I do not own Harry Potter

Written for The Golden Snitch - Prompt of the Day: (wound) snake bite

Words Without Title/ Author's note: 901

Operation: Make It Stop Crying

Her mother had said she couldn't go outside, but what five-year-old little girl listened to her mother when she wanted to do something? Especially when the little girl was the youngest spoiled child, with six older brothers.

Young Ginny ran outside as fast as her short legs could take her, darting out when no one was looking. It was a hot summer's day, the wind providing some relief as she ran down the expansive lawn belonging to the family. She quickly found a hidden away place where she could play without interruption.

Her game was going marvelously- she'd already discovered a cure to lycanthropy and made a treaty with a hidden vampire clan intent upon destroying wizard civilization- until she felt a sudden pain on her leg. A snake slithered away as she fell down, howling in fear and the sting of pain she felt.

The twins found her crying alone in the grass, clutching her leg.

"Ginny, what happened?" George asked, kneeling down next to her.

Fred then added as he took his place at his twin's side, "Mum's going crazy, we've all been looking for you."

"It was a snake!" Ginny told them between sniffles, "It bit me."

The twins exchanged a glance, seeming to hold a conversation and come to a decision. Fred stood up.

As he turned to run towards the house, Ginny wailed, "Don't tell mum! Please don't tell mum 'cause I'm not supposed to be out here!"

"I'll see if I can find Bill." Fred said, before taking off.

Meanwhile, Ginny continued to cry, George attempting to console her. "Ginny, don't cry. Fred'll get Bill, and it'll be alright."

Ginny sniffed, "But- but what if it- was poisonous?"

The idea hadn't occurred to George yet. He went several shades paler.

"It'll be okay," he said after a moment, "Bill will know what to do."

Ginny only wailed louder.

"What's going on?" came Percy's voice, "Is that Ginny?"

George looked up, "I don't know what to do, she just got bit by some snake and she won't stop crying. She won't let us get mum. Fred went to get Bill for help."

"Was it venomous?" Percy asked. George just shrugged helplessly.

Percy sat down on Ginny's other side, "Ginny, what did it look like? What color was it, did it have any special markings-"

"I don't know!" Ginny wailed, red-faced. Percy and George exchanged a glance, neither knowing what exactly to do.

Fred soon returned, Bill, Charlie, and Ron right behind him.

"What's this about a snake?" asked Bill as the newcomers observed the crying girl with a wariness that only came from experiencing the temper tantrums of a little sister that could go on for hours.
"She got bit by a snake." the twins informed him in unison.

"We really should get mum." Percy said.

"No!" screamed Ginny. All of the brothers winced.

"So what should we do?" Charlie asked, turning to Bill.

"I don't know," Bill responded, "What do you think we should do."

Charlie shrugged, "I don't know. You're the oldest."

Bill opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, "Right. I'm the adult. Damn."

"And I'm not an adult yet, so this is all you." Charlie continued, motioning to the loudly crying Ginny, the other brothers circled around her, attempting to stop the wailing.

"Percy, you know what to do about snakes, right?" Bill asked, turning to the next oldest after Charlie.

"Charlie's the one who knows about reptiles, not me!" Percy replied, "She won't even tell me what it looks like, anyway, so I don't know. Charlie can probably look at the bite and know."

Charlie argued, "I like dragons, not snakes!"

Bill sighed, hand coming to rest on his head. Ginny's cries only got louder.

"They're close enough, right?" responded Percy.

"Fred, George!" Bill called. "Can you two please get her to stop so I can think."

The twins looked at each other, then at Ginny. George hug-tackled Ginny, as Fred started tickling her.

"If you keep crying like that, you're face'll break right off!" Fred announced. Ginny's cries began turning into giggles.

"Stop, stop!" she laughed, squirming in George's hold.

"Percy, go into the house and see if you can find any of mum's books that can help- actually, even better, find her first-aid kit and see if she has anything for snake bites." Bill said, finally able to think, "Charlie, go with him and keep mum from figuring out what's going on. She'd go ballistic."

"Especially because you were the one that was supposed to keep track of Ginny," Charlie said with a grin, before him and Percy ran back for the house.

"Here Ginny, you can hold Max." Ron said, handing Ginny his prized teddy bear that the boy carried everywhere. The girl hugged the stuffed animal to her chest. Bill sat down in the grass, pulling Ginny into his lap.

To keep Ginny entertained, Fred and George began messing with Ron, using some of the prank items Bill had brought for them when he'd arrived for his visit. While Ron may not have been happy, Ginny was smiling and thankfully no longer crying. By the time Percy had returned, and proclaimed that her bite wasn't venomous, she looked ready to fall asleep.

By the time her brothers had snuck her into her room, she had fallen asleep on Bill's shoulder, exhausted from the afternoon's excitement.

Thank you for reading