throw your arms around me
'i will squeeze the life out of you
you will make me laugh and make me cry'
There was one word to explain the morose feeling settling into the groves and corners of two tents on the edge of the wood: fear.
George was crouched on the floor of one tent, his arms resting on his knees which were pulled up to his chest. Though it was dark, he appeared to be staring at something.
Her wand.
It sat atop their bed, broken in two pieces. He'd pulled it from her pocket before the Healers took her away. George knew they'd throw it out if left in their hands. At least now, with it in his possession, she can say goodbye to her wand.
Silence filled his ears. The rest of the group had returned to their beds to get a few more hours of sleep before they leave, but George couldn't sleep with everything on his mind.
Was Lyra okay? Who cast the Dark Mark? Was He really coming back? What did this mean for them, for Lyra?
He wanted to be holding her. Telling her that everything will be fine. He'd read that people placed under the Cruciatus Curse for long periods of time were highly likely to lose their grip on sanity; slipping into a world created falsely by their mind.
George didn't know if he could survive in a world where Lyra couldn't recognise his face.
Something creaked, disrupting the silence he'd surrounded himself in. Reaching for his wand, he muttered a quiet Lumos, and his eyes adjusted to the figure standing in the door frame.
"You need to sleep," Fred sighed, sounding similar to their mother.
George scoffed. How was he supposed to sleep?
Fred walked further into the room, crouching beside his twin. "George," he tried again. "It will make you feel better. I promise."
"I don't care."
He wanted to scream and throw everything in sight to the floor. He wanted to show everyone how far he'd go to get justice for Lyra, but most of all, he wanted to cry. All of his tears had been used up only hours prior at the moment of her departure, but he still had so much to let out.
"They're taking good care of her." Fred's eyes were soft as he looked at his brother. "She's okay."
"For Merlin's sake, Fred, she's not okay!" George seethed, his voice a sharp whisper. "It was the Cruciatus Curse. Heaven knows whether she'll even recognise herself."
Fred swallowed the lump in his throat. George hadn't meant to be so harsh, but no one seemed to understand that everything was not, in fact, okay. The Death Eaters have returned, Lyra was attacked, Harry was accused of summoning the Dark Mark, and he was beginning to think Cedric was a nice guy.
So not okay.
George sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stood. "Fine. I'll try to get some sleep."
Fred nodded, patting his brother on the shoulder. He hesitated at the doorway before turning around and giving George a hug.
"I'm sorry," the oldest said, holding his twin tight. "I'm so, so sorry."
Lyra didn't know where she was.
Nor did she recognise the hopeful faces of two kids with mousy brown hair, or the ageing man and the tall, youthful woman.
We're your family, they said.
Lyra didn't know what family they were, but she nodded anyway. The girl, the youngest of the kids, had come bearing all sorts of gifts. From a gold and red scarf to records from a band she couldn't quite remember.
Her hair kept changing colour. That was the first thing the woman had stated. She was timid, careful about what she was saying around Lyra as though she knew the teenager didn't really know what was happening.
It wasn't until lunch time that Lyra got to finally be alone.
All the false laughing and smiling with those people had worn her out, and all she wanted to do was sleep.
A song from the vinyl played in the background, a memory floating in her mind, just out of reach.
My, my, Miss American Pie,
Drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry...
When she opened her eyes, a new day had begun.
Remus sat on the foot of the bed. He stared at his hands, the very ones that had carried his eldest daughter through her childhood. The same ones that once held an old friend, so very similar to his daughter. The same ones scarred from his own demons.
He felt so much guilt. He was trusted to keep Lyra safe, and yet all he'd done in the past four years was send her into places of danger. And now, because of his actions, Lyra couldn't even recognise him.
"Remus..."
He lifted his head to meet the eyes of the mother of his two kids.
"How do we tell them now?" he asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.
Mary walked over and sat next to him. She took hold of his hands, gentle and soft as ever.
That was one thing he noticed the very first time he ever met Mary, way back in second year. She was always cautious about what she did, even if she tried not to show it. Her spontaneity was reserved for special occasions, rare – but she knew how to have fun when it was needed.
Maybe that's why he loved her. She organised chaos. A structured version of the man he once looks for in everyone. Mary was similar to Sirius in more ways than James could have pointed out. They were extremely smart, with wit sharper than a dagger, and their capability to let their hair down was unmatched.
"We tell them just as we planned," she said. There was a pause where she pulled her hands back to her sides. "Nothing will change between us as a family."
"Everything will change, Mare."
He looked deeply in her eyes. She understood.
Their separation was long coming over the years. Remus had a feeling it would never truly work out, and yet they still went through with it. Perhaps it was the desperation to have someone near that understood what he'd gone through, or perhaps it was foolishness. Regardless of which one, two of the best things in his life had come from it. Theo and Georgia. He couldn't protect Lyra the way he wanted, but he will do whatever it costs to keep them safe.
It's the least he could do. For Mary.
He was breaking her heart, and she was letting him. She loved him unconditionally. She'd said that the moment after their first was born. He'd felt his stomach drop at that moment, but he blamed it on becoming a father. Now, he knew why. He never loved Mary the way she loved him. He never could, for he had loved already.
They say teen love is fleeting – brief and ignorant.
Remus couldn't disagree more. He had been a boy of rule, enforced by his father from a very young age. There was a specific way to do things, and any other way was wrong. But that all changed the moment he stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. Remus was changed – some would argue for worse, but he would say for the better.
Life was always better with him.
"But how do we tell Lyra?" Mary rubbed her collarbone in thought.
Remus wrapped an arm around one of his best friends, "We'll figure it out."
Merlin, he hoped they would.
Lyra was in a good mood.
Her memories were coming back to her as though they'd never left. The song 'American Pie' by Don Mclean had been playing on repeat for the past three days because she was sure it helped her remember.
The nurses weren't convinced.
That morning she was expecting a visit from George. Her boyfriend. Lyra was worried he would know her memories had been affected, causing him to be overcome with more guilt than he already had. For now, the only people who knew of her brief amnesia were Remus, Mary, the kids, and Dumbledore.
She didn't know why Dumbledore had to know, but she was too exhausted to put up a fight when Remus told her he'd be coming in to talk to her over the next few days.
There was a knock at her door.
"Hello?" A muffled voice said.
Lyra sat up in her bed, tucking her brown hair behind her ears. "Come in!"
A ginger boy stepped into the room, mumbling to himself about a wheelchair in the hallway, "That would make for a good prototype."
His eyes found her and the biggest grin she'd ever seen made its way on their faces. He leaped toward her, jumping on the bed and wrapping his arms around her. They were so close that she thought they'd merge into one.
George held her tightly against his chest, his head resting in the crook of her neck. She could feel their heart rates beginning to sync and the pain she'd been feeling began to subside. It was relieving for them both, to be there together after the World Cup and having not seen each other since.
"I love you," he whispered.
Lyra felt a tear trickle down his face onto her shoulder. She pulled away but placed her hand on the side of his face, slowly caressing his cheek. "I love you, too."
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. They stayed like that for a few moments, just happy to know that the other was safe.
"What happened after I left? Is everyone okay?"
The questions came out of her mouth quicker than Lyra had expected.
George nodded. "Everyone's okay. Harry's a bit shaken up by the Dark Mark, but he'll be okay."
"And the Ministry? What are they doing about the return of the Death Eaters?"
He looked down at his hands which rested in his lap, "Not much. There's been an uproar at the Ministry. Dad's been working all day every day since we got back."
Lyra furrowed her eyebrows, "But the Aurors. Surely they've been told to look out for any suspicious activity."
"Not that we've heard."
Lyra was frustrated. One of the most dangerous groups in Wizarding history has risen up, and yet no officials are taking action? She had a very strong feeling this was just the beginning and that the Ministry will regret their decision sometime soon.
George placed his hands on top of hers to bring her back to reality. He spoke softly, "Do you know when you're being discharged?"
There was actually a long story to go with that, starting with a general check up and ending with false lab reports, but Lyra thought she'd save George the hassle and give him the short answer. "Yep. Tomorrow morning right before Dumbledore and I have a meeting."
George groaned. He knew how much Lyra disliked the Headmaster. "Gross. Why on Earth are they making you do that? You'd sooner swim in the Black Lake with no wand than do that."
She saw his eyes flash as though he remembered something. She watched as he removed a small handkerchief from his pocket. Only it wasn't that. As he unfolded it, she recognised the familiar wood carvings. It was her wand. Broken.
A lump caught in her throat. Years of magic, gone.
George shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Lyra smiled wryly. "Nah. It's fine. Time for a new one, I guess."
After spending the day with George, Lyra rolled over in her bed, hugging the sheets close to her chest. She couldn't help the few tears that rolled down the side of her face.
Everything was going wrong.
First update in like 10 months! Sorry for the wait omg.
Please enjoy!!