"Even miracles take a little time."

-Fairy Godmother (Cinderella)

"Your mother really did a wonderful job planning the wedding."

Scarlett and Fred were dancing together in a corner of the dance floor and Scarlett had been quiet as she looked around the beautifully decorated tent.

"Is this something you want?" Fred asked quietly, studying her face. "If it is—if you truly want it—we'll figure out a way to do it. Mum would be thrilled. You know that."

"We can't, Fred. I don't want to take any chances of Umbridge finding out about the vow. If she does her research, I'm sure she can figure it out."

"Why are you worried about Umbridge now? You weren't worried when you warned bird brain."

"I'm not worried about me as much as I'm worried about you. I don't want her to find out about the vow and realize she can kill you to kill me."

"But even if she does kill you, I'll die unless we get married."

"I know. And I also know that there's really no reason for Umbridge to find out about the vow unless she does some serious research, but it's just that I'm worried that even if we go and don't mention the vow, surely she'll know we'll be married and she'll know we're close and then I'm worried that if she ever wants to come after me again, she'll try to use you or hurt you to get to me. Is that stupid?"

"No," Fred said after a moment. "Although, you wouldn't have to worry if you had just kept the Muggleborn Registration news to yourself."

Scarlett let out a frustrated sigh and looked away. "I've already told you why I did what I did. And you know full well that if Umbridge comes after you, I'll fight for you in a heartbeat. But you know me. I always want to save everyone and I hate knowing that it's impossible. And it seems that every decision I make will put someone in danger."

Fred didn't say anything for another moment. "What if we have to guy who married Bill and Fleur marry us right now? He's here, so why not?"

Scarlett blinked at him. At first, the idea didn't sound all that bad, but then she let out a sigh. "We don't know if we can trust him. And even if we can't, what if he's forced to spill information? Besides, that will take the focus away from Bill and Fleur."

"Nobody will have to know. And why would he be forced to spill information about us?"

"If Umbridge wants to—"

"Why would she? Why would she care?"

"I'm just trying to be careful about her. I know what she's capable of and I don't want her to hurt anyone I care about, okay? I'm just being cautious."

"Fine, then what's your suggestion, then?"

Scarlett opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by a large, bright lynx patronus appearing in the middle of the dance floor. She and Fred stopped dancing and stared, along with everyone else in the tent. It had fallen completely silent, and that made the words the lynx spoke in Kingsley's voice sound ten times louder.

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

The lynx disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a tent full of silent, horrified wedding guests. But after a few seconds that felt like years, that all changed. Chaos broke out, to say the least. Everyone was trying to leave before the Death Eaters arrived, which didn't take all that long. Within another few seconds, they were there, adding to the chaos and destroying the tent in the process.

Fred pulled Scarlett out from underneath the tent and behind a tree. "You have to leave, okay?" he said quickly. "Go home. You'll be safe there."

"Are you mental? No way," Scarlett hissed. "I'm not going to leave you."

"You have to," Fred insisted.

As if on cue, Erica appeared just beyond the tree. She looked around, saw Scarlett and frantically waved her over.

"Go," Fred said, glancing over his shoulder at Erica. "I'll let you know when this is all over."

"Fred—" Scarlett began to protest, but Fred cut her off by leaning down and kissing her. As they broke apart, a stray spell hit a branch of the tree they were under, lighting it on fire and causing it to fall to the ground. Scarlett screamed and buried her face in Fred's chest.

"Go," he said more urgently than before. He quickly kissed her forehead before pushing her gently out towards Erica.

She glanced over her shoulder, giving Fred a pleading look to let her stay with him, but he shook his head.

"Go," he said again. "I mean it, Scar."

Taking a deep breath, Scarlett whirled around and began running towards Erica with her heart pounding. Halfway there, she turned around again and looked back at the tree. Fred was no longer there, which meant he was somewhere in the tent again, in the middle of all the chaos. How was she supposed to leave things like this? The Weasleys were going to be in danger. And what about her mother? Where was she?

"Scarlett, come on!" Erica ran over to her and before Scarlett could protest, she grabbed her arm and Disapparated them to their flat. Scarlett immediately sat down on the curb and buried her head in her arms.

"Scarlett, why don't we get inside," Erica suggested tentatively.

"I can't believe I just left," Scarlett whispered, raising her head off of her arms and ignoring Erica's suggestion. "I should have stayed, no matter what Fred said."

"No, Scar," Erica argued, sitting down next to her friend. "Leaving was the right thing to do."

"Helping would have been the right thing to do," Scarlett said. "What if something happens? I—we—could have helped."

"You know the Death Eaters are going to pester the Weasleys about Harry. That's why they came. They want him. None of us are a match for them and if we stayed, we'd only be two more people held there for questioning. We wouldn't have been much of a help at all."

Scarlett was quiet for a moment. She supposed Erica had a point, but what she had said reminded Scarlett of something else. "I wonder if Harry got away. I wonder if he, Ron and Hermione escaped."

"Most likely," Erica said. "I think he'd make it a point to get away." Erica shrugged as she stared blankly across the street. "He knows they came for him. He wouldn't stay."

"My mum's still there," Scarlett whispered. "Do you think she's okay?"

Erica nodded. "Like I said, all the Death Eaters wanted to do was find Harry. I don't think they're out to do any killing today. Unless someone gives them a lot of trouble…."

"Don't say that," Scarlett whispered. This was why she hadn't wanted to leave. Even if she couldn't have been of any help, she wouldn't have to wonder about everyone's safety. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, another thought came to her. Now that You-Know-Who had taken over the Ministry, it was most definitely going to be harder for her and Fred to get married. It might have even become impossible now. Quick wedding or elaborate one, it was going to be difficult to find someone to marry them. Every qualified Ministry worker was going to be terrified of getting in trouble, and besides, things were going to be under close watch by the Death Eaters. It was more than just worrying about Umbridge now. They were dealing with You-Know-Who. Before Scarlett could voice her thoughts to Erica, her mother Apparated in front of them with a pop, causing both Scarlett and Erica to jump.

"You're okay," Scarlett cried, jumping up and hugging her mother. "I didn't know if you had gotten out all right or not."

"I tried to stay as long as I could, but in the end, I thought it would be best to leave. I tried hiding so that I'd be able to keep an eye on things—.I guess it's what years of being a journalist did to me—but anyway, the Death Eaters rounded all the Weasleys into the Burrow so I couldn't see anything. That's when I left to come here and make sure you were safe."

"What about Harry, Ron and Hermione? Are they gone?" Erica asked.

Scarlett's mother nodded. "They left, yes."

"Do you think the Weasleys will be okay?" Scarlett whispered.

Her mother didn't answer right away. Instead, she gently moved Scarlett's hair off of her shoulder. "They'll be fine, but things are about to get a lot worse for everyone."\

"I know," Scarlett answered quietly.

"I'm going to head home," Scarlett's mother said slowly. She glanced between Scarlett and Erica. "Will you two be okay on your own?"

"Yeah, we'll be okay, Mum," Scarlett said with a half-smile.

"Okay, well, if either one of you need anything, let me know, okay? I mean it."

The two girls nodded. "Yeah, of course," they answered.

Once her mother had left, Scarlett sighed and turned towards their flat. "Come on, let's get inside."

Once they had unlocked the door and gone in, though, Scarlett didn't know what to do with herself. She was worried sick and she knew she wouldn't be able to focus on anything.

"Fred's not dead, you know," Erica said quietly, sinking onto the couch.

Scarlett nodded as she sat in an armchair and tucked her legs under her. While that was true, and while it was a relief, Scarlett wanted information. She wanted to know how the others were doing. She wanted to know what the Death Eaters had said and done. Erica knew this and wanted the same information, but Scarlett was grateful for her friends attempt to make her feel better.

After an excruciating hour had passed, Scarlett looked at the clock as she chewed on a fingernail. "Do you think I should go back?" she asked.

"No, that's too dangerous. Fred said he would let you know, so just wait."

"But that's just it! What if he can't let me know!"

"He's not dead, Scar."

"He could be injured," Scarlett retaliated, turning to look at her friend.

"Scar, just try to relax, okay? Fred's alive and I'm sure he'll let you know what's going on as soon as he can. And if he's injured, someone will be around to let you know soon. But I doubt anyone's injured. Like I said, the Death Eaters just wanted to question them."

"How can you be so sure everyone's okay? How can you be so calm?" Scarlett asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm not calm," Erica said. "Not really. I'm scared, too, but I'm trying to think logically."

Scarlett sighed and turned away, staring up at the clock again and watching the seconds tick by. Another thirty minutes of agony passed before there was a knock on the door. Immediately, Scarlett jumped up and crossed the room.

"Wait," Erica hissed as Scarlett reached for the doorknob. "Shouldn't you make sure it's really Fred before you answer it?"

Scarlett paused. "Yeah, I suppose so." She turned back towards the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Scar, open the door," answered Fred's voice.

"Ask a security question," Erica ordered. "Make sure it's really him and not an impersonator."

Scarlett gave her friend an impatient look, but she still knew that it was the safest thing to do and it was better to be safe than sorry. She turned back towards the door again and took a breath. "You're going to have to prove it," she called through the door. "Who was Toby the turtle and what happened to him?"

"Seriously? Of all questions, you ask this? You know how I felt about that incident."

"Just answer the question, Fred," Scarlett said, smiling slightly. She could practically see Fred rolling his eyes.

"Toby was the turtle you, George and I shared back when we were seven. And my mother accidentally killed him. Don't make me talk about it anymore, okay?" Scarlett heard him pretend to sniffle, but she knew he was smiling.

"Fine, fine, you pass the test," she said, pulling open the door and throwing her arms around Fred. "I was so worried."

"But you knew I was alive," Fred grinned, comfortingly rubbing circles into her back.

"Yes, but I didn't know if you were injured. And I knew nothing about the rest of your family and what was going on at your house. How is everyone? What happened after I left? Is everyone-?"

"Everyone's fine. No one's injured. We're all safe."

Scarlett nodded and let out a sigh of relief as Fred continued to rub her back. "What did the Death Eaters do to you?" she finally asked.

"Not much. They just questioned us about Harry, Ron and Hermione."

"Told you," Erica said with a smirk as Scarlett stuck her tongue out at her.

"What did you say to them?" Scarlett asked, looking up at Fred.

"We told them that Hermione's in Australia with her parents, Ron's sick with spattergroit and that we have no idea where Harry is."

"And they believed all that?" Erica raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, George, Dad, Ron and I transformed the ghoul in our attic to look like Ron with spattergrout—not that it needed much transformation in my opinion—and Hermione nodified her parents' memories and sent them to live in Australia. They don't know who she is and they believe their names are Wendall and Monica Wilkins. This way, it'll be impossible to track them down."

Scarlett blinked a few times in surprise. That must have been so hard for Hermione to do and yet this whole time, Scarlett had had no idea. Hermione held it together so well. She definitely had every ounce of that famous Gryffindor courage.

"So then the Death Eaters just questioned you and left?" she asked Fred.

"Yeah, basically. They checked Ron's room and thought the ghoul was him, so that worked out well. But we're being watched now. The whole family."

"Watched?" Scarlett squeaked. "Why didn't you say that sooner?"

Fred shrugged. "They're basically going to make sure we aren't in contact with Harry and that he doesn't try to come to the Burrow. They're not guarding us or anything and we'll all still be able to go to work. I'll still be able to see you. It won't change much."

"How can you say that?" Scarlett asked in exasperation. She stepped out of Fred's grasp and turned away, crossing her arms. "Everything's changed now."

"How I feel about you hasn't changed," Fred whispered.

"Romantic sap," Erica joked with a grin.

"Erica," Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes. This was not the time for jokes and sarcasm.

"What?" Erica asked, shrugging. "There's nothing wrong with being a romantic sap. I was just pointing it out….Look, Scar, the guy just said he cares about you. Surely what he said has to make you feel good?"

Scarlett turned around and met Fred's eyes. He was simply staring at her almost pleadingly, begging her to understand.

"I'm not going to stop seeing you because the Death Eaters are keeping an eye on my family," he said firmly.

"I think it sounds like a good reason to stop seeing me. If it puts your life in danger—"

"But it doesn't," Fred agued, shaking his head. "Not really. Like I said, they mostly just want to keep an eye out for Harry. Trust me, I wouldn't do this if it put your life, my life, or anyone else's life in danger."

Scarlett studied him as she thought about what he'd just said. "We definitely can't get married now, you know," she finally said. "We're just so stupid. I'm so stupid. I was so afraid of Umbridge, that I completely ignored the fact that part of me knew that You-Know-Who was going to take over the Ministry at the first chance he got."

"It's not your fault," Fred whispered, shaking his head.

"It is, though, that's the thing. If I hadn't been so immature and danced around the marriage, we could have just done it by now."

"It's my fault just as much as it is yours," Fred told her.

"Why did this have to happen to us?" Scarlett asked quietly. "We're too young to be dealing with this kind of thing. I mean, I feel like I'm old enough to make good decisions, but in this case, I don't know what to do. I'm just...lost. I feel like I'm in a very complicated chess game where if I make the wrong move, someone's going to get hurt."

"Agreed," Fred said as he nodded. After a second, he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, we can talk and discuss it and analyze it all night, but for now, why don't we take a few days to clear our heads and think about our next step?"

"But—"

"What else do you suggest?" Fred raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously.

"I—fine," Scarlett answered, looking away. She had to admit that Fred's idea did sound logical and it wasn't as if she could come up with anything right now. It was just that time was ticking and they were at that point where it was sinking in that they didn't have all that much time to figure things out.

Fred sighed and glanced at Erica. "Would you mind giving me and Scarlett a moment alone?"

"No, not at all," she replied, holding up her hands and quickly leaving the room. "I'll be in my bedroom," she called over her shoulder. "It'll be like I'm not here at all."

Fred chuckled and once they heard the sound of Erica's door shutting, he crossed the room to Scarlett and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at his. "I know we've messed up, but there has to be a way to get through it and we're going to figure It out. We just need some time."

"Time that we don't exactly have, Fred. It's starting to sink in that we have nine months to do this. Just nine. I'm starting to panic. This whole thing has been like one of those homework assignments where you put it off thinking you have plenty of time to do it, but then the night before, you realize it's due the next day, so you rush to finish it."

"Scar, listen, we're going to get credit for this homework assignment. I promise you."

"That's a difficult promise to keep," Scarlett whispered.

"But you trust me, don't you?" Fred asked, his eyes staring into hers.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, I do, but—"

"Shh. Don't panic. Everything will work out."

"But—"

This time, Fred interrupted by gently kissing her. "Stop with the 'buts'," he whispered after pulling away slightly.

Scarlett just looked at him and sighed. She was tempted to protest again, but in the end, she kept her mouth shut. She leaned up and kissed Fred again, her fingers finding their way to the hair at the back of his neck.

"We really are messing everything up," she finally said when she pulled away.

"Your negativity is making it hard for me to maintain the faith I have in the two of us," Fred replied, smiling and twirling a strand of Scarlett's hair around his finger.

Scarlett actually giggled and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head before hugging her tighter.

"Are you still going to live in your flat?" Scarlett asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Fred nodded. "Just because we're being tracked doesn't mean we can't or won't go on with our everyday lives."

"Well, aren't you so incredibly brave and tough," Scarlett teased with a smile.

"That's me," Fred laughed, pulling away ad tucking a strand of Scarlett's hair behind her ear. "I should get going, though. I promised George I'd help him with a new product we've been working on."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay. Don't work too hard," she said as she followed Fred to the door.

"I'll try not to," Fred laughed, "but hard work does earn me money, you know." He opened the door and stepped outside before turning back to face Scarlett, who was leaning against the door.

"Did I hear you correctly? You're actually supporting hard work?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Fred smiled. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"It's like a whole new you."

Fred chuckled. "So I'll see you soon, then?"

Scarlett nodded. "Of course, but how soon is soon?"

Fred scrunched his face up in thought. "Next weekend?" he finally suggested. "Saturday night?"

"That's the best you can do?"

"Hey, I'm a busy guy and I know you're a busy girl."

"That's true," Scarlett replied. "All right, next Saturday it is."

"I can't wait," Fred told her, leaning in for a quick kiss.

"Neither can I," Scarlett sighed. She watched Fred walk down to the sidewalk, where he turned and gave her a wave. She waved back and a second later, he was gone.

The following Saturday, Scarlett was absentmindedly walking down Diagon Alley towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She was lost in thought about work and how terribly busy it had been all week. In addition to the usual types of issues, people were now coming in with injuries caused by Death Eaters and Dark Magic. It reminded Scarlett of the new medication Dani had been working on—the one Scarlett had tried to help her with. She still had the vial of potion at her flat. It was tucked away in the pocket of one of her sweatshirts. She had meant to return it, but had kept forgetting. She was really going to have to remember to bring it back. The last thing she wanted was to get into any trouble at work.

She had asked Dani how it was coming along during the middle of the week, while they were tending to a new group of patients together.

"It's the same," Dani answered with a sigh, as she quickly tried to prevent a patient from getting out of bed. "You can't get up," she told him gently. "You have to rest."

"You know," Scarlett said, as she began cleaning the cuts on the arm of the patient on the next bed, "if the only side effect is that it leaves a scar, it might still be good enough to sell, don't you think?'

Dani shook her head. "Like I said before, I'm a perfectionist. I want it done right. And besides, people still don't want scars left on their body. The whole point of the medicine is to cure injuries completely."

"Yeah, but people are desperate and a scar is better than being dead. Will you at least think about it? You see how bad things are getting."

"Fine, I'll think about it," Dani said, watching a patient being wheeled in with a gash on nearly the entire length of his leg.

"That's all I ask," Scarlett whispered, watching the patient as well.

That whole conversation was what occupied Scarlett's mind as she walked down Diagon Alley. Suddenly, as she was walking, she got the feeling that someone was watching her. She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. No one was there. She was just paranoid. It was normal. Everyone was paranoid these days. She turned around again and resumed walking, getting lost in her thoughts again.

It had only been a matter of minutes before she got the feeling once more that she was being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck were even standing up. She didn't turn around right away this time. Instead, she slowly inched her hand towards her wand. As soon as her fingers closed around it, she decided to count down from three before turning. She hadn't even begun to count when someone grabbed her from behind, clamped a hand over her mouth and Disapparated, not even leaving her time to fight back.

A/N: I know, I know, I take longer than usual to update and then end the chapter on a cliffhanger. But I'm hoping the next update will be able to come a bit quicker. I hope everyone likes the chapter though. Things are going to get a little more intense as we get closer to the end of Deathly Hallows, but I'm actually pretty excited to write it.

Thanks for reading!