After dinner and a rushed birthday celebration, Harry drags Hermione and I up to his and Ron's room. As we sit down Hermione raises her wand. "Muffliato," she whispers, waving her wand to keep the others in the house from hearing us.

"Thought you didn't approve of that spell?" Ron says.

"Times change," Hermione says, "Now, show us that Deluminator." Ron obliges at once. Holding it up in front of him, he clicks it. The solitary lamp we lit went out at once.

"The thing is," whispers Hermione through the dark, "we could have achieved that with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." There was a small click, and the ball of light from the lamp flys back to the ceiling and illuminates us all once more.

"Still, it's cool," Ron says, a little defensively. "And from what they said, Dumbledore invented it himself!"

"I know, but surely he wouldn't have singled you out in his will just to help us turn out the lights!"

"It has to do more," I say to them, "it might become more useful once we leave."

"D'you think he knew the Ministry would confiscate his will and examine everything he'd left us?" Harry asks.

"Definitely," Hermione says. "He couldn't tell us in the will why he was leaving us these things, but that still doesn't explain..."

"...why he couldn't have given us a hint when he was alive?" Ron says.

"Well, exactly," Hermione says, flicking through The Tales of Beedle the Bard. "If these things are important enough to pass on right under the nose of the Ministry, you'd think he'd have let us know why... unless he thought it was obvious?"

"Thought wrong, then, didn't he?" Ron says. "I always said he was mental. Brilliant and everything, but cracked. Leaving Harry an old Snitch—what the hell was that about?"

"I've no idea," Hermione says. "When Scrimgeour made you take it, Harry, I was so sure that something was going to happen!"

"Yeah, well," Harry says, his pulse quickening as he raises the Snitch in his fingers. "I wasn't going to try too hard in front of Scrimgeour, was I?"

"What do you mean?" asks Hermione.

"The Snitch I caught in my first ever Quidditch match?" Harry says. "Don't you remember?" I smirk at him.

"The snitch from your first match. The one you nearly swallowed," I say to them.

"Exactly," Harry says. He pops it into his mouth. It did not open. Frustration and bitter disappointment fills the group.

"Writing! There's writing on it, quick, look!" Hermione yells.

He nearly drops the Snitch in surprise and excitement. Hermione was quite right. Engraved upon the smooth golden surface, where seconds before there had been nothing, were five words written in the thin, slanting handwriting.

"I open at the close."

"What?" I ask.

"'I open at the close...' What's that supposed to mean? I open at the close... at the close... I open at the close..."

"And the sword," Ron says finally, "Why did he want Harry to have the sword?"

"And why couldn't he just have told me?" Harry says quietly. "It was there, it was right there on the wall of his office during all our talks last year! If he wanted me to have it, why didn't he just give it to me then?"

"And as for this book," Hermione says, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard... I've never even heard of them."

"You've never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Ron says incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not!" Hermione says in surprise. "Do you know them, then?"

"Well, of course I do!"

"How have you not heard of them!" I ask her, "it was my favorite book!" I look over to a confused Harry. "Wow!"

"Oh come on! All the old kids' stories are supposed to be Beedle's, aren't they? 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune'...'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot'...'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump'..."

"Excuse me?" Hermione says giggling. "What was that last one?

"Come off it!" Ron say,"You must've heard of Babbitty Rabbitty—"

"I loved Babbitty Rabbitty growing up," I say happily, "my dad would read it to me every night."

"You both know full well Harry and I were brought up by Muggles!" Hermione says. "We didn't hear stories like that when we were little, we heard 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Cinderella'—"

"What's that, an illness?" asks Ron.

"Seven Dwarfs? Jeez and I'm called a whore," I huff.

"No Y/n it's not like that," Harry says to me.

"So these are children's stories?" Hermione asks, bending again over the runes.

"Yeah," Ron says uncertainly, "I mean, that's just what you hear, you know, that all these old stories came from Beedle. I dunno what they're like in the original versions."

"But I wonder why Dumbledore thought I should read them?"

Something creaks downstairs.

"Probably just Charlie, now Mum's asleep, sneaking off to regrow his hair," Ron say as I look through the journal. I realize immediately why he gave me this.

"It tells me how she controlled her powers," I say to them, "how she worked them. He knew I was having the visions and I guess he wanted to help me out."

"It looks like jibberish to me," Ron huffs and I smirk.

"I know this spell," I say to him, "it blocks anyone but intended people from reading the book. Meaning Philla had to enchant it for only members of her bloodline."

"Interesting," Harry says. Again someone creaks a floor board. As I look at the time I yawn.

"Well, we can talk about this later. I'm going to go crawl into Fred's bed," I say to them. Ron huffs.

"I still can't believe you've gotten with my brother," he huffs.

"You're brother has been planning mine and his wedding since fourth year. Maybe even longer," I chuckle, "let me be happy. Please?" He sighs before nodding. "Alright goodnight!"

"Night," Harry and Ron call out as I walk out and move down towards the room where the twins were staying. I walk towards Fred's bed.

"Freddie?" I call. He sits up and looks at me.

"Hey doll," he says smiling tiredly, "my mum will kill us both if she catches you in here. I shrug and toss off my jeans before climbing into the bed. "Always the risk taker," He smiles as he moves to kiss along my neck. I smirk.

"Especially with you," I say a huge smile spreads across his face as his arms curl around me. I snuggle into his chest shutting my eyes. Before I drift off I hear Fred's voice once more.

"I love you," He says barely above a whisper. Clearly, under the impression I'm asleep.

"I love you too Freddie," I say quietly as I open my eyes. I see his ears go bright red before he plants a soft kiss on my forehead.

*****

"So here's the plan okay?" I say to Harry and a horde of the Weasley children. I hand Harry a flask. "Thats your polyjuice potion. You're a Weasley cousin named Barney. Okay?" Harry and the others nod.

"What about you?" Ron asks. I take my wand and warp my features and change my hair.

"I'm Meridith, Fred's new girlfriend who he met at the shop. Okay?" I say again they nod.

"I still think you look better with purple hair," Fred chuckles as he messes with the fake ginger locks.

"Why ginger?" Ron asks me I shrug.

"I don't know I'll blend better here with Red hair," I say to them, "now scat and help get everything ready before Molly and Fleur kill me for keeping you all too long." They scatter except Ginny and Fred. Ginny, Gabrielle, and I were bridesmaids. "Fred?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about last night," He says. I look to Ginny and nod.

"I'll walk with you to the marquee," I say he nods and takes my hand as we walk away from his sister. As we get outside he sighs.

"You meant it right? What you said?" He asks nervously. I smile as I stop and reach up to place my hand on his cheek.

"Of course Fred, I love you," I say to him. He smiles brightly as he looks down at me.

"I love you too," He says before he crashes his lips into mine. It was sweet and passionate. As he deepens the kiss we could hear his mother off in the distance yelling my name. I pull back and sigh.

"Guess thats my cue to go get my dress on," I say to him. He nods. And I wave before running off to the room where Fleur and the others were getting ready. Once I get upstairs my dress is tossed at me.

"You're late," Molly says angrily I smile at her.

"Sorry," I say as I replace my jumper and jeans with the soft gold dress. As I get it on Molly attacks my hair fixing it up quickly. "Ow ow ow Molly ow!"

"Sorry dear," She says as a fat old lady walks into the room. Immediately spewing insults left and right as she gives Fleur the crown Molly asked her for at the end of the last term. As she gets to me she scoffs.

"Is this another Weasley? Jeez, you people can't stop," She scoffs. I smile politely.

"Actually I'm not. I'm Fred's girlfriend. Merideth," I say as I offer my hand to her she doesn't take it.

"That nasty boy?" She huffs, "suits a pathetic girl like you." I grit my teeth together as she walks away. I heard she was unpleasant but damn. As we finish up I smirk at Ginny.

"Damn Ginny," I say as I look to her, "lookin fine."

"Same to you," She says as she looks over me. "I assume it'd look good with your actual appearance."

"Wish I could," I chuckle, "but according to my letter to Hogwarts and to your parents I'm staying in America now."

"Nice lie," She says, "how is America?"

"Boring," I sigh, "but it works out. The ministry isn't going to go through the trouble and if they do we have a ghoul at the manor there for me." As I finish talking we get pulled around and ushered out to the marquee. As we stand at the beginning blocking Fleur from the guests I see Fred standing up at the altar with Bill and Charlie. All looking rather nice.

"Alright, we can go," Ginny whispers to me. I nod and Her, Gabriella, and I walk down to the aisle. As we stand on the opposite side of the boys in the correct order I see Fleur now walking towards us. Everyone's eyes were on the dazzling blonde. Her and Bill's smiles light up the whole crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a slightly singsong voice says. It was the same man who was at Dumbledore's funeral. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls..." My eyes skim across the crowd. I see Harry and Ron. Then George, behind him Hermione.

"Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle...?"

I smile at George as he looks up at me and smirks.

"...then I declare you bonded for life." The tufty-haired wizard waves his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiraling around their now entwined figures. As Fred and George lead a round of applause, the golden balloons overhead bust: Birds of paradise and tiny golden bells fly and float out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din. "Ladies and gentlemen!" the tufty-haired wizard calls. "If you would please stand up!" The seats on which they had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanishes, so that they stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the center of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the golden-jacketed band trooped toward a podium.

"That was pretty great," I say as Fred approaches me with his twin.

"Yeah," He says, "When we get married, we won't be bothering with any of this nonsense. Everyone can all wear what they like, and I'll put a full Body-Bind Curse on Mum until it's all over.

"A, We? Confident aren't we. B, that's not happening I want a proper wedding," I say to Fred who rolls his eyes while his twin chuckles. As the band starts Fleur and Bill start dancing, then Arthur and Madam Declour, then Molly and Mr. Declour. "How lovely," I smile.

"Wanna dance?" George asks getting a glare from his brother.

"Of course," I say offering my hand to him. He takes it and pulls me onto the dance floor. As we spin around with the other pairs he looks at me and smiles.

"Fred's very happy with you ya know," George says, "been waiting for this for years." I smile and look back to my boyfriend.

"I just wish the situations were different," I sigh, "if anything happens I must leave."

"What will you do with Fred?" He asks.

"I've left a notebook wrapped for him on my bed," I say to George, "I have the connecting one. It will allow me to be able to have direct contact with him."

"And if anyone other than us finds out about it?" George asks.

"Burn it. No matter what your brother says," I say to him, "don't let anyone but him get ahold of it. Promise?"

"I promise," George says. As we stop dancing. He hands me off to Fred who eagerly starts to lead. As we move along he looks around happily.

"What's on your mind, Fred?" I ask him.

"A lot's happening," He says, "its weird. I have to remind myself that you're you."

"I know," I chuckle, "it's weird to see my reflection like this." As he twirls me I feel happier than I have in a bit.

"You know my mother actually really likes us together," Fred says as he peaks over at his mother. I look and see her smiling at us.

"Maybe she just wants me in the family," I say to him, "I'm pretty great."

"Maybe she thinks you'll mellow me out," Fred chuckles, "get me to settle down into family life."

"Maybe I will," I say to him.

"Maybe," He says. I smirk. But something before my eyes distracts me.

"Fred," I say in panic causing him to pull me closer to him as we look. A bright silver lynx lands in the middle of the dance floor. As its mouth opens it speaks in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

"Shit," I say as people start to disapparte. I pull Fred towards me and kiss him quickly then pull him into a hug. "It's time for me to go. I'm sorry. I love you."

"I love you too," He says sadly. He hands me a picture and I stuff it into my bag before running off to Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

"Y/n!" Hermione yells. I grab her arm and all of us apparate quickly with a loud pop. I look on sadly as the burrow disappears from our sight. As we land we could still see people around us.

"Where are we?" Ron asks voice.

"Tottenham Court Road," pants Hermione. "Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change." We follow the orders and move down the line of shops and pubs. The muggles around us ogle at the sight of us. Harry, Ron, and I were still wearing dress robes.

"Hermione, we haven't got anything to change into," Ron tells her, as a young woman bursts into raucous giggles at the sight of him.

"Why didn't I make sure I had the Invisibility Cloak with me?" Harry says, "All last year I kept it on me and—"

"It's okay, I've got the Cloak, I've got clothes for both of you," Hermione says. "Just try and act naturally until—this will do." She leads us into an alley. Once we get in the alley far enough I reach into my bag and pull out my clothes.

"When you say you've got the Cloak, and clothes..." Harry says, frowning at Hermione, who was carrying nothing except her small beaded handbag, in which she was now rummaging.

"Yes, they're here," Hermione says pulling out the belonging for the boys.

"How the ruddy hell—?"

"Undetectable Extension Charm," Hermione says. "Tricky, but I think I've done it okay; anyway, I managed to fit everything we need in here."

"I have some things too, quite a bit of potions and such," I say as I pull off my dress robes. Ron and Harry quickly look away ad I roll my eyes. "If that's how you two are gonna act then this is going to go so much harder then it should."

"Oh, damn, that'll be the books," Hermione says, peering into her bag, "and I had them all stacked by subject... Oh well... Harry, you'd better take the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, hurry up and change..."

"When did you do all this?" Harry asks as Ron stripped off his robes. I pull on my jeans and sweatshirt and replace my heels with some converse.

"I told you at the Burrow, We've had the essentials packed for days, you know, in case we needed to make a quick getaway. I packed your rucksack this morning, Harry, after you changed, and put it in here... We just had a feeling..."

"We needed to be prepared for anything," I say to them.

"You're both amazing, you guys are," Ron says, handing Hermione his bundled-up robes.

"Thanks," I say as I tuck the necklace Draco gave me under my clothes.

"Thank you," Hermione says, managing a small smile as she pushed the robes into the bag. "Please, Harry, get that Cloak on!" Harry throws the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and pulls it up over his head, vanishing from sight.

"The others—everyone at the wedding—"

"We can't worry about that now," whispers Hermione. "It's you they're after, Harry, and we'll just put everyone in even more danger by going back."

"I'll ask Fred later but right now we aren't safe," I say to them, "but the people at the wedding most likely are."

"She's right," Ron says "Most of the Order was there, they'll look after everyone."

"Yeah," Harry says.

"Come on, I think we ought to keep moving," Hermione says. We move back to the main road.

"Just as a matter of interest, why Tottenham Court Road?" Ron asks Hermione.

"I've no idea, it just popped into my head, but I'm sure we're safer out in the Muggle world, it's not where they'll expect us to be."

"True," Ron says, looking around, "but don't you feel a bit—exposed?"

"Where else is there?" asks Hermione, I cringe as the men across the street start wolf-whistling at her and I. "We can hardly book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, can we? And Grimmauld Place is out if Snape can get in there... I suppose we could try my parents' house, though I think there's a chance they might check there... Oh, I wish they'd shut up!"

"All right, darling?" the drunkest of the men on the other pavement was yelling. "Fancy a drink? Ditch ginger and come and have a pint!"

"Let's sit down somewhere," Hermione says hastily as Ron opened his mouth to shout back across the road. "Look, this will do, in here!" She leads us into a small shabby cafe. It was greasy and gross. So I pile into the booth with the others.

"You know, we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Charing Cross—"

"Ron, we can't!" Hermione says at once.

"Not to stay there, but to find out what's going on!"

"We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?"

"Okay, okay, it was just an idea!" The gum-chewing waitress shuffles over and Hermione ordered three cappuccinos. A pair of burly workmen enters the café and squeezes into the next booth. Hermione drops her voice to a whisper.

"I say we find a quiet place to Disapparate and head for the countryside. Once we're there, we could send a message to the Order."

"Can you do that talking Patronus thing, then?" asks Ron.

"I've been practicing and I think so," Hermione says.

"Well, as long as it doesn't get them into trouble, though they might've been arrested already. God, that's revolting," Ron adds after one sip of the foamy, grayish coffee.

"Let's get going, then, I don't want to drink this muck," Ron says. "Hermione, have you got Muggle money to pay for this?"

"Yes, I took out all my Building Society savings before I came to the Burrow. I'll bet all the change is at the bottom," sighs Hermione, reaching for her beaded bag. The men move to reach for their wands and I do the same. Ron follows suit.

"Stupfey!" We all scream.

Expulso!" bellows the Death Eater, and the table behind which Harry was standing blew up.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione screams as I duck behind the table. The man falls into the glass china shattering it.

"D-diffindo," she says, Ron roars in pain. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ron, my hand's shaking! Diffindo!" We stand as the death eaters were out.

"I should've recognized him, he was there the night Dumbledore died," Harry says while I use my wand to repair the building around us.

"That's Dolohov," Ron says. "I recognize him from the old wanted posters. I think the big one's Thorfinn Rowle."

"Never mind what they're called!" Hermione says a little hysterically. "How did they find us? What are we going to do?"

"Lock the door," Harry orders her, "and Ron, turn out the lights." Ron plunges the cafe into darkness as Hermione locks the door.

"What are we going to do with them?" Ron whispers to Harry through the dark; then, even more quietly, "Kill them? They'd kill us. They had a good go just now."

"We just need to wipe their memories," Harry says. "It's better like that, it'll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it'd be obvious we were here."

"You're the boss," Ron says, sounding profoundly relieved. "But I've never done a Memory Charm."

"Nor have I," Hermione says, "but I know the theory." She takes a deep breath before hitting the one with the spell.

"I'll clean this mess up," I say to them as they nod. I finish repairing the cafe. Soon it was back to the condition we walked into.

"It's no wonder I can't get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans, they're tight," Ron says.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," hisses Hermione, and as she drags the waitress out of sight of the windows. I move the death eaters back into the booth.

"But how did they find us?" Hermione asks, looking from one inert man to the other. "How did they know where we were? You—you don't think you've still got your Trace on you, do you, Harry?"

"He can't have," Ron says. "The Trace breaks at seventeen, that's Wizarding law, you can't put it on an adult."

"As far as you know," Hermione says. "What if the Death Eaters have found a way to put it on a seventeen-year-old?"

"He hasn't been near a death eater since it should have broken," I say as we finish everything up.

"If I can't use magic, and you can't use magic near me, without us giving away our position—" he begins.

"We're not splitting up!" Hermione says firmly.

"We need a safe place to hide," Ron says. "Give us time to think things through."

"We have to get somewhere out of the public eye. We pose a serious threat to the muggles around us," I say to them, "think carefully."

"Grimmauld Place," Harry says. Hermione and Ron gasp.

"Don't be silly, Harry, Snape can get in there!"

"Ron's dad said they've put up jinxes against him—and even if they haven't worked," he presses on as Hermione began to argue, "so what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape!"

"But—"

"Its the best chance we have Hermione," I say to them, "we have to stop now. And if it comes to it. We can take him alone." The arguing stops. Hermione unlocks the door as Ron returns the light and I lift the spell of off the people around us. We huddle together and disappear into the air. Seconds later we were in the familiar square to get inside the house.

"I think somebody's been in here," Hermione whispers, pointing towards a knocked down umbrella stand.

"That could've happened as the Order left," Ron murmurs back.

"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asks.

"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" suggests Ron.

"Or maybe they are farther into the house," I say as I pull my wand back out.

"Well, we can't stay here forever," Harry says, and he takes a step forward.

"Severus Snape?" Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispers out of the darkness, making all of us jump.

"We're not Snape!" croaks Harry before something. Cold air shoots as our tounges shoot and twist back.

"That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue-Tying Curse Mad-Eye set up for Snape!" Hermione says weakly.

"Be careful," I whisper. As we step forward a tall dark figure rushes towards us. The warped dead body of Albus Dumbledore.

"No!" Harry shouts, "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you—" The figure explodes while Mrs. Black screams loudly.

"It's all r-right... It's g-gone..." Ron says to Hermione.

"Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonor, taint of shame on the house of my fathers—"

"SHUT UP!" Harry bellows, using his wand to shut the curtains.

"That... that was..." Hermione whimpers, as Ron helps her to her feet.

"Yeah," Harry says, "but it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape."

"Before we go any farther, I think we'd better check," whispers Hermione, and she raises her wand and says, "Homenum revelio." As nothing happens I step forward.

"Well, you've just had a big shock," Ron says kindly. "What was that supposed to do?"

"It did what I meant it to do!" Hermione says rather crossly. "That was a spell to reveal human presence, and there's nobody here except us!"

"And old Dusty,"Ron says. I walk ahead of them. I light the old gas lamps while they follow behind me. Ron goes to the windows as I sit down. Anxiousness filling my chest.

"Can't see anyone out there," he reports. "And you'd think, if Harry still had a Trace on him, they'd have followed us here. I know they can't get in the house, but—what's up, Harry?" Harry gives a loud cry of pain.

"What did you see?" Ron asks, advancing on Harry. "Did you see him at my place?"

"No, I just felt anger—he's really angry—"

"But that could be at the Burrow," Ron says loudly. "What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?"

"No, I just felt anger—I couldn't tell—"

"Your scar, again? But what's going on? I thought that connection had closed!" Hermione says.

"It did, for a while," mutters Harry, "I—I think it's started opening again whenever he loses control, that's how it used to—"

"But then you've got to close your mind!" Hermione says shrilly, "Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember—"

"Yeah, I do remember, thanks," Harry says.

"I'm reteaching you Occlumency," I say harshly, "we're closing this connection now!" Hermione shrieks again and as I look back I see the silver weasel.

"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched," It says in Arthur's voice then disappears. Ron falls onto the couch while I nervously drop the charms across my face to return to normal.

"They're all right, they're all right!" she whispers, and Ron half laughs and hugs her.

"Harry," he says over Hermione's shoulder, "I—"

"It's not a problem," Harry says, "It's your family, 'course you're worried. I'd feel the same way." My mind drifts to Fred and the others. They were as close as a family as I would get. "I do feel the same way."

"I don't want to be on my own. Could we use the sleeping bags I've brought and camp in here tonight?" Hermione says.

"Come on," I say to her, "get them." She pulls them out and I help set everything up. As I reach for some blankets in my bag I accidentally pull the notebook out. I smile as I take a quill and some ink out and scribble a note out.

Freddie, we're fine. Found a place to stay.

Perfect Doll. Be safe. I'll be waiting to see you again.

As I close the notebook half-heartedly and sigh.

"I'm going to bed," I say to Ron and Hermione as I curl up in the furthest sleeping bag. "Goodnight."

"Oh night," Hermione says.

"Night," Ron says. As I clutch the notebook tightly I start to fall asleep.

The dark courtroom at the ministry appears around me. I look cautiously as I see Umbridge standing above everyone else. Saying something but I couldn't hear. I could tell the focus was on her. As I get closer I can see a locket extremely similar to the one we had. Umbridge has a horcruex!