for the one i love ; fred weasley

chapter 23

NARRATOR'S POV

"The next time I see Lucius Malfoy - doesn't matter when or where - I'm breaking his nose," mutters Sirius under his breath, making Carina chuckle. She's laying her head on his lap while Remus makes popcorn for the three of them. Sirius touches her cheekbone softly, not liking the way the bruise sits upon it. It's been about a week, so instead of being blue, it's now a light shade of green.

After two weeks of being with them, she already feels like this small, simple flat in the middle of Muggle London is more her home than Malfoy Manor ever was. It's warm, there's light and, most importantly, there's two people that love her. Everything is so easy with Sirius and Remus, she feels like she can be herself around them and not get in trouble for that. They feed her three times a day, let her eat between meals, they don't even force her to do homework when she's tired. Let alone train now that she's not feeling up to it. It's all so new, and yet she's the most comfortable she's ever been.

One of the first things Remus did was give her one of his old wands. The wand wasn't perfect, though it did respond to her, she didn't use it a lot, and decided this would be good for her to practice wandless magic. So far, she's able to Accio small objects, which is always fun. Sirius told her she could go to Ollivanders once she got to Hogwarts, he'd send her money from Gringotts, which he still has because of an Uncle that died and left it to him. It's a lot, apparently. Not that Carina cares. Even if the wand had been replaced, the loss of her own still hurt her deeply. It came as a surprise when Sirius and Remus validated those feelings instead of forcing them away. "How dare he hurt you like that? And why wouldn't you mention it to me when we met?"

A sigh leaves Carina's lips as she awkwardly shrugs in that position, "Because you had other things to worry about - even now, worrying about what happened to me shouldn't be a priority... That was just something I dealt with on my own, I knew I would be fine," says the green eyed girl, staring up at her dad's face.

"Fine? You think getting tortured at sixteen years of age by your father figure as a form of blackmailing your brother is fine?" Sirius retorts with a frown on his face.

"You're one to talk," comes Moony's voice, tone slightly mocking as he points out the irony of the situation. They both turn to look at the former Professor, who is walking out of the small kitchen and into the living room, where they would watch a movie together. Sirius blushes a light shade of red as Moony sits beside him, draping his arm over his shoulder. "'S not fun when you care about the person that suffers, isn't it?"

Sirius huffs, crossing his arms across his chest in a childish manner. "Well, this is our daughter we're talking about! No one gets to lay a finger on her and live to tell it!" Carina's heart grows twice its size at his words, she's sure. She can't remember the last time she felt this loved by a parent. It's everything she's ever dreamed of. Still, her heart aches for her brother. "I could take it, look at me! I'm fine!"

"I'm fine too," Carina cuts in before Remus can say anything else.

"Neither of you are fine," says the werewolf, shaking his head in disapproval. "Both of you need to understand that you have people in your corner. People that will fight for you, no matter what." He reminds them, looking at the two of them pointedly. "And you need to let yourselves be loved! Carina, the Weasley's have been reaching out nonstop, even Cassius and Adrian began writing to me after you never replied! George mentioned Tonks in his letters. Sirius, Molly and Arthur have asked about you and they even want to tell their kids - everyone wants to be there for you both and you should let them..."

"Yes, Professor Lupin," Sirius and Carina chorus, offering Remus innocent grins. As Remus looks over at them, he can't help but relish on their likeness, which is not only physical, but also emotional and intellectual. The way they handle themselves is so inherently similar, it scares him to a certain point.