One and Only 2 ; George Weasley

133

On the seventeenth day, we went through her stuff. She had so much clothes in her closet, so many broken wands that were labeled after the time of period they worked. Most of them were from her years at Hogwarts. She kept them all in a small box under her bed, next to an even bigger box that was full of diaries from when she first got one at the age of eleven, until about a month ago which was the last time she wrote. The rest of the diary was empty. It was sad to look at. Today, I cried again. I cried while reading the last diary, cried while running my fingers over her handwriting.

George had offered to stay but I told him it was fine. This was something I needed to do with my family. He and Fred went back to get our stuffs from the Headquarters. There was no need to stay in hiding where we couldn't do anything. Adrian killed my mother because I wasn't showing my face. I would much rather have him torment me than to kill all my loved ones.

Badger was taking Ben with him to America where they have some family. Ben will be starting at a Wizarding school over there and they aren't coming back to England until the war is over. Until it's safe. Badger isn't selling the house, he's just clearing it out and letting it be until it's safe to move back in. I couldn't believe it had gotten to this. The only man who's ever been a real father to me, is leaving the country with my younger brother.

I had to move on. It had only been two and a half weeks since mum died but if I wanted to survive the war, I needed to pause the grieving, I had to focus on myself, on my husband and the rest of my loved ones. George and Fred were turning nineteen in four days. They both didn't want a party this year and I knew they were saying that because they didn't want me to feel pressured to attend. I couldn't let my grieving ruin their birthday. Nineteen is a big number. A year away from officially being adults.

My breath hitched in my throat when I saw a familiar leather sketchbook in a box under the one with the diaries. The box was full of the leather sketchbooks and I remembered the times my mum would draw. Thats where I got it from. My love and my talent for drawing. Unlike me, she never wanted anyone to see. She was insecure about her drawings, didn't think they were any good

I opened the sketchbook and I couldn't help but smile at the writing on the first page.

Property of Chrissy Evergreen
Proud mother of Sebastian, Elizabeth and Benjamin

Behind the writing was a drawing of her with Sebastian, Benjamin and I. It must've been from when I was little. Benjamin was a newborn, I was six and Sebastian was fifteen. It was beautiful. It captured our faces well. It was impossible for anyone to now know it was us... unless they didn't know us of course.

"She was talented." I heard Badger speak. I looked up at him as he crouched down and pulled the box closer to him to see the sketchbooks. "Just like you."

"I never saw her drawings." I told him, scrolling to the next page which was a drawing of our garden. "They're beautiful."

Badger hummed, a small smile spread on his lips as he watched the drawing with me. "When you were little and your mum would sit and draw, you always grabbed one of those small sketchbooks she gave you and mimicked her actions. You wanted to be like her."

"She was an amazing woman." I teared up. "But she was so broken."

I sighed and wiped my eyes dry before placing the sketchbook down. Badger sat down properly next to me and when I opened my eyes, I saw him looking at me. "I knew she wasn't going to move on from her first love. I accepted that and it was fine by me. I loved your mother and I knew she loved me, though she had a bit more love for your... father."

"Merlin." I breathed. "I'm so sorry, Badger."

I cried.

"What're you sorry for?"

"Everything." I shrugged, wiping my cheeks. "I'm sorry that I always pushed you away because I thought you were trying to replace my father. I'm sorry that I didn't let you be my dad when you're the only one who's ever loved me like one and I'm sorry that my flesh and blood killed your wife."

"Oh, Liz." he sighed and hugged me. "You were a girl who grew up believing her father had been killed by the Dark Lord. I never wanted to replace him but I did always love you as if you were my own daughter. I don't blame you for hating me when you were younger. And your mother... her death... that's not on you. You didn't choose for your father to be who he turned out to be."