ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ • ʙɪʟʟ ᴡᴇᴀꜱʟᴇʏ

ɴɪɴᴇ

The voices of the Minister, his colleagues and the Weasleys became lower and more distorted as Freya sat on the couch, her face drained from colour as she stared ahead at a random crack on the wall. She couldn't believe what they had just told her. 'My brother, a murderer?! Impossible!' He may have been a bit of a bully back in the day, but that didn't mean he was capable of murder!

A cup of tea levitating right in front of her snapped her out of her thoughts. "Thank you..." she whispered softly, wrapping her hands around the cup, taking a sip.

"When was the last time you spoke to your brother, Ms Black?" The Minister asked her, his voice softer as he addressed her, sitting down to the other side of her. She placed the cup on the saucer and sat back, taking a deep breath.

"I--" Before she could continue, Bill reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She gave him a brief smile before going back to the Minister. "It was last week, I think between Thursday and Friday. He sent me a postcard from Tanner Moor in Austria."

"What did he say in the postcard?"

Freya shrugged. "He just asked how I was, said he missed me and couldn't wait to come back home to show me what he got me as a gift." She glanced at the Minister and his colleagues sternly. "Nothing to indicate he may have murdered someone."

"And did you reply back?" She shook her head. "Does he have any reasons to be in Austria?"

"He loves travelling." she replied sternly. "Does that make one a bad person?"

The Minister was becoming visibly irritable. "Ms Black, thank you for your time." he told her, standing up followed by his colleagues. "If you think of something else, do not hesitate to contact me."

She nodded, not looking them in the eye. "Yes, of course, Sir."

The three men took out their wands and transported themselves out of the Burrow. Mrs Weasly let out a deep breath as if she had been holding it in for as long as the Minister had been there. Freya's eyes never left the ground.

"Freya, dear..." Molly started, but she shook her head in response. "If there's anything we could do..." She sat down next to her, wrapped her arms around her and rocked her back and forth.

"I'm sorry, Molly... Arthur..." she whimpered, letting the tears fall. "I-I didn't m-mean to dr-rag you into th-this."

"You didn't drag us into anything." Arthur knelt down, placing a hand on her knee. "You're family, love. We're all in this together, whether we'd like to or not. And now that the Minister is gone, you can tell us anything. Anything at all that could--"

"Sirius is not a muderer." Freya cut him mid-sentence, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "I know how it must seem, with his past mistakes and all, but a murderer? Never."

"We believe you." Bill insisted. "But maybe you might know something that could prove his innocence somehow?"

Freya sighed. "I just really want to get some sleep, if that's okay." She glanced at Molly. "I-I don't want to be a burden, Mol, but--"

"Say no more, dearie." She smiled softly. "Your bed is always ready for you here. You can stay for as long as you want."

"Bill, could you come with me so I could pack some things?" she asked him, her voice very soft.

He nodded and looked at his dad, who had stood up. "You go ahead, Bill. I'm beat."

After exchanging goodnights, Freya and Bill headed to Black Manor using Apparition. She hoped there would be a sign that Sirius had been there, but upon realising everything was left untouched, she felt disappointed. Did he know he was being searched for by the Ministry for possible murder?

"Lumos." Bill softly whispered, pointing his wand upwards, the tip giving them light. "Freya, a-are you..." He glanced down at her and she nodded, smiling weakly. "Oh, love." He placed the wand on a nearby flat surface and hugged her tightly, planting a small kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry that this is happening."

"I'll get through it. It's okay." she replied, pulling back slightly just to look into his eyes. He placed one hand on her cheek, smiling softly.

"No, my love. We'll get through this... together."

"Thank you." Freya sniffled, hugging him again.

"Freya, I'll stand by you... always." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, gazing lovingly into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with this idiot for a while."

She chuckled softly, punching him lightly on the chest. "Oh, Bill. Always the one to ruin a nice, romantic moment."

"As long as I get to see that beautiful smile of yours then yes." he replied, grinning. "Now come on, let's go get your things." He picked up his wand and Freya picked hers, casting Lumos before heading upstairs, hand-in-hand.

"Bill, I need to tell you something." He nodded and squeezed her hand for her to continue. "When I came back here after this morning, I... felt something."

"Something...?" he repeated full of uncertainty. They reached the end of the hallway, where Freya's room is. She lit up the room and quickly ran to her wardrobe for her bags.

"A-a feeling. Like something is wrong." she replied. "And I was right. All of this is happening and I--" She stopped midway, realising she had packed her whole bag already. Teary-eyed, Freya glanced up at Bill. "Bill, I want out."

"Out?" Bill answered, afraid of what she was about to say.

"Of here." She stood up, holding her bag up and tossing it onto her still-unmade bed. "I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Freya--"

"This place was never good for me, Bill. Not before, not now, not ever." Her voice quivered slightly. "I want to leave as soon as possible, if- if it's okay with you and your family."

He took a deep breath and walked up to her. "Freya, my love, my family love you like their own. My siblings adore you - probably more than me..." Freya chuckled softly. "And mum and dad... they wouldn't mind you staying for a while."

She nodded and cast an extension charm on her bag so she could pack as many things as possible at one go: all her shoes, clothes, books, jewellery... She paused when she got to the framed photo on her bedside table. It was of her with Sirius a few years back. He had surprised her with a trip to the Alps for her birthday. It was the best trip and time she had with him.

One of the few nice memories they shared together, just the two of them.

"Freya!"

She gripped the frame, afraid it would slip off her hand. "Hm?"

"I've been calling your name several times, love."

"I-I'm sorry... I was..." she stammered, placing the photo inside her bag as well, zipping it shut. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you're ready to go." Bill stretched his arm out and she slipped her hand on his.

"Ready."

And they transported themselves back at the Burrow.

*

If you didn't know, an unreleased song by Bruce Springsteen called 'I'll Stand by You' was close to being the soundtrack of the first Harry Potter movie, but it was only recently released for 'Blinded by the Light' and I just had to reference it somehow because it's beautiful and very appropriate for Bill and Freya