Ethereal ✭Fred Weasley✭

67.

The next step was getting Sophia into the shower. After Fred helped her with eating some more of Molly's soup and drinking a gallon on water, Fred put a charm on her many bandages to repel water. Even though there wasn't much of her that wasn't bandaged up it was worth having a shower to wash off the rest of the dried dirt and blood that sat in every pore. Bill and Charlie said that they should head back to their respectable places as Sophia had been found within The Burrow, saying they'll be back for the next Order meeting. Molly kept herself in the kitchen with the same shakiness she had when she had discovered Sophia wasn't in her bed. She hadn't quite gotten over the feeling of walking into the room and seeing the only person that she was responsible for at that time to be gone completely. Fred and George said they had left Verity and another employee in charge at the shop and that they'd alert them if they really needed them.

"She was really disorientated..." Fred murmured while looking down at the cup of tea in his hands. He and George sat at the table while Molly manually washed the dishes in the sink. She had gotten into this habit ever since she had seen Sophia emerge from the field, feeling quite humbled to continue the usually Muggle way.

"She barely knew who we were," George added as he leaned his cheek against his propped up fist. "Do you think it'll last? The amnesia?"

"Not sure. Maybe Mad-Eye or Kingsley will know. It's gotta be some sort of lasting curse," Fred answered. Molly dried her hands on the hand towel and turned to Fred, displaying a pleading look and burst into what she had been meaning to ask.

"Oh Fred, can I please at least tell Remus she's awake? He wanted to be one of the first ones to know!" she pleaded with troubled eyes. "I feel awful hiding this from him for a even a moment! Please let me-"

"Alright alright," Fred sighed and nodded reluctantly. It felt a little odd to be in charge of his mother for once. It made him feel quite powerful actually. "Only him though. I don't even know if she'll recognise him. It would really break him if she didn't..."

A creak of a floorboard sounded from the doorway of the kitchen making the three whip their heads towards the noise. Sophia stood there in a large t-shirt of Fred's and some cotton shorts with her hands clasped together tightly, shyly and wearingly looking between the boys and Molly. Her bandages were now on full display as they covered most of her right leg and all of her left, arms and fingers wrapped like an Egyptian mummy's would be. Fred stood up from his chair while trying not to look too excited at the sight of her, letting his chair squeak quietly backwards and taking small steps towards her.

"Hey love..." he started and noticed the real severity of her uneven ends of her hair. Her hair was damp from being lightly washed and noticeably lop-sided, the front ends being shorter than the back. There was no doubt that her hair had been cut with a knife and forcefully pulled when doing so, making Fred gulp at the thought of Bellatrix Lestrange or Alecto Carrow forcefully chopping off all of Sophia's once beautiful brunette locks.

"You feel better? Cleaner?" Fred questioned with the corner of his lips hitching up into a kind smile. Sophia didn't answer but only looked him, awkwardly shuffling her weight from foot to foot. She glanced at Molly and George who stared at her with worried looks before settling on George. He noticed this and sat up straight in his chair, biting his lower lip nervously at her shifty eyes.

"Y-You're George... Fred's twin..." her voice was quiet and timid.

"Yeah that's me. You remember Soph?" George couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face at her recognition. He got up from his chair and walked over to maybe embrace her, but only to have her start to take terrified steps away into the hall.

"No no no just stop for a second," Fred put his arm out to stop his brother from getting any closer, frantically looking at the girl who was now back in the hall and away from the door frame. George's face dropped at how scared Sophia looked of him and the tears that shimmered from her grey eyes made him believe he was some sort of monster. He may look like Fred but he definitely wasn't and Sophia knew that. He wasn't Fred which meant he wasn't safe.