Lean On Me (SEQUEL)

Chapter 2

Athena

I woke up unusually early the next day. It took will power to drag myself out of Fred's bed. My tiredness tried to pull me back into a slumber, but I refused to sleep again. Instead, I got up walked to the kitchen to see Mrs. Weasley in a state of panic. She was running around the kitchen cleaning every surface she could find. It seemed like she was trying to keep her mind off of whatever was bothering her. I took a step inside the room. She didn't notice me.

"Um... Molly?" I asked quietly. I wasn't expecting her to hear me. I was shocked when she did. She jumped in surprise at the sound of my voice.

"Sleep well, dear?" She asked, trying to sound cheery. She seemed like her head was somewhere else. I gave her a concerned look, but she didn't hold it. She turned away and went about her cleaning once more.

"Yes, but is something bothering you?" I asked, worried. I took another step towards her. She seemed fine when we went to bed last night. What could have happened?

"Someone summoned the dark mark last night at the World Cup." She confessed. My heart sped and my palms broke into a sweat. That was serious, very serious. It wasn't just a prank anyone could play. I opened my mouth to say something, but couldn't find the right words to answer with.

"You're serious?" I asked. She could only nod. "When are they supposed to get back?" I asked, swallowing hard. I tried to calm down, but I knew I wouldn't fully until I could see them all.

"Sometime within the hour, I could assume. With what happened last night, everyone would probably be returning home by now." She explained. I stayed attentive, taking everything in.

"So you don't know if they're okay yet?" I asked softly. She shook her head again. This time, she looked as though she would cry. I sat down, not saying anything else. I didn't feel like I had the right to worry like she did. After all, she was their mother. That was her whole family mixed up in the situation. I kept my fears to myself, letting her do the panicking. I knew nothing I could say would calm her down, so I didn't attempt to.

After what seemed like an eternity, there was a slight commotion outside. Mrs. Weasley and I both jumped up to see what it was. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders when I saw 7 redheads and two brunettes following Arthur Weasley up the driveway. Molly ran out first, yelling frantically. She pulled Arthur into an embrace. I paid no mind to what she was saying, and ran straight to Fred. I pulled him into a hug tighter than I ever had.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." I whispered, planting a kiss on his lips. He smiled.

"Trust me, next time I go anywhere, you're coming with me." I laughed and let him go, walking over to Harry, Hermione and Ron. They watched me stride towards them, looking worried. Maybe they thought I was going to be upset with them. So naturally, I did what I could as a troublemaker. I pretended to be angry with them.

"Listen here you little shits," I said sternly. Their eyes widened at my words, but I couldn't help myself. I broke out into a smile. "Give me a hug." I said, opening my arms. They grinned and I pulled them into a group hug, relieved that they were okay. They were probably happy that I wasn't going to give them a lecture. "You guys realize you're going to be telling me exactly what happened, right?" I asked. They nodded, already knowing they would. "Good. I'll be up in Fred and George's room, come and get me when you're ready." I told them. They all responded within the same context.

I returned to Fred's side and grabbed his hand. "So, other than the whole 'Dark Mark' fiasco, how was it?" I asked him with a smile. He didn't hold my hand, instead he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. The relief I felt in that moment was unexplainable. I was terrified he had gotten hurt, or worse.