Safe With Me ~ Fred Weasley

The End of Summer

"Cass!"

I spun around towards the direction of the voice. I hadn't realized that I had been waiting to hear it, aching to hear it, to know that he was okay.

His body collided with mine, his hands wrapped around my waist the only reason that I hadn't been knocked to the ground. Cedric took a step back in shock at the force in which Fred had thrown himself at me. Ginny and George stood behind him, both looking equally relieved to see me.

"You're okay. Bloody Hell, Cassidy, where did you go? Not three feet into the woods you were gone." He stepped back finally and looked me up and down before landing on Cedric's hoodie.

"Yours?" Fred asked, barely sparing the Hufflepuff a glance.

"Yeah, she was... just in a tank top. It's freezing out." Cedric explained and I looked nervously between the two boys.

Fred took a very deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out, his breath forming a cloud in the air between us.

"Thanks, mate. Thank you for staying with her." He spoke through gritted teeth, reaching for the hem of the hoodie and pulling it over my head, the cold air rushing back onto my arms. "We've got her from here."

Cedric shot me a very 'I told you so' look and took his sweatshirt back, nodding at the Weasley's.

"I'm gonna go find my dad, you guys'll be alright, yeah?" He asked, his eyes only leaving mine for a second.

"We're all good, thanks." Fred said, pulling my closer to his body to keep away the cold.

"Stay safe." Cedric nodded at us before taking off deeper into the woods where the groups had all been headed.

"Cassidy." Fred growled under his breath, the two of us a few feet ahead of George and Ginny.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, not liking how angry Fred sounded.

"Where did you go? I... I swear I saw you one minute, the next you were gone."

"It... It's a long story." I sighed, trying to decide if I was going to tell Fred too about the hooded stranger.

"I want to hear it." He stepped over another stump and looked at me, a dark and serious look in his eyes. "There's... Someone set off the Dark Mark."

"The Dark Mark?" I asked, softly. Piecing together from Cedric's mention of the Death Eaters what he was talking about.

"And... They're looking for Muggles... Muggleborns..." He trailed off.

I nodded, knowing what he was saying. That the Death Eaters would have killed me if they'd found me. That he didn't know if I was alive.

I had to admit it was hard walking through the woods, avoiding the small holes and branches when I was this close, tucked under Fred's arm, but it was worth it. I didn't want to be away from him, and from the way he was squeezing me into his chest, I thought he may never let me go again.

Finally we emerged from the trees, the four of us scanning the seemingly vacant campsite, watching tents in the distance glow with lingering embers as a few straggling wizards worked to fix the damage the Death Eaters had caused.

"Thank God, alright, come in." Bill's voice shouted from the doorway to our tent, which was miraculously still intact.

"Everyone else back?" George asked as the twins let Ginny and I inside first, the immediate warmth filling my lungs.

"Still missing Harry, Ron and Hermione. Dad went to get them. It'll be okay." Charlie answered, nodding more to himself than to us.

The seven of us collapsed onto the couch for the second time tonight, all exhausted but knowing that we wouldn't be able to sleep until the others got back safe.