A/n Thanks for the reviews, I love knowing that people are actually reading my stories. This chapter was rushed because I am really excited about the next few chapters. I'm sorry if you don't like it but I hope the next few will make up for that.
The old floorboards under Fred's feet creaked as he paced back and forth across them. The door to Percy's old room was firmly closed next to him and even few minutes Fred would throw a scared and helpless look at the door before continuing on his way. George sat on the stairs which led up to Ron's room and they could faintly here Harry and Ron talking above their heads. They had been sat there for about an hour, George sniffing and Fred pacing while right through the door Molly Weasley was trying to heal a still unconscious Annie.
"You're going to wear down those floorboards if you keep going." George said quietly. He sneezed which made him miss the glare his twin shot at him. Not only did Fred not give a stuff about the floorboards he was feeling confused and really worried.
Fred didn't understand what he felt. It was like his brain was disconnected from his body and his thoughts where completely muddled, he had felt this way for some time, ever since he entered the Leaky Cauldron. He had been on the way home from work, and had to talk to George, so he didn't think when he threw open the door into the pub, no one ever sits in the seats next to the door anyway. He new she was a muggle before she even hit the floor but he was more interested in her hair, it was clearly natural blonde but it had gold and silver flashes in it that made it shimmer. When she turned to him her face was pale, making those blazing green eyes stand out all the more. Her eyes where darker than Harry's and even more beautiful.
Not that Fred had been having gay thought about Harry's eyes, he left that to Ron and Ginny, but they were hard to miss sometimes.
Mrs Weasley had been in that room with the unconscious Annie for quite a while and with every passing minute Fred got more frustrated and impatient.
"Come on mate, this isn't healthy." George was pulling on his arm but Fred stood firm, resulting in his twin giving him a raised eyebrow and saying,
"You aren't helping standing around out here and hearing about Ronald's love troubles are just what you need to cheer up." Reluctantly Fred allowed himself to be dragged upstairs to his younger brother's room where he ignored everything else and collapsed on the camp bed, sighing before he started to examine his newly healed arm. He had been right Molly Weasley had healed it in two seconds flat but she wasn't paying much attention so he could have a scare of something.
It looked as good as ever, all his muscles where still there at least.
"FRED!" A voice right by his ear shouted making his jump so high he nearly fell off the bed. Ron whooped with laughter while Harry and George sniggered,
"When you have finished checking yourself out, I believe our little Ronniekins needs our unmatched expertise with the ladies." George said with a wicked smile at his younger brother who stopped laughing at once.
"I don't need any help! Me and Hermione are just fine thanks." He crossed his arms and glared at his brothers and best friend who were staring at him like he had lost his mind.
"Err ... Ron? It's Lavender, not Hermione." Harry said it slowly like he was talking to a very small child. The room was silent for a moment, as Ron bypassed red and turned burgundy, and then the room exploded with laughter and George and Harry clutched their sides. Fred laughter came last and finished first as his thoughts had already began to travel back down the stairs. Although he didn't know why Ron didn't just ask out Hermione, he was such a wimp.
"That right there is why you are a relationship failure. That girl must either be really stupid-"
"Or extremely boring," Fred chimed in half heartedly.
"To stay with you with you this long." George finished.
"So tell us Harry, which is it?" Fred said getting off the camp bed and nudging Harry in the ribs "Is she stupid, boring, mentally ill, deaf or just plain blind,"
"It has to be one," George said as Harry shook his head and laughed "Why else would she be with Ron?"
Ronald chucked his pillow at George, the pillow missed and hit the empty toad tank sending it off the shelf and landing on the floor with a smash. George laughed and Ron cursed as he jumped of the bed and rushed at his brother shouting,
"Repair it you complete utter-"
"That's why you should throw pillows at people Ron."
"- If you don't I'll ... I'll-"
"You'll what, bite our kneecaps?" Fred suggested as his brother turned red faced and angry towards him.
"I'll tell mum that you are the ones who made the hole in the fence to let the gnomes back in, not dad and I'll tell her Percy didn't take her special cleaning potions when he left but you guys took them to sell as limited edition stock in the shop!"
"You wouldn't dare." George narrowed his eyes at his little brother.
"Try me." Ron smirked.
"YOU LITTLE DISGUSTING SNITCH! I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON!"
George lunged at Ron who fell back against the wall, ripping the Chudley Cannons poster in two. They fell to the floor with a loud bang and probably would have kept going if not for the voice that screamed up the stairs.
"YOU BOYS BETTER STOP WHAT IT IS YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW! IF YOU DONT I'LL TELL YOUR FATHER THAT YOU ARE NOT ALOUD TO GET ANY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS THIS YEAR!" As their mothers voice finished a door slammed and there was silence. George released Ron from the headlock and started to sneeze while Ron went straight to the remains of his poster and looked like he wanted to cry.
"It's not funny Harry!" He snapped at his best friend who was rolling around with silent laughed. George cursed at the other side of the room having stepped or a shard of glass from the broken tank, he noticed the smug look on his brother's face and muttered "You wait baby bro, mum has to leave the house sometime and when she does I'll be waiting."
Fred laughed along before dumping himself back on the camp bed and practically putting his ear to the floor to hear in the room below.
"So Fred?" Ron's voice asked with ever air of wanting the subject to be based on anything besides his love life.
"What?" If he listened close he could swear he heard movement.
"What the hell happened to you tonight?"
Ron groaned as George elbowed him in the gut, "What? You had to know I would ask!"
Fred turned to see Harry had stopped laughing, Ron was watching him from where he sat on the floor and even George seemed interested. Fred groaned in irritation and might have thrown a pillow at the three of them if he had not just seen the damage a single pillow could do. So he contented himself by glaring at the ceiling and giving them as little detail as possible because he knew it would annoy them and he couldn't be bothered telling the full version
"She is a muggle. She was in the Leaky Caldron. There was a fight and know she is downstairs." He sighed as he lay back down.
"What I don't get is, you did magic in front of her and apparated with her but the ministry hasn't got in touch. What about the statue of secrecy?" Harry asked in a very confused voice.
"With all the Death Eater Attacks I think that Statue Of Secrecy has gone out the window."
The room was silent as a sombre atmosphere settled around them, each lost in their own thought about the war. The quiet moment didn't last long however, because they were joined by a tired looking Mrs Weasley who said with Annie still unconscious they should go to bed at that George shouldn't even be out of bed.
"But mum I'm fine!" His protest was ruined however by the big hacking coughs that took over him and by the time they subsided he was being ushered out the room by his irritated mother.
Fred didn't even fall asleep so two hours later, when Georges soft snores filled the room and the house was in total darkness, Molly Weasley didn't need to shake her son awake to come down to the kitchen.
"What is it? Is it Annie? Is she okay? Is she awake?"
She ignored his worried questions and told him that there was somebody was here to see him. As Fred descended the stairs he could feel he was in trouble, he had been in trouble so many times before he had gained a sixth sense for when it was coming, but this time was different because he was on his own and it felt strange without George by his side. When there where together they could usually come up with either a solid alibi or, if they wanted credit for what they done, the anger was directed at both of them making it easier to deal with.
The kitchen light was on, illuminating the five figures underneath so they could be seen clearly. Remus Lupin was looking as shabby as ever sitting at the table; his hair had gained a lot more grey since the death of his best friend. Mad Eye Moody stood leaning on his cane with his magical eye staring through the ceiling at something no one could see. Fred's father was sitting across from Remus with a chipped mug in his hands looking tired. Kingsley Shacklebolt leaned against the sink fiddling with his earring and Albus Dumbledore wearing a striking lemon coloured hat that clashed with his lime green robes was looking quietly amused in the centre of the room. When they realised Fred was standing there they said nothing for a moment and Fred waited on the ear bashing that was inevitably coming his way.
"Well Fred, we are here to talk about your actions yesterday." Dumbledore's blue eyes pierced him and Fred looked at the ground.
"This couldn't have waited until the morning? My day hasn't exactly been calm." He tried to address his father because, even though he wasn't a student anymore, it took a lot of energy to be sarcastic and cheeky to Dumbledore. He had been cheeky to him before, of course, when he and George got sent to the study they would try to be respectfully cheeky, not an easy task, so each word had to be planned and evaluated beforehand. Not only was Fred alone he had a feeling that doing magic in front of a muggle and bringing them back to the Headquarters of The Order was a bit worse that pranking a few Slytherins.
"Your mother felt this talk couldn't wait and it's not like we had somewhere better to be at three in the morning." Remus said quietly. Fred liked Remus, he had taught him and George some old stuff by the Marauders and even gave them the notebook they used to plan pranks and make up spells. Of course Fred and George had to promise not to tell their mother.
"Yeah, who needs sleep?" Kingsley muttered.
"He has to learn not to do it again! He could have been killed and he had no idea who that girl was-!"
"Mum! She was clearly a muggle." Fred snapped cutting off his angry mother before she got into her stride, you had to do that or she would go on for hours.
"Don't talk to your mother like that." Arthur said weakly, since the twins had moved out and got more independent they where even harder to control. This made life hard, especially on Molly because she felt like they were pulling away from her, so it became that the more independent they got they tighter she held on. Fred was sure that there was a potion which could make George better in a second but Molly refused to let him take anything.
"What is his punishment? I'll support the Orders views. Close down the shop? Take away his wand? Banishment from the Order? All three?" Molly Weasley looked crazed as she listed off punishments that, in her mind, her son deserved and also a little hopeful.
"Those are good ideas-"
"You can't do that!" Fred shouted angrily turning on his mother who looked downright ecstatic.
"- If he had done anything wrong."
Fred whirled back to look at Dumbledore who looked almost proud. There was no mistaking the pride on his own fathers face as he smiled, although his smiled disappeared when he caught sight of his wife who was so angry she couldn't find anything to say.
"In my opinion the boy should get and Order of Merlin 3rd class." Moody grunted. Magical eye still on the ceiling "You did a good job healing that girl Molly, she seems alright. It's probably the shock that's keeping her asleep."
Mrs Weasley looked furiously around the room but before she could speak Kingsley nodded his head.
"It was very brave of you, not that we thought you weren't brave already. This family is full of true Gryffindors and you proved that yesterday."
"Molly, think about it." Remus said to the woman who looked ready to explode "He saved that girl today, put his life on the line to help a muggle girl that he didn't even know. Isn't that what we want? What we are fighting for?"
Fred held his breath, ready for his mother to explode and scream at everyone in the room. He even held his wand a little tighter encase she decided to snap it herself. But Molly just looked around the room with fire blazing in her eyes and when her eyes stopped on Fred she suddenly burst into tears. Expression ranged from worried, to shock to downright terrified as Molly Weasley buried her face in her hands and sobbed
Fred had been speechless and he still couldn't find anything to say but Dumbledore got up as if to leave and Fred realised he didn't have to say anything.
"They are all going to die! They're going to die and I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!"
With a wail of despair she turned and run up the stairs, probably waking up the full house in the process, and was followed by her shocked looking husband.
"Well Fred. We will see you at the next meeting. We must go know as Minerva gets angry if I don't get my ten hours sleep."
Dumbledore was pulling on his travelling cloak and Kingsley was already heading for the door. Remus shook Fred's hand and smiled.
"Go easy on your mother. She just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."
Fred was about to say that it was a war and she should know he was likely to get hurt when he was cut off by the huge yawn that came over him. He hadn't been able to sleep before but he could barely keep his eyes open now so he just nodded to Remus and rubbed his eyes.
Moody cursed, "Albus you may want to take your travelling cloak back off." Fred felt like ice water had been tipped over his head as he turned to the ex auror. The sleepy atmosphere turned tense in that split second and it lay heavily on the room.
As everyone in the room turned towards him, Moody cursed again but it was almost drowned out by a noise from upstairs. A long and terrified scream filled the house and Fred, almost without realising it, ran up the stairs towards it. It wasn't his mother or Ginny but it was defiantly a girl, which meant...
When he reached Percy's room Ron, Harry and George where already coming down the stairs but he shoved them back so he would get to the door first, he flung the door open so fast it hit against the wall and some plaster broke off. His wand was in his hand as he pointed it at every corner in the room trying to find the threat. He could feel rather than see his brothers and Harry doing the same thing.
Percy's room was blue with lots of books strewn all over the place and the wall covered in test papers, all framed, with O's in the top corners. Any other time Fred would have laughed at the big headedness of his brother but he had more serious thing do concentrate on.
The small bed in the middle of the room had blood on it; the quilt was lying on the floor next to the bed in a heap and in the far corner of the room Annie was pressed against the wall, eyes wide with fear and large tears streaming down her face. Fred's breath caught as he saw the terrified expression on her face and the way her eyes darted around the room, like an animal in a cage, trying to find a way out.
"What do you want? WHAT DO YOU WANT?" She screamed before sobbing loudly and gasping for breath. She was still in her clothes from the attack, her jeans where bloody and ripped with grey dust all over them and her red jumper was ripped and dusty.
"Annie? Annie, its Fred. Remember me? Your safe here, nothing is going to happen to you." He said quickly, lowering his wand and taking a step towards her. He stopped to turn and glare at the crowd by the door, which hastily lowered their wands. Fred wasn't good with emotions, especially crying, but the girl in front of him was practically distraught so he took a step closer to her and called her name again.
Fred doubted she could hear him as she slid down the wall to the floor. Fred kneeled down in front of her, he made to put a hand on her shoulder but she shied away from him so he pulled his had back, feeling a little hurt.
"Annie." He said loudly "Are you hurt? Answer me, Annie. Are you hurt?"
She shook her head but continued sobbing.
"Do you remember me Annie?"
She nodded her head.
This time when he reached out she didn't move away, she turned and started sobbing into his pyjama top. Fred looked over her head to see everyone trying to see into the room. As Annie continued to cry he awkwardly patted her head, making a layer of dust fall to the floor that had got in her hair when the wall fell in. He saw George sighing and Ron mutter "Yeah you guys are great with the ladies." To which George gave him an elbow to the gut and shut him up.
"I think it might be best if I explain to Annie what is going on. After all I have the experience, I have to tell muggleborns about it when they are eleven years old."
Fred looked up to see Dumbledore enter the room and firmly shut the door behind him. Fred and Annie where still crouched in the corner of the room and she showed no sign of moving soon so Fred picked her up and placed her on the bed.
Dumbledore looked her up and down before sighing and beginning what Fred supposed would be a very long speech.