Safe With Me ~ Fred Weasley

Potterwatch

"Come on, come on!" Ginny grinned, the kind of smile that I hadn't seen grace the ginger girl's face since term had begun. Honestly, since the last school year had ended.

"Okay, quit screeching and try to look a bit less overjoyed? If the Carrow's catch us, they're going to worry that we're not fully depressed enough." I spoke much lower, letting Ginny push me through the halls until we stood outside of the Room of Requirement. The better part of the higher level students had been meeting up three times a week for nearly a month now, after Neville had coached everyone religiously on how to get the prompt just right. The room would open to us, no staff members, and no staff members would be able to find the room, even if they had been informed of it's existence.

I watched her pace along the wall now, twirling on her feet as she glanced one last time at the watch on her wrist, the small shadow of a door growing before us before we pushed through quickly, waiting for it to shut before turning to the room again.

It was more full than it had been all week, and though many students looked a bit worse for wear, colorful bruises and scrapes outlined along everyone's flesh, the students all wore matching grins as they looked towards Ginny and I. I spotted my roommates at once, sat together on some oversized pillows around a small radio in the center of the room.

"Oh, and where have you three been all afternoon?" I asked, heading over as Maddie thrust her hand out for me, pulling me onto the pillow beside her as Ginny dropped down as well. She pulled her wand from her robes and leaned over the radio, tapping it once.

"Sirius."

The radio sparked to life, a low static appearing for only a second before...

"-listeners, so happy to have everyone tuned in for another broadcast!"

I felt my eyebrows draw together, watching as everyone inched closer to the source of the familiar voice.

"We apologize for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which is due to a number of house-calls in our area by those charming death eaters. But now, we're back! So, let's move to news concerning the wizard who is proving just as elusive as Harry Potter. We'd like to refer to him as "Chief Death Eater". And here to give us his views on some of the more insane rumors circulating about him, I'd like to introduce our new correspondent, Rodent!"

"I'm not being Rodent! I told you, I want to be Rapier!"

My stomach fell, my eyes blown wide as I looked to Ginny who was nodding excitedly. I moved closer to the radio, aching to hear the voice again. To know that he was out there, safe and happy and laughing like always.

"Oh alright, Rapier! Could you tell our listeners the various stories you've heard about the Chief Death Eater?"

"Yes I can. As our listeners will know, unless they've taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond, You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice climate of panic! Mind you, if all alleged sightings of him are genuine, there must be nineteen You-Know-Whos running around!"

I ignored the feeling of warmth pooling beneath my eyes as I laughed, the sound echoing from the rest of the students, all smiling contentedly to each other.

"Which suits him of course. The air of mystery creates more terror than actually showing himself." The matching voice spoke and I watched Ginny's eyes light up.

"Right you are, Righteous." Fred agreed, the humor evident in his voice as Ginny glanced at me.

"Because of his bloody ear." I allowed myself an eye roll at the twins. "How did you find this?"