'Freddie?' Katie Bell whispered through parted lips. For some reason unknown to her, Katie's stormy-grey eyes refused to open and her leg throbbed with pain. Hands twitching, she realized she was lying down on something soft, like a couch or a bed. Focusing on figuring out where she was, she listened closely for anything to help her out. Faintly, in the distance, she could hear screaming, too far away to do any harm to her. Although she was sure she was safe, something was nagging at her in the back of her brain. She just couldn't remember….
"Oliver! I saw your Patronus! Are you hurt?" A voice shrieked, obviously worried. Katie winced at the sudden protruding sound, disrupting her quiet and decided that it was definitely a female voice.
"Is that… Kat! What happened? Oliver! Is she okay?" Words spilled out of the girl's mouth, almost too fast for Katie to decipher. She felt her right hand being picked up and held in a tight grip. The hand was small and cold, but still gripping onto her fiercely, willing her not to let go. The other cold hand was on Katie's neck, checking her pulse.
"Alicia, she's fine. She has a heartbeat, but faintly. Kate passed out when she got hit by a curse. Should I get Fred?" Katie could hear heavy footsteps and guessed that Oliver moved beside Alicia, to stand over herself.
"Don't bother. He would have a heart attack. If you go out there, you might not be able to get back in time anyways. I'll fix her up. Give me a minute, yeah?" As Alicia finished reassuring the Scottish man, Katie could feel a warm tingling sensation run up her leg, immediately relieving the pain. Sighing, she forced her eyes open to stare at her friends.
"Mornin', sleeping beauty." Alicia mumbled to Katie, her eyebrows crunched together, concentrating on her wand raised over Katie's foot. As she watched, a splint seemed to appear out of thin air and wrap itself securely on top of Katie's dirty jeans, circling around her ankle. When it was finished, Oliver offered a hand to help Katie up, which she gratefully accepted.
"How long have I been out?" Katie asked, while searching around for her wand. She ripped pillows off of the couch she had been lying on, and moved on to looking around on the floor nearby.
"Not too long. Maybe an hour? Either way, nothing much has happened." Alicia replied while handing Katie her wand that she found by her own foot. "No one has seen Harry, Ron or Hermione since they ran off to wherever they go off to."
"And Fred?" Katie asked, staring Alicia full in the face. She looked tired and had dirt caked into her dark hair. One single thin cut reached across her cheek and down to her chin, slightly bleeding. Katie knew she wouldn't have a problem getting rid of it: before the war Alicia was training to be a Healer. Her clothes had holes and what Katie thought were burn marks in them.
"I last saw him near the Quidditch pitch, but don't you dare go find him. We need to stick together." Oliver said firmly, while turning towards the door. "We best get back to the fight, or else all the good death eaters will be gone."
Following Oliver, the two girls made their way outside, ducking and weaving around spells and wizards.
"You're going to find Fred, aren't you?" Alicia whispered to Katie, quiet enough so Oliver wouldn't hear.
"Hell yes." Katie deadpanned, trying not to trip on her splint, still ducking and weaving around screaming people.
"Wherever Fred is, George will be too. I'm coming." Alicia said.
Finally, the girls made it to the quidditch pitch, to find it completely on fire. Alicia was immediately forced into a duel with a rogue death eater. But Katie felt a single tear slip down her cheek. She had spent so much time on that pitch; so much of her childhood was gone in an explosion of flames. Those very flames licked their way up the house banners, making their lively colors turn a dull shade of black. Mesmerized by the bittersweet dance of the fire, Katie didn't notice someone grab her from behind. Screaming, she thrust her elbow behind her, into her attacker's stomach, whipping around to cast a curse to kill him, coming face to face with… her boyfriend.
"Fred!" She screeched, throwing herself into his arms.
"Dammit, Katie. Remind me to never sneak up on you again" Fred grumbled, rubbing his stomach and gasping for breath.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She apologized, searching his brown eyes for a hint of pain, but all she could find was pride. "Did I really hurt you?"
"I've missed you" He whispered, holding onto her chin and pulling it towards him. Just as their lips touched, Katie saw fireworks. It's been way too long, she mentally sighed.
"FRED, KAT, WATCH OUT!" Someone bellowed from behind them. Whipping around and drawing their wands, the couple faced Bill Weasley and a large death eater dueling. Pulling Katie behind him, Fred stepped forward to help his older brother, leaving Katie alone.
"Typical" She huffed.
"WELL, IF IT ISN'T THE LITTLE FAIRY-PRINCESS!" Katie heard someone screech behind her. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY?"
Craning her neck, Katie could just make out Alicia and Bellatrix Lestrange dueling on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Both women looked ready to kill, but Katie could tell that Bellatrix had the upper hand. Dashing away from Fred and Bill, Katie sprinted towards Alicia.
"Need some help?" Katie asked her best friend as she turned and sent a curse towards the Death Eater.
"Thanks" Alicia hissed, wiping the sweat off of her forehead using her sleeve.
"Expelliarmus!" Katie screamed, throwing the curse at a dancing Bellatrix.
"Ooooh! Has the ickle Bell-arina come to join us at our tea party? Draco has told me many stories about you, Katie Bell." Bellatrix sang, cackling and skipping around the girl's curses. "I think he fancies you! Why don't you ditch that blood-traitor Weasley and love my nephew? You would make lovely pureblood children…."
"CONFRINGO!" George Weasley bellowed at Bellatrix's back. Making her clothes erupt into flame. "That was for my brother!"
Screeching and thrashing around, Bellatrix apparated away, most likely to find some water to put out her robes. Katie gasped for air and sat down on the grass.
"George!" Alicia whimpered, throwing herself into his arms.
"Missed you, sweetheart," He mumbled into her hair, while stroking her back. "You all right, Kates? You look kind of green."
"I'm fine, George. Just… tired."
Before she had a chance to explain further, a cold, screeching voice ripped through her head. Everyone stopped fighting and Fred rushed to her side, gripping her hand.
"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, Directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
At the end of Voldemort's speech, the death eaters all disapparated, leaving the remaining Hogwarts students and Aurors standing alone.
"We should get back to the Great Hall," George said, taking hold of Alicia's hand and turning towards Hogwarts.
"Love, are you okay? You don't look so good" Fred whispered once George and Alicia had left, pushing Katie's bangs away from her eyes.
With a sigh, Katie turned away from him and spoke: "We should get back, Fred. See your family."
The couple set off, weaving around bodies and burnt trees. They walked in somber silence, mentally thanking the heavens that they have eachother.
Once they reached the door to the Great Hall, Fred scanned the room for red hair. Finally seeing George, Bill, Fleur, and Katie's parents, he let Katie run towards her parents and hug them, bursting into tears.
"How are you, mate?" Bill clapped a hand onto Fred's back, pulling him into a hug.
"'Bout as good as anyone around here. What's with the face, Fleur?" Fred inquired at his sister-in-law, whom was staring at Fred as if she expected him to explode at any moment.
"Oh, eet iz est ton cherie?" Fleur asked, looking around.
"Bonjour, Fleur. Comment ca va?" Katie joined the group, speaking in fluent French, something that she had picked up while visiting her uncle in Paris last summer.
"Bien, et ton bebe?" Fleur asked, eyeing Katie closely.
"FLEUR!" Katie shrieked, looking around wildly at the faces of the bewildered men standing around her. "Comment saviez-vous?"
When Fleur didn't answer, Katie turned back to Fred. "We can't find Stephen."