raison d'être (george weasley x reader)

7.13

A light burning sensation stung her thumb as she continued to pick away at her cuticle, finding momentary relief from the faint pain caused by the repeated action. Simultaneously, her feet wore down the snow-dampened grass right outside the boundaries of Hogwarts, shrouded by the line of trees that made up the perimeter of the forest.

She was acutely aware of the cluster of eyes staring at her as she traced the outlines of her previous footsteps over and over again. It likely didn't help that she looked a wreck — her hair sat piled on top of her head, stray strands blowing around her as the winter breeze picked up, and her lip was bright red, a frequent consequence of her stress-induced habit.

Her ears thundered with the rhythm of her rapidly beating heart, drowning out the much softer tone of her name being repeated.

It had been days since Harry had woken Ron and McGonagall in a fright. He had muttered half-coherent summaries of a dream he had, which led to a last-minute gathering of all Weasley siblings and Y/N, who had spent the night in the twins' dorm for the holidays.

Upon hearing the news of Harry's in-dream vision of Arthur's attack, the Weasleys were quickly sent to St. Mungo's via portkey and Harry, Hermione, and Y/N were left behind to prevent raising suspicion — a decision that the twins wholeheartedly disagreed with, especially since they viewed them as extensions of their family.

Now, just a little over half a week later, the students were gathered outside as they waited to be apparated back to 12 Grimmauld Place by three members of the Order, of which included Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Bill Weasley. The original plan had been to send only two members and have Y/N apparate on her own, but at McGonagall's advice, Remus was asked to tag along on the journey.

"Y/N," Bill repeated, putting the tiniest bit more emphasis on her name. "It's nearly time."

She barely heard him and had he not physically reached over to pull her towards him, she likely would have kept pacing. Her eyes grew dry as the time between each blink grew longer the more she thought, and she stayed concerningly silent as Bill wrapped her fingers around his forearm, securing her for the brief journey.

Remus glanced down at his watch, while Tonks dutifully moved to stand beside Hermione. His eyes followed the ticking of the smallest hand on the watchface, mentally repeating the designated time to keep it at the forefront of his mind.

As soon as the minute hand moved, his eyes flicked up to the group and he nodded, "It's time."

In sync, all adults took a small step forward, sending themselves and their designated pair in a swirl of color before disappearing from the premises. Apparition, of course, never took much time, so they found themselves in front of a line of tall, connected, brick townhouses on a snow-covered street only a breath after.

"Quickly now," Remus urged, immediately ushering the students towards the front door of the now-exposed Black residence. His eyes swept the surrounding area as he and Bill took the back, leaving Tonks at the front to quicken the trio's steps.

Y/N stepped aside, allowing Harry and Hermione to enter the house first. Then, at the behest of a soft hand on her back, she followed suit, letting out a small breath as the warmth of the house collided with the chill left on her skin from the wait in the cold.

She barely had time to acknowledge her surroundings before a flurry of footsteps raced towards her and a scramble of limbs found rest around her body. Her nose twitched at the familiar combination of scents that regularly embraced the person and she let out a sigh of relief at her body's immediate recognition of her boyfriend.

"How is he?" she asked quietly, snaking her own arms around George.

"Alive," he answered honestly. "Mum's bringing him back in a couple of days. They wouldn't let us all stay, so the rest of us are here and she's the only one with him."