The surprise was clearly registered on Laila's face as she turned to greet Angelina, who gave her a warm hug before settling in the chair that Joanna had occupied only minutes before.

"What a surprise seeing you hear," Laila began, sipping her coffee gingerly after casting a warming spell over it.

"I could say the same for you," Angelina replied tentatively. She placed her hands on her lap, then shifted them to the table, constantly clasping and unclasping them. Angelina radiated nervous tension as she began to ramble.

"My family actually lives nearby here, and I came by for a visit. I just really like visiting Muggle stores. My mum's parents are Muggles, and they always took me on trips around here in Yorkshire so I'm pretty familiar with this area."

She paused to take a rapid breath, as if she had completely run out of steam. Angelina's eyes darted everywhere, and to Laila it seemed she was purposefully avoiding eye contact with her. That was enough for her to know that Angelina had heard part of her conversation with Joanna.

"I'm guessing you heard my story when I was speaking with one of the witnesses who will be testifying at the trials." Laila gazed at Angelina with a sad smile.

Angelina flushed slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overhear it. I just….I didn't know what to say to you after hearing that. I can't even imagine."

Laila gave her a reassuring smile. "You're totally fine. I'm comfortable speaking about my rape, but I've found once I tell someone about it, they immediately classify me as a victim and treat me like I'll break into a thousand pieces if they push me the wrong way."

"It sucks to be defined by that one thing, so I don't openly share my experience, but I don't shy away from it either," Laila finished.

Angelina gave a thoughtful nod. "I can relate to that, being defined by just one thing and having people forget that there are other things that define me too, you know?"

Laila laughed and nodded, "My god yes! Especially with race. I cannot tell you the number of times people have asked me 'what are you?' or 'where are you from?'"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "And when you say you're from England, they're ready with the most popular second question 'no, where are you REALLY from?'"

The two began to laugh over their shared experiences, with Angelina sobering first. Her face was contracted in thought, and she seemed to be deciding whether or not to say something.

"Did something happen between you and Fred last night?" she finally asked. "He didn't say anything, just….he seemed a little off."

Laila hesitated, debating if this was something she needed to share. But her face must have given something away because Angelina's face darkened slightly in anger.

"Please don't tell me he said something dumb. If he needs an arse kicking, I will gladly give him one. It's been far too long since his last one, and his head has grown too big again."

Laila chuckled at the image of Angelina giving Fred a good beating. "He said something hurtful, and I snapped back at him. Don't worry, I don't take shit from anyone. But I think he has issues of his own to work through, and what he said came from a place of hurt more than purposefully trying to insult me. It's something we're going to have to handle on our own, but I appreciate the thought."

She paused for a second before laughing, "and also the image of you kicking the shit out of Fred seriously made my day."

Angelina grinned, "You need to get out more if that made your day."

Laila groaned, "You're telling me. Fred invited me to some bar this Friday. Please tell me you'll be there. It'll be nice to know someone before I meet the rest of your British crew."

Angelina squeezed Laila's hand in comfort. "Relax, I'll introduce you to everyone. They'll love you! You may want to get used to saying 'pub' instead of 'bar' since you're no longer in the States."

Laila's eyes sparkled in amusement. "Thanks for the heads up. Honestly, I still struggle with referring to my apartment as a 'flat' and so many other tiny things!"

Laila tucked a stray hair behind her ear before continuing. "Listen, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't mention to anyone what we talked about."

Angelina nodded, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed." She flashed Laila a quick grin. "Did I ever tell you I went as Fred's date to the Yule Ball? He threw a bloody piece of paper at me during study hall to ask me out."

"Really?" Laila leaned forward in her seat, intrigued. "When did the switch-a-roo happen?"

"Seriously?" Angelina laughed. "Where do you get these words?"

"Hey!" Laila glared mockingly. "Stop changing the topic! The story is just getting better from this end."

"We just vibed better as friends," Angelina casually shrugged. "And we were too alike, both kinda too blunt and brash. Don't tell George any of this; his ego will be inflated for days."

Laila dramatically sealed her lips, locked them, and tossed the key before gesturing at Angelina to continue.

Rolling her eyes, Angelina said, "The twins seem like the same person a lot of the time, but George is a bit calmer and more thoughtful sometimes, I suppose. He grounds me. Fred needed someone like that. I think if you give it a real go of it, you could be that person for him."

Laila sighed, "You sound like Bill; he kept hinting that we'd be good for each other if we just gave it a sincere try."

Angelina leaned back into her seat and cocked her head, "You disagree?"

"Honestly, I don't really have an opinion yet." Laila bit her lip. "I haven't spent enough time with him to go with this one way or another. I would like it to work or at least end up as friends."

"Friends?!" Angelina laughed. "You better get a move on it then, girl. Your wedding is in less than three weeks, and the wedding night is just around the corner."

Laila blushed at the implication, which only made Angelina laugh harder.

"Hey, stop it," was all Laila could blubber out.

"Oh come on," Angelina cajoled. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it. Fred is fit, and you're gorgeous! That waitress has been checking you out for a while, if you swing that way."

"You're being too nice," Laila waved away Angelina's comments. "She's just doing her job."

Angelina gaped, "Okay, I don't know how good of a lawyer you are, but your radar on other people finding you attractive is seriously off."

"I've been with other people in the past, you know," Laila crossed her arms. "The thing is I put my career first, and in the past that has put a lot of guys off."

"Oh I know that look," Angelina sighed. "The one where a guy will approach you in a pub for your looks, then when you speak, and he realizes you actually have a brain, Poof! He vanishes."

Laila grinned, "See, you've been on that boat too. Lucky for you you got off with a good guy. I don't know Fred that well, but he doesn't seem intimidated with what I do or that I'm ambitious."

Angelina waved nonchalantly, "Nah, Fred respects it when his partners are their own person and not just defined by their relationship with him, you know? I think seeing his parents' relationship when he was growing up and having a younger sister also helped."

"Good to know," Laila nodded thoughtfully.

"Anyways," Angelina stood. "I'm off to visit the twin's joke shop. Care to join me?"

Laila's first instinct was to make an excuse about having too much work to catch up, but thought better of it in the end. If I'm going to be making friends and making my future marriage a little less miserable, I need to put in the work.

She nodded and smiled, "Why not?"

It was still the early hours of the morning when they entered Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.

"They're already here this early?" Laila glanced down at her watch. It was 7 AM, and to her knowledge the shop didn't open on Sundays.

"It's their invention/inventory day. George had some ideas on perfecting some kind of stink bomb. Apparently all of their proto-types explode too early and leave behind a wretched smell."

"Isn't that the point?" Laila raised her eyebrow in amusement.

Angelina shrugged with a carefree grin. "I think the problem is the bombs explode too early so the person trying to play the trick ends up becoming the victim."

"Really now." A wicked gleam entered Laila's eyes. "We could put that to good use in the future, if you're in."

Angelina looked confused for a minute before she realized what Laila was implying, "Just say when."

At the sign of voices approaching, Angelina gave Laila a nudge and both of them quickly schooled their features into somewhat convincing innocent looks.

"Don't look too innocent," Laila hissed. "That's an immediate giveaway."

They both relaxed into neutral expressions just in time to hear George's voice reverberating through the shop.

"Well look at what the cat dragged in," he said, balancing a few cardboard boxes in his arms that he conveniently dumped on the empty counter.

"No discounts here, even for future spouses and sisters-in-law." George grinned brightly. "So what brings you here this very lovely morning."

"To make sure you get some food in that stomach of yours before your puking pastilles get there first," Angelina teased, tugging on George's collar and giving him a light kiss.

"Puking what now?" Laila asked, amused.

"Only the most perfect thing to use to skip class, of course," George beamed. "All a part of our Skiving Snackboxes that are now being expanded on."

"Also great for when a trial is now going your way and you need an extension-just get momentarily sick and skip out!" George lowered his voice conspiratorially, "If you promise not to tell Fred, I'll give you a discount on the first one."

Laila laughed, "This would have been a better excuse for skipping class. At least I would have a legitimate reason, even if I did bring it on myself."

"Wait, hold up," Angelina turned to Laila in surprise. "Are you telling me you have purposely skipped classes? And not for some actual reason but just for the hell of it?"

Laila shrugged innocently, "Let's just say when my brain needed re-charging, I would come up with convenient reasons to take a break."

"Convenient my ass," Angelina laughed while George raised his eyebrows. "I finally got proof that Laila Vikander isn't the law-abiding citizen she is portrayed as. The Daily Prophet will love this."

"Technically," Laila replied, lifting up a finger. "I didn't confirm anything. You took my statement and spun it to fit your description." Her lips twitched as Laila struggled to maintain a straight face while continuing, "So really, you can't prove anything."

George grinned and gave Laila a quick squeeze. "You and I are going to have so much fun."

As he stepped back, he paused before asking, "By the way, do you have any more samosas? Ron ate the whole bunch yesterday, and he was raving about how good they were. Was really hoping to try some."

Laila shook her head. "Sorry no, they're not really a breakfast food-"

Angelina clapped her hands in excitement, "Why don't you make us an Indian breakfast then? I'm betting these idiots haven't eaten yet?"

George looked at Angelina with a hurtful expression on his face, "My own fiance?!"

He dramatically swooned. "Ange, how could you?"

Angelina rolled her eyes, "Oh get over yourself". She tossed Laila a meaningful look, which took the young American witch a second to register.

"I'd love to!" she blurted out. She immediately composed herself, "I haven't eaten anything either, and it's been a while since I've had Indian food for breakfast, so why not?"

George groaned, "I know I'm going to regret this later when the food is getting out, but coming in it's gonna be great."

"The only reason you regret it is because you have a weak stomach and a poor spice tolerance," Angelina replied drily.

Laila bit her lip to control her laughter as she watched George and Angelina bicker playfully as they walked up the stairs carefully concealed by a door to the twin's spacious flat upstairs. Or it was supposed to be spacious, but was at the moment filled with open boxes, potions, and products the twins were experimenting on. To Laila, it reminded her of her father's office, and she unintentionally voiced her thoughts out loud.

"Really?" Angelina asked intrigued. "Isn't your father a professor? I thought the rule was that all professors were supposed to be neat and tidy."

Laila laughed, "You should see when he gets a new idea. His office becomes scattered with papers, and he forgets that shelves were made to carry books."

She gazed around the room thoughtfully, the potion bottles in particular catching her attention. Some had illegible labels scrawled on them while others had nothing. "Have you thought about an Extension Cabinet?" she asked George.

"Uh what now?" he asked, perplexed.

"Take a small space and put an extension charm in it, like you would on a bag if you want to carry more stuff than the bag actually allows. It's a little bit difficult with stationary spaces, but it seriously helps. Let me know if you need some help with that if you decide on that route."

"Say," George scratched his head. "That's not a half bad idea."

He called out to his twin, "Fred! Listen to this. Your fiance has an idea that could actually be useful."

Fred walked out of a room where the door was slightly ajar, likely his bedroom. His hair was disheveled and his eyes a little bleary. It was clear he had just woken up, and he was not in complete control of his emotions. So when he registered Laila's presence, the look of surprise that flashed across his face was an uninhibited reflex. Laila felt her heart at her mouth and shoved it back down to give Fred a half-hearted smile. She really didn't want to broadcast last night's events live in front of George and Angelina at the moment.

Thankfully, Angelina noticed the uncomfortable tension rising between the two and jumped in. "You two can get down to cleaning up this place after you've put some food into your stomachs, and taken a shower." She sniffed Fred gingerly and took an exaggerated step back.

Fred shot her a dry look. "Cut me some slack, Johnson. I just woke up."

"All right there, Fred?" George casually slung an arm around his twin's shoulder and shot him a grin before lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I think he's just hungover from all the vodka he poured down his throat last night."

"You know I can hear you, right?" Fred pushed off George's arm and slumped down on the armchair, vigorously rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

Laila stood back, cautiously watching the exchange. To her knowledge, Fred wasn't drunk when she had left, so he must have doused himself with alcohol after she left. She felt some guilt crawling up her throat, wondering if what she had said to him triggered something that he had to numb away.

Making a final decision, Laila walked over to where Fred was hunched over in pain and lightly grazed his shoulder. When he looked up, she spoke. "Here, this might help."

She murmured a spell quietly under her breath, one she had used and perfected over her time with her father. Within a matter of seconds, Fred was blinking in surprise, touching his temples. "Hey," he looked up at her with a genuine smile. "Thanks."

Laila gave a small smile and a nod, watching as Fred lightly punched George in apology and went to take a shower. Her gaze must have lingered too long because the next thing she knew, George was waving his hand in front of her face.

"Our Extendable Ears are great, and I'm sure we can invent an eye product that will let you see through walls," George said in a matter of fact tone.

"She doesn't need any special product of yours, George. Her eyes are burning a hole through that wall," Angelina teased.

"Very funny," Laila remarked, but the light blush on her cheeks belied her words. Instead, she decided to change the topic. Somehow, it never seemed to work, but it was the only way Laila knew how to respond to embarrassment.

"Which way do you want to go with breakfast-North Indian or South Indian?"

George blinked, "There's a difference?"

Laila laughed, "Your people ruled over India for almost 200 years, and you're asking me if there is a difference. Oh this is too good."

Angelina rolled her eyes, "This idiot was always falling asleep in History of Magic, and I doubt he paid any attention in Muggle Studies. Don't be too surprised at what he doesn't know, Laila."

"Hey, I thought you were supposed to be on my side!" George gaped at Angelina.

Angelina grinned, ignoring her fiance's dramatics, "You're from the North, right? Why not make something from there and then go South next time?"

Laila smiled, "Mind if I poke around your kitchen? I may need to head back to my flat to get a few things."

George waved her away, and to Laila's surprise, the twins actually had a decent spice cabinet, but she would need to bring in a few more Indian spices and ingredients if they wanted the authentic Indian breakfast experience.

In a matter of minutes, she was back, her arms filled with coriander, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, potatoes, and some whole wheat flour. Got to be healthy somewhere. Laila carefully arranged the ingredients and set to cooking. Angelina popped in a few times, constantly saying she could help. Laila just smiled and waved her away.

"Relax, this is my treat. You can make me some of that Yorkshire pudding I've heard a lot about later."

"Deal," Angelina grinned, heading off to sit with George while Laila finished up.

"It smells brilliant."

Laila looked up for a brief moment, catching Fred's eye as he leaned on the countertop, keeping a careful distance from her. He had finished showering, and the water droplets clung to his red hair, darkening the roots. She turned her attention back to the stove.

"Thanks."

"What are they?"

"Aloo parathas. A common North Indian dish eaten in breakfast and lunch. Basically stuffed flatbread filled with potatoes, some ginger and garlic seasoning, and a few other spices. And this is plain yoghurt so your mouth doesn't end up burning." Laila gestured to the bowl next to her.

A few wavy strands of her hair flew out of her ponytail and deliberately settled above her left eye. She blew at them in exasperation several times, only to watch them land on her forehead again. The next moment, she felt a cool touch on her face as Fred's fingers tentatively tucked the hair behind her ear.

The silence was getting uncomfortable, but Laila chose not to speak. Holding a grudge was something she didn't like doing, but she also didn't like being the first to break the ice when she knew she wasn't in the wrong.

"I'm sorry," Fred apologized, being the first one to break the silence. "What I said to you….I meant every word out of spite." He bent his head and continued quietly, "You just seem so cold, like you have everything together and all of this isn't affecting you at all. Both of our lives were completely upended, and you've been acting-"

"So you decided to attack my sexual history to get a reaction from me," Laila interrupted coolily, turning her icy blue eyes on Fred until the tips of his ears turned red.

"Just because I seem like I have everything in control, doesn't mean I do. Of course I am affected by all this shit and this stupid law. My way of dealing with it is taking control of the life I have left and compartmentalizing it."

She cocked her head at him, "I told you last night it takes me a bit to open up. What did you think that was? An invitation to get a reaction from me. We barely met two days ago."

Fred shook his head. "I don't know what it was. The minute the words were out, I regretted them. I'm sorry-"

"I don't want an apology, Fred!" Laila's exasperated voice rang out before she realized she was shouting.

She heard a throat clear and watched as George and Angelina headed to the door. "You know, I just remembered I needed to feed the Pygmy Puffs. Little buggers, and they sure do breed fast. So you know…."

Angelina interrupted his futile excuse. "Take the privacy to sort out your stuff while we head downstairs. Then when you're done, give a holler and we'll be up." She pushed George out the door hurriedly and shut it behind them.

For a few minutes, the silence after the door's thudding prevailed before Laila broke it.

"I don't want an apology," she sighed. "What I want is for us to take the time and talk through everything. I mean really hash out everything and lay it in the open."

Fred nodded. "Okay, how about next Saturday night. We can have dinner and talk."

"Yeah," Laila said. "I can do that."

She undid the ponytail and shook out her dark hair, trying to tame the wavy strands that had popped through before pulling her hair back up again.

"That spell you used on me this morning," Fred said. "Mind teaching it to me? It worked better than any hangover potion I've tried or some of Hermione's weird Muggle concoctions."

That got a small laugh from Laila. "Sure no problem." She was quiet for a second before deciding to share a small part of her past with him. "I used it on my dad a lot. After Mom died, he was a mess, and alcohol became his best friend."

Fred let out a slightly bitter laugh. "Yeah. It's my best pal when I can't get the images out of my head."

"Images?" Laila cocked her head in question.

Fred shot her a rueful grin. "Hey, you've known me for barely two days as well. The street goes both ways in sharing stuff."

"Fair enough, then let's call a truce until Saturday," Laila replied.

"Until Saturday," Fred agreed. They worked the next few minutes in silence, with Laila occasionally stealing sideways glances at Fred that he tactfully chose to ignore. After he finished helping her set the table, Fred gestured vaguely at the door.

"Give me a minute to get Angelina and George back up."

He didn't wait for Laila's reply before dashing downstairs. With a heavy sigh, Laila slumped down on the chair, burying her face in her hands. God, I am such an idiot. Did I seriously just imply he was an alcoholic just because he had too much to drink for one night? Her thoughts then shifted to Joanna and the trepidation of beginning a new job began to rise in her. I left my home, my family, and my friends only to get married to a stranger who implied I was a whore and has problems of his own. Her sister Aziza's voice rang out once more in her head, reminding to give Fred a chance, to look beyond that encounter and give him the benefit of the doubt.

Groaning, Laila covered her ears to block out the constant stream of noise. "Shut up!"

"Woah okay there. I'll do the cooking next time."

Laila's cheeks burned as she looked up to catch Fred looking at her in amusement and George and Angelina sitting across from her on the table.

"I-uh," she stammered. "The food is getting cold. It'll taste better if you try it when it's warm." Angelina raised her eyebrows at Laila switching the topic, but followed through on her advice, with George and Fred following after.

"Not bad, much better than just edible," George grinned cheekily. Laila forced a smile that she hoped appeared genuine, but the noise kept rising in her ears, drowning out the rest of the conversation that was happening on the table. She gripped the table, her knuckles turning white as she tried to stay grounded. Her plate seemed to be swimming, and she couldn't seem to stay afloat. I need to get out of here.

Abruptly, she stood up. Her chair clattered to the ground, and only then did she notice that Fred was in the middle of sentence. His mouth was open midway as if he was unable to complete the word he was on, when he noticed Laila standing above him.

She took a shuddering breath, struggling to get some breath in reality. "I just realized that I have a lot of work to do. Can't be making a bad first impression tomorrow on the new job." She managed a weak smile and a feeble wave. "See you all this Friday."

Laila didn't wait for any response, apparating back to her flat. She flung herself into her bedroom, slamming the door and curtains closed before crawling underneath the covers. It took a long time for her shuddering to get under control, and when she could not longer fight it, she finally surrendered to sleep and the nightmares that awaited her.