Darling; Fred Weasley

04

* * *

"Fred Weasley, what have you done?"

I deafened by my mother's shrill shout as soon as Remus led me into the house, Sirius behind me. Mum took one look at Catina unconscious in my arms and assumed I was to blame. With her hands pressed firmly on her hips, she raised her eyebrows expectantly at me, making me roll my eyes and I pushed passed her, careful not to hit Catina on any object around me. Inside the drawing room, I laid Catina down gently in one of the sofa's but kept my hand underneath her head to remain the pressure I held on it to try and suppress the blood flow.

Sirius, transformed back into his human form and adjusted his jacket. "Actually Molly, it was rather my fault."

Mum exhaled in annoyance, "if it isn't my twins it's you! Honestly! Can we not have a day without any drama? So what did you do? Because it had to have been something bad for you to follow her out of the house, which you are not allowed to do so And was highly dangerous, but also for the poor girl to wind up unconscious... and is that blood!"

Remus tugged at his greying blonde hair, letting her hurry out of the room to get some medical supplies to sort Catina out. "She's right you know, Pads, you shouldn't have left the house."

"Look, Moony, now is not really the time for you to scold me when we have bigger matters to discuss. Besides, what are you going to do about it? Give me a detention Mr Prefect?" He smirked jestingly to his best friend.

"Maybe it will make up for this up for the amount of times that I neglected my prefect duties and didn't give you a detention. Call it a comeuppance." Remus retorted.

"Not the time." I shouted. It was if they forgot that I was sat with a half-dead girl in my arms.

When mum returned I removed my hand and wiped it on my trousers not caring about the stain it would cause. I watched as she washed the cut and then took her wand out. "Episkey." She muttered. A small red blue light shot out of the top of her wand and began to weave a stream of light stitches, closing up the cut and clearing the dry blood. She gently rested Catina's head on a cushion and covered her with a blanket before turning to the three of us who she appeared to deem as troublemakers. "Now spill."

"Merlin's beard, Sirius! What did Dumbledore say! He sa-"

"Tread carefully, I know. I made a stupid mistake and I understand the consequences to it. I'll apologise to her when she wakes and I'll try to settle the problem."

I looked between mum and Catina beyond puzzled now. I needed answers and I knew full well that I wouldn't get them from his mother or any other adult, not even if he was to bribe them.

The adults vacated the room but I stayed put. I sat on the floor in front of Catina and rested my back against the armchair opposite her. I watched as her chest rose and fell, how her lips remained slightly parted and how she crossed her arms over her body enclosing herself, tugging her legs up closer to her chest too.  The last time I had seen someone sleep like that was when I turned Ron's pillow into a spider years ago and he was terrified to sleep for a while after because of it. She is well fit.

Catina's nose scrunched up and she let out a small snort-like sound as she shuffled over. I sniggered quietly at this which seemed to have woke her. Catina groaned as her eyes opened and she rubbed them which created small dots to scatter her vision for a few moments.

"Rise and shine sleepy head."

Catina glanced over at me and rolled her eyes. Letting out some incoherent mumbles as she stretched she sat herself up.

"Why are you being creepy and watching me? Haven't you got any pranks or whatever it is you do, to well, do?" Catina asked.

"What when I can creep you out? Why would I do anything else?" I chuckled, "nah, I actually was waiting to see if you're alright."

"Well I am, so you can toddle back to your rude twin now."

"Funny, Kitten. But no. I want answers first. Why did you bolt?"

I can see her panic. Every a strong-minded girl can't hide that. I watched her look for an escape, a person to come and join us but no. It was the two of us and that was how it would stay.

"That's none of your business, darling."

I raised his eyebrows at her comment, "Well then, Kitten, then I won't leave you alone not after I so lovingly helped you more than once today. Maybe I should she let you drown in your own snot, which was gross by the way, or I should have left you on the pavement instead of getting you back here?"

"You wouldn't have done that."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because I know people like you. You wouldn't leave a poor, defenceless girl to suffer on her own because if you help them you basically have a free ticket into their knickers. Well, not me, darling."

That made me laugh. "You could be a stand up comedian, you could! Because that was the funniest thing I have heard all day. You, think you know me? I don't want to be in your knickers, I was just being helpful!"

"But why? When do you, a Weasley twin, ever help people? You bring havoc! Not sort it out."

Leaning forward, my face was only inches away from hers. Her breath was hot on my skin and her eyes searched mine. "You talk like you know me."

"I've seen you around school. You might not have seen me, but I have seen you alright." She shrugged, but I knew she was trying to distract me with her movements.

I got even closer, "that's not enough to know me. You'll have to work for that, Kitten."

"Oh I will, darling."