reunion pt. 2
December 27th, 1995
AGAIN, WITH THE sickening feeling. Everyone was getting fed up with it, but then again, they were in the middle of war.
Some might say that peace was the opposite of war, so it would be logically unattainable in times like this.
Some with ethereal wisdom like Dumbledore might say that peace was a state of mind, thus completely isolated from one's state of life.
Whatever the truth was —in the twins' principle of life, it would be the second— peace was so far away from sight and mind at the thought of Daisy, lying in pain on her bed.
Lupin promised the children that the adults were taking care of Daisy's extraction, so he made them stay in their room and get some rest. But by the incessant thuds from the boys' bedroom and the creaks from the girls' bedroom, Fred and George knew none of them could really sleep that night.
A series of light knocks caught their attention at fifteen after midnight. George, being the closest to the door, immediately wrung it open, only to reveal Ron with his eyes as wide as a pair of saucers and finger pressed onto his pouting lips.
Harry appeared behind him, whispering, "C'mere! Quickly!"
The twins hurriedly tiptoed out of their room and joined Ginny and Hermione, sprawled on the floor, leaning to take a look downstairs against the railing.
"Bill's here," Ginny whispered, "He said the letter's been tested to be jinx-free. Pure Muggle ink."
"What else—"
"Ssssh..."
Vaguely, but still quite audibly, they could heard the faint conversation happening on the first floor.
"...dore said yes. He seems fine with the idea of her staying."
"...Polyjuice Potion? ...should test her later, safety precaution..."
"...if she's unconscious? And we've got no Healer in the Order."
"Bill knows... Molly and Remus, too..."
"Should I take the Extendable Ear?" Fred whispered. Hermione shook her head no and said, "We shouldn't let them know we're awake."
Footsteps were heard and under the dim lighting, Mrs. Weasley and Bill walked out of the kitchen, looking sharp and ready for travel. Sirius and Lupin followed, though they didn't have their coats on.
"Alright," Mrs. Weasley said in a low tone, "Who's looking after your father right now?"
"Hestia is. Dad's much better, Mum. The Healer reckon he can go home before New Year's Eve."
"...Not that Augustus Pye, right?"
"No," Bill said, chuckling.
Moody came strutting in with his wooden leg and walking stick click clacking against the floor. He growled, "You don't think we should flush 'em out of the house or charm 'em all to sleep?"
"That'd be very hard to do, considering there are twenty, twenty-five servants. The house is huge, though, so we'll be safe if we don't make too much noise. Let's just use Muffliato charm."
"What?" Ron whispered, high-pitched, "Exactly how rich is Daisy?"
"Hang on a second..." Mrs. Weasley immediately transformed into a hound on a hunt, and her head jerked up almost immediately. Thankfully, the kids' reflexes were undefeated. "Oh, I thought I heard something..."
"C'mon, we should go now. Molly—"
"Lead the way, Mum."
Fred's eyes were glued to the back of their heads until they were out of sight, followed by several clicks of locks and rattling of keys.
They're on their way now...
Then Lupin and Sirius reappeared, and they didn't hesitate to look up and meet their eyes directly, as if they had known there were rats eavesdropping from up there. Fred could feel his cheeks heating up and Hermione, gulping audibly beside him, and George, tensing immensely.
Sirius cracked a grin, "I didn't expect less. That's exactly how true friends should act."
Lupin gave them a soft smile, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "You should sleep. But if you can't, anyone care for some chocolate drink?"
Ginny immediately stood up, wiping dusts off her nightgown, "Yes, please."
Fred looked at George, and they became the second to walk down the stairs.
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A/N:
I would like to apologize if I fail to portray abusive behavior and its effects correctly, or if I happen to offend any one of you faithful readers 🤍 Hope everyone's okay
I would also like to give you all a heads-up: I'm not British, I have never been to England, my level of Science knowledge is limited to what my high school exams asked of me, and I was born after the 21st century began —so there might be some facts I got through research that I didn't get right.
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December 27th, 1995
"ALOHOMORA."
THE BALCONY door unlocked with a tiny click and went agape by itself, though very slightly.
Bill slowly pried it wider and took a step into the dimly lit room, Mrs. Weasley tailing closely behind his back. Moody was left outside with guard duty.
The two Weasleys had never seen the inside of Daisy's room. The secretive nature of their relationship caused them to... to never know the actual state of her life, who her companions from home were, how she ran this little castle on her own...
But Bill could see that the room was hers. Definitely. Cream-coloured wallpapers, white and wooden interiors. Stacks and stacks of books on top of her nightstand. Flowers and pretty decorations that fit her personality. A gorgeous table with just enough amount of make-up, not too much, and lots of bobby pins. The girl really loved her hairdo.
There weren't many pictures of her. One of her sixteenth birthday, as shown by the candles on the cake she had in her hand, where she was surrounded by twenty-ish men and women in uniforms. Two of her tea time group. One of her with Vincent last year's Christmas. One of her with Lucy and a dog... Bill had to ask Sirius for explanation later.
"Oh..." Mrs. Weasley cooed, seemingly in tears, "My Daisy... What did that wretched man do?"
The older woman had knelt on the floor beside Daisy, and the two Weasleys had to take some time to take in the situation.
Godric, her face was so disfigured, she was nearly unrecognizable.
Her cuts hadn't even stopped bleeding.
A needle was stuck into her median cubital vein. Her heavily bandaged left leg was placed higher than other. Her left eye was swollen shut and her right...
They fluttered open, bloodshot, and she smiled. She actually smiled.
"Well, I must be dead..." she said softly, then paused to cough and take a sharp intake of breath. "This must be Heaven..."
"Daisy, dear..." Mrs. Weasley kissed her knuckle gently, "It's alright... It's alright, we're taking you to live with us now. D'you want that?"
"Can—" she gasped, and Bill remembered that she had a collapsed lung. "Can I, really?"
He had to look away so he wouldn't break down.
"Yes, yes! Is there anything holding you back? It's okay if you want to stay here."
"N— No, not anymore."
"It's settled, then. You're coming with us and we'll fix you up."
"A— Are the others— in school? Fred—"
"They're home for Christmas, and they can't wait to see you!"
"Molly!" Moody hissed from his lookout post, "Safety precaution!"
"Oh, right. Honey, I'm sorry to ask, but do you remember what you wrote on Ron's cookie jar last Summer?"
Daisy blinked sluggishly, "I told him to— stop saying— saying rubbish too much— I hope it didn— didn't hurt his feelings—"
"No, no, no, of course not. Bill, are you done?"
Bill placed one parchment on the bed and another on her jewelry box, then nodded.
"Okay, let's get you into safety."
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December 27th, 1995
"I DIDN'T KNOW she's that involved in your lives," Sirius breathed out in awe, "I mean, your parents did argue badly about the decision to leave her behind. And I kinda figured out she was close to you, but not this close..."
"So, er... Daisy knows everything about our world?" Lupin asked.
"More than some of us, I presume," Hermione replied. Chocolate was creating a crescent-shaped stain on her upper lip. "She read all of our schoolbooks and history books."
"She definitely knows more than I do," Harry said, fixing his glasses. "A bit embarrassing, especially that Floo Powder mishap."
"Oh, we haven't told them about that! And how we picked you up from your house last time!"
Fred kept glancing at the clock, tuning out Ron's rendition of Harry's blocked fireplace. Nearly three hours had gone.
What if something happened?
What if Mr. Allen got in their way? What about Lucy?
What triggered Mr. Allen's anger this time? Was it time for her to submit her university application? Or did her report card just come out? Was it something as small as that? Or more? Did he discover her Magic photographs? Her close relationship with the Weasleys? Or did something happen with the business partner's family?
"They're probably close, right?"
It was George.
Fred nodded, "They should be."
Barely two minutes later, the door to the Headquarter was thrown open, and Fred wasted no time to get on his feet.
He jogged over, "Bill! Mum, what—"
"Some space, Fred," Bill blocked the hallway with his body. Though he wasn't as tall as his twin brothers, he was still stocky and built. And he also had that signature, authoritative, eldest brother voice.
No, there was something different with his voice that night. He seemed... angry. "Why are you all up? Remus—"
And slightly, just very slightly, Fred could make out Daisy's limp figure, lying horizontally and levitated by magic. Moody was too quick in bringing her through a door on their right —the library. Lupin got in afterwards.
"Oh, Merlin..." Ginny said, slapping her forehead. Her eyes were wide. "It's really Dee. She's here... I can't believe she's really here. Godric, her face..."
"How'd she get here?" Harry asked, "And the Anti-Muggle spell?"
"She read it, too, the same parchment you read. That makes her eligible for entry. And there was also simple protective charms, blocking the Anti-Muggle spell. Like the Quidditch game."
"She's bleeding, isn't she?" Ron said, looking pale. He pointed to the tiny pools of blood creating a trail on the floor.
Bill said flatly and hurriedly, "I'm gonna help Mum and Remus with the healing spells. Don't barge in, alright? We'll let you see her later."
Fred nodded vigorously.
"Promise?"
Everyone nodded.
"Okay. Sirius, if you'd keep an eye on this lot." Bill lowered his outstretched hands, no longer blocking the hallway. With a flick of his wand, he cleaned the trail of blood, and he went into the room as well.
Fred slid down the wall and sat on the floor.
"She'll be okay."
He looked up at Sirius.
"She's in good hands."
The hallway felt more eerie than it usually was.
The company of seven were scattered on its sides, quiet and tense. Even Mrs. Black's portrait was snoring and blocked shut.
Five o'clock came so slowly, like years later. Fred felt like he had aged so much, sitting on that mossy, carpeted floor.
Mrs. Weasley was the one who opened the door. "We have to Episkey so much... Mended so many bones... Can't do much about her lung and ear, but Remus said she'll recover by herself over time. She's gonna be okay, but she needs rest. She has a fever. I think it's best if you visit her in the morning."
"Mum, can't we at least see her?" Fred asked, almost pleadingly.
The mother sighed before relenting. "Alright, but don't wake her up. Five minutes. And brace yourself... She looks... different."
Fred shuffled in behind Mrs. Weasley, shoulder to shoulder with George, who had Ginny wrapped in his arm.
The library didn't have too much furniture.
Books covered nearly all sides and corners of its walls. An old study table squatted over an ornate, circular carpet. And on the opposite side of the room were two long sofas.
Daisy laid, peacefully asleep, on one.
Fred stared at her for the longest time, feeling like he was about to explode from yearn. He took in her unkempt, golden hair, her usually milky white skin now littered with bruises and cuts. She looked infinitely better than when she was first brought in, but still far from the point of recovery.
He gripped his fists tighter to suppress his bubbling anger and overwhelming hatred.
Even though he was inches away from her, she felt farther than ever, and he missed her. So bad.
He reached down to grab her hand.
"Fred—" Bill called warningly.
Gently. He intertwined her fingers with his very, very gently, rubbing circles on the back of her hand. It was cold. "She should sleep in my bed."
"It's alright. Let her sleep here," Mrs. Weasley said softly. A bed and two pillows were conjured and placed right in front of the sofa. "I'll take the settee and watch her till morning. Thank you, Bill, Moody, Lupin —go to sleep, I know you have work in the morning. Let's get everyone in bed. Nothing to worry about anymore, dear..."
She glanced at Daisy with tear-filled eyes.
"Nothing to worry about."