TWO

THE REST OF THE YEAR took a dramatic turn. Everyone learned Ginny Weasley was behind all the Chamber nonsense... well, partially. She had been possessed by You-Know-Who. The girl was so young, yet she had gone through something so dark. Rory tried her best to be gentle with her for the rest of the school year and act as the sister she didn't have. The rest of the school went back to normal quickly as those who were petrified could leave the hospital wing. It was a scary few months. However, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley saved the day as they always did (with help from Hermione Granger, of course, despite being petrified). As a result, Hogwarts stayed open, Lockhart was fired after a spell mishap, and Gryffindor won the house cup. Most importantly, exams were canceled.

The train ride back home was full of Rory, the twins, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione using up all the magic they could before summer began. Rory soaked up all the time she could with her friends before she could see them again.

"Rory... My birthday's a few weeks before school starts... I would really like it if you came and celebrated with us." Ginny said shyly.

"Of course I'll go, Ginny!" Rory smiled.

"We'll write you all summer, don't worry," George said.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys." She said, looking down at her hands.

Fred put a hand on Rory's shoulder. "We'll miss you too. The summer will fly by though! Before you know it, we'll be back on this train, able to use magic again."

The rest of the train ride was nothing short of entertaining. Ginny exposed Percy while Fred, George, and Rory pretended to be shocked. They couldn't let anyone knowing how they'd found out. Now that Ginny outed him, Rory knew Fred and George weren't going to hold back in tormenting him.

But then the train reached the station, and it was time to go.

Every day soon melted into the same. Nothing to set apart one from the other. The only thing she looked forward to was writing the twins and the hope of seeing them at the end of the summer. She couldn't wait to be at the Burrow. She longed for Mrs. Weasley's cooking and spending her days playing Quidditch in the yard and her nights by the fire. Rory's London summers were nothing like the Burrow.

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HOME. HOME WAS TO RORY, not a place, but a feeling. The funny thing was, her actual home never felt like one. It was like the floor was littered with broken glass and one wrong step would cause nothing but blinding pain. Rory's dad left when she was only five. When you're five, your perception of the world is much different. It's a lot brighter than when you're fifteen. There's a certain magic to childhood, a certain hope. Because when you're five, you think your father is going to come back and your mother will stop crying every night as your baby brother tries to sleep. Being fifteen teaches you that's not the case.

Rory didn't really remember what her father looked like. All she knew was he looked like her. Dark brown hair and brown eyes. A round face with a dimpled smile. Sometimes she wished she could just take a potion and look more like her mother. Her mother was beautiful. Blonde hair that was usually thrown up in a messy bun and tired eyes. She had a good heart. Rory saw that with how she acted towards her brother. She took care of Rory. And she worked hard to support them. But sometimes money wasn't everything. Sometimes the non-tangible things were more important.

Her younger brother, Aaron, looked like their mother. He acted like her, too. Maybe because he never met his father and didn't know another way. But Rory knew what it was like to have a father. Her father was loud, whether he was laughing or shouting, he was loud. He wasn't stern like a parent, perhaps because he shouldn't have been one. Maybe that's why he decided one day he didn't want to be anymore.

But Rory's mother, Christine Archer, had no choice. She was a mother, but to Rory, she was not a mum.

"Aurora," her mother said, "You have to take your brother shopping for his... school supplies."

"Please, call me Rory. And of course I'll take him. Wouldn't want him to be all on his own like I was." She mumbled.

Christine glared, "I'm not calling you Rory, that's rubbish. What's wrong with Aurora? It's the name I gave you and it's lovely."

"I like Rory, it's what all my friends call me." She defended.

"Well, I'm not your friend, am I?"

Rory took a deep breath and proceeded, "I've been invited to Fred and George's sister's birthday party. And they said I could stay at their home for the rest of the summer. They get back from their holiday on the twenty-fourth, so I'll be leaving sometime around then. Just letting you know."

"Fine." Saying nothing more, her mother left for work, leaving Rory alone with her younger brother, who was still asleep.

Now it was Rory's job to make sure he woke up and ate his meals. The house was quiet. Rory didn't like quiet. After visiting the Burrow the summer before, she learned what home truly felt like, and that home was never silent. The quiet sound of the TV was the only thing filling the space. Rory saw the news was on.

It was another story about Sirius Black, an escaped felon. George had written to her earlier in the summer about him. He was a wizard, so when he started getting on Muggle news, Rory knew it was serious. Every time he was on the television or in the paper, Christine would get very upset. It worried her that someone so dangerous was out there in Rory's and Aaron's world. Christine hated the fact that they went to Hogwarts to begin with and a murderer on the loose didn't help. It scared Rory too, but after the past two years at Hogwarts, she was used to that danger. Almost desensitised.

She sighed and watched the clock, waiting for it to change to the next minute. One more minute closer to being with Fred and George.

The silence was interrupted by the chirping of an owl at her window. Rory suddenly smiled widely and got up. She recognised the owl immediately as the Weasley family's.

The small bird had a letter with Rory's name on it. With handwriting she knew belonged to Fred Weasley covering the parchment.

Dear Rory,

Our trip to Egypt would be a lot better if you were here. Nobody understands our humor except you. It's awful. Ginny can't wait to have a proper birthday party with cake and presents, although I wouldn't mind celebrating in another country. We think maybe she's secretly excited to see you. George says he hopes you're well. He's behind me right now, a bit pissed I'm not letting him write this one. Maybe next time, George. I can't wait to come home. I love Egypt and seeing Bill, but nothing beats summer at the Burrow. Have you heard about Sirius Black? Dad says it's gotten to Muggle news, so I hope your mum isn't freaking out. She probably is. George says to tell Aaron we say hi and we can't wait to have him up at school this term. If he's not Gryffindor, you're going to have to disown him, I'm sorry to say. Anyway, we hope you're safe and well, and we can't wait to see you again soon.

Your love,
Freddie

Rory smiled as her eyes danced around the parchment. Each word giving her more and more joy. She missed Fred and George and their infectious laughter. Being with them made her see the world like she did when she was five: bright and welcoming.

She eagerly wrote back, but with pen and paper, not parchment and quill.

Dear Freddie, my love (and George!),

Tell Ginny I said happy birthday and I can't wait to celebrate with her. Can't believe she's already twelve. I'll be sure to get something extra special for her at Diagon Ally today, especially after the year she's had. I'm going to get Aaron's school supplies with him. I hope he's Gryffindor too, but I fear he might be a Ravenclaw. He's a lot more clever than I am. I don't think he's very excited to go to Hogwarts. My mum has been making it seem miserable, especially with the news of Sirius Black, so hopefully, seeing the castle will change his mind. It's awful here. I really miss the both of you and I hope Egypt is wonderful. I hope to travel the world someday. There's so much of it to see. You two behave yourselves, okay? I know without me you're a bit more reckless. I'll see you very soon and I send your family my love.

Love, Rory

"Here you go." She said to the owl, placing it in his talons. She heard the ring of Aaron's alarm clock from up the steps and for a second she remembered where she was. The girl sighed and went up the stairs, knowing his alarm wouldn't suffice and he'd sleep till noon if she wasn't there to wake him. Being a big sister was a role Rory played well. She felt she took on that part in all aspects of her life. It was what she did best. Taking care of others was important to Rory, because she knew what it felt like to lack a nurturing spirit by her side.