We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- A Little Luck -

"I had spent months mourning the things I thought I'd lost. I never noticed how much love was still left."

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The following evening, Katherine was halfway through crossing the Entrance Hall when she heard someone calling her name.

Not just calling it.

Yelling it.

"Katherine!"

She turned just in time to see Ginny Weasley weaving through a crowd of students, practically glowing.

There was no other word for it.

Glowing.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, and there was a smile threatening to split her face in two.

The sight alone was enough to make Katherine stop walking.

Because nobody looked that happy unless something extraordinary had happened.

Immediately her mind jumped to the thing that had consumed so much of their year.

The Half-Blood Prince's book.

Harry.

Draco.

Secrets.

Disasters.

She had barely recovered from the events of the previous day.

Her nerves still felt frayed.

Her emotions still bruised.

So naturally her first thought was:

Please let this be her idea of good news.

"Ginny?"

The younger girl finally reached her.

Still smiling.

Still looking suspiciously pleased with herself.

Katherine narrowed her eyes.

"What happened?"

Ginny bit her lip.

The smile somehow widened.

Katherine groaned immediately.

"Oh, Merlin."

"What?"

"That face."

"What face?"

"That exact face."

Ginny laughed.

And suddenly Katherine felt something inside her relax.

Just slightly.

It had been days since she'd heard laughter that wasn't forced.

Days since she'd seen someone genuinely happy.

In a castle that seemed increasingly consumed by fear, it felt almost revolutionary.

"Did he do it?" Katherine asked immediately.

Her voice lowered.

"Is it gone?"

Ginny blinked.

"What?"

"The book."

"The—"

"The bloody book, Ginny!"

Realisation crossed Ginny's face.