Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

Valentine’s Day found Sylvia in a very surprising way. When she was leaving Gryffindoor tower for breakfast, she found Matilda waiting outside the portrait hole for her.

“I need your help.” Matilda said.

Sylvia rose her eyebrows. “Well, that’s a first.”

“Lee and I got in a fight last night.”

“And you need me to hex him?”

“I’m supposed to meet him in Hogsmead.”

“I’m supposed to hex him there? Matty, it’s cold out.”

“Aren’t you going with George anyway?”

“What in the name of Merlin gave you that idea?”

Matilda ignored her. “I want to test him. Can we dress the same and go together?”

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “How old are we?”

“Please? Please, please? I’ll give you...I don’t know. I’ll do something for you in the near future!”

Sylvia rubbed her eyes. She hadn’t even had her coffee yet. “Alright. Come on.”

She dragged her twin into the tower and quickly pulled her up to the dorm rooms. Not many people were around, so they just saw a blur of blonde hair. Matilda sat on her sister’s bed while Sylvia dug through her clothes. She came up with two jean skirts, two pairs of navy knee highs, and two white button up shirts.

“Wait here.” Sylvia said, dashing out the door.

She ran down the stairs and then back up the boy’s staircase. She reached the year seven’s boys dormitory and pushed the door open. The place was a disaster. The only person in the room was Fred.

Fred looked at her appraisingly. “George isn’t here.”

“Not looking for George.” She said, tip toeing through the mess. “I need a sweater.”

“What?”

She quickly explained what was happening and a grin broke out on Fred’s face. He immediately started going through his brother’s trunk.

“I like this plan.” he said, tossing her George’s Weasley sweater from the year before. It was a dark blue with a pair of broom sticks embroidered on the front. He quickly found his own matching sweater. “These are the only ones without letters on them. You know, for Gred and Forge.”

Sylvia grinned. “Thanks!” she called, running back out the door and slipping on someone’s pants.

Sylvia quickly dressed herself and her sister identically, and did her sister’s make up a little heavier than she normally would. Finally they pulled on their cloaks and headed back outside, identical. Sylvia was somewhat giddy with the plan.

“Maybe this won’t work.” Matilda muttered as they swung by the Great Hall to grab some coffee and toast.

“If it doesn’t work, you shouldn’t be together.” Sylvia said firmly.

“Woah.” Alicia said, looking at the Vance twins. “That’s weird.”

Matilda gasped at her sister. “Nose stud! Nose stud!”

“Ah, crap.” Sylvia muttered. She quickly pulled it out and pocketed it. Just to be sure, she made sure the necklace with the tiny owl was hidden. “Better?”

The three girls joined the cue to leave the castle.

“You going with anyone?” Matilda asked Alicia.

Alicia smiled and flushed. “I’m meeting Ethan Jenkins at the coffee shop.”

Fred walked by with Angelina and let out a wolf whistle. Sylvia rolled her eyes.

When they finally got to the front of the cue and out the doors, Matilda dug into her sister’s ribs with her elbows. “We’re going to be late!”

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright.”

They walked briskly into the town and Matilda would not rest until they sat down in the Three Broomsticks. They both ordered butterbeers and Matilda fidgeted. Now that Sylvia was sitting still, she could smell cinnamon and cloves in the sweater she had put on.

“Oh, Merlin.” Matilda squeaked as the door of the pub opened and Lee and George walked in.

Lee did a doubletake when he saw the two sisters dressed identically. George looked highly amused. Fred must have let him in on the plan.

But Lee walked right up to Matilda. “You want to grab a table? Talk?”

Matilda smiled and nodded, sliding off her seat. Lee quickly ordered himself a drink and they went to find a quiet table. George sat next to Sylvia. “Hey, Syl.”

Sylvia smiled wryly. “How do you know it’s me? How do you know we aren’t just stringing Lee along?”

He leaned close and whispered. “I’ll always know you.”

Sylvia flushed and looked down as he kissed her on the cheek. George felt the back of his neck burning but didn’t care.

“Besides,” he added, pulling away. Sylvia breathed again. “You’d never look that petrified. Now, let’s have a drink, eh?”

~*~

Sylvia woke up in serious pain. Just moving her head made her moan. She felt like a hundred tiny angry goats were corralled in her head, pounding on her skull for freedom. Slowly she sat up, noticing her clothes from the day before were still on. She shuffled into the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Her mum always kept a small bottle of potion for things like this.

When she found the bottle and opened it, a horrible smell was emitted. She immediately replaced the stopper and tossed it in the bin. Expired.

She left the flat and shuffled down the stairs and pushed open the door to the tea shop. Evelyn grinned at her. “Hey, drunky pants.”

Sylvia grumbled at her and sat in her usual seat and put her head down on the empty plate. Eveyln chuckled and went to get her a cup of coffee and a hangover cure. Sherlock sat next to her and rested his head on her lap. Sylvia scratched behind his ears.

“Sherlock always knows what to do.” Evelyn smiled, placing two glasses in front of Sylvia. “Here, drink up.”

Sylvia looked up and eyed the pint glass wearily. It was filled halfway with a murky green color. “What’s in that?”

“It’s something I picked up in the military.” Evelyn smiled. “Drink it, then I’ll tell you what’s in it.”

Sylvia grimaced and picked up the glass, and chugged the whole thing without tasting it. She quickly washed it down with coffee.

“What’s in that?” she asked.

“Spinach, gurdyroot, orange juice, whiskey and a raw egg.”

“A raw egg?”

“All hangover cures have a raw egg in them.” She looked at Sherlock curling up on Sylvia’s feet. “He really likes you.”

“I’ve never met a witch with a dog for a familiar.” Sylvia said. “Is it common in Canada?”

Evelyn smiled and shook her head. “I found him during the war. Trip, he was our disguise specialist in our unit, and I were out patrolling one night and I heard something crying. I found this one under a box with his mother and the rest of the litter. Mom and the other puppies were dead. So I took him in. Got him healthy. He’s a warrior. Gotten me out of some tough situations. And he’s got a great sense about people. Ian calls him the walking sneakoscope.”

Sylvia looked down at Sherlock. it was hard to imagine the undersized lab as a war dog. “What’s his name mean?”

“It’s from this series of muggle detective novels. The main character, Sherlock Holmes, lives on Baker Street, which is where I found him.” Evelyn stood up again, glancing at the door. “Drink your coffee. I’ve got tarts in.”

Sylvia considered Evelyn, and her dog, as she sipped her coffee and ignored the paper. Neither of them looked the part of the warrior. And Sylvia knew, sometimes the ones you least expected were the fiercest.

The door opened and someone said, “Bloody hell. It’s true.”

Sylvia turned around and met the steady gaze of Alicia Spinnet. “Alicia.”

Alicia looked a little older. She clutched a sleepy looking toddler to her side. A diamond ring sat on her finger. There were tears in her eyes as the two women ran forward to hug, squishing the toddler between them.

“Why didn’t you reach out to me?” Alicia demanded wiping her eyes.

“I’m sorry, it’s been a lot. Being back in the world of the living.” Sylvia looked at the toddler. “Obviously you’ve been busy too.”

Alicia laughed. “Oh, this is August. We...well I knew it was your middle name and we named her after you. Me and Oliver.”

“Oliver?” Sylvia repeated. Was her hangover still affecting her? “Oliver Wood? From school?”

Alicia nodded. “It started during the war and...well...we got married when it was all over.” Alicia smiled. “I wish you could have been there.”

Sylvia nodded and Evelyn came in. “Oh, good, you’re here. There’s no drama. Sit. Coffee? Tea?”

“Tea.” Alicia smiled. “Auggie will have some milk.”

“You planned this?” Sylvia asked Evelyn.

She just smiled knowingly and walked into the kitchen.

~*~

A few days after catching up with Alicia, Sylvia sat in her shop and tended to her roses. Evelyn and pre-ordered twenty centerpieces for her tables for Valentine’s. Not to mention Ron and Hermione were throwing an engagement party at the end of the month, and Evelyn, who was catering the event, had ordered even more flowers. At this rate, she’d never even have to open the doors to her shop.

Sylvia heard the front door open and heard George call her name. “In the back!” she called back.

Sylvia stood and wiped her brow, streaking dirt across her forehead. She sighed and grabbed a rag and started wiping her hands. George came in, leading Angelina by the hand.

“Oh. Hey, Angelina.” Sylvia smiled.

“Hi.” Angelina said softly, surveying the angry red scar on Sylvia’s cheek with wide eyes. Realizing she was staring, she quickly looked anywhere but Sylvia. “Glad you aren’t dead.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Sylvia laughed.

George grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. We were out for lunch and I realized...you haven’t been by my shop yet.”

“Er, no.”

“Come by later tonight. After close.”

“Great.” Sylvia looked at her filthy fingernails. “Yeah.”

“Brilliant. See you later, then.”

Sylvia kept the smile plastered on her face until they were gone and sat on a pile of fertilizer bags. There was something wrong with them holding hands. Maybe because she couldn’t help but see another hand that was supposed to hold Angelina’s. It looked very similar. But there was a funny acid burn on the thumb.

Sylvia sighed and looked back at the roses. She should spray them again, now that they were all repotted. Afterall, George would probably have to buy some for Angelina.

~*~

Sylvia rapped on the door to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. It was freezing.

George swung open the door and grinned at her. “Welcome, m’lady.” he said, bowing low.

Sylvia laughed and stepped inside. She grinned and looked all around her. All of the shelves were overflowing. The wall nearest to her was packed with old favorites - the snack boxes and canary creams and other newer and improved types of edibles.

“Evelyn helped me with these.” he said, pulling a tiny wrapped cake down from the shelf. It had pink frosting and white lettering, ‘Eat me’. “Something from a muggle book. They make you grow. Lasts about ten minutes.”

“What are these?” she asked, reaching for a tiny jewelry box.

“Oh, magic boxes. They’re full of hidden compartments.”

“Cool.”

“Oh, here, look at this.”

He took her all around the shop, pointing out his favorite works with glee. Sylvia watched his smile, which seemed to take a lifetime off his face. His smile and laughter was infectious, like it always had been.

“Wait here.” he said. “Let me grab something from the back.”

Sylvia nodded and looked around the shop again, somewhat in wonder. He and Fred had created something so wonderful. It was such a shame that Fred wasn’t here...and Matilda...even Matty would have liked this.

Sylvia noticed a headless hat high on a shelf above her. Matilda had one almost exactly like that. Sylvia remembered the first time Fred put a prototype on, and his head stayed invisible for five minutes after he took it off. With a smile she looked around for a ladder. When she couldn’t find one, she studied the shelf. She could probably climb it pretty easily.

She grabbed the shelf and stepped on a lower shelf. Taking a deep breath, she started scaling the shelf. Finally she reached the shelf and grabbed the hat. But the hand still holding the shelf slipped in the dust.

She fell back.

Sylvia’s stomach was in her throat as she fell back. This was it. Surviving the war to fall in a joke shop. The ceiling rushed away -

Strong arms and a scent of cinnamon enveloped her, stopping her fall. She took a shaky deep breath.

“Why,” George demanded shakily, recovered from premonitions of the blonde breaking her neck, “didn’t you just summon it?”

“And cost you the chance to play the dashing hero?” she retorted, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. “Not a chance.”

He put her down and she leaned against the shelf she had just climbed. She looked at the hat in her hands.

“Matilda had a hat like this.” she said quietly. “I don’t know I was thinking about her and Fred and it was just like this appeared.”

“Syl, what happened?” he asked quietly. “With you and Matilda? And then...after.”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Harry knows.”

“Then ask him.”

“Syl - “

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it.” she said flatly.

They stood in the dark and silent shop. George just wanted her eyes to shimmer again. Like they had been ten minutes ago.

“I should go.” Sylvia said quietly.

“No, I wanted to show you - “

“Really.” She tried on a smile. “What would Angelina think, eh? Two of us in this dark lonely place. And I forgot to turn the shop lights off. I should...I’ll see you at breakfast.”

She shoved the hat into his hands, and turned and left. She ran up the street, pushing tears out of her eyes.

George was left standing alone, a purple top hat in his hands. Matilda Vance wearing one of these? It would be quite the sight.

Just like in school, Sylvia had to be ready to talk to him. She’d pretend she was fine. In the end, she’d tell him. And then, maybe, he’d make her smile again. After all, focusing on her kept his thoughts away from his other half.