ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ • ʙɪʟʟ ᴡᴇᴀꜱʟᴇʏ

ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

Freya Black smiled softly as she sifted through her mail. She always looked forward to receiving letters from Mrs Weasley. She was the mother she always wished she had growing up: kind, sweet, caring... everything her mother certainly wasn't. She tore the envelope open and sat down to read the letter.

Dear Freya,

How are you? It's been a while since I sent you an owl. As you can tell from the photo, we are in Egypt! It is so beautiful! We wish you were here, sweetheart. Make sure to stop by when we're back! Bill will be here too. He misses you dearly!

Lots of love,

The Weasleys

PS. Best believe we put scorpions in Percy's bed... not poisonous of course! - Fred & George

Freya laughed when she read the tiny note the Fred and George Weasley had left in their scrawny handwriting. Leave it for the twins to mess with poor Percy. When her eyes trailed onto the coffee table for a split second, she noticed the corner of a photo peeking out from the envelope and took it out.

She felt her cheeks burn when she saw Bill in the moving photo. He was grinning broadly, without a worry in the world. She hadn't seen him since he left for Egypt. It was an awkward goodbye on her part, and probably on his as well since he hadn't sent her any letters. Freya knew they had been through a lot together, but one small note to indicate where they stood would have been enough. She ran her fingers over him as if her touch would make a difference.

"Who's it from?"

Freya's head whipped around, not realising her brother Sirius had been standing behind her. "How long have you been there?" she asked, breathing heavily with her hand over her chest.

"Long enough to see you touch the photo." He replied with a chuckle, sitting down next to her.

"It's from Mrs Weasley. The whole family went to Egypt." she replied, looking back at the photo, which had stopped moving.

"That's nice." He smiled. "That family deserves a holiday more than anything. I mean, all those children would make me tired." She laughed. Sirius was never so good with children. When he met Ron and Ginny, the youngest two of the Weasleys, he was so uncomfortable one could cut the tension with a butter knife easily. "More importantly though... how are you, Freya?"

He always knew when something was up with her. Not just because she was caressing the photo, but because he knew her better than anyone else. "I'm okay." She stared at him, and seeing 'not so sure' look on his face, she smiled. "Really, Sirius, I am fine."

"Okay, dear. I won't pester you any longer." He planted a small kiss on her forehead before walking to the other side. "I have some urgent matters to take care of in London. Will you be okay for a couple of weeks here?"

She nodded. Deep down, she opposed this decision. She felt very uncomfortable being alone in her family home. She only came here when it was just Sirius and her, which was less often once she finished school. She despised how the rest of the Blacks made her feel. She'd probably end up staying with the Weasleys once they're back. They always had a place for her. She hadn't spent much time at the house she grew up in during her years at Hogwarts anyway, especially when she knew her mother was around. Then she would stay with the Weasleys.

Hogwarts. What started as a very bad time in her life went on to blossom into something magical.