"All right Weasleys, to the dinner table please!" Mr. Weasley's voice rang through the throng of laughter and jokes as his family began to congregate around the dining table that was just big enough for everyone. The laughter and conversation continued to flow as food was exchanged and soon the sound of voices began to mute in intervals as everyone began eating. During a brief lull in the conversation, Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out.

"Where were you two this afternoon?" Her gaze was directed towards her daughter and the girl who had become very much a surrogate daughter. Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances, daring the other one to speak first. Technically, they weren't supposed to meet Laila "officially" until tomorrow night when Mrs. Weasley had invited her for dinner after she and Fred had the chance to spend the day together. Of course, that wasn't going to stop Ginny. One of her favorite brothers had his entire married life already laid out in front of him thanks to a ridiculous government law. The least she could do was to try to get a read on the girl who would soon become a part of their family.

Ginny had been prepared to tolerate Laila at the least for the sake of her brother and family, but she had found herself liking Laila more and more as they talked that afternoon. Knowing her mother would be furious when she found out about her trip, she had taken Hermione along as a supportive shield. It also helped that Hermione was an excellent judge of character and had immediately taken a liking to Laila as well. Now the only complication lay in admitting this to her mother. Ginny had learned a long time ago that there was no use in lying.

"We-we went to meet someone. She's new to London, so I figured why not introduce myself along with Hermione so she would know she has friends in a new city."

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips. "Ginerva Weasley, please don't tell me this 'she' is Laila that you met today." At this mother's words, Fred's ears perked up and he turned his gaze towards his sister. His twin's eyes followed suit as he turned away from his fiance Angelina.

Hermione looked down meekly at her plate, her face concealing a carefully masked grin. The whole table had gone silent, their eyes focused on Ginny. But Ginny, not one to miss a beat replied, "Yes, Mum. But please listen. This wasn't meant to be a full visit! We just wanted to say hi, but ended up staying longer because we hit it off so well. And you're the one who taught us how important it is to be kind to someone who is alone. And Laila is alone! She's in a whole new country, and the rest of her family is scattered across all corners of the globe. We just thought it would be nice to stop by."

Mr. Weasley grinned. "She's got you there, Molly." His wife gave her husband a slightly dry look before turning towards her daughter's seemingly innocent face. "Well if you had to visit her, the least you could have done was to invite her over for dinner!"

At this, Hermione jumped in to Ginny's rescue. "Laila said she had some work to do, Mrs. Weasley. Her new job at the ministry starts on Monday, and she wanted to be prepared for her cases."

"She's going to have her work cut out for her," Percy chimed in. "With the end of the Wizarding War, many Death Eaters are undergoing trial for their involvement in Muggle murders and torturing half-blood and Muggleborn wizards. Knowing her career history though, she's perfect for the job."

"Career history? She's only 23, isn't she, Percy?" Mrs. Weasley questioned.

"She graduated young and rose very high on her own merit, Mum. She's been assigned the role of Chief Prosecutor in the Wizarding War trials."

Mrs. Weasley looked surprised, then smiled. "Well, she's intelligent and devoted to the service of our community. I'm looking forward to meeting her. Now, dear what is it that you were saying about Victoire?" Mrs. Weasley turned to Fleur and the two quickly became engrossed in conversation about the young baby's new habits and her growth in the past several months.

George poked Fred in the ribs and grinned. "Careful, you got assigned a lawyer, and a Ministry one at that." Fred rolled his eyes, "she doesn't seem that bad, at least in some of the letters we've exchanged."

"And how many was that exactly? Two? Shite, you just heard barely one week ago you're supposed to marry this random American witch, and in the next week you'll be planning your wedding. Honestly, I'm surprised you're not running the opposite-ow, hey!"

George turned his attention to Angelina, giving her an overtly hurt look at her betrayal when she stamped on his foot under the table. "Ange, why-"

Immediately, Angelina shut her fiance's plea with a carefully targeted glare. She then turned her face towards Fred and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Give her a chance, Freddie. If you're feeling apprehensive about this, she must be as well. She's moved across the pond to start a whole new life, and she made that decision knowing how much your shop means to you and George. Go in with an open mind when you meet her tomorrow. She might end up surprising you."

Fred gave one of his best friends a half-smile before turning back to his plate. The war had changed his and his family's lives so much. His twin had survived minus one ear and so had he, but so many of their friends were gone, giving up their lives for a fight that never should have had happened in the first place.

The nightmares still haunted him, visiting him at his most vulnerable and leaving his sweating and out of breath. For the most part, Fred could push them away. His life after the war had changed for the better; he had a future ahead of time. The nightmares came less and less. But on the nights they did come, they thrust him back into horrors of the past.

Laila smoothed her dress and pushed back her hair with a sigh. Her morning run had temporarily soothed her, but all of her turbulent emotions were back again, clawing at the back of her throat. It didn't help that her wavy hair was refusing to behave. Relenting, she cast a nonverbal spell, hoping that the day's humidity would keep it from looking like she stuck her fingers into an electric socket.

"Then again, this is a pureblood I'm marrying. Maybe he thinks that's what Muggles do for fun."

She shook her head at the absurdity of her comment and went to retrieve her purse and keys. The night before had been a long one. She had been able to get a head start on her cases, knowing that today she likely would not get the chance to. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the door, her eyes briefly resting on the recycling bin with the vodka bottle still thrust into it. She jiggled the knob, struggling to open it before it finally gave in. The click of her keys echoed in the empty hallway as she made her way to a nearby alley to apparate. Next stop: Diagon Alley.

The first thing she noticed about the crowded alley was how closely all of the buildings were pressed together. Diagon Alley had an atmosphere of warmth and brimming with magic, but with a magic that seemed different to its cousins in the States. It has to be its early history, being built close to the medieval period, the alley must have taken the characteristics of the castles and other homes built by Muggles in the same fashion. Laila shook her head; now wasn't the time to think about architectural history. She checked her watch, 7 in the morning. Am I too early? They're closed on the weekends, but surely someone might be there doing inventory or something. If not I can always walk around. But first she would have to find Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes.

As it turned out, it wasn't that hard to find after all. It helped there was a giant figure of what Laila assumed to be the twins' faces resting right above the door of their shop. The sign above the door was labeled open and Laila pushed her way inside. The first thing that hit her were all the colors above the aisles, each labeled with bright fonts. And the shelves, cluttered with different baubles that strangely had a unique organization about them.

"Wow, you're exotic looking." Laila turned to the voice, a young man with dreadlocks and a huge grin. Raising her eyebrow, Laila responded, "Considering that China and India are the most populous countries in the world, I think you're the exotic ones."

Laughing, Lee extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, just must be Laila. Lee is at your service." Laila smiled and shook his hand before taking a seat across the counter where Lee gestured.

"You're about two hours early."

"Well, I figured I should try to avoid the Indian stereotype of always being late, so here I am," Laila replied.

Lee laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He pointed to Laila's right eye, looking intrigued. "Is that normal or-"

"You mean having brown mixed in with blue in one of my eyes? Yes, it's called heterochromia. My grandmother has it, and it often has a genetic component to it."

Lee nodded. "So you really are American huh."

Laila's mouth twitched slightly. "Yes I am, and yes I went to Ilvermorny which can compete with Hogwarts any day."

"What were you? A Gryffindor?" Lee laughed.

"A Thunderbird, which I believe is equivalent to your Slytherin house in some cases."

At this Lee paused, "But you're a muggleborn, right?"

Laila smiled, "Yes, but not all house sortings in Ilvermorny are based on blood status. And neither should they be based on a single characteristic. Take the Hogwarts houses, for the past centuries all Slytherins have been dumped into the evil and pureblood status category. To be a Slytherin is the equivalent of being an outcast from all of the other houses. You can't tell me that this hasn't played a role in alienating many wizards and witches from one another. I can't speak to the history of Hogwarts, but at least in Thunderbird I met many pureblood wizards who came in with preconceived notions of Muggleborns. It wasn't until we got to talking that they realized having a different blood status doesn't make you a different human being. It's when we alienate our houses and our so called enemies from one another that ignorance breeds. And where ignorance breeds so does fear."

Lee nodded thoughtfully and was about to reply when he interrupted.

"Then what about the Death Eaters and all those who murdered witches, wizards, and other magical creatures all in the name of creating a pure race. Do you humanize them as well?"

Laila turned and came face to face with a lanky redhead leaning to the entrance of the shop. His warm brown eyes contrasted sharply with the freckles littering his face and his voice pierced at her.

"In some ways yes. That's why the Wizarding War trials are so important. Those who committed these atrocious acts must be brought to justice, but we also need to do it in a way that future generations of wizards and witches aren't ever divided along blood purity lines again. It's a balance of honoring the memories of those who were killed and setting a reminder that the horrific acts of the war should be remembered so they are not committed again. But it is also about setting hopes for a better future for the coming generations."

Fred kept his eyes trained on Laila as she spoke, taking note of her passionate tone and determination. Percy's words from the previous night came floating back, and he saw a glimpse of the intelligent and savvy prosecutor in the middle of her opening statement. The vision went away when he noticed Laila wasn't speaking anymore and looking at him curiously, her head slightly cocked.

"You okay there?" Laila asked in amusement.

"Just surprised that an American can sound smart, that's all," Fred replied cheekily.

At this, Laila couldn't control her laughter anymore, the noise taking Fred back for a second before he joined in. In their brief exchange, Fred just noticed Lee had slipped in the back, leaving him to fend for himself. Great.

"What is with all of you Brits thinking we Americans are dumb? I know our accents aren't as supposedly sophisticated as yours, but we do have brains you know."

Fred looked up in surprise and was about to recant when he noticed Laila smiling, and he briefly returned her smile.

"You are Fred right? You have two ears but I just wanted to double check this isn't George checking to make sure I'm not a sociopath."

Fred laughed, "No, I am afraid you're stuck with me for the rest of your life beginning with when we say 'I do.'" His tone held traces of a sarcastic bite that Laila immediately picked up on. All her worries about starting a new life with a man she had just barely interacted with came flooding back. She had left her home and her country for a stupid law that theoretically made sense, but in real life it spelled disaster. Her sister Aziza's words came flowing back in full force. Give him a chance. He had just as much choice in this entire thing as you did.

Tactfully ignoring his tone, Laila stood up. "So would you like to show me around or is there a place where we can get coffee?"

Fred looked up and grinned, "You're in England now, and our tea is better than the coffee for the most part."

Laila smiled, "I grew up on masala chai with two Indian parents, but I still like my black coffee in the mornings." Holding the door open, Fred gestured her through, "There's a decent spot a few blocks from here. You'll have to come back later in the day for some ice cream down at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. He's coming back with a few banging flavors since the war."

Nodding, Laila followed him out.