"That's just the trouble with me. I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it."

-Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

Scarlett sobbed into Fred's shirt for what seemed like ages, but he waited patiently, gently rocking her back and forth until her crying slowed.

"Scar, please," he whispered, "talk to me."

"What do you already know?" she sniffled.

"Not much," Fred said. "I didn't stick around long enough after I found out you were here to get an explanation. I did hear my mum say Bill brought you over from Shell Cottage and that you'd been through a lot. That's all I know."

Scarlett didn't say anything. Instead, she rested her head on Fred's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" Fred began. "And the funny thing is that when I imagined us seeing each other again, it wasn't like this."

"What was it like?" Scarlett whispered, her eyes still closed.

Fred laughed and he felt his ears turn pink. "It's stupid…."

"Tell me," Scarlett whispered. "I don't care if it's stupid. Besides, hearing the sound of your voice…it's nice."

"Earlier you wanted me to leave," Fred said with a half-smile.

"I don't know what I want, but just keep talking until I tell you to shut up."

Fred smiled briefly before looking down and staring absentmindedly at Scarlett's knee as he gently rubbed his thumb over it. "Well, I thought it would be like some sort of fairy tale. Just like the ones you told me. Magical, you know? Like a huge, happy reunion where I'd pick you up and spin you around or something. I never thought you'd come back sad or miserable, but now I see how stupid I was to think that. Of course you'd be upset. Things couldn't have been easy for you being locked up wherever you were. I doubt Umbridge treated you kindly."

"She didn't," Scarlett whispered, opening her eyes and staring intently at the side of Fred's neck. She reached up and lightly traced a finger over the freckles that were there, unaware of the goose bumps she was causing to appear on Fred's arms. "But," she continued, "there's more to the story. Lots of stuff happened after I was rescued this morning and that's mainly why I'm upset. Being held captive was nothing compared to this morning."

"Tell me," Fred said, looking down at her. "Tell me everything from start to finish."

"I can't, Fred," Scarlett answered, shaking her head. "I can't do it."

"What's the worst that'll happen if you do?" Fred asked patiently. "You'll cry some more?"

Scarlett nodded and ran her hand over the tear stains on Fred's shirt. "I made a mess."

Fred shook his head. "Nah, mum won't mind having to do more laundry. She's going to try to keep things as normal as possible and keep herself busy now that we're here. She tends to worry less that way." He smiled. "And luckily tears leave no permanent damage so we're good."

Scarlett didn't smile back, but Fred didn't mind. He just stared down at her tear stained face and her puffy, watery eyes that were rimmed with red as he waited for her to go on.

Finally, Scarlett swallowed and rested her chin on Fred's shoulder as she stared out the window and began telling him everything that had happened, starting with Scabior capturing her in Diagon Alley and bringing her to Umbridge's office.

"She tortured me nearly every day. She hardly fed me and I wasn't able to get much sleep. It was agony, and as time went on, I was sure I was going to die. I was too weak to fight back or try to run away, but even if I had, she would have caught me in a matter of seconds. She had all kinds of charms put up, but I don't think she was as strict with them as time went on because she knew I was too weak to do much anyway."

"How did you escape, then?" Fred asked. His stomach was twisted unpleasantly and he felt nothing but pure hatred for Dolores Umbridge. He hadn't thought he could hate her any more than he already had, but he had been so wrong. If he ever saw that woman again, she was going to pay.

"Somebody rescued me. Last night." Scarlett shook her head as she continued to gaze out the window. "It seems like ages ago."

"Who rescued you?"

"I can't say."

"Scarlett," Fred said, sighing. He hated that she was refusing to tell him one of the most important parts. Whoever had rescued her was practically a hero to Fred right now. This person had been able to do what Fred couldn't and Fred felt as if he owed him at least a thank you.

"Fred, I can't tell you," Scarlett insisted, looking him in the eye. "It's not that I don't want to; I just don't think it's right for me to tell you. But I promise that you'll find out who it was in due time, okay? If this person doesn't come forward on their own, then I'll tell you who it was. But I'm sure this person will come forward eventually. I know I'm being vague, but things will make sense soon."

Fred sighed again. "Fine," he muttered. There was a brief pause. "Okay, so go on," he prompted. "What happened next?"

Scarlett averted her gaze to the window again and continued telling him what had happened at her mother's house. When she finally got to the part about her mother's murder, Fred inhaled sharply. He felt as if his heart had dropped to his knees. "Oh, Merlin, Scar," he whispered. "Are you serious?"

She nodded as a few more tears leaked out of her eyes. "I didn't know what to do," she continued, her voice breaking on the last few words. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Fred's shoulder.

"Hey, Scar, look at me," Fred whispered, swallowing back his own tears. He gently moved his shoulder forward, nudging Scarlett off so that he could look at her better. He lifted the hand that was resting on her knee and brought it to her face, wiping the tears off of one cheek and then the other. "Open your eyes and look at me." When she did as he said, Fred could practically feel his heart shattering as he once again saw all the pain held behind Scarlett's blue and green orbs. Scarlett was about a month and a half shy of her twentieth birthday and she had already witnessed the death of both of her parents while she was forced to stand by helplessly. Not to mention, she had watched her mother die after being held captive by a psychotic woman who tortured her every day. And the extremely sad bit was that out of all the people in the world, Scarlett was one who deserved this unfairness the least and that was what really broke Fred's heart. It was the same way with Harry as well. He had been tossed into a lot of rubbish and unfair situations and he didn't deserve it either. Why bad things happened to good people was something that Fred would never understand.

"I didn't know what to do," Scarlett repeated, her voice wobbly and tearful as she stared up at Fred.

"There was nothing you could do," Fred whispered. "Your mother had charmed your feet to stick to the floor. She wanted to protect you."

"But I had my wand," Scarlett practically wailed. "I didn't realize it at first because I was too preoccupied and wasn't thinking clearly, and by the time I realized I had it, it looked like Scabior and Greyback were leaving. But then they just turned around and it happened so fast!" Scarlett looked up at the ceiling and took a deep, shuddering breath. "And then later, once I was thinking everything over at Shell Cottage, I was thinking of the choices I had. Just say I had thought to use my wand, or I had immediately run into the kitchen….putting myself in danger would have put you in danger and I couldn't have done that. It would have still been such a struggle. Normally I would have sacrificed myself for my mother without a second thought, but I couldn't knowingly put myself in front of a killing curse with your life attached to mine. And it's all my fault that we didn't get married ages ago."

"Scarlett, none of this was your fault, okay?"

"It's just…no matter what I did, someone would have died. I had all day to think this through. There was no way around it."

Fred swallowed and gently moved Scarlett's hair away from her face before kissing her temple. "You have no reason to feel guilty. No one blames you for any of this. Trust me."

"Yeah, well, there's more to the story," Scarlett whispered.

"More?" Fred asked, looking down at her and hoping she was joking.

Scarlett nodded and continued to explain the conversation she had heard between Scabior and Greyback about Justin. "After they left, I picked up the dropped envelope and went straight to Justin's aunt's house and tried to warn him, but his parents, aunt and uncle weren't back yet and he wouldn't leave without them. In the end, we didn't make it out before Scabior and Greyback got there. The two of them tried to kill me and Justin jumped in front of the curse." Her voice cracked and she broke down in tears once more, turning into Fred's shoulder as she did so.

Fred felt all the color drain from his face. He felt sick, to be honest. "Bloody hell," he said under his breath. "Scarlett, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," she said, looking up at him. "You don't have to."

Fred was quiet. He had thought her mother's death would have been the end of it and the entire explanation for her sadness, but no, she had witnessed two deaths within an hour of each other.

"This is mental," he finally said, shaking his head. "If I ever see Umbridge, Scabior or Greyback again I'll kill them all."

"No, Fred," Scarlett said. "Don't be like them."

"Scar, I'm not going to allow these idiots to mess with you and get away with it. Don't you want them to pay?"

"Yes, but-"

"They're pure evil. All of them," Fred interrupted. "And like I said, they're not going to get away with doing this to you. You don't deserve it and I can't stand to see you this hurt."

Scarlett didn't respond, but she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which made Fred smile slightly.

"So do you feel any better?" he finally asked. "You know, after getting it all out?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Not really."

Fred looked down at her and gently moved some of her hair off of her face. "I wish there was something I could do to fix this."

"I do appreciate you missing dinner to sit up here with me, though," Scarlett said. "I know how much food means to you."

"It actually means nothing in comparison to you," Fred whispered. "Besides, there's probably a ton of leftovers. You'd think mum was cooking to feed the whole country. What do you say we go investigate together?"

Scarlett shook her head.

"Don't tell me you aren't hungry," Fred said. "You must be seeing as Umbridge barely fed you."

"Oddly enough, I don't feel that hungry at all," Scarlett said. "And it's more of the fact that I'm not ready to be around a lot of people just yet. I don't want to risk having to run into someone and recount the details a million times. You can tell them if someone asks, though."

Fred nodded. "Okay. But you do know you'll have to face them eventually. You can't just stay hidden in this attic all the time."

"I know," Scarlett sighed, nodding. "You should go down and eat if you're hungry, though."

"No way." Fred shook his head just as his stomach chose that moment to grumble noisily.

Scarlett smiled feebly at him as she scooted off of his lap. "Go," she whispered. "I'll be okay by myself."

"I don't want to leave you," he said.

Scarlett nudged his leg with her foot. "Go eat."

Fred looked at her for a moment longer before letting out a slow puff of air through his nose and standing up. "Okay," he said quietly, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask any of us."

Scarlett nodded and leaned against the window once more. "Okay, but I think I'll be fine on my own. I'm in the mood to just be by myself again."

"Scarlett," Fred said, crouching down beside her. He reached out and gently touched her face, turning her to look at him. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and wiped away the leftover tear tracks. "I mean it," he continued. "I want you to promise me you won't be afraid to talk to any of us if you need to. Don't do what you did last time. You made sure I didn't do it, so why can't you follow your own advice?"

"I can't help it, Fred."

"You're strong, Scarlett, I know you are, but no one expects you to get through this on your own. We're all here for you. We want to help you."

"Fred," she sighed.

"Promise me," he insisted. "Promise me you won't be afraid to come to us if you want to talk."

Scarlett met his eyes. "I promise," she finally whispered.

Fred searched her face for a moment before nodding in satisfaction and heading for the door.

"Fred?"

He turned with his hand on the doorknob. "Yeah?"

"I think Fleur may have been right," Scarlett said.

"About what?"

"Maybe it is more beneficial that I stay here with people I'm more comfortable around—people who won't give up on me." She attempted a smile, but it was feeble and only lasted for a split second.

Fred's smile, however, was practically a grin. He knew it would take a while for Scarlett to recover. It wasn't going to happen overnight and it may not ever happen fully, but she had improved and she knew that he—that his whole family—cared about her. "Don't mention it, Scar," he said. "I'm always here if you need me."

With that, he silently closed the door and headed down the stairs.

Scarlett stretched her arms above her head as she stood up from the window seat. She hadn't moved since Fred had left her earlier and she felt insanely stiff. She didn't know what time it was now, but she guessed it was about midnight. Now seemed like a good time for Scarlett to sneak back down to her bedroom or the library. She only hoped everyone was actually asleep and that nobody was waiting up for any sign of movement so that they could ambush her.

About ten minutes after Fred had left, Mrs. Weasley had come up to the attic and knocked, saying she had brought some food for Scarlett, but Scarlett had found herself unable to bring herself to answer the door and eventually Mrs. Weasley had left.

Scarlett felt terrible for that as she quietly opened the attic door and tiptoed down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley only wanted her to feel better and she only wanted to make sure Scarlett was healthy. Scarlett also knew that she had to eat sometime, but she didn't know when that would be. Maybe she'd be okay to go down for breakfast in the morning. Just because she put herself in front of people didn't mean she had to talk to them if she didn't feel ready. All she had to do was take baby steps.

Scarlett managed to make it to the library without any issues and she slipped inside before shutting the door behind her. There was a decent amount of moonlight coming through the large window across the room, but Scarlett lit her wand anyway as she walked along the shelves in search of something to read.

At the end of the first wall of shelves, Scarlett smiled faintly as she noticed a book a few shelves above her head. The Tales of Beedle the Bard. She stretched up on her tiptoes to grab it and turned it over in her hands a few times. It was a very old copy and practically falling apart in some places. She wondered if this had been the Weasley children's favorite book to read every time they came to stay at Muriel's house. It certainly looked like it.

Scarlett knelt down in front of the fireplace and lit a fire with her wand before making herself comfortable in one of the armchairs. Then, she began to absorb herself in the collection of wizarding world fairy tales. She hadn't read these stories in years. It wasn't that she never enjoyed them—she had just liked Muggle fairy tales better. But still, fairy tales were fairy tales no matter what and books were still books no matter what you were reading. They were an escape without having to actually move and that was exactly what Scarlett needed right now.

By the time the sun was just coming up, Scarlett had made it through The Tales of Beedle the Bard and by the time the sun had risen completely, she was halfway through Quidditch Through the Ages. A glance at the clock on the wall told her it was eight in the morning. She wondered if Mrs. Weasley was up making breakfast by now. Something told her that she was, considering what Fred had said the night before about her wanting to keep busy and keep things normal.

Closing her book, Scarlett stood up and stretched. She thought it was about time she came out of hiding and at least offered to help Mrs. Weasley cook. She wasn't sure if she was prepared to actually eat something yet, but she would see how she felt.

The house was silent as Scarlett made her way down to the kitchen. She was surprised at how much she remembered about this place from coming here as a kid. Fred and George had known it like the back of their hand—still did, apparently—and they had never hesitated to show Scarlett some of their favorite tricks. They had never shown her the attic passageway, though. She guessed it was probably something that they felt belonged to just them.

Finally, Scarlett made it to the kitchen and paused at the door. From inside, there were the unmistakable sounds of dishes, pots and pans being moved. It sounded like Mrs. Weasley was up. Scarlett bit her lip and reached out to push the door open, but hesitated again as she heard Mrs. Weasley start talking to someone.

"I do hope someone can get Scarlett to come down and eat this morning," she said. "I couldn't get her to open the door last night when I brought her some dinner. Fred said she didn't want to come down, but have you seen how skinny she is? I'm worried, Muriel. If she keeps it up, well, between that and the stress and everything else….It's just not healthy."

"If she doesn't eat, she can't vomit on my rug," Muriel answered and Scarlett felt herself blushing as she retracted her hand from the doorknob.

"Honestly," Mrs. Weasley said irritably, "haven't we moved past that? That was ages ago! She couldn't help it! Scarlett's a lovely girl who's been through enough as it is without you berating her."

"It was a joke, Molly," Muriel said with a sigh. "Haven't you lightened up at all?"

"Says the woman who still doesn't think running a joke shop is a suitable career for my sons," Mrs. Weasley responded.

"Because it's not," Muriel answered. "Those boys are too into jokes and pranks."

"They're good boys," Mrs. Weasley argued. There was a pause. "And Fred really cares about Scarlett. I don't know how he managed to get her to talk last night. I don't even know how he got up into the attic. I expect Scarlett did all she could to lock everyone out." She paused again. "You know, I was worried that nothing would happen between them, but I've watched their feelings change ever since…." She trailed off and Scarlett could picture her shrugging and smiling slightly.

"What are you going on about, Molly?" Muriel asked. "Since what?"

"Look, I know you don't know Scarlett all that well, you haven't seen her in years, and the only real impression you have of her is the vomiting incident, but maybe it's time you do get to know her. Considering she and Fred are going to be married and all."

There was a shocked silence following her words before Muriel finally spoke. "What?" she spluttered. "What do you mean they're going to be married? When did this happen? I didn't even know they were dating!"

Normally, Scarlett wasn't all that big on eavesdropping, but she couldn't help herself this time. She was curious about where this discussion would lead and she also couldn't bring herself to knock knowing that she was the topic of discussion at the moment.

"It's kind of a long, strange story," Mrs. Weasley was saying now, "but I suppose it's time you knew. Fred and Scarlett made an Unbreakable Vow when they were nine. They were young and obviously didn't understand the complications of making it, but they went along with the whole idea when Charlie suggested he perform one on them."

"And, what, they vowed to get married?" Muriel asked.

Scarlett didn't hear a response, so she assumed that Mrs. Weasley must have nodded. A second later, Scarlett heard bacon start to sizzle, but other than that, there was no other sound as Muriel undoubtedly sat processing the information. Scarlett also noticed that Mrs. Weasley had conveniently left out the whole time limit concept. She knew Mrs. Weasley was nervous about the vow being completed on time and how seemingly impossible it was, but Scarlett wasn't as worried anymore. She and Fred had someone who was willing to marry them. All she'd have to do was get Fred over to Percy's flat. Even if he was still angry with his brother, he'd have to let him marry them. They didn't have any other options. The only thing that made Scarlett feel terribly was the fact that no one else would be able to come, except for George and maybe Erica or Ginny as witnesses. Mrs. Weasley would probably be devastated, but there was no other choice. It wasn't safe for any of them to be traveling around, never mind all of them at once. Besides, it would probably be better for Percy to ease himself back in little by little instead of facing the entire family at once.

Finally, back in the kitchen, Muriel let out a snort of disbelieving laughter and Scarlett could picture her shaking her head. "What a ridiculous decision. They could have both chosen people they actually had genuine feelings for, but they backed themselves into a corner."

"Like I said, they were young and didn't understand," Mrs. Weasley said. "They were extremely close as kids and probably thought that was enough. But the good thing is they've been dating for quite some time now and they're happy, so it all worked out."

"Are you sure they aren't dating to make it seem like they're doing something about this?"

"No, I'm positive they're not," Mrs. Weasley answered. "Like I said, I've been watching their relationship change ever since we told them the news. And truthfully, when Fred was dating Angelina…he never looked at her the way he looks at Scarlett. With Scarlett, he's different. It's not that I don't like Angelina. It's just that she and Fred are better off as close friends."

Scarlett bit her lip as Mrs. Weasley finished speaking. Was what she said true? She knew that Fred liked her, of course, but she sometimes felt as if that was as far as it went. She felt as if he liked her and had some feelings, but could have been so much more compatible with someone else if the vow had never existed. She worried that she wasn't truly the one for him; that they could never be like Bill and Fleur or even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She worried that she wasn't the person who could take his breath away or make his heart skip a beat. She worried that she wasn't perfect enough for him because she knew he deserved someone great. He deserved someone who was determined, passionate, smart, and funny. Someone who wasn't afraid to go out on a limb, but could also reason with him when his ideas got too crazy. Most of all, he deserved someone who wouldn't be so complicated. Someone who wasn't screwed up. Someone who didn't push people away.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation anymore, Scarlett worked up her courage and knocked before pushing the door open and taking a small step into the room. Mrs. Weasley turned around and a huge smile spread over her face.

"Scarlett! I'm so glad you're here!" She immediately rushed over and hugged Scarlett, who returned it somewhat feebly. It was odd. It was like she didn't know how to be around people right now. It was as if a part of her was telling her to run and get out before people started smothering her, but another part of her was making her stay.

"I came to see if you needed any help making breakfast," she said quietly, glancing at Muriel, who was staring at her from the kitchen table. "I feel badly about last night. I kind of made myself scarce and it was so nice of you—both of you"—she glanced at Muriel again—"to let me stay here."

"Of course we would let you stay here!" Mrs. Weasley said.

Muriel suddenly stood up from the table and made her way over to Scarlett. She circled her before looking her up and down. Scarlett stood there nervously, her heart pounding. She knew Muriel was looking at her in a whole new light now. She wasn't just some girl anymore; she wasn't just the Weasley's friend. She was marrying Fred. She was going to be part of the family. It made Scarlett even more nervous that she looked completely disheveled. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror since the day before, but she knew she must look awful. She hadn't eaten or slept in twenty-four hours and had spent a good amount of time holed up in the attic. Her eyes were puffy from crying and from lack of sleep, her clothes were wrinkled and her hair was most likely a mess. Besides, if Mrs. Weasley was right—and she probably was—Scarlett was practically a stick figure by now.

Finally, Muriel stopped giving Scarlett the once over and looked her right in the face. She smiled slightly. "Well, she's certainly pretty, that's for sure."

Scarlett was taken aback to say the least. "But I've—I'm sure I don't—"

"I know you're worn down right now," Muriel said. "But I do remember what you looked like at Bill's wedding. My memory hasn't completely gone yet. I've also heard that you're quite intelligent, but the fact that you made an Unbreakable Vow with one of the twins leaves that up for questioning. Honestly, I'm surprised your hair hasn't been turned permanently purple by now."

"Fred and George did cut it all off once when they were younger," Mrs. Weasley said with a slight smile. She reached out and gave Scarlett's arm a squeeze. "How would you like to cut up some fruit for breakfast?"

"Of course," Scarlett answered, allowing Mrs. Weasley to steer her towards the counter as Muriel got settled at the table once more.

A comfortable silence filled the room and Scarlett became lost in thought as she cut up various types of fruit. Surely everyone would be coming downstairs soon. She could picture them all coming in at once and spotting her at the counter. Just the idea of them swarming her and peppering her with questions all at once made her want to run for it. But she forced herself to calm down and stay still. They cared about her. And Fred had made a point last night when he asked why she couldn't follow her own advice. It was true. Why couldn't she? Why couldn't she allow herself to talk to people when she was upset? It worked and she knew it, but it was just so hard sometimes to change what she was used to.

Just as these thoughts were running through her head, the kitchen door opened and Ginny and Erica came into the room, still in their pajamas. When they saw Scarlett, they both froze and looked at her with both surprise and caution, as if she were a mirage and would disappear if they moved closer. Scarlett simply stared back of them, unsure what to do or say.

Erica was the first to move. Her eyes filled with tears and she flung herself at her friend, practically knocking her over with the force of the hug. "Oh, Scarlett," she sniffled, "I don't know what to say except for I've missed you so much and I'm so sorry about what happened. It's all my fault. I was checking up on your mother quite a bit….She, George, Fred and I had been trying to figure out ways to get you back, and I would go over sometimes so she wouldn't be lonely or sad, but I didn't stop by yesterday morning."

"No, I'm glad you didn't," Scarlett said, gently pulling back from the hug and looking at her friend. "If you did, you could've gotten caught in the middle of all that, too."

"But I could've helped."

Scarlett took in a deep breath and gave her friend a tiny smile. "I'm sure you were a huge comfort while I was gone."

"That's not what I—"

"I know, but it's okay."

"It's not!" Erica said, her eyes filling with tears again. "And Justin, too! I just couldn't believe it when Bill came to get me yesterday and told me the story."

Scarlett sighed. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted to happen, but she fought to calm herself down. "Can we just not discuss it?" she asked quietly.

"We all want to help you," Ginny said gently, crossing the room and reaching out to give Scarlett's hand a squeeze.

"Then let's just not talk about it, okay?" Scarlett said. "Not right now. It might just be too soon for me to talk about it over and over."

"You told Fred?" Ginny asked with a slight smile.

Scarlett nodded and glanced between Erica and Ginny. "It's not that I don't feel like I can come to you two, or anyone else here for that matter, but I'm just—it's hard for me and I want to take it slow."

"We understand," Erica said, wiping her eyes. "All of this is just so unfair, really."

"I know," Scarlett whispered before Erica could go on. Luckily, she took the hint and kept quiet.

"How about you three start bringing the breakfast onto the table," Mrs. Weasley said, handing both Erica and Ginny plates of food. "Scarlett, you can bring the bowl of fruit you just cut up. You did a lovely job, by the way."

"Thanks," Scarlett answered quietly, picking up the bowl.

"Go on, dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled. She leaned in and gently kissed Scarlett's forehead, a gesture that almost made Scarlett burst into tears when she realized that her own mother wouldn't be able to do that anymore. She managed to contain herself, though and give Mrs. Weasley a feeble smile before hurrying out of the room.

The dining room was silent as Scarlett, Ginny and Erica arranged the plates of food on the table. Scarlett nervously bit her lip. She actually kind of wanted to go back upstairs, but she kept telling herself to stay.

"Scar," Erica began. "You are going to stay and eat something, aren't you? You look like you're considering leaving."

Scarlett looked at her friend, almost smiling at how she had practically read her mind. "I don't know, I—"

"You're eating," Ginny insisted. "You have to, Scar. Please. You've been kind of scaring me since you got here last night. I don't like seeing you like this."

Scarlett forced herself to take a deep breath, even though her chest felt tight. How could she say no? The last thing she wanted to do was make anybody feel scared or worried for her. Mainly, she just wanted to stay out of everyone's way and be forgotten about for a while. She wanted to be invisible, but that wasn't happening so far.

"Okay, I'll stay," she finally agreed, her voice a whisper. Even though she said the words, she found herself awkwardly standing by a chair, almost unsure of what to do next.

After a few seconds, the three girls were joined by Mrs. Weasley and Muriel. "Fred and George should be here in a minute," Mrs. Weasley said. "They're always the last ones awake, but they'd never miss a meal. And Arthur had to head out early to meet with Bill." She glanced at Scarlett, who understood what she was saying. Mr. Weasley was probably meeting with Bill to get information about the funerals.

She didn't have time to dwell on the thought, though. Seconds later, she heard the twins' voices carrying down the hallway. They seemed to be going over the owl-orders they had to take care of that day and when they finally entered the dining room, they appeared lost in thought.

When Fred saw Scarlett, though, he did a double take. "Scar," he whispered, his face splitting into a grin, showing how relieved he was to see her there.

George was the first to actually approach her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I'm sorry to hear about your mum and Justin," he whispered into her ear, "but I'm really happy that you're safe."

"Thanks, George," Scarlett said, pulling away.

"If there's anything I can do for you," he continued, "you know, like avoiding certain topics, finding you better hiding spots, things like that, you let me know."

"George, let's not joke right now," Mrs. Weasley scolded, sitting down beside Muriel.

"It's fine, Mrs. Weasley," Scarlett said. She turned to George. "I appreciate it, but I'm actually going to try my best not to hide anymore. I know it's not the best thing for me, even though it's what I instinctually want to do."

George affectionately punched her shoulder and smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Besides, Fred and I would just find you anyway. We know this house better than anyone." He grinned over Scarlett's shoulder at Fred before turning and making his way to his seat.

"I'm glad you're joining us today," Fred said as Scarlett turned to face him.

Scarlett shrugged. "I didn't want to worry your mother even more and make things worse. I'm still a little jittery, but I'm trying to be better."

"I know, and I'm so proud of you," Fred said, smiling at her and taking her hand. Suddenly, he frowned. "Did you ever fall asleep last night?"

"No, I went to the library and read until the sun came up."

Fred opened his mouth as if he were about to ask why, but then something seemed to occur to him. "You're afraid again, aren't you?"

"Afraid of what?" Scarlett asked innocently, trying to act as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"The nightmares," Fred prompted, his voice low.

Scarlett sighed and looked away, but Fred hooked a finger under her chin and gently forced her to look up at him.

"Tell me the truth," he whispered.

Scarlett simply nodded. "I'm terrified," she answered.

Fred didn't say anything. Instead, he simply nodded and gestured towards the table. "Come on, let's get some food in your stomach before Mum starts actually feeding it to you herself."

"I just might if she doesn't eat something within the next ten seconds," Mrs. Weasley said, looking at Scarlett sternly.

Scarlett sat down and let Fred pile food onto her plate. "I am only one person. You know that, don't you?" she reminded him as she watched.

"Yeah, one person who is in desperate need of my mum's cooking," Fred said, setting the plate in front of her. "Now, come on, eat up."

Scarlett looked down at her plate for a second before picking up a piece of bacon. Her stomach was churning and trying to tell her no, but deep down, she knew she did need to eat. Deep down under all of her grief, she knew she was starving. With that in mind, she took a bite and found herself sighing appreciatively.

"Good?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Delicious," she answered. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

"Don't mention it, dear."

Under the table, Scarlett felt Fred gently squeeze her knee. "You're making me more and more proud of you with every passing second," he whispered against her ear before kissing her cheek.

Scarlett smiled, but even as she did so, she felt her throat constrict. Fred had been so patient and so caring. He wasn't giving up on her and it was because of him that Scarlett was improving. The effect he was having on her behavior was so amazing that even she was aware of it. She was so grateful for him and for the rest of his family and she deeply appreciated everything they were doing. She was also realizing more than ever that it had been a mistake to pull away from them all those years ago and that she had been so lucky to be able to get them back. Without them, she had no idea where she'd be right now and that thought was the most terrifying of all.