Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Whatnot

George had stayed with me all during the first day, and Fred came to check up on me after he closed. The next day, I’d actually left George’s bedroom, and I made him go to work, promising I’d be alright on my own. I stayed in their apartment, though, not going downstairs or outside, and they periodically came up to ‘fetch something,’ although I knew it was really to make sure I was still alright. It was the day after that I had a visitor.

I was sitting in the kitchen, half reading a Daily Prophet, half staring at the words and not really retaining any of it. I heard someone coming up the stairs…or two someones, and one in heels.

“Caroline?” George called.

I walked into the living room and stopped.

“Mom?” I said, tears coming to my eyes again.

She looked as if she’d been crying a lot lately too.

“Oh, honey,” she rushed forward and hugged me.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry” she kept muttering.

We finally let go and she looked at me sadly before saying, “I never meant to leave you alone after what happened, I just couldn’t be in that house anymore”

I nodded, “It’s okay, I wasn’t alone”

I noticed George still standing at the top of the stairs.

“And I’m so glad for that. I hadn’t known what to think of them when you first started hanging around them, but they really are nice boys, and always so good to you”

I saw George smile as I said, “I know, they always have been”

“So you’re alright? They’ve been taking care of you? I felt so guilty after I got over the initial shock of it all”

“Yes, I mean, I’m as fine as I could be considering, and they’ve taken really good care of me. Almost annoyingly so. Where did you go when you left?”

“I went to Ireland. The Grangers were with me, I don’t know if you knew, and we just stayed there for a couple days while I calmed down.”

“Ireland? Why?”

She shrugged, “It has no connection whatsoever to your father”

“So are you okay now?”

“Yes, or I will be eventually. I just had to get out of that house you know?”

I nodded, then asked “Is there going to be a funeral?”

She sighed, “No, your father wanted to be cremated. And I just couldn’t do any sort of ceremony, it would be too much”

I nodded again, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it either. It might have been a nice closure, a way to say goodbye, but at the same time, I almost didn’t want a closure. I wanted to remember him as he had been during Christmas break, happy and laughing and living.

“So what now?”

She took a deep breath, “Well, I did a lot of thinking and…we’re moving”

It took a second for me to process this.

“We’re moving”

“Yes”

“To where? When?”

“I don’t know yet, maybe Scotland even. And as soon as possible”

What was she thinking, was she mental?

“We’re moving? Just like that?”

She nodded, “Yes”

“Mom…do you realize what you’re saying? Do you hear yourself?”

“Caroline” she was pleading with me now “I can’t live in that house, I need to get away from here”

“What about school? What about Hogwarts?”

“You can transfer, there are fine wizarding schools all across Europe, we could find one for you anywhere”

“Transfer?” George spoke up, and suddenly he was by my side.

“Mom, I can’t transfer! I only have one more year!”

“You could even just take your N.E.W.T. exams early and then not worry about finishing, just look for a job. You’d be qualified enough”

I was staring at her, open-mouthed, “Mom, you’re crazy! I can’t leave now!”

“Why not? You’re smart, we could make it work”

I stared at her for a minute or so and she looked down at the ground.

“Dad would’ve wanted me to finish school” I said quietly.

She looked back up and there were tears in her eyes.

“Dad would’ve wanted me to graduate from Hogwarts, and you know it”

She sniffed, “I know, I know he would’ve. He was so proud of you, how well you did in school”

“Then why are you making me leave?”

“Because I can’t stay here anymore, it hurts too much. It brings back too many memories, and I can’t take it.”

“You don’t have to stay, Mom. You can leave, but please let me stay. This is where my home is”

She looked down again, then nodded, “Will you be staying with them on holidays then?”

She looked up, this time at George. I looked at him too.

“She’s always welcome here,” he said, putting his arm around my shoulders, “whenever and for as long as she needs”

“My daughter’s lucky to have you” she said. “Luke always liked you. I would tell him, I’d say, Luke, they always get her in trouble at school, she should find friends who don’t get so many detentions. And he’d say, No, they’re good for her, they’re all gonna make something of themselves, just you wait.”

I smiled up at George and he squeezed my shoulder.

“What are you going to do now Mom?”

“I guess I’m going to go look for a new place. The Grangers said they’d seen some really pretty cottages near the town we stayed in. I think Ireland might be good for me, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it could be”

“Then I’ll pack up and sell the house. Should I send the rest of your stuff here?”

“Yes, you can do that, we have space” George said.

“Okay, well…I’ll write to you as soon as I’m settled, and make sure you come visit”

“Of course”

She hugged me again. “I’m going to miss you, but I guess you’d have been leaving me soon anyways.”

“I won’t be gone for good, I’ll always come see you”

“I hope so. Goodbye, honey”

“Bye Mom, I love you”

“I love you too” she kissed my forehead.

She looked at George again “Take good care of her okay? I’m entrusting you with the most important part of my life, you know”

“I know” he said. “She’s the most important part of mine too”

With tears in her eyes and mine, she kissed my forehead once more, then went back to the stairs, and disappeared. I listened until I no longer heard the click of her heels.

“Did you really mean that?” I asked George.

He took my face in his hands, brushing away the tears with his thumbs, “Of course I meant it”

I hugged him, wrapping my arms around him tightly, “I love you”

“I love you too” he said, kissing the top of my head.

It was two days later that I decided I’d better go back to school. I didn’t want to miss too much work. Fred and George were both there to see me off.

Fred hugged me and kissed the top of my head, “You going to be alright?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be fine”

George hugged me then and kissed my forehead, “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?”

“I’m positive. I’ll have to go back eventually right? So I better just do it now”

“Okay, but you can always come here if you need anything, you know that right?”

“Yeah,” I smiled, “thanks,” then I kissed him softly.

I waved to them before disappearing in the smoke and ending up in McGonagall’s office once again.

She smiled at me sadly, “I see you’re back Miss Firth”

“I didn’t want to miss too many classes”

“Your friends have been in here quite a bit after you left to see what happened”

“They have?”

I’d left so soon, and I’d forgotten to write them or anything.

“Yes, Professor Dumbledore told them what happened, and where you were. I believe the Mr. Weasleys wrote to them as well.”

“Oh, okay, do you know where they might be now?”

“It’s not quite breakfast yet, I’d expect they’d be in the common room”

“Thank you Professor”

I left and made my way up to the Gryffindor common room. I noticed the stares as I walked by, I’m sure by now everyone had heard or read in the paper about my father’s death, and then noticed my sudden disappearance.

As soon as I walked in the portrait, I was attacked by a small bushy-headed person.

“Caroline! We were so worried! Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Hermione,” I said giving her a small smile, “I’m sorry I skipped out on you guys without telling anyone”

“Don’t even worry about it” Ron said as he and Harry came over.

“Dumbledore explained everything to us,” Harry said. “We’re really sorry to hear about your dad”

“Yeah, me too” I mumbled.

“I don’t suppose you did all my homework for me?” I said to Hermione, with an attempt at humor after too long of an absence.

“No, but I did get all your assignments as well as renew all the books I used when I did my own.”

“Thanks, Herms, you’re the best”

During the rest of the week, I tried to act my usual self, despite the feeling of Hermione scrutinizing everything I did and asking if I was okay every time she noticed a flicker of sadness or something. I knew it might take a little while, but I would eventually be my old self again. Having school every day actually helped because it distracted me and kept me from thinking about things too much. It was just at night, when I couldn't keep my thoughts from straying, I wished George was here to comfort me and keep me safe.