"Cundrie, can we talk?"

"We're in the middle of a war, we can't afford a distraction."

It's time to wait for Harry's signal, which means Cundrie is stuck with Ron and Ginny. And she'd much rather be stuck an undesirable in a shack than this. Both Ron and Ginny kept trying to talk to Cundrie, both of whom she kept ignoring. They don't deserve her heart, she gave them for so many years yet they've wasted it. Why should she give them as much as her ears, now? She could be listening to much more worthy things, like Harry's signal.

"We're sorry," Ginny said. Cundrie's eyes glanced at their sister but didn't say anything. "We should've fought against our parents for you. Our silence means complicit, I just understood now. Please forgive us, Cundrie."

"We were so mean to you before, I never thanked you for congratulating me on becoming a prefect," Ron continued. "The one 'good' thing I did was suggest Mum and Dad listen to what you have to say when you were kicked out, and it's not good enough. I'm so sorry."

"Don't say it if you don't mean it-" Cundrie glared.

"I do mean it!" Ron defended himself, then looked around to lower his voice. "I mean it. We mean it. We're sorry we didn't stand up for you. Mum-"

"Mustn't have cared, must she?"

"She has been punishing herself after the disastrous Christmas," Ginny answered. Cundrie swallowed their saliva. "If you don't want to forgive us, that's up to you. We are at fault, we're the ones who hurt you. But she's regretful of what she said, she's not the same after you left."

"Neither is Dad," Ron interrupted. Cundrie turned to face her little brother who's grown as tall as she has. "Not a day pass where Mum or even I don't hear Dad crying, blaming himself for driving you out. He did, we know, but maybe consider coming back. Your departure is killing us. If they don't change this time, I'll help you sever the ties completely."

"Harry said to come down-" Neville suddenly said from the door of Room of Requirement. "The war has begun."

"Let's go-" Cundrie hurriedly left Ron and Ginny, finding Marcus who is with Penelope, both watching Cundrie from afar.

"The war has started, let's go-" Cundrie said. Both Marcus and Penelope nodded as they began to leave the Room of Requirement, heading down for the Great Hall in a hurry. There, Cundrie sees the rest of the Weasleys, their 'family'.

"Cundrie!" Fred called, but Cundrie ignored him as they tried to keep on running away. A pair of big rough hands stopped them on their tracks, Marcus' hands.

"What?" Cundrie grit her teeth, still looking away. Marcus looked up at Cundrie, making her face him.

"Let them talk, they probably have changed this time," Marcus said, rubbing Cundrie's shoulders soothingly. "You don't have to say anything, you don't have to forgive them. Let them crawl back to you. If they haven't changed, I'll still be here." Cundrie sighed but nodded, facing them again.

"P- Cundrie-" this time, Arthur appears in front of her. There's nothing that Cundrie wants to do more than cast the killing curse on herself, but that's not a viable option, is it? Her Annie still needs her, she can't go see Annie again if she casts the killing curse on herself.

Not that she'll live, probably.

"What?" Cundrie asked in a low voice, masking the fear in their voice with disinterest. Both Arthur and Molly walks closer, now.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said. Cundrie rolled her eyes to further fake disinterest. "I'm truly sorry. I shouldn't have said the awful things that we said, I was bigoted and I was wrong. I admit I don't fully understand this whole bigender thing, but I've tried to understand and I'm willing to learn more."

"Me too, Cundrie," Molly added. Cundrie looked down, not saying anything. "I'm sorry for accusing your gender identity on false friends. It hurts me when you left and I was so excited when you came back that I forgot to make you feel like my daughter. I don't understand this whole bigender thing too, but same with your father, I've tried to understand and I'm willing to learn more."

"We're not here to have a hug fest, we're here to fight in a war and that's what we'll do," Cundrie said with a stoic voice, puffing her chest. Charlie bit his tongue.

"Cundrie-"

"Last year, Marcus and I made a safehouse for Muggleborns and we found 165 of them. 120 of them will fight with us today," Cundrie continued like they've never been interrupted, gesturing to the Muggleborns. Bill widened his eyes, 120. That's a lot.

"You've been busy, Ms Weasley," Remus said, beside him a young woman with bubblegum pink hair that they remember her as Nymphadora Tonks, Charlie's close friend back in Hogwarts. Cundrie cleaned the lenses of her glasses.

"Well, what are all these additional manpower for if we don't fight, now?" Cundrie asked, ignoring their parents with dread in her heart, remembering that disastrous night. She can never forget. Never. "Let's go. What's the plan?"

"Marcus, can you command your volunteers to help me put protective charms around Hogwarts?" Filius Flitwick, Cundrie's charms teacher back in Hogwarts requested. Marcus nodded.

"Everyone, get to wherever you can that leads to the Hogwarts sky!" Marcus ordered, his wand pointing at his throat again. "Cast protective spells around Hogwarts, the incantations are 'protego horriblis', 'fianto duri', and 'repello inimicum'. Let's go! Quietus." Marcus puts his wand down.

"C'mon, Dri," Penelope held their hand, tugging them so they'd go with her. Cundrie glanced at Marcus who gave them a nod, letting them go. With no more second thought, Cundrie left with Penelope to the Quidditch field.

"Protego horriblis," Cundrie cast. A white jet of light bloomed skyward from her wand. "Fianto duri. Repello inimicum," She chanted over and over.

"Now we wait."