A/N: Hopefully you liked the last chapter! This one is a lot better… and a lot longer.

Disclaimer! I own nothing except this plot and my new character! Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling. (I'm just…twisting it a bit!)

Chapter Two

The house in front of me was… different. It was taller than any house I'd seen back in Salem. Actually, it looked as if houses were stacked on top of houses. The building was put together with all different kinds of wood, and pieces of longer plywood were holding up levels of the house all on its own. Like magic.

"Well, home-sweet-home!" Mr. Weasley chuckled, placing a comforting hand softly on my shoulder.

I summoned up the best smile I could and nodded. As if on command, the front door sprang open and a small, roundish woman ran out and embraced me.

"Ohhh! You must be Lucille! I've heard so much about you. You're even more beautiful than Hugo described! You're just so lovely! Seventeen years old, correct? Oh, that's Ginny's age! It's just so wonderful to meet-''

"Molly, let her breathe!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed, laughing. The woman loosened her grip and backed away slightly.

"I'm sorry, dear. I just got a little excited. My name is Molly Weasley. I'm Arthur's wife," she smiled.

I smiled back, genuinely. It was nice to have a motherly hug again, even if it was from a woman I didn't know.

"Uhm, you can call me Lucy," I said, a wiggled free in the nicest way possible.

Mrs. Weasley gently pushed me through the door into a large living room. There were various couches, tables, and knickknacks scattered around. The walls were covered in the most random objects. Despite all the clutter, the house was homey… and I loved it.

"MUM. When is dad supposed to be home with that girl!" a voice shouted from another room in the house.

"RONALD! GINNY! GEORGE! Get down here!" Mrs. Weasley yelled back. I felt myself getting smaller. I was never overly outgoing. In fact, meeting new people has never been my strong point. I tend to almost shrink in size, rolling my body inward as if to hide. And I was doing just that. At that point, three red heads came bounding down the stairs. The first two were boys, their sister following after.

The first boy's hair was messy, sticking out in different directions. He looked older than his siblings, but not by much. He was slender, probably fairly muscular under his elaborate outfit: grey slacks, a teal dress shirt, a bright purple vest, and a gold and teal striped tie. He was attractive, in a goofy way. Just his looks alone made me want to giggle, and the look he was giving me wasn't helping.

The other boy was bulkier, distinctly muscular. He had shorter hair, tamed. He was wearing a red shirt and a pair of jeans, much simpler than his brother. He was grinning.

The girl was beautiful. Her red hair was long, probably to her mid back. She had a round face, and a very fair, flawless complexion. She was wearing a yellow sundress that fit her slim body perfectly. If that was my competition at Hogwarts, I had no chance.

I suddenly became self conscious. I ran my fingers back through my curly brown hair, twirling the ends a little when I reached there. I adjusted the hem of my shorts, pulling them down. Part of me was afraid that the shirt I picked, my favorite orange t shirt, was too loose fitting. I shuffled my feet, trying to distract from my sneakers.

"Well, I'll be the first to break the tension!" the first boy chuckled. He hopped down the rest of the stairs can over to me. "My name is George Weasley! But you can call me Mr. Right." He outstretched his hand for me to shake and winked. I blushed.

"Nice to meet you. Lucy," I smiled.

"Oh piss off, George, you're going to scare her away," the other boy said, pushing his brother out of the way.

"Jealous, Ronnikins?" George shot back.

"Absolutely not," he snapped. "No offence intended," he said to me. "You're lovely, but I have a girlfriend right now."

"None taken," I blushed again. "Nice to meet you, Ron?"

"Yup, that's me."

"Cool!"

That's when Ginny walked up to me. She smiled and pulled me into a gentle embrace. "Hi, my name is Ginny, but I'm sure you could figure that out."

I hugged her back, although it was strange she felt so comfortable hugging a stranger.

"Yeah, I guessed that," I pulled away and smiled at her. "Lucy, obviously."

She laughed. "You're staying with me, in my room. Mum set the room all up for you; you just need to settle in."

"Great! Um, thank you all… for everything," I said. These five people didn't even know me, and they were treating me like family. It was the most I'd had in months, and I needed this.

"Oh, think nothing of it dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she squeezed my shoulders. "Now, Ginny, would you take Lucy up to your room and help her get squared away? She's had a long day already, and it's soon to get longer!"

"Soon…to…get…longer?" I said quietly. George laughed loudly and Ginny grabbed my wrist, pulling me up the stairs.

"I can already tell we're going to get along great! You're seventeen, right? Me too! We'll be in the same year. Sixth year! Hopefully you'll be sorted into Gryffindor."

"Actually, I'm going to be in my seventh year… I've been homeschooled since I was eleven. I, uh, never missed any schooling last year," I said.

"Really? Wow, you'll be in Ron's year then!" she said excitedly. "I can't wait for you to meet Hermione. That's my best friend, and Ronald's girlfriend. And Harry, that's my boyfriend." She giggled as she said that last part.

I smiled for her, happy. I could tell we would get along as well. Ginny pushed open a door at the top of the stairs. The room wasn't small, but it wasn't terribly large either. The walls were a pale blue color and the wooden floors were shiny and freshly cleaned. There were two distinct sides to the room: two beds, two dressers, two lamps. One side was decorated up, covered in posters and pictures of the girl and her friends. There were newspaper clippings from the past years and random books scattered around the floor.

The other side of the room was clean, untouched. That was my side. It was waiting for me to make my mark.

"Well, here it is!" Ginny announced. "It isn't much, but I think it'll be alright."

"It's perfect," I replied. I gave her a quick smile and walked towards the empty side of the room.

"Well, I'm gonna go talk to Mum about something, but I'll come back in a bit to see if you need any help."

"Don't worry, I didn't bring much, it shouldn't take too long." I smiled again and sat down on the bed.

Ginny left the room and I opened up my bag. I started pulling things out to put them away. First out, my wand. It would be beneficial in refolding unfolded clothes and hanging up other things I brought with me. I started on clothes, carefully filling the dresser drawers. I brought what I thought I would need, my favorites, leaving the rest at my abandoned house.

That thought made me think of my family. I sat down on my new bed and pulled out my memory box. I opened the lid and pictures of my life back in Salem spilled out. I sifted through the pictures treasuring each one. Tears streamed down my face as I pulled out a picture of my father and I. I was thirteen years old in the picture. He was twirling me around, pink and orange sparks falling to the ground around us. He had been teaching me a spell, and instead of doing it the right way, I managed to create a shower of colors that we danced in.

I placed that picture on my lap and rummaged through the box again, pulling out the specific item I had been looking for. It was an old necklace my father had given to my mother. It was antique, but simple. It was a vintage gold chain, with a simple gold heart attached. There was an emerald gem in the middle.

I tried to attach the chain around my neck. Each failed attempt got me more and more upset. It had come to the point where I was just sobbing, hands behind my neck, slamming my fingers together. Finally, I gave up, slid off of the bed, and dropped to the floor.

And then I heard a knock on the doorframe.

"Hello, darling… err- Lucy. I, uh… oh no, what's the matter?" George came striding into the bedroom, dropped to the floor next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

I looked up at him, and I'm sure I looked like a mess. "I, uh, can't get this necklace on." I sniffled, trying to let up on the crying for his sake.

He smiled at me; it was charming. "Well, let me help you out." He took the necklace from my hand and scooted to sit just behind me. He moved my hair off of my neck and clasped the necklace on. Before moving my hair back, he lightly brushed his fingers across my neck. "There," he said and turned back to face me.

I smiled at him, wiping my eyes again. "Thank you."

"Now tell me, why were you really crying?"

I sighed and handed him the picture. Thirteen year old me was still smiling, happier than ever. My dad was still living. I let another tear slide down my face. George caught the tear and took the picture from my hands.

"He was a great man. Hugo Gould. Honorable. There aren't many like him."

Hearing that he thought so highly of my father made me smile, which, in turn, made George smile.

"I don't want you to think I'm coming on too strong or anything, but I love it when you smile," he said. I think I caught a little blush on his cheeks.

I blushed back. "Well aren't you just full of compliments?"

"That's me! You're complementary George. Every new guest gets one, but you were blessed with this one!"

I laughed out loud, and then looked back to my pictures on my bed.

"By the way, if you need to talk about anything, I understand. You can come to me. My, uh… my twin brother Fred died in the war. And uh, well I know it can be tough."

I wrapped my arms around the red haired boy. My earlier assumption was right, he was muscular. I could feel it through his shirt. I let go of him and sat back.

"I just might do that."

He smiled at me. "Now, finish unpacking your things and get yourself cleaned up. You're a mess and you have a party to attend tonight!"

The smile on my face dropped. "What? I party?"

"Your accent us utterly adorable, by the way." He winked at me, chuckled, and casually left the room. I sat there in a second, confused. A party? No, that couldn't be what he meant. There was no way I was in the mood for a party.

I cleaned up the pictures spilling out of my keepsake box and slid it under my bed. I pulled a few more items from my bag (books, shoes, and a cheap, patterned jewelry box) and walked out of the room to find Ginny.

She was in the kitchen, preparing dinner with Mrs. Weasley. When I walked into the room, both mother and daughter turned around and smiled at me.

"Sorry, Lucy! I meant to come back up and help you finish unpacking, but Mum needed some extra help with dinner," Ginny explained, almost begging for forgiveness.

"Oh, don't even worry. I got it all finished. Actually, I was sorta wondering something," I started.

"What can we do for you, my dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked sweetly.

"Um, George mentioned some sort of party? What exactly does that entail?"

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny both laughed. "George would be the one to tell you! I apologize if my son oversteps any boundaries, he's a jokester," Mrs. Weasley said laughing.

"No, it's totally fine… but what exactly did he mean by party?"

Ginny put down the tray of uncooked biscuits she was holding and walked over to me. "I'll explain it, Mum. I can help her get ready and everything!" She grabbed my wrist and led me back up the stairs. "Tonight we're going to this… "Welcome back to Hogwarts-slash-hurray the war is over-slash-we all used to hate each other but now we're going to be friends party. It's not actually AT Hogwarts; the castle is still being re-built. It'll be finished soon though. In time for the new year! But all of the students are going to this Great Hall place. It's in the Ministry building. It's gorgeous. You're going to have so much fun! I'll introduce you to everyone."

I smiled at her enthusiasm. I was secretly hoping everyone would like me. Just because George thought my "accent" was cute didn't mean everyone else would. Some people might not get it; they might be judgmental because I'm not from here.

We walked into our room and Ginny headed straight for my dresser. "I hope you don't mind… I just want to take a look at what you have!" she said, opening the drawers.

"No, not at all. Sooooo, what kinda party is this exactly? I don't have a whole lot to choose from in there…" I said, sorta nervous. I didn't want to be underdressed for the party. I didn't really bring anything formal with me from home.

Home. That was the Weasley's house now. My house. I needed to get used to that.

"Hmm, well I suppose its semi-formal…" She turned to face me and tapped her chin. Suddenly a look of realization replaced her puzzled expression. "I got it!" She ran to her…our… closet and started throwing items of clothing out. She pulled out this beautiful, dark green dress. It was short and strapless. The top was fitted, and right below the breasts it flowed out, baby-doll style.

"Oh, wow. Ginny, there is no way I can wear that! No way." It was beautiful, far too beautiful for me to pull off. Besides, Ginny was at least four inches taller than my 5'2".

"Nonsense, wear it. It never fit me right, it's too short! And green isn't my color. Doesn't flatter my hair. One of the many, many reasons I'm not a Slytherin." She laughed.

Ginny practically threw the dress into my arms and headed for her dresser. Out of her bottom drawer she pulled out three bottles and a towel. "You need to wash up. It's been a long day. Here, here is some soap and some hair products. Mum brewed them week, so they're fresh. They'll do wonders for your hair!" She handed me the toiletries and started down the hall. I quickly laid the dress across my bed and grabbed some clean clothes from my dresser. Then I wandered around until I found Ginny. She was standing in front of an open door to, obviously, the bathroom.

"Shower and get ready, you can leave the bottles on my bed when you're done. Dinner should be done in a little over an hour, so get ready fast!"

I thanked her, walked into the bathroom, and shut the door. I stared at my reflection for a minute. My brown eyes were looking darker than usual, and my fair skin was blotchy from all the crying. My hair was generally kept in place, but now it was tangled and dull. I shook the reflection from my memory and stripped off my clothes.

The shower was glorious, just what I needed. The potions Ginny had given me for my hair were terrific. They smelled like honey and actually relieved tension in my head. That was weird, because it's not something shampoo usually does. The soap smelled minty, and it left this cool sensation on my skin. I rubbed my face under the water, trying to wash off any traces I had cried earlier that day.

I took a relatively fast shower, not wanting to linger and possibly hold up the space for anyone else who needed it. I got out, dried off my body and towel dried my hair. While completing that process, the door flew open. I stood there, shocked, and stared at the face of the youngest Weasley boy. I threw the towel over my still naked body and he covered his face with his hands.

"Bloody hell, I'm so sorry!" Ron yelled and slammed the door closed. I sank to the floor and cradled my head in my hands. I could feel my face getting hotter, and I imagined myself to be as red as my face would allow. Facing him later would be near impossible…

I quickly got dressed, cracked open the door to look around. I wanted to make sure Ron was nowhere in sight. I ran to mine and Ginny's room and slammed the door shut.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Ginny said, standing in front of a floor length mirror styling her hair. She was wearing another yellow dress, this one more gold in color. It was skin tight, and down to her mid thigh. The dress had short sleeves that fit tight to her arms. She had the body of a supermodel: not curvy, but slim and…well, perfect.

"Uh, no… I just wanted to hurry and get ready, didn't want to keep anyone waiting." Lie. But she didn't need to know that. She really didn't need to know her brother walked in on me…

I dropped the bottles on her bed and hung the towel over the edge of my bed. Ginny, who had finished fixing her already perfect, straight hair, walked over and sat on her bed.

"What are you going to do with your hair?"

I stood in front of the mirror and thought for a second. "I guess it depends on how it looks natural," I sighed. I waved my hand in a circle around my head, muttered capillosiccitat, and flipped my hair down, and back up. Then it was dry.

Ginny jumped off her bed. "How-how-how did you do that?" she demanded frantically.

"Do what? Dry my hair?"

"You didn't use a wand!" she exclaimed.

I laughed. I forgot that Hogwarts students didn't learn all the same magic I did. "Back in Salem, my father and I were taught this different magic. I don't need a wand to cast some spells."

Ginny was shocked. She slowly sat back down on her bed. "That's incredible. I've never seen anything like it! It's not… dark magic, is it?"

"Oh, god no! It's normal. It's more… natural magic I guess."

"Incredible," she repeated. "By the way, leave your hair alone, it's perfect."

I turned to look at myself in the mirror. Whatever that hair potion Ginny gave me was, well it worked magic. My hair was sleek, waving around perfectly into soft curls. It had a glow to it that I've never seen before.

"Wow, my hair never looks like this…"

"It's the stuff I let you borrow! I'll have Mum make you some. What did it smell like?"

"Um, honey. Isn't that what it smells like when you use it?" I wondered why she'd ask that.

"Nope! For me it smells like raspberries. Hermione used it once, it smelled like strawberries."

"That's amazing," I laughed. Personal scented shampoo.

Ginny got off her bed, grabbed a small bag off her bedside table and walked towards me. "Do you ever wear makeup?"

"Uh, no… not usually. Why?"

"I'm going to do it for you," she replied, smirking.

I didn't think there was a point in arguing with her, so I sat down on my bed and let her do her thing. Ten minutes later, I heard the magic word.

"Done."

Ginny stepped back, admiring her work.

"Can I look?" I asked,

"Absolutely not! You need to get your dress on first. Do you have shoes to match? I'm thinking gold sandals. I love your height, you aren't wearing heels."

"No, I don't have any… And I can't imagine you wear a size six…"

"What's a size six?" she asked. "No matter." Ginny dug through her closet again and finally pulled out a pair of gold strappy sandals. She grabbed her wand, waved it around and the shoes shrunk down. "Put them on."

I sat down and slid one of the shoes on my foot. It fit like a glove. The straps wrapped around my food and halfway up my calf. "They're perfect!"

"Of course they are, they're magic. Now put your dress on, I'll turn around."

I thought back to her brother, blushed and slipped off my clothes. I slid the dress on, carefully zipping it up the side. It was a perfect fit. The top was a little tight, considering my bra size was a D while Ginny's was probably a B, but I ignored it. The dress fell at mid thigh, the same length as Ginny's. I put on the other shoe and told Ginny she could turn around.

"You look unbelievable!" she squealed. She rummaged through her table drawer and found a couple of gold bracelets. "Put these on!"

I slipped them on my wrist and turned to my own jewelry box. I pulled out a pair of medium sized gold hoops and put them through my ears.

"Can I look now?" I asked. Ginny ran forward, fluffed my hair and stepped back.

"Yes, look now!"

I walked towards the mirror and gasped. I could hardly recognize myself in the reflection. I'd come a long way from the girl I saw an hour before in the mirror. My eyes were highlighted, my lids bronzed to my eyebrows. My eyelashes looked like tiny fans. My lips looked more pouty than usual, and were shaded with a sheer red color.

"You look better than me!" Ginny laughed. "…George is going to have a heart attack."

I laughed with her until we were interrupted by Mrs. Weasley calling us all for dinner. Ginny slid on a pair of short black heels and we walked down the stair to the kitchen.

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