Out of the Shadows (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 8- Gone (Fred)

A/N-

Hello! Just a quick note to say that sorry this chapter is so short, but I've updated twice this week so I hope that makes up for it... :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 8 (Fred)

Where the marquee had been decorated extremely precisely and carefully before, there was now destruction across the whole land. The trees of the orchard were covered in scorch marks, there were bodies strewn across the floor, with upturned tables and torn pieces of white fabric splayed out across the grass. I stared out at it all, my mind reeling from the shock of the attack.

We had been fighting the Death Eaters off for a while before the constant stream of them stopped, leaving us to tidy up the mess behind.

Mum was in tears, sobbing about how such a beautiful day had been ruined, and how she had never been able to say goodbye to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

I turned away, closing my eyes for a moment. I dreaded to study the bodies that were strewn across the floor. What if Ava was there?

"Fred? She could have run off somewhere- I'm sure we'll find her." Charlie muttered quietly, trying to comfort me.

"Ava would never have run off. She's too stubborn for that." I whispered, stepping forwards and picking up a torn piece of white fabric.

I had seen her for a brief moment- she had called my name out just after the Death Eaters had broken the protective enchantments, and then she had disappeared into the crowd, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

I sat down on a chair, putting my head in my hands and taking a deep breath. I was going to find her. Ava was somewhere nearby, and all I had to do was locate her and lead her back to the Burrow. She was fine.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were definitely gone. I had spotted the three of them Disapparate nearby. I doubted that we would see the three of them for a while to come. Ron was a bloody git- he hadn't even said goodbye to Mum.

I cleared my throat, standing up and turning to George and Charlie, "I'll help you two tidy up, shall I?"

And so we began, waving our wands to remove the marquee and the discarded tables on the floor. We were unsure of what to do with the bodies, so waited for Remus to inform us on how we were to deal with them.

In the meantime, I took Mum inside and offered to make her a cup of tea to settle her nerves. She was worried about Ron, Hermione and Harry- I could tell. I wondered if she had noticed that Ava was missing too, but I decided not to upset her even more. Plus, it seemed that the words were harder to say out loud.

"Ron can't cope on his own- what if something happens to the three of them? He isn't mature enough for this yet!" Mum wailed, her bottom lip trembling.

I sat down beside her reaching out to hold her hand, "I think he's much more mature than you realise, Mum. He's best friends with Harry bloody Potter- he's had to grow up pretty quickly, I'd say. He can cope- and anyway, Hermione would never let anything happen to him. She cares about him far too much."

I smiled gently at Mum, and before I could say anything else she suddenly reached out and held me close to her.

"You and George are both so precious- you drive me up the wall but you are both so special. You have to know that."

I closed my eyes. She rarely hugged me like this- she was always far too busy, and I was always far too irritating.

A door slammed open and we pulled away from each other, holding our wands at the ready.

Remus and Tonks both came running in, out of breath and covered in cuts.

"We chased the last of the Death Eaters away. But now they know the location of the Burrow, you can't stay here anymore." Remus leant against the doorframe, his expression serious.

He glanced around suddenly, his eyes widening, "Where's Ava?"

My heart sank, "I- I don't know. She disappeared moments after the attack. Charlie suggested that she might be somewhere nearby but..." I trailed off, shaking my head.

"We can send out a search party- she can't be far. Perhaps she started to chase one of the Death Eaters away from the crowds." Tonks gulped anxiously.

I nodded quickly, "We'll wait for you to get your strength back and then we'll split up and have a look."

I was trying to act braver than I felt, but I wasn't sure if it was working. I just wanted to know that Ava was safe- I wanted her by my side.

Dad, Ginny, George and Charlie walked in, sitting down beside me and reaching out for the teapot on the table. They were all trying to act normal, but it was difficult in this situation. Such a happy day had been torn apart.

"I sent any remaining guests home," Dad spoke up, "Some wanted to stay and to help out, but we need to move out as quickly as we can, and we can't make them targets as well."

We all sat in silence, having run out of words to say. Harry, Ron and Hermione were gone- they had started their mission already. The situation suddenly felt so much more real than before.

Bill and Fleur appeared by the door, their expressions sombre. I looked away with a sigh, but Bill cleared his throat.

"Fred- I'm so sorry."

My head shot up, my eyes widening, "What? Bill- what is it?"

"I saw- When the attack first began, I saw Ava. She was standing near me, shooting hexes at the Death Eaters when suddenly... one grabbed hold of her and... they Disapparated. The Death Eaters have got her."

My heart stopped, and I buried my face in my hands. She was gone. Ava was gone. The Death Eaters had her, and I highly doubted if they would let her go.

"No," I whispered, closing my eyes.

"They won't kill her, Fred," George spoke up, "She's valuable to them. They need her. We can find a way to save her- don't worry. They will not kill her."

"What makes you so sure?" I murmured.

"Because she's Ava Potter," George smiled, "She wouldn't dare let them."