Dinner was silent.

It was getting harder to bear by the moment. Allyson kept throwing me pleading looks, knowing full well that I could run to my room at any moment.

Finally the silence was broken, but not in a way that you'd expect. It was broken by a grey owl flying straight at Allyson, dropping a letter on her lap, and disappearing as quickly as it'd come.

"What does it say?" I asked her, my eyes wide.

"I-I'm afraid to open it," she said. She shot me another pleading look. I nodded, and she handed the letter to me.

"It says," I began, reading it, "Allyson May, you had better come home right now. We are all worried sick about you. We don't even know if you're alive, but Zephyr must be dropping your letters somewhere. I mean it Aly. We're scared."

Silence for a moment longer. "Is it signed?" she asked in a small voice.

I shook my head, and she started sobbing again.

"Wait a moment," I said, noticing something else. "It's dated. It's dated last year," I added incredulously.

"What?" Allyson asked, shocked. Mum and Dad were looking at us with interest, and to say that Ron looked confused would be an understatement.

I nodded. "Almost exactly a year ago," I said.

"What the bloody hell does that mean!?" she asked angrily. Then she started sobbing again and ran to her room.

Katie, Ginny, and I all stood up at the same time. We all looked at each other and followed her together, without a word.

"Allyson?" Katie asked, quietly knocking on her door.

"I'd rather be alone right now," she said through tears.

"Too bad," I said, opening the door.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed. "We don't want you to be upset."

Ginny and Katie wrapped their arms around Allyson, and I just stood there feeling uncomfortable.

"I have to go to the ministry again," she sniffed.

"Why?" Katie asked.

"Because I have a middle name now. Or something. The letter said Allyson May."

"Of course!" Ginny exclaimed. "This could be the key to solving the mystery!"

Allyson smiled weakly. "We'd better get back to dinner then," she said, but I could tell she was still holding back tears.

I felt a knot form in my stomach as I wished I could do something to help her.

*****

Later that night I decided to take a walk. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going, I just walked.

It seemed as if I wasn't the only one with the idea. Within ten minutes I passed Ginny and Harry, who each took a step away from the other as soon as they saw me. I smiled knowingly at them and walked in a different direction.

After that, I happened to see Hermione.

"Hello Hermione," I said, walking up behind her. She jumped a little, then relaxed. "Oh, hello George."

"Looking at the stars, are we?" he asked.

She smiled. "More like thinking of how to explain everything that's happened to my parents."

"You're leaving?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Tomorrow," she said. I hugged her. "Goodbye then," I said.

"I'll some back often," she said. "You guys are like my second family."

I smiled, and continued my walk.

I had just sat down by the creek when I heard sobbing. I was about to investigate, when, once again, Allyson beat me to it.

"Remember what you told me last night?' she asked the person who I assumed was Katie. "No regrets, remember? Think of the baby. No regrets."

I could tell by her voice that she was holding back tears as well. Once again it amazed me how empathetic that girl could be. Everyone's pain was her own.

"You're right," Katie sniffed. "And I don't regret it. I don't regret falling in love with him, and I don't regret this child. I need her."

"So a baby girl then?" Allyson asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," she said. "I have a feeling. Fred always said we'd have a little baby girl."

"What are you going to name her?" Allyson asked curiously.

"I don't know yet," she replied thoughtfully. "Probably Nelly."

"Why Nelly?" Allyson asked.

"Fred suggested it when we were talking about our future one time."

"Yeah," I remember that," Fred's voice told me thoughtfully. I wasn't startled. I gotten used to hearing it. "Hey, our future. George!"

I jumped. "What?" I whispered, not wanting Katie and Allyson to realize I was there.

"The clothes I was wearing the day I died, in the pocket, give it to Katie. I want to her to have it. It's very important."

I was so confused I didn't move for a moment. "Now!" he hissed, and I jumped up and ran to the house.

I went into our room and carefully took out the robes I had been trying not to even think about since that night. I turned out the pockets, and sure enough, in one of them there was a small box. George opened it to reveal a small diamond ring.

"You were going to propose to her," I said quietly.

"Yeah," he said. "I suppose I'll be able to someday. Or not," he added as an afterthought. "Do you think she'll wait for me?" he asked finally, his voice full of anguish. "Or do you think she'll fall in love with someone else?"

"I don't know Gred," I told him, using our old nicknames. "I don't think she'll ever love anyone like she did you, that's for sure."

"Thanks Forge," he said. And then it was silent again as I ran back to the spot where I had heard Katie and Allyson talking.

"Katie," I said, out of breath. They both turned around, startled. "Yes?" she asked.

"Fred, he," I paused, catching my breath. "He wanted to you to have this," I told her, tossing her the ring box. I was afraid of giving it to her any other way, for rear she'd get the wrong idea. "It was in his pocket," I added.

She opened it, her eyes wide. Then she looked at Allyson.

"He was going to…" but she trailed off, sobbing again. Allyson and I wrapped out arms around her.