Princess Sunburst

It had been far too long for everyone’s liking to wait for the results of the research. No one had come to tell the others anything. Everyone was growing antsy, wanting to begin the search as soon as possible. That was how George Weasley was roped into going down to speak with Harry about whether he had any news. It wasn’t as if he was doing anything; he rarely spoke to anyone during the last month. In fact, unless George was yelling at his thickheaded younger brother, it was Harry and Apollonia that the one-eared Weasley ever spoke with on a regular basis. The others seemed to have noticed this, so he was volunteered to go speak with Harry about where everyone was headed.

All George wanted was for this to be over. He just wanted to go home and grieve over the loss of his twin. But, as much as he wanted this day to end—so that he could go home and grieve—he knew it simply wasn’t possible. Harry would do anything he could in order to save his sister from the danger she currently faced; George knew because he would have done the same for Fred. Fred. His lost half was the reason George gravitated to the young Snape, because there was a piece of Fred in her.

It hadn’t taken him long to realize what had happened. Shortly after Voldemort was destroyed, in fact. When Harry and Apollonia arrived at the Burrow after making the announcement that they were siblings, George could feel the presence of his twin enter right along with them. He couldn’t figure out why until Apollonia pulled him out to the shed, Fred’s presence coming along for the ride. That was when he knew; that was when he realized that Fred attached a piece of himself to the young woman who stood in front of him. There was no doubt in George’s mind that a piece of Fred still existed. And it was hidden away in the young Snape, a place no one would have thought to look.

Only Percy ever seemed to notice what George had. He was the only one that might even remotely care, a result of the guilt he felt over leaving the family. There was no way for either of them to find out, however; Ron, of all people, decided to impose a ban, one that would prevent Harry’s sister from entering the Burrow. He even went so far as to place the wards over the place, thus preventing Apollonia from coming anywhere near the place. Ron’s actions not only infuriated Harry; it enraged George as well. Ron was too thickheaded to realize how important the Slytherin was to not only Harry, but the Weasleys as well. It was why George always defended her when Ron started badmouthing her.

Eventually, George made it down to the Ministry holding cell where Harry said he’d be and heard a very strange admission: “Gabriel and I had our younger sister and her family killed when it was discovered that her eldest daughter was to marry a Muggleborn.”

“Who were they?” Harry asked.

In hearing that admission, George wondered that as well. He wondered how a person could be so heartless that they would have their own family killed. George stopped moving only inches from the door, so as to eavesdrop on the conversation between Harry and what sounded like Umbridge. “There was my younger sister, Tabitha; her husband, Christophe; and their three little girls: Morgan, Delaney, and Zara.”

“Zara,” George whispered.

He knew that name, went to school with a Zara. Zara Prince; she was a Ravenclaw in his and Fred’s year. Around the beginning of fourth year, the twins formed something of a friendship with Zara; George more so than Fred. Actually, George entered into an arrangement with Zara right around that time; she wanted him to do something for her. It was a request he agreed to, mostly due to what the favor entailed. There was no way he could ever deny such a request, not when it was a favor he waited a lifetime for.

Before George could slip back to where everyone else was waiting for him, Harry spotted him. “George!” he called. “George! I need you to come over here for a second.”

“What is it, Harry?” George grumbled.

“Did you overhear me?”

George nodded. “Everyone’s impatient. They want to know if you’ve got any information to lead to Apollonia’s whereabouts. What were you questioning her about anyway?”

“Nothing good,” Harry muttered.

George didn’t need to guess what that meant. He remembered all that Umbridge put the school through. It was the reason he and Fred never graduated. But, the question on George’s mind was simple; what did any of this have to do with Zara? “I can tell,” the Weasley said. “It’s Umbridge; the bane of our existence from two years ago, the reason Fred and I never graduated. But, what does any of this have to do with Zara?” Zara had to be mentioned for a reason. And, George was curious as to what that reason might be.

“You know Zara?” Harry asked.

“Same year as me and Fred; Ravenclaw.”

Harry slapped his head several times, like he should have known about this. “Of course! How did I forget? George, how well did you know Zara? Did you know anything about her family?”

“Just that she had two older sisters. Why?”

“Because there’s something you need to know, something Apollonia planned on telling you herself; however, Ron’s attitude stopped her,” Harry explained. “I don’t know if you heard it, but Umbridge was her aunt.” George nodded. “Right; well, there are two more—no, four more—members of her family that must be mentioned. “There’s her Uncle Gabriel; her great-aunt, Eileen; her first cousin, once-removed; and her second cousin. The last two are the ones you need to know, for they are Severus and Apollonia Snape.”

George’s eyes widened at that information. That was not something Zara ever told him. So, Apollonia was a Prince. And, if Zara and her family were dead, along with Snape himself, that would mean… “She’s Lady Prince, isn’t she?” George asked. “Apollonia, I mean?”

Harry nodded. “It’s not common knowledge either. Everyone in the world believes Apollonia to be from a disowned branch of the Prince line, after her grandmother married a Muggle. But, Apollonia mentioned to me that Zara found out who she was and both Apollonia and Snape were welcomed back into the family, though neither one was aware of what was done. Not many people know that story; she only wants people she trusted to know that she is Lady Prince. That’s you, me, Bill, Fleur, and Hermione.”

“Ron would self-destruct if he knew,” George mused.

“She doesn’t want him to find out though, not yet,” Harry said.

“But, still; it would be interesting how he would react,” George countered. He was so sick of how Ron would treat his best friend’s sister. Well, this was payback. Ron spent the last few years insulting not only his best friend’s sister, but Lady Prince. In that moment, George was extremely glad that Harry would tell him; he would anticipate Ron’s discovery of the worst news he could possibly hear. It was going to be fun.

“She’s a princess as well,” Harry said.

A grin emerged on George’s face. “This should be fun.” The more Ron discovered about how influential his best friend’s sister really was, the deeper he’d sink. Ron would be made to see that he made the stupidest mistake in the world, badmouthing Apollonia to such a degree. He pointed over to Umbridge. “Anything out of her yet?”

“I was just getting to that,” Harry responded.

“You might want to get to it, then,” George suggested. “For all you know, Apollonia could be in increasing danger the longer she’s there.” George was worried for the young Snape. If anything happened to her, then there was a chance that he would lose Fred completely. Apollonia was the last remaining link he had to Fred and he was beginning to understand. He never entertained the thought before, but Apollonia being Lady Prince suddenly made things so much clearer. On two separate occasions, Zara and Fred made it so that Apollonia and George would be forever linked. And, he had a suspicion as to why.

Rather than returning to his family and friends, George stuck around; hoping to hear of any news Umbridge might have for them, rather than wait for Harry to come tell them. He leaned up against the wall as Harry continued questioning the toad. “Your brother was never captured. Do you have any inkling as to what your brother might be up to?”

“No.”

“Okay,” Harry muttered. “Let’s try a different tactic then. I’m sure I can get it out of you this way, especially seeing as the Veritaserum is still in effect. Where does your brother live?”

“In an abandoned Muggle farmhouse.”

“What is the address?”

George remained only long enough to hear the address. That was all he needed to know. So long as he had that information, it was possible for Apollonia to be rescued. And, as luck would have it, he knew where that was. “I know where she is, Harry.”

“You know the place then?”

“It’s not that far from the Burrow,” George explained. He was sure of where Apollonia was being held; he and Fred saw something like the place Umbridge was describing when they were young. “Bill or I could easily lead us there. We know where it is.”

Harry shrugged. “If you insist.” He turned to Kingsley: “Keep her here until we return with my sister. I don’t know if this will be the right place, so I want to be prepared.”

After a nod of agreement from the Minister, Harry followed George back up to where Bill, Fleur, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia were waiting. “Have you figured anything out?” Lee asked when they arrived.

“We have a tentative location,” Harry confirmed.

In hearing that news, everyone split up into their respective groups, Fleur heading over to join Angelina and Alicia; Bill going to stand at Harry’s side; and Lee coming over to George, a concerned look on his face. “You really want to do this?” his friend asked.

George simply nodded. He didn’t have much of a choice. He wasn’t allowed to do nothing. The Weasley had come to the realization that certain aspects of his life were not exactly in his control. Like this. While he would have helped Harry in this rescue mission no matter what, it became clear to George that the choice had been taken out of his control. Helping Harry rescue Apollonia was just something he had to do.

The group of seven apparated to the location they were given and George was met with the familiar sight of the Muggle farmhouse. It reminded George of a time when there was nothing to worry about, a time when all that mattered was the times when he and Fred were trying to stay out of trouble. Things would never be the way they were. Off in the distance, George could see the Burrow, as well as the faint speck that was the marker for Fred’s grave. He’s gone, George knew. And there’s no way that he’ll ever come back to life. Life would never be the same – lonely – without his twin by his side, and it would only get worse if Apollonia was gone as well. Apollonia represented the last remnant of Fred, which was only bolstered by the fact that she was also Harry’s twin.

George was pulled from his reverie as Harry started barking orders. He supposed that it would come as no surprise that the emerald-eyed hero would be acting this way. After all, this was the last of his family. While George still had four brothers, a younger sister, and parents, Harry didn’t have as much luck; Apollonia was the only family that he had left. “Everyone spread out!” Harry called. “Each group takes an entrance.”

While Harry and Bill opted to go through the front door, and the women went for the side entrance, George and Lee headed towards the back. All was quiet as the pair of friends approached the house. Lee quickly unlocked the door and they cautiously entered the farmhouse, wands ready. As they walked inside, George could hear a faint clunking noise coming from another room. The place was devoid of life, at least that was how it appeared; George doubted that the place was truly empty. The thumping grew louder, which only made him more suspicious. Someone was here, someone other than the seven who came to rescue Apollonia. He was sure that the Death Eaters were here.

It didn’t take long for Lee to head in another direction. George followed his friend, only to realize that the clunking was growing louder. She’s here. I know she is. As they continued through the house, George could sense Fred’s presence, like he was guiding his brother towards where Apollonia was being held. However, before either Lee or George could go any further, they could hear the shouts of spells. They were female voices, which could only mean that Fleur, Angelina, and Alicia found some of the Death Eaters. In hearing that, George knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Apollonia was here.

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Lee asked.

“Why would the Death Eaters even be here if she wasn’t?” George reminded him. “She’s probably being held on one of the lower floors. Might want to try down there, I think.”

Upon making that determination, George and Lee headed down to the lower levels of the place, only to discover that things were not about to get any easier for them. A maze was waiting for them. Damn it! George thought. It had to get more complicated, didn’t it? Okay, then. Fred, any help here would be appreciated. Surely, Fred had some idea as to where Apollonia might be. His spirit had to be somewhere close by.

In the back of his mind, George could hear a whisper. That voice sounded identical to his own; it was obviously Fred. George broke into a run, following that voice. “George!” Lee yelled, running after him. “Don’t do that! You don’t know what’s down there.”

George chose to ignore Lee’s pleas. It didn’t matter. He was sure that Harry’s sister was nearby. If he could sense Fred’s presence—which only ever happened when Apollonia was around—then she had to be close. She was here; the chances of her not being here were slim. Come on. Give me a sign. Where are you, Apollonia? I could use some help, Fred.

Fred’s presence only grew stronger as he moved deeper in the maze, about as strong as their twin bond once was. And, in that moment, he knew. He knew that Apollonia was somewhere down here. All he had to do was find out where. A scream could be heard from off in the distance and George rushed off in the direction of that voice. “I knew it,” George said quietly. “I knew she was close. Now where? Where is she?”

“Don’t you dare!” he heard someone yell.

The voice was louder than before, and George was sure it was female. He followed the voice and soon came upon a faint yellow light. “Might as well start here,” he muttered.

“Crucio!”

“Too easy.” George forced his way into the room, breaking door down. To his utter relief, Apollonia was in the room. However, she was writhing on floor, which could only mean trouble. A quick stupefy later and George was pulling Apollonia up from the floor. “What happened?”

“He…he figured it…it out,” she stammered.

“Figured what out?” he asked.

“The pendant. The pendant is gone.”

George eyed her. “Which pendant?”

“The snake pendant,” she whispered. Her voice was shaky, like she had been subjected to the Cruciatus several times. “The one I’ve had since sixth year. It’s just gone. They had Draco and Narcissa in custody, since last night. It took all of two hours to realize that I was unaffected by all the torture they were putting me through. Draco was the only one who could take the pendant off and they figured it out. He only just started to Crucio me.”

George held Apollonia close as she suffered through the after-effects of the Cruciatus. This was not going to end well, especially when Harry discovered what was done. “He should be lucky he only just started with this method of torture,” George grumbled. He then called out to Lee. “The Malfoys are here! You might want to go look for them.”

“They’re here!” Lee exclaimed.

“Not sure where, but yeah! They’re here.” George called. “I have Apollonia with me and she’s not in any condition to go anywhere. One of the Death Eaters used the Cruciatus on her.”

“Bastards!” Lee said from door.

“Yeah, no kidding,” George muttered. He held on tightly to Apollonia and helped her towards where Lee was standing. “I need to get her out of here. I don’t know where the Malfoys are, but they’re around here somewhere. It’s the only way she’s like this, because that pendant of hers was removed. Let Harry know, would you? Let him know I found Apollonia.”

“No,” she said weakly. “I need to see him.”

“And risk hurting yourself further? No way!”

Apollonia shook her head. “No, not yet. There’s something Harry needs to know, something I don’t think I can tell anyone but my brother. Before you take me back, I want to tell Harry what’s going on so that he’s prepared. He’s the only one I trust with this type of information.”

“Just tell us,” George insisted.

“Rookwood. He’s here,” she said weakly.

George’s temper flared. Rookwood, the man who Harry suspected was the one to murder Fred. Dark blue eyes narrowed. “Tell me you’re joking. Tell me this is all a joke.”

“I wish it was,” Apollonia said quietly.

He wished it wasn’t true. Knowing that Rookwood was around, George was torn between protecting Apollonia and going after the man who basically murdered Fred by triggering the explosion. But, seeing how fragile the young Snape was, he couldn’t do it; he couldn’t simply abandon Apollonia to go after Rookwood. “Expecto Patronum!” A silver tiger erupted from George’s wand, circling the room before resting just in front of him and Apollonia.

As the message-carrier tiger sped off to another portion of the farmhouse to find Harry, George turned to his friend. “You need to figure out where the Malfoys are being held. I need to get Apollonia out of here.” He turned to the girl in his arms. “Hold on, princess.”

***

It took very little time for Harry and Bill to get inside. And, shocking as it was for a supposed Death Eater hideout, there were no wards around the place. That was probably the strangest part about the place; there were no wards. Harry shook his head. “Did they really expect that I wouldn’t figure out where they were hiding?” he muttered. Security was lax around the Death Eater hideout and he could only wonder why.

Wands were out. Neither wizard, Harry especially, planned on taking any chances. Apollonia’s life was on the line. He was not about to risk his sister’s life, even if it meant that some of the Death Eaters had to go free. All was quiet as the pair entered the farmhouse. In fact, it was much too quiet. “Anything?” Bill asked the younger wizard.

“Unfortunately, no,” Harry scowled.

“Let’s keep going then,” Bill said.

All Harry could do was nod. He was scared for his sister. He was scared of what might have happened to her. It took much too long for Umbridge to be transferred to the Ministry. Questioning the toad woman took even longer. With that amount of time in between, Harry didn’t know how long he had before Apollonia was hurt. I just can’t do it. I can’t let anything happen to her. Apollonia meant too much to him; he refused to let anything happen to her.

It took a few minutes, but the pair was able to locate several Death Eaters. Avery and Yaxley, Harry realized as the pair were stunned and tied up. And neither one is the Death Eater I’m looking for. There were only two Death Eaters that Harry wanted to find, only two Death Eaters that he truly cared about. Unfortunately for him, both men seemed to be hiding; neither man willing to confront Harry. “Damn it!” Harry muttered. “I was hoping that they’d be here.” It was not the best thing to say in front of a Weasley, no matter who it was, but Harry couldn’t help himself. There was just a certain amount of frustration seeping its way through. He simply couldn’t help but let it out.

“What is it?” Bill asked.

“Nothing that matters at the moment,” Harry said. “I’ll let you know once I figure this out.” Harry didn’t want to say anything to Bill or George until he was sure that they would be locked away forever. Gabriel Selwyn and Augustus Rookwood; it was those two Death Eaters that Harry was intent on catching. As much as he wanted to go after Greyback and Dolohov for what they did, not even they could compare to the damage that Selwyn and Rookwood had done; Selwyn was responsible for destroying his sister’s life, by killing her family. Then there was Rookwood; he was responsible for causing the explosion that led to Fred’s death, for destroying the Weasleys, especially George.

Perhaps it was a mistake in pairing up with a Weasley for this mission, to rescue his sister from the clutches of the Death Eaters. He knew there was a possibility of running into Rookwood. And he could not risk anything going wrong. Maybe I should have paired off with Lee. This might not have happened. It was just his luck, he supposed. Chances were that Rookwood would show up; that he would try to distract Bill from the plan. The thought hadn’t even occurred to Harry that Rookwood might show up, not while the plan was being made.

“Harry, anything wrong?” Bill asked.

“No; there’s nothing,” Harry assured him, though he knew that was the biggest lie in the world. His sister was in danger and there were two Weasleys around with the possibility of Rookwood poking his nose around and ruining the rescue mission. It was not something he wanted to think about, as much as he knew that it was a possibility. “Let’s just keep moving. We don’t know what to expect and I really don’t want to be caught off-guard.”

“Constant Vigilance, as Moody would say,” Bill muttered.

“My thoughts exactly,” Harry nodded.

It wasn’t long before Harry and Bill happened upon a few more Death Eaters; this time it was Leonardo Parkinson and a Death Eater that Harry didn’t know the name of. While they were fighting, Harry head two separate screams. One of the screams was very faint, and he could only assume was Apollonia. The other was louder, yet another female. One of the girls was injured and it was not clear as to which. The two wizards shared a glance. No matter whom it was, this was not going to end well. “Fleur, Angelina, or Alicia?” Bill asked Harry.

“Don’t know,” Harry shrugged.

The nameless one and Parkinson were stunned and captured, allowing the pair of wizards to move on. It was then that they realized Alicia to be the injured party. “What happened?”

“Dolohov, Travers, Flint, and Nott; they ambushed us. I think it was Dolohov who hit me,” Alicia said. “Angelina hit him and he ran. I don’t know about any of the others.”

Before either Bill or Harry could say anything, a silver tiger streaked in. Harry quickly recognized the patronus as that of George’s based on the form and the fact that it was his voice to fill the room. “I found Apollonia, but there’s a problem. That pendant of hers – the one that protected her from harm during the war – is gone. Malfoy was made to remove it and she’s been Crucioed a few times. I’m getting her out of here and leaving Lee to deal with the Malfoys. Oh, one more thing, Harry; Apollonia wanted me to tell you that Rookwood is here. Make sure you catch his ass for what happened to Fred.”

The tiger disappeared in a puff of smoke, causing Alicia, Bill, and Harry to look at one another. “She’s out of here,” Harry whispered with a sigh of relief. But, then; there was the other thing: “Rookwood is here.” Even if Apollonia was out of harm’s way, there was a chance that something could happen. And it was not something that Harry was looking forward to.