Ethereal ✭Fred Weasley✭

40.

The feeling that Fred felt in his stomach when he saw Sophia's banged up body being levitated through the halls by Professor Snape was something indescribable. He had been waiting with Remus in the Great Hall when he had decided to go back to the common room in hopes of maybe finding the girl, leading to the unusual sight of Professor Snape just turning the corner of a hallway. Fred caught only a glance of Sophia's face that hung limply in the air but it was enough to make him break into a run to follow after the Professor. He did have half a mind to run back into the Great Hall to alert her father but the only thing that was on his mind at that moment was seeing what the situation was with Sophia.

Professor Snape walked under the archway of the Hospital wing making Professor McGonagall look up from where she stood beside Harry's own bed, seeing the Gryffindor being lowered into the bed next to her. Harry pushed himself into a sitting position as his eyes were wide at the sight of Sophia's ghastly appearance, her skin was a pale grey with patches of dirt and scratches dawned any visible sign of flesh.

"Alastor says she was unconscious for the whole time she was accompanying him in the chest," Snape explained to McGonagall, a bored tone laced through his voice. "A powerful sleeping draught must have been used. I did notice that some of my Flobberworm Mucus and Valerian Sprigs were missing from my supplies. I suspected Potter at first."

Harry caught the sneer that Snape briefly threw at him but didn't have the time to feel angry about the prosecution. But he was glad to see the back of the Professor as he left the Hospital wing, leaving Sophia in the hands of the nurse and her head of house. His mind was too busy with the image of Cedric's murder and the horrifying transformation of Mad-Eye Moody to Barty Crouch Jr. And now that Sophia looked like a second from death, Harry felt like he could sleep for a week from exhaustion and trauma. Madam Pomfrey rushed over from her table of various potions and began looking over the girl, McGonagall saying that she will go and find Mr. Lupin to alert him of his Daughter's whereabouts.

"Oh Mr Weasley, one of the people I was going to find," Professor McGonagall rushed to Fred who had just run into the hospital wing. "I think its best you stay with Miss Lupin until I bring Mr Lupin here."

The woman disappeared through the corridors and Harry watched as Fred spotted him and Sophia in their beds side by side. The tall boy hurried over to the left side of Sophia's bed and crouched down into a squatting position, his eyes filled with worry as he scanned over her appearance. Madam Pomfrey started to use a damp cloth that was riddled with a potion to dab at her cheek while putting the back of her hand against Sophia's forehead, taking her temperature with a nurse's instinct.

"Where was she?" Fred asked to Harry, looking up over to the boy who had his own scrapes and pale complexion.

"Moody wasn't actually Moody... Barty Crouch's son was using Polyjuice potion and keeping the real one in a chest. Sophia was there too..." Harry briefly murmured but didn't feel like reliving the past few hours. He just wanted to lay down and sleep but was told specifically not to by Madam Pomfrey. Fred took what Harry said gratefully by nodding at him and turning his attention back to the unconscious girl. He looked down at her limp hand that was laying near his on the mattress and enlaced his fingers with hers. He swallowed down his dry throat and felt the full effect of guilt and sorrow settle into his being, hating every moment of seeing the girl he adored so weak and ill in her bed. There was a pinch of relief in knowing that she was alive, but it was too little to overpower his worry.

"Oh dear," Molly Weasley's voice sounded from behind Fred, making him look over his shoulder to see nearly the whole clan of Weasley's rushing over to them. Hermione accompanied them as she and Ron went to Harry for a moment before looking at both Sophia and Fred in their almost pitiful position.