After recovering from her injuries, Sarah dived head first into her studying for the O.W.L.s, spending all her time studying and stressing completely. She was worried her head injury will somehow affect the work she'd put in until now. She was very irascible during that period of time, her friends would arguably say she was unbearable, which wasn't completely untrue, the last week they all avoided her. But she had time to apologize after passing her exams.
The twins' last exam was DADA in the morning and Sarah still had her Arithmancy exam in the afternoon, which was one she particularly dreaded because as beautiful as the subject was, it was just as difficult and required sometimes too much precision and rigor.
When she got out of the class with Selena and Alexander, she saw the twins and Lee talking outside.
"I need to make some amends with them," she told her two friends, they nodded and left, leaving her alone in front of the trio. They all crossed their arms and stared at how she approached them slowly.
"Hey," she said softly but they didn't answer, this ought to be more difficult than she thought. "I'm really sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" said Lee, leaning forward, suggesting he was expecting her to expand fully on that.
"The fact that I've been mean to you for the last couple weeks," she spoke again, biting the inside of her cheek, avoiding eye contact with them.
"Mean? That's a big understatement," said George, actually scolding her.
"Okay, all right. I'm sorry for-" she paused and looked at them "threatening to shave your head, Lee."
Lee nodded deeply, recalling the moment with a shiver, she was terrifying then, for a second he really thought she'll do it.
"And?" said George, mirroring Lee's lean, nodding invitingly.
"Telling you that a dried carrot looked better than you, George."
"I take offense in that too, since we're twins, McCauley. And?" said Fred, elongating the vowel.
"Putting shaving cream instead of whipped cream on your waffles," she mumbled.
Fred chuckled, "That was actually pretty f-" George and Lee shot him a glare and he cleared his throat, returning to his serious face from before, "And?"
"Telling you that if you don't shut up, I'll petrify you and blow up the stone you turned into with real intent."
Fred and George nodded, seeming content with her apologies but Lee was still standing arms-crossed.
She looked at him "What?"
"You know what I'm thinking about."
"Come on, mate, she didn't mean it. And she apologized," said Fred
"Easy for you to say, you had it easy," spat Lee and turned back towards Sarah.
"Okay, Lee. I'm sorry that-" she paused, looking at her feet and turning her ring. "I told you that I'd push the mic down your throat so you'd stop your-" she paused again, "good for nothing commenting," she mumbled that last part, still ashamed she said it.
He had snapped at her, telling her that her constant worry and studying was pointless and she shot back, but they were both angry and stressed, neither meant it.
She looked up hesitantly at Lee, expecting him to still look upset but he was smiling at her.
He opened his arms "Come here, you crazy person," and she sighed in relief, and hugged him. She hugged Fred and George telling them she was sorry again, barely getting the words out because they squeezed her tightly.
A little too tightly.
"Guys," she wheezed, feeling the breath being squeezed out of her and they sighed in delight, "Payback's a bitch, McCauley," said Fred, squeezing her even tighter and she inhaled sharply. She couldn't breathe now, started hitting them until they let her go.
She took a deep breath, coughing but gave them a thumbs up, "I'll let you have that one, I was really awful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to apologize to the girls too," she turned around and walked away.
_
Inside the Hogwarts Express, Sarah and Selena were discussing their summers when Lee and the twins ran inside, panting and beaming. They had set off a set of Dungbombs in the Gryffindor common room, and they couldn't be prouder.
"Figured we'll give Filch a goodbye present, you know?" said George, exhaling loudly, grabbing Fred and Lee and the three of them snickered.
Sarah and Selena exchanged a look.
"Boys," whispered Selena in disbelief.
Sarah snorted with laughter, "I know."
The girls looked at how happy they were, and smiled fondly. Sarah was truly grateful to have them in her life, that she met them, that Remus dropper her off at the Burrow once a month, that they've tormented each other every day growing up and they became friends.
She got off the train and joined Remus on the platform, said goodbye to Selena and Lee. She heard screeching from the wagon with the trunks and cages, she knew it was Athena. She ran to grab her and set her free as soon as she could.
She had missed her cottage, her house. She glanced down at her arms, both scarred now, thinking back at who she was a few months ago when she left this porch. She wasn't the same person, she was stronger, maturer, she still didn't feel her age, but much older.
She dropped her baggage on the floor of her room, literally and figuratively, and turned on the recorder, went about her summer, quickly making plans to meet up with the Weasleys.
She and Remus were invited by Molly and Arthur to dinner that night, and Molly offered Sarah to spend a few days at the Burrow, which she gladly accepted. Remus grabbed Sarah's hand and Apparated on the front lawn, and she ran inside to meet Ginny and set her things in her room.
They sat on the cool floor and they talked, gossiped, Sarah talked a bit about Oliver, also told her about the rat, and Ginny told her some stories that occurred in her year, surprisingly dramatic, Sarah wouldn't have figured. When they heard Molly shout downstairs, they understood it was time to go and help her.
They bumped into the twins on their way out and they started laughing, "What's happened to you?" asked George.
She ran her hand over braid crown, "We were bored, my hair is long. There you have it."
The twins winced, it was messily made, crooked, looked a bit strange, that's for sure, and she scoffed, "You're just jealous you can't do it, but keep that up," she gestured to their hair with a smirk, "And in a few months, we'll get you."
They both frowned and brought their hands over their hair protectively, and she and Ginny laughed and went downstairs.
Ginny chuckled when she saw Ron already sitting, he hadn't passed them before and she was sure he was in his room, "Ron, did you fly here? You were just upstairs," and he rolled his eyes.
Sarah sees Molly wobble with a very big pot towards the table and she runs to the kitchen to grab a piece of wood to set on the table and Molly sets the pot on it, letting out a long breath of relief, "Oh, thank goodness for that, I had forgotten completely."
"Anytime," said Sarah and grabbed the plates. Molly went to the cutlery and Ginny set a few side dishes on the table.
"How I've missed you around the house, Sarah, dear," said Molly as she set up the forks and Sarah smiled softly, exchanging a look with Ginny who nodded, confirming she had been missed.
They ate and laughed, Sarah and Arthur talked about Muggle life. It was interesting to her, she always asked Selena about it. After dinner, Sarah helped the family clean up and the kids regrouped outside on some pillows, without Percy though.
"He must be polishing his shoes for the Ministry internship," mocked Fred.
Sarah playfully shoved him, "Maybe he's just reading, or sleeping."
Fred and George stared at her, unfazed and she rolled her eyes, "That was a crazy year we had," she whispered, but it was quiet enough outside so they would all hear.
They nodded, and Fred said "Crazy year, indeed, McCauley. What do you reckon next year will bring us?"
She shrugged, "Honestly, with Ron, Harry and Hermione, I don't even know what to expect," and grinned at Ron.
"Hey, it's not like we plan it, trouble just seems to follow us," he said, defensively. It was true, it often just dawned on them.
"Well, nothing beats getting possessed by Voldemort your first year," said Ginny. Their jaws dropped and started laughing. Enough time had passed and they could finally make jokes out of it.
They stayed outside for a while, exchanging stories, talking about the Quidditch World Cup they will attend later in the summer. Ginny and Ron got sleepy.
"You sure you want to sleep on here, you two? Just think of all the bugs in the grass," teased Fred.
"Yeah," snickered George, "The legs, the eyes, crawling under and over you."
They both jumped to tickle them and Ron and Ginny got up quickly and angrily shouted at them to stop. It only made the twins laugh harder and they left inside, scratching their arms and neck. Sarah shrugged and jumped up, too, and she felt like her whole skin was itching now, "Ugh, you idiots, thanks for that."
She walked a few steps away, trying to shake off the feeling and they called her back, still laughing.
"McCauley, come on!" laughed Fred, and Sarah flipped him off, not moving from her spot, still wincing and cringing.
"Now what?" asked George, grinning and Fred scoffed and went inside. She moved forward then, curious about why he'd left and he returned after a minute with a jacket.
He set it on the ground and pointed annoyingly at it, "Here. You can sit back down now. Happy?"
"Quite," she gave him a nod of acknowledgment and sat down on the fabric. They spent another couple hours there, watching the stars, finding all kinds of shapes by connecting the stars between them, laughing and getting shushed every now and then by Molly, because it was well past midnight and some were trying to sleep.
_
A few weeks later, they met up again, Charlie and Bill were supposed to arrive today and they all gathered, waiting for them. Sarah was carrying a pitch filled with iced tea and set it on the table. The heat was unbearable and the back and forths she was doing from the garden to the kitchen to set up the table didn't help. The twins were sitting in a corner since this morning, scribbling on paper, looking really focused.
"Is there anything left?" she asked Molly and she shook her head, "Everything's set, thank you, dear," she put a hand on the side of her face and walked outside. She and Ginny crossed paths, "Are we done?" she asked exhausted, wiping the sweat from her eyebrows and Sarah nodded, setting her hands on her neck to cool down.
"Great!" Ginny looped her arm around Sarah's and they sat on a chair, pouring themselves a glass of that iced tea they carried. Slowly, everyone gathered at the table, and Fred sat down beside her.
"What were you two up to there? Could've used some help, to be honest," she said and after exchanging a look with George he discreetly showed her the bits of parchment they scribbled on.
Her mouth fell open when she read it, "Didn't you get in trouble last time?" she whispered warningly, eyeing Molly so she doesn't turn to them.
"Has it ever stopped us before?" said George, raising the corner of his mouth.
She nodded, "Yes, that's true."
"So, what does it do? Like, blows up your tongue?" she asked, referring to whatever they had in mind with the recipe and the name 'Ton-Tongue Toffee'.
They smirked, "Not estranged from that, actually," said Fred.
"Hey!" they heard a voice shout not far from them, and they looked up to see Charlie and Bill walking towards them with open arms. They all got up to greet them.
"There she is, the brown-haired sibling," said Charlie and hugged her, she hugged Bill too, "You've grown, imp."
She grimaced at him, "You three made some sort of bet on whose hair will grow the longest?" she asked teasingly, pointing to him and the twins, making them laugh and they all sat back down, asking them about Romania and the Curse-Breaker job.
After Sarah questioned Bill on the Old Magic and Curses he'd encountered and he told the table a whole story about when he was stuck in a catacomb, leaving everyone speechless, Ron and the twins started asking Charlie a million questions about dragons.
"How many dragons did you face, Charlie?" asked Fred.
"Did you ride one?" asked Ron, leaning forward on his seat.
"Can we count your scars?" asked George.
He chuckled and gave them some insight on the job, and then asked Sarah, "Speaking of scars, what's that?" pointing at her left arm.
She stretched it and tried to think of an easy way of explaining it, "I, uh, faced our beloved werewolf."
"And beautifully might I add," said Remus, sending her a soft smile. She'd made sure he knew she blamed him for none of it, and also argued the case pretty well to get him to stop feeling guilty.
Bill and Charlie stared at it, "Cool," they both said at the same time.
"Does that mean we are the coolest at this table?" asked Charlie, showing off a large scar pointing at Bill and Sarah's werewolf marks. Bill and Sarah raised their shoulders humbly, with a light smirk.
"I dunno, Ron and Ginny are pretty cool, too," said Sarah.
"Hey!" shrieked the twins, feeling left out now, and she turned to them, "You two are the comic ones, you need to choose."
"Yes, because that's every person's dream," said George.
"Walking around with a bunch of cool people and being referred as the 'funny ones'," grumbled Fred, shaking his head disapprovingly. Sarah playfully shoved his head to the side, chuckles getting stirred up around the table.
"See?" she gestured to the ones who'd laughed.
Fred and George grinned, shaking their heads fondly and got back to whatever they were talking about under the table.
Arthur, Remus and Molly had started gathering some of the plates, leaving just the drinks and the younger ones to talk amongst themselves. Sarah saw Fred lean on the two back legs of the chair and when he had his head turned she nudged the leg that was off the ground, making him fall backwards on his back. The whole table erupted in a spur of breathless laughter, Sarah with them and she felt too late when Fred grabbed her chair to pull himself up and gestured to George who understood him without a single word. "What are you doing? No, wait!"
They grabbed each a side of her chair, lifting her off the ground and tilted it a little backwards so she can't jump down from it, "It was just a joke, come on! No!" The chair didn't have arms, and before she could grab onto anything else, they threw her in. Not long afterwards, they also threw Ginny in.
Sarah stayed underwater until she could hide behind some plants. She got out quietly, approached them from behind, gesturing to Charlie and Bill to be quiet. They mimicked a zipper around their mouths.
Fred and George were looking a little worried around the lake, they hadn't seen Sarah resurface, "Did we kill her?" asked George.
Fred snapped quickly, "No, of course we didn't, maybe she's-"
They were so close to the edge, all it took was a push, and they both fell in. She, Bill and Charlie doubled over laughing. Fred ran out, and she tried to escape him but he grabbed her waist, "Oh, no you don't," and jumped back with her. The four of them shouted after Ron and he jumped in, too. George jumped over Ron, sinking him down, Fred over Ginny and she yelled out for help, she and Sarah managed to escape Fred, swam a little further but then, they didn't see him anywhere.
"Uh oh," said Ginny, looking around the water, locking eyes with Sarah warily, knowing he's about to get back at them for what they did before.
"Maybe- Uh-" Sarah stumbled, not sure what to expect, and she was pulled underwater, she landed on the bottom of the lake, it wasn't that deep, her palms brushed over the rocks and she opened her eyes, saw everyone's legs, then Fred swimming towards her, and she tried to swim away from him but he caught her waist, got out of the water, she felt her back pressed against his chest, him laughing into her ear, "Choose your poison. Underwater tornado, or repeated sinking."
She had to clear her throat, strangely aware of her breathing, "How about..." she reached up to grab a tree branch and splashed its leaves in Fred's face, causing him to let go of her. She tried to get away and she thought she did, but he grabbed her foot, brought her back and now all hope was lost.
"Sinking it is," he smirked, and jumped flat into the water, hovering over her and keeping her down until he pulled her back up. "Say you're sorry."
"For what?" she asked, breathless from the time she spent underwater.
"Ambushing my attack on Ginny, how dare you? And also attacking my wonderful face with the leaves," said Fred, making Sarah still aware of her breathing. She reached up again, "You mean these?" and fluttered them in his face, hearing him groan in frustration and let go of her to sway them away.
She hid behind Ginny, "I made him angry, he's going to kill me," said Sarah, gripping on her shoulders.
"I have a plan, come on," said Ginny, whispering it quickly and they both sunk, and Fred looked around confused, he looked away for a second to push the hair out of his face and that caused his downfall.
Suddenly, he felt himself pulled down, and he fell face first into the water, Sarah and Ginny dragging him by one leg each, anytime Fred tried to get up, the speed they were running at made it impossible for him to peak his head above.
They eventually stopped, they didn't actually want to kill him, but when they let go, he didn't resurface and that made them frown, looking in. The water was clear, he wasn't there. Yes, he was, he jumped up, standing tall and yelled out in attack, Ginny and Sarah splitting in opposite ways and he grabbed Ginny, threw her into the water fully, again, then leaped to reach Sarah, she'd put up one hell of a fight until now, he knew she still would. He took her into his arms and sunk underwater with her again.
They locked eyes underwater, and she suddenly let out all the air she was holding, Fred brought them up, taking in full breaths of air, but still holding each other's gaze.
Sarah slipped on the rocks beneath them, and Fred had to tighten his grip on her so she doesn't slip away, but they both started laughing, he turned so she'd set her feet on solid ground again. "You put up an honorable fight, but I won," said Fred, grinning at her.
"Like hell you did, it's a tie," asserted Sarah, running a hand over her slicked back hair.
Fred shook his head "I'm not sure it is, though."
"Yes it is, Weasley, don't be a sore loser," she teased, standing up from the water and agreeing with Ginny to get out. Fred hadn't looked away from her when she did, blushed and quickly did, swimming away towards George and Ron, and got out, too.
"Ugh," Sarah grunted, "Today was not the day to choose a white t-shirt." She wrapped a towel Molly had set up for them around her shoulders.
"I've got to admit, I regretted my choice of a black top until now," chuckled Ginny, "I have a dark blue one, you want to borrow it?"
"That would be great," said Sarah gratefully, quickly walked inside to change.
"Are you okay?" asked George, eyeing Fred drop his towel, acting like a live wire.
"Would you?" Fred handed him the towel folded in two that he had trouble with and George took it slowly, unfolded it and showed him how easy it was to do.
Fred nodded gratefully and threw it over his head, Ron and George exchanging a confused look before going to sit next to Bill and Charlie.
Fred plopped on the ground, thinking that the way he rubbed his hair and face with the towel should cover the redness of it from before. Sarah walked out again, dabbing her hair with the towel and wearing Ginny's dark blue top that was a larger on Ginny so thankfully it fit, and she sat down next to Fred on the grass.
"That felt good, didn't it?" she said, looking at the lake, "Refreshing."
Fred chuckled softly, "After today's weather, I couldn't agree more."
Sarah hugged her knees and saw her mark again. Every now and then she would stare at it, wonder why it's there, why she had to bear the constant reminder of her parents' deaths, why she had to see it every day. So she wore long sleeves often, but that wasn't quite possible in the summer.
Fred nudged her shoulder gently, "Hey."
She hummed, not looking up, still a little lost in her thoughts.
"Talk to me, McCauley," he said softly, looking at her arm.
"There's still no explanation to why I have this, you know?" she told him, staring out into the lake.
"What do you mean? Didn't it come back with everything?"
She shook her head, "No, and not even Remus could explain it. It's strange."
"Does it matter that much how you got it?" he asked, this was the first time they explicitly addressed her parents' deaths and she was surprised to be in such ease.
She raised a shoulder, "Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't seem fair to have it be a part of me and not understand it."
Fred nodded, taking a second, then looked back at it, "It looks like a mythical creature scratched you and it healed in a faded blue-ish color. It's really awesome."
Her head turned to him, she hadn't thought about it that way, and now that he said it, she liked the idea. "Thanks."
"That's new," said Charlie, tilting his head towards Sarah and Fred.
Bill watched as she laughed at something Fred said. "Is it though?" he questioned, Charlie turning to him and they smiled knowingly.
"Tell me, Georgie," said Bill, "What's that I hear about a Joke shop?"
George shifted in his seat, a little giddy, "Well, you've heard about right."
Charlie and Bill locked eyes and smiled, listening intently as George explained some ideas, the ones he'd agreed with Fred to share if anyone asked.
"Sarah!" everyone heard Ginny scream from inside the house. "Transfiguration emergency! Please!"
Sarah got up from her place, and ran inside, Fred walked over to his brothers.
"Sometimes I wonder what we'd all do without her," said George, watching her run inside to help with whatever his sister was screaming about.
"The house might fall apart, ain't that right, Freddie?" asked Charlie, a teasing undertone that didn't go unnoticed by Fred.
"What was that?"asked Fred coyly.
Charlie hummed, and before he could add anything else, Fred leaned forward on his seat, "So a Hungarian Horntail, was it? Tell us everything." His eyes glistened as he said that, this followup gave it all away, but Charlie talked about the dragon for that afternoon, and the dragon only.