Safe With Me ~ Fred Weasley

Christmas at Grimmauld Place

"The Minister of Magic has indicated that these disappearances are the work of notorious murderer Sirius Black who escaped two years ago. Black remains at large, and we have little information for his-"

Harry jabbed his wand towards the radio and sent the common room into silence, turning back to glare into the fireplace.

We had returned, in groups like always, from the Room of Requirement nearly an hour ago, listening to the staticky speech that poured from the small machine on the coffee table. Fred and I had snagged an oversized arm chair closest the the fire, which I was thankful for. You could practically feel the December air leaking through the windows this high up.

Fred too was staring into the fire, his thumb softly working back and forth over my knee from my spot on his lap.

"Did you guys hear?" A small, mousy haired boy clambered through the portrait hole, his legs barely inside before he had started speaking. "Umbridge's new decree."

"No, what did she do now?" Harry grumbled, finally pulling his eyes up to the boy.

"Not you," His eyes fell to the twins. "She's banned the Weasley products."

"Oh, no." George's eyebrows shot up at once.

"Banned? Our merchandise?" Fred joined in, and I held back and eye roll, meeting Hermione's eyes.

"We'll have to stop production at once!" George slapped a hand to his forehead, as if this was all a great travesty.

"Don't listen to them," I turned back to the fourth year, who was watching the twins theatrics as if it were a tennis match. "Thank you for letting us know."

"Yeah, cheers Collin." Harry muttered, nodding at the boy before returning to his gaze into the fire ahead of him.

"We've never not been breaking the rules, Collin." George explained.

"It's what we do." Fred grinned, his hand now sliding softly higher on my thigh. "Are you all stocked up? We've got a brand new batch of Fever Fudge,"

"And fixed all of the issues with the Fainting Fancies."

Collin shook his head quickly, glancing at Harry again before hurrying up the stairs to his dorm.

"You guys have to be careful now." I said softly as everyone returned to their own conversations. "You can't get detention... not with Umbridge."

"I'd quite like an audience with the queen bitch, actually." Fred smirked, unfazed by my glare. "Someone needs to teach her a lesson."

"Oh and that someone is you?" I allowed the eye roll this time.

"If not me, then who?" He sighed, dramatically.

"And the lesson is?"

He grabbed for my hand, the scars barely legible now, and pressed a kiss to the skin. "Not to scratch beautiful things."

I sprinted down the steps after the small woman, pulling a cardigan I wasn't even sure was mine over my pajamas in the dark. Professor Sprout hadn't turned any lights on in the common room, but had her wand lit before her as we walked. Past the barrels, past the kitchens, up flight after flight of stairs until finally we stopped outside of a small alcove with a large stone gargoyle.

"Professor, is everything-"

"Shh," Sprout hushed, setting a hand on my shoulder. "Best not to talk just yet." She scanned the hallways until finally we heard multiple footsteps approaching along the stone floors.

"Oh, good, Pamona. Sorry to keep you waiting." McGonagall's voice was low too, but I could hear the fear beneath it. "I'll take them up."

Professor Sprout nodded, glancing quickly at the three Weasley's before hurrying off again.