Songbird ; Fred Weasley

Seventy-seven

Phoebe had fallen asleep after she ate the food Daniel brought her.

She was so little, so naive to the world and she had no idea what was happening.

When Eric picked her up, the teachers trusted him because Phoebe trusted him.

He's the "uncle" of Phoebe's mother so why wouldn't he be allowed to pick her up when her parents are unable to make it?

I stared down at her as she slept. She was tucked into my side, her long ponytail a mess. She was sucking her thumb — a habit Fred and I were talking about getting her out of.

Fred.

I squeezed my eyes shut to fight the tears.

He had to be absolutely terrified. He knew something was going on. He'd wake up on that floor to me being gone, and then Phoebe.

He's going to be scared out of his mind.

I rested my forehead against Phoebe's head, and I let a few tears slip as the door to the room opened.

Reuben held open the door as Spencer and Eliza walked through, immediately finding their way towards the bed.

They crawled onto it, making sure not to wake up Phoebe. Both of them sat against the wall, while I sat in the corner with my daughter.

"We're staying together." Reuben said as he faced us. "We're staying in the same room as each other."

I nodded in agreement and looked to my younger siblings to see if they were okay. Spencer looked like he was in a state of shock. He hadn't said much.

Eliza was crying again.

"Why is he doing this?" She asked me, wiping at her cheeks. "He's our uncle. Why does he want to hurt us?"

I shut my eyes for a moment, gathering myself, and then I looked at her again, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I don't know, El." I said softly. "But I promise you, I will not let him harm you in any way."

Daniel marched into the room, pushing a trolley with plates of food.

"I brought you guys something to eat." He announced. He pushed the trolley towards the bed, then his eyes scanned each one of us.

His eyes landed on Phoebe, and then he backed up towards a closet, opening the door to it. He grabbed a blanket before returning, spreading it over my daughter.

"Thanks." I muttered, tucking her into the blanket in the way I knew she loved. She slept like an angel when she was completely tucked in like a burrito.

"How is..." Daniel cleared his throat. "...Harvey. How's Harvey?"

I froze, because I hadn't expected him to ask about anyone in the family. He seemed determined to keep them forgotten. It seemed easier for him.

Reuben was the one to answer the question.

"He's good." Reuben said. "He's working a desk job at Gringotts, and I think he just started seeing someone."

They were trying to have a casual conversation, maybe to try and just forget about our situation for a moment.

We had been kidnapped, but for some reason, it didn't feel like it. Maybe it was because it was a house and we had rooms. Or maybe it was because it was Eric, our uncle who kept us here.

"So he's happy?" Daniel asked, and I glanced at Reuben to see him nod once.

Daniel offered a faint smile, then excused himself and rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.