Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 179

After we had sent the message to the Order, we waited in silence. I still couldn't look up at Fred. I don't know which one was worse; knowing what awaited him, or the fact that the last time we had talked, we were fighting.

But I couldn't look up at him, or worse talk to him, without breaking down into tears. But I had to remain strong. I had to.

Although after some while, Ron and Hermione suddenly said that they were leaving, asking us to tell Harry that they were going to the bathroom on the second floor.

No one quite understood, but I knew they were going to destroy another Horcrux with the Basilisk fang, inside the Chamber of Secrets.

After a short while, many others started showing up; from Kingsley, Lupin, and Moody, to Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Bill and Fleur, and eventually Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

But chaos fell upon us all as the door to the Room of Requirements opened once more and Harry walked inside, looking bewildered at the number of people present.

"Harry, what's happening?" said Lupin urgently.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school — Snape's run for it — What are you doing here? How did you know?" Harry blinked at him a few times.

"We sent messages to the rest of Order and Dumbledore's Army," Fred explained. "And it all kind of snowballed."

"What first, Harry?" called George. "What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized," Harry said. "We're fighting."

There was a great roar and a surge toward the door as everyone took out their wands and stepped outside the Room of Requirements.

Mrs. Weasley was struggling with Ginny. Around them stood me, Lupin, Fred, George, Bill, and Fleur.

"You're underage!" Mrs. Weasley shouted at her daughter as Harry approached us. "I won't permit it! The boys, yes, but you, you've got to go home!"

"I won't!" Ginny's hair flew as she pulled her arm out of her mother's grip. "I'm in Dumbledore's Army —"

"A teenagers' gang!"

"A teenagers' gang that's about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!" said Fred.

"She's sixteen!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "She's not old enough! What you two were thinking, bringing her with you!?"

Fred and George looked slightly ashamed of themselves and therefore said nothing else to anger their mother any further.

"Mum's right, Ginny," said Bill gently. "You can't do this. Everyone underage will have to leave, it's only right."

"I can't go home!" Ginny shouted, angry tears sparkling in her eyes. "My whole family's here, I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing and —"

There was a scuffling and a great thump. Someone else had clambered out of the tunnel, overbalanced slightly, and fallen.

It was Percy Weasley.

He pulled himself up on the nearest chair, looked around through lopsided horn-rimmed glasses, and said, "Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out, so I — I —"

Percy spluttered into silence. Frankly, had not expected to run into most of his family. The tension among them could be cut by a knife.

But Fleur broke the silence by turning to Lupin and saying, "So — 'ow eez leetle Teddy?"