Even his approach takes a second to register, she's so caught up in the feeling of being hollowed out, of being reduced to almost fucking nothing, just like she was before, and this can't be happening again. But finally she hears his voice and turns to him, expression as empty as she feels, and then he just, he fucking goofs, just completely loses it in front of her, like they're kids again and she just sat her own ass on fire. Like this wasn't the worst thing to happen to her in a decade, like they're not way more screwed with both their magic on the blink than previously thought, what the fuck?

And all of that builds in the face of his hysterics until she can't stand still anymore and she drops the wand and just straight up tackles him to the ground, but even as they're going down in a tangle of limbs the sound of her brother's laughter shakes something loose in her, fills up the emptiness completely and now she's laughing too, great big whoops even as she halfheartedly tries to pull his ear. "You, you horrible clown!" she wails through tears and fondness. "I can't believe I spent all this time trying-- reaching out to you! Should've stuck with Merle!"