Hand Me Downs.

A part of me wanted very strongly to punch the youngest male Weasley around the face for his lack of tact, his slowness at catching on.

He went to continue but I snapped at him, storming from the room, shoes clacking loudly against the tiles as I murmured insults under my breath, not stopping until I was on the correct floor, bumping straight into the twins and Bill, who all looked bemused at my face.

“You alright?”

“Brilliant.” I said with an edge, slamming the door of the ward behind me and storming to Arthur, plastering a smile on my face that threatened to slip more every minute.

I wanted to cry, Hermione would tell them, or Harry would figure it out.
God knows what Ron was thinking.

They arrived not long after me, Mr Weasley having drawn me into the argument over stitches, forcing me to explain their benefits and how muggles used them.

Harry shot me a look, but I ignored him, waiting impatiently until we left, I wanted to be alone. I felt so sorry for Neville, to see how humiliated he was...but a part of me was irritated by his upset, he still had his parents, both of them.

Augusta was right that he should be proud.

“You okay dear?” Molly asked, drawing another smile and a nod.

“Just tired.” I lied, she sucked on her lower lip, she knew where I had been, and I knew she would be questioning me in a gentle way later on.

Soon we left, George walking next to me but staying silent, knowing me well enough to understand I didn’t want to talk about it yet, although his hand looped with mine quickly, dropping it only when we reached the car.

I let the chatter flood around me, Hermione stiff beside her, her eyes burning a hole in my head. The minute we were back at the house I forged a headache, drifting upstairs.
Two loud pops less then a minute later.

“Alright, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t tell you.” I couldn’t, not about Neville, it had always been his choice, his right. Fred frowned, landing heavily on my right side, George on my left. “It’s not my thing to say...but...I think those four might know about my mum now.”

George clicked his tongue, “And you don’t want them to?”

“I didn’t want them to find out the way they have...I don’t know if I ever wanted them to.” My eyes were boring into the sun stained walls.

“Look, whatever happens,” George tried to be diplomatic, “It’s Christmas right? We’ll talk to Ron, but it’s not like any of them are going to be...”

“No, no I’ll talk to them after dinner.” I promised, knowing Ron’s big mouth he would spill something, “I’ll...just go up or something.” Fred nodded, a click and he vanished, George pulling me into his chest quickly.

“Whatever happened, you know...” He didn’t have an end to the sentence because he didn’t and wouldn’t know the full story. “Your mum would be proud of you.”

He set me off, pushing me to do something I rarely did in front of the twins.

I cried.


“I hope none of you will say anything, to anyone...that includes Fred and George.” Harry nodded quickly, Ginny a bit reserved. Hermione and Ron sat still. “I mean it, this is none of our places to say anything Neville doesn’t want known.”

My serious tone had set the mood, missing the part Hermione muttered she had explained a little, but not fully, that was down to me.

“Your mother...Hermione said a little but...” I sighed, rubbing a tired hand over my face, dinner had been leftovers, quiet, looks shot at me from the four youngest people in the house.

So I had walked straight into the girls room, shooting Hermione a look, the four trailing in.

I’d performed Muffliato, just in case, and no doubt they were, Fred and George were planning on bursting in.

We’d made small-talk about the spell, Hermione asking me to show her it, after all, she had just read about it thus far.
But then we had to talk.

“What do you know Harry?” He chewed the inside of his cheek, eyes on the ground, hand pushing glasses further up his nose.

“Last year, I saw Dumbledore’s memory...it was a trial..it was Bellatrix Lestrange, she was convicted of torturing Neville’s parents and others until they went insane...like...like they were today. I didn’t hear any mention of your mum though so...”

“She was charged later properly for mum, after...” The fact Bellatrix had never been formally charged, just singled out my mother had always infuriated me, that to the minister of magic she had just been ‘Other.’

“My mother was in the Order...and I know Molly...or Sirius or anyone has never mentioned it but...it’s because I asked them too, when I understood and realised they knew.”

“Why?” Ron asked, “Why didn’t you tell us about her Amelia?”

“The same reason as Neville I guess...” They all shot me questioning looks, “It hurts and the looks, like yours now, like your earlier makes it worse.” I could see them trying to straighten their faces, remove it from them..but it was too late.

“From what I know, Bellatrix attacked mum first, because she was taken from the Longbottom’s... I know she was targeting Bellatrix specifically but... those details didn’t matter to me that much.” Hermione nodded, “Something happened, and Bellatrix ended up in control and well ,basically...” I was infuriated at the tears that flooded my eyes.

“She used the cruciatus curse until there was nothing left. Mum got put in the ward we went to today, and she stayed there, she seemed to be more sane than Alice and Frank at points but then there was always this dark look in her eyes and then...one day when I was nine I was visiting her...Dad did at first, but...I guess it was too hard but somehow she had a knife and she seemed so sane that day, so normal, but she just looked at me and pulled it out and started cutting her arms and then...she slit her throat.”

My voice was all but a croak, my throat burning, eyes leaking.

“So yeah,” I sniffed, pulling my back up straighter, “That’s what you didn’t know, so obviously since everything I’ve spent a lot of time with Neville...because I suppose we could relate with it all, and my Dad just...”

Everyone was aware of my never there, distant father, but I guess this put some reasoning behind it, expanded it.

The three who hadn’t known looked shocked, Hermione just looked upset.

“So, like I said,” My voice broke again, “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to anyone, Katie knows, the twins know but not about Neville...and that’s about it at school.”

“We won’t tell anyone.” Ron swore, an honesty and seriousness not usually found over his features, “We promise.”

“Thank-you.”

Hermione pulled me into a long hug and the group eventually disbanded, no more talking necessary.

“I’m glad you told them.”

Nothing about our chat was repeated, although for the next couple of days Ron especially was being really nice to me, no doubt trying to make up for his behaviour in the ward. I let him, Fred and George had failed in their attempt to overhear but seemed to let it go (I doubted it.) and we spent a few days in a blur of late night, cleaning, playing wizarding chess, snap, fiddling with gifts.

The twins had gotten me a couple of books, food and an odd looking small box I was terrified to open.

“I got you another present.” George said, earning a smirk,

“A special one?” He nodded and I smiled, letting him lead me up to their room, “You really didn’t have too.”

“I saw it in Hogsmeade on a supplies trip.” He murmured, telling me to close my eyes.

“I’m really worried this is a trick.”

“As if I would do that!” I didn’t trust his tone, but let him sit me down, hands outstretched waiting for something horrific to be placed in them.

Instead it was soft, fluffy. “It’s not alive is it?” I asked and he chuckled, prodding my face so I opened my eyes, seeing a little no doubt handmade unicorn toy. I grinned, he’d known about my interest in them since I was little.

“Where did you find this? It’s so cute!” I made sure my smile was a beam, letting him know how pleased I was that he had thought of me, had seen something that reminded me of him and gotten it.

“In that weird little clothes and accessories shop right past the Hogs Head.” I held the plush toy closer to my face, looking at the delicate stitching.

“This is so sweet George, honestly.” He looked pleased but I felt a stab of guilt, “I didn’t get you anything special, I wasn’t thinking and...” I stood, moving to my room, he followed me, watching as I placed the unicorn on my side table, next to my mirror and make-up.

“Is there anything you want?” He lifted a brow.

“What?”

“Anything you want, I should have gotten you something, I wasn’t thinking and now I feel bad, so if there’s anything you want you can have it.” He sniggered.

“I’m not going to go rumbling through your things,” he drew up to me, kissing me lightly on the lips. I still felt uneasy, I should have gotten him a special gift, not the crap I landed them both with.

“It’s fine..this wasn’t...” he gestured between us, “Before Christmas, I just saw it by chance. It’s fine.”

I pouted, his body close to mine was causing a heat, I licked my lower lip, pulling out my wand and waving a quick ‘Colloportus’ His brow furrowed slightly before my hands were on his belt, making my intentions clear as I slid down slowly, ignoring the gentle stab in my knee as it clicked.

Thankfully, if anyone noticed the door was locked they left it be.


“We’re going to be bored without you.”

“I understand why, I am the best thing since sliced bread.” Both rolled their eyes, George wordlessly passing me the small unicorn, it having pride of place in my handbag. “I’m only at Katie’s for the week, I’ll meet you guys on the platform or the train? Think you can manage without me?”

“We’ll manage, I’m sure.” Fred’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, and had been since he had seen the locked door, assuming what it meant and not apparated in, (for once in his life he didn’t ruin a moment) but he had been teasing George at every opportunity, many times I had entered a room to find him sniggering, George’s face red.

It had only happened once, the rest of the time there was no chance to be alone.

But we both wanted it too, it felt cliché that I could say there was fireworks, it wasn’t novel 'true romance' standard by any means, we giggled, I kneed him in the face, the room was cold, an awkward moment trying to open a condom because I didn't trust wizarding contraception and it was highly unlikely there was any in the house.

But it was us, how we were.
It had been wonderful.

“You’ll survive.” I bent down, pressing my lips against George, causing his mirror image to scoff, and wretch.

“This is unbearable, you two are worse than Matilda and Travis.” I lifted a brow, not sure how to take being compared to the most loved up, sickeningly so couple in school.

“Well, I’m not going to feed you over dinner.” I mumbled, thinking of how ridiculous that looked, especially over at the Ravenclaw table. “You’d tear my fingers right off.”

Heavy but fast footsteps alerted us to the door, “Sorry,” Molly sang, sticking her top half around the doorframe, “But Tonk’s is here to escort you.”

“I don’t get why you can’t floo or something from here,” Fred said, ignoring my case, George instead lifting it up and earning a thank-you and another light kiss, Molly hadn't said anything about it and we had grown tired of sneaking around.

I was going to miss him, but it always happened, although everything else this holiday was a first.
“Because, we don’t want to alert anyone who may be watching that we are here, seeming as the house if off the radar as it is...and...Tonks...”

She didn’t have to say it, she was worried Tonks would mess up apparating somehow and hurt us, “It’s a long way, easier like this.” She finished with her usual gentle smile and we headed downstairs, everyone hanging in the kitchen.

“Christ Molly, I didn’t need a leaving party,” I teased, doing the routes and telling everyone I would see them at school, several times having to hitch my handbag back up onto my shoulder. “I’ll see you at Easter, give Arthur my love,someone let me know when he’s out of the hospital.”

“Will do, you have a nice time love!” Her arms crushed me slightly but she eventually let go, she had questioned me gently the day after the incident at Saint Mungo’s...I’d just said seeing Neville and his parents had upset me.

Her comforting response was everything I expected, and you could ever want in a mother.

If there was anyone in my life I saw in that way, it was Molly Weasley without a doubt. I said a further goodbye, Tonks checking it was safe, disguised, as her Metamorphmagus status allowed, a middle aged woman, ensuring the hood of my coat was over my face.

We left the house, it was decided we would apparate from Diagon Alley, a safer place. It was just a matter of a bus and two tube stops to get there, Tonks bemused but letting me take charge as best I could.

Although we did have to ask for directions from one irritated underground worker.

“Anywhere you wanna stop off before we apparate from the leaky Cauldron.” I bit my lip but she got my meaning, “Yeah, Hermione went on about your drinking a while ago, just for a toast for New Year yeah?”

“Of course.” I hadn’t had a sip of alcohol in nearly two months and I was craving it I suppose, the feeling that came with it more than the taste. “Just a toast.” She pouted, reverting to her usual appearance, her hair a white blonde with streaks of red.

“Nice,” I commented, “Reckon I should do that with mine?” She giggled.

“Just don’t tell anyone I’m about to buy you firewhisky, Mad-Eye will have my head.” I smirked, batting my eyelashes and letting her take the lead, pressing the money into her hands.

“Love you Tonks.”

“You better.”