A/N: Enjoy!!
Fred paced the length of the common room, his fear rising to completely new levels as the clock above the fireplace struck ten. His hands clenched into fists, and he whirled around and started back the other way. "Where is she?" he wondered nervously.
Lee and George weren't any better than he was. They stood next to the couch, barely leaning on it, tapping their fingers and toes nervously. "Should we go look for her?" Lee asked for the third time.
George shook his head. "She might come back while we're gone." He shrugged. "It's not the best option, but we really can't go out and look for her."
Fred felt terribly guilty. He felt as though he had abandoned Lunette when he had run away from Umbridge earlier. He had left her there by herself, knowing that he couldn't take her with him. And now, she had disappeared. He glanced back up at the clock and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to find her, soon. What if something had happened to her?
"Guys-" he began, but was interrupted when the portrait hole swung open.
Lunette stumbled inside, her auburn hair messy and tangled, her eyes wide with fright. Fred's head whipped in her direction, and then trailed down to where her right hand was holding her left wrist limply. Blood dripped down her fingers, and Lee and George gasped. "Lu!" they cried.
"I'm so sorry," Lunette whispered, and then her knees buckled.
Fred launched himself at her, catching her just before she hit the ground. He carefully carried her over to the couch and laid her down, pulling out his wand in order to heal whatever had happened to her. "What happened?" he asked her softly, dropping to his knees next to her.
Lunette twisted her face to the side, and Fred could see the sweat clinging to her forehead. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again. "I missed our date."
For a moment, Fred was relieved that she was lucid enough to remember such an inconsequential detail. Then, he felt concern mount all over again as he noticed the blood. "It's alright, Lu," he promised her. "It's fine. Tell me what happened."
Lunette groaned as he tried to pry her fingers away from her other hand, and she tightened her fingers to keep contact. "Umbridge," she told him, gritting her teeth against the pain.
Fred looked up and saw Lee's and George's eyes narrow. If Umbridge was responsible for this, she was going to pay very dearly. "I'm sorry, darling," Fred told her, and then yanked her fingers from her wrist. Lunette cried out and squeezed her eyes shut, but she didn't try to bring her hand up again.
"She made me write lines," she whispered hoarsely, anticipating her friends' reactions.
Much of the blood had dried now, and Fred could see that there was a deep furrow in Lunette's hand. Like Harry's experience earlier in the year with Umbridge's hated blood quill, Lunette's hand was scarred and etched. However, unlike Harry's, Lunette's scarring was deep, and angry red. She must have been writing the same line for hours. The loss of blood alone could kill her.
"We have to get you to Madam Pomfrey," Fred told Lunette, and then gently lifted her up into his arms, motioning for George and Lee to go first. "Let her know we're on our way," he ordered them, and they nodded obediently, taking off as soon as he had finished.
As quickly as he could, Fred ran with Lunette to the Hospital Wing, trying with all his might not to jar her too badly. "Hold on," he told her as he flew down the stairs three at a time.
Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them when Fred finally reached the Hospital Wing. Her pale face paled even more as she noticed Lunette's half-conscious state. "Bring her over here, Mr. Weasley," she instructed, turning down the sheets of an empty bed.
Fred laid Lunette down carefully, making sure not to drop her. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked Madam Pomfrey as George and Lee moved to stand next to him.
The mediwitch looked thoughtful as she inspected Lunette's hand. "How did this happen?" she asked, ignoring the question for the moment.
"Umbridge," all three boys said simultaneously, scowling.
Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further. Her lips thinned as she pressed them together and grabbed her wand. Without speaking, she flicked her wand and cleared away the blood still oozing from the wound. It was only then that everyone saw what Umbridge had chosen.
There, inscribed so deeply in Lunette's hand that no spell would be able to cure it, were the words, I am worthless. No one spoke for a long moment, and then Fred felt himself come out of his shock and clench his hands into fists. That's it. That was the last straw. He looked at George, and George nodded, silently agreeing.
"Can you tell if infection's set in?" Fred asked, surprised that his voice was so calm and controlled at the moment.
Madam Pomfrey did a couple of tests on Lunette and then shook her head. "It's not infected, but I'll wrap it quickly so that an infection won't set in later."
She hurried off to find the proper bandages and ointments, and Fred and George both turned to Lee. He gazed up at them sadly and said, "You're leaving, aren't you?"
George nodded. "'Fraid so, mate," he said. "Umbridge's pushed our final button." He clapped Lee on the back and assured him, "But don't worry. We won't go without a fight, will we, Gred?"
Fred shook his head. "Not a chance, Forge." He looked down at Lunette's sleeping form and said, "I think a few fireworks during NEWTS would be appropriate, don't you?"
George grinned. "And perhaps we could test out that Portable Swamp while we're at it!"
Fred smirked, feeling better already as the scheming against Umbridge had begun. "Excellent idea," he said with a nod.
Further talk was hushed when Madam Pomfrey came back and wrapped Lunette's hand tightly, charming the bandage to stay on until the wound underneath had completely healed. "There," she said with satisfaction. She nodded towards Lunette. "She should wake up in a few minutes, and then she's free to go. Watch her today, since she lost a lot of blood."
"Thank you," Fred said earnestly to the mediwitch, and she gave him one of her rare smiles before leaving the little group alone.
Madam Pomfrey had been right, and it took only ten minutes for Lunette's eyes to flutter open. She immediately smiled upon seeing the three boys, and her hand reached out to hold Fred's gently. "Hi," she whispered.
He smiled, relieved, and whispered back, "Hi." He looked down at the bandage and asked, "How do you feel?"
Lunette answered with a shrug and then said, "I don't want to stay here, Fred."
He frowned and replied, "Alright, well, as soon as you feel able to walk, we can leave."
She shook her head. "No, I mean that I don't want to stay here at Hogwarts."
Fred shot George a glance, and George nodded once again. "We aren't staying either," Fred told her softly, so as not to be overheard. You're welcome to come with us. We'll open a shop in Diagon Alley and you can help us with it. Sound good?"
Lunette nodded. "Perfect," she whispered.
Fred bit his lip and took a deep breath. There's just one thing," he told her calmly, ignoring George, whose grin had spread now across his whole face and was discretely nudging Lee.
"What?"
Fred leaned over the bed so that he was very close to Lunette, making sure that she could see his lips perfectly. He took in another deep breath, and his question came out in a whoosh of air.
"Will you marry me?"
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this!! ;) Please review and tell me what you think.