he held information like he did. They would force it out of him if it was possible, and if he didn't speak they'd just kill him as well. There were a thousand thoughts rushing through his head, and he wondered if he could possibly convince Alicia to just join the Pureblood cause. If she agreed to join the ranks behind the Zabini's perhaps they would spare her life. Maybe they'd even leave James alone. He took a few steps towards the door. He'd find his way around it. There had to be something he could do to protect her from the pending slaughter of blood traitors.
"Don't turn your back on me, Cassius!" she flicked her wand again.
The crash went off across the room, but it was an unusual sound that reached both their ears. Cassius turned slowly and glanced at the wardrobe. There was a black hole above the wooden furniture. A hole that ran straight into the secret passage he had created. Esme Warrington turned towards the noise and allowed a slow smirk to grace her lips. She knew there was some secret place that they had turned to, and it had been right in front of her the entire time. She lifted her wand to charm the wardrobe. Cassius made to block her charm, but Esme was already shifting the wardrobe to the side. The door to the passage was tightly shut, but it was blasted open before Cassius could even open his mouth.
"So this is how she got out?" Esme strode across the room and moved towards the bedroom door. "William! Bring Paulo here." Esme moved back towards the blasted opening. Cassius stood there motionless. He hoped Daphne had put as much distance between them as she could.
There were heavy footsteps on the staircase, and then two men appeared hovering in the doorway. "She's left with the boy." The words were spoken like venom. "She must have heard us downstairs."
The eldest Warrington turned to look at his son. There was an emptiness in his eyes, and Cassius quickly looked away. If there was one person he hated disappointing more than Alicia it was his father. After all the years of torture the man went through to return home Cassius had gone and fallen in love with his father's greatest enemy. "Father." He nodded his head in respect. "Paulo"
William Warrington stared at his youngest son and merely shook his head. "In our own house...under our own noses... You mock me by your actions, Cassius. You've acted like a child here…and for nothing but a traitorous slag. She has played you well boy."
"I am a grown man! I have just as much say as-"
"Silence." William stalked around his son and paced once in front of the passage door. He turned back to Cassius. "We will go down this together, and then you will finish what you started five years ago." William gestured for Paulo and Esme to move down the passage.
"I will not." He took his wand and raised it threateningly.
William smirked. He knew how to work his son. He was a child after his own heart, and despite the cold hatred that coursed through their veins they had weak spots. "You will…or I will kill the boy as well." He played his son like a fiddle.
"What?" Esme paused in her steps and turned to her husband. "He should be killed as well, William. There should be no bribery necessary. The boy is nothing but pureblood filth." Her scratchy voice was becoming even more irritated and breathless." He has betrayed us " she pointed at Cassius, " and now he will pay for his actions."
William cast a sideways look at Paulo who nodded his head in approval. It was good that William and Paulo constantly lived on the same mind set. "The boy has done nothing wrong here, Esme." He shifted his glance to his son. "We can raise him to be a great follower of our cause. We can mold him...once his traitorous mother is killed." He suppressed a low chuckle.
Cassius felt sick to his stomach. Kill Alicia to save James? The boy was not even his own son, and yet he cared for the boy as if he was his own. James knew nothing but the love of Cassius. He could be a better father than that red headed pauper. He reached up and let his hand run slowly down the front of his face. How could he fix this? He had time now of course to create plans with Marcus, but they'd find her soon. He had sent her to the lions den without even realizing it. He cursed under his breath.
"After you, son" William smiled his malicious smile again.
Cassius, his fingers wrapped tight around his wand, began the trek into the passage. He hoped they had gone. If they were still there he wasn't sure who would come out dead in the end. Suddenly worried Cassius broke out into a sprint and began heading down the long dark corridor. The sudden yells behind him only caused him to quicken his pace, and he turned slight right as the passage shifted. Glancing over his shoulder, his black hair whipping against his face, Cassius saw the three figures a good twenty feet behind him. It was a good thing they were slower. It allowed him just enough time to do what he had intended from the start.
Up ahead he caught sight of the door, and silently hoped that he wouldn't find them there. He had less than a second to react. Pushing the door open Cassius ran into the empty shed and breathed out a sigh of relief. They had made it. The brooms from the corner of the shed were gone, and the door was still cracked slightly. If they had just left he hoped Daphne pressed for speed. There was little time to waste now. "The Leaky Cauldron...London England." Closing his eyes he saw a brief glimpse of his father before feeling the familiar apparation tug.
Angelina dropped her hands against her sides and let out an exhausted yell. "A full day! I can't believe you made us detour to Ireland first." She threw a glare back at Fred. Her back was killing her, and she leaned slightly to the side to crack it.
" I was just being cautious." He grinned. "Would you have rather battled the Warrington brood and their death eater minions?" He threw an arm around Angelina's shoulders. He faintly heard her mumble a 'no' and he grinned again. "Thought not."
Lee, who had been in front of them all, stopped suddenly in front of the shop. He furrowed his brow and then glanced back at Fred. "Did you tell Verity to open the shop while we were away?" he looked back through the front window, and then towards Fred again.
George shot a look at Fred. "You said you closed." He too was now staring through the window at Verity. She was sitting at the front desk reading the Prophet. It didn't seem like there was anyone in the shop, but it was strange that she had decided to sit at the front desk without much to do. It wasn't like there was any paper work that needed to be filled out. George knew that before he had even left Angelina had filed most of the paper work away for the coming season.
"It still says closed." Fred pointed to the sign on the door that read 'closed'. "Maybe she just wanted to get out of her flat for awhile." He shrugged, and then slipped his key into the front door. There was a soft click, and Fred pushed the door open with his shoulder while his other hand turned the knob on the door.
Verity Evergreen brought her nose out of the Daily Prophet with a very confused look on her face. As they entered the room she folded close the paper and moved around from behind the desk. Her hair was a bit messy which was unusual for Verity, but nonetheless she still retained that glowing smile on her face. "I thought you weren't due back for a couple of days?" She scratched the side of her face, and pushed aside a box of jellybeans on the counter. With a hoist she pushed herself up on the counter and folded her hands into her lap. "You all look terrible." Her voice was low and concerned, but she didn't bother to move from the desk to help them.
"Verity," Fred began very quietly, "I thought we made it clear that the shop was going to stay closed for the time we were away." He pointed to a few empty containers of chocolate that usually were piled high in front of the check out area. He knew specifically that he had filled those trays before they left so he wouldn't have to do it when they got home. Now they were completely barren except for the one lone chocolate frog wrapper that sat in the bin.
Verity quirked her eyebrow at his accusation. "I did keep the shop closed." She turned to Angelina. "He get too much sun while you all were away? Oh! Hi Georgie." She waved airily at George who somehow managed to end up at the back of the group. "It's good to have you all back. I mean things were getting sort of dull around here." She rolled her eyes and then scooted from her seat upon the desk.
"Yeah well that generally happens when a shop is supposed to remain closed." Fred said again, this time actually pointing to the empty containers of chocolate.
Katie and Angelina exchanged worried looks. Had Verity been stealing from them and trying to play it off as though she had nothing to do with the missing candy? Angelina cleared her throat uncomfortably and turned her back on the situation. She began fidgeting with Katie's hair letting her fingers begin braiding a small portion. There was an awkward tension in the room, and Verity stared at all of them rather puzzled about the whole thing.
"What?" She looked down at the missing chocolate and shrugged. "There's money in the till for them." She moved around the desk and pulled out a couple of knuts. "I didn't refill them because they were just taken." Again she rolled her eyes as though they all should have realized this before flinging accusations. "You all are acting so wonky today." Flinging her hair over her shoulder, Verity sighed.
Lee arched an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean they were just taken? I thought you said you didn't open the shop while we were away." Again there was a very frustrated look on all their faces, and Verity threw her hands up in the air defeated. "Did you take them?" He looked from the chocolate box to Verity.
"No I did not!" She placed her hands on her hips. " You very well know I can't eat chocolate! I'm allergic."
Fred slapped his hand against his forehead. "Then…" He took a deep breath. " how did the chocolate disappear? If you didn't open the shop…and you didn't eat them yourself?" For the love of sweet Merlin he just wanted her to answer the question so they could all just go upstairs and owl Ginny and Harry.
"Oh." She said quietly as though it suddenly dawned on her what they wanted the whole time. "Your cousin asked if her nephew could have some."
"Cousin?" Angelina stepped away from Katie and approached Verity. "Verity… please… for the love of Merlin just explain to us what the hell you are talking about. Fred and George don't have cousins with nephews. In fact the only cousins they have live in Scotland, and I'm pretty sure a bunch of sixteen year olds don't have nephews."
Verity looked puzzled again and glanced up towards the staircase leading to the flat. "But she said she was your cousin when she came to my place." Realizing that she still wasn't making any sense to them she let her hands drop to her sides and frowned. "This blonde girl, said her name was Anna, she came to my flat and told me that you were expecting her at your place. I told her you were out of town for a couple of days so she asked if she could possibly just stay at your flat because you had promised her a room to stay in while she passed through. She had her friend with her…and the kid. They knew all about you two so I figured she was telling the truth. I let them in this morning and just decided to stick around and clean the shop for awhile. I didn't know-"
George wasn't sure what Verity had continued saying as he bolted up the stairs towards the flat. There were pounding footsteps behind him, and he heard Angelina say something along the lines of 'no bloody way'. His heart hammered madly in his chest, and he reached for the doorknob just out in front of him. He paused causing the lot of them to crash into each other. "It's open." Sure enough there was a crack apparent in the door, and George removed his wand just to be cautious. Pushing the door open slowly it creaked, and he looked over his shoulder at Fred. "You were supposed to fix that." Fred grinned sheepishly, and they all moved quietly into the flat.
It was quiet in the entrance way, and he let his eyes flicker side to side to catch a glance of the intruders. There were many things going off inside his head, but he kept himself from getting too worked up. What were the chances that their problems would follow them back to the flat? It seemed too out of place, but he whipped his wand out in front of him as he turned the corner to the sitting room.
A blonde head was sitting comfortably in his favorite plush chair, her feet propped up on the coffee table. Her head was cocked slightly to the side and the heavy breathing was a clear indication that she was sleeping. George took a step forward as quietly as possible, but that was pointless as Katie tripped over something on the floor creating a loud crash behind him. The blonde girl sat up rigid in her seat, and kept staring out straight in front of her. She didn't move at first, and George took another step forward his wand at the ready. Before she started to turn towards him a nauseous feeling overtook him and he let his wand drop suddenly to the ground. The side of her face was coming into clear view, and even behind him he heard Fred mumble 'Blimey'.
Daphne stood up from the chair, her face stricken with horror. They were supposed to be in Austria. What were they doing back so soon? She was supposed to have at least two days of hiding time. Her eyes moved frantically towards the room to her right. Had she heard the noise that went off in the sitting room.
"Bell." Daphne narrowed her eyes at Katie who had been the one responsible for the crash.
"Greengrass." Angelina spat out in a rather venomous tone, getting in front of Katie to block anything Daphne may throw at her.
"Johnson." Daphne stated back firmly.
"Daphne?" The door to the room on the right had opened, and a bleary eyed Alicia was standing in it's frame.
"Alicia?" Lee choked out, his voice hitching somewhere in the back of his throat.
"George?" Alicia looked between George and Fred completely thrown off.
Daphne started to back away, and Fred raised his wand. "Greengrass." He said
threateningly.
"Fred!" Angelina lifted her hand and swatted the wand from his grip. A boy's head appeared behind Alicia.
"Mr. George!" The small boy ran from behind Alicia and found his way to George's pant leg. His mouth was covered in chocolate, a grin wildly plastered to his face. There was no confusion between Fred and George for the young boy.
"James?" George looked down at the young wizard, and then dumbfounded back at Alicia.
"Crying lady!" James pointed at Katie who was still busy straightening herself up from her fall.
"Daphne?" Alicia, her face contorted in an odd fashion looked from the group of them back to Daphne.
"Alicia." Daphne held out her hand to keep her friend from flipping out.
Alicia's eyes moved back and forth from the girl who had crashed her anniversary party to the girl from her dream. The girl who she had called Angelina.
"Angelina?" She let roll off her tongue which caused the black girl to bring her hand immediately to her mouth.
"Lee!" Katie screamed as Alicia began to fall backwards, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Lee who was closest to their old friend jumped out and prevented her from hitting the ground.
Alicia's body was sprawled in Lee's arms, and the lot of them exchanged worried looks. Lee quickly rushed over to the couch and placed her gently down upon it. Katie had dashed off to get a cool rag, while George and Fred shot daggers at Daphne. There was a small cough again, and all eyes in the room turned down towards the little boy who was still tugging at George's pant leg.
"Mr. George." He held up his pudgy little hand which contained an old photo of Alicia, Katie, Angelina, Fred and himself after a Quidditch game. It had been the game they won back in their fifth year. Harry and Oliver had opted out of the photo since they felt like they were intruding on certain territory. If you looked closely at the picture you could see a few strands of dreadlocks in the far corner of the shot. Lee had just missed out on the photo opportunity. "Whys my Mum in these funny clothes with you…and them." He pointed towards Angelina and Fred.
George looked up at Daphne who had her face buried within her own hands. "You like stories, James?" He bent down so the young boy was level with him. Katie who had returned with the rag gasped as she saw the sight, and quickly left the room without bothering to leave the rag.
"Yes." He gave a toothy grin.
"Well I think your Aunt Daphne here has a fantastic one to tell you." He turned his head slightly to the side and glared at Daphne. It was going to be a very long evening.