A/N: This chapter is dedicated to new reader Forever9SNSD! Thank you for reading this story and adding it to your favorites and alerts, giving me that kick in the pants I needed to start this chapter even as Camp NaNoWriMo is in gear. Love you all, and thank you for your continued support!
-J
The paper had horrific news two days later: 10 Death Eaters had escaped from Azkaban in the night while Emma had been sleeping in Fred's arms, thinking she was perfectly safe. Fred's eyes nearly popped out of his head as Tien tossed the paper in front of the group at the Gryffindor table.
For once, the plucky Asian was at a loss for words.
The teenagers sat in silence, staring down at the ferocious and terrifying faces on the front page. Fred was clutching Emma's hand tightly as they all stared and no one dared pick it up to read it aloud to them all, as though by touching the parchment would summon the Death Eaters to the room with them.
But there was one face in particular that was terrifying to Emma: Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin of Sirius Black.
For all the reasons Sirius was an attractive, comforting person, his cousin looked like the wife of the devil himself. Those wild, dark eyes almost saw into Emma's soul, and she wanted it to go away. As soon as she could, she got out of the Great Hall, not even looking around as she heard Fred following her out.
"Emma," he said firmly. "Love, you barely touched breakfast."
"I couldn't eat," she admitted, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. "Not with those faces looking up at me."
"Creepy, yeah," he sighed, slipping his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. "You know we don't have class for another half hour?"
Emma blinked.
"Right," she said. "Right, I knew that."
Fred chuckled lightly.
"Whatever you say, dear."
The day was a bit of a blur. It turned out, she learned from word-of-mouth that she thought might have originated from Ron, Hermione, and Harry, that a Ministry employee who had been hospitalized during the holidays (not Arthur Weasley), had been strangled by a plant. There was no doubt about it. It had to have been a Death Eater, Fred said as he paced the bit of space in the room they'd decided to study in. Emma didn't watch him, didn't want him to see how nervous she was.
But he must have known. He knew that she was thinking about how serious the war was getting, about how dangerous it all was. Finally, he sat down across from her, taking her hand and giving her the most comforting look he had.
"It's going to be all right, love," he said softly. "Dumbledore's here. We're safe with Dumbledore."
Emma didn't want to put out everything that had happened under Dumbledore's watch, including the death of Cedric Diggory. She wanted it to go away, all of it. She wanted to feel safe again, even if she was naively closing her eyes to truth. But she couldn't, not knowing what she knew.
The next day, Educational Decree 26 had passed, stating that teachers were not allowed to give out information that didn't pertain to the classes they taught. Emma hadn't thought that was much of a big deal, couldn't figure out what Umbridge was trying to accomplish about that, but Tien shook her head.
"You don't get it," the Asian girl sighed. "She's increasing her power, trying to keep the teachers from undermining her authority. For one thing, nobody's going to be able to help us in Defense, even if they really wanted to."
There was more to the story, they were sure, and it had to do with the war and it had to do with Harry Potter, because ever since that boy's first year everything big seemed to have something to do with him. Emma tried to think of ways the new decree would change her daily life, but nothing came to mind. It probably would be frustrating for some, but most people were just upset that there were even more restrictions from the horrid toad of a woman. It just opened the door for even more decrees that were sure to be more difficult on them all.
Day to day, not much had changed on the outside, but for Emma everything felt different on the inside. The anxiety, the fear, the constant feeling that something terrible was about to happen... She hated it. It was nerve-wracking. Professor Flitwick had actually called her to his office one day and made some biscuits dance for her, trying to cheer her up, she'd been so out of sorts. He didn't really make too much of an effort to interrogate her about what was wrong, though, perhaps because he thought it would be better if she didn't say, perhaps because he didn't want to be forced to not help her feel better or break the rules of the new decree.
The very fact that she'd been called in drove Fred up the wall with anxiety, even though she tried to tell him that it was because Professor Flitwick was concerned, not that anything was wrong. She knew how contradictory what she'd said was, but she didn't want to think about it, hoping that if she told herself everything was fine, it would eventually feel fine, too, and then be fine.
But the world didn't work like that, she knew. It didn't feel fine, and it wouldn't be fine unless the Ministry stood up to the threat and took action, which they would never do as long as Fudge was in charge. She'd been so happy to be a part of the Wizarding world when she was eleven, like she was a member of an elite secret society. Now she wished briefly that she could go back to her life as a Muggle, that she could be safe and happy that way, even though she knew that she couldn't be happy and wouldn't be safe.
Not much changed for a while, though. At least, nothing seemed to get any worse. Emma focused on the Valentine's Hogsmeade date Fred had promised her and what she would wear. Since he wouldn't tell her what they were doing, she wasn't exactly sure what to wear, but Katie managed to throw together an outfit for her that supposedly suited any possible romantic endeavor.
Of course, this was Fred, and one could never be fully prepared, but it was the best Emma could really hope for, so she thanked Katie as she pulled on her blue sweater dress and tights on the morning of the fourteenth.
Fred practically attacked her at breakfast, cuddling her, telling her how beautiful she was, pushing chocolate things onto her plate. Emma could only blush as their friends watched on, grinning. She also noticed Alicia glaring at her from the end of the table, but even Alicia Spinnet's jealously couldn't ruin the absolutely perfect breakfast, Fred wrapping his arms around her, kissing her neck and saying, "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."
Emma had no idea how he planned to top breakfast, but Fred always had something up his sleeve. As they made their way down to Hogsmeade they split off from the crowd early. Fred led Emma down to the Hogs Head.
"Fred, this place is a dump," she giggled as they approached. "What are we doing here?"
"Where else am I going to get you your first real drink, baby?" he said with a grin.
Emma groaned.
He was going to make her drink Firewhiskey, which the boys had been trying to do for years.
Fred ordered drinks and brought them back to the table where Emma had sat, frowning at him with pursed lips, trying to keep from grinning at how excited he looked.
"Here you go," he said, pushing the bottle in front of her.
Emma eyed it nervously, but she put her fingers around the dusty bottle and pulled it up to her lips.
Fred watched her take her first sips and smiled as she spluttered.
"It gets easier after a bit," he said, laughing as she glared at him. "C'mon, Emma, just give it another try, love."
She sighed, bracing herself as she took some more sips of the burning liquid, realizing that it wasn't quite as bad as she'd previously expected. She took another quick gulp for experimentation and Fred took the bottle from her hand, setting it down on the table.
"Careful there, love," he said with a grin, kissing her cheek. "It hits you pretty fast. I wouldn't want you losing your grip."
"I'm not worried," she said honestly. "You're here to protect me."
"Aw," he said, and she loved the way his neck turned pink. "I love you, Emma."
"I love you too," she whispered, kissing his sweet, pink neck. "So, what else are we doing? You know, other than you trying to get me drunk."
"Emma!" he said, pretending to be scandalized. "I'm surprised at you! I would never do such a thing! Anyway, I was thinking we test the capabilities of the Room of Requirement."
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Emma shushed him, only half-urgently.
"Fred," she whined, "we don't want people to know about that!"
"Who's going to overhear?" he countered. "Besides, it's not like they know how to get in. Please, baby? I'll take you anywhere you want beforehand."
She couldn't argue with that, so she insisted that they get chocolate before heading back up to the school and they finished up their drinks as quickly as possible without Emma getting completely tipsy. They made a quick stop at Honeydukes where Fred bought Emma several bars of her favorite chocolate and then he led her eagerly back up to the school where they hurried up to the seventh floor as quietly as they could, not wanting to run afoul of Filch or Umbridge as they went up to the Room of Requirement.
Emma watched Fred pace, a look of concentration on his face as he walked, and when an ornate door appeared on his third passing, she grinned, letting him lead her inside.
The room was nothing like their practice room for the DA. She found, instead, that there was a large, fluffy-looking bed, a fireplace roaring in the corner, and even an attached shower. She sighed, smiling broadly as Fred led her over to the bed, a dopey grin on his own face.
"Is this all right?" he asked as they bounced onto the bed, moving some of the numerous, squishy pillows out of the way to make room for their bodies.
"Perfect," Emma sighed, letting him lay her back on a small pile of pillows and brush a bit of her wind-swept hair out of her face before kissing her gently. She surrendered to the kiss, surrendered to him generally, letting him give her the best Valentine's Day in memory, doing her best to do everything she could think of that she knew he loved as they went about knocking the pillows off the massive bed and making noise they hoped that anyone outside the room wouldn't be able to hear, not sure what the limitations of the Room of Requirement were, but being too far gone to truly care. Emma couldn't have asked for a better day, and she was sure that wasn't the firewhiskey talking.
Fred gave her one more once over, kissing as much of her body as he could reach as he went along, cuddling her and muttering things about why he loved her. Emma could have gotten used to it. He moved back up to her face, lightly pecking her lips before wrapping his arms lovingly around her and sighing into her neck. Knowing he was worried about something, Emma ran her fingers through his hair, getting them caught up in his sweaty, tangled red locks and preparing herself for a conversation about the war, because that's what it was always about.
"I think we're going to have to leave," he whispered. "Not soon, but we will. It's only going to get worse here, from what I got out of Remus and Sirius over the break. Umbridge is pretty evil and she's not going to stop until she gets what she wants or we make her stop."
"Who's 'we' and how would that work, exactly?" Emma asked, her voice shaking in spite of her best efforts.
"The Order, maybe," Fred said with a shrug. "The DA, perhaps. I think there's got to be some way, but I haven't thought of it yet."
"Thought of it?" Emma muttered, sitting up at little, looking down at Fred's face. "You're going to try to bring her down, aren't you? You and George." She sighed. "Well, you can't be said to be unambitious. I suppose you two don't have any idea how you might pull it off?"
"Erm, yes," Fred said sheepishly. "You know how she is about order. And, well, you know how good George and I are at causing disorder..."
"Only the best," Emma teased, sliding back down a bit on the bed and kissing his chest before snuggling in tighter against him. "I love you, you know that?"
"Yeah," Fred sighed. "I love you, too."
He kissed her hair gently, running his hand up and down her back with a feather-light touch.
"What are you going to say when the day comes when George and I have to make that decision?" Fred whispered. "What are you going to do?"
Emma nibbled her lip, thinking about what it might feel like to have Fred say he had to make that choice, and what she was going to have to say.
"I can't keep you here," she sighed against his skin. "It wouldn't be fair to you or right of me to keep you from George and your joke business. I mean, you already have the space, don't you?"
"Yeah," Fred whispered. "We do. But he could run it without me if you really wanted me or needed me here, Emma. I'm not leaving you if you really don't want me to. I promise."
"I know," Emma whispered. "But I think it's what's best for you, leaving with George, when the time comes. I'm not going to change my mind and regret it later. You need to leave when you need to, and not stay because I ask."
"If you're sure," Fred sighed, tracing spirals on her bare back with his fingertip. "You won't change your mind when the time comes?"
"I won't change my mind," Emma assured him.
He pursed his lips together, frowning slightly. Something was still on his mind.
"What?" she whispered, kissing his neck.
"If I asked, when the time came," he whispered, looking down at her, "would you come with us?"
Emma frowned a bit, trying to understand what Fred had just asked her. Surely he hadn't asked what she thought he was asking.
"You want me to come with you?" she clarified. "You want me to leave Hogwarts?"
"Not right away," he assured her quickly. "But, you know, when the time comes."
Emma nibbled her lip, considering. She did want to go with him, but there were things she would need to stay at school for, things she knew the boys didn't care about.
"Fred, I do not want to work in your shop," she sighed. "I want a job that requires N.E.W.T.s. I can't just pack up and leave whatever day you and George decide is a good day for it."
"Right," he muttered. "Right. I didn't think about that. I guess I have to think about this for a minute."
"Take your time," Emma teased.
Fred flicked her noise playfully.
"What if I make you a deal?" he muttered, pressing his lips against her ear. "What if we say that you stay if we leave before N.E.W.T.s, and leave with us if we hold out to the end of the exams?"
Emma smiled, knowing he'd picked it specifically so that she could come away with him, so that there was some way for her to come away with him, even though she knew the chances of them leaving after N.E.W.T.s were slim. Still, she fully appreciated the gesture, and decided it was a deal she could more than live with.
"All right," she whispered with a smile. "If you leave after N.E.W.T.s are over, I'll go with you. That sounds lovely."
He grinned, pulling her into an even tighter hug and kissing the top of her head.
"Where would we go?" she asked after several moments.
"We're getting a place with a flat above it," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "We would go there, at least until my mum calms down a bit."
"Would she blame me?" Emma whispered, sitting up a bit, looking down at him with worry filling the pit of her stomach. "I mean, if I go with you, she might think it's my fault somehow, and if I stay, she might say I didn't try hard enough to keep you here. She might think-"
Fred cut off her worried rant with a sweet, chaste kiss and then whispered, "If she thinks that, she's lost her mind. Anyway, she's used to blaming us for things. I doubt she'll look any further than George and me for scapegoats."
Emma tried to let herself be assuaged, although she didn't feel particularly happy about their mother liking to blame them, either, but she would take what she could get. She cuddled into Fred's warm arms and almost wished that she could just take it all back and demand they run away that very moment, run far away to somewhere where the war and the chaos that was about to rain down on them the moment You-Know-Who came out into the open couldn't touch them, couldn't affect their love, their life together.
Because what she couldn't bring herself to say out loud was that she was terrified of losing him.