Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

Owls and luggage crowded Platform Nine and Three Quarters, parents calling reminders and younger children darting between the masses. A pair of blonde girls had just arrived through the barrier alone, pushing their luggage and a cat in a wicker basket in front of them. They looked nothing alike, but they were identical.

The one with the cat had a Head Girl badge already pinned to her chest. She brushed fingers along her face, as if she could feel if her light make up was out of order. She walked straight backed, everything from the clear varnish on her nails to her lint-free socks perfectly in order.

“I’ll see you later.” She said to her sister, beginning to push her cart up to the very first carriage of the train. “Try not to do anything stupid.”

The other one rolled her eyes, slouching against the handle of her trolley. Her nails were chipped and painted a purple that matched the little tiny stud in her nose, and her make up was slightly darker than her sister’s. The lint on her socks was mostly covered by the large combat boots on her feet.

If you didn’t know better, you’d say they weren’t even related.

“Sylvia!”

“Oh, thank god.” Sylvia sighed, turning to smile with relief at her best friend Alicia Spinnet. “I was worried I’d have to try to sit with Matilda in the Prefect’s carriage.”

“Don’t be silly. You’d never be reduced to that!”

The girls quickly unloaded their trunks and started to drag the luggage down the length of the train. Luckily an empty compartment wasn’t far, and they quickly stowed their things and sat facing each other.

“How was your summer?” Sylvia asked.

“Oh, you know. The usual. I told you my mother quit the Prophet, right?”

“What? No!”

Alicia nodded somberly. “She refused to write those awful things they’ve been saying about Potter and Dumbledore. And they said she could write it or leave, so she told them that she’d rather write for the Quibbler than – “

Sylvia started laughing. “That’s great.”

“Yeah. She’s bored, but I think she’ll finally start to write that book she wanted to work on. How was your break?”

“Alright. Just me, Mum and Matty in the shop. Matty’s sermons have gotten worse since she got the badge though.”

“Oh, right, you told me she was Head Girl.”

“Who’s Head Girl?”

The girls looked up to see the Weasley twins closely followed by their friend Lee Jordan crowding into the compartment and already try to stow their trunks.

“Hey, go find your own compartment.” Sylvia said, giving Fred a gentile swipe with her foot.

“Everywhere is full.” Fred replied. “Budge over, Syl, I have to get this trunk up.”

Sylvia rolled her eyes but scooted over. After some commotion the boys finally managed to put everything away and collapsed into seats.

“So, who’s Head Girl?” George repeated.

“Matilda, of course.” Alicia said with a sigh.

“Ah, not a problem then. After all, surely if we hold her lovely sister hostage – “

“She would gladly throw me to the wolves to put you two in detention.” Sylvia snorted.

“Could be worse, Syl.” Fred offered reasonably. “Ickle Ronnie made prefect. Fourth in the family. Thought I’d die of shame.”

“Still plenty of time to do that before we get to school. I could assist, if you like.”

“I’ll get back to you on that.”

~*~

“Thank you so much for doing this, Molly. Mungo’s can’t keep her any longer but I don’t think she can be on her own just yet. I just didn’t know who else to ask.”

“It’s quite alright, Harry dear. The house has been quiet lately anyway. With George back at his flat.”

There was a short silence. “How is George doing?”

Another silence. “As well as he can, I suppose. Same as the rest of us.”

More silence.

“But I’m more than happy to look after her. She was always friendly with all of you. I think George would love to see her – “

“That’s the other thing. Don’t…don’t tell George she’s back just yet. There’s a few things we have to sort out still. And Ron doesn’t think George is really ready for a big shock just yet.”

Another silence. It stretched longer.

“Anyway.” Harry coughed. “I should get back. Thanks again, Molly.”

“Oh, no problem. You’ll be round for dinner on Sunday? Ginny should be back from training camp.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The sound of the door opening, and someone dissapperating, and then the door closing. Molly Weasley hustled into the sitting room, and studied her new charge for a moment.

Her blonde hair was streaked with white, and her eyes that once danced like quicksilver were now a dull grey. She had taken out her nose stud and closed the piercing. She was thin and emaciated, shivering on the couch. But the most shocking difference was the curved knife scar on her cheek, still angry and red even if it was a few years old. what worried Molly was that it was the only scar she could see, and it looked awful on its own.

“Well then,” Molly said moving forward and summoning a blanket to wrap around the girl, “let’s get you some food and then you look like you need sleep. I’ll put you in Percy’s old room.”

Sylvia Vance nodded, barely moving her head, her eyes cast downward. A far cry from the witch she once was.

~*~

Harry Potter sat at a pub not far from Grimlaud Place with his two best friends, having a quiet drink in the muggle world. It had been a long, tough day at the Auror office, where he was still in training.

Harry finished explaining everything to Ron and Hermione, the later looking thoughtful.

The week began with a young witch in the hospital waking up and insisting on speaking to Kinglsy Schacklebolt and Harry Potter. She insisted she was not, as everyone had assumed, Matilda Vance. Matilda had worked from inside the ministry, pretending to support the new regime while actually letting hundreds of muggle borns walk. When she was found out, she killed four Death Eaters and escaped to the muggle world. Shortly before the battle of Hogwarts, she was recaptured and tortured within an inch of her life.

“And she’s just been sitting in the hospital all this time?” Ron asked. “God, Sylvia Vance. Remember when she up and walked out of Umbridge’s class? Fred wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“So Sylvia’s saying she took her sister’s place?” Hermione frowned. “When?”

“We don’t know the whole story. She won’t talk about it. All we know is that she says she’s Sylvia, and she pretended to be her sister. And she’s a wreck. I almost didn’t recognise her at first.”

“Fred and George paid for half of Syl, well, Matila’s funeral.” Ron said, trying to remember. “George was really upset when they found her body. They were kind of close. I guess she helped them out a lot, with some of their more complex products.”

“Are you sure George wouldn’t -” Hermione started.

“No.” Ron told his girlfriend firmly. “He can’t handle a shock right now. I only just got him to move back to his flat.”

“He’ll find out eventually.”

“Sure. When he’s ready.”

“I don’t think she’d handle that too well, either.” Harry said. “Really, Hermione. She’s a mess. I’m just hoping Ron’s Mum can help her.”

The three sat in a sad silence. Finally, Hermione stood and went to get another round.

“Why would she do it?” Ron finally asked. “I never thought Syl and Matilda ever got along that well.”

Harry shrugged. “I just wonder what would drive them to switch in the first place.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she never said anything?”

“No. Not yet. There was a lot she didn’t say.”