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Life wasn't easy but it was getting better. Elle couldn't imagine a world without her parents but now she'd just been forced into once without any warning.
If she didn't have so many amazing people surrounding her then she probably wouldn't have managed it. However as I've said before, life with the twins could make anyone happy.
They'd taken in Sunny officially as the mascot for the shop. Sunny loved it. He would sit wearing a colourful purple and orange bow tie in a raised chair behind the til. Elle would laugh every time she saw him sitting there.
It seems her dog had also become Fred's best friend. The elder twin loved the dog and could often be found playing fetch with him up in the apartment.
For students it was now considered the Easter holidays and as usual Molly had invited Elle, the twins and now Sunny round for dinner. Molly didn't mind having a dog in the house in fact she quite enjoyed it. Especially as Sunny was so well trained.
Molly invited a lot of people round for Easter meaning the table was pretty much packed (Elle presumed there might have been a stretching charm used on it as it was bigger that ever).
Molly, Arthur, Bill, Layla, Fred, George, Elle, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Remus, Athena and Tonks had all managed to squeeze around it and were talking happily.
Elle had always thought of the Weasley's as her own family but now her parents were no longer with her, she thought it even more.
She'd never felt more at home in the burrow than she did that night.
Molly was just finished serving the food when there was a knock on the door.
"I thought everyone was here?" Arthur frowned,
"So did I" said Molly "well I did invite... but I didn't think..."
Without saying another word she walked over to the door and opened it. Behind the door silhouetted by the setting sun stood Kennedy Vulpes.
Elle hadn't seen her in a while, she rarely turned up for the order meetings any more. Her hair was longer now but pulled back away from her face lazily. She had purple shadows under her eyes and looked a lot paler.
Elle also noticed there were fresh scratches over her face and neck patterned with blossoming bruises. But that wasn't odd for a werewolf.
"Kennedy dear, I didn't think you'd come" Molly beamed. Mrs Weasley has never liked Kennedy that much, she was reckless and often childish. However most of all she was quite intimidating.
"I can leave" Kennedy muttered,
"No no of course not" Molly continued smiling "come in come in"
Kennedy followed. She was dressed in a large leather overcoat and heavy boots speckled with mud and what looked like dried blood.
Everyone had gone quiet as Kennedy took a seat next to Remus, that Molly had whipped out of nowhere. She was friends with Remus and seemed to relax more with his presence.
Dinner went on as normal and luckily Kennedy didn't ruin the mood. In fact she actually laughed at a few of the twins jokes and at some point Elle was sure she saw her smile. A genuine smile.
As the night wore on, the group moved into the living room which was slightly bigger than the kitchen. They all sat around drinking butter beer and fire whiskey and talking as though the world outside didn't exist.
Elle sat with her head on George's shoulder. She innocently held his hand in hers as they listened to Molly and Arthur recite the night that they met.
The relationship between the Weasley parents was so beautiful and so pure Elle found herself hoping that this would be how her and George would turn out. Maybe not with so many children.
Sunny lay in the centre of the room dozing by the fireplace. Everyone had loved him and Sunny loved the attention of getting constant tickles.
Everyone's attention had exhausted him out however and he now lay fast asleep illuminating by the warm orange glow coming from the flames.
The radio played softly in the background as the group sat around laughing.
Remus and Athena were also sat close together not even trying to hide the fact that their hands were linked. Elle smiled at this though, her uncle deserved some happiness with everything that he'd been through.
"Elle" a voice came from behind her and she turned to see Tonks smiling at her.
Tonks beckoned for her to follow. Elle left George's side and walked through into the kitchen with the girl who's hair was now a lighter shade of brown and more curly.
"Wotcha" she smiled, "I just wanted to say how sorry I am about your parents, I know it's been a little while now but I haven't exactly seen you on your own"
"Thank you" Elle smiled "it's getting easier"
"You're incredibly strong" Tonks nodded "of course you are, you're related to Remus after all" Elle laughed quietly as Tonks grabbed another bottle of butter beer from the cupboard.
Tonks had almost become like an older sister to Elle over the last few months, she was an amazing person to be around, always light and bubbly.
She hopped up on the counter and gave a guilty look in the direction of the living room,
"Hope Molly doesn't catch me" she winked.
"How's the Auror work going?"
"Not great" Tonks winced "the minister likes to cover up most of the real going's on even from some of us and it's our bloody job to catch them".
Before Tonks could say another word against the minister, there was a faint pop coming from outside,
"I didn't think anyone else was coming" Elle muttered as she stared out into the night, squinting to see who was outside,
"They're not supposed to be" Tonks immediately jumped down of the counter and joined Elle by the window.
"DUCK" Tonks yelled as she grabbed the back of Elle's jumper and pulled her to the floor.
The window above them smashed into millions of pieces over their heads and Elle kept her head down in panic.
"What's going on" people were running through from the living room now,
"Death eaters" Tonks called as she burst out the back door into the night.
Everyone ran out,
"Molly, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione stay inside" Arthur warned but none listened.
The light of the moon was gently illuminating the three death eaters standing grinning at them.
On the left was the woman Elle recognised from seeing in the daily prophet more than a year ago. The murderer of Sirius Black. Bellatrix Lestrange.
In the middle was a man who looked ferocious with dark matted hair and sharp teeth. Elle knew him to be the notorious werewolf. Fenrir Greyback.
On the right stood the tallest figure who had his dark hair pushed back. His face was pale and gaunt as her sneered up at them all making Elle's heart lurch. Theodore Sanders.
"STUPIFY" Tonks yelled, Bellatrix deflected her spell still smiling at them all,
"Sorry" she said in an incredibly high pitched voice "did I ruin your wittle get together" she laughed a hideous cackles before spurting fire out of her wand which formed a ring around the house. The death eaters easily jumped over it.
"I killed Sirius Black" a sing song voice came from behind the flames.
Suddenly Harry was sprinting at them.
"HARRY NO" Arthur and Remus both yelled but it was too late, Harry had managed to pass through the flames easily as though a gateway had appeared.
It seemed when Remus and Arthur tried their way was blocked.
Suddenly another figure was sprinting towards the fire. She too managed to get through,
"GINNY" Arthur and Molly screamed as their youngest child disappeared past the bright glow of the fire.
George was by Elle's side immediately.
"It was him" Elle turned to the twin who looked just as scared as she did,
"I know" he muttered before wrapping his arms around her from behind and holding her close to him.
Finally it seemed that Remus and Arthur had broken through the fire and were now running after the kids.
They were shortly followed by Kennedy and Tonks who was running faster than ever. The fire vanished and the outside suddenly seemed a lot more cold.
Shouts could be heard in the distance. Elle could heat Bellatrix singing 'I killed Sirius Black' in her sing song voice.
Molly was shaking as Bill and Fred tried their best to comfort her. Sunny had ran outside now and was standing by Fred's feet.
Ron and Hermione were holding each other tightly while Athena and Layla stood together looking out into the darkness with a look of gloom on their faces
It felt like hours were passing when in reality it was only seconds.
Remus and Arthur were yelling for Harry and Ginny meaning they hadn't found them yet.
Molly was crying now,
"Why did Ginny go?" she sobbed "why did they come here?"
All of a sudden there was a flash of green light in the sky.
Everyone stopped frozen in their places.
Someone was dead.
Molly crumbled to the floor and Elle gripped to George's arm as tight as she could. Someone was dead. Someone had been killed.
She couldn't cope with anymore death, not now. Things were getting better.
A few moments later, dark shapes flew into the sky and with a flash of light, fire descended upon them. It hit the burrow with a deafening clatter. The windows smashed and the house roared up in flames.
Everyone stepped back and looked up at it in terror.
The ghostly image of the dark mark was looming above it. Taunting them.
The fire licked the sides of the burrow. There was nothing that could be done now. Molly's sobs were echoing through the night.
Footsteps could be heard running. Everyone turned to see Harry, Ginny, Arthur, Remus and Tonks sprinting towards the group.
Arthur ran towards Molly and pulled her into a hug as he stared at his home burning to the ground.
Athena ran to Lupin and threw her arms around his neck while Tonks stood looking breathless.
"Where's Kennedy" Athena gasped "we saw the flash of light"
"It wasn't Kennedy' Remus assured her "she's alive she just disapperated".
"But the flash of green" Athena called "who's dead"
"Fenrir Greyback"
Everyone turned in shock. Elle had been sure it was one of them who had been hit by the killing curse because... well it was in a death eaters nature to kill.
"Kennedy killed him" Tonks announced "I think that's why they set the burrow on fire" she muttered sadly. Elle looked to Molly in despair who was still crying into Arthur's chest.
"She left out of guilt I suppose?" Said Bill.
"Kennedy didn't know this would happen" Remus defended "she killed because she was angry, Greyback's the reason Kennedy's a werewolf... Greyback's the reason I'm a werewolf"
Elle widened her eyes in surprise, Remus had never told her that it had been Fenrir who bit him as a child.
"She tried to kill Bellatrix too" Tonks sighed "she was so angry...but Bellatrix and Theodore darted off before she could"
"Do you think she's gone after them?" George asked,
"She wouldn't know where they'd be" Remus shook his head "but I wouldn't want to be Bellatrix when Kennedy finds her"
"That's our home" Molly suddenly cried out "our home is gone"
Everyone turned to the burrow in sadness.
Elle had felt at home there many a time. Bad memories had been lost there and replaced with good ones.
It's burning brought with it a bad omen. A bad omen of what was to come.
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