Everybody is happy again :)

Lyra is about to find out just how much she meant to her friends...and Draco is about to get caught up in the ride...

I'm now switching to first person from Lyra's POV.

"What are you going to do?"

I smiled at my older brother. "Harry's offered me one of the spare rooms at Sirius's old house." I replied, getting off the bed. I was dressed in a robe again, and had just been cleared by the Healer.

"So you're moving out of The Burrow?" asked Draco, surprised.

I shook my head. "I turned Harry down. I need to stay at The Burrow…for now." For him. The unsaid words trickled between us.

Draco tilted his head slightly, a considering look on his face. "You know." I nodded at his simple statement. "Who told you?" he continued.

I smiled sadly. "Nobody. I guessed. Fred," I paused swallowing, "Fred hasn't visited me at all, and I could see something in George's eyes…a darkness that wasn't there before."

Draco nodded solemnly.

There was a sharp knock at the door, followed by the entrance of two of my adopted siblings.

"Good, you're ready. Took you long enough," said the older of the two.

I scowled at him. "George, just because I've just recovered doesn't mean I'm any less good than I was before at hexing you."

Ginny grinned. "You tell him."

"Anyway," said George, "you're coming with us back to The Burrow." When I blinked at him, he sighed. "The Healer said you can't spend the first week alone while you recover, and while I trust that your brother will take care of you, Mum will do her nut if she doesn't see you."

I grimaced. Such was the life of having Molly Weasley for a mother. Although, according to Harry, she did kill anybody who got in the way of their children…and swore at them too. I grinned inwardly as I remembered Harry's retelling of Molly and Aunt Bellatrix's duel. I had had no idea that my adopted mum could be that amazing. Then again, she was a Gryffindor.

"I can take her via Side-Along Apparation," remarked Draco, surprise crossing his face. "You didn't need to come."

George shrugged. "Well, this way Ginny and I can ensure your sister doesn't decide to take the wheel of this operation. I'll go with Harp here," he gestured at me, earning a scowl, "and you take Ginny."

Draco looked the boy over, then shrugged. "Okay."

George crossed the room to me, offering me his hand. "Ready?" I looked up into his face. For a moment, a memory swirled through my head, one of ice statues, and dancing in the Great Hall. I shook the memories from my head and smiled up at him, taking his hand.

There was a loud crack.

~oOo~

Crack.

We appeared on the front lawn of The Burrow. I swayed momentarily, feeling slightly disorientated by the sudden smells and light. George let me lean on him for a moment while I got my bearings back.

Crack.

The pair of us turned at the appearance of Ginny and Draco.

"Well, Malfoy, I'm surprised," drawled George. "I thought you would run away, even with Ginny."

Draco snorted. "Lyra would kill me," he replied. "And then your mother. And I still remember Ginny's Bat Bogey Hex in fifth-year."

We all laughed at my brother's grimace.

"Come on." George led me up to the front door, Ginny moving to stand beside him, while Draco took my side. George let go of my hand to thrust the door open.

"SURPRISE!"

"What the-" I reeled backwards at the shouts and laughter. "What in Merlin's name-"

The room had been transformed. It was cluttered with balloons and streamers, while a large banner hung from one side of the ceiling to the other, flashing letters spelling out "WELCOME HOME".

Everybody was in the room: Arthur and Molly, Bill and Fleur, Charlie and Percy, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Luna, and even Neville.

I felt tears spring to my eyes. Quickly I turned to look at George. He grinned and winked at me. "You knew," I mumbled.

"It was his idea," Ginny piped up. "We just helped with the decorating."

I saw out of the corner of my eye that Draco looked about as overwhelmed as I did. He fidgeted on his feet, but Ginny moved behind him and shoved him through the door after me.

Once inside, I got a better look at the place. It definitely had Mrs Weasley's signature all over it. But I could also see the little details here and there that spoke of my friends. Every now and then I caught a glimpse of a photo of something at Hogwarts, hidden underneath the party decorations. I caught a glimpse of the lion hat that Luna had made and worn to every Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match since my fifth year. Occasionally I thought I saw the Snitch whip past overhead, but it appeared to have been charmed not to leave the room. Pigwidgeon would flutter after it, hooting its delight. I followed the owl's path, laughing. As I turned to get a better view, I caught a glimpse of George. He was smiling at me. I waved, then squeezed through the crowd towards him, getting hugged along the way. Finally when, I reached my destination, I paused. George was gone.

Had I just imagined him? It was possible-after all, the place was packed to the rafters. People were slowly moving outside, but it was still pretty chaotic. I turned to face Ginny. "Have you seen George?" I called above the noise and chatter.

Ginny glanced at me. "He was here a moment ago," she replied, surprise on her face. "Gotta go!" she yelled, having finally spotted Harry. I grinned momentarily as I watched her fight her way to his side. My year mate's face lit up, and he threw his arms around her, not caring that he was kissing her in front of her parents.

I cast a quick look around the room again, this time getting a glimpse of my brother. For a moment I considered abandoning the search for George and heading over to make sure Draco wasn't too confused. But he seemed to be fine. In fact, he seemed to be having a rather good conversation with Hermione. My lips quirked in a smile as a sudden thought occurred to me. Satisfied that Draco was handling the raucousness of a Weasley party, I turned away, scanning the room once more. My gaze landed on a window, or rather, the scene outside, and in that moment I knew where he had gone.

~oOo~

The sun's rays were sprawled over the lawn as I made my way out the back. I paused for a while, savouring the golden warmth spilling across my face before turning again and making my way around the back.

As I drew closer to my destination, a shed slowly came into view. This, like everything else at The Burrow, was enchanted and was far bigger than it looked. This was where everybody's brooms were kept. The Weasleys had a massive field around their house, so were able to fly pretty much wherever they liked-provided they weren't seen by Muggles.

As I got closer, I saw a tall boy with flaming locks, standing by the shed. He was leaning back against the shed, staring out at the sprawling fields before him. I made my way over to him.

For a long moment, we said nothing, not wanting to break the peaceful silence.

George glanced at me slowly, as if caught in a dream. Or maybe a memory. "How did you know I was here?" he murmured.

I smiled faintly. "You and Fred were always out here, practising, or just mucking around. I knew you would be out here."

George didn't reply, only nodded.

I spoke again. "It helps to scream, you know."

George looked at me again, and I caught a glimpse of the devastation in those blue eyes. "How would you know?" His voice was rough. "Been screaming, have you?"

I rested a hand on his arm. "Only when nobody's looking." When he continued to stare at me, I added, "I can't scream in front of everyone. I just came out of St Mungo's. It would destroy everyone if I had to go back in."

George favoured my words with a sharp nod. "I should've been there," he said suddenly.

My hand tightened on his arm. "It wasn't your fault."

"I should've been there," repeated George, either not hearing me or just ignoring my words. "I was with Lee, still patrolling the passages. I didn't even see him during the battle." The breath caught in his throat. "It's my fault. If I had been there, none of this would've happened."

"That's probably how Fred felt when you lost your ear," I replied flatly. When George looked at me, startled, I squeezed his arm gently. "Say something. Anything. Scream, shout, curse me, I don't care. You need to get it out of you. But remember this: It wasn't your fault."

"IT WAS!" George screamed suddenly, whipping around to stare at me. "It was my fault! I wasn't there! We weren't together! And now he's gone! IT'S MY FAULT!" The words left him in an anguished cry. He dropped to his knees, his shoulders heaving.

I knelt beside him, touching his shoulder. "Feel any better?" I asked gently.

George didn't reply. Instead he leaned into me, finally letting his tears fall. We stayed like that for a long long time while the sun began to sink towards the horizon.

~oOo~

The golden rays were lengthening to orange and red by the time Draco and Hermione came looking. The two wandered towards the shed, having exhausted all other options. A little way away from the shed, the pair stopped.

A slivery-blonde girl and fire-haired boy were sitting, their backs against the silver building, their legs stretched before them., their heads were leaning against one another. Hermione and Draco exchanged glances, then turned around and crept back to the party.

When they were gone, the boy's eyes opened a crack. "Are they gone?" his voice was soft.

The girl's eyes also opened in tiny silver slits as she risked a peek over her shoulder. "Yeah."

George yawned and stretched. "Think they fell for it?"

I snorted. "Definitely."

"Lyra?" At my name I looked into George's eyes. The darkness was still there, but it wasn't as strong. The burden had lightened somewhat. "Thanks," said George softly.

I smiled at him. "No problem."

George got up, rolling his head on his neck. "Let's get back inside," he said quietly, offering me a hand. "We don't want to be catching a cold or anything."

I snorted. "I doubt that." But I took his hand anyway.

Such a cute scene :)

Did you fall for it? Or is it the start of something? :)

Love MagicaLeaves