George hated being on watch as much as he hated being in the tent - he felt like he was doing nothing. When Harriet was out there somewhere trying to kill off Voldemort. The statement hadn't left him since he heard her say it. What exactly did she mean by it? George diminished those thoughts out of his head quickly. It was not a good idea to dwell on what Harriet had said or what she had meant by it.
"Georgie? You alright?" Fred asked curiously, a small flicker of worry entering his eyes as he gripped his twin's elbow to steady him, not quite understanding the expression of blank shock in his eyes. "What's wrong?"
They had heard nothing. Only glimpses of the current news, George couldn't stand hearing any more about muggles being terrorized and muggle-borns being forced into Azkaban. Still no sign of Voldemort and no word about Harriet. It was driving him crazy.
"Not hearing anything."
"Kingsley is certain it means she's safe."
"I know, and I couldn't give a damn about what Kingsley thinks," George replied hotly.
"She's Harriet Potter," a female voice said from the darkness of the tent, "she's made of strong stuff, no one else has faced the Chief Death Eater more than she has and lived to tell the tale. No one else takes so much pain from someone cutting her hand without complaining. No one else -"
"Stands up for what they think is right. Speaks about the truth when no one was willing to listen." Fred finished for Angelina.
Harriet Potter was one of the bravest people George happened to know.
"She thinks you're clever— well that you both are -" Angelina said, then in a voice that sounded disturbingly like his girlfriends, "Hermione I don't know what you're talking about - I personally don't see the harm in a few pranks. They're just brilliant. It's totally clever how they get away with it -"
Fred burst out in fits of laughter. "Only you and Harriet have ever thought that we were clever."
George chuckled, Fred was right, most people thought them silly, George fumbled through his rucksack until he found a small shaped box. "I'm going to propose." he pulled out the velvet box holding it up.
Fred let out a low whistle.
This box was what was seeing him through the no news, distracting him from the worst possible thoughts. It gave him something else to think about. The box symbolized a future. One with Harriet Potter in it.
The first piece of news George had of Harriet's safety was from Bill. Apparently, according to news they had heard from Bill, Remus had gone off bad-tempered due to a fight with Harriet. Though Remus would not say what the fight had detailed.
When Remus had caught up to them, he seemed to be in a far better mood. Though when the topic turned to Harriet, Remus seemed to flush with shame, so George often let the subject drop. Until very late one night -
"And news has just reached Potterwatch - The Ministry of Magic was infiltrated by none other than Harriet Potter herself -"
"How'd they get in?" George whispered to Remus. For he had handed a piece of parchment over to Lee. Completely forgetting in his haste for news of his girlfriend's safety to who he asked the question. Kinglsey had told them the Ministry had tightened its protocols, only high members associated with the Death Eaters were allowed to use the Floo Network to their offices.
"Reg Cattermole said something to Kingsley about being handed a sweet that made him rather unwell," Remus explained.
George was beside himself. He knew of a sweet that could do exactly that, it was one of their inventions a Puking Pastille.
"When he started to feel better he returned to the Ministry only to run into a carbon copy of himself-"
So that's where the Polyjuice Potion had gotten to. George thought. They had tried to sneak the last of it themselves. But it had vanished. George and Fred thought their mother had thrown it away.
"They found Mafalda Hopkirk in an empty theatre -" and he snorted, "And Albert Runcorn."
"They overpowered Runcorn?" George replied stunned. That was huge news as Runcorn had been accountable for several muggle-borns being taken to Azkaban.
"The Death Eaters aren't happy with him right now. News is he had a lot more to worry about than his nosebleed by the time they were through with him." Remus said. "Hopkirk will probably pay a heavy price too. As far as the Death Eaters are concerned they shouldn't have been subdued by Harriet Potter and her friends. Though what that price is, I have not heard."
"Wow - are they safe? Harriet -"
Remus shrugged his shoulders. "I went to their last known location - Death Eaters were storming the place. I very much doubt Harriet, Ron and Hermione remained there. As for them being in a safe place. I'm totally in the dark as much as you are now. With how the Death Eaters were reacting though, I would surmise they've escaped from their clutches."
Months go on. They get messages from the DA, updating them about the school. Kingsley just barely escaped being captured by snatchers. Death Eaters roam everywhere. Fred and George only see their father once before Christmas. A basket full of their mother's cooking is supplied to keep them going. George wonders how Harriet is doing for food. He had lost a fair amount of weight from their traveling around evading Death Eaters. He remembers how frail she looked during her second year - how frail she looked in her fifth - then he realised that she looked frail at the start of every school year.
More people were turning up now, giving them pieces of information to put together. Their old teammates; Oliver Wood, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell. Ministry workers such as Dirk Creswell only stayed for a couple of days.
It's Easter when they hear from Bill. The first piece of news confirming that his girlfriend was alive and well. The temptation of seeing her alive got too much for him. He headed straight for Bill's the moment that he could. Knocking very loudly on the door to Bill and Fleur's cottage.
"Who's there? Declare yourself!"
"It's George- I once asked you how you knew Fleur was the person you wanted to marry."
Bill pulled the door open, "You've missed her - they set off on a mission with a Goblin in tow." He nodded his head and gestured to George to come inside. George stepped through, following him to the small lounge.
George frowned disappointedly. He had hoped that he had been quick enough. "How was she?"
"They were shaken. Harry buried a house-elf. Hermione looked like she'd been tortured and Ron told me nothing To be fair none of them told me anything."
"What?"
"The house-elf - Dobby - turned up first with Dean Thomas, Ollivander, Luna, and Griphook," Bill explained sitting down. "I had no idea what was going on. Then Ron appeared carrying Hermione, Harriet a moment later. She said she wanted to speak with Ollivander and Griphook for some reason. That's all I know."
"Dobby you say - shit!" George said stunned. "Harriet always liked that house-elf. Does make me wonder what was so important to speak about with the goblin though."
"Those were my thoughts exactly." Bill sighed.
George never thought the next piece of news he would hear about his girlfriend was that she had broken into Gringotts.
