Safe With Me ~ Fred Weasley

The Room of Requirement

"Hello, love." I held in my groan, scanning the hallway and thankfully realizing he was without his usual escorts. "How've you been?"

"Theo." I answered, still moving quickly down the hallway. The room of requirement was only one floor up, and I thought of the candies Fred had given me, wastefully still lodged into my trunk downstairs. I could have heard him coming a mile away.

"You look tired, angel." His voice was teasing as he kept up with me easily, offering me a smirk as I finally slowed near the staircase, not wanting to lead him to the DA.

"I wonder why. A whole month back in Hell." I replied, taking a step away from him, not liking the way he was grinning down at me.

"It doesn't have to be Hell, Cass." His voice had dropped low as he took another step towards me. His fingers reached quickly, surrounding my wrist and pulling me against him. "Just let me help you."

"Get off me,"

"Let me take care of you. You know I care for you-"

"Fuck off, Theo!" I snapped, ripping my hand from his and stepping backwards into the wall. "I'm with Fred. And even if I wasn't, I'm not usually interested in men who have tortured-"

"With Fred?" He had let me drop his hand, yet still moved closer towards me, blocking me in against the wall. "You can't be serious. How are you still with him? They've been holding your letters all year, how have-"

"You fucking asshole..." I willed my voice to sound stronger than it was coming out, "You knew?"

"Course I knew." He rolled his eyes, arms reaching out for the wall on each side of me.

"I thought he was hurt. I thought he was dead."

"They sent people to the Weasley's over the summer, they looked for you. You weren't there."

I couldn't help the scoff that fell from my lips and Theo shook his head.

"Doesn't matter." He continued, at last, running his tongue slowly over his bottom lip. "He doesn't have to know."

"Nott-"

"Don't you get lonely? All alone at school? You won't see him for months..." His fingers had slid to my waist, trailing along the fabric of my skirt before I shoved him roughly, a fire lit behind his eyes.

"Cassidy, don't do that-" A low groan left his mouth, cutting off his sentence, as my jinx hit him, boils bubbling up along his face as I hurried up the last flight of steps, peeking over my shoulder halfway up and smiling when I realized he was still bent over in pain on the floor.

I paced over the space outside the room three times, yanking the door shut behind me and sighing in relief, sinking down along a bookshelf in the corner. I knew I was early, but I couldn't help from wishing there had been someone else in here to greet me. It always felt safer when there were more of us.

I was nearly halfway through one of the books I had randomly pulled from the shelves. I wasn't sure if the room was giving us real books, or simply conjuring up more once we had exhausted the ones we had brought in, but there was a never ending well of knowledge if you had the time. And lately, that was all I had.

Suddenly, the door burst open, Neville scanning wildly around the room before his eyes found me in the corner.

"There you are," He got out through gasping breaths, "Looked for you... everywhere..."

"What happened to you?" I was on my feet already, my hand sliding over his shoulder. "You hurt?"

"Not me," He shook his head, pulling the door back open and throwing himself into the hallway. "Ginny."