Falling (asleep) | Fred Weasley fanfic

The Seven Potters

Later that evening, members of the Order would be picking Harry up at Privet Drive. Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Fleur and Mundungus would be disguising themselves as him with Polyjuice Potion. Hermione didn't think he'd take the idea well. Then, each of them would be travelling with a member of the Order to a separate safe house. Mum, Dad and I were at my parents' house, which was now Dora's and Remus's, and would be waiting for Harry and Hagrid. As soon as they arrived, I would take them back to The Burrow by Portkey. Mum and Dad would be going back to my grandparents' since Dad's supposed to be dead.
„Fred's gonna be fine, dear," said Dad, pulling me into a hug.
„Yes, dear, he's brave," Mum added. I had no words. I had a feeling something would go wrong.
The only good thing about having faked my dad's death was that no one would go after him. Muggle-born were in danger, they were practically being hunted by the Dark forces. Thankfully, no one besides my grandparents, my parents, Dora, Remus, Fred and I knew the location of my grandparents' house. It was protected by the Fidelius Charm and my Mum was Secret-Keeper.
I was immersed in my worry when suddenly BAM!
„Who's there? Is it Potter? Are you Harry Potter?" asked Dad.
„They've crashed, Ted! Crashed in the garden!" shouted Mum.
„Hagrid," Harry repeated stupidly, and his knees buckled. My dad carried him inside and put him on the couch. Mum started tending to his and then to Hagrid's injuries.
„Some time went wrong, Dad," I said, kneeling next to Harry.
„Hagrid?" Harry opened his eyes.
„Hagrid's fine, son," said Dad, „the wife's seeing to him now. How are you feeling? Is anything else broken? I've fixed your ribs, your tooth and your arm. I'm Ted, by the way, Ted Tonks – Kay and Dora's father."
Harry sat up too quickly: lights popped in front of his eyes and he felt sick and giddy.
„Voldemort — "
„Easy, now, Harry," I said and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder pushing him back against the cushions. „That was a nasty crash you just had. What happened, anyway?"
„Kay?" Harry said in surprise.
„Did something go wrong with the bike? Arthur Weasley overstretch himself again, him and his Muggle contraptions?" asked Dad.
„No," said Harry, as his scar pulsed like an open wound. „Death Eaters, loads of them – we were chased"
„Death Eaters?" I said sharply.
„What d'you mean, Death Eaters? I thought they didn't know you were being moved tonight, I thought — " asked Dad.
„They knew," said Harry.
Dad looked up at the ceiling as though he could see through it to the sky above.
„Well, we know our protective charms hold, then, don't we? They shouldn't be able to get within a hundred yards of the place in any direction," said Dad.
„Harry!" yelled Hagrid, knocking over two delicate tables and an aspidistra, he covered the floor between them in two strides and pulled Harry into a hug that nearly cracked his newly repaired ribs. „Blimey, Harry, how did yeh get out o' that? I thought we were both goners"
„Yeah, me too. I can't believe –" Harry broke off: he had just noticed Mum who had entered the room behind Hagrid.
„You!" he shouted, and he thrust his hand into his pocket, but it was empty.
„Your wand's here, son," said Dad, tapping it on Harry's arm. „It fell right beside you, I picked it up. And that's my wife you're shouting at."
„Oh, I'm – I'm sorry", said Harry. I read his mind, he thought for a second he had been looking at Bellatrix.
„What happened to our daughter?" she asked. „Hagrid said you were ambushed; where is Nymphadora?"
„I don't know," said Harry. „We don't know what happened to anyone else."
„The Portkey," I said, remembering all of a sudden. „We've got to get back to The Burrow and find out – then we'll be able to send you word, or – or Dora will, once she's — "
„Dora'll be ok, girls," said Dad. „She knows her stuff, she's been in plenty of tight spots with the Aurors. The Portkey's through here," he added to Harry. „It's supposed to leave in three minutes, if you want to take it."
„Yeah, we do," said Harry. He seized his rucksack and swung it onto his shoulders. „I —  I'll tell Tonks – Dora – to send word when she... thanks for patching us up, thanks for everything. I — "
„Follow me, Harry," I said and we started walking along the corridor. „Come on. That's the Portkey." I was pointing to a small, silver-backed hairbrush lying on the dressing table.
„Thanks," said Harry, reaching out to place a finger on it, ready to leave.
„Wait a moment," said Hagrid, looking around. „Harry, where's Hedwig?"
„She... she got hit," said Harry.
„Never mind," Hagrid said gruffly. „Never mind. She had a great old life — "
„Hagrid!" I said warningly, grabbing the hairbrush as it glowed bright blue, and Hagrid only just got his forefinger to it in time.

With a jerk behind the navel as though an invisible hook and line had dragged us forward, we were pulled into nothingness, spinning uncontrollably, my finger glued to the Portkey as hurtled away from the house. Seconds later my feet slammed on to hard ground and he fell on his hands and knees in the yard of The Burrow. I heard screams. Throwing aside the no longer glowing hairbrush, we stood up, swaying slightly, and saw Molly and Ginny running down the steps by the back door as Hagrid, who had also collapsed on landing, clambered laboriously to his feet.
„Harry? You are the real Harry? What happened? Where are the others?" cried Molly.
„What d'you mean? Isn't anyone else back?" I panted. The answer was clearly etched in Molly's pale face.
„The Death Eaters were waiting for us," Harry told her.  „We were surrounded the moment we took off – they knew it was tonight – I don't know what happened to anyone else. Four of them chased us, it was all we could do to get away, and then Voldemort caught up with us — "
„Thank goodness you're all right," she said, pulling him into a hug. „Kay, come here," she said and pulled me into a hug as well.
„Haven't got any brandy, have yeh, Molly?" asked Hagrid a little shakily. „Fer medicinal purposes?"
„I would like some as well, Molly," I said. „If it isn't too much trouble." I couldn't stop thinking about Dora and Fred. I just hoped they had survived somehow. Molly could have summoned it by magic, but as she hurried back towards the crooked house.
„Ron and Tonks should have been back first, but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them," said Ginny, pointing at a rusty oilcan lying on the ground nearby. „And that one," she pointed at an ancient plimsoll, „should have been Dad and Fred's, they were supposed to be second. You and Hagrid were third and," she checked her watch, „if they made it, George and Lupin ought to be back in about a minute."
Molly reappeared carrying two bottles of brandy, one of which which she handed to Hagrid. He uncorked it and drank it straight down in one.
„Here you go, Kay, dear," she handed me the second bottle and I followed Hagrid's lead.