One and Only 2 ; George Weasley

106

"It's a special day today." I cooed while I approached George who stood on a ladder and refilled a shelf. I had just gotten back from school and I was tired but I had to sent a letter to Molly.

George looked at me and smiled before he put his attention back on the products. "It's the day before Halloween."

"It's your mothers birthday!" I exclaimed. "Turns forty-six, remember?"

"Oh is that today?" he asked, resulting in my hitting him on the leg as I couldn't reach his arm. George laughed and looked back down at me. "I'm joking. I sent her a letter from all of us this morning before you woke."

I eyed him with a small smile before I started making my way towards the stairs. "Oi!"

At the sound of Fred, I stopped and saw him make his way down the stairs. He greeted me in a warm bear hug, letting out a sound of pure exhaustion.

"Tired?" I asked, giving him a squeeze before pulling out of the hug.

"Well I barely got any sleep last night." he said, rubbing his eyes. "You need to stop being so loud."

"I'll try." I smiled, continuing up the stairs.

"Kathleen is up there." I heard Fred behind me, making me stop again to look at him. "I made her some tea."

"She just got here?"

He nodded in response and I hurried the rest of the way up to the flat. When I entered, I smiled at the view of my best friend sitting in the kitchen with a book while drinking tea.

"What're you doing here?"

"Is that a way of greeting your best friend?" she joked and looked at me as she put down the book. She stood up and met me in a hug. "How was school?"

"It was fine." I responded, taking off my coat to hang it next to the door. "I believe I'm starting to get used to the intensity of it."

"Yeah?" she chuckled, guiding me over to sit down after I had taken off my shoes.

"What about you?" I questioned. "How are you doing at the ministry?"

"Oh, it's great! I work alongside my dad but also Deanne. She talks a lot and it's always about Fred." she said with a smile. "They really are in that honeymoon phase of their relationship, aren't they?"

"Well, aren't you and Lee the same?" I asked in which she shook her head.

"I believe we're past that phase. All we wanted to do was to have sex but now we really enjoy nights together where I read to him while he plays with my hair."

I grabbed Kathleen's cup and took a sip of it before I got up to make myself some tea. "So you love Lee?"

"More than anything." she sighed. "We're thinking about moving in together. I know it's early on but..."

"Well look at George and I." I spoke. "We married at eighteen."

"Yeah but you had been together for almost three years and when you look at how much you love each other, it makes sense."

I shrugged and when I finished my tea, I turned around and leaned against the counter while looking at her. "I think you should do it. If that's what makes you happy."

Kathleen smiled at me as she lifted the cup to her lips to drink of her tea. "You are happy, right? At the ministry, with lee... with your life?"

"Course I am." she chuckled. "I should be asking you that."

"What do you mean? I live in a flat with my amazing husband while he and his brother are living through their dream right below it. I got accepted into the auror programme and in less than three years, I'll be making a career out of it."

"That's not what I meant." she said, giving me a look that made me realise what she was talking about.

"I still have nightmares." I told her and looked down at my tea. "I'm scared. He hadn't tried looking for me ever since that week but you never know. I write Sebastian every day and if he doesn't write back within a few hours, I get terrified that my father took him."

"Come." Kathleen said and pointed at the chair I sat in minutes ago. "Sit."

I did what she told me to and put the cup in front of me without letting go of it with my hands. It was nice that she was here. To have someone else to talk about it with than the two boys.

"I want to tell you it's going to be okay and that nothings going to happen but we both know this war isn't over until Voldemort is killed. We also know your father works for him and one day, I know we will be forced to face them all. I don't want to lie to you, Lizzie, but I do want you to know that we're here for you when you're scared, we all are and I will always try and protect you the best I can."

I smiled, placing my hand on hers and gave it a little squeeze. "Thank you Kathy. It goes both ways. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you."