Times Of Her Blood

Sixty Five | Chocolate

George liked his sleep. He was often known to sleep through raging storms or blazing rows between various members of the family. He could sleep anywhere, including the rather stiff single bed in the room that had been booked for himself and his brother, although Evelyn had soon kicked Fred out and pushed the two singles together. 

She awoke before he did to the alarms downstairs and the sound of Ministry Officials frantically running around the building and about the streets. Evelyn hadn't bothered to wake him up, though. Instead she'd traipsed off into the bathroom to take a shower and hadn't emerged for a good half hour, maybe even forty five minutes.

Still, George remained fast asleep.

Until Fred kicked the door down, of course. 

"George," he wasted no time in ripped the covers off, shaking him violently, "GEORGE!"

"What?" he mumbled, turning over onto his side.

He could hear Fred pull back the curtains and he cried out when the light flooded in.

"Merlin's beard, what did you do that for you absolute-"

"Laurel's gone," he threw a shirt at him and George's eyes snapped open.

"What do you mean gone?"

Fred's arms were folded tightly across his chest. His hair was combed back unnaturally as though he'd actually bothered to brush it. His forehead was crinkled like a middle aged man's and his jaw clenched, "Ministry bastards came and took her last night. Ginny said it was Fudge himself in the building. He wanted to speak with her, or take her. I don't know. Ginny said it was a right funny looking wizard who fetched her."

George sat up, "The Ministry took her?"

"The Ministry tried," Ginny scoffed from behind him and he turned upon the realisation of her presence, "There's a gaping hole in a window where she jumped through it last night. Nobody's seen her since. It's got everyone in a pickle. Place is crawling with Aurors and what not."

He stood up, trying to conceal the panic in his tone, "Why did they want her?"

His sister held up a rolled up newspaper, tossing it his way. He caught and unravelled it, "Wha-"

"Front page," Fred said bitterly. Ginny was biting at her nails, skin paled.

George didn't have to look twice. Big, bold lettering across the very front page. A vicious man lunged out of the paper at him, laughing manically before retreating back in his photographed state.

It was an old image, one taken twelve years previously. Hair matted, covered in blood, clothes ripped, a crazed look only just dawning in his eyes. 

But there was no mistaking that face.

"Why do they want Laurel? They think she helped? They think she's had a hand in this?"

"Dumbledore's talking them around. Dad's proper stressed. It's caused a serious stir up in London."

"It's caused a serious stir up everywhere," Ginny murmured, "Laurel's missing. A murderer is on the loose. I don't know what Harry's going to do. Mum says he's coming tonight."

"I'm going to be sick," George said quietly. 

It was then that the bathroom door flung open, Evelyn sliding out in nothing but her towel, batting her long eyelashes at everyone in the room before settling on her sickly-looking boyfriend, "What's wrong, hon? Have you taken your meds yet?" she asked sweetly.

"Sirius Black's escaped prison," Ginny said bluntly, "And Laurel's missing?"

Evelyn didn't react to the first part. To the second, however, she covered her hand with her mouth, eyes widening suddenly, "You don't think she's with him, do you?"