TW: Blood, gore, near-death experiences (specifically of a parent), panic attacks.

In the coming weeks, missing Fred came and went in waves. Some days I was able to keep my head above water and paddle through the storm. Other days, I let the tears pull me under and keep me there until there were no tears left to cry.

Despite this new kind of grief permeating my entire life, I tried to keep myself busy with work, Order meetings, and short visits with my friends for a few hours after work. We'd meet at the Leaky Cauldron while it was still light out, have one or two drinks, and I'd return home before the sun went down, just in time for Order meetings and for Sirius and Remus to not be worried about me. Most of all, I was really just trying to keep myself busy in order to avoid thinking about him. Most days, it worked.

When I returned to Grimmauld Place one Monday evening, Christmas parcels in hand, I heard a chorus of voices coming from the kitchen. Had I missed an Order meeting?

I wandered down the hall to where the light of the full kitchen was, where Sirius, Remus, Moody, and Tonks were waiting. In Moody's hands was his Invisibility Cloak.

"What's going on?" I asked. "What's happened?"

"Nothing at all, Malfoy," grumbled Moody. "Just waiting for you. You're on duty tonight with Arthur. Take the cloak with you and meet him in the elevator at nine sharp. From there, get him under the cloak, and you two will be set to get for the rest of the evening."

I nodded. I'd remembered I was on duty tonight, but I didn't know I'd be guarding with Mr. Weasley. Nothing quite like spending the wee hours of the morning guarding a war-altering prophecy with your ex-boyfriend's father, but stranger things had happened to me.

"Right, er, thanks Moody," I said, taking the cloak from his arms. "I'll just drop these and see you all tomorrow then, yeah?"

"Be safe, you," Tonks said, giving me a quick hug and taking the parcels from my hands. "I won't peak, I promise."

"You lot better hold her to that, alright?" I joked to Sirius, Remus, and Moody, who stifled their laughs as I headed toward the door. I threw the cloak over my shoulders and slipped out the door, turning on my heel and vanishing into the air the moment my feet hit the pavement.

I shuddered under the cloak as I navigated the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, trying to shake the cold toilet water from my cloak and trousers. I scanned the floor for Mr. Weasley, praying he'd be waiting alone or standing somewhere isolated so they he could get under the cloak with no problems. I knew he worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office on the second level, and we had to get up to level nine without being spotted.

I should've known this wouldn't be easy, I thought. Probably should've planned a bit more.

I shuffled into the open elevator underneath the cloak and waited for others to file in. The door shut and up we went, stopping at level two, much to my relief.

"Level Two: Department of Magical Law Enforcement," the cool, female voice called out. About half a dozen wizards and witches on the night shift shuffled out in front of me, until I stepped out of the closing elevator door and wandered aimlessly down the hall in search of Mr. Weasley's office.

"Come on, where is it?" I muttered under my breath, passing name plates and offices that weren't in any way related to Muggles or Muggle artifacts. Suddenly, a door in front of me flew open and a tall, wiry man with short red hair and horn-rimmed glasses walked out.

"Goodnight, you two," he called behind him, before shutting the door quietly behind him. Just when I thought I was standing too close to him, he walked right into me, knocking me back slightly, but just enough for him to notice that someone was under there. He put his hand on the pocket of his robes, ready to draw his wand, but I lifted the cloak and threw it over him before he could make a move.

"Sorry for frightening you!" I whispered. "Moody and I didn't really plan how to find you tonight!"

Mr. Weasley breathed a sigh of relief when he realized who was underneath the cloak.

"Cassie, I should've known it would be you," he whispered. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way up here. I probably should've offered help in finding me before you arrived."

"It's okay, Mr. Weasley," I whispered, smiling kindly at him. "I'm lucky it only took a few minutes to find you. I guess we should probably head down there, yeah?"

He nodded, and we wandered back to the elevator under cover of the cloak, moving toward whatever the night had in store for us.

If Fred got anything from his father, he certainly inherited his ability to talk about damn near anything for an extended period.

Not that I minded – I really liked hearing Arthur's stories about working in the Muggle artifacts department. He told stories upon stories about bewitched tea kettles or magic motorbikes falling into the hands of Muggles with disastrous results, and while we probably weren't supposed to be chatting so much, I enjoyed it.

"I never understood why wizards couldn't have electricity," I remarked. "I mean, we're wizards. We can literally do magic. We cast spells to make circumstances bend to our will and make things happen – magically – but our magic is so powerful that we can't have lamps or televisions or anything that we've got to plug into the wall? That's complete rubbish, if I do say so myself."

"That's one of the many reasons why I've always been so taken with Muggles," Arthur remarked. "How they conduct their lives, without magic, and how they seem to sometimes do things better than we do. I'll never quite understand the likes of Lucius Malfoy and other wizards like him, thinking we're better because we can wave our wands and make things happen."

He turned to me after he realized he'd brought up my father. I gave him a small, thin smile in agreement with his sentiments.

"I'm sorry, dear, I completely- "

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Weasley," I said quietly. "I don't understand my father's views either. Never did and never will, which is probably why I didn't last terribly long in that house."

He chuckled softly, then leaned his head against the door behind us. I leaned forward and glanced up and down the Department of Mysteries, with its silvery doors and glowing blue light all around us. I leaned my head back on the door too, then fished into the pocket of my robes for my flask. I grabbed it, opened it, took a long drink, then handed it to Mr. Weasley.

"Invigoration Draught," I whispered. "Kept Tonks and I awake the last time we did guard duty together."

Mr. Weasley took a slow, careful sip, then handed the flask back to me. He yawned slightly, laughing as he did.

"I'm not sure that brew's supposed to make me do that," he muttered. I giggled again.

"You're probably just tired anyway. I wish I could listen to music or something while we're guarding. I know it's a distraction but putting the Walkman in my ears and listening to Bowie or the Stones or something might make the night go by faster."

"The Stones?" Mr. Weasley asked, cocking his eyebrows. "I should've known you were a Stones listener – anyone who spends as much time with Sirius Black as you do would be. I was always more a Beatles and Beach Boys man myself."

"Ah, yeah, I reckon 'Pet Sounds' is a sunny, happy day record for me," I countered. "I haven't had too many of those lately, but it's the perfect record for those kinds of days. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense. 'God Only Knows' was mine and Molly's wedding song. Perhaps the sunniest, happiest day of my life, I should think," Mr. Weasley said, his whole face softening at the memory. "Matter of fact, we used to play it on the record player when Percy was a baby. He wasn't always fussy, but when he was, we'd play it and he'd go straight to sleep."

I watched Mr. Weasley as he spoke so fondly of his wife and children, particularly of his son that he wasn't speaking to. I'd heard bits and pieces of the situation from Fred, but apparently Percy was siding with the Ministry on all things You-Know-Who, he and his parents said some things they didn't mean, and the family wasn't on speaking terms with him.

"I know it's not really my place to say anything, but I was sorry to hear about Percy and everything," I said. "I'm sure he'll come around. Even Sirius and Remus think so."

Arthur nodded, his eyes downcast and his fist tightly around his wand.

"Percy," he began, "has always trusted and believed in authority figures, whoever they are. In his school days, it was to his credit and benefit. In times like these, it's to his detriment. Sometimes I wish he'd make like Fred and George and make… an obscene gesture at the whole Ministry establishment."

I giggled, almost too loudly, clapping my hand over my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Weasley rolls his eyes, the crinkles around them tightening as he smiled slightly.

"I know that's what I'd do," I said. "Blimey, I think I've already done it – given the middle finger to the Malfoy family establishment!"

Now it was Mr. Weasley's turn to laugh, a short guffaw that came and went quickly.

"Yes, I thought you might say that Cassie, seeing as how you don't really seem to care for any kind of establishment," he remarked. "I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Breaking rules, saying 'no thank you' to authority…you and our Freddie really make quite the pair, it seems. Have you spoken to him lately?"

I shook my head rapidly. I didn't want to talk about Fred with anyone, but especially not with his own father. To my surprise, he simply nodded, resigned to what I'd said.

"Figured as much," he said. "We haven't heard from him since Halloween, I should think. It's probably the longest we've gone without hearing from any of the children, really. I tell Molly not to fret, but I do mean it. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it. Nothing's normal nowadays, is it? Not even with our own children."

"Do you think there's really going to be another war, Mr. Weasley?" I asked quickly, without even thinking about it. I probably sounded like a child, considering where we were and what we were doing, but I hadn't asked the question of anyone until now. For some morbid reason, I wanted to know.

Mr. Weasley paused, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his robes. He placed them back on his face and rubbed his nose rapidly.

"Things…well, they feel the way they did last time. The missions, the looking over one's shoulder at work and in the streets, the feeling of…fear that permeates all that you do. We try to hide it as best we can from the young people, like you and Tonks, but yes. I think there will be."

I nodded, taking in his words as he said them. If there was to be another war, then everyone I knew and loved would be threatened. People I didn't know would be threatened, and they would be threatened by my father and people like him. I didn't want to imagine living, or dying, in a world like that.

Next to me, I heard Mr. Weasley yawn again, his eyes fluttering open and closed rapidly. He smiled again sleepily and apologetically, knowing that we had several hours left to go yet.

"Don't mind me, just a bit tired is all," he muttered. "Are you doing alright?"

"I am!" I said, moving ever so slightly to try and get on my feet. "Is there a bathroom on this floor? I've got to go, but I don't want to leave you behind."

"Here," Mr. Weasley said, pointing his wand at my head and silently casting a Disillusionment Charm. "That should last between now and the time you get back from the loo. Should keep you safe between here and the toilet down the hall. Just make a quick right by the Time Room and you'll find it."

I nodded, still shuddering from the cold water and raw egg feeling the charm left on my body. I stood up and attempted to move out from under the cape.

"I'll be back," I whispered. "Don't fall asleep on me, alright?"

He chuckled.

"I solemnly swear I'll stay awake."

The loo at the end of the Department of Mysteries was the largest, most spacious loo I'd ever been in, with gilded toilets, gilded sinks, and shiny black tiles that covered the room. Even if I had all the money in the world, I wouldn't decorate my bathroom as horrid as this one was.

As I washed my hands, the Disillusionment Charm still holding, I found myself pleasantly surprised at the kind of evening I'd had with Mr. Weasley. Everything my father, mother, and brother ever said about him was completely wrong; Arthur Weasley was charming, intelligent, selfless, and wise, all qualities that my own father sorely lacked. Even though Fred and I weren't exactly on speaking terms, and Mrs. Weasley still wasn't my biggest fan, it was nice to get to know his dad a little bit better.

As I shut the door behind me and wandered down the hall, I sensed a chill in the air, a chill that hung over the entire hall and that wasn't there before. This hall's always drafty, I thought. Probably nothing to worry about.

I was halfway to the Hall of Prophecy's door when I noticed a small pool of what appeared to be blood seeping out from next to the door. It couldn't be, I thought. There's no one in there. I didn't hear the door open.

Then, I saw another pool of blood coming from just next to the other one.

All of a sudden, I sprinted the length of the hallway and threw myself under the cloak to find Mr. Weasley slumped against the door and twitching violently. His face was covered in scratches and his robes were ripped open around the arms and legs, which were bleeding profusely.

"Mr. Weasley?" I cried quietly. "Mr. Weasley, can you hear me?"

He couldn't speak and he couldn't move. All he did was bleed.

I ripped off my cloak and rummaged through the pockets for a small bottle labeled Essence of Dittany, which I brought on all Order missions. I unstopped it and poured the liquid across Mr. Weasley's arms, legs, and rubbed it on his forehead, praying it would heal the wounds and stop the bleeding. My fingers burned to touch his skin, and the blood was searing, boiling hot, unlike any substance I'd ever touched before.

The Dittany did nothing. The blood was running faster and faster and there seemed to be no way of stopping it, at least not magically. I took my cloak and attempted to apply pressure to the wounds on his arms and legs, but my hands shook so violently that it wasn't enough. Mr. Weasley continued to bleed and twitch, his head lolling from side to side and his breathing slowing down.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley…please don't die…oh God, what happened…please don't die on me, alright?"

Suddenly, I heard my name being called at the end of the hallway. I froze, Mr. Weasley still bleeding in front of me. Much to my horror, the charm had worn off and I'd slipped out from underneath the cloak and was fully visible outside the Hall of Prophecy. My mind. Raced. Was he going to die? Was I about to go to Azkaban? Who caught us?

"CASS!"

The voice called my name over and over, their footsteps now running toward me. With bloodstained hands, I drew my wand from my trousers and whipped around to face whoever the voice belonged to. Again, I froze, my face contorting in horror and shock.

"Daniel – what the hell are you- "

"That's my boss!" Daniel Light cried; his eyes horrified at the bleeding man before him. "Cass, what the hell happened to him?!"

"Dan, how did you-you're not supposed to be- "

"Never mind that, Cass! We've got to stop this bleeding!" he cried again, ripping off his cloak and dress shirt to make a tourniquet of sorts to try and stop Mr. Weasley's bleeding. "Give me your jumper, take it off, give me anything to help stop this!"

"Daniel, I can't- "

"CASS, DO IT!"

"DAN, LOOK!" I wailed, pointing down at the now ripped and burned dress shirt that was once on Dan's body. Whatever had hurt Mr. Weasley, whatever blood this was, was burning through clothes at lightning speed. There was, it seemed, nothing we could do.

"Alright, his breathing's slowing down, that's not good- "

"Daniel, he can't die. This is Fred's dad- "

"Cass, he's going to be alright. He's not going to die, okay?"

"Dan, there's nothing-there's nothing- "

I kept crying so hard that my brain hadn't caught up with my body and my breathing became strangled. My hands were shaking violently, and my vision was beginning to blur from the tears. My face was on fire and everything was spinning around me. Even Daniel's voice sounded like he was underwater and trying to talk to me, the words garbled and distant despite him being right next to me.

Daniel.

I was going to have to Obliviate him after this. Moody would have a cow if he knew someone saw us, and Tonks would never forgive me, and Mrs. Weasley…Mrs. Weasley would kill me if her husband died.

"CASS!"

My body continued to shake as I turned around, my wand still drawn in my trembling hand, to see Tonks and Kingsley running toward us at full speed. Kingsley dropped to the ground and picked Mr. Weasley up off the ground swiftly, his once-pristine suit now covered in blood.

"What happened? Who attacked you?" he asked quickly.

"I-I dunno!" I cried, shaking my head rapidly. "I went to the loo just down the hall and then I came back and- "

"We've got to get him to Mungo's or he's a goner for sure," Tonks said urgently. "Cass, you better come with. Molly's already been alerted; she'll be there when we arrive, I think."

"Tonks, how did you know- "

"Portraits at headquarters," she explained. "Apparently Harry had a vision or a dream of it happening and he told Dumbledore in the nick of time, who alerted all the portraits to alert us. Now come on, we've got to go!"

I grabbed Tonks's hands, which were now stained with blood, and squeezed them tightly as we vanished into the air, Kingsley, Daniel, and Mr. Weasley all at our sides.

We materialized in the atrium of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

I'd only been there once before as a child – after my drowning incident at the manor – but it was as cold and white and sterile as I remembered it. Half a dozen medi-witches met us in the atrium with a stretcher. Kingsley and Daniel placed Mr. Weasley down on it and hurried off, disappearing through a set of doors labeled "DAI LLEWELLYN WARD: SERIOUS BITES."

I turned back around aimlessly, my forehead still burning hot and beaded with sweat. Tonks and Daniel both looked at me warily, watching to make sure I didn't collapse on the floor. I looked down at my bloodstained hands and clothes and was reminded of where I was and why I was there. It was a horrible, sinking feeling, worse than heartbreak and worse than Cedric dying. Mr. Weasley couldn't die. He just couldn't.

Suddenly, the doors from the atrium burst open and Molly Weasley came running at me, her face like thunder. Tonks and Daniel both scuttled off as soon as she arrived, leaving me alone at face her. At first, I thought she might strangle me. Then, she stopped when she saw the blood on my hands, my trousers, my face.

"What happened? What do you remember?" she asked quickly, springing into clinical action. Fred told me once that she was a fully trained mediwitch. I'd forgotten about that.

"I-I-I don't know," I stammered. "I disapparated to use the loo – your husband used a Disillusionment Charm so that I wouldn't be seen – then I Apparated back and saw a pool…a pool of blood outside the Hall. I thought I heard this gurgling sound and I got back under the cloak and saw…he was on the ground and bleeding and I tried to stop it. I had Dittany in my bag, but it didn't work. I think it must be some kind of venom that hurt him, it's so powerful that the bleeding can only be stopped with- "

"Blood Replenishing Potion," she finished.

"I know, I know, if it's something like snake venom, then it's fatal if not treated, the poison's so potent that nothing can heal it. Someone saw us, one of Arthur's co-workers in the Artifacts office. We tried to stop the bleeding, then Tonks and Kingsley arrived, and…well, now we're here."

The tears were rushing down my face like a waterfall. I could barely make out Mrs. Weasley's face from the blurriness in my eyes. I prayed her husband wasn't dead. I prayed she didn't blame me if he did die. No one could've anticipated what happened, but I left him alone. If I hadn't done that…

"Cassie, I want you to listen to me very carefully," Mrs. Weasley said, her voice low and shaking. "Go back to headquarters. Make breakfast, clean yourself up. I'll come back with news when I have it."

"What about your kids?" I asked incredulously. "Do they know?"

"They'll find out soon enough," she said. "When they do, there'll be no use in lying to them. Their father might not make it, but everything's going to be alright."

With that, she turned on her heel before me and disappeared into the ward where her husband lay, his life hanging precariously in the balance. Stunned and unable to muster any words or thoughts, especially not to Tonks or Daniel, I ran toward the entrance of the hospital, burst through the doors, and turned on my heel the moment my feel hit the pavement, pulling me away from the world with the hope that all of this was some sort of horrific dream that I would soon wake up from.

When I reached the steps of Grimmauld Place, I opened the door slowly and slipped inside. Once I was in, I turned around and place my hands and forehead against the door, steadying myself against the spinning world. I inhaled and exhaled, trying to regulate my breathing. There was nothing I could do but wait.

I turned around and headed toward the kitchen, praying that no one was there but Remus and Sirius. The closer I got the door, the quicker I realized that my prayers would go unanswered. We had, it seemed, unexpected company.

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," said one urgent voice. Ginny.

"You can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.

"We can go to St. Mungo's if we want! He's our dad!"

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard that voice. Fred.

Fred was here. His father was dying and we weren't speaking and he was here. In about thirty seconds, we were going to reunite. I almost threw up on Walburga Black's Persian rug at the mere thought of it.

"And how are you going to explain how you knew your dad was attacked before the hospital even let your mother know?" Sirius countered. "We don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away! Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

"Somebody else could have told us," Ginny countered. "We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry- "

"Like whom?" Sirius snapped. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough- "

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred and George in unison. "It's our dad dying we're talking about!"

"Your father knew what he was getting into! This is how it is — this is why you're not in the Order — you don't understand — there are things worth dying for!"

"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred angrily. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. "SHUT UP!"

Everyone in the kitchen whipped around. Their faces all fell when they saw me, red faced and covered in their dad's blood, standing and shaking in front of them. Fred turned around last.

As soon as he saw me standing there, I could have sworn he was about to break down in tears. He was in his maroon and white striped pajamas and his long, flame-colored hair was sticking up wildly. If the circumstances were anything other than what they were, I would've said I love him in this moment. But I couldn't. I wouldn't. I didn't.

"Cass?" he said quietly, his voice breaking. "Cass, what- "

"I was with your dad when he got attacked," I said, my hands balled up in fists and trying desperately to keep my cool. "I don't know what attacked him, but it was powerful, and no witch or wizard could've done more for him. Your mother said she'd bring news from the hospital when she had it. I suggest you all sit down, shut up, and eat something. She's asked me to keep everything as normal as possible and I'd at least like to not fuck that up for her."

Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Sirius all stared at me. Harry's face was flushed, and his scar was an angry red. Sirius's face was pallid, anger and disappointment etched across it. They all nodded slightly, clearly wanting to do more for Mr. Weasley, but not wanting to anger me further.

"Cass, why don't I-" Sirius began.

"Give me a moment, Sirius," I muttered. "I need to change. Arthur's blood."

I turned on my heel and darted up the stairs to my room. As I ran for the first flight of stairs, I saw Fred turning out of the kitchen to follow me. Instead of running faster or stopping to talk, I turned on my heel and Apparated to the bathroom.

Once inside, I locked the door behind me and started ripping off my clothes – my jumper, trousers, socks, and anything else that was stained with blood - and threw them all in the sink. I turned on the tap and started furiously rubbing the bloodstained spots on the garments watching as the water ran redder and redder with each squeeze of the material.

I heard a soft knocking on the door, but I couldn't be sure who it was. Instead of opening it, I did what I always did when I was hurt or scared or enraged; I cast Muffliato and, as I'd become accustomed to doing these last few months, broke down in tears over the bathroom sink, the water running red in a never-ending sea of venom and blood.

A/N: With the drama, the attack, the bonding with Cass and Mr. Weasley, the return of Daniel, and the reunion with Fred...I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I know I did.