Elusive // The Weasley Twins

2. Back at the Burrow

Cosette knew that George was going to apparate the minute that he pulled out his wand, but that didn't make it any easier to do so. After not using that method of transportation for so long, she had forgotten all about the ringing in her ears that happened as you landed and the instant headache, which only worsened depending on the distance.

George put his wand away when they landed in the burrow but Cosette had to blink a few times before she gained her sense of reality back. When she finally looked around, she felt a sudden warmth wash over her.

Everything was exactly the same.

The plant sitting on the windowsill with the leaves draping over the side, long enough to hide the crack at the base, but it definitely received too much sunlight in the last few years as it was drooping just a little too much.

Turning to the right, she saw Arthur's favorite armchair with that familiar orange blanket covering the cushions. Right in front of it sat the ottoman, with footprints all over the top of it from the number of times he left his shoes on in the house.

The famous Weasley clock hung above the fireplace and Cosette tried not to think about the removal of Fred's name off of it, but she must have stared at it for too long because Geroge stepped up to her side.

"It started acting up," he explained to her, scratching his chin. "It was fine for a while but the damn thing kept switching from 'home' to 'work' to 'lost' over and over again. I guess it wasn't equipped to handle a death."

Everyone's else's name was scattered in various locations, the only ones who were home were George and-

"Cosette?"

Spinning on her heels, Cosette barely had time to process what was going on before Ginny ran across the room and hugged her tightly. She had grown taller in the last few years. The last time she hugged Ginny was at the funeral and the top of her head only reached Cosette's shoulder. They were now nearly the same height.

Cosette stroked Ginny's hair while they embraced. She remembered that Ginny was the last of the siblings to find out about the fatality during the battle and she dropped down to her knees just as Cosette did.

Ever since she met Ginny, she saw her as a younger sister. While Cosette did grow up with an older brother, she always wished she had a sister. When she started dating Fred, Ginny took a liking to her instantly and the two clicked almost as well as she did with George.

"I didn't think you'd come," Ginny pulled back as she chuckled in disbelief and wiped her eyes. "I mean, I knew that George wrote you but I didn't think-"

"I should have come a lot sooner," Cosette released a shaky breath and scanned over Ginny from head to toe. She really had grown up. Last she saw of her she was finishing her sixth year at Hogwarts and was aiming to get a position on a professional Quidditch team.

Cosette had missed her graduation. Missed out on the arrival of her N.E.W.T. scores. She wasn't there when Ginny was deciding what path to take after Hogwarts. Three years had gone by and Cosette had absolutely no idea what Ginny was up to.

"We need to catch up," Ginny laughed, reading Cosette's mind. "So much has happened I don't even know where to begin. Well, for starters I'm the last person to still live at home. It really hasn't been easy being an only child here. I have to do everything myself, I almost prefer it when the Burrow is overcrowded."

Cosette was almost shocked at how Ginny jumped right into a conversation as if no time between them had passed. There didn't seem to be any built up anger or bitterness directed at her like she was expecting.