A/N: First off, I want to dedicate this story and all my stories from here on out to allhugs13, for being the best friend I've always had. With out your wonderful advice and support, most of my stories could not be possible. And thank you for your marvelous reviews. Luv ya, girl!!

So I was bored out of my mind.

Here we were, first week of summer break and we were stuck in these dreary, little bedrooms in this dreary old house with portraits that, if you're too loud, wake up and scream bloody murder, all because an evil wizard may want to kill us because we're friends with his nemesis and because we don't support his holier-than-thou outlook on life.

. . . . I'd really rather be grounded back at the Burrow.

"At least Melody comes here today," Fred said, a smirk on his face.

I couldn't fight the smile that came onto my face. It had only been a couple of days since we'd dropped her off at her house but I missed her. "What time does she get here?" I asked.

"I dunno. I heard mum ask Remus to go pick her up a little while ago, so she should be here soon."

As if on cue, the pictures downstairs began to scream loudly and I could just here Remus' voice over the roar. "MOLLY! MOLLY COME QUICK!"

Fred and I looked at each other before we ran out of the room, running into Ron, Hermione, and Ginny on our way down the stairs. We all took the stairs two at a time, my ears pounding from all the screaming. What we saw when we reached the bottom surprised us all.

Remus stood in the middle of the foyer, holding up Melody's frail body. Both Remus and Melody were covered in ash and looked completely shaken but . . . I saw blood dripping onto the floor. I followed the drips up, realizing the blood was coming from Melody's limp right arm. Her shorts were torn on one side, showing off a large part of her thigh, which was burnt, while her t-shirt looked ragged and was burned just to her belly-button.

Fred, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and I crept closer towards them, finally coming to a rest at the bottom of the stairs. Melody's lips were moving but I couldn't tell what she was saying. Suddenly, she went completely limp and fell away from Remus' grasp. I rushed forward and caught her before she hit the floor.

Sirius and my mum came in then, mum motioning for me to bring Melody into the kitchen while Sirius grabbed Fred and they ran around the room, shutting up the pictures.

Mum flicked her wand, making the kitchen table disappear and replacing it with a hospital-like table. "Lay her down gently George," mum said.

I did as I told. Mum rushed around the kitchen, pulling out medical supplies. "How did this happen, Remus?"

I turned to see that Remus had followed us into the kitchen, using his wand to clean the ash from his body and clothes. "I went to pick her up, as you said. When I got there, her house was on fire. . . . The Dark Mark was floating over it."

There was an immeasurably, uncomfortable silence, my mum tending to Melody's arm. I felt as if I wasn't supposed to be there, but my eyes were stuck on Melody's face. "Is – is there anything I could do, mum?"

My mum looked up at me surprised, either at the fact that I was still there or the fact that I was offering to help with something. "Um, yes. Try cleaning the ash from her face and clothes, please."

I pulled my wand out of my pocket and, after brushing lose strands of hair from her face, began the cleaning spell. My fingers brushed against her face as I cleaned her up, her skin soft to my fingertips. . . . Great, instead of hoping that she was okay, I was thinking about how pretty she was at the moment.

"Remus?" I looked up as my mum spoke, finally, breaking the ever awkward silence. She was looking behind me at Remus as he poured water into two glasses. "What about – what about her parents?"

I looked at Remus just in time to see him shake his head.

"Poor dear," my mum muttered.

'Poor dear'? Was that really all she could say? 'Poor dear'. I mean, the girl's arm was, by the looks of it, broken, she had been burnt in a fire, almost died, and now she was an orphan. And all my mum could say was 'Poor dear'?

While I was busy ranting in my head, my mum had finished cleaning up and fixing Melody's arm and her burns. She had me sit her up so that she could pour some weird yellow potion down her throat.

"Do you think you can carry her up the stairs, George?" mum said. "I'm scared to levitate her."

I nodded, slipping my arms under the crook of Melody's knees and her neck, lifting her up and following my mum up the stairs towards Hermione and Ginny's room. She was incredibly light . . . almost too light. I felt like I was carrying Ginny . . . when she was about seven years old.

Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Fred were there when we got in the room. Ron quickly hopped off the bed, moving aside so I could lay her down.

"Why don't you three go stay in Ron's room for a little while?" mum said. "She's going to be fine and hopefully, she'll wake up soon, but for now, let's just let her alone for now."

Fred and I headed back to our own room silently. This was definitely not the reunion I had hoped for.