A Long Overdue Cry

Leah lowered the letter, gazing in the distance before her, her eyes glossed over. The twins both with the same expression on their face. She let the letter fall out of her hands, letting is float to the floor before she put her head in her hands. The twins came out of their own stupor and watched her with worry.

"Immense power?" She said with a shaken, slightly muffled voice. She looked up at the twins. "They are surely mistaken. I don't have any powers!"

"Do you remember what Minnie said? About it being dormant? It's exactly like your grandmother described."

"But you told me, your ministry registers people with magic abilities. Shouldn't I be in there? Shouldn't I have gone to Hogwarts?"

George pondered her question for a moment, opening his mouth and shutting it again, looking like a fish.

"I still think it's possible." Fred started slowly, trying to get the wording right. "Like it said, it's been dormant for over 100 years, your grandmother had the sight but not in full form, just like Trelawny. You probably have it in you but need something to bring it out."

Before Leah could reply, George suddenly spoke up. "Maybe it's too far hidden in you for anyone to register."

"Fred already said something like that." She chuckled at George.

"Oh. Well yeah, great minds think alike." He grinned at her.

"What's the difference between a prophecy and vision?"

"Visions are flashes, images that appear in your head, most likely to come true. A prophecy is when a Seer begins reciting it involuntarily, entering into a trance-like state and uttering the words in a different voice from their own, they have no recollection of it after wards." George told.

"So, someone was there in the room when it happened? Otherwise, she wouldn't remember right?"

"I assume so. In rare occasions they still have flashes of the prophecy in their heads and since Cassandra was one of the great Seers, it wouldn't surprise me." He picked up the letter from the ground and tucked it back in the envelop. "Do you want to continue?"

"No, this was enough for now. Need to process all of this first and if we stay gone any longer, I think your mum will hunt us down." She chuckled as she pushed herself off the ground. George collected the contents of the box and put everything in it, before he shrunk it down, so it could fit in the palm of her hand.

"Thanks, that's handy." She smiled taking the tiny chest from him and put it in het bag.

"Great for smuggling." Fred whispered in her ear.

"Smuggling? What did you smuggle?"

George laughed boomed through the attic. "I think we need to catch you up on our last year at Hogwarts." George wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the stairs.

"We should put the covers back, just in case." She said looking around as they reached the ground floor.

"Give me a second." George smiled and took his wand out of his back pocket and waved it in the air. The blankets flew up from the stack in the corner as started to cover every single surface. "What's the plan anyways? For the house?"

"Oh." She said walking out. "They're still working on her will, so we don't know what her last wish is."

"It would be a shame to sell it. It's a beautiful home."

"Yeah, I always loved this house. It feels more like my home than my parents'."

"And the garden." George whistled. "Did you see that, Freddie? With some muggle repellent-"

"Excuse me, muggle repellent?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as they walked the cobbled street.

"Muggle-repelling charm, it prevents muggle from seeing or entering a certain area. It's around the burrow too."

"So, I can't see or enter my own house or garden then?"

"But there's the thing -" George started.

"We don't think you're a muggle, remember?"

"Oh, right. You two think I'm a witch."

"We know." George corrected. "I would even bet money on it."

"Hm, you're that sure?"

"I am – I think, we are." He looked over her head, what he hoped was Fred's direction. Fred grinned before reaching over to pull on a strayed lock of hair. "See?"

"We'll know soon enough, won't we? Now tell me about your smuggle operations." She smirked up at him.

"Let me tell you a story about Umbitch, the pink toad..."

When they finally reached the burrow, the others were playing quidditch up in the garden. Leah tried not to gawk too notable, but it was hard. They were freaking flying on brooms, meters high in the air.

"Close your mouth, Leah." George chuckled as his eyes followed his siblings in the air. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll join them; seeing that they are with an uneven number of players." He started taking of his coat. "I haven't played since... before the war."

"Show me what you got, Weasley." She grinned as a broomstick came flying out the shed. He easily caught it before he flew high up in the air, to his siblings. She looked next to her and saw Fred looking longingly to his brothers and sister.

"You miss it too, don't you?"

"Yeah." He finally tore his gaze from the air and looked at her. "I've been flying since I could walk, playing since I was six or so."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Maybe one day..." The end of the sentence lingered in the air.

"You will. I'll make sure of it."

Fred gave her one of those smiles that made her heart skip a beat. "Until then... I can enjoy the company of one particularly beautiful witch."

And for the first time a light blush appeared on her cheeks, making Fred beam. "Well, as long I can enjoy the company of a truly handsome red head... Oooh George!" She laughed at Fred's stunned face and George's confused look before he flew off with a ball in his hand.

"You are an evil little ..." Fred stuttered, a wide smile on his face.

"Witch?" She snickered. "Maybe, we'll see."

"You know, they say talking to yourself is a sign of intelligence." A voice came from behind her. Leah and Fred turned in surprise.

"I must be really intelligent then." Leah grinned.

"I do it too, although it's more of a mutter." Hermione smiled shyly. "Do you want a tour of the house, or did George show you around?"

"No, he just gave took me around the grounds and the village below. Lead the way." Leah gestured her arm to the house.

"It's really good to see George back on a broom." Hermione said as they reached the house and she looked over her shoulder. "He's had a hard year."

"Yeah." Leah said distracted as she thought back to her own sister. "But what I've heard so did you and your friends."

"We did, but I didn't lose a brother or a sister. How are you feeling?" She asked stepping in the empty kitchen.

"It all feels...unreal." She dared a quick glance to Fred, that was standing behind Hermione.

"I can imagine, you just found out." Hermione said with a small voice, then she cleared her throat. "So, this is the kitchen, which you probably already saw when you came through the floo. They are planning on expanding the kitchen because with spouses, partners and kids in the future this is going to be too small. We are cramped in here already." She chuckled.

"Is that why we're eating outside?"

"Yeah, when the weather is nice, we try to eat outside as much as possible." She pushed the kitchen door open and walked in the hallway, pointing at the door opposite of the kitchen.

"The living room." Leah nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I'll show you upstairs." They climbed the stairs, Fred close behind her as he tried to remember every crook and cranny. She pointed to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's room and the one of her and Ginny. Then they climbed up the stair to the second landing.

"This was the twins' room." She gently pushed the door open. The beds where neatly made, pictures of Fred and George were sitting on the nightstands. The wall covered with WWW flyers and their quidditch material. She heard Fred's breath hitched as he followed her in the room. She didn't know how she knew, but she sat down on Fred's bed. Hermione sitting across from her on George's. Leah took a picture from the nightstand, on it was Fred and George in their full quidditch gear, cheering when they won the cup. She traced Fred's face on the picture with her finger, tears in the corner of her eyes as this day became too much. Fred was still looking at everything in his room, even checking under his bed.

"It looks like you cared for him very much."

That made Fred crawl out from under the bed and look at Leah, interested to know her answer. He was kneeling on the ground, a meter away from her. But when he saw the tears starting to form, he knew she was at a breaking point, because she never cried. He didn't know what to do, what to say, he just sat there frozen.

"I did, I do." She whispered, not taking her eyes from the photograph. "But it's more than that. I felt like I didn't have enough time to get to know him." She took in a shaken breath. "Just like I didn't have enough time with..."

Suddenly the door flew open and was George standing there. When George took one look at Leah, he ran over and held her tight, the tears finally flowed freely. George glared over her head to Hermione. "What the hell did you say to her?"

"I- I..." Hermione stuttered, shocked at George's reaction.

"George, it isn't-" Leah started but was cut off by George.

"Hermione, I want you out. Now!" He yelled as she was looking at him with hurt in her eyes. She jumped up and ran out the room, slamming the door behind her. He rested his chin on the top of her head, whispering soothing words to her. Fred was still frozen in the same position as he watched his twin comfort the girl he was falling for, hard. They sat there on Fred's bed, wrapped in each other's arms, for minutes, hours? Neither knew. When the tears finally stopped flowing, she pulled back.

"Are you okay?" George asked, searching her eyes.

"Could be better." She offered him a weak smile. "FUCK!" She cried out. "I haven't cried since Addie."

"What? You haven't cried since you were twelve?" That made Fred came out of it and took Hermione's vacant seat.

"No, I put up a wall when I lost her. I haven't let anyone in since, until a certain carrot top came into view." She managed a smile, looking at Fred. "Now I have you two bozo's that I let into my life, really let it." A hoarse chuckle sounded.

"So, it's because of me you cried?" Fred asked, feeling guilty, as he played with his fingers. Leah looked up in surprise.

"No, of course not. It's just with everything that happened these past few weeks, what happened today. And me seeing this room, the way you lived, the way you can't play quidditch anymore. It just... finally broke me. It's been building up for years, really." Fred wasn't convinced as he didn't look up from his hands. "Freddie." Leah rose from her seat and kneeled in front of him. "Look at me." She whispered. He finally looked up and met her gaze, she gave him the smile that made his knees week. She cupped his face, hovering just over his cheek. "This isn't your fault. I never recovered from losing Addie." She looked over her shoulder to George. "I think George knows how that feels." She turned back to Fred. "Even though my life is completely upside down right now, I wouldn't want it any other way. You, Fred, made my life back whole again."

Fred cupped her cheek as he leaned his head against hers. "I can't believe I lived a whole life without you." He whispered.

"I don't want to interrupt anything, but someone is coming up the stairs." George said hastily as the footsteps came closer. Leah gave Fred one last smile before she sat back next to George, just in time when the door flew open, a blazing looking Ginny in the doorway.

"What the hell did you say to Hermione!" She yelled at George, she turned her gaze to her, and her eyes softened. "Leah? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm better now." She gave the young red head a smile before she turned to George. "You should talk to Hermione. This wasn't her fault."

"I know." George said rubbing a hand over his face. "It' just when I saw you cry... you never cry."

Leah let out a soft chuckle. "I know, but apologize, will you? You don't want to lose her."

Ginny stepped in the room and sat down on George's bed. Fred had just a second to leap aside, before his sister came crashing on him. Leah had to bite the inside of her cheek, so a laugh wouldn't escape her.

"George. I know you had a hard year; we all have. I don't know why or what happened, but you seemed to be doing much better. Don't push Hermione away."

George's neck and ear started to turn red. "I -"

"We all know you like her." Ginny chuckled. "Don't mess this up." She pointed her wand at his chest threateningly before she skipped out the room.