* * *

Fred took Catina out into the garden that evening, no words shared between them before he did so. He sat them down on some partially eroded garden chairs and watched as their breath tumbled out in clouds before them.

"You stress too much," Fred sliced the silence, grasping Catina's gaze whilst his eyes remained staring out in front of him.

"What?"

"You heard."

Catina scoffed, "and you do stress enough."

"We are not talking about me. We are talking about you. I get that you care a lot but you need to relax a bit otherwise you will explode and I don't want a  girlfriend that doesn't exist anymore."

She was done arguing with people. Nothing could drag her from the permanent state of tiredness she had fell into long ago. Instead, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her cheek on the caps letting her hair become a veil over her.

Fred hadn't noticed at all, he listened to her silence and continued to talk, "You told us that we shouldn't put so much pressure on Harry but you are doing exactly that to yourself! I despise seeing you tear yourself to pieces and you probably don't even realise. Do you?"

He awaited the response but knew he wasn't going to get it. "You have fought for so long but you need to learn when to pick your own battles. You don't have to fight anymore, you can let someone else do it for you. I will defend and fight for you without a second thought. I promise you that. Cat? Cat?"

Fred stroked her hair as Juno came running at his owner, pouncing and landing on the seat beside her. He nudged her elbow, her head lulling to the side and Fred saw a tear run down her cheek. Taking her face in his hands, he pulled her into his chest. Juno hissed at him and clambered onto Catina's lap, nursing her himself despite Fred's efforts too.

Catina cradled her cat, she ran her nimble fingers through the soft fur, nuzzling behind his ears as he purred back at her.

"I'm tired, Fred," she whispered, her eyes staring into Juno's. The cat looked at her lovingly, not liking the fact she was sad.

Fred nodded his head, "I know, kitten, I know," he hushed and kissed her forehead, "why don't we get you inside so you can nap?"

"I'd rather be out here."

"Why?"

"Everything is too small in there."

Ready to defend his family home, Fred clenched his jaw until a voice spoke up behind the pair. "Azkaban does that, I'm afraid. Everything becomes smaller until you feel like you can't breathe especially in a crowded place, huh?"

Sirius took a place in Catina's seat and rubbed a gentle hand on her back, his fingers brushing over the thick rooted scars that formed a tree on her back. "Sometimes it's okay," he continued, "sometimes the crowd brings comfort and warmth but other times it brings the opposite."

"Oh right," said Fred, his jaw relaxing.

Juno poked his head up and tilted it towards Sirius.

"Funny little thing, this one is," he smiled reaching out to tickle under Juno's chin, "sort of reminds me of- never mind"

"Reminds you of who?" Catina stared down at her cat, her eyes were slanted open, half-droopy and screaming for them to remain shut.

"Just an old friend, sweetheart, just some of his little quirks."

"What happened to them?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I was locked up by then."

Catina reached around and brought Sirius into a hug, engulfing Fred and Juno in the middle of it. "Well, I didn't quite expect to be caught up in a family affair when I brought you outside, Cat, but if you wouldn't mind excusing me, a certain cat has it's claws digging in where the sun doesn't shine."

The group immediately broke apart, Juno hopping onto Sirius' lap and allowing Catina to shift so that Fred could adjust himself, mumbling profanities at the pain.

"We'll leave you two alone, once more," Sirius stated, standing up and carrying Juno with him.

Once her father was gone, Catina brought Fred in for a tender kiss, "I love you, Fred."

"I love you more, kitten," he replied, stroking the last tear that fell with his thumb. "I know I odn't say it a lot but I do."

"I know. Just you being here tells me that. I know I'm a mess and tonight has been even messier but I promise I'll try and tidy myself and my life up."

"You don't need to do that. I love you for who you are and what you do. I just really wish you'd give yourself a break, even now you are stressing that your life is too messy for me. Merlin, if I was a neat freak you would not know me at all, I love mess and chaos, after all I own a joke shop."

"A soon-to-be very successful one."

"I love the faith you have in me."

"You know full damn well that your shop will be a hit!"

"I know, I just like a bit of an ego boost every so often."

"You're a twat you know that."

"I'm your twat though."

"Yeah, yeah you are."

"Sweet I get to live between your legs!"

"I-"

Fred snickered at her face shining a bright red, her mouth fell open and he couldn't get the boyish grin off of his. She shook her head and held out her hand in front of him. "You're done."