Compass *George Weasley

Coyote (2)

"I still don't understand why I have to go there," Cosette said, laying in her bed and staring at her father. "I thought you said dad was innocent."

"He is, but your mother isn't convinced and thinks that Hogwarts will be safer," He said, watching the way that she played with her silver compass neckless like she always did when she was nervous. Sirius used to do that a lot too. "At least I'll be there"

"True," She signed, dropping the necklace back into her shirt. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I know one of you is my real dad, but which one of you is it?" She asked him curiously, pushing her glasses back to where they went on her nose. "You always say you'll tell me when I'm older and I'm fifteen, so..."

"We don't know," He told her, his face turning red.

"What do you mean you don't know?" She asked curiously.

"Figure it out for yourself if you're so grown," Remus said jokingly, turning to walk out.

When her face dropped into one of disgust, he just laughed and continued walking out of the room and to where Lena was waiting for him. She was sitting at the table with a paper and quill, trying to decide if there were any more questions she had for the teachers at Hogwarts. She was worried about sending her there, simply because they weren't as used to kids like her. If Remus weren't going there to teach, she wouldn't be allowing her to go at all.

To all of their surprise, Cosette's best friend, Darcy, decided last minute to transfer with her. Darcy wasn't deaf like her, so having her there to help her as well was enough to give them peace of mind about the situation. Her parents dropped her off at Cosette's house so that they could go together.

They got to the station early and boarded the nearly empty train in good spirits. Remus wanted to sit in the same compartment as he did during his time there, so the two girls waved goodbye to him and got into one of their own. Cosette being the bookworm that she was, made herself comfortable against the window with a book, knowing that Darcy would just kick her if she needed something. 

Their plan was to sit alone, and they thought they had been successful until two boys, Fred and George Weasley, knocked on the door a little while after the train started moving. They were looking for a place to sit, and for some reason, George led them straight there.

"Do you mind if we sit with you guys?" George asked them, instantly noticing the way one of the girls didn't look up at them. The blond nudged her friend softly with her foot, which made her finally look up. She nodded when she tilted her head at them, silently asking if it was cool that they sat.

"Yeah," She said, leaning back in her seat. "I'm Darcy, and that's Cosette."

"Are you new?" Fred asked curiously. 

"Yes," She answered, leaving it at that.

"I'm Fred," He said, sitting next to her while the other sat next to Cosette. She looked up at him just in time to catch his name, or what she could understand of it. She would have to ask Darcy to be sure though.

"George," He said, watching the way Cosette's eyes lingered on his mouth for a moment before drifting back to her book.

That was all that was said between them because Darcy turned back to the window herself and Cosette didn't look back up. George could tell for some reason that something about her was different, even though it was clear Fred didn't. After a while, he wanted to go find his friends, so he left, while George stayed behind with a book of his own, since if he brought it with them to the others they would only laugh at him for reading.

He noticed Darcy kick Cosette before saying she was going to the bathroom, which he found a little strange, so he decided to ask her why. She was glad she was already looking at him because she wasn't expecting him to speak to her.

"Why does she kick you?" He asked her, making her smile awkwardly. He was surprised when she put down her book.

"I'm deaf," She signed, feeling strange. She had never had to tell someone that because everyone either already knew or someone else said it for her. 

"That doesn't mean she has to kick you," He told her, surprisingly, in sign language. She was told that next to no one there knew it, so she wasn't expecting it. He watched a smile form on her face, and he couldn't help but smile back. "I learned sign language when I was little because I thought it was cool."

"Cool," She responded back. 

"I understand why you're so quiet now."

When Darcy got back she was surprised to see George and Cosette facing each other, chatting away like there was no reason they shouldn't be. From what she could see, he was very good at it, though he went slowly and fumbled a little. Just as she had sat down, and Cosette had turned to tell her something, the air changed. It became cold, so much so that the windows had begun to ice over. Cosette knew that this was because of dementors, and she knew why they were there. It was because of her father- they were looking for him. The second the dementor stepped foot into their compartment, a spell came to mind that her father had shown her. Expecto Patronus.

Out of her wand came a small Coyote, though it was gone before either Darcy or George could see it. It had done its job quickly, repelling the dementor, and then disappeared. They both knew what it was as well, and what she had done, so they relaxed in their seats. Even though George hadn't been talking long, he felt like he and Cosette had already become friends.

They were sitting in silence when her father poked his head in the door, tossed a few chocolate bars her way and continued on. She gave one to each of them with a smile, opening hers up and leaning back against the window. The train had begun moving again, and they were back on their way to Hogwarts.