COUNTDOWN. ❪ Fred Weasley ❫ ✓

one

Marisol Bright tried not to look at people. She didn't want to see their timers because they usually made her upset - especially when she was attending Hogwarts with other people her age.

If she saw their timers and noticed some of them were significantly lower than others, she would be saddened. It wasn't a perfect gift. The future was always changing, and so were the times. Few people had a perfect timer that dropped second by second.

She wasn't necessarily a quiet girl, but the thought or mention of death would cause her to stop mid-sentence or mid-laugh.

She wasn't made for war, but then again, no one was. They were simply prepared for it. She heard talk of Voldemort and his Death Eaters rising. She knew the stakes were high, and that she could do nothing about it - except that her father joined the Order of the Phoenix and was a good friend to Remus Lupin.

Marisol had lost her mother in the First Wizarding War. Her father, Joseph, was determined to fight in the Second Wizarding War as well. He already lost his wife, and now he had an opportunity to protect his daughter and the Wizarding War. He wasn't going to give that chance up.

Marisol fidgeted around in 12 Grimmauld Place. Joseph placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder for comfort, but she was still nervous.

"I - I've never talked to them," she whispered.

He smiled gently. "I know, sweetheart, but it's okay."

She looked up at him and smiled softly, eyes flickering up at his timer. His timer was glitching, signaling that his future was unclear. Her mouth twitched.

Joseph grimaced. "Don't look at it," he advised.

"You're my father. How can I not? I already lost Mum. You can't leave me too."

He said nothing, but leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Let's go meet the others, shall we?"

Joseph lead Marisol to the kitchen where all the adults were. Remus smiled upon seeing his good friend. Joseph was one of the friends Remus had made after the first Wizarding War had taken a toll on him.

"Remus, you remember Marisol."

Remus walked forward and grabbed Mairosol's hand with both his hands, shaking it with a warm smile on his face.

"I held you as a baby, so I'm sure you don't remember it."

She nodded, eyes glancing up before they slightly widened. His time was set, and there wasn't much time. Jospeh, noticing the look on her face, grabbed her head and pushed her head down.

"Hey, Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Squirt, looking isn't helping you."

Remus smiled sadly. He knew very well of her gifft - all the adults in the room did, but they didn't dare ask about it, fearing the answers she would give them.

"Sorry," she murmured to Remus after her father let go of her head.

"It's quite all right."

Marisol looked aound the room, glancing at everyone's timers. Her gaze fell on on Sirius Black, the ex-convict who her father told her was wrongly convicted. Sirius grimaced as a means of a smile. She awkwardly smiled back.

"You raised her well, Bright," said Sirius.

Joseph smiled. "Thank you. It was hard when she was young, but I think I did well."

Marisol glanced up at her father and squeezed his hand in reassurance. She knew he still thought of her mother, and she was saddended by that. She resmebled her mother, so she was sure it pained him to look at her for too long.

"We're about to have our meeting, so you'll have to step out, but there are other kids your age out there," said Remus.

She nodded, pecking her father on the cheek before leaving the room. The kitchen door closed and Marisol looked around. She could hear voices from up above. She didn't know if she wanted to introduce herself to more people, so she decided to stay put in the parlor room instead of by the kitchen door or upstairs. However, her plans were spoiled when whispers came from above. Then, she noticed a pair of listening ears.

"Oh."

"Psst, come up here," whispered Fred.

She walked up the stairs and looked at the group of teenagers listening through the other ear, before a cat snatched it away.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione scolded as the cat skittered away.

Now without the ear, the group turned to properly look at Marisol.

"You're Marisol Bright," said Hermione.

Marisol nodded. "And you're Hermione Granger."

Hermione nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh - my father is part of the Order. He's friends with Remus."

"Marisol Bright? Aren't you the girl who can see Death?" asked Fred.

Ginny elbowed Fred in the gut. "Don't be rude!" she scolded.

Marisol grimaced. "I don't see Death. I see how much time people have left," she corrected.

"How much time do I have left?" Fred asked.

Marisol took a step back. "I'm sorry. I - I don't like talking about this sort of thing."

She turned back around and walked down the stairs and back to the parlor room.

"Nice going, Fred!" Ginny hissed.

"It was just a question," he defended.

"A bad one," Hermione corrected. "I would have expected it from Ron, but not you, Fred."

"Hey!" exclaimed Ron. "That's just hurtful."

Marisol took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her eyes always wandered to look at the timers, but it didn't mean she liked talking about them. Telling people their time always caused trouble, and she knew not to intervene with fate or it would come to bite her in the arse.