IX

"I suppose those aren't onion tears," George said, trying to maintain a soft tone.

Cassiopeia turned her head to where her boyfriend had come. It was the middle of the night and everyone was already asleep, including Fleur after spending some time alone with Bill outside, to Ginny and Mrs Weasley's displeasure.

"No…" she muttered and moved a hand to clean the tears away, but her boyfriend was faster, swiping away the wetness under her right eye with his thumb.

"What's wrong?" he reached for her hand, holding it tightly. "You look a bit sad since morning."

The girl sighed.

"I miss home," she confessed. "I haven't talked to my mother since before I left Hogwarts," she felt a lump in her throat. "George…"

Cassiopeia covered her face, trying not to cry back and mentally cursing the light a few steps away from them when the place between her eyebrows pounded in pain. It hurt, it all hurt.

"Merlin, just turn this shit off," she groaned impatiently. Wasn't it enough that she couldn't control herself, now she was in physical pain just as well?

When she uncovered her eyes, her boyfriend was putting his wand back in his pocket and the place was mostly dark, except for a very dim glow from the moon coming from the window.

"Done," he whispered.

"Thank you," she said in the same tone.

George knew there was nothing he could say to soften her pain, but still wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and pulled her to sit on his lap, holding her close just as she hugged his shoulders and hid her face in the crook of his neck.

"You're not alone," he whispered, moving a hand through her soft hair and the back of her neck affectionately. "You have your aunt, and Tonks and Mr Tonks, and you have us. I've never seen you click with someone the way you've clicked with Fleur, honestly, which is good, cause mum and Ginny aren't easy on her. And you got my family. It's not the same, it'll never be, but… You're not alone."

He pressed his nose onto the top of her head and took a breath, while Cas maintained her silence, just crying silently onto his skin. She knew everything he was saying already. She could count on the Weasleys as friends and had found a family in her aunt, her husband and her cousin, but nothing could fill the space her parents and brother occupied.

Cassiopeia raised her head when they heard steps going down the stairs, but moved right back where she was earlier after her eyes fell on Bill, who seemed confused by the moonlight.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, his tone clearly worried. "Fleur said Cassiopeia hadn't come up to their room yet, she's worried something happened."

"We're just talking," George affirmed. "Privately."

If his brother said anything, she didn't hear it, and he was soon leaving again.

"I better go," she sat further back on his thighs. "We don't want more people coming down to look for us."

Her boyfriend took Cas' face in his hands, kissing her lips gently and caressing her skin with his thumbs.

"Do you want to sleep in my room?" he offered. "I'm sure Fred won't tell."

She shook her head, already drying her face with the back of a hand.

"Fleur would notice," she reminded him. "And I don't want to give your mother another reason to dislike me, I'm already becoming friends with Fleur, and she's clearly not happy with it."

He chuckled and kissed her once again before the two stood up.

"Let me know if you need anything, okay?" he stood on his tiptoes and kissed her forehead. "I'll walk you to your room."

He did so silently, and when she opened the door Fleur was still awake – sat on the bed with a book in her hand.

" Bonne nuit, " she greeted the couple, and Cas forced herself to mutter something back before closing the door as George left. "Is there anything wrong?"

The girl shook her head. Fleur was the sort of person she liked being around, but that didn't mean she trusted her enough to talk, she was still a stranger.

"It's a private subject," she said simply. "I apologise if I kept you up, I'm going to sleep now."

Fleur just nodded, closing her book and putting it under her pillow, lying down just as Cassiopeia did the same.

She closed her arms around her pillow, holding it close and suddenly wishing she had accepted George's invitation to sleep in his room. Still, Cas ignored the wanting to go after him and closed her eyes. Hopefully, tomorrow would be easier.