The two small bows were crouched behind the shed, one peeking around to watch for their little sister, Molly. It had been Fabian's idea to barrage their ten year old sister with snowballs and Gideon's idea to bewitch them to fly after her.
"She's coming," Fabian whispered with a nudge to Gideon.
"Ready?" Gideon asked with a glint in his blue eyes.
Nodding, Fabian responded, "Yes," then asked, "together?"
Gideon smiled toothily and replied, "Until the end."
With yells of excitement, the two brothers levitated the pile of snowballs they built while waiting for Molly to wobble outside, bundled in unnecessary layers to protect her from the cold, and sent them zooming after her. The look of sheer terror on her face when Molly saw the balls of snow fly towards her caused a scream to escape her lips.
The sound was quickly muffled by snow breaking across her face. "Mum!" she called, wasting no time in tattling on her older brothers. "They're using magic, again."
They had expected her to rat them out for a few minutes of fun but hoped their excitement wouldn't be quite so short-lived. Mrs. Prewett ran out of their backdoor and into the garden, still with her slippers on. Anger, followed by a hint of amusement, crossed her usually kind face.
"What have I told you about using magic at home?" she asked sternly, her own wand out. "Accio," she said with a sharp stab of her wand, causing the narrow sticks of wood that her sons held so dear to zoom towards her outstretched hands. "The two of you can come inside this instant and help me with supper," she called before turning to go back inside where the frosty cold couldn't reach her.
Begrudgingly, the two boys followed their mother inside. Fabian leant towards Gideon and whispered, "I didn't think it'd end quite like this."
Gideon shook his head and replied, "Neither did I."
The friendly scrimmage between Gryffindor and Slytherin had quickly descended into a volley of insults, slurs, and hexes. McLadden and Jackknife set up a match between the two teams as their ideas of an intense practice. The Prewett brothers were new to the team but very familiar with the house rivalry.
"Reckon we should try to halt the match before things get out of hand?" Fabian asked, his new prefect duties weighing on his mind.
Gideon's sharp laugh was enough of an answer. "We're in this until the end," Gideon reminded him as he zoomed by with his wand out.
"Until the end," Fabian agreed, shooting a well-aimed jinx at the Sytherin beater.
"Hey, Prewett," Puce shouted as he flew by with the quaffle. "Is that sister of yours as easy as she looks? The chubby ones-"
WHACK!
Gideon had his wand out and was causing the quaffle to fly around Puce, hitting him around the head and shoulders. "Oops, I think he was trying to say something," Gideon said with a laugh.
Swerving around an oncoming bludger, Fabian caught the quaffle as it fell from its assault on Puce. Flying at breakneck speed, he was about to score when a familiar stern voice reached them causing a sense of dread to spread through both teams.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Professor McGonagall called out, using her wand to project her voice into the starry night.
Landing just a few feet away from their head of house, the Gryffindor team exchanged guilty looks. "We were training-"
"You call that training?" she asked with a note of incredulity. "For England's aeronautic dueling club?"
"It was just a scrimmage," their seeker insisted.
"I won't hear that hogwash from you, McDowell," she said sharply. "And you, Mr. Prewett," Professor McGonagall pointed at Fabian, "I expect more out of my prefects." A stoic Fabian nodded, causing Gideon to smirk derisively. "You're all going to be reported to Professor Dumbledore for this and will lose 150 points from both houses."
The Gryffindor team's groan was quelled at a sharp look from their head of house while the Slytherin team, which was gathered behind their captain, merely scowled at the punishment. There was no doubt they'd run to Slughorn to see about a decreased punishment.
Fabian was quiet as they followed Professor McGonagall, who was lecturing the team captains on leadership and setting a good example, up to the castle. Gideon nudged his brother, raising his eyebrows, a smirk still visible on his face. "Don't say it – you didn't expect it to end like that," Fabian said dully.
"Don't be so dour," Gideon teased. "She'll let you keep your precious badge."
Gideon crawled towards his brother, wand out but not in use. Taking a seat behind the loveseat where their nephews couldn't directly see them, the Prewett brothers thought they'd have a respite from the deluge of activity and excitement that babysitting Molly's boys always brought. "I think they can smell fear," Fabian whispered as he peeked over the top of the couch.
"Nah, that's just your aftershave they're noticing," Gideon teased.
Whispers and a creaking floorboard alerted the hiding brothers that they were about to be found out. From the other side of the room, they could hear Fred and George in a low conversation with each other. "Think we found 'em," Fred said, pointing towards the other side of the room.
"Should we get Bill or take them together?" George asked in a quiet but carrying voice.
"Together," Fred decided with a mischievous grin.
Hearing their nephews, so much like themselves, plot to charge at them caused Gideon and Fabian to exchange the wickedest of grins. Their plan was formed without the need to say more than, "Until the end," as they barreled over the top of the couch, running at their nephews. The young boys looked stunned and ran out into the garden as their uncles caught up and scooped them into their arms.
"You caught us," Fred pouted as he fidgeted in Gideon's arms.
"We've had more practice," Fabian reassured his frowning nephew.
"Mostly running after your mum," Gideon said, poking Fred in the nose, eliciting a grin. Hoping that they'd be able to pick up the disaster left in the sitting room before Molly returned from running errands, Gideon and Fabian stayed outside with their protégés to give them pointers on misbehaving.
The waves were crashing not a stone's throw away but the methodical, usually soothing ocean could not distract them from this fight. The light of his patronus had just left to tell Moody of their predicament when Fabian dived behind the decimated fence Gideon crouched behind.
"How did they find the cottage?" Gideon fumed as he sent a spell whizzing into the masked death eaters.
"That doesn't matter right now," Fabian snapped. "We just need to keep them at bay long enough for help to arrive."
"Are you little blood traitors afraid to show yourselves?" a taunting voice called through the night air.
Fabian went to open his mouth but Gideon stayed him by shaking his head. "They're trying to find us," he whispered.
"We know you're here," a deeper, raspy voice bellowed. "I suppose we can always check to see if you're hiding under your sister's skirts – that mudblood lover she married deserves a visit."
Gideon lost some of the color in his face at this threat. He thought of his sister and nephews, knowing that neither he nor his brother could bear the thought them in danger. Silence echoed around them as a choice became clear – hide in the safety of the night's darkness or fight an already lost battle.
Both of them knew hiding wasn't an option, not with so much on the line. Rather they exchanged a look, a farewell of sorts as Gideon said, "Together," in a low voice.
"Until the end," Fabian replied with a faint smile.