Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

The words had been said. The flowers were quite beautiful. And now the casket was slowly being lowered into the earth.

Alicia Spinnet sobbed into Oliver Wood’s chest. Lee Jordan stood a little ways away, thinking maliciously about Matilda Vance, who had trampled his heart and betrayed all of them. Fred stared at the words on the headstone that his brother had chosen. May death never stop you.

“It’s not her.” George muttered, his eyes fixed on the coffin.

Fred sighed. “No, course it isn’t. That’s just what she used to be. She’ll have moved on.”

George shook his head. “No. It’s not her.”

Fred put an arm around his twin’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get a drink. She’d want that.

~*~

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” Sylvia implored.

Evelyn gave her a steely look. “Sylvia August Vance, you get out of this kitchen before I curb stomp your ass.”

Sylvia didn’t know what a curb stomp was, but she figured that it wasn’t good. If anyone could carry whatever it was out, it would be Evelyn. And with Jackie scowling over her employer’s shoulder, Sylvia figured it was best to just leave.

The tearoom had been modified for the engagement party, but it looked fantastic. The round tables had all been cleared away and replaced with tall, smaller tables. Bottles of Champagne floated through the room of their own accord, but Evelyn also had hired a bartender. Three witches hardly older than Sylvia floated through the room carrying trays of the food Jackie and Evelyn were churning out, hindered by the large dance floor and small string quartet.

Sylvia found Ginny talking to an older man with overgrown red hair. Apart from obviously being a Weasley, he looked vaguely familiar. When she approached, they were talking quietly about the party.

“Well, they’re only doing this to keep Mum quiet.” Ginny said.

“About what?”

“Well, they’re engaged, but they don’t want to get married for another few years. They’re hoping that throwing the party will keep her from going mad with planning.”

He sighed and shook his head. Ginny smiled at Sylvia. “Hey, Syl. You remember my brother Charlie?”

Charlie smiled at her, and she remembered the former Quidditch captain who went off to chase dragons. He had inexplicably developed more freckles since she had last seen him in her second year.

“You were always friends with the twins, right?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Sylvia said, pretending not to notice Ginny elbowing her brother in the ribs. “Yeah. Four or five lifetimes ago.”

“Here, have some Champagne.” Ginny said hastily, grabbing a bottle that floated nearby.

Hermione and Ron materialized next to Sylvia.

“Oh, there you are!” Sylvia smiled, moving forward to hug Hermione. “Congratulations, again.”

“Thanks Sylvia.” Hermione beamed. “You look great.”

Sylvia laughed and looked down at her tea-length blue dress. Evelyn had lent it to her, shortly after talking her into going to the party in the first place.

“Everyone expects you to be there!” Evelyn insisted, forcing her into a chair to do her make-up.

“Yeah. And George will be there.” Sylvia grumbled.

“Then you better look your best so that you remind him what a pussy he is for not asking you to go with him.”

“It’s just a bit of make-up.” Sylvia mumbled.

Hermione smiled and Ginny handed her the flute of bubbles she had poured.

“Where’s Harry?” Ron asked his sister.

“He’s running a little late. Ian Forest wanted to talk to him about something.”

“Ian’s an auror?” Sylvia asked, slightly shocked. “The Canadian Sergeant?”

Ron rose his eyebrows at her. “How else will he use that skill set?”

“Well, I mean, Evelyn runs a tea shop.”

Charlie looked down at his sister. “Want to dance?”

She shrugged, but let him pull her onto the dance floor. As they moved away, Sylvia got a clear view of the front door just in time to see George walk in. He saw her, but was sidetracked by hugging his mother.

“Oh, no.” Sylvia muttered. “Hide me.”

Hermione looked confused. “But you and George - “

“No. No. There’s no me and George.”

“It’s always you and George.”

“I thought he was with Angelina.” Ron said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “He broke up with her on Valentine’s. For Sylvia.”

“But he was going to - “

“He was going to what?”

The couple turned and looked at George. “Nothing.” Hermione squeaked.

Ron caught a look from his brother and took Hermione’s hand and dragged her off. George looked at Sylvia, who was staring at her shoes, calculating an escape.

“Hey.” he said quietly. “You look beautiful.”

She turned red. “Thanks.”

“Can we go talk? Alone?”

“Uhm…”

“Please, Syl? I won’t leave you alone until I’ve said my piece.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, towards the back of the shop and the door of the kitchen. There was a door that Sylvia had never noticed before. When George pushed it open, Sylvia blinked in surprise.

Though there was snow on the ground, the tiny courtyard was warm. Over the stone wall, Sylvia could see the roof of her small greenhouse. A warm gold light from a thousand baubles washed over her face, and there was a park bench under a garden overgrown with ivy.

“I never knew this was back here.” Sylvia said.

“I guess the previous occupant filled it with rubbage. Evs cleaned it up.”

“She’s kind of incredible, isn’t she?” Sylvia asked, still looking around in wonder.

George chuckled. “That she is.”

Remembering she was mad at him, Sylvia pulled her hand out of his grasp and walked further in to inspect the courtyard. Merlin, Evelyn even had a small koi pond.

“Syl, I meant what I said.” he said to her back, watching her tense.

“About what?” she asked quietly.

“The view is clearer without you around.”

Sylvia whipped around and held her wand to his throat. “If you want to talk about how I should be dead, I’m going to make sure you never speak again.”

He held his hands up in surrender. “Syl, please, hear me out.” he begged. “That’s not what I’m saying. And it’s not what I meant when I said it before.”

“Then what?” she laughed cruelly. “That’s supposed to be a good thing?”

“Yes! How am I supposed to see anything with you around? You’re so bright.”

She lowered her wand. “Evelyn’s gotten you into her stupid muggle books, hasn’t she?”

“I mean it.” he said earnestly. “Do you know why I didn’t have a date to the Yule Ball?”

She frowned at him. “Because you’re an idiot?”

“Because you were the only one I wanted to ask. And then you ended up going with that pratt Jeremy O’Shea. I’m not useless at potions, either. I failed the OWL on purpose. And I had you explain all your notes to me because it was the only way you’d spend any time with me.”

She ran fingers through her blonde and white hair. “George, you were right. A lot has changed. Maybe I’m not that person anymore. I’ve got scars and white hair and I can hardly sleep at night. My sister is dead because of me and I was stupid enough to think I could save her.”

“You’re still you. I’ll always know you.”

Her eyes glimmered. “George - “

He reached forward and traced the scar on her cheek. “This just tells me how brave you are.” Next he gently fingered a lock of white hair. “This just tells me you came back from the dead because you just weren’t finished living yet.” He put his hand over her heart, where his mother had told him she had seen the scar of black magic. “And this just means you’re still the kindest witch I know, carrying the burdens of things that aren’t your fault.”

She pulled away from his touch. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Aren’t I always?” He shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t grab her again. “I didn’t used to love you, Syl. I still do.”

She turned away from him and hid her face.

“Do you still love me?”

“Who ever said I loved you?”

He smiled wryly. She’d never admit to anything. “Alright. Do you still fancy me then?”

A moment stretched for an eternity, and when she spoke he thought she’d just run from him again. But in a shaky voice, she said, “When I left to be Matilda, I stopped being Sylvia. And it’s so hard. So bloody hard. I don’t know if I can be Sylvia again, and I can’t be Matty.”

George stayed silent and still.

“When Bellatrix Lestrange got a hold of me...I wished I had died then. When I was left alone I prayed for death. But I held on. Because you’re right, I wasn’t done living yet. And thinking about you...my life stopped when I left. And certain things haven’t changed.”

When she finally turned back around, her eyes were full of tears. But they shimmered, again. Like quicksilver.

“I tried to stop.” she said. “I couldn’t. Not even when that evil woman had me. I spent so long in school ignoring what was right in front of me and then lying to everyone about how I felt and I can’t let that go unanswered.“

George reached out and cupped her cheeks, and kissed her. It was what it should have been when they were in school, what should have happened instead of her running off to be Matilda. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and swallowed her thundering heartbeat.

When the kiss ended, they held onto each other.

“Don’t you ever run from me again.” George muttered into her hair. “I can’t lose anyone else again, least of all you.”

She smiled wryly. “No promises. I might have to run off to do some mad thing again.”

“Only if it’s with me.” He turned his head to look at the door behind them. “We should probably head back to the party. We’ll be missed.”

“Can I just stand out here with you for a minute? As soon as we go back inside, everything will change.”

He smiled. “Yeah. We can do that.”