Fix This Broken Heart

“Kathleen that ring is absolutely gorgeous,” Hermione whispered as she washed dishes alongside Kathleen. Kathleen blushed furiously and nodded. Although they didn’t live at the Burrow, Hermione and Ron spent a fair amount of time there.

“Thank you…George got it for me,” Kathleen whispered back. Hermione was so surprised that she dropped the dish she was washing, and it shattered. Shanahan let out a shriek, and Hermione repaired the dish with the wave of her wand before picking it up and putting it back in the sink.

“I think that we best leave the washing to the…well, the dishes, and have a little chat,” Hermione smiled before waving her wand once more. The dishes in the sink leapt up, and the sponges began to clean them. The two girls walked out to the back yard, and Hermione’s bottle brush tailed cat Crookshanks chased a gnome as they perched themselves on the garden wall.

“So tell me all about it. I mean, this means that you and George are together, right?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, we’re together. I took him to Ireland yesterday… Clonakilty. We had a marvelous time. We spent most of our time in this quaint little pub drinking and eating and just enjoying each others’ company. And then we went for a walk, and at the edge of the town…oh it was gorgeous by the way, I’ll have to take you sometime…George told me how he felt about me…not that I didn’t know already, I mean, we kiss all the time…and asked me out. Then we found this precious little wizard’s shop hidden away in the town, and that’s where George bought this,” Kathleen explained, a happy look spreading across her face. Hermione smiled broadly.

“That’s so romantic,” she sighed happily.

“How did Ron ask you out?” Kathleen asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Well, the first time we kissed was in the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts…but it really was romantic in a way. I mean, we both thought we were going to die, so I guess we just wanted the other to know that we loved them…anyway. After that, Ron just sort of assumed that we were together. A few weeks into it he realized that I was a little annoyed that he hadn’t asked me, so he just straight up asked me. No special date or anything,” Hermione said with a slight chuckle.

“Well I guess when you go through so much together, it doesn’t really matter how the thing comes up, does it?” Kathleen said.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hermione smiled. A few seconds later they heard two loud cracks, and two young men with flaming red hair made a beeline towards them. George, who was a bit shorter than Ron, had a rather mischievous bounce in his step, while Ron’s lanky arms swung almost awkwardly.

“Not talking about us dashing young lads, are we, ladies?” George smirked, wrapping an arm around each girl’s shoulders.

“Of course not,” Hermione smirked.

“Who would want to talk about you?” Kathleen teased.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe our girlfriends,” Ron scowled, causing Hermione to roll her eyes, slip out of George’s grasp, and kiss him on the cheek.

“Shush, we were just teasing you,” Hermione said quietly, and Ron rolled his eyes before wrapping his arm around her waist. The both of them were wearing their uniforms from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Kathleen asked.

“Lee gave us the day off,” George said, shooting his brother a glance.

“Really? That’s rather odd,” Hermione said, but Ron simply dragged her off towards the house.

“George what’s going on?” Kathleen asked as soon as the other two were out of earshot.

“Ron is being a git as usual, set half of the warehouse on fire, and Lee told us both to scram because I flipped on him and ‘caused a scene’,” George explained.

“Wow…just…I have no words for that,” Kathleen chuckled.

“The store wouldn’t be the same if someone wasn’t setting something on fire,” George laughed.

“So why did Ron look like he was in such a hurry to get Hermione away from me?” Kathleen asked, wrapping her arm around George’s waist. This drew another laugh from George.

“Well, everyone’s noticed the ring, so Ron figured that if Hermione noticed, it might get her all irate. He thinks that she’s going to expect him to propose now,” George sighed.

“Ron really is an idiot sometimes, isn’t he? He hasn’t got a clue about girls,” Kathleen said, resting her head against George’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you’ve got that right. On the other hand, Ron already bought her a ring. He just hasn’t plucked up the courage to ask her yet. They’ve been together less than a year…I think he might be rushing it a bit,” George said quietly. Kathleen’s jaw dropped.

“He already…bought a ring?” she gasped.

“Yeah….quite personally, I think he’s insane,” George said.

“But if he knows that she’s the one, why is that insane?” Kathleen asked.

“Good point,” George shrugged. They sat on the garden wall for quite some time, Kathleen comfortably wrapped in George’s arms. It wasn’t until they heard the loud crack of someone Apparating that they even moved.

“That’ll be Harry…he always Apparates to the same spot,” George said quietly, kissing Kathleen on the top of her head before standing up. The two of them walked towards the long drive leading to (or in their case, away) from the Burrow, and were almost run over by a frantic looking Harry.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Kathleen asked as she noticed the man’s face. His jade green eyes were wide with worry, and his hair stuck up more than usual.

“It’s bad Kathleen…really bad. The Ministry has just been notified…the Death Eaters have made an announcement…any Muggle-borns in hiding have twenty four hours to reveal themselves, or they’re going to kill their parents,” Harry croaked. Kathleen stiffened immediately, and turned to George.

“Well, it looks like I’m going to Toronto,” Kathleen growled before Apparating to her bedroom. She began to haphazardly throw things into her knapsack, but a pair of strong hands stopped her from moving.

“Kat, you’re not going alone,” George whispered, but Kathleen shook her head furiously.

“Yes I am,” she growled.

“First of all, the minute you Apparate there, they’ll get you. We’ve got to do this logically. You’re going to need someone who can do magic without being traced. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not,” George said firmly. Kathleen sighed and hung her head in surrender.

“Fine. Get Ron, he’ll know where to Apparate to,” Kathleen said. George nodded and walked out of the room. A few minutes later Kathleen walked into the kitchen to find Ron, Hermione, Harry, and George, all prepared for the trip.

“All of you are coming?” she asked quietly.

“We figured you might need some backup,” Harry smiled. They were all dressed like Muggles, and Kathleen’s eyes widened.

“You…you’re going along with my plan?” she whispered.

“It’s a great idea Kathleen. I mean, I’ll be bringing us there by Apparating, but we can catch a bus into Toronto, and nobody will think twice,” Hermione explained. Kathleen beamed with pride.

“Well, I guess I should probably get changed then,” she said, motioning to her robes.

“Yeah,” George said. They both headed up the stairs, but as Kathleen opened her bedroom door, she found her lips being captured by George’s. He kicked the door shut and pressed her up against it, kissing her as if he’d never see her again. She broke away, breathless, and raised her eyebrows.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, seeing the fear mingling in his eyes.

“I…I’m nervous about this whole thing. There’s going to be a fight, I just know it. I don’t want to…no; I can’t…lose you Kat. Promise me you’ll play it safe,” George whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.

“I promise…and you better do the same,” she mumbled before kissing him gently and pushing him away. She slipped her knapsack off of her shoulders, and opened it before mumbling a few spells. A few items of clothing flew into her hands from the knapsack, and she pulled off her robes.

“Hey George?” she asked.

“Yeah?” George replied.

“Cover your eyes,” she smirked before tugging off the thin tank top she had on underneath of her robes. The shorts quickly followed, and she slipped on her skinny jeans. Her Devils shirt was pulled on, her glittery Converses were laced up, and as she slipped on her black sweatshirt, she looked at George.

“You didn’t…I could kill you,” she blushed, noticing the look on George’s face.

“I’m sorry…I’m a guy, I couldn’t help it,” George smirked, giving her the once over once again. He raised his eyebrows at her outifit however.

“What’s on your shirt?” he asked, pointing to the red, black, and white logo on the upper left of the shirt.

“What? Oh, it’s the logo for my favorite hockey team. If we’re going as Muggles, I figured I could bust out the old Devils shirt again,” Kathleen smiled.

“What’s hockey?” George asked, causing Kathleen to gape at him.

“Oh my…just…one day I’ll explain it to you, but not today. We’ve gotta go,” Kathleen said, grabbing his hand and pulling her knapsack over her shoulder. She slid her wand into the hidden holder she had sewn into the inside left sleeve of her jacket, and they ran back downstairs. Hermione explained the plan, and then they all took a hold of her arm, except for Ron, who laced his fingers through hers. Kathleen felt the uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed through a vacuum tube, and then took a deep breath as she opened her eyes. They were in the woods, not far from a bus stop.

“Seriously, who builds a bus stop in the middle of the woods?” Kathleen muttered as they trekked towards the little building.

“Canadians,” George shrugged with a laugh.

“Hi…five to Toronto please,” Kathleen said to the ticket salesman. The group had decided it would be best for her to do most of the interacting because the other four didn’t sound like they were from around Canada in the least bit. They all climbed onto the bus once it arrived at the station, and Kathleen’s head dropped onto George’s shoulder as she fell asleep. The sight of the trees rolling by made all of them incredibly tired, and George was grateful that Kathleen was getting some sleep before the stressful events of trying to save her parents began.

They arrived in Toronto six hours later, and they all groaned as they stretched out their limbs.

“Never again…I am never doing that again,” Ron groaned, cracking his back.

“How do you stand it?” George asked, and Harry, Kathleen and Hermione exchanged a look before cracking up.

“When it’s the only way to go, you deal with it,” Kathleen smiled before lacing her fingers through George’s once more. She lead the way, being the most familiar with Toronto, and soon enough they had found the entrance to the wizarding town hidden within the city. The town was called Duncan’s Way, named after the wizard who founded it. Kathleen’s hands were trembling as she pointed out the entrance to Hermione, and silently told her how to get in. Hermione vanished through the large gate, and returned a few moments later.

“Come on, it’s safe. They bought my story. I told them that we’re a bunch of tourists from London, and that your cousin from the States is showing us around,” Hermione hissed, and the group followed her into the town. The place was swarming with uniformed officers, who were stopping people at random and interrogating them on their family history.

“So you’re the group of tourists, eh?” one guard asked, looking over the group scathingly.

“Yes sir,” Harry said with a winning smile.

“You there, in the Devils shirt, what’s your name?” the guard barked.

“Annabeth…Annabeth Weasley,” Kathleen squeaked.

“And you’re a pureblood? This young lady here says you’re the cousin of the family,” the guard asked.

“Yes sir, my blood couldn’t be purer. My cousins,” she started, motioning to George and Ron, “would vouch for me if the need rose,” she said confidently. She was always a good actor, and now it was coming in handy.

“It’s quite alright. I’m just not a huge fan of your shirt. Have a nice visit,” the guard chuckled before waving them on.

“Nice one,” Harry whispered as they headed off towards the center of the town. Kathleen was oddly glad to be back in the familiar town. A few kids were playing a game that was a strange mix of ice hockey and Quidditch on ice that someone must have conjured up for them. Owls hooted from every which way, and George’s jaw dropped as they took in the towering buildings of the town.

“This place is ancient,” George whispered.

“Yeah it is. It was founded right after Toronto was,” Kathleen said.

“Okay, so I’ve located the building where everyone is being held captive. Kathleen, we’re going to get you in there, save your parents, and then vanish. We can’t spend time freeing everyone…it’s too risky,” Harry whispered as they walked down the street. Kathleen nodded in understanding, although her heart ached. She knew that a lot of people were going to die because of what was happening in the city, but she also accepted what she couldn’t change. Her jaw dropped as Harry sauntered into the building that was serving as the prison for Muggles. A few minutes later there were a few loud bangs and a series of flashing lights, and the other four stormed into the building. Kathleen almost mindlessly dodged curses, aimed hexes, and ran through the halls of the building, searching for her parents. She got into a struggle with a particularly large wizard, but he was no match for her Jelly Legs jinx, and he wobbled down a flight of stairs before Kathleen launched herself up to the next floor. When she finally found her parents she let out a joyous cry and immediately opened their cell door.

“Mom! Dad!” she screamed, hugging them tightly.

“Kathleen what is going on?” her father asked.

“Not now Dad…follow me, and stay close,” she said before dashing back down towards the entrance of the building. Her parents followed her, staying close behind. Kathleen fought with new ferocity, determined to protect her parents with everything she had. It wasn’t until a rather well aimed curse grazed her cheek that she realized just how dangerous the situation was. She crumpled to the floor, clutching her now profusely bleeding cheek, and her parents huddled around her, ashen faced.

“Kathleen, get out now! Apparate!” George cried from across the room. Kathleen stood up weakly and grabbed each of her parents by the arm before turning on her heel. She realized with a cold feeling that she wasn’t going anywhere.

“George, you can’t Apparate here!” she screamed. This caught the attention of one of the many guards, and they began aiming curses at her and her parents once more. Kathleen was caught in the shoulder, and flew across the room. She collided with a wall with a sickening thud, and crumpled to the ground, groaning. Her parents rushed over to her, but as Kathleen opened her eyes she saw a flash of green light, and saw her parents fall.

“No!” she screamed, shaking her father’s shoulders. His head lolled around, and her mother lay limply as well. Shaking, with tears streaming down her face, she stood up and clutched her wand tightly. She began to fight with a new ferocity, and before she even realized, most of the guards were unconscious, some of them sprouting horrible boils or growths from Kathleen’s curses.

“Come on Kat, we need to get out of here!” George cried, grabbing her by the shoulders, but she tore away from him and sprinted back to her parents’ bodies. George felt something icy form in his stomach, and took the hint. He very carefully scooped up Kathleen’s father in his arms, and Ron noticed before picking up her mother. They ran from the building, and they all Apparated back to the Burrow. As soon as they arrived in the garden, Kathleen collapsed into sobs. George and Ron both placed the bodies they were carrying on the ground, and Hermione conjured up two long cloths to cover them. Kathleen curled up in the dirt and screamed. George felt his heart break as he heard her scream. Both of them had suffered enough already, and now Kathleen would suffer even more. He dropped to his knees and reached out to comfort her, but she shoved him away from her.

“Go away!” she screamed, and slowly the others left the garden, tears rolling down all of their faces. For hours the family listened to Kathleen sob. Her crying alternated between a horrid, loud wailing, to a desperate, pitiful whimper as she grew more and more exhausted with each passing minute. Finally, she fell asleep, and George went back outside. He carefully wiped the tears from her face and gathered her in his arms before carrying her upstairs and laying her in her bed. He pulled the blankets up around her, and then returned to the kitchen to help his parents plan a funeral for the two strangers who now lay dead in their garden.