On their first trip to Hogsmeade Hermione tapped a select few to meet at the Hog's Head. Fred sat next to George listening to Hermione, Ron, and Harry discuss starting up a group to actually learn how to defend themselves since Umbridge refused to. Fred was eager to join, he scrawled his signature barely legible under George's and headed out to find Clione.

A hand on his arm had Fred looking down at where Hermione had rushed out after him. "Harry only knows so much," Hermione started.

"No," Fred told her sounding sharp and final. "Leave her out of it, Granger."

"But -" The look he gave her had her mouth snapping shut. But instead of defeat she raised her chin and went back inside the inn, deciding she'd catch Clione alone and ask her then.

Fred sighed turning to George looking for support in leaving Clione out of this. But George shrugged telling him, "she's not wrong, and Clione would never turn down helping Harry."

Before Fred could argue why he was right, George left with Lee to go to Zonko's. Leaving Fred wishing Cass was there because he'd agree. He found Clione tucked in the back of the Three Broomsticks, where they'd planned to meet after she'd come back from therapy. She wore a dark green sweater wrap that hung past her knees with black leggings underneath, and the earmuffs because the inn was crowded with students. She sat next to Gail smiling at the magazine they were looking through. Clione's eyes rose finding Fred coming over and she closed the magazine stuffing it in her purse.

He cocked a brow as he bent to kiss her hello. "A super secret meeting," he teased before going around to kiss Gail's cheek.

Clione eyes turned mischievous as he sat on the other side of her. "It's a surprise," she told him.

Gail sat looking at the two stare a warm look, and she almost regretted not bringing Noemi. They could've finally had a double date. "I can go if you two wanted to hang out before going back."

Fred turned to Gail looking confused. "I don't have anything planned." He turned to Clione. "Do you have anything planned?"

"I bless you with my presence, you plan the dates," she told him seriously.

He turned to Gail looking baffled, like he was making sure she'd heard what he just did. He turned back to Clione. "Oh I'm blessed?" he asked hearing her giggle.

She held her hand under her chin batting her eyelashes at him. "I'm an angel," she was barely able to get out without laughing.

His laugh was loud and bright as he leaned into her. "A pain in my ass, more like," he mumbled against her mouth as she kissed him. He pulled back turning to Gail, who was grinning at how sweet Fred was to give her and Clione more time together. "Butterbeer?"

He made his way to the bar leaving the girls. "Did he and George look at getting a shop here while he waited?" she asked Clione, seeing her warm eyes were watching Fred at the bar.

"No, Hermione's doing something he doesn't want me to know about," Clione answered. She turned back to Gail and rolled her eyes at the surprised look Gail was giving her. "I'm mental, not stupid." At Gail continuing to stare quietly Clione sighed. "And I pretend I can't hear them sometimes. They don't tell me everything."

Gail smiled and reached a hand to fix a strand of hair caught between the strap of the earmuffs and Clione's temple. She noticed that Clione didn't pull away like she used to. "Clever," she mused and tried to stop smiling as Fred came back. "No Butterbeer for Clione?" she asked when Fred gave Clione a water, not remembering Fred asking Clione what she wanted.

Clione made a face taking her water. "No, Rashid's got me on these muggle pills. I can't have alcohol with them."

Gail looked between them feeling the corners of her mouth curl. They talked a few minutes more with Fred telling Gail about Umbridge, who Clione wasn't taught by and didn't see much outside the Great Hall. Then Cass turned up looking mildly annoyed. He went behind Fred and Clione to her right forcing Gail to move down a chair. It stole Clione's attention, and with her eyes on Cass, he reached around Clione to grab the back of Fred's head and jerk it around to see his brother outside waiting for him.

Fred pressed a quick kiss to Clio's cheek while she was turned away from him. "Gonna meet up with George. See you at dinner."

Clione's eyes held on Cass' face hearing the door slam shut from Fred darting out before she could try to stop him. "Did George tell you anything about what they met about?"

"Nope," he answered, as in the dark as Clione was.

Clione sat back sliding the rest of Fred's Butterbeer over to Cass. "Maybe we should have super secret meetings." She was tired of being left out of things. Granted she likely wouldn't wanna be part of it, but she'd at least like to be included.

"What would we even talk about?" Cass asked licking the foam off his lips. He sat with his arm still around the back of Clione's chair, watching her eyes flick to Gail before she turned to Cass with a smile he wasn't sure he trusted. "What?"

Clione pulled the magazine out of her purse and flipped it open to the pictures of home interiors she and Gail had been excitedly looking through after Clione got back from therapy. Cass glanced down at the girly decor unimpressed at first, then understanding lit in his dark eyes as they met Clione's. "We have a place?"

"Well, land," Clione explained. "But the builders are starting on our homes so they're ready end of year, then you'll pick yours by Christmas and it'll be ready by summer."
Across from them Gail added, "wizard builders are so much faster than muggles." She wasn't heard. Fred knew what it was like to be one half of a pair, so he was good about making sure Gail felt included. But the bubble Cass and Clione existed in had, from the moment they became friends, always been impenetrable.

"Why does yours need to be ready next month?" he asked, but he already knew. He'd been feeling it more the last few weeks, a slow but steady weight lifting off of him as Clione figured things out. He looked at her now, eyes shining though they'd never shine as bright as they used to - she'd finally remembered why she wanted to live.

She gave him a guilty smile. "I didn't want you giving up on school if you knew I was leaving." It wasn't a hypothetical anymore, Clione was decided and had already paid for the house.

"You mean your boyfriend, I still need to graduate," he reminded her. He wouldn't mind if Fred and George left with her. He preferred George to Fred and they were cool outside of school, and on rare occasions at school when Clione was there, but he still found them mostly annoying.

Clione nodded, knowing Fred only came back this year for her. He was gonna pout when he found out she was leaving. Clione and Gail sat with their heads together flipping through magazines looking for ideas on how to decorate, while Cass flipped through the housing catalog trying to find the one Clione picked. He went from big and ornate to small and cozy, gothic to girly - he never did find it.

Before long they gathered their things and followed the other students as they began to head back to the castle. "See you next weekend." Gail hugged Clione tight, glad for how long Clione held her back before pulling away.

Clione took a deep sad breath watching Gail leave, wanting to go with her. Cass stared at the side of her face as she watched the place Gail disappear from. "House isn't ready yet," he reminded her.

"I could live in a tent," she tried telling him. But she turned to him seeing the look he was giving her and rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she grumbled hooking her arm around his as they made their way back.

Fred was waiting for them at the castle thinking they'd be one of the first, because Clione had been clingy the last month and a half. He didn't mind that so much. But they were one of the last, walking slowly with their arms linked and their hands in their pockets chatting happily away.

"Dark green?" Fred heard Clione exclaim as they came closer. "You're surrounded by green now."

"It's my favorite color," Cass answered with a shrug.

Clione sighed because her vision was in something bright and warm. "It's so moody."

"So am I," he told her unoffended. They made it to where Fred stood waiting for them, and Cass moved away from Clione holding a hand out to her like she was a prize Fred won. "Delivered safe and sound. I'm gonna find Monty." Who Cass had been hanging out with in Hogsmeade before George asked him to distract Clione.

It left Fred and Clione looking at each other, each with something they really wanted to share but were holding back. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Clione offered, seeing curiosity was killing him.

He really almost told her, because old Clio would've jumped at any chance to help Harry. This Clio would too, but he was worried it'd hurt her and she was finally having more good days than bad ones. And he really liked this version of her, it almost felt like falling in love with her again. "Maybe not yet."

He might've expected a fight, for her to roll her eyes, a sigh. Instead she smiled gently, her eyes were warm as she gazed up at him. "Okay," she agreed, seeing love in his want not to tell her. "How's the skiving snackbox turning out?"

His eyes lit up with his grin. He sat her somewhere warm and told her not to move, then he came back handing her the box. He knelt beside where she sat as she opened it and pulled out the little labeled compartments with different ailment sweets. George could be mad at him for wasting one later - Fred unwrapped the puking pastille showing Clione he'd taken her suggestion to make the ends different colors.

He didn't know when it happened, it might've been from the second he came back and was too excited to show her that he didn't notice, but she wasn't looking at the skivs. Her eyes were alight and the corners of her mouth were curled as she watched him. And he wondered if it felt like falling in love again for her too.

...

The next morning the students found a new educational decree hanging on the wall outside of the Great Hall: all student organizations are henceforth disbanded, any student in noncompliance will be expelled. So soon after their meeting at the Hog's Head yesterday, it had them wondering how Umbridge knew. The need for an inconspicuous and undiscoverable location to practice magic was now even greater.

Hermione glared up at the decree wanting to burn it. Her sharp eyes caught a familiar dark head framed in brown earmuffs walking past. Glancing around for Fred to make sure he hadn't spotted Clione yet, Hermione squeezed her way to the back of the crowd.

"Have you seen this?" Hermione demanded jabbing an accusatory finger at the decree. She looked at Clione, who'd once used any and every opportunity to sneak into the restricted section because she refused to be told what she couldn't learn. Surely that Clione was still in there, she just needed a reason to come out and fight.

But Clione had woken in a good mood that morning, she'd sat letting Thea braid her hair in pigtails while flipping through magazines dreaming of a warm quiet home. There'd be fresh flowers in every room from the garden, sunlight would stream in through open windows, ducks would be heard quacking from the pond and smaller birds would sing in the trees, it'd smell like freshly baked bread. She'd have a favorite apron she'd hang on a hook in the kitchen, Fred would crowd in too close to her stealing tastes of everything and brushing her hair back, he'd make her laugh, they'd have breakfast out back with Gail and Noemi, and George and Cass. It was a good place, it'd be her favorite place.

But she looked at Hermione trying to drag her back to this dim cold castle full of people who stared and whispered and made her nerves stand on end. Trying to get Clione to think whatever Umbridge was doing now was the most important thing. Clione pointed at her ears and told Hermione loudly, "I can't hear you."

That had Fred turning, and his already irritable mood darkened further. He shouldered his way through the thinning crowd and purposefully bumped into Hermione, who careened right and barely caught herself before she fell. She whirled around in a rush of fury ready to give Fred a piece of her mind, but she watched Fred leading Clione away from the Great Hall. It was far enough from the cacophony of breakfast that Clione had pulled the earmuffs down to hang around her neck, and she was smiling as Fred reached a hand to the end of a braid telling her how nice it looked.

With a defeated sigh Hermione turned to go sit with her friends. But she blinked surprised at where Ginny stood with her arms crossed. "That's not how you're gonna get her there."

"If I could just explain, she'd wanna do it," Hermione said glad someone finally agreed.

But Ginny shook her head. "No she wouldn't. They had to charm a room she couldn't do magic in just to restrain her." Fred and George used the ears to listen in their parents room after Clione's Ministry Inquisition, Fred hadn't said a word the rest of the night after hearing that. "Less than a minute after Cass got her out, she killed four deatheaters. She's scared of herself." It's why she hadn't gotten her wand replaced after she was taken last year. It's why she rarely used magic on purpose anymore outside of class.

"So why do you want her to help us?"

Ginny glanced around them to make sure no one was listening. "Harry knows how to defend himself, Clione knows how to win. We need both of them. And if you want her, you need Fred."

Hermione groaned not wanting that answer. "He's the worst when it comes to her." He'd been downright cruel lately when he was decided on something upsetting Clione.

"Clione's mental not stupid, she knows what's going on. And she knows he doesn't want her involved. He's the only one she's gonna listen to," Ginny told Hermione with a shrug.

Hermione sighed heavily but she nodded. They'd been like this the last two years, off in their own little world just the two of them together. "Any suggestions?"

Ginny was quiet a moment as she considered her brother's overprotectiveness. "Give him a week. He'll wanna talk to her about it." It'd only been a day and he was already giving Clione that stupid, I miss talking to you, look he gave when she was mad at him.

It ended up taking two weeks. Halloween had come and gone and frost had settled on the ground as the air turned cold. By then Neville had found the room of requirement and they'd begun practicing defensive spells, their idea had become real and Hermione wasn't the only one asking about Clione joining them. She was a little out of it still but most of them remembered her as powerhouse.

The Patel twins, Padma particularly, asked about it every time they met. Cho had brought it up as well, from how highly Cedric had spoken of her, so had Colin Creevy from how kind she'd been to him. Angelina had mentioned it to George once in passing, that it was a shame not to ask Clione when she'd dualed against three deatheaters at the Quidditch Cup.

Two Saturdays after Dumbledore's Army started, Fred and George were coming into the Great Hall for breakfast - late because they'd been working through stacks of order forms for their skiving snackboxes. Fred scanned the Slytherin table for Clio and sighed at finding only Cass sitting by Monty across from Adrian and Thea. Then George elbowed him and Fred followed his stare to the Gryffindor table where Clio sat by Ron. Fred's face brightened as he shouldered his way past George to go around to her side of the table.

"I'm telling you, Clio, Umbridge is the worst," Ron whined. "She's not teaching us anything." Across from him Harry agreed and Hermione was expelling a long angry breath out of her nose at the thought of that infuriating woman.

Clione was nursing a mug of tea, brewed from a pouch Gail had put together for her. It cleared her mind and soothed her nerves, and tasted awful. "Must be bad if you're worried about your studies," Clione commented innocently.

Hermione choked on a laugh while Ron shot Clione an unamused look. "I'm just saying, we need a better teacher," he mumbled into his breakfast.

Hermione stared hard at Harry mouthing something to him. But Clione was in such a good mood, she wasn't even wearing the earmuffs that morning, and he shook his head. "Ask her or I will," Hermione whispered through clenched teeth.

"Ask me what?"

Harry shook his head firmly, but Hermione took a breath and turned to Clione. "Actually, we've been meaning to ask if you'd,"

Fred's hand suddenly engulfed Hermione's face as he reached across the table to shove her back as he sat on Clione's right. "If you'd thought of picking ballet back up? Hobbies are good for people in therapy. Right Hermione?" he asked staring hard across the table at the younger girl.

A rush of air left Hermione's nose as she turned away. "I suppose that's true." She glared at her plate having been so close.

But Fred had put his foot down, as he wasn't often known to do. None of the kids here had been at the dual last year, and this was a much less controlled Clione. It wasn't a good idea. He was quick to smile when Clione turned to him. "Sure you wanna start the morning lying to me?" she posed giving him a chance to change his mind.

He looked at her bright eyes a moment considering it, before telling her, "I stand by it.

He waited for her to huff at his admitting he'd lied, or for her to demand he spit it out, or even for her to zip his mouth so Hermione could tell her. But she gave him a half smile as she turned back to the oatmeal she was halfway through eating. She'd brought the spoon to her mouth when she felt him lean into her pressing a warm kiss to her cheek. Before he was suddenly dragged away from her.

"That'll be another detention, Mr. Weasley," a high nasally voice said as a small woman decked all in pink walked down the aisle between the tables. She caught Fred rolling his eyes as he turned away from her. "Keep it up and Ms. Ayad will join you."

Clione glanced at the side of Fred's face seeing him clench his teeth in the way his jaw bulged. When she was satisfied none of the other students would say anything, Umbridge left them with the annoying click of her heels as she marched away. "So glad I dropped Defense Against the Dark Arts," Clione said into her tea.

"Wish we did," George agreed across from her and Fred.

Idle chatter picked back up and before long Snape had come to collect Clione. It'd be closer to dinner when Clione came back from therapy and seeing Gail, most of her day would be outside of the castle. Before she left, Fred felt Clione's hand graze his shoulder before she stepped away from him.

They apparated back to Hogsmeade after Clione's latest therapy session. She looked more cheerful today as she made her way to Madame Puddifoot's to meet Gail. But she slowed to a stop at spotting a familiar red bun sitting inside.

The bell above the door ringing had Bill turning, and he met Clione with a big grin as she threw herself at him. He hugged her tight, cupping the back of her head. "You look good," he told her as they pulled away. And she really did, there was light in her eyes again. She was smiling again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked taking the seat beside him.

He pulled a face and held his arms out like it was obvious. "I can't visit my favorite step sister?" He grinned at the look she gave him before explaining, "One of Noemi's sisters is getting married, Gail is her plus one. She asked if I minded filling in. Hope you don't mind," he teased knocking his knee against hers under the table.

"However will I survive," she teased back with a roll of her eyes. She settled her chin in hand looking at him trying not to look behind her. "Funny that Fleur Delacour just randomly happens to be here."

He looked at Clione's sweet face and nodded. "This stays between us for now," he told her.

She sat up straight with an excited smile. "A secret just for me?"

He huffed a laugh and shoved her face away before beckoning Fleur over. Fleur grabbed a chair from the empty table next to them and sat on the other side of Bill, across from Clione. "It's good to see you again," she told her darker companion. From what Bill had told her, Fleur didn't try to hug or kiss Clione in greeting. "This hair is good. Long makes your face look fat."

Clione's brows twitched but she didn't comment, knowing well how difficult navigating a second language could be. "Yeah, I hadn't cut it in a few years."

Fleur smiled and told her, "this is beautiful." She liked the way Clione had pulled the front half of her hair into two little buns.

"Thank you," Clione replied. She looked between Bill and Fleur seeing familiarity between them and in the way she was unconsciously leaning into him. It didn't make a lot of sense to Clione, then again neither had she and Fred. "How long have you been dating?"

"A few months," Bill admitted gently. It'd happened not long before Clione had gotten back.

"I have a part time job at Gringotts," Fleur added. "For my English."

Clione nodded not really remembering her much from last year, they hadn't run in the same circles and only talked a handful of times. "Gail charmed a pair of headphones to translate everything to Arabic my first year. They're somewhere at home. I'm sure Bill could get it to do French."

Bill looked between the two girls waiting expectantly. "Of course, yeah," he told them.

Fleur smiled reaching across the table for Clione's hand, deciding then she was going to like her. "Thank you, this will help."

Clione tried to brush that off but she could see Fleur had been nervous, mildly. That this was their first taste of introducing Fleur to the family. She took a breath considering it a moment before she looked to Fleur. "Do you like decorating?" At Fleur's quick yes, Clione turned to Bill telling him, "this also stays between us for now."

Bill gave his word and Clione scooted her chair around to get closer to Fleur. She pulled out the dog eared magazines she'd brought to show Gail and opened one to show Fleur. "I'm putting together mine and Fred's home," Clione explained. Fleur gasped excitedly while Bill's brows rose surprised. "I didn't want it to be too girly but I still want it to look nice."

Fleur flipped through the pages Clione dog eared, seeing a theme to Clione's vision. "This is not my taste, but is nice for you," Fleur told her. "Bill, we need some tea."

Bill sat back seeing his visit had been commandeered. Clione bit back a smile and told him, "yeah, Billy, get your favorite step sister some tea."

He flicked her shoulder as he stood making her laugh. A few minutes later he came back to find them sitting shoulder to shoulder looking at clips of wallpaper and furniture from different pages they were piecing together. "We have some of these too," Fleur was telling Clione pointing to the magazines. "I find ones for your country style and I bring them next time."

"That'll be Saturday after next," Clione told her. The two girls chatted away, turning from their home to the Weasleys, to what either of them wanted for their lives. Bill sat across from them sipping his tea, grateful to have Clione to use as a first introduction to his family. He was hopeful his family would love Fleur whenever he got around to introducing them.

A dark shadow snuck through the door and Clione turned to see Snape standing over her. "Sorry, Gail's the one with the watch. She usually sends me back." She pulled all of the open faced booklets to her and stuffed them back in her purse as she stood. She gave Bill a quick hug and reached a hand to Fleur's shoulder in farewell. She followed Snape back onto the cobblestone streets and back to the castle.

Fred found her waiting for him outside of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom after his detention. He hid his raw scabbed hand from Umbridge's cursed quill beneath his long sleeve as he stepped into place beside Clione. "Good day?" he asked at seeing her bright eyes.

"Yes," she answered with a big grin, having been waiting to tell him. "I've improved enough Dr. Rashid is moving me to every other Saturday."

His brows rose and joy filled his face. "Really?" He looked down at where walked beside him beaming proudly. A rush of relief hit him first, then he raised a hand to her to high five. "Wicked."

Her smile dropped as she turned to him. "Fred, what did you just get out of detention for?" she asked trying not to laugh.

He shrugged lowering his hand, spotting Malfoy lurking behind them wearing his stupid Inquisition Squad Badge. "Guess it didn't stick," he mumbled hearing a laugh sneak out of her. He cleared his throat and in his best Umbridge voice said, "As per educational decree number 31, boys and girls are not permitted to be within 8 inches of each other." Beside him Clione giggled and he grinned reminding himself not to reach for her.

"So how about you?" she asked him as they continued down the hall, leaving Malfoy further behind as he went after another student. He'd been lingering all year, wanting to talk to her but too proud to against his father's orders. "Having another secret meeting before dinner?"

He turned looking down at her mischievous grin. "Who told you?" he demanded, having told everyone to leave Clio out of it.

"Give me some credit, Freddie," she told him. "You lot had a meeting at Hogsmeade and the next day we've got a decree about organized groups, and now we have more about practicing magic. Come on."

He nodded because he should've known she'd catch on. "Well how bout this; you know Cass is part of the Inquisition Squad, right?" he asked, and she hummed her answer. "We're using him as like a double agent." He watched her brows rise and he swelled with pride at surprising her. "It was George's idea to bring him in, since he wants to be an auror and all."

"Makes sense, he needs the practice and since Umbridge is in the ministry he could use her endorsement," Clione added logically. It also didn't surprise her that it was George who'd endorsed Cass, he liked Cass more than Fred did.

That had Fred nodding. He'd been annoyed when he first found out Cass was part of that stupid group, of course it'd be Clio to make him see reason. They walked several more steps in a comfortable silence though there was more space between them than either of them liked. He glanced at her as she walked beside him an arm's distance away. She had a sweater his mom made tucked into a long skirt, with her purse slung across her chest, but she wasn't wearing the earmuffs. They weren't even around her neck. She looked so content, enjoying moments of quiet nothing in a way she didn't used to. "Did you wanna join us?" he found himself asking after two weeks of shutting everyone down.

Clione shrugged having thought about what she'd say whenever he finally did ask. It'd be easier blaming it on knowing he didn't want her to. "I don't wanna lose control." Not with a bunch of kids who wouldn't know what to do.

Fred understood that, it's what he'd been worried about too. But he stopped in the middle of the empty hallway as a thought came to him. She stopped a step after him and turned recognizing the glint of an idea he liked shining in his eyes. "You were good with Kane, you had it under control til you dropped your wand. You always said it limited you. So," he raised a shoulder, "let it limit you."

She started up at his sweet eyes and felt a smile tugging at her mouth. "That's a really good idea," she told him. She hadn't seen the point of replacing her wand, she didn't grow up using one and she hadn't wanted to do magic lately. But he was right. The world had opened up for her and she couldn't control herself enough to stop trying to destroy it. So she needed to make it smaller again.

"I have those occasionally," he teased making her laugh. "And it gives you a place to practice using a wand again."

She looked up at him and in that moment she wanted to run away with him forever. Everything scary in the world felt safer when he was there. "I got lucky with you," she told him softly.

He smiled seeing the love shining in her eyes. He was getting used to the darker eye, at the way it softened and shone. "Yeah you did," he agreed hearing her hum of a laugh. "So," he drew out waggling his eyebrows suggestively, "I showed you mine. What've you been up to?" From how long it'd gone on he knew it was something good.

She gave him a guilty smile. "It's your Christmas present," she told him and he groaned dramatically. "But," she started before she'd finished thinking it through, and she paused as she considered whether to tell him. "You can't tell anyone. Not even George."

He crept closer growing serious. She'd never asked him to keep anything from George before, Fred didn't tell George everything but she'd let that be Fred's choice. Which meant this was really good. "Cross my heart," he swore, and he'd take it grave if she asked him to.

"Okay," she said almost overflowing from excitement at having someone to share this with. "Gail couldn't meet me today so she had Bill fill in for her, and he brought his new girlfriend."

Fred's face lit up with conspiring. Bill had never brought a girl home before, he'd never talked about anyone he'd dated for that matter. The only time he'd spoken to Fred about anything to do with girls was when he'd pulled Fred aside last summer to tell him how to treat Clione. "Who is it?"

"Fleur Delacour," she told him watching his face fill with surprise. "I know! It's kind of weird she's my age, but I like the way he looks at her." She looked at Fred's mischievous expression with a gentle smile; because it'd reminded her of how Fred looked at her.

They carried on down the hall talking and theorizing, with Fred making Clione laugh hard enough she had to hold herself up with a hand against the wall. And in that moment they were just Clione and Fred, back in their own little world just the two of them together.