four; JUST A SEVERE DISLIKE

Immediately upon seeing the man, Lennon sunk low in her chair where her foot accidentally connected with someone's shin. As Sirius jumped in surprise at the impact, Lennon cringed and looked up momentarily to whisper an apology to the man as she rested her head against her hand and looked away from the door.

She was sure that Bill had seen her, but she didn't want him to know that she had seen him, not yet, and so she continued to stare hard at the grain pattern of the wood while tracing it softly with her hand.

She grimaced when she made eye contact with Prudence, who chuckled softly at the look on her sister's face as Molly Weasley greeted her son with a hug before they both took their seats, and Albus Dumbledore stopped at the head of the table. But he didn't sit, only placing both of his weathered hands on the back of the chair as he regarded the group who sat around the table.

"Thank you all for being here." He greeted softly, "It is a better turnout than I had originally anticipated, and while still disappointing, we have a lot of work to do."

Lennon made eye contact with Sirius across the table, and he smiled assuringly at her upon seeing the nervous look on her face.

"Lord Voldemort has returned." Many winced at the name, Lennon included, but she squared her shoulders and did her best not to look as scared as she felt, "Minister Fudge refuses to accept that fact, and he has taken to slandering both my name and Harry Potter's in the papers because of it."

"Why?" Lennon's heart leapt to her throat at the voice she had once upon a time shared early morning and later night whispers with, "What does he gain by denying this?"

"Popularity." Dumbledore answered in a simple tone, "Alongside the fact that he would lose his place as Minister if–"

"That's stupid." Lennon exclaimed, and she winced upon realising that she had interrupted the Headmaster, "Sorry, sir. But if Fudge believed you and supported Harry Potter, he'd have countless supporters, but he'd more than likely be shoved out of office if and when it's out that V-V-Voldemort has returned."

"Indeed, Mrs Winslow." Lennon did not dare look across the room and continued to look directly at Dumbledore, "You are absolutely correct, though Cornelius does not see it that way. It is silly, I agree."

Lennon found herself sinking lower in her seat when she felt multiple sets of eyes on her. Sirius laughed quietly at her reddening face as she smiled nervously.

"Before we get into exactly why I wish to reform the Order of the Phoenix, I would like to explain to those of you who don't yet know of young Sirius Black's innocence," Dumbledore explained, gesturing to the man who had been avoiding gazes more than Lennon had.

"Figured it would have been obvious." Sirius muttered bitterly, "Considering you haven't stunned me for being here and that this is my house which I offered up as headquarters."

Remus nudged his friend warningly, and Lennon turned her attention to the Headmaster as he got to the point and began to explain that the Potter's had switched Secret Keeper's at the very last minute and Peter Pettigrew was not truly dead.

Lennon listened to the crazy tale with wide eyes that darted between Dumbledore and Sirius occasionally. She witnessed the crushing guilt on his face when Dumbeldore spoke of Sirius believing himself to be an obvious choice and having his plan lead to the murder of some of the closest people in his life.

Sure, it seemed utterly insane, but Lennon believed every single word of it, even if some still appeared to be slightly sceptical. She just had to trust in Dumbledore's word and the fact that there were three Auror's at the table who all believed the story as well.

✦❀✦

"Uh, hi Len?"

Lennon whirled around and almost froze in place at the familiar denim jacket, and for a moment, all she did was stare at the torso of the man before she took a deep breath. Slowly, she allowed her gaze to travel up.

Bill Weasley looked as handsome as he had when they were seventeen and eighteen, if not more. His clothing had more or less stayed the same, maybe a little more on the 80's rocker side, considering he was no longer a student or living with his mother. His hair was a few inches longer and tied back with a piece of green ribbon which showcased a familiar fang that dangled from his ear rather than the old chain.

Bill scratched his freckled nose awkwardly as he took in Lennon from her faded denim bell-bottoms and her thin black tank, which showcased multiple tattoos scattered across her arms, neck, hands, and chest, definitely way more than she had since he had last seen her. He watched her tap her thumb against her thigh as she shook her head, allowing a few curls to spring loose from the knot on her head.

"Hey." She greeted and winced at how high pitched her voice sounded. She cleared her throat quickly, "Hi."

Bill remembered Dumbledore referring to her as Mrs Winslow, not Ms Bradbury, and before he could stop himself, his gaze flickered to her left hand.

Surprisingly, the feeling of relief flooded him when he found no jewellery occupying her ring finger, just a few inked lines and letters he couldn't make out. He did take a massive note of the tiny tan line on the finger, however.

Lennon folded her arms over her chest, signalling her discomfort, and Bill sighed quietly, "Um, how..." He cleared his throat nervously, "How have you been?"

Lennon rose a single brow, and her lip twitched slightly. She did not smile. From the corner of her eye, she watched Bill's mother slip back into the kitchen, shooting her an unpleasant look when they locked eyes.

"Dandy." She deadpanned, shifting from one foot to the next as her mood soured, "Clearly, your Mum is still my number one fan."

Bill's eyes darted to his mother, and he frowned when he scratched his nose again, "Oh bloody hell." He muttered. Lennon almost grinned at his distaste, "I'm sorry, Len. The woman is so stuck in her ways."

She waved him off, "Don't even worry about, I have more things to worry about than my ex-f-boyfriend's mother still hating my guts."

"Come on now. Mum never hated your guys." She rose a pierced brow at the man, "It was just a severe dislike or your guts more than anything."

This time, Lennon did laugh, and when the amusement ebbed, she continued to smile up at him, her stomach twisting in a way she hadn't felt in a while.

Things with Bill Weasley were so simple before he had graduated, and even then, they stayed simple. They hadn't broken up because of love lost. No, they had dreams for lives that never overlapped. If they continued their relationship, they'd be miserable. So, they broke their own hearts when they ended things.

Her marriage to Mickey had never been as simple, even when their future plans overlapped and they wanted the same things.

Lennon found Bill to be comfortable even now after seven years of no contact with him. She'd seen Percy more in the last seven years than she'd seen Bill, which was saying something if she'd only seen the man twice.

"I thought you were in Egypt–"

"How's St. Mungo's treat–"

They spoke over one another before they both ceased speaking and shared a laugh.

"How's St. Mungo's treating you?" He asked kindly, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips when she beamed.

"Oh, it's wonderful." She gushed, "Quite literally everything I thought it would be. What about you? How's your incredibly dangerous Curse Breaking gig." She teased him, her grey eyes glinting with the memories of them spread eagle on the floor of the Ravenclaw Common Room as he told her all about how she could tell everyone how cool and dangerous her boyfriend's job was going to be.

"Just as wicked and dangerous as I told you it would be." He responded happily, and Lennon grinned. She didn't have a chance to tell him just how happy she was to see him when the door to the kitchen opened, and a group of teenagers rushed in.

"Do my eyes deceive me, Gred?"

"I don't believe they do, Forge."

Lennon laughed in delight at the sight of the twins as they crossed the floor of the kitchen and stopped mere inches from her.

"Could it be our darling Lennabella in all her glory, standing right before us?" They exclaimed in unison.

Fred and George Weasley had been in the second year when Lennon graduated, but she had known them since she was twelve, and they were havoc-wreaking six-year-olds. To see them now, seventeen if her math was correct, she was shocked.

"My favourite twins." She exclaimed in delight as they both swooped down and kissed her cheeks before stepping away and looking between her and their brother. They grinned.

"What has our darling Miss Bradbury been up to recently?" George asked. Prudence sidled up to them. She nudged Fred, who greeted her with a side hug, and a kiss to her temple.

"Uh, graduation, flat, mediwitch training, whirlwind marriage, house, marriage separation, an illegal club set to take down You-Know-Who." She listed on her fingers with an air of nonchalance. She glanced over their shoulders as they looked to Prudence as if to say, 'Is she serious?' and she gasped, "Merlin, is that little Ronald and Ginny?"

Ron waved at her excitedly from across the room as he and a girl with bushy hair conversed with Sirius. Ginny looked a bit confused but returned smiled kindly at her nonetheless.

"Yeah, they're starting fourth and fifth-year next term," Bill informed her, grinning when she groaned.

"Merlin, I'm old." She mumbled tiredly.

From Fred's side, Prudence snorted at her sister's dramatics, shooting her an amused look.

"You're nearly twenty-four, Lennon."

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lennon's love for the weasley siblings >>>> just about anything else.

thanks for reading!!

~r