"Well, well, well, what do we have here. My Grace? All grown up."
How was this even possible? He was supposed to be in Azkaban, that's what Grace had always been told. How was he free?
Lee shoved her behind him suddenly.
"Don't touch her." He growled pointing his wand at David. "Get back."
"I see you've found yourself a puppet to protect yourself. No matter, he'll be dead in a moment." In a quick motion Lee was unarmed and they were both pinned against the brick wall.
"Leave him alone! Please!" Grace shouted, attempting to step in front of Lee, but he held her back. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"
"But you have! If you hadn't followed him, I wouldn't be about to kill him. This is your fault, just like your mother and brother. Granted, your mother had it coming, but your brother? He could've lived if he wasn't protecting you."
"I told him to run." Grace whispered.
"But he didn't, because of you and your mind games. Stand aside boy, and I'll let you live."
Lee didn't move, even when Grace tried to shove him out of the way.
"Lee! Go-"
"Avada Ked-"
"NO!"
Someone barreled into David and there was a snap as his wand broke.
"Charlie!" Grace screamed when she recognized the person.
There was a crack and David disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving his snapped wand behind. Charlie was left standing there and turned to look at them.
"Go! I'll find you later."
Grace couldn't move, the shock was sinking in and Charlie looked at Lee, tossing him a broom.
"Get her out of here!"
Lee obeyed, snatched up his wand, then grabbed Grace's hand and used a spell to tie her to him so she didn't accidentally fall.
They flew for nearly an hour, later, Lee realized they should've just found the others, but he had been in shock and panicked. They landed and Grace tumbled off, sitting on the ground, Lee kneeled next to her with his wand.
"Lumos! Grace? Baby, talk to me."
Grace just shook her head, looking around her in shock. Then struggled to stand up.
"Lee... how far did we go?"
"I.. I don't know. A few miles."
"Few miles..."
Grace walked cautiously to a huge tree in the middle of a somewhat clear area, examining it carefully, then looked up at the branches. Slowly, she reached up to the second branch and pulled it down.
There was a groaning sound and the door built into the tree opened. Grace didn't move for a second then walked in, Lee close behind her.
"Grace I'm not sure..."
There was a hiss and several gas lights lit themselves and the small room brightened immensely.
Everything looked exactly the same, there must've been a charm to keep it from getting dirty. A closet pantry, a small kitchen, and table, two sets of bunk beds that folded into the wall and the bookshelf of her Mama's most treasured books and heirlooms.
On a chair, Grace noticed, was a leather jacket that she realized belonged to Sirius. She grabbed it and put it on, breathing in his scent and letting herself remember afternoons spent in his lap, as he told her stories of the Marauders, the best pranksters of the Wizarding World.
The coat sleeves went past her hands and it was long, halfway down her thighs.
Lee watched her with an amused but also concerned smile. He didn't know where they were, but it obviously was somewhere Grace knew.
After a moment, a thought seemed to strike her, and she ran out of the hideout, Lee at her heels after shutting the door.
They soon came upon a small two story house, it looked normal from the outside, and Grace slowly pushed open the kitchen door, Lee put the broom outside, ready for them.
It looked and smelled dusty, there were stairs in the kitchen and Grace seemed to float up them.
First she opened a door to a lavender painted room, half a poster was on a wall above a canopy bed made for a child, a desk and bookshelf with children's books. A stuffed bunny toy lay on the floor and Grace picked it up and hugged it tightly and carried it with her, leaving the door open.
Next was a room obviously originally belonging to a teenage boy. Clothes everywhere and just general mess. The paint was a light red, but not too bright, Quidditch posters lined the walls.
Grace brushed her fingers over one that had a rip in it, right down the middle, Lee realized that the other half was the poster in the girl's room.
"We fought over this one." Grace said softly. "Not anything big, I wanted it, and Timmy said no that it was his. We didn't even shout before father ripped it in half and hit us for arguing. We tried to defend each other... but..." She shook her head and took a breath. "Later, mama dug it out of the trash and told us we each got a piece, and it said it was our reminder to always be there for each other."
She left Lee to think and walked into her Mama's room. The huge bed didn't seem as big as it used to, when she would try to get away from her father when he wouldn't stop touching her and...
Grace shuddered and shook the memories away. She looked at a picture of her mama on the nightstand, noticing a large pocket watch on it.
She slipped it into her pocket and turned, she looked at the full length mirror and wiped the grime off of it.
Too similar.
The same hair color and style.
Same cheekbones.
Same eyes.
There were scissors on the bedside table and Grace grabbed them, before she knew it, her hair that was past her hips, was now shoulder length, it looked jagged, but not bad.
Lee walked in and jumped.
"Grace what the heck?!"
She turned to look at him, dropping the scissors. "I, I-"
"You cut your hair..." he said, shocked.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean... it was an accident!" She started to back away as Lee picked up the scissors. "Please don't hurt me!"
"Grace, baby I would never hurt you. Okay? Look, I'm putting them down..." he put them on the dresser and then walked to Grace slowly, when she didn't protest, he pulled her into a hug.
"I will never hurt you. I promise."
"Okay..."
After awhile, they left the house. Lee started to enter the living room, but Grace grabbed his hand and stopped him with a quick shake of her head.
"You... don't want to go in there."
He didn't protest and they got on the broom and headed back to the campsite.
By this time, the sun was coming up, and by the time they got back, the sun was high. Grace had moved Sirius' jacket to her arm with the stuffed rabbit.
When they got back and landed, it seemed like the whole world had been on fire.
"Mum! Dad!" Lee shouted suddenly, running to an older couple and hugging them while his mother cried.
Mrs. Jordan was a very pretty woman, her skin was sepia colored and she had glossy black hair with grey streaks, Mr. Jordan was bald and tan, both were tall.
Grace hung back, looking for her family, panicking slightly.
"Grace!" Arthur shouted and Grace spun around to see him running towards her, she hugged him tightly when he reached her, he did a double take at her hair but didn't say anything as Grace started talking.
"I'm sorry! I didn't... father... he..."
"Shhh, Charlie told me. I'm just glad you're safe. Everyone is alright. Just worried at this point."
"I'm-"
"Don't apologize. C'mon, let's go home. They're all waiting there."
"Okay... wait." Grace turned and went to hug Lee. "I'll see you in a few weeks."
"See ya, Gracie."
"Thank you." She said after hesitating for a moment.
Lee smiled. "I wouldn't leave you, I'll see you on the train." He kissed her hand and then he and his parents left.
"Take my arm." Arthur instructed gently.
Grace did, and after a few seconds of feeling sick, they were at the burrow.