NO SIGNAL ➝ FRED WEASLEY [1] ✓

EIGHTY NINE [SHELL COTTAGE]

Now that Bellamy was at the cottage, time seemed to go by much faster. Days no longer bled into each other, filled with nothing but Amelia sitting in her bedroom staring out the window at the beach outside.

Instead of the endless torture of spending her days alone, Amelia now got the pleasure of being with her sister every day. Things were immediately more interesting from the moment Bellamy arrived.

And suddenly, before the twins knew it, it was Valentine's Day, and they were both a bit down about not being able to spend it with their boyfriends.

Fleur had a plan, however.

She had texted Fred that morning, asking him and George to come to the cottage to help with some chores around the house, since her husband was doing something for the Order—a lie, of course, but Fred didn't have to know that.

So when there was a knock at the door in the early afternoon, Fleur bit back a smile.

"Amelia, darling, do you mind getting that?" She called from the kitchen. "I'm in the middle of making lunch, so would you be a dear?"

Amelia looked at her inquisitively. "You want the criminal to answer the door?"

Rolling her eyes, Fleur replied, "Oh, just get the door, will you?"

Amelia shrugged and went with it, crossing the small living room with just a few strides.

She opened the door and, upon seeing who stood on the other side of it, slammed it shut immediately.

"What. The. Bloody. Hell. Is he doing here?" Amelia whispered harshly. Her heart beat erradically, and for a moment she thought she was having a stroke.

Before Fleur could reply, the door swung open from the outside and a pair of arms wrapped around Amelia's waist.

She was hit with the strong scent of cinnamon, vanilla, and smoke, and she had never wanted to laugh and throw up at the same time more in her life.

Amelia turned around in Fred's grasp, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her so tightly that her feet were lifted off the floor.

Bellamy's scream of excitement hit her like a tidal wave, and Amelia realized that this wasn't a dream—it was actually happening, and she was in Fred's arms once more after a long time apart.

"Oh my god." Was all she could say, over and over again into the nape of his neck.

They didn't let go of each other for quite some time, nearly ten minutes. Amelia was terrified that if she took her hands off of him, he'd disappear again; she wasn't prepared to take that chance.

Fred pulled away first, much to her dismay, but he kept one hand around her waist. He could tell she was anxious to let him go, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Meely." He whispered in her ear.

—

It was an unseasonably warm day at the cottage, and the two sets of twins decided to go onto the beach. They promised Bill and Fleur that they would stay inside the wards as to not be spotted by Muggles, Death Eaters, or any other witch or wizard who had seen the girls' 'wanted' poster.

Since it was ridiculously warm for the time of year, the four of them wore only sweaters and jeans—no coats, scarves, or gloves. Amelia had her hair up and enjoyed the cool breeze on her bare neck.

Amelia screamed as Fred picked her up and threatened to throw her in the water, and Bellamy and George skipped rocks a ways away.

They continued to walk along the beach for a while longer, just enjoying being in each other's presence again.

Then, there was the tell-tale popping noise of someone Apparating, and Amelia froze.

At first, she thought it might have just been someone in the Order, coming to check in on Fleur and Bill, but whoever had just Apparated wasn't anyone Amelia recognized. They were wearing black robes that contrasted starkly against the white sand.

Amelia crept towards her sister, careful not to make a sound. She gently put her hand over Bellamy's mouth just in time to stop a scared whimper from slipping through her lips.

Amelia took a step back, pulling Bellamy with her, and her foot fell onto a twig. The sound it made when it snapped was as loud as a gunshot.

The man, who was unmistakeably a Death Eater, now that she could see his face, whipped around to face the direction that the sound came from. He attempted to step forward towards them, but it seemed that he was at the very edge of the wards, and he was repelled by an invisible boundary.

This gave the Death Eater an idea; it appeared that he realized he had found a place protected by magic, and he was determined to get in.

He pulled out his wand and quietly said a spell that Amelia couldn't quite hear. A white light shot out of the wand and hit the protective ward, making it ripple and waver.

She looked back at her sister briefly before pulling out her own wand and approaching the Death Eater.

"Imperio." Amelia whispered.

The man's eyes went foggy, and she quickly said, "You will leave this place. You found nothing—there is no one living on this beach."

She could see the spell take effect as the Death Eater slowly put his wand back in his robes, walked a few steps away, and Disapparated, leaving them alone on the beach once more.

Amelia pulled Bellamy into a hug, feeling her sister shake with fear. Over Bellamy's shoulder, Amelia saw Fred's expression: it was as grim as she'd ever seen it.

not me realizing i should have made this two books bc there's still like 3 months of action to cover plus the battle of hogwarts PLUS an epilogue