Stunning; Fred Weasley

ONE

"Are you okay?" Fred asked me.

I was silent. "Yes, Fred. I am," I finally responded. Why wouldn't I be okay? I just found out who my father is, and on top of that he's brave and kind. He's all I would want a father to be.

Fred, George, Sammy, and Betty were all in the compartment with me. It's surprising the twins' other best friend Lee Jordan isn't in here with us. He's funny, but he's not my best friend.

"Bets?"

"Yeah, Elle?"

"Am I still catching a ride home with you?"

"As far as I know."

"Okay."

Sammy's full name is Samantha, but everyone calls her Sammy, as she always thought it was "too much of a mouthful and way too formal."

Betty's full name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Betty for the same reasons everyone he calls Samantha, Sammy. Only the twins, Sammy, and I are allowed to call her Bets.

It's funny, because everyone assumes my real name is Elizabeth. It's not. My real name is Elle, pronounced like the letter. The only nickname I really ever get is "Elizabeth" or "Ellie." George and I are the only ones without a way to shorten our names. We're both stuck with nicknames that are longer than our real names.

"George and I have been meaning to ask you something," Fred said.

"All of us?" Sammy asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

"Yeah. Dad got us tickets to the World Cup this summer. We were wondering if you guys would want to come with us?" George continued, spinning his wand between his fingers casually, most likely to impress Bets.

"I'm in!" Betty responded, clearly just wanting an excuse to spend more time with George. It's always been known that Betty and George are bound to be together. The only ones who can't see the other's obvious attraction are Betty and George themselves! Literally the whole castle is waiting for them to get together.

"Me too!" Sammy agreed, setting her book down in the seat beside her.

Oh what the hell. If everyone else is going, I might as well. It'll be fun. "Count me in."

"Brilliant!" George exclaimed as the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop.

I grabbed my trunk off of the netting above the seats. "Don't forget to write!" I told the twins as we got off, preparing to go our separate ways. Fred caught my eye and winked.

Before I could say anything else, Bets grabbed my hand and pulled me to her parents, who had trolleys waiting for us. I barely managed to keep ahold of my trunk as we made our way through the throngs of people.

We put our trunks on the trolleys, grateful not to have to lug the damn things around any longer.

Betty's dad pushed mine to their car for us, leaving Betty to push hers herself. I felt bad, so I offered to push hers but they wouldn't hear it. I love that about them; they're incredibly kind. Sometimes it makes me wonder why Betty wasn't placed in Hufflepuff.

"Thank you again for taking me home," I said as I got in the back seat with Betty.

"Of course Elle! You're practically one of our daughters!" Betty's dad Henry replied. It wasn't very long until we reached our houses, as traffic actually wasn't horrible for once.

Betty's mom Cheryl doesn't talk much, but her eyes are just as kind as Henry's words.

Henry parked the car and got my trunk out, insisting on taking it to my house for me.

I hugged Bets. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she responded, hugging me back.

I thanked Henry and Cheryl once more before climbing the steps to my house. I waved before shutting the door behind me, allowing the cold, air-conditioned air to envelope me.

"Mum! I'm home!" I called out as I let my trunk drop in the doorway. This talk can't wait.

"In the living room!" I heard.

I walked to the living room to see Mum laying on the couch, a book in hand and the radio on in the background.

"Why didn't you tell me that my father is Sirius Black?" I immediately questioned, crossing my arms in front of me.

She sighed and sat her book down. "I didn't want you thinking bad about your father. He didn't commit the crime the Ministry says he did. Plus I knew that if I told you who your father was and word got out, you would've went through hell at school."

"I know that he didn't murder Pettigrew and those muggles! He told me, something you seem to have trouble with!"

"W-what? You've seen your father?"

"Yes! He came to Hogwarts for me and Harry!"

"How is he?"

"Alive, but barely!"

She sighed and got up from the couch. She came over and hugged me tightly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it a secret from you. You had a right to know. It was wrong of me, especially for Sirius. He only had me and Remus who knew he wasn't guilty, and I wouldn't even tell his own daughter the truth."

I can't be mad at her for long, no matter how wrong what she did is. I hugged her back. "Tell me about him," I murmured.

She took a breath, smiling softly as if she were somewhere else. I suppose she's lost in memories of her time at Hogwarts. "Where do I begin?"