A/N: Thanks to Lamb, ncis-lady, TeamGredAndForge, Aris1013, MaddyGervais, Dimcairien, snitch-bewitch, SlyDevil. COOKIES, chocolateMnMs and My-Toxic-Wings.And midnightstar19 in advance? Haha, well yes. It's honestly the best feeling to come home after a loooong day to find your lovely reviews waiting for me to read, so thank you all very much. Hope you all enjoy the chapter! I keep editing it... not sure if I'm 100% satisfied with it still.

SlyDevil. COOKIES: Haha, you really do like The Lion King! It's an awesome movie though :D And yes, Muriel's annoying me too! But thank you, your words are incredibly sweet :)

Lamb: Yep, I am doing a chapter about Fred and George's birthday (how could I not!). It's… oh, it's actually the chapter after this, haha. Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 15

"You've got everything you need?" Molly asked for the tenth time in twenty minutes. George sighed, heaving his bag over his shoulder.

"Yes mum," he repeated for the tenth time. Molly ruffled his hair affectionately before pressing several sandwiches into his hand.

"In case you get hungry," she said fondly, knowing full well how much Fred and George were capable of eating. They could give Ron a run for his money when they were hungry.

"Thanks mum." George replied with a grin, kissing her cheek. She sniffed slightly before returning to her previous activity of bustling around the kitchen. Fred came running downstairs with his own bag, Ginny at his heels. They had decided to split the contents of their bag between the two of them after Fred had nearly fallen downstairs carrying it, scaring the living daylights out of Muriel who had been walking upstairs at the time.

"Right, all set George?" Fred asked with an eager grin.

"Yep, good to go!" George replied enthusiastically.

"Now you two be careful," Molly warned as she gave each twin a warm hug.

"We will mum," they chorused.

"Stay safe," Arthur said quietly as he embraced them.

"Remember what you promised me," Ginny winked at them, laughing as she pulled them into a hug. "I love you."

"Love you too Ginny."

"Oh, you're off then are you? Couldn't be bothered to say a thank you, I suppose. Younger generation, never any time for manners," Muriel grumbled.

"Thank you Auntie Muriel, for letting us stay here," George said gracefully, with only a hint of sarcasm detectable in his voice.

"Your hospitality was, as always, remarkable," Fred continued with a winning smile.

"And we hope to see you soon. Perhaps you would care to come visit our joke shop? It's the least we could offer after everything you've done." George bit back a laugh at the horrified look on Muriel's face at the mention of their shop.

"Never mind, off you go then," she said hurriedly before walking out of the room again. Fred and George laughed while Ginny stifled a giggle.

"Well, you heard the old- I mean, you heard Auntie Muriel," Fred backtracked, realising his parents were in the room. "We'd better be off. Don't be sad mum, we'll be fine." He flashed a winning grin at his parents and Ginny before heading outside, George behind him. The family stood at the doorway, waving at the twins.

"So did you explain it all to Ginny?" George asked once they were out of earshot.

"Yeah. We hid most of the stuff in Muriel's backroom; hopefully mum won't check," Fred replied. They had recently received several letters from their regular customers requesting products. Fred and George couldn't go back to their shop, however they had managed to fit a lot of their items in the bag they had brought, and therefore had the brilliant idea of starting an Owl Order business from Muriel's. It had been successful so far, however rather than delivering from wherever Lee was hiding, they had decided to leave Ginny in charge of the business while they were away.

"Ready?" Fred asked, once they were about a hundred metres from the house, out of range of the anti-apparition charm. George nodded, and the two apparated to their first destination.

George stumbled at the sudden impact as his feet landed on hard cobbles. He immediately slumped to his left against a wall.

"George?" He heard Fred ask agitatedly, and seconds later his cool palms were resting against George's face and neck.

"'M okay," George mumbled, his eyes still closed, knowing that the world would be spinning if he opened them. Bile was rising in the back of his throat but George swallowed, forcing it down. A few moments later, he reluctantly opened his eyes to find Fred standing in front of him, wand out and pointed behind George.

"What is it?" George asked quietly, turning and seeing nothing unusual. Fred shook his head, eyes narrowing as he moved George slightly to his left, giving Fred a better view of the street beyond him.

"It sounded like…" His voice cut off as his eyes grew wide, and George turned around again to see several masked, robed figures rapidly approaching, their wands raised.

Fred gripped George's arm tightly and disapparated with a loud crack. George could feel the darkness surrounding him, but then suddenly there were flashes of colour and a hand gripped his other arm. Looking down, he found one of the Death Eater's clamped onto his arm; the Death Eater was baring his teeth, struggling to separate George from Fred. George struggled wildly, trying to twist his arm out of the Death Eater's grip but to no avail. Around them, he could see flashes of different places; Fred, having noticed they had an unwelcome companion, seemed to be trying to shake him off. There was a flash of a forest followed by an old house George vaguely recognised from Ottery St Catchpole.

George was now using his legs to try and kick off the Death Eater, who was still gripping his arm tightly. Finally, he lowered his mouth and sank his teeth into the Death Eater's hand. It worked; the Death Eater let out a howl of pain and surprise as his wand fell from his hands into oblivion, and his grip on George loosened. Feeling victorious, George gave another good kick and the Death Eater lost his grip on George's arm, falling. However just when George thought they had lost him, his hand reached out and grabbed Fred's foot with a vice like grip. Fred, startled, lost his concentration and the world suddenly crashed into focus as they landed unexpectedly.

George lay on his back, struggling to breathe, the wind completely knocked out of him. He was vaguely aware of a strangled gasping noise, and it took him several seconds to realise the noise was coming from him. Coughing and gasping, he rolled onto his side, finally managing to intake some much needed oxygen. A loud growl interrupted his wheezes, and he glanced up in time to see the Death Eater, now wandless, launching himself at Fred who was still lying on the ground, his hands tightening around Fred's throat.

"No!" George yelled, scrambling to his feet unsteadily, but the Death Eater didn't seem to hear. His meaty hands were clenching Fred's throat, and Fred was struggling to breathe, his face slowly developing a blue tinge, his struggles becoming less pronounced as he began to lose consciousness. His hands were clawing desperately at the Death Eater's, but the Death Eater maintained his firm hold on Fred's neck, shaking Fred slightly.

George aimed his wand at the Death Eater, trying to clear his vision. There were three Death Eaters and three Fred's before him, and he blinked, trying to figure out which was the real one. Fred's eyes- all six- were beginning to flutter, his hands dropping to the ground, and at that moment George knew that if he didn't act now, he'd lose his brother. He picked a Death Eater, and aimed his wand.

"Stupefy!"

To his surprise and relief, the Death Eater went soaring back, stunned. He landed with a loud thump but George barley noticed as he ran over to Fred, his heart racing.

"Fred! Fred?" He asked urgently, skidding on his knees to a halt beside his twin. Fred rolled onto his side, gasping for air, his hands curled weakly into the dirt beneath him. George helped support his head, his other hand resting on Fred's shoulder. Already angry red marks were beginning to blossom on Fred's neck as he wheezed and coughed harshly.

"Hey, I've got you," George breathed, tears forming in his eyes, and Fred's gasps lessened slightly as he took in great gulps of air and struggled to sit up, one hand gripping George's shirt.

"Where… is he?" He croaked, his voice sounding hoarse, his breathing laboured.

"Over there," George said as he gestured with his head, before suddenly lurching forward and wrapping his arms tightly around Fred, mindful of his neck. Fred weakly raised a hand to pat George reassuringly on the back, and George let out a sound that was a cross between a sob and a sigh. He eventually pulled away, although his hands were clamped tightly on Fred's upper arms, holding him up.

"You go… make sure," Fred managed to get out before coughing violently. George hovered, looking reluctant to leave Fred's side. "Go." Fred repeated.

George unwillingly got up and headed over to the Death Eater, who was still unconscious. George's lip curled in loathing as he observed the man who had tried to kill Fred. He raised his wand, feeling an overwhelming urge to cause the man some serious pain, but he fought the feeling off, instead watching as thin ropes emerged from his wand, tying the Death Eater up tightly to the point where he would be unable to move once he woke up. Glaring angrily at the man, George spat on the ground beside him before turning around to find Fred struggling to rise to his feet, still looking pale, the red marks standing out clearly even from a distance.

George hurried over to his side, grabbing Fred's arm and helping him stand. Fred was still wheezing slightly, his hand rising to touch the tender skin on his neck.

"Hey, don't touch," George said gently, stopping Fred's hand. "It'll only make it worse." Fred looked at George and swallowed.

"Don't think it can get much worse," he replied with a small smile. George's face twitched, half of him wanting to smile, the other half wanting to grab onto Fred and never let go. He settled for a hand on Fred's shoulder instead as he looked around them.

"Where are we?" He asked, frowning at the grassy growth surrounding them. It has apparently rained recently, because the soil beneath George's feet was soft, and both he and Fred had mud stains on their clothes, however he couldn't recall there being any rainfall near them for weeks.

"We're-" Fred's voice cut out at he coughed again, and George immediately reached into his bag, pulling out a bottle of water. Fred accepted it gratefully, wincing slightly as the liquid ran down his throat.

"I don't know where we are," Fred said, voice sounding slightly stronger, definitely less raspy. "I got startled when he grabbed me, I just pictured this place and we ended up here."

"Well I guess the Death Eaters found Lee's first hide out," George commented as he put the bottle back into his bag.

"Yeah," Fred replied softly, looking concerned. "I hope he got out in time."

"Fred, are you alright?" George burst out, unable to hide the question.

"I'm fine George," Fred replied quietly, shooting George a reassuring grin. It didn't do much to ease George's concern, but he decided not to broach the subject at that moment.

"Shall we go check out Lee's second hiding spot then?" George asked, unsure whether Fred was capable of apparating in his state. Fred nodded, wincing as the movement irritated his neck.

"Can you apparate?" He asked George, who looked at him before bursting out laughing.

"Fred, you were just strangled and you want to know if I can apparate?" He asked incredulously. Fred merely raised an eyebrow, and George rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I can apparate," he replied exasperatedly. "Can you?" Fred nodded lightly, bending down to pick up his backpack which had fallen off in the struggle.

"Let's go," he said, voice still hoarse. This time George reached for Fred's hand, not because he was unable to apparate alone, but because he was slightly fearful that Fred wouldn't be able to make it and he didn't want Fred to be lost somewhere without him. With a shallow breath, Fred twisted in the air and disappeared, taking George with him.

They landed on hard concrete, both of them staggering slightly. Fred gripped George's arm tightly as they both struggled to maintain their balance. George fought to see through his blurry vision, trying to detect any threats. It was difficult though, as things kept swooping in and out of his line of vision. George was only sure of two things, the feeling of his wand in one hand, and Fred's hand gripped tightly in his other. A sudden noise behind them made Fred and George turn around, their wands pointed in front of them. They relaxed when they saw Lee running out of an old building towards them.

"You guys came!" Lee exclaimed happily, then paused as he saw Fred's neck. "What-"

"Long story," Fred rasped. "Any chance we could sit down?"

"Oh yeah, sure…" Lee ushered them into the decrepit building, and they were startled to find that the inside looked quite new.

"Fixed it up myself," Lee said proudly. George grinned as both he and Fred took a seat beside each other at a nearby table. Lee sat across from them, looking concerned.

"So what happened?" He asked, eyes involuntarily flickering to Fred's neck.

"We went to your first hideout. It's overrun by Death Eater's now," George explained and Lee nodded.

"Yeah, they found it last week. It was a blitz attack; I barely had time to get here. So the Death Eaters jumped you?"

"Yeah. We disapparated immediately, but one of them grabbed onto me as we left. I tried to shake him off, but when we landed he jumped on Fred and started strangling him," George replied, eyes darkening. Lee let out a low whistle.

"Then what?"

"I stunned him, and we left him there. Came here straight after," George said, shrugging. He glanced at Fred's neck, wincing slightly. "Do you have anything for bruises? I don't think we brought our cream."

"I'll go check." Lee ran off, leaving the twins alone.

"How are you feeling?" George asked Fred immediately. Fred shrugged, his hand rising to touch his neck before dropping as he remembered that he shouldn't.

"Bit sore, but I'll live," he said with a grin.

"You nearly... Fred, you nearly…" George couldn't bring himself to say it, but Fred understood.

"Hey, you saved me," he reminded George.

"Yeah, but you…I mean you almost… Fred, you…" George's hands were flailing as he attempted to speak.

"George, it's alright," Fred said, looking half touched, half amused at George's inability to form a sentence. He reached out and grasped George's hands, effectively stopping them from moving. "I'm fine, George. I'm still here, we're both fine. And we made it to Lee's." With a light squeeze, he let go. George sighed, resting his slightly dizzy head on the table for a moment before it shot back up.

"Mum was right about the danger," he said.

"Let's not ever tell her that, alright?" Fred replied with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, definitely," George grinned. At that moment Lee came running back into the room, clutching a tube of cream.

"I found it!" He exclaimed unnecessarily, handing the cream to George. George immediately unscrewed the lid and squeezed the orange cream onto his finger. He applied it to Fred's neck carefully, covering up the red marks.

"Cold," Fred commented, twitching slightly, but he sat still, allowing George to rub the cream into his neck.

"All done," George proclaimed finally, handing the tube back to Lee. "Thanks for that."

"Yeah, thanks Lee," Fred said gratefully.

"Hey, I'm just glad you guys came. It's getting a bit lonely out here on my own every day," Lee admitted.

"We were stuck at our Aunt's house, cleaning. Now that's boring," George shot back, grinning despite himself.

"So when exactly do we get to be a part of Potterwatch?" Fred asked, rubbing his hands together.

"The next broadcast isn't until tomorrow. But I'm sure we'll find a way to occupy ourselves," Lee added with a grin.

And they did, catching up on what had happened in the past few months, playing exploding snap, gorging themselves of sweets. Lupin and Kingsley dropped by the next day for the broadcast, accompanied by a heavily pregnant Tonks.

"Wow you're huge Tonks!" Fred blurted out immediately, eyeing her bulging stomach.

"That's my wife you're talking about Fred," Lupin scolded lightly but he was grinning. Tonks laughed loudly.

"If I were any other pregnant woman, you would be on the receiving end of a dozen curses right now," she informed Fred, grinning.

"Good thing you're not just any pregnant woman then, right?" Fred replied with a cheeky grin. Tonks laughed again.

The broadcast was set for the afternoon. After much discussion, George eventually decided to sit it out. He was still feeling the after effects of apparating so rapidly from the previous day, so rather than take part he stayed with Tonks while Lee, Lupin, Kingsley and Fred spoke on air. Fred ordered George to stay well within eyesight though and George complied, taking a seat beside Tonks.

"So how's the baby doing Tonks?" He asked, observing her swollen belly.

"Good. Very good," she said, beaming. "He or she is due out in April sometime."

"You don't know the gender yet?" George asked, frowning.

"We decided we wanted it to be a surprise. So how are you and Fred doing, George?" Tonks asked, reclining further in her chair.

"Yeah, we're alright." George said, unsure how much detail she wanted.

"I saw the marks on Fred's neck. Is he alright?"

"Oh. Yeah, we had a run in with a Death Eater. He's… he's hurt, but he's okay," George responded, smiling slightly but unable to hide the concern from his voice.

"Well that's good. I can't image something happening to only one of you. You ear was quite a shock," Tonks said, gesturing to his missing ear.

"Tell me about it," George grumbled slightly.

"Does it bother you then, that you're not identical anymore?" Tonks asked curiously.

"No. At least, I don't think so. It bothered us more because we realised that… that this war was serious and we could get hurt. That sounds really stupid but-"

"No it doesn't. The two of you aren't even twenty yet; you shouldn't be dealing with this kind of stuff. Life and death and that nonsense. You should be out there, living life to the fullest." Tonks sounded slightly wistful, but she was smiling nonetheless.

"We plan on it, as soon as this war is over," George replied, grinning.

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it!" Tonks sounded genuinely interested in the twin's future plans and so George told her about the new inventions they were planning on making, the places they would go, the things they intended to do together.

"… and after all that, we're going to go back to Hogwarts and get one of those toilet seats for Ginny," George finished, wearing a large smile. Tonks burst out laughing.

"That sounds amazing," she replied, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah," George replied grinning, glancing over to see Fred laughing at something Lee had said. "It does, doesn't it."

Next chapter: It's Fred and George's 20th birthday. Need I say more?

Thanks for reading, and please review! :)