Out Of Time (Fred Weasley)

Chapter Forty One

November faded into December and the first snowfall of the year gracefully blanketed the Hogwarts' grounds.

Iris looked at the snow from her room and suddenly froze. She had been so busy dealing with Remmy's gossip witch nonsense she hadn't been paying attention to the actual date. It was already December and nothing out of the ordinary happened. And then it hit her. Katie was supposed to be cursed by a necklace back in October, but it never happened.

As Iris headed to Hogsmeade to meet Fred, she wondered if she had messed up the timeline or if things were simply delayed.

"Iris, are you alright?" Katie inquired when the two got into a wagon along with Katie's friend Leanne.

"Yeah, just lost in thought." Iris replied.

"Thinking about Fred?" Katie teased. Iris rolled her eyes.

"Oh, two could play that game."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Leanne asked confused when she noticed Katie suddenly became flustered.

"How's Charlie?" Iris asked. She watched as Katie began sputtering and smirked.

"Wait, are you talking about Charlie Weasley as in the dragon tamer?" Leanne inquired, turning to her best friend. By now Katie's face has turned a deep shade of red.

"I, uh...." Her voice trailed off. Leanne let out a squeal.

"Oh my Helga, it is true. How long has this been going on? And why didn't you tell me?" She asked, getting "offended".

"C-can we not talk about it?" Katie stammered. She then glared at Iris. Before Leanne could pepper her with more questions their wagon pulled into Hogsmeade. Katie was the first one off followed by Leanne.

"So, where are you meeting Fred?" Leanne asked Iris, noticing Fred trying to sneak up behind his girlfriend.

"He said to meet him by Zonkos." Iris answered.

"Boo."

Iris let out a yelp and turned around to see Fred standing there with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Freddie." She said annoyed.

"You're not happy to see me?" He pouted. Iris rolled her eyes. She leaned in and kissed him only to hear gagging noises behind them. Iris glared at Katie.

"Just wait until the roles are reversed."

"Katie has a boyfriend?" Fred asked as the two began to wander around Hogsmeade.

"Leave your future sister in law alone." Iris said. Fred stopped short and turned to his girlfriend surprised.

"Which one of my brothers is dating her because it can't be George. He's dating Angelina. It can't be Percy because no one likes that pompous prat. So, that leaves Bill and Ron." Fred rambled.

"Uh Fred you only named four of your brothers. I believe you're missing one." Iris pointed out.

"Charlie!?!" Fred said in complete utter shock a little bit too loud.

"What about Charlie?" Ron inquired, joining the conversation.

"Charlie has a girlfriend." Fred blurted out.

"You mean our Charlie? Fire loving, dragon tamer Charlie?" Ron asked completely stunned.

"No Charlie Brown." Iris said sarcastically.

"Lavender has a brother?" Ron said, confused. Hermione and Iris facepalmed.

"No, you idiot."

"Hey." Ron said, highly insulted.

"Oh grow up." Iris said.

"So, spill. Who is Charlie dating?" Hermione asked.

"She's in seventh year, a Gryffindor and plays chaser." Fred replied.

"Iris. I thought you're dating Iris. It would just be weird for her to date her godfather." Ron said in all seriousness.

"I'm talking about Katie, you ninny. Honestly how does Lavender deal with you?" Fred asked, exasperated , shaking his head.

"Oh..." Ron said quietly. They were interrupted by a loud scream. Iris's face went the color of milk, knowing full well who that was. They all turned to see Katie flying through the air.

"This can't be happening." Iris muttered as she watched Theo bend down to pick up the strange looking necklace.

"Don't touch it!" She yelled, startling him. Iris ran over to him and quickly took charge.

"Harry, find something to put it in, but don't under any circumstances touch the necklace. Hermione, you and Ron go run ahead and alert Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore. Hagrid, please carry her back to the hospital wing."

"What about me?" Fred asked as everyone scrambled.

"Fred? The jokester? You're the last person I'd think to ask for help, no offense." Iris said as she tried to round up the students.

"You're doubting my leadership skills? I'm insulted." Fred gasped dramatically.

"Fred, this is no time for you to be overly dramatic. If you really want to help then help me get the rest of the students back to the castle."

When Iris finally made it back to the castle she was ready to break in half. She entered the hospital wing with heavy feet and an even heavier heart. Iris walked over to Katie's bed knowing it wouldn't be long until Katie would be transported to St. Mungos.

She looked around and quietly sat down at her friend's bedside.

"I'm sorry, Katie." She began in a shaky voice. The tears slowly began to roll down her cheeks.

"I should've prevented this from happening. I could've stopped this. It's all my fault, Katie. It's all my fault." Iris sniffed as her tears fell onto Katie's scratched hand.

"It's all my fault." Iris kept repeating as she continued to sob. A soft groan startled her. Iris looked over at Katie and noticed that her eyes were now open. Katie turned to Iris confused and asked.

"What happened Iris? Why are you crying? Did someone die?"

Iris just stared at her in utter shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. When Iris finally had the courage to speak, she was interrupted by a very angry Madam Pomfry.

"What on earth are you doing? You're not supposed to be in here." Madam Pomfry said crossly not noticing that Katie was awake.

"What's going on?" Katie asked sitting up in her bed. Madam Pomfry's eyes widened in surprise.

"M-miss Evans go get Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore." She stammered. Iris left the hospital wing wondering what in the world just happened.