One and only ; George Weasley

45

As we sat around the table downstairs, a door in the hallway were opening and shortly after, a female voice was shouting. "Filth! Scum! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers?!"

With a sigh, Sirius stood up. "I'm very sorry about that. That's my mother's painting."

He walked into the hallway and George and Fred went back to talking while I sat between them.

"Shut up, you miserable old hag! Quiet!" Sirius spoke out in the hallway.

"Blood traitor!" The same woman yelled. "Abomination, shame of my flesh!"

"Yes, yes." Sirius sighed. "Do shut up."

"Was that your—" I heard Harry's voice.

"Mother, yes." Sirius replied. "Dear old mum."

"But—" Harry said. "Why here?"

"This house has been my family's for centuries. It's mine now." Sirius told him. "I'm the last of the Blacks. I offered it up as headquarters for well... and Dumbledore accepted. It's about the most useful thing I've been able to do for a long time."

Molly made her way into the hallway. "Hello, Harry dear."

"Mrs Weasley!" Harry replied.

"Sirius, the meeting is about to start." Molly said.

"That's our cue." Fred spoke and together the three of us made our way upstairs and into the room. Since I arrived here a few weeks ago, I had been staying with the boys in their room, sharing a bed with George.

"Is that Kia out there?" George asked, causing me to look at the window he was looking at. He walked over to open it and in flew my family's owl.

"It's probably a letter from my mum." I said as I took the envelope from Kia's beak. Fred threw himself on his bed as George placed himself behind me, watching over my shoulder as I pulled out the letter and unfolded it. I read it quickly and then folded it again, pushing it back into the envelope.

"What did she say?" Fred asked, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"Wasn't my mum." She simply said. "But my brother. He needs my help when it's time to buy supplies. Mum's busy and so is Badger."

"Do you want me to come with?" George asked, I turned around to look at him as he spoke.

"That would be great." I smiled. "Thank you. I'm gonna write back to Ben."

I put the letter on the bed that George and I shared and then crouched by the trunk at the end of it. After finding my quill, some ink and some parchment, I sat by the desk in the room while George and Fred started talking about ideas for the shop they wanted to start after school.

After I sent Kia out with my letter to my brother, I closed the window and joined George on the bed. He was sitting against the headboard and automatically opened his arms to me. I laid back against his chest and he closed his arms around me.

"Have you made enough money to open the shop?" I asked, both of them looking at me.

"We have the money." George told me, brushing his fingers through my hair.

"Even though we first said no, Harry insisted and gave us the money he won at the tournament last year." Fred said. "One thousand galleons, plus the money we have from selling and if we continue to sell this year, we'll have enough for a really great and possibly big shop."

"Mum still isn't too fond of the idea." George said. "Therefore she can't know about the money."

"Your secret's safe with me." I said, acting like I zipped my lips and threw away the key.

The door to the room opened and we all looked and saw Molly with a smile. "You can come down now. The meeting's over."

As she walked away, the three of us got up and followed her downstairs. Arthur was sitting by the long table along with Charlie whom I hadn't seen since Easter holiday earlier in the year.

"Arthur." Molly spoke and her husband and next-oldest son looked up before Arthur quickly rolled up the parchment in front of them.

As I tucked some hair behind my ear, I felt George grab my hand, causing me to look at him. He studied the ring on my finger. "I haven't noticed you were wearing it."

"Why wouldn't I be wearing it?" I questioned. "You made it for me and I love it."