Essential Hope

One hour and nearly eighty pancakes later, everyone was sprawled out in Carson’s living room, full and ready to burst. Harry was leaning back on the couch, with you draped across his lap, your head on the arm rest. Fred was on the couch with George, and you had your leg stretched out across their laps.

Lakey was stretched out by the fireplace, leaning up against Kale. Hermione and Ginny were sharing a recliner and napping peacefully, and Ron was snoring like a chainsaw, face first on the ground.

“Don’t they feed you at that school?” Carson asked as he was cleaning up.

“Not this good,” you moaned, clutching your stomach. “I should have stopped at five…”

“I should have stopped at twenty…” Fred groaned, falling onto George’s shoulder.
“Geroff…” he mumbled pushing Fred over. He slumped down, avoiding Harry’s shoulder, and ended up sprawled next to you. He rested his head on your shoulder, and ever so casually draped his arm over your waist. You felt Harry tense up, but he didn’t move.

“You smell like pancakes,” you grumbled, turning away from Fred. “Go away, you’re gonna
make me sick.” Fred pulled your waist and turned you to him, smiling.

“You can’t resist pancakes, can you, Kelso?” His voice was quiet, and his face was inches
away from yours.

And then Harry jumped up.

Fred rolled over top of you, and dropped onto Ron. You rolled off as well and fell onto
Fred, which caused Ron to jerk out of his sleep. He threw his arms out and smacked Fred
across the face. Fred shoved Ron’s face into the ground, and then turned to glare at Harry.

“What the bloody hell is your problem?” He demanded, struggling to his feet.

“Why don’t you tell me?” Harry snarled, pulling out his wand. Fred shoved him back and
pulled out his own. You bolted up off the ground and slid in between the two of them, facing
Harry.

“Outside. Now.” You said angrily, shoving him towards the door.

You heard Fred begin to follow, and you spun around, shoving him back.

“Don’t make me start with you,” You snapped, making Fred roll his eyes and drop onto
the couch.

Once you shut the door, you crossed your arms and glared at Harry.

“What?” He asked, frowning.

“What the hell has gotten into you and Fred?” You demanded, glaring more harshly at
him.

“Nothing,” Harry mumbled turning away.

“No, don’t tell me nothing. First all the nasty looks at Hogwarts, then the flight over here,
and now this? What’s going on.”

“Oh come on, Kelsey, can’t you see the way he looks at you?” He demanded, spinning
around. “He likes you, Kels. And he’s jealous of me. He’s been flirting with you ever since
we got together, and I’m sick of it!”

“Fred isn’t flirting with me!” You exclaimed, throwing your hands up. “That’s just how he
is. He messes around with me like that, that’s all!”

“He never used to,” Harry said, glowering over your shoulder at the door.

“You’re not going back in until you calm down. I’m not gonna have you two blasting
away and destroying my brother’s apartment.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, walking towards you. You kept your arms crossed as he pulled you
into a hug.

“I really am, Kelsey. But it pisses me off when he tries to make a move on you. I just… I
don’t like it.”

“Well, I can tell,” you grumbled, reluctantly sliding your arms around him. Who could
resist a hug? “But you need to trust me. You know I don’t like Fred like that. He’s my best friend. Nothing else. If I liked him, I wouldn’t be going out with you.”

Harry sighed, obviously not happy; as he pulled away, he was still frowning.

“I do trust you. It’s him I don’t trust…”

“Well, ignore him. Just trust me, and that’s all that matters. He won’t do anything if I don’t want him to, and I don’t. So, calm down and put on a happy face. I don’t wanna upset my brothers, okay?”

Harry stared at you for a moment, and then sighed again.

“Okay. But you need to tell him to knock it off. If I get a lecture, he gets a lecture.”

“Fair enough,” you agreed, stretching up to give him a kiss. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you up to his height, kissing you more passionately. As he set you down, you smiled and opened the door. Harry followed you, and you beckoned for Fred to come outside. He and Harry passed by each other without so much as a glance; at least they weren’t acting out.

Fred stepped outside and shut the door behind him, leaning up against the frame.

“You need to knock this off,” you began putting your hands on your hips. “I don’t care what game you’re playing, but I’ve had enough of it. I’ve already talked to Harry, and he’s agreed to stop.”

Fred shrugged and gave you a grin.

“Kelso,” he said, walking forward and ruffling your hair. “It’s not my fault that Harry overreacts to everything.”

You gave him an uneasy look as you fixed your hair, and said,

“Well, he’s agreed to be more civilized, and I need you to knock off your games too.”

He rolled his eyes and groaned,

“I supposed I can make an exception for Mr. Potter, and his lovely lady.”

“Great. Why don’t you start right away?”

“Anything you ask, m’lady,” he teased, bowing down and kissing your hand. You pulled it away and smacked him.

“I’m warning you,” you snapped, pushing past him. He grabbed your arm and spun you
around, pinning you to the door.

“I know you like it,” he said quietly, his eyes burning. You blinked once, and then tried to
squirm towards the door handle.

“Fred,” you sighed, giving up on the handle and resorting to pushing him off you.
Instead of moving back, he leaned forward and pressed against you. He brought his head
down, and he whispered in your ear,

“If you’re so against this, why do you give up on pushing me off so easily?”

His breath was warm, and it sent a shiver down your spine.

“”Stop,” you said half-heartedly, shoving at him again. He sighed, and pushed away
from you. As his face passed your cheek, he gave you a small kiss, his lips just barely
grazing over the side of your face. You felt yourself blush, and you said,

“Fred, you need to knock it off.”

“I will,” Fred said, shrugging. “When he’s looking.”

With that, he stepped around you and pushed the door open, holding it for you. You
brushed past and went straight to Harry, sitting down beside him. You didn’t want to think
about anything that just happened with Fred. Your cheek felt like it was on fire, and you could still feel the blush on your face. Fred walked past the both of you and dropped down on top of George, who grumbled, but was too lazy to push Fred off. Harry pulled you closer, and kissed the top of your head softly. Guilt washed over you; could Harry see the lip marks from Fred? No, you knew he couldn’t. But you felt like he could.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Do you have to leave tomorrow?” Lakey whined, leaning into you some more.

“Sorry buddy, I need to get to the Weasley house,” you said, wrapping your arm tighter
around him. Of course you didn’t want to leave. But since you had all decided flying was
safer than the Floo Network, you had to leave together tomorrow morning. . He sighed, and
asked,

“Are you gonna come back for Christmas?”

“Of course. I’ll stay a whole week, I promise.” You could feel Lakey smiling, and that
made you smile. You and your little brother stood on the balcony, watching the sun sink to
the mountains. The sky was a bright orange, tinted with purples and pinks. It made you feel
safe and warm, standing there, holding the person you loved more than anything.

“What about for my birthday?” He asked, looking up. You smiled down at him, and said,

“Your birthdays in the summer, I’ll be home for that.”

Lakey grinned and went back to staring out at the clouds. You two stood out there until it
was pitch black. Finally, you led him back into the house. The balcony was attached to
Carson’s room, and he was sprawled on his bed, typing up an essay. You crawled onto the
bed and sat next to him; Lakey followed you without question. Carson looked up and smiled
at you.

“I’m gonna get some sleep,” you told him, leaning onto his shoulder as he sat up. He
wrapped an arm around you, and hugged you tight. Lakey hugged your other side, and
Carson said,

“I’m glad you came. We miss you a lot, Kels. It’s not the same without you.”

You nodded and sighed,

“I know. I miss you guys too. I’ll be back for Christmas, and I promise I’ll stay
longer.”

“We’ll count on it,” he said, giving you one last squeeze. He let go, and Lakey reluctantly
released you. You squirmed off the bed, and waited for Lakey as he followed you.

“Night, Carson,” you said, smiling at your brother. He beamed at you and said,

“Night, Kelsey. Sleep tight.”

As you padded down the hall, you took Lakey’s hand and led him to his room. He
stumbled forward and climbed onto his bed, sliding under the covers. Smiling softly, you
dropped onto his bed, and pulled the blanket up under his chin. He was pretty tired, and his
eyes began to droop as you leaned down and kissed his forehead.

“Goodnight, Lakester. I love you.”

“I love you too Kelsey. Don’t forget to say goodbye,” he mumbled, closing his eyes. You
smiled and stood up, watching as Kale leapt onto Lakey’s bed and made himself
comfortable.

You snapped off the light, and headed to the living room, where everyone was crashing
for the night. With all of your stuff still packed up and sitting by the front door, it gave you all
less room. But of course, you managed. Ginny and Hermione were, once again, curled up
on the recliner. Fred and George were sharing the couch, both snoring. Ron was
completely out, draped across the dog bed. Harry was lying on the floor, using some extra
pillows and a blanket Carson had lent him. He smiled up at you as you squirmed into the
space between him and the couch. He rolled over and wrapped you in his arms, kissing
you tenderly. You kissed him back and then rolled over, with your back to Harry. He pulled
you to him, and in moments he was asleep. You just began to drift off when you felt a soft
hand brush your cheek. You opened your eyes and looked up to see Fred reaching down.
He let his hand linger on the side of your face, and he swept his thumb across your cheek.
Smiling down at you, he mouthed,

“Goodnight.”

You sighed and closed your eyes, turning back to face Harry and bury your face in his
chest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kale’s incessant barking jarred you from your sleep. You sat up wearily, rubbing your
eyes. Kale was scratching angrily at the door, whining in between his barks. The others
began to sit up beside you, and turn to glare at the dog. Reluctantly, you stood up and
hobbled to the door. You figured he needed to go out, and you hoped that would make him
shut up.

Just as you laid your hand on the doorknob, you heard a footstep outside. Kale’s ears
flattened to his head, and low, angry growls began to fill the room. As he backed up, Harry,
quietly went to the window. He moved the curtains aside, and peered into the yard.

“Kelsey!” He shouted, grabbing your arm and pulling you aside, away from the door.
Seconds later, it burst off its’ hinges and flew across the room. Masked men began pouring
into the house. Harry pulled you to his chest as he grabbed his broom; the others were at
his side in seconds, climbing on as well.

As Harry was about to kick off, you cried,

“My brothers! We can’t leave them!”

Harry looked back down the hall. The men weren’t leaving your group, and they didn’t
seem interested in the rest of the house. Kale had probably retreated to Lakey’s room, and
you prayed they’d all stay out of it.

“We need to go!” Harry insisted, grabbing onto you.

“But-“

“You guys go,” Fred said as George nodded, turning to the men.

“No!”

“We’re the oldest. We can do magic outside of school! We’ll take care of it, now go!”
George insisted, returning his attention to the group of men. He shot a spell at the nearest
one, catching him off guard and sending him flying. Fred blocked a spell from hitting you
just as Harry took off into the sky. You were glad for the layer of fog; maybe it would hide the
group of flying wizards soaring upwards.

None of you slowed down for a good half an hour. Ron and Hermione were on your left,
and Ginny was on your right; everyone kept looking back for Fred and George. But you had a
feeling you wouldn’t see them until they reached the Burrow.

The rest of the flight was conducted in silence, and no one spoke until the top of the
Burrow came into sight.

“We’re home,” Ron said quietly, staring ahead. You were expecting the wave of
happiness to crash over you the moment you saw the Weasley house, but all you were
feeling was panic. Were your brothers okay? What about Fred and George? Did they make it
out okay?

As you landed in the front yard, Mrs. Weasley came bustling out to you. She beamed at
all your faces, and her eyes continued to sweep over all of you; you knew she was looking
for her sons.

“It’s so good to see you all!” she said, warmth in her voice. As you all dismounted, she
rushed forward and pulled Ron and Ginny into a hug. She moved onto Harry, then
Hermione, then you. She couldn’t put off the question any longer, but you wished she would.

“Where are Fred and George?” She asked, looking behind you, and then up into the
clouds. No one could answer her. The silence dragged on longer, and she looked at you all
again.

“Ron? Ginny? Where are your brothers?”

They exchanged anxious glances, and then turned to you, Harry and Hermione. Mrs.
Weasley’s smile was fading as she waited for the answer.

“Where are my boys?” She asked again, quieter this time.

No one had an answer for her.