"Some people care too much. I think it's called love."
-Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh)
Scarlett quickly moved out of the way as Lupin and Harry carried George into the house. Everyone followed behind them, their faces pale with panic.
"Put him here," Mrs. Weasley said, gesturing to the couch.
As soon as George's unconscious body was thrown into the light, Scarlett's mouth fell open as Erica, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley gasped.
George's right ear was completely gone, leaving nothing but a terribly bleeding hole.
Before anyone could say a word, Lupin roughly grabbed Harry's arm and pointed his wand into his face.
"What creature sat in the corner of my office when I taught at Hogwarts?" he asked.
"It was a grindylow, wasn't it?" Harry asked, looking bewildered.
Lupin nodded and lowered his wand. "Sorry, Harry, but I had to check. Someone betrayed us tonight."
Harry nodded. "Voldemort caught up with me towards the end. He figured out I was the real Harry."
"But how?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know," Harry responded. "All I know is that I saw Stan Shunpike. I didn't want to kill him, so I disarmed him."
"You used Expelliarmus?" Lupin asked. "Harry, the time for Disarming is past. At least Stun them if you aren't prepared to kill."
"Expelliarmus saved me from Voldemort two years ago," Harry said defiantly.
"Yes, Harry, and a great number of Death Eaters witnessed that happening," Lupin said. "They've started to think Expelliarmus has become your signature move."
"Well, I'm not going to blast people out of my way just because they're there," Harry said. "That's Voldemort's job."
Lupin didn't answer. He didn't seem to know how to respond.
"So," Sirius spoke up, "what exactly happened to George?"
"Snape," Lupin said.
"Snape?" Harry asked. "Why didn't you say that before?"
Suddenly, Ginny whirled around to face Scarlett, tearing her eyes away from George for the first time since he had come back. "Fix him," she whispered desperately, her face full of panic and fear.
"What?" Scarlett asked, blinking a few times in surprise.
"You're a Healer. You have to fix him. You have to make him better."
"Ginny," Scarlett whispered, shaking her head, "I don't think I can." She knelt down in front of the couch and looked at the now earless side of George's head. "I don't think it's possible to fix this."
"It has to be possible," Ginny said.
"Ginny, his ear's been cursed off by Dark Magic," Mrs. Weasley said. It can't be grown back when it's been cursed off like this. It's just impossible."
Scarlett nodded. "She's right." As much as it pained her to admit it, there was no way to fix what had been done to George's ear. Scarlett could practically feel the panic threatening to take over, but she forced it away. This was the first time since she had become a Healer that she was unable to fix someone's injury and she hated it. It didn't help that the injured person was a close friend, either. Even the potion that she had taken from St. Mungo's wouldn't make limbs grow back. She half wondered if it were possible to create something that would help, but that would still take time. A lot of time that nobody had anymore.
"So what do we do, then?" Ginny asked.
"Well, the blood has to be stopped and then we have to clean the area," Mrs. Weasley said, glancing at Scarlett, who nodded again.
"I'll go get something to clean it with, then," Ginny volunteered, hurrying up the stairs. Within seconds, she returned and handed Mrs. Weasley the cleaning potion, some rags, and some bandages before promptly collapsing into a chair.
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Scarlett whispered. "I wish I could fix it. I wish there was a way, but—"
"It's not your fault," Ginny interrupted, shaking her head.
"Yeah, looks as if we can give Snape a warm thank you for this one," Erica added.
Before Scarlett could answer, there was a noise from outside. Everyone, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley and, obviously, George, ran for the door.
Hermione and Kingsley had just appeared, clutching the old bent coat hanger that had served as their Portkey. Scarlett let out a small sigh of relief. With every pair that returned safely, a little bit of her anxiety lessoned. Now if she only knew where Fred was. Her only consolation was that she knew he wasn't dead. At least, not yet, but she really couldn't afford to think that way.
Almost as soon as the group had fully made it out into the yard, Kingsley pointed his wand at Lupin. "What were the last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?"
"'Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him'," Lupin said calmly.
Kingsley gave a curt nod before turning his wand on Harry.
"It's him, I've checked," Lupin said.
"All right, all right, but somebody betrayed us tonight. They knew tonight was the night we were moving him."
"But apparently they didn't know there would be seven Harrys," Lupin shrugged.
"How?" Scarlett blurted out. "If someone here did betray us, which I honestly doubt, why would they give away the date, but not the essential part of the plan?"
"Maybe someone accidentally just let the date slip. Maybe it wasn't intentional," Ginny said.
"That is a possibility," Lupin sighed.
"Who else is back?" Kingsley asked after a pause.
"Only Harry, Hagrid, George and me," Lupin replied.
Hermione let out a small whimper. "That's all?"
"That's all," Scarlett repeated, taking in a shaky breath. Silence fell between them and after a few moments, Harry, Kingsley, Lupin and Hermione wandered inside, leaving Scarlett, Ginny and Erica still in the yard.
They hadn't been standing there for very long when Ginny suddenly gasped and pointed. Another Portkey was appearing not too far away. It was Fred and Mr. Weasley.
At the sight of them, Scarlett ran to Fred and flung herself into his arms. His eyes widened in surprise and he staggered backwards a few steps before he broke into a smile. "Hey," he whispered.
"Hi," she whispered back, burying her face into his shirt. Then, she pulled back and glared at him. "You're late. You were supposed to be back ages ago."
"Yeah, well, as I'm sure you've heard, we ran into some unwanted guests on our way and then we missed our Portkey and…well, it was insane."
"Is everyone else back?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"No, we're still missing Mad-Eye, Mundungus, Bill, Fleur, Ron and Tonks," Ginny said.
Fred let out a low whistle. "How about everyone who's already back? Are they all safe?" he asked.
"Erm…" Scarlett began, pulling away and glancing back at Ginny and Erica.
"What is it?" Mr. Weasley asked urgently.
Scarlett turned back to Fred and looked at him sadly. "It's George," she whispered.
Fred's face instantly drained of all color. "What?" He let go of Scarlett and ran for the house, Mr. Weasley close behind him.
Scarlett glanced at Ginny and Erica before the three of them followed Fred and Mr. Weasley. Once they reached the living room, Erica and Ginny went and took seats in armchairs, while Scarlett hung back in the doorway and just stared at the twins.
Fred was kneeling on the floor in front of the couch, looking more panicked than Scarlett had ever seen him. It was almost heartbreaking.
Oddly enough, George began to open his eyes as if he could sense Fred's arrival.
"How're you feeling, Georgie?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Saintlike," George whispered, lightly touching the side of his head that Mrs. Weasley had finished cleaning only moments ago.
"What?" Fred croaked. "What's wrong with him? Is his mind affected?"
"Saintlike," George repeated. "You see…I'm holy. Holey, Fred, get it?"
Mrs. Weasley promptly burst into the tears that she must have been holding in ever since George had returned. Fred, however, smiled weakly.
"Pathetic," he whispered. "With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?" He sat back and made himself comfortable leaning against the coffee table as he rolled his eyes at George.
"Still reckon I'm better looking than you. And at least Mum'll be able to tell us apart now." He looked around and his eyes fell on Harry. "Hi, Harry. You are Harry, aren't you?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Well, at least we got you back okay. Why aren't Ron and Bill huddled around my sickbed?"
"They aren't back yet," Mrs. Weasley whispered as George's grin faded.
Scarlet saw Harry glance at Ginny and the two of them made their way outside again. Seconds later they were followed by Sirius, Kingsley, Lupin and Hermione. Scarlett moved out of the doorway to let them all pass.
"Scar," George said, "why are you standing in the doorway?"
"I, uh…." Scarlett half-smiled and glanced down at her hands. "I thought I'd give you and Fred some space before I crowded your sickbed with another face peering down at you."
"Please," George scoffed. "If there's one face I'd most definitely want to see surrounding my sickbed, it's yours."
"Sweet of you," Scarlett said, letting out a breath of laughter.
"Don't go getting a big head, though. It's not because I consider you a friend and it's not even because you're my future sister-in-law."
"Why is it, then?" Scarlett asked.
"Why do you think? It's because you're a Healer."
Scarlett smiled. "No matter how much I want to, I can't make your ear grow back."
"Well, then get out," George said seriously pointing at the door.
Scarlett giggled and looked back down at her hands. "Ever the comedian," she said quietly. When she looked up again, George was smiling at her.
"Get over here." He gestured with a tilt of his head.
Scarlett made her way over and sat down next to Fred between the couch and the coffee table. Fred took her hand and laced his fingers through hers before bringing her hand to his mouth and lightly kissing it.
"I'm glad you're okay," Scarlett whispered.
"Really you're just glad I'm not dead because then you would be dead as well," he whispered back.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "If that's what you think."
"Yeah, because I know just how much of a selfish brat you are."
"And I know how much of a jerk you are."
Just then, Ginny ran back into the room a look of relief on her face. "Ron and Tonks are back!" she cried.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley immediately jumped up and headed after Ginny into the yard.
"Will you three be okay in here alone?" Mrs. Weasley asked, pausing in the doorway. "George? You'll be okay?"
"Yes, Mum, I'll be fine. But I promise to yell for you if any more of my limbs start falling off."
Mrs. Weasley tried to glare at him, but ended up half-smiling instead. Then, she nodded and left the room.
"So, you're sure you're okay, Georgie?" Fred asked, turning back to his brother.
"Oh, yeah," George said, nodding and waving his hand dismissively. "Besides the fact that the side of my head feels a bit odd, I feel perfectly fine."
"Can you still hear okay?" Scarlett asked. "I mean, it's the outer ear that got cursed off, right? That's what it looks like, anyway. Your eardrum should be just fine."
"I think you're right," George said. "I don't really notice too much of a difference in my hearing."
"He's going to pretend to, though," Fred said, glancing at Scarlett as he rubbed his own thumb up and down the length of hers. "He's going to pretend he can't hear for the sake of all the ear jokes he can make. You know, 'I can't ear you' and things like that."
"You know me so well," George said. "I'm so proud." He pretended to wipe tears of joy from his face.
Scarlett smiled faintly. "So you aren't upset that you're missing an ear?" She was slightly amazed that George could be joking about this and almost taking it lightly. His ear was completely missing and couldn't be grown back. True, his hearing really wasn't affected, but surely if he had a hole in his head, he was more susceptible to infections if he didn't keep it clean. There was going to be a lot to worry about, even if he still had the ability to hear. If Scarlett had been in his place, she would have been a mess. And that was part of the reason why she admired Fred and George so much.
George shrugged in response to her question. "I'm not thrilled, but we can't do anything about it, so I figure the best thing to do is laugh. Besides, I'm alive, so I think I'm pretty lucky."
"That is very true," Scarlett replied, nodding. He did have a point. Out of everything that could have happened, he had gotten off pretty easy.
Just then, the door opened and everyone started filing back into the room. Ron and Tonks were back and so were Bill and Fleur, but instead of looking happy about their return, everyone looked miserable. Fleur and Tonks even had tears in their eyes.
"What's going on?" Scarlett asked, dreading the answer. She knew bad news was coming and she almost didn't want to hear it.
"Mad-Eye's dead," Bill answered quietly.
"What?" Scarlett asked, completely dumbfounded. Mad-Eye had died? To say Scarlett was shocked would be an understatement. Mad-Eye and dead didn't belong in the same sentence. He had always come across as smart, determined, skilled and invincible.
"Beel and I saw zee whole theeng," Fleur was saying now. She sniffled a few times and daintily wiped her eyes with her fingertips.
"You-Know-Who went after Mad-Eye pretty early on," Bill continued, "and then Mundungus disappeared…."
"You said that outside, too, but let me get this straight. He just left?" Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I know what you're thinking," Bill said, "and believe me, I considered that possibility as well, but Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Harrys, did they? And it was Mundungus who suggested that part of the plan to begin with. I think he panicked, that's all. He didn't want to come along in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him and You-Know-Who immediately went for them."
"Mad-Eye knew You-Know-Who would go for them first. He said You-Know-Who would think Harry was with the most skilled Aurors. That's why he went for Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus disappeared, he went for Kingsley."
"Somebody must have just let zee date slip," Fleur said. "Zat is zee only way zey could have known the date, but not zee entire plan."
"That's what I said earlier," Ginny chimed in. "It makes sense."
"No," Harry said, suddenly and forcefully. "I don't believe any of you would sell me to Voldemort. If someone made a mistake, well, I don't think they meant to. It wouldn't have been their fault. I trust all of you."
There was a long pause after he finished speaking until Fred spoke up, his neck craned around so that he could look at Harry over the coffee table. "Well said, Harry."
"Yeah, ear ear," George said from the couch, grinning and glancing at Fred, who smiled back.
"Told you he was going to keep making ear jokes," Fred hissed to Scarlett.
After another moment of silence, Lupin let out a deep sigh and stood up. "Well, I guess I'd better get going."
"I'll go with you," Bill told him, standing up as well.
"Go where?" Tonks and Fleur asked at once.
"To try and recover Mad-Eye's body," Lupin answered, giving Tonks' shoulder an assuring squeeze.
"Can't it wait?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking anxious.
"No, not unless you want the Death Eaters to get it," Bill told her as he leaned down and gently kissed Fleur's forehead.
"As it is, we're going to have a hard time finding it since we don't know exactly where it landed," Lupin said. He gestured to Bill. "Come on, we're going to have to hurry."
After they left, the room was silent for what felt like the millionth time that night. Scarlett almost felt like it was welcomed. Her head was throbbing due to the stress of the night and the peace and quiet was a comfort. At the same time, though, she wanted someone to talk. It just so happened that peace and quiet would only comfort her head, not her anxiety.
"I've got to leave, too," Harry suddenly said. "I've got to go."
"Go where?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"I can't stay here and continue to put the rest of you in danger," he said.
"But then everything we did tonight…" Mrs. Weasley began. "The whole point was to get you here safe and sound."
"Yeah, it would be kind of stupid if you left, mate." Fred added.
"I didn't lose an ear for nothing," George chimed in.
Harry didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, he looked around the room. "I think I just need some air," he whispered. With that, he slipped out the back door.
"We'll go after him," Hermione sighed, gesturing to herself and Ron.
"Talk some sense into him, will you?" Erica told her, rolling her eyes.
"We'll certainly try," Hermione responded with a tiny smile as she and Ron made their way out the back door after Harry.
"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Fred whispered after a pause, glancing at Scarlett. "George and I are staying. You can share Ginny's room with her and Hermione."
Scarlett hesitated for a moment. Truthfully, she did want to stay the night. Even though the events of the night were over, she wasn't ready to leave everyone just yet. She still felt like someone would be in danger any minute. She would have to write to her mother, though, who was unfortunately working that night and wanted to be updated on any and all news.
"Scar?" Fred prodded.
"Yeah, I'll stay," she whispered, nodding her head and staring down at her and Fred's intertwined hands.
"You can stay, too, if you want, Erica," George added. "Honestly, I don't know where my brother's manners went, so you'll have to excuse him."
"Sorry," Fred muttered, half-smiling as his ears turned pink.
"Don't worry about it," Erica answered with a grin. "Nearly a year later and you're still so head over heels for Scarlett that your brain hasn't started functioning properly again. I completely understand."
"His brain never functioned properly to begin with," George snorted as Erica's comment caused Fred to blush and look down at the ground.
Scarlett couldn't help but smile softly to herself. Being with Fred, she was realizing, was different than being with Justin. She had known that Justin cared about her and she had cared about him in return, but he had showed it differently than Fred did. While Justin had always been nice to her and always showed and told her how much he cared, Fred wasn't exactly like that. Scarlett knew he liked her, of course, and he still had his ways of showing it, but they were more subtle, such as a simple blush, or a smile, or even just staring at her at random times when they were together. It was cute, Scarlett realized, and she liked it a lot.
Later that night, Scarlett was tossing and turning in one of the extra beds in Ginny's room. Ginny, Hermione and Erica were all asleep, but Scarlett couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried and it frustrated her. All she could think about was what had happened that night. Mad-Eye had died and George had had a close call. It upset her, naturally.
She also kept seeing Ginny's face after George had returned unconscious and bleeding, and she kept hearing Ginny's plea for Scarlett to fix him.
Fix him, fix him, fix him. The words looped endlessly through her mind, a never-ending cycle of desperation and fear. Scarlett kept trying to tell herself that ultimately, George was okay. He was alive, for one thing, and besides having no ear, he was perfectly fine. But Scarlett's determined Healer brain wouldn't stop working overtime. It was her job to fix people and to put them back together when they fell apart. But then, she thought, maybe George was okay with being earless. He could still hear after all.
Suddenly, Scarlett was hit with an idea. She sat up quickly and debated for a moment before getting out of bed and tiptoeing to the door. Holding her breath and looking over her shoulder, she slowly opened the door, praying it didn't creak and praying the three sleeping girls behind her wouldn't wake up.
The door opened silently and Scarlett slipped out of the room, shutting the door slowly behind her. Once she was safely out of the room, she took the stairs as quickly as she could until she reached Fred and George's room. When she got there, she barged right in, throwing the door open with a bang.
Both twins let out yells and sat up. One of them flicked on the lamp sitting on the nightstand between their beds, but by that time, Scarlett was already rummaging through boxes of products the twins had left behind in their old bedroom.
"Scarlett, what in the name of Merlin's beard are you doing?" Fred asked, staring at her. "You nearly scared us half to death. Don't you know what time it is?"
"Late, I expect," Scarlett answered vaguely, still going through boxes. "I swear, if you don't have any, I'll scream."
"Have any what?" George asked. "What could you possibly be looking for that you need now?"
"Aha, found it!" Scarlett stood up and held the object in her hands. She grinned before turning, marching over to George's bed, and taking a seat on the edge. "An Extendable Ear," she said proudly, handing it to him.
"Yes, very good," George said slowly.
"You said you can still hear just fine, right? Well, I was thinking, what if we attached the Extendable Ear to the side of your head? All we'd have to do is coil the string up and hide it behind the ear. It would look like you never lost an ear at all. And you'll be able to hear so much better through one ear because you'll have your regular eardrum in addition to the Extendable Ear. Think of how many conversations you'll be able to snoop on without having to dangle anything over a banister."
Fred and George shared an incredulous look before George looked back at Scarlett and took the Extendable Ear from her. He smiled. "I won't be able to make any ear jokes, though. And I also won't be able to store anything in my ear hole," he teased.
Scarlett snorted. "What would you want to store in there anyway? Actually, don't answer that. I guess you have to pick what matters the most to you, but personally, I wouldn't advise you to store anything in your ear. As it is, we already have to worry about infections. That's why I was thinking of attaching the ear so that it'll stay without falling off, but you'll still be able to remove it for cleaning purposes. You will have to clean it, you know. An infection is the last thing you need."
George studied her face in silence for a moment before glancing at Fred, who was also staring at Scarlett.
"It's up to you, Georgie," he said, shrugging. When Scarlett glanced at him, he was still looking at her with an expression on his face that she couldn't figure out.
George handed the Extendable Ear back to Scarlett. "Go for it," he grinned, turning so that the earless side of his head was facing her.
Scarlett bit her lip as she coiled up the string of the Extendable Ear again. Using her wand, she stuck the coil to the ear so that it wouldn't be dangling around inside George's ear hole. Then, she pressed the whole thing to the side of George's head. Holding it in place with one hand, she held up her wand with the other and waved it.
"You're all set," she said, pulling back and admiring her handiwork.
"How do I look?" George asked, grinning at his twin as he gingerly touched the side of his head.
"Uglier, believe it or not," Fred teased, managing to keep a straight face.
"That's what I thought," George said as Scarlett smiled.
"Was it worth me waking you up in the middle of the night?"
George nodded. "Yeah, I'd say so," he smiled. "Thanks, Scar, really. You're pretty smart."
"I just…I couldn't stand to see you hurt, even if it wasn't as serious as it could have been. And Fred's face when he found out something had happened to you...it almost tore me apart." She glanced at Fred, who was looking at her again, his expression still unreadable.
"That means being a Healer is the perfect job for you," George answered earnestly.
Scarlett couldn't help but grin. It felt good to receive the compliment and it assured her that being a Healer was the right thing for her to be doing.
"Scar, can I talk to you for a minute?" Fred asked, standing up and gesturing to the hallway.
"Yeah, sure," Scarlett replied slowly, sharing a look with George, who shrugged.
Scarlett was confused to say the least as she followed Fred out into the hall. She didn't know if he was upset with her or not. His expression had been unreadable the whole time. She couldn't understand why he would be upset, unless he thought she was trying too hard to fix everything, but she couldn't help it. It was the way she was.
"What's up?" Scarlett asked once she and Fred were outside the room and Fred had shut the door behind them.
Fred just looked at her for a few seconds before he closed the gap between them and kissed her. Scarlett was forced against the wall in a matter of seconds. Fred's hands were on her hips and her arms managed to find their way around his neck. She was still wondering why exactly Fred was kissing her like this, but she found that she was caring less and less as time went on.
"You're amazing," Fred whispered as he finally pulled away slightly.
"You aren't mad?" Scarlett asked in surprise.
"Mad? No, why would I be?"
"I just thought you be upset that I meddled and worried and thought too much into something that really isn't that big of a deal when we look at it in perspective of what could have happened."
"Not that big of a deal? George is my twin and he got his ear blown off! Maybe it just seems like a bigger deal to me, but….I mean, I'm glad he's alive, but I was scared, you know? And even though you may sometimes care and worry a bit too much, I know you just want the best for people."
Scarlett smiled and reached up to gently touch Fred's cheek. "I do care too much, don't I?"
"Yeah," Fred whispered, "but I haven't decided if it's cute or annoying yet."
"Oh, it's most definitely cute. Beautiful, even," Scarlett teased, smiling widely.
Fred chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again. "Well, you're certainly cute, that's for sure. Beautiful, even."
Scarlett laughed and rolled her eyes. "And you're crazy. Certifiably insane, even."
"I agree!" George yelled from inside the bedroom. Scarlett and Fred froze. "You were right, Scar, I can hear a lot better now!"
Scarlett and Fred looked at each other before laughing. Scarlett blushed and buried her head in Fred's shoulder. "Sorry. That's going to be an advantage and a disadvantage all in one."
"I can deal with it," Fred whispered. After a pause, he spoke again. "I'm kind of jealous that George gets the super hearing ability. He'll be able to be so stealthy while I'll still be stuck using the Extendable Ears the way we invented them to be used."
"Well," Scarlett said slowly, looking up at him, "you do have something George doesn't have."
"What's that?"
"A girl that you claim is so cute and even beautiful," she replied dramatically, fluttering her eyelashes.
Fred shook his head. "Why must you always mock me?"
"It's fun," Scarlett whispered with a shrug. There was a pause before she smiled, slid out of Fred's grasp, and turned to head back downstairs. "Sorry I woke you up. I'll let you get back to bed now. Hopefully George enjoys having two ears again."
"You're leaving just like that?" Fred asked, grabbing her arm.
"Just like wha—" Scarlett began. She didn't get to finish her sentence, though, because Fred pulled her back into him and kissed her again. It was one of those kisses that made Scarlett's brain go fuzzy.
"Goodnight," Fred whispered when he pulled away, smirking as if he knew exactly what he had done to her.
"Goodnight," Scarlett answered, keeping her eyes glued to his.
"Your room's that way," Fred whispered, gently turning her around.
Scarlett shot him a look over her shoulder. "Rude."
"What? You seemed incapable of moving on your own."
"You really are a jerk," Scarlett muttered. She turned and swatted him before walking back down the stairs, leaving Fred laughing behind her.
A/N: I was actually pretty surprised when I first read Deathly Hallows that George didn't use an Extendable Ear. Just from what I read, it never seemed like any of the inner ear stuff was damaged, so I was just waiting to read that he stuck an Extendable Ear to the side of his head. He never did though. Maybe he just liked making ear jokes too much. :)
Thanks for reading!