An hour later Fred and George came back through the doors of the hospital wing, Hermione and Harry appeared immediately by their side. The rest of the family and Minerva stood up in the back of the wing as they entered.
"Did you find her?" Harry asked, looking behind them to the empty hallway.
"Where is she?" Hermione looked up to George, taking his hand in hers softly.
"We couldn't find her, she's gone."
"Do you know where she might go?" Harry said as they walked to the rest.
"Her parents maybe? Her flat is as good as empty after staying here." Fred dropped on Leah's bed; he could still smell her vanille shampoo on the pillow.
"She can't go far, can she? Her parents are away, and she doesn't work at the moment." Ginny inquired.
"About that..." George eased in; Fred looked at him with a cocked brow. "She can go anywhere she likes. She has a vault full of money, since she's the heir of Godric Gryffindor." His eyes wandered to Minerva, who gave him a short nod. "And she has muggle money. Her grandparents had a real estate office, a very successful one. And when her Nan died, she inherited half of the business."
"You're saying she's rich?" Ron gasped.
"Yeah, probably richer that the Malfoys and Potter together." Silence fell in the room, Fred still looked at his brother in shock. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
"So, she could be anywhere in the world right now?"
"If she's using magic, it's only through floo since she can't apparate yet."
"And if she's going to muggle route, she could still be in the UK." Hermione continued George's train of thought. "She can easily take a train through the UK but via plane... she needs to buy a ticket, go through border patrol, it takes a while."
"Do you want to go find her? We can help, if you want." Charlie offered. Charlie saw the devastated look when the twins came back in and knew they had to get Leah back, even after what their mum thought of her. Speaking off, Molly was sitting quietly in the corner, playing nervously with her fingers as the others talked, her twins pointedly avoided her eyes.
"Maybe we should give her some time." Minerva answered before the twins could. "Besides Kingsley is on his way."
"The minister?" Percy gasped as he tried to straighten his shirt. "Why is the minister coming?"
"Well, I think he needs to know about Fred. And we need to figure out what to say to everyone."
"Can't we just tell them about Leah's sight?" Ron piped up.
"No, if everyone knows she can speak with the dead and somehow got Fred back, everyone will go after her." George said shaking his head.
"George is right." Bill answered. "We need to come up with another story."
Leah did go by her flat, just to check her mail. She pulled the letters out of her mailbox and shoved it in her bag before she walked her way to the train station. She was just on time to catch her train and when she made herself comfortable at the window seat, she pulled out the letters. Checking them one by one, but it was the last one that caught her eye. It was a letter form the lawyer's office. She ripped it open and unfolded the letter, her eyes scanning the pages in rapid speed.
The house, Nan's house, where the train is taking her now, is hers, fully hers. Her grandmother left it to her, and she could come by the office to pick up the keys. But of course, now she doesn't need them, since her silver wand is safely tucked in her holster. She put the letter down and looked out the window, the landscapes flashing by as she twirled her crescent moon necklace between her fingers.
The moment she stepped in the house in Devon, George's Patronus appeared in front of her, the magpie floated in the air in front of her.
"Leah... I hope my little birdie waited until you were alone, otherwise this could be a problem." George voice came out of the small bird, for a moment it looked like the magpie shrugged before it continued.
"First of all, are you okay? You just woke up! And second, come back, please. Fred's broken since you left, I'm broken. Please let us hear from you, through owl, through Minnie or even through your weird postman, anything!" The bird was silent for a moment and Leah thought it might disappear before it whispered. "We don't care what our mum thinks, none of us do. We just want you in our lives." The magpie sighed before it faded away.
Leah dragged herself over to the couch and plopped down, her face buried in the pillows as the tears started to fall again. Her bag fell open on the floor next to the couch, the books and clothes falling out. She fell asleep crying on the couch. When she woke up her eyes fell on the books on the floor, transfiguration, DADA, charms, everything. She pulled herself up and leaned over to pick one of the DADA books up and started flipping through until she found it, the Patronus charm.
It took her almost three days and a lot of happy memories before she could conjure a corporal Patronus. It shocked her for a moment as a life-sized lioness walked in front of her, but the lioness was sweet and tried to play with the laces on her shoes. She looked at the lioness at her feet and the moment she spoke to the silver feline, she sat up straight in front of her. "I want you to send this to George Weasley." The lioness nodded.
Fred and George stepped back in the kitchen of the burrow after Fred first try on a broom in over a year. The rest of the family was enjoying their lunch when they stepped in.
"Oh, boys. I made your favourite sandwiches." Molly said handing over a plate.
"Not hungry." The twins grumbled, ready to head upstairs when suddenly a Patronus, a lioness ran through the kitchen wall and stood in the middle of the table, looking around. Hermione, Ginny and Molly all squeaked at the large silver animal in their midst, while Ron toppled from his chair in shock, all the rest looked at the majestic animal with shock, confusion and admiration.
"Who- who's is it?" Charlie asked looking at the large teeth of the animal, before anyone could sputter out a guess, the lioness opened her mouth.
"Hi, George." Leah's voice echoed through the kitchen. "First of all, I'm sorry it took me a while to answer but I just mastered the charm. I'm okay, really and my magic is back, like you can see. Secondly, enjoy the time with your family, you two need to reconnect with them after this past year. I don't know if this reached you in private or everyone is there with you, just in case, sorry if she scared you. It nearly gave me a heart attack when she first appeared." The lioness turned to Fred. "Fred, if you're here, I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye, but I knew if you were awake, I wouldn't be able to leave. I just wanted to say... I love you." And with that the lioness faded away.
Everyone looked at the place the lioness disappeared from. "She can produce a Patronus?" Bill broke the silence. Fred and George turned to their oldest brother, who looked impressed.
"She couldn't do it the last time we saw her; she was just beginning the second-year course on charms and transfiguration." George answered as Fred was too stunned.
"She learned it in three days?" Hermione's eyes went wide.
"I assume so. Cassandra told her grandmother so would have immense power." George turned to Fred. "It fits her, doesn't it? A lioness."
"It does, it really does." Fred said almost grinning, but it soon disappeared, and his face turned gloomy again. "I'm going upstairs."
"Fred." His father called as he went through the door. He looked over his shoulder to his father. "We have an appointment at Olivander's in an hour for your new wand. And tonight, your friends are coming over."
"Right, I'll be down." He said and headed up the stairs. He needed a new wand since his first wand was crushed by the wall, he felt empty without it but in all honestly, he didn't know it was because of the lack of wand or the lack of Leah.
When he entered his old room, he shut the door behind him and dropped himself on the bed, flat on his stomach. In the corner of his eye, he saw the daily prophet on his nightstand. He grabbed it and turned on his bed, holding up the paper above him as he read the headline with a large picture of him and George on the front.
FRED WEASLEY LIVES!
What is the mystery of Fred Weasley sudden reappearance, after everyone thought that he died in the Battle of Hogwarts? Find out on page 7!
Fred crumbled the piece of paper in a ball and tossed it to the other side of the room. He rubbed his scar on his hand subconsciously as he looked up at the ceiling that was filled with burn marks of the twins many experiments. He enjoyed being home, he really did but he was still so mad at his mum. And the only place he wanted to be is wherever she was. She loved him; she really did. Her voice, those words kept repeating in his head and before he knew it George was standing over him telling him to get his buttocks from the bed to get a new wand.
Arthur, Fred and George walked into the wandmakers empty shop. They looked at each other curiously as they didn't see the wandmaker himself.
"Mr. Olivander?" Arthur called through the shop. A rolling sound was heard, and Mr. Olivander appeared on top of a large ladder as it rolled over the boxes filled with wands.
"Ah, the Weasleys." He smiled stepping down and taking his place behind the counter. He looked at Fred for a moment, his brown gathered. "Good to have you back, Mr. Weasley. You're done haunting miss Derijker?"
"You knew it was me?" Fred asked surprised.
"No, it was after I read the prophet this morning, I put two and two together." He gave him a smile. "So, you need a new wand."
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, let's have a look." He said as he turned and started pulling out boxes from the wall. Ten minutes later, he came back with only one box in his hand. Fred raised an eyebrow as Mr. Olivander proudly put the single box in front of him. "I believe this is the one for you."
Fred didn't say anything, he looked at his father and brother, who looked just as surprised as him. He turned his gaze back to the long thin box before opening the lid. It looked a lot like his old wand, just a shade darker. It was when he saw the crescent moon on the handle that his eyes turned wide, he picked up the wand slowly and inspected every corner. He waved the wand in front of him, not practically pointed at a certain spot. And for the second time in his life a warm feeling coursed through his body before a bouquet of flowers appeared at the tip of his wand. George gave him a shy smile and batted his eyelashes.
"Sir Frederik, you didn't have to." He giggled as he took the flowers and smelled them, with another wave of his wand, Fred made one of the flowers squirt water in George's face. George glared at his brother before the two of them fell in a fit of laughter. Their father was just enjoying seeing his boys together again. He turned to the wandmaker and pulled out a pouch.
"No need, Mr. Weasley. The wand is already paid for." He held out his hand to stop him.
"Paid for by who?" Arthur asked his hand still in the pouch. Fred and George stopped laughing and looked at the man behind the counter. Mr. Olivander's eyes found Fred's and he nudged his head towards Diagon Alley. Fred frowned before he looked out the window. And on the bench where he sat not too long ago was Leah, her strawberry blonde locks moving with the wind. The other two red heads followed his gaze out the window.
"Leah." The twins said and made their way to the door. But Leah had noticed they discovered her, and she quickly cast a disillusionment charm around her and ran out Diagon Alley. Leaving stunned and broken twins in the middle of the street.