The Perfect Crime || Fred Weasley

03. The Unexplained

Gasping for air, the group of four finally made it to the clearing filled with clover deep into the forest where the Weasley's were instructed to wait for their father. Jude felt comfort under the cover of night, despite the circumstances. Tiny, far away stars could be seen through the treetops as she found a seat on a large boulder on the very edge of the clearing. Jude stared up at them as she caught her breath and calmed her tumultuous stomach.  Something about this view of the night sky seemed familiar...

 Ginny, George, Fred, and Jude were the first to reach the meeting point of all the Weasleys, which had clearly worried the twins. Fred and George, in a rare instance of total seriousness, stood in the middle of the clearing speaking lowly and in hushed voices, sure to keep Ginny close by. 

Jude focused on the dark night sky above her, taking large calming breaths of air as she listened to the voices nearby. 

"But George, they left before us-- Why haven't they made it? What if someone's hurt?"

"What if they're all hurt?!" George reasoned with his brother. "Dad told us to meet him here. We can't find them all and knowing your directional capabilities, we'll just get lost again. And maybe they found a way home already. We just don't know. Besides, Freddie. We can't leave Gin or Jude. Look at her, she's in a right state." He said the last part in a low whisper, but Jude still managed to hear it despite her best efforts. 

Ignoring George's slight on his directional inabilities, Fred shifted nervously. "What if--"

 "You're not going anywhere by yourself, Freddy," George deadpanned. "And neither am I. Dad would kill us. Let's wait a few more minutes. They'll get here, I'm sure of it."

Fred seemed doubtful, but he gave in to waiting just a little while longer, deciding instead to pace around the clearing to distract himself. George took to comforting poor Ginny, who despite the brave face she had put on, shook something terrible. 

Jude felt her wand in her pocket sticking into her leg uncomfortably and shifted for a moment to remove it, her fingers moving absently in the dark over the little carved blossoms of her polished pearwood wand. Her mind flew a million miles per second, finally landing on her two best friends in the world, who she had no idea where they were. She hoped desperately they were alright. What if Katie wasted too much time getting the snitch? What if her tent was one of the hundreds that burnt to a crisp in that smoky field? Jude gulped at the thought. And what about Jessie? Her sweet friend, Jessie. Jude could only hope she and Lee were still together, hiding out somewhere in the woods nearby, just as she was. She wished she could just know they were alright somehow.

Just then, Jude heard a twig snap distantly to her right, then again, getting closer with every step. It was surely not an animal. 

"Fred! George!" She cried, pulling herself to her feet, wand already raised. The three Weasleys rushed to where Jude was standing, squinting in the dark for an identity, but they could see nothing. Fearing those cloaked figures had come back, all four of them stood on guard, wands poised and ready for the worst. 

More cracking of twigs and crushing of leaves left all four hearts pounding, but after a long few moments, a freckled, curly-haired red head came into view from the shadows. The twins let out an enormous sigh in relief in unison. It was only Percy. 

"Perce! You all right? Where is everyone?" Fred immediately interrogated his brother, leaving no time for dawdling. 

Percy stared at him. "Am I the first one back?"

Oh, no. 

By now, the newly-expanded group was in tatters, Ginny was off to the side trying not to look like she was scared as Percy seemed to be laying out the facts to himself too as he stared pointedly at the sky. George had Fred by the shoulders, firmly trying to convince his hot-head of a brother not to run off and look for them, but even level-headed George seemed more than a little perturbed now. She could see him searching the dark wilderness around them hopelessly. It had been too long. Something must have gone wrong.