Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is god. She owns all. I am lowly me. I own nothing.
A high cackle could be heard in the room. Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were holding what appeared to be a struggling woman. "You will rue the day you allowed your daughter to go to that idiotic tainted school. It will only result in the deaths of those you love. I promise you your daughter won't be spared. A shrill giggle pierced the air, sounding out the woman's struggle to breath and not panic. Suddenly, apparently unpleased by the silence, the man with the high voice said "I think that this woman needs to be taught some manners. I say, perhaps some pain will help?" With that the man pointed his wand and said "Crucio." A woman screamed, and Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, sat up in his Hogwarts' dorm room, sweat pouring down his forehead. He scrambled out of his four-poster, and ran over to his best friend's bed. Shaking him, he said "Ron! Ron! Wake up! Ron!" Ron rolled over, groaned, and blinked his eyes at Harry. "I just had another vision!" He hadn't had one of those since the beginning of sixth year when he had worked with Professor Snape on Legilimency. He knew that Voldemort had wanted him to see this woman. He had the oddest, sick, sensation in his stomach, he knew he had seen this woman, in fact, she...oh GOD!.... "RON! I just saw a woman being tortured by Voldemort!" Ron flinched. "I know he wanted me to see her. He knows I know her. Ron! I've seen her before, but more important, she has the same hair as Hermione!" At that, Ron sat up, and said "Let me at him Harry, I'll kill him for the pain he puts through Hermione!"
"Ron! It's NOT Hermione. I think..I think it's Hermione's mother." Harry said. "We have to go to Dumbledore, now!" He turned around and grabbed the invisibility cloak. Ron leaped out of bed. Together, they put the cloak on and crept out the door. Once they reached the portrait, they pushed it open, not caring that it was two in the morning. Quietly, they ran towards the statue hiding the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Harry knew the password, he had just been to see the professor yesterday, on Headboy duties. "Chocolate Frog!" he gasped. The statue moved aside and the boys ran up the stairs and knocked on the door. They waited for a minute, and then tried the door. It was open. They walked into Dumbledore's office, which automatically lit as they walked into it. Dumbledore wasn't there. Harry's face fell. He had no idea how to find Dumbledore since he wasn't here. Suddenly a voice spoke behind them.
"Harry, Ron, is there anything I might do for you, at this hour?" Dumbledore asked with a slight twinkle in his eye. Harry and Ron turned around. Needless to say, their jaws dropped. Dumbledore swept past them, and sat at his desk. With his fingers tapped together, Dumbledore, with those cool blue eyes, watched the two gryffindors with interest. He had had the pleasure of watching them grow and accustom themselves to danger. Ron Weasley, who otherwise might not have amounted to quite as much, had pushed himself harder than many of the best wizards and witches in the world. He knew that Ron was a hardworking young man who was devoted to his two best friends. He knew that Hermione and Ron were meant to be together. He had seen them grow closer, and he had seen their arguing and their passion. They fitted each other perfectly. Harry, however, was another case altogether. He was a leader, but only because he was forced into the position. He had been forced into fame when he came here. He had to learn DADA much faster than any other in his grade. "You may be wondering how I knew to come at this time of night. You see, I have several complex spells on this office, and it alerts me when there are visitors. I am also warned of the urgency that the spells can sense from the visitor. It sensed that you were quite urgent. Now, tell me, what is so urgent?" Dumbledore quietly asked.
"Professor," Harry began earnestly, sitting on the edge of one the chairs, Ron sitting next to him, inching almost imperceptibly closer. "I had another vision. I hadn't had one since sixth year, I've been keeping up with my Occlumency!" Harry assured Dumbledore.
"I am well aware of that. I am proud of how much you have achieved with Occlumency," Dumbledore assured Harry. Harry looked down and mumbled his thanks.
Looking up, he began again. "As I said, Professor, I had another vision. I think Voldemort really wanted me to see this. He must have broken through all the work I've done in the last two years." Harry had worked so hard on Legilimency because his lack of work had caused the death of his godfather. "I saw him torturing a woman, Professor! She looked really familiar. I've seen her before. Even more, I think I see a younger version of her every day. I think I was seeing the mother of Hermione professor. He used crucio on her!" Harry finished. Dumbledore watched the two gravely. He had seen Ron flinch at both the name Voldemort and when Harry revealed who he had seen. He doubted Ron realized his feelings nor that Harry had any inclination as to what his two best friends felt.
"I was notified an hour or so ago that Hermione's house had been attacked." Dumbledore started. "Mr. Granger, Hermione's father was not there and arrived on the scene minutes later. A wizard and a witch were the first on the scene, they had been nearby in the park. Aurors arrived shortly thereafter. They found no sign of Hermione's mother. Your sight confirms what we suspected, Harry. Hermione's mother was taken to make you come after her to protect her, as your best friend's mother. The wizard I mentioned before took the witch and Mr. Granger to his house for the night." Dumbledore completed the small speech.
"But..How can we know that Mr. Granger is safe with them. They could be deatheaters too! I mean you never know." Harry burst out.
The twinkle appeared in Dumbledore's eyes again. "I am quite sure of this wizard's position on Voldemort." Dumbledore said. His eyes flicked to Ron. "I am as sure of his standing, as I am of his identical twin brother's, whom he shares a flat with." Dumbledore added blandly, his eyes twinkling madly.
Harry looked at Ron. "Do..Do you mean to say that it was Fred or George?" he asked Dumbledore. "I never would have thought that they would handle a situation like that, much less take a muggle in under their care."
"I am indeed saying that." he turned to Ron. "Ron, your brother Fred was the young wizard who arrived on the scene first. He was accompanied by Angelina, who tried to let the ministry know of the attack. They both performed beautifully. You have every reason to be proud of them. Your brother and Angelina will be arriving tomorrow by the floo network along with Mr. Granger. I would appreciate it if you two could find Ms. Granger tomorrow when she comes down from her dorms. You will lead her directly here. I daresay your brother and his guests will be arriving no later than 8 am tomorrow. With that, he stood and ushered Harry and Ron out of his offices.
"Well. This is a wonderful night. And we get to break the news to Hermione that her mom's in the clutches of Voldemort and Her dad's with Fred and George, those pranksters. I hope that they don't do anything." Ron shuddered. "We shouldn't try to wake her up. Yelling up there will only wake up the whole house and it will upset Hermione."
"Well, I don't think I can go to sleep. I say we try and catch up with homework or study for the NEWTs. Slippery Eels" he added as they climbed into the Gryffindor common room. The fire burned low. Harry trudged towards the stairs to the dorm. He and Ron came quickly back down, flicked their wands at some candles and settled down to work at Divination. This quickly made them sleepy. Harry settled in front of the fire. His eyelids drooped. Soon, he and Ron were asleep in the chairs in front of the fire.
"Harry? Ron?" a female voice broke the silence. "Why are you two sleeping here. I thought you went up to your dorms?" Harry and Ron started at once. They stared at Hermione who stood in front of them, looking thoroughly confused. "Well? Shall we go to breakfast, or should you change?" she asked.
"Erm Hermione, we should change, but we're not going to breakfast. Neither are you" Ron said sleepily. "Hermione, Harry...he" Ron glanced at Harry who was staring intently at Hermione and bit his lip.
"Hermione, what Ron's trying to say to you, is that I had another vision last night. Voldemort broke through all my legilimency work. I had a vision. Voldemort.." His voice became hollow and he swallowed apprehensively, "Hermione..I saw...I saw him torturing a muggle woman. In the vision, I felt like I had seen someone I knew really well, only much older." he swallowed again. "Hermione..We went to Dumbledore last night. He confirmed what I said." Harry stared at Hermione again. She had gone white and her lip was trembling. "Hermione, Dumbledore and I agree, I saw your mother. Oh Hermione, he used Cruciatus on her. But he didn't kill her." yet he added to himself. Suddenly, Hermione burst into tears and threw herself into Ron's arms who had just stood up. Ron looked down at her, startled, and patted her back. Harry glanced around. He saw many of the students looking in their direction strangely. Glaring at them, he turned back to Hermione who had calmed down enough to stifle her sobs. "Hermione..Ron and I...we should go change. But we're coming back, and we're bringing you to Dumbledore." Spotting Ginny, he waved her over. "Ginny, her mom's been taken by Voldemort. I need you to watch her until we come back. You'll come with us to Dumbledore's office, of course." he muttered.
Startled, Ginny nodded her head. Looking back only once, he and Ron ran for their dorm and changed as fast as humanly possible. The time was 7:30. They sprinted back down, and Ron gave Hermione a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go," he said softly. The four of them walked out of the portrait.
Beep Beep Beep
"Not now! Damnit!" Fred rolled over and crashed into his brother. Why was his brother in his bed? Shit! He remembered. Glancing at the clock he noticed that it was 7 am. Jumping up, he grabbed some pants and shoved them on. He knew Angelina was out there and Mr. Granger was in the other room. He ran out the door of his bedroom, leaving his brother to deal with the alarm. He glanced at the newly retransfigured couch. Obviously, Angelina had already woken up.
"Sorry, I am used to waking up this early for Quidditch! I hope you don't mind that I started coffee?" Angelina called from the kitchen.
"No, it's alright. I need coffee anyways." Fred grinned. He could use this scene to tease Angelina from now to Earth's end. I should wake up Mr. Granger. We should be going in half an hour." Turning, he walked over to what was normally his brother's room. He knocked hesitantly. Receiving no answer, Fred opened the door cautiously. What he saw made him swear. Mr. Granger was thrashing violently, saying 'NO! DON'T TAKE HER!' Fred rushed to the side of the bed. "Mr. Granger! Wake up! You're having a nightmare! You need to wake up Mr. Granger! The thrashing stopped. Slowly, Mr. Granger opened his eyes. He looked up blearily at Fred. Comprehension slowly dawned in his eyes. "Mr. Granger, you were having a nightmare. Besides you need to get ready. We're going to floo to Hogwarts in half an hour or so." Fred looked down anxiously at the older man lying there. He felt helpless. There was nothing he could do for this man, whose wife had been taken by voldemort and had most likely been tortured.
"Ok. I'm getting up. Do I smell coffee?" He asked, his eyes brightening a little.
"Yeah, Angelina made it." Fred turned and walked towards the door. He walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a mug of coffee. Turning, he walked over to sit by Angelina who was just paying the owl who had brought the Daily Prophet. "Thanks." Fred muttered.
Angelina just smiled brightly. "Hey, you let me sleep on your couch last night. Speaking of which..how did I get there?"
Fred felt a blush start on the back of neck and his ears. He looked down at his hands in his lap. "I carried you." he muttered. His ears going even brighter.
Angelina looked startled. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't known he was strong enough for that. She didn't know a lot about Fred, she admitted to herself. She should find out some more. Maybe thanks for now. "Erm..Fred?" he quickly glanced up, catching her eyes. "Thanks for carrying me in."
He muttered "You're welcome." the famous Weasley flush still vividly on his ears.
Then from the doorway of his bedroom: "Awwwwwwwww look at the little lovebirds!" George had always thought the two were especially close.
"George!" Angelina jumped up and hugged him. She muttered in his ear, "We are NOT lovebirds, and I doubt we ever will be, thank merlin." She pulled back. George only raised an eyebrow and smiled devilishly. Angelina laughed. At this moment, Mr. Granger emerged from George's room, looking rumpled from sleep but awake and dressed.
"Alright. Where's the coffee?" he asked looking around hopefully. "And which one of you is Fred?"
Both of them answered at the same time, "I'm Fred."
Angelina glared at George. "Mr. Granger has been through enough George. He doesn't need confusion from you."
"How do you know I'm George. We could be pretending and that was George you were talking to before." George responded.
"I..I just know." Angelina responded. It was her turn to flush. Deep in the bottom of her heart, she knew it was because she had feelings for Fred that she just didn't have for George. She could tell by looking at them and letting that part of her heart guide her. Everyone looked at her curiously. "I do!" she said, rather defensively. "Well, we should have some breakfast," and with a flick of her wand, the cabinet doors opened to reveal not much. She found a box of instant oatmeal. In a trifle, she had water boiling and pouring into bowls filled with the instant oatmeal. Mr. Granger gaped at this, the pot boiling without help, the cabinet doors opening, the oatmeal being poured on its own, the water being poured on its own. He hadn't truly noticed last night. So this is what Hermione is learning. I bet this is beginner stuff for them. Glancing at Mr. Granger Fred grinned. He knew that Mr. Granger was startled by all of the magic preparing breakfast. He knew that Mr. Granger was hoping that it was elementary magic, which it was.
"Mr. Granger, if you would like to know, we learned how to do stuff like that within three months of arriving at Hogwarts." Fred said, gently. "We learn many more complex spells through the course of our education."
"Oh." a relieved look appeared on his face. He was glad that the money they were putting up for this school was worth it. Everyone took a bowl of steaming oatmeal, and quietly and quickly ate it. Fred glanced at the large grandfather clock across the room. It was 7:35. He knew that they should get there before 8.
"Is Everyone done?" With mumbles and nods of assent, Fred sent the dishes to the sink. He winced at the sound of one breaking. Grumbling he stalked over to the sink, where there was a dish that had nicked the edge of the sink and crashed to the floor. "Reparo," he said, pointing his wand at the dish. He cleaned the dishes, saying "Scourgify" The dishes were instantly clean. Walking back into the dining room, he grinned at George and pointed his wand at the fireplace. Immediately flames appeared, crackling heartily. Mr. Granger started. "Mr. Granger, Angelina, we're using the floo network to get to Professor Dumbledore's office." Angelina looked pleased. Glancing at Mr. Granger he soon recalled that the man was a muggle. "Mr. Granger, it's a way to travel to Hogwarts. You, as a muggle, are unable to apparate, and besides," pausing for preparation, he used his best Hermione voice, "You can't apparate into Hogwarts. It's written right there in Hogwarts: A History." Angelina and George grinned. They knew how insufferable Mr. Granger's daughter was about things like that. Taking Mr. Granger by the elbow, Fred brought him to the fireplace. "Angelina, I trust you can do this without help," Fred grinned devilishly. "If not, I'm sure my brother would be most pleased to help.
"Of course I don't," Angelina growled. "You know perfectly well how long I've been using the floo network."
"Alright. Mr. Granger? Take a handful of floo powder, and toss it into the fire when I say three. When you step into the fire, directly after, shout Dumbledore's office. I will be right there, holding onto you. One....Two....Three." They threw the powder into the fireplace and stepped into it. Swirling the two men hurtled through the network and found themselves in Dumbledore's office. Scrambling up, Fred grinned at Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione made a dash for her father who had just gotten to his feet. "Angelina will be right along." he told Voldemort. "Hey Ron. Glad you could make it." Fred wasn't surprised to find the three of them there. They had either been summoned and told of the situation or Harry had had a vision from Voldemort the night before. He guessed it was the latter. Frowning, he bent down to give Angelina a hand; she had just appeared on the floor. Standing up, with Angelina next to him, he looked at the people in the room. Dumbledore was calmly sitting in his chair, Harry was pacing near the door, muttering to himself about god knew what. Ginny was trying to calm Harry. Ron was halfway from the seats to where Hermione was standing, hugging her father. He appeared to be distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't know if he should offer comfort to her or just leave them be. "Ron, I think it'd be better if you sat." Fred muttered to his brother. He knew perfectly well how protective he was of Hermione. Ron nodded curtly and stalked back towards the seats. Grabbing Angelina's hand, he headed for two seats to the side of Dumbledore's desk. "What should we do?" he asked Dumbledore in a low voice.
Quietly, Dumbledore said, "I believe, Mr. Weasley, that perhaps we should let them cry for a little longer." With that he lapsed back into silence, watching everyone in the room. The development between Fred and Angelina. He wasn't surprised. There had always been a connection between the two. It was only natural for the two to become closer. He had not been surprised when he had been informed of Fred's actions the night before. He had known that Fred was compassionate. He tried to help everyone around them, while trying to maintain an appearance of being a prankster and self-obsessed. "Mr. Granger, Hermione, please, have a seat." Dumbledore said in kind voice.
Hermione pulled away from her father and led him over to two seats directly in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Harry, Ginny, If you please, everyone is sitting, we would be delighted if you could join us. Ginny flushed. Harry stalked to a chair and flopped down. Ginny followed him. She perched on the edge of his chair. "I believe all of you are aware of parts of the story, but not all of it. I will relay the story to you, if anyone feels an urge to correct me, just jump right in. Last night, Fred and Angelina were in a park when they heard screams. They were coming from Mrs. Granger, Hermione's mother. Fred and Angelina arrived on the scene shortly after the screams started. Angelina attempted to alert the ministry, which by that time had figured it out. Fred made sure that the crowd didn't panic, and he was able to take care of your father, Hermione. Meanwhile, here, in Hogwarts, Harry had the first vision in two years. He saw your wife, Mr. Granger. She was being tortured. We believe that she was taken as bait for Harry to come to fight Voldemort. As of now, we are unsure of how to proceed. I believe, Mr. Granger, that Fred and Angelina will accompany you through the school as they are graduates from here."
Fred hung back as the others headed for the door. "Professor, erm, are we staying here at the castle, or do you expect us to go back to my flat?" He asked.
"It seems Fred, that you have helped Mr. Granger out with this situation. He should stay here for a few days and so I see no problem in putting you and Angelina up for the next few days. I trust you can stay?" Dumbledore said. "I trust you remember the statue of the one eyed crone?" Fred blushed. He swore that Dumbledore knew everything. He realized at that moment just how much of their antics Dumbledore had been aware of. He just gained a lot of respect for Dumbledore. It was amazing what the man knew.
"Yeah..I remember her." Fred muttered.
"Well, the portrait of Bilius the Big across from her is the door to a small guest chambers. The password is lark spur. You will find sufficient amenities for your needs and Angelina's and Mr. Granger's." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled.
"Thank you Professor." Fred turned and quietly left the office.
A high cackle could be heard in the room. Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were holding what appeared to be a struggling woman. "You will rue the day you allowed your daughter to go to that idiotic tainted school. It will only result in the deaths of those you love. I promise you your daughter won't be spared. A shrill giggle pierced the air, sounding out the woman's struggle to breath and not panic. Suddenly, apparently unpleased by the silence, the man with the high voice said "I think that this woman needs to be taught some manners. I say, perhaps some pain will help?" With that the man pointed his wand and said "Crucio." A woman screamed, and Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, sat up in his Hogwarts' dorm room, sweat pouring down his forehead. He scrambled out of his four-poster, and ran over to his best friend's bed. Shaking him, he said "Ron! Ron! Wake up! Ron!" Ron rolled over, groaned, and blinked his eyes at Harry. "I just had another vision!" He hadn't had one of those since the beginning of sixth year when he had worked with Professor Snape on Legilimency. He knew that Voldemort had wanted him to see this woman. He had the oddest, sick, sensation in his stomach, he knew he had seen this woman, in fact, she...oh GOD!.... "RON! I just saw a woman being tortured by Voldemort!" Ron flinched. "I know he wanted me to see her. He knows I know her. Ron! I've seen her before, but more important, she has the same hair as Hermione!" At that, Ron sat up, and said "Let me at him Harry, I'll kill him for the pain he puts through Hermione!"
"Ron! It's NOT Hermione. I think..I think it's Hermione's mother." Harry said. "We have to go to Dumbledore, now!" He turned around and grabbed the invisibility cloak. Ron leaped out of bed. Together, they put the cloak on and crept out the door. Once they reached the portrait, they pushed it open, not caring that it was two in the morning. Quietly, they ran towards the statue hiding the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Harry knew the password, he had just been to see the professor yesterday, on Headboy duties. "Chocolate Frog!" he gasped. The statue moved aside and the boys ran up the stairs and knocked on the door. They waited for a minute, and then tried the door. It was open. They walked into Dumbledore's office, which automatically lit as they walked into it. Dumbledore wasn't there. Harry's face fell. He had no idea how to find Dumbledore since he wasn't here. Suddenly a voice spoke behind them.
"Harry, Ron, is there anything I might do for you, at this hour?" Dumbledore asked with a slight twinkle in his eye. Harry and Ron turned around. Needless to say, their jaws dropped. Dumbledore swept past them, and sat at his desk. With his fingers tapped together, Dumbledore, with those cool blue eyes, watched the two gryffindors with interest. He had had the pleasure of watching them grow and accustom themselves to danger. Ron Weasley, who otherwise might not have amounted to quite as much, had pushed himself harder than many of the best wizards and witches in the world. He knew that Ron was a hardworking young man who was devoted to his two best friends. He knew that Hermione and Ron were meant to be together. He had seen them grow closer, and he had seen their arguing and their passion. They fitted each other perfectly. Harry, however, was another case altogether. He was a leader, but only because he was forced into the position. He had been forced into fame when he came here. He had to learn DADA much faster than any other in his grade. "You may be wondering how I knew to come at this time of night. You see, I have several complex spells on this office, and it alerts me when there are visitors. I am also warned of the urgency that the spells can sense from the visitor. It sensed that you were quite urgent. Now, tell me, what is so urgent?" Dumbledore quietly asked.
"Professor," Harry began earnestly, sitting on the edge of one the chairs, Ron sitting next to him, inching almost imperceptibly closer. "I had another vision. I hadn't had one since sixth year, I've been keeping up with my Occlumency!" Harry assured Dumbledore.
"I am well aware of that. I am proud of how much you have achieved with Occlumency," Dumbledore assured Harry. Harry looked down and mumbled his thanks.
Looking up, he began again. "As I said, Professor, I had another vision. I think Voldemort really wanted me to see this. He must have broken through all the work I've done in the last two years." Harry had worked so hard on Legilimency because his lack of work had caused the death of his godfather. "I saw him torturing a woman, Professor! She looked really familiar. I've seen her before. Even more, I think I see a younger version of her every day. I think I was seeing the mother of Hermione professor. He used crucio on her!" Harry finished. Dumbledore watched the two gravely. He had seen Ron flinch at both the name Voldemort and when Harry revealed who he had seen. He doubted Ron realized his feelings nor that Harry had any inclination as to what his two best friends felt.
"I was notified an hour or so ago that Hermione's house had been attacked." Dumbledore started. "Mr. Granger, Hermione's father was not there and arrived on the scene minutes later. A wizard and a witch were the first on the scene, they had been nearby in the park. Aurors arrived shortly thereafter. They found no sign of Hermione's mother. Your sight confirms what we suspected, Harry. Hermione's mother was taken to make you come after her to protect her, as your best friend's mother. The wizard I mentioned before took the witch and Mr. Granger to his house for the night." Dumbledore completed the small speech.
"But..How can we know that Mr. Granger is safe with them. They could be deatheaters too! I mean you never know." Harry burst out.
The twinkle appeared in Dumbledore's eyes again. "I am quite sure of this wizard's position on Voldemort." Dumbledore said. His eyes flicked to Ron. "I am as sure of his standing, as I am of his identical twin brother's, whom he shares a flat with." Dumbledore added blandly, his eyes twinkling madly.
Harry looked at Ron. "Do..Do you mean to say that it was Fred or George?" he asked Dumbledore. "I never would have thought that they would handle a situation like that, much less take a muggle in under their care."
"I am indeed saying that." he turned to Ron. "Ron, your brother Fred was the young wizard who arrived on the scene first. He was accompanied by Angelina, who tried to let the ministry know of the attack. They both performed beautifully. You have every reason to be proud of them. Your brother and Angelina will be arriving tomorrow by the floo network along with Mr. Granger. I would appreciate it if you two could find Ms. Granger tomorrow when she comes down from her dorms. You will lead her directly here. I daresay your brother and his guests will be arriving no later than 8 am tomorrow. With that, he stood and ushered Harry and Ron out of his offices.
"Well. This is a wonderful night. And we get to break the news to Hermione that her mom's in the clutches of Voldemort and Her dad's with Fred and George, those pranksters. I hope that they don't do anything." Ron shuddered. "We shouldn't try to wake her up. Yelling up there will only wake up the whole house and it will upset Hermione."
"Well, I don't think I can go to sleep. I say we try and catch up with homework or study for the NEWTs. Slippery Eels" he added as they climbed into the Gryffindor common room. The fire burned low. Harry trudged towards the stairs to the dorm. He and Ron came quickly back down, flicked their wands at some candles and settled down to work at Divination. This quickly made them sleepy. Harry settled in front of the fire. His eyelids drooped. Soon, he and Ron were asleep in the chairs in front of the fire.
"Harry? Ron?" a female voice broke the silence. "Why are you two sleeping here. I thought you went up to your dorms?" Harry and Ron started at once. They stared at Hermione who stood in front of them, looking thoroughly confused. "Well? Shall we go to breakfast, or should you change?" she asked.
"Erm Hermione, we should change, but we're not going to breakfast. Neither are you" Ron said sleepily. "Hermione, Harry...he" Ron glanced at Harry who was staring intently at Hermione and bit his lip.
"Hermione, what Ron's trying to say to you, is that I had another vision last night. Voldemort broke through all my legilimency work. I had a vision. Voldemort.." His voice became hollow and he swallowed apprehensively, "Hermione..I saw...I saw him torturing a muggle woman. In the vision, I felt like I had seen someone I knew really well, only much older." he swallowed again. "Hermione..We went to Dumbledore last night. He confirmed what I said." Harry stared at Hermione again. She had gone white and her lip was trembling. "Hermione, Dumbledore and I agree, I saw your mother. Oh Hermione, he used Cruciatus on her. But he didn't kill her." yet he added to himself. Suddenly, Hermione burst into tears and threw herself into Ron's arms who had just stood up. Ron looked down at her, startled, and patted her back. Harry glanced around. He saw many of the students looking in their direction strangely. Glaring at them, he turned back to Hermione who had calmed down enough to stifle her sobs. "Hermione..Ron and I...we should go change. But we're coming back, and we're bringing you to Dumbledore." Spotting Ginny, he waved her over. "Ginny, her mom's been taken by Voldemort. I need you to watch her until we come back. You'll come with us to Dumbledore's office, of course." he muttered.
Startled, Ginny nodded her head. Looking back only once, he and Ron ran for their dorm and changed as fast as humanly possible. The time was 7:30. They sprinted back down, and Ron gave Hermione a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go," he said softly. The four of them walked out of the portrait.
Beep Beep Beep
"Not now! Damnit!" Fred rolled over and crashed into his brother. Why was his brother in his bed? Shit! He remembered. Glancing at the clock he noticed that it was 7 am. Jumping up, he grabbed some pants and shoved them on. He knew Angelina was out there and Mr. Granger was in the other room. He ran out the door of his bedroom, leaving his brother to deal with the alarm. He glanced at the newly retransfigured couch. Obviously, Angelina had already woken up.
"Sorry, I am used to waking up this early for Quidditch! I hope you don't mind that I started coffee?" Angelina called from the kitchen.
"No, it's alright. I need coffee anyways." Fred grinned. He could use this scene to tease Angelina from now to Earth's end. I should wake up Mr. Granger. We should be going in half an hour." Turning, he walked over to what was normally his brother's room. He knocked hesitantly. Receiving no answer, Fred opened the door cautiously. What he saw made him swear. Mr. Granger was thrashing violently, saying 'NO! DON'T TAKE HER!' Fred rushed to the side of the bed. "Mr. Granger! Wake up! You're having a nightmare! You need to wake up Mr. Granger! The thrashing stopped. Slowly, Mr. Granger opened his eyes. He looked up blearily at Fred. Comprehension slowly dawned in his eyes. "Mr. Granger, you were having a nightmare. Besides you need to get ready. We're going to floo to Hogwarts in half an hour or so." Fred looked down anxiously at the older man lying there. He felt helpless. There was nothing he could do for this man, whose wife had been taken by voldemort and had most likely been tortured.
"Ok. I'm getting up. Do I smell coffee?" He asked, his eyes brightening a little.
"Yeah, Angelina made it." Fred turned and walked towards the door. He walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a mug of coffee. Turning, he walked over to sit by Angelina who was just paying the owl who had brought the Daily Prophet. "Thanks." Fred muttered.
Angelina just smiled brightly. "Hey, you let me sleep on your couch last night. Speaking of which..how did I get there?"
Fred felt a blush start on the back of neck and his ears. He looked down at his hands in his lap. "I carried you." he muttered. His ears going even brighter.
Angelina looked startled. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't known he was strong enough for that. She didn't know a lot about Fred, she admitted to herself. She should find out some more. Maybe thanks for now. "Erm..Fred?" he quickly glanced up, catching her eyes. "Thanks for carrying me in."
He muttered "You're welcome." the famous Weasley flush still vividly on his ears.
Then from the doorway of his bedroom: "Awwwwwwwww look at the little lovebirds!" George had always thought the two were especially close.
"George!" Angelina jumped up and hugged him. She muttered in his ear, "We are NOT lovebirds, and I doubt we ever will be, thank merlin." She pulled back. George only raised an eyebrow and smiled devilishly. Angelina laughed. At this moment, Mr. Granger emerged from George's room, looking rumpled from sleep but awake and dressed.
"Alright. Where's the coffee?" he asked looking around hopefully. "And which one of you is Fred?"
Both of them answered at the same time, "I'm Fred."
Angelina glared at George. "Mr. Granger has been through enough George. He doesn't need confusion from you."
"How do you know I'm George. We could be pretending and that was George you were talking to before." George responded.
"I..I just know." Angelina responded. It was her turn to flush. Deep in the bottom of her heart, she knew it was because she had feelings for Fred that she just didn't have for George. She could tell by looking at them and letting that part of her heart guide her. Everyone looked at her curiously. "I do!" she said, rather defensively. "Well, we should have some breakfast," and with a flick of her wand, the cabinet doors opened to reveal not much. She found a box of instant oatmeal. In a trifle, she had water boiling and pouring into bowls filled with the instant oatmeal. Mr. Granger gaped at this, the pot boiling without help, the cabinet doors opening, the oatmeal being poured on its own, the water being poured on its own. He hadn't truly noticed last night. So this is what Hermione is learning. I bet this is beginner stuff for them. Glancing at Mr. Granger Fred grinned. He knew that Mr. Granger was startled by all of the magic preparing breakfast. He knew that Mr. Granger was hoping that it was elementary magic, which it was.
"Mr. Granger, if you would like to know, we learned how to do stuff like that within three months of arriving at Hogwarts." Fred said, gently. "We learn many more complex spells through the course of our education."
"Oh." a relieved look appeared on his face. He was glad that the money they were putting up for this school was worth it. Everyone took a bowl of steaming oatmeal, and quietly and quickly ate it. Fred glanced at the large grandfather clock across the room. It was 7:35. He knew that they should get there before 8.
"Is Everyone done?" With mumbles and nods of assent, Fred sent the dishes to the sink. He winced at the sound of one breaking. Grumbling he stalked over to the sink, where there was a dish that had nicked the edge of the sink and crashed to the floor. "Reparo," he said, pointing his wand at the dish. He cleaned the dishes, saying "Scourgify" The dishes were instantly clean. Walking back into the dining room, he grinned at George and pointed his wand at the fireplace. Immediately flames appeared, crackling heartily. Mr. Granger started. "Mr. Granger, Angelina, we're using the floo network to get to Professor Dumbledore's office." Angelina looked pleased. Glancing at Mr. Granger he soon recalled that the man was a muggle. "Mr. Granger, it's a way to travel to Hogwarts. You, as a muggle, are unable to apparate, and besides," pausing for preparation, he used his best Hermione voice, "You can't apparate into Hogwarts. It's written right there in Hogwarts: A History." Angelina and George grinned. They knew how insufferable Mr. Granger's daughter was about things like that. Taking Mr. Granger by the elbow, Fred brought him to the fireplace. "Angelina, I trust you can do this without help," Fred grinned devilishly. "If not, I'm sure my brother would be most pleased to help.
"Of course I don't," Angelina growled. "You know perfectly well how long I've been using the floo network."
"Alright. Mr. Granger? Take a handful of floo powder, and toss it into the fire when I say three. When you step into the fire, directly after, shout Dumbledore's office. I will be right there, holding onto you. One....Two....Three." They threw the powder into the fireplace and stepped into it. Swirling the two men hurtled through the network and found themselves in Dumbledore's office. Scrambling up, Fred grinned at Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione made a dash for her father who had just gotten to his feet. "Angelina will be right along." he told Voldemort. "Hey Ron. Glad you could make it." Fred wasn't surprised to find the three of them there. They had either been summoned and told of the situation or Harry had had a vision from Voldemort the night before. He guessed it was the latter. Frowning, he bent down to give Angelina a hand; she had just appeared on the floor. Standing up, with Angelina next to him, he looked at the people in the room. Dumbledore was calmly sitting in his chair, Harry was pacing near the door, muttering to himself about god knew what. Ginny was trying to calm Harry. Ron was halfway from the seats to where Hermione was standing, hugging her father. He appeared to be distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't know if he should offer comfort to her or just leave them be. "Ron, I think it'd be better if you sat." Fred muttered to his brother. He knew perfectly well how protective he was of Hermione. Ron nodded curtly and stalked back towards the seats. Grabbing Angelina's hand, he headed for two seats to the side of Dumbledore's desk. "What should we do?" he asked Dumbledore in a low voice.
Quietly, Dumbledore said, "I believe, Mr. Weasley, that perhaps we should let them cry for a little longer." With that he lapsed back into silence, watching everyone in the room. The development between Fred and Angelina. He wasn't surprised. There had always been a connection between the two. It was only natural for the two to become closer. He had not been surprised when he had been informed of Fred's actions the night before. He had known that Fred was compassionate. He tried to help everyone around them, while trying to maintain an appearance of being a prankster and self-obsessed. "Mr. Granger, Hermione, please, have a seat." Dumbledore said in kind voice.
Hermione pulled away from her father and led him over to two seats directly in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Harry, Ginny, If you please, everyone is sitting, we would be delighted if you could join us. Ginny flushed. Harry stalked to a chair and flopped down. Ginny followed him. She perched on the edge of his chair. "I believe all of you are aware of parts of the story, but not all of it. I will relay the story to you, if anyone feels an urge to correct me, just jump right in. Last night, Fred and Angelina were in a park when they heard screams. They were coming from Mrs. Granger, Hermione's mother. Fred and Angelina arrived on the scene shortly after the screams started. Angelina attempted to alert the ministry, which by that time had figured it out. Fred made sure that the crowd didn't panic, and he was able to take care of your father, Hermione. Meanwhile, here, in Hogwarts, Harry had the first vision in two years. He saw your wife, Mr. Granger. She was being tortured. We believe that she was taken as bait for Harry to come to fight Voldemort. As of now, we are unsure of how to proceed. I believe, Mr. Granger, that Fred and Angelina will accompany you through the school as they are graduates from here."
Fred hung back as the others headed for the door. "Professor, erm, are we staying here at the castle, or do you expect us to go back to my flat?" He asked.
"It seems Fred, that you have helped Mr. Granger out with this situation. He should stay here for a few days and so I see no problem in putting you and Angelina up for the next few days. I trust you can stay?" Dumbledore said. "I trust you remember the statue of the one eyed crone?" Fred blushed. He swore that Dumbledore knew everything. He realized at that moment just how much of their antics Dumbledore had been aware of. He just gained a lot of respect for Dumbledore. It was amazing what the man knew.
"Yeah..I remember her." Fred muttered.
"Well, the portrait of Bilius the Big across from her is the door to a small guest chambers. The password is lark spur. You will find sufficient amenities for your needs and Angelina's and Mr. Granger's." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled.
"Thank you Professor." Fred turned and quietly left the office.