Novus Orbis | Fred Weasley x Insert | ON HIATUS

Chapter 17 - Up Above

The twins' father implores them not to tell Molly that they were gambling, and they reassure him that they have big plans for the money and don't want it confiscated. They celebrate more back at the tent, all too tired to sleep and singing loudly.

George drapes a flag over his shoulders and he and Fred do little jigs and "dum-diddle-diddle-dums" to the Irish music playing. Ron stands on a chair in between them.

"There's no one like Krum," he says. A chorus of 'Krum?' rings out. "He's like a bird, the way he rides the wind." The twins circle around him, flapping their arms like pigeons. Y/n laughs from where she watches with Hermione.

"I think you're in love, Ron," Ginny says, patting his leg as she passes, and they begin to sing:

"Victor, I love you, Victor, I do, when we're apart, my heart beats only for youuu...."

Fred looks over to the opening of the tent, from which various loud unintelligible sounds come.

"Sounds like the Irish are getting their pride on," he says as the others finish their song. But as George and Ron start to horse around and hit each other with pillows, Arthur comes rushing in and breaks them apart. His face is pale and sweaty.

"Stop! Stop it!" He says. "It's not the Irish." He hurries up to where Ginny is standing, placing a firm hand on her arm.

"We've got to get out of here."

Hermione and Y/n get up quickly, slipping on their jackets and hurrying out with the others. She sticks close to Fred as they duck under the flap of the tent, coming out to weather warmer than it should be for an August night in England. The bright flashes of fire come into her vision, and she brings an arm up to shield her eyes from the harsh light. Screams come from all around, bangs and whooshes and shouts mixed in.

Looking up, Y/n covers her mouth with a gasp as she sees the muggle family of poor Mr. Roberts, floating above the tents. The man himself is there, with what she can only assume are his wife and kids. A crowd of tightly packed wizards march below, and one flicks his wand, flipping Mrs. Roberts over to reveal the woman's drawers and she struggles to cover them up as the crowd below hoots and hollers with a sickening glee. The smallest child spins like a top, head flopping helplessly from side to side, and she has to look back down for fear of getting sick.

"That's awful," she says to Fred, who links their arms tightly and presses himself against her side in a quick, comforting motion.

"It's going to be alright," he says simply.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" Arthur shouts over the noise, as Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerge from the tent, wands at the ready. He rolls up his sleeves. "You lot–get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!" And with that he sprints off with his older sons.

Before anything else happens, a shot of red fires at Y/n, hitting the ground beneath her feet, and she trips, face planting into the ground. She lets out a yelp as another goes off right near her face and laughs echo from the crowd of marchers once more. Fred is fuming as he pulls her up, but there's nothing he can do other than get her to safety.

"C'mon," He says, snapping Y/n out of a daze as he grabs her and Ginny's hands and pulls them along toward the wood. George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione follow, and they don't look back until they reach the edge of the wood. Y/n instinctively pulls her wand out, gripping it tight as they try not to get stampeded by the  crowds of panicked witches and wizards running past on all sides. And then before she knows what's happening, the twins are yanking her along again and she's lost sight of the fourteen-year-olds.