Whispers

Five

Fred hadn't really thought through where he was trying to go when he initially apparated, which meant he was forced to aim for the Burrow mid apparition. With the protective enchantments that had been set up around the Burrow, they emerged in one of the cornfields that surrounded it. Fred was hit with an initial feeling of utter relief to have escaped alive until he felt a wave of pain coming from his leg, he looked down to see that a large chunk of his calf seemed to have been scooped out.

His head was light and he could feel himself on the verge of passing out, but he knew that he had to get himself and Calliope inside the Burrow otherwise no one would know they were there. He fumbled for Calliope's wand which had fallen beside him. Once he found it he aimed it at his leg and muttered the words that he remembered his mother using on Charlie one of the many times he had splinched himself.

"Vulnera Sanentur." A warm glow spread across his leg and the heavy bleeding lessened if only slightly. 

He gritted his teeth and pushed himself into a standing position. His mind was cloudy, but he had enough brainpower to be thankful that Calliope was so small otherwise he definitely wouldn't have been able to lift her. As it was, he half dragged, half carried Calliope in the direction of the Burrow. All of the lights were on and he could see people moving around in the kitchen.

Slowly Fred staggered towards the Burrow, he made it through the garden gate and halfway across the front yard before the back door opened and several people ran out to help just as Fred collapsed, taking Calliope down to the floor with him.

********

Once they had carried Fred and Calliope inside and placed them down on couches Molly immediately set to work on Fred's leg which was bleeding profusely. 

"He's been splinched," said Molly between muttered spells, "Arthur can you get me the Dittany?"

There was a collective intake of breath as everyone realised Molly's momentary lapse of forgetfulness. George hurried to find the dittany and no one corrected Molly as she continued to work not seeming to have noticed her own mistake.

Whilst Fred's family and several other order members were gathered around Fred, even Elphias seemed unwilling to approach Calliope after the temperament she had displayed earlier. Only Remus was willing to go near her, as he had been the one to carry her in and now was attempting to find out what was wrong.

"Is she okay?" Natalie asked.

"I'm not sure," Remus replied honestly, "I can't tell what happened, we might have to ask Fred."

"Well he'll be off of his feet for a while," said Molly, sitting down on the floor beside the couch with the now empty bottle of dittany on the floor beside her. "Given the circumstances, it could have been so much worse." She choked up at this thought and George wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him as she sobbed into his chest.

No one spoke for a while. The only movement in the room was Molly's sobbing and Remus' attempts to discover what was wrong with Calliope. After a while, Natalie moved forwards and perched herself on the edge of Calliope's sofa, taking her hand and holding it tightly.

"I think we might need to take her to a healer," said Remus, "whatever jinx was used on her was strong."

"We can't take her to St. Mungos," said Sirius who had been watching the scene unfold silently, "the Death Eaters are looking for her and they'll find her there."

"Hogwarts then," Natalie offered, "Madam Pomfrey is a miracle worker."

"Now there's an idea," said Remus scratching his chin, "I'll take her there now."

"What about Fred?" Natalie asked, "if she wakes up and he's not there she'll freak."

"We will move him when we can, but I really think that Calliope needs to see a healer," said Elphias, who was staring at his granddaughter with pain evident in his eyes. 

"I'll take her now," said Remus, "Sirius can you help?"

Sirius pulled out his wand and cast a levitation spell, hovering Calliope in front of him. The two men hurried from the house and disappeared into the night.

The room fell silent once again, only Molly's sobs punctuating the painful silence along with George's whispered reassurances.

Natalie drew her legs up to her chest and tried to sink further into the now Calliope-free sofa. Calliope and Fred were now technically safe, but from the tone of voice Remus had used and the serious glances exchanged by the adults, Natalie was lead to believe that Calliope may be fighting for her life at that very moment, and there was nothing that any of them could do but hope that she was able to once again beat the darkness.

I'm updating from an Ancient History class... ooops.
Remember to vote, comment and be amazing!
~Em xx