✔️ 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓&𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

51 | B A C K

•••
         if this love is pain,
well darling, let's hurt tonight.
•••

   "He tried to recruit Harry", Mr Weasley explained. The Minister and Percy had left again, it was late in the evening. "And he tried to find out something about you."

  "I played dumb", Harry said, grinning at his sister.

   "The Minister knows, that Voldemort ist after you, Lynn", Remus said with a stern look. "As the former chief of the Aurors, he of course knows about your existence. One of very few people. We're not sure, what Scrimgeour is up to. He could use you for his advantage."

   Harry's grin froze. "I told him, I have no idea, who Lynnea Bailey is. Just a annoying Slytherin, nothing more. Have never spoken to her."

   "How could he use her?", Fred asked with a grim look on his face. "What use would she have?"

   "Well, even if we don't know why, Voldemort wants her", Remus said, wrinkling his forehead, and looking more tired than ever. "So how'd you find out, what Voldemort's needing her for?"

   "By turning me in and see, what would happen", Lynnea muttered, staring at the table, before her eyes snapped up.

   "And if he needs her for some dark, evil stuff?", Ron threw in.

   "He'd kill me, of course", she said. Her eyes met Harry's.

   "Well, we won't let that happen", her brother replied. "It's just another prat, who's after you, they should line up."

   "The perks of being a Potter", Lynnea chuckled.

   She didn't sleep that night, too many thoughts were running through her head. Lying in her bed and staring at the ceiling was driving her insane, so she got up and headed downstairs in the kitchen to get a glass of water. It was almost three o'clock in the morning and the whole house was asleep.

   At least she thought so. When Lynnea entered the kitchen, she almost let out a shriek, as she found someone sitting at the table in the semi-darkness, only enlighted by the pale moonlight.

   "By Merlin, you're giving me heart attack!", she whispered and Fred smirked at her, but with a sad look in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

   "Had to think about some stuff", he said and shrugged. "Guess you aren't here, because you already had enough sleep, either."

   "Can't sleep", Lynnea muttered, frozen in the doorframe. "I had to think about Scrimgeour." Fred cocked an eyebrow. "Well, at least Scrimgeour is the more dangerous one for me, see?"

   "Dumbledore won't let him come near you", Fred said. "Nobody would." He pushed himself out of the chair. "I better go now, you for sure want to be alone." He walked past her, without looking at her.

   "Fred, wait", she whispered and touched his arm, as he was already halfway through the door.

"Mhh?" He turned back around, raising an eyebrow. Lynnea stood herself on tiptoes, softly brushing her lips against his. She could feel him hesitate, but after a short moment of slight uncertainty he kissed her back.

"I missed you", Lynnea breathed against his lips.

"I missed you, too", he said, but frowned. "Lynn, see, I made the biggest possible mistake, I'm an arse, a git, a complete fool. I should have never left you and there is no excuse for what I did to you. I know, nothing I could ever say or do could make up what I have done, but -"

   "Oh, shut up, Weasley, you whiny wanker", she said, pulling him back on her lips, flinging her arms around his neck.

   "So you'll forgive me?", he asked breathless, pressing his forehead against hers.

   "I already have", she chuckled.

   They sat down on the couch in the living room, talking for a while, cuddling up on the cozy cushion, until Lynnea drifted away in her dreams; and it was the first night since what happened in the Ministry she wasn't haunted by her nightmares.

•••

   The next morning Fred was woken by a loud clicking noise and a giggle. As he opened his eyes he was blinded by a flash and the beaming face of his mother, holding a camera in her hand.

   "Gosh, Mum, you're so embarrassing", he mumbled, trying not to wake Lynn, who was still sleeping peacefully in his arms, her head resting on his chest.

"I couldn't resist, you two are so cute", Mrs Weasley chuckled happily. "I was always wondering, when the two of you would finally end up together."

   "If you hurt her, I'll bite you!", Remus' voice swayed from the kitchen. Fred couldn't but laugh, and Lynnea's eyes fluttered open.

   "What's going on here?", she muttered, and as her eyes fell on Mrs Weasley with the camera still in her hand, she went crimson.

"You're so cute!", Fred's mother chirped and walked away smiling.

   "G'morning sleepyhead", Fred whispered, placing a kiss on her hair.

   "Did she just take a photo of me sleeping?", she asked dazzled.

   "Of us, to be exact", Fred grinned. "Come on, let's have breakfast with our awkward family."

   It really was awkward. Remus and Harry were eyeing Fred sceptically, while Mrs Weasley didn't stop beaming at her son and Lynn, what made George, Ron and Ginny roll their eyes so hard, that Fred feared, they'd fall out of their heads. Lynn felt obviously uncomfortable in her own skin, whipping nervously with her feet. Soon she got enough and excused herself, leaving the kitchen and went upstairs.

   "Gosh, you're all so annoying", Fred said and rolled his eyes. "Can we please stop making this awkward. And stop staring at me like that, Potter, it's creepy."

•••

   Lynn and Fred spent almost every second of the rest of her break together. Playing Exploding Snap with Harry, Ron, George and Ginny, having late night talks with Remus observing that everyone is going into his own room at the end of the day, just to leaving Fred ending up to sneak in Lynn's room, after all the lights went out in the whole Burrow. Soon Fred got the old Lynnea back, laughing and cheerful, no sign of sorrow in her amazing green eyes.

   But with new year's day behind them the shadow of what was awaiting her back at Hogwarts was creeping back onto her face, she didn't sleep calm, throwing herself around, mumbling and moaning. She sometimes shrieked up and lay awake for hours after, before she finally fell back asleep, starting her torture from new. It broke Fred's heart that he had to let her go in the morning, not knowing what would happen to her ...