The Hogwarts Games: War Torn

Prologue

From the Gryffindor table, Fred motioned toward the Ravenclaw table where Rose sat. She nodded with a solemn face, talked quietly to Lucy, and signaled Roxanne at the Hufflepuff table, who tapped on Frank's shoulder and whispered in his ear. Lucy then left the Great Hall, seeming to have finished dinner.

Okay, Fred thought to himself, Lucy's out. Four more to go. We're meeting in the Room of Requirement.

He thought back to the short note they'd received the week before. Frank, Rose, Roxanne, Lucy, and he were walking in the corridor alone together when Frank pointed out the window. A small gray owl was fluttering outside the window with a small piece of parchment.

"Don't they deliver those during breakfast?" Frank had asked.

"Yeah, they do." Roxanne took the note and sent the owl on its way with a Knut.

"What's it say? Who's it for?" Lucy said.

"No name. Must be for us," Fred concluded, "Why else was it not delivered at breakfast? All those letters are monitored. This note was meant only for us to read. Let me see it, Roxanne."

She handed it to him and he recognized the messy scrawl of Uncle Ron.

"Well?" Roxanne said.

"It says..." Fred stopped for a second, "'Room of Requirement. Next week after dinner. All of you, get yourselves out of Hogwarts.'" No signature, no name.

And today was that day. They were following the plan. Lucy had left. And now Frank was exiting the Great Hall. Fred felt like the Dark Lord's cold, snake-like eyes were on him. Fred pulled nervously at his collar. It felt like any minute now, the Dark Lord would stand up and yell, "YOU! TREACHERY!" He didn't. Not yet, anyway, Fred thought.

And now came Rose and Roxanne. They both left the Great Hall together, pretending to be engaged in innocent conversation with each other.

It's just me left, Fred thought to himself. They'd decided for all of them to leave at different times so it wouldn't seem suspicious. A Slytherin girl had strolled casually out of the Great Hall. Then came a Hufflepuff boy, then another Hufflepuff boy.

Now. I've got to go now.

Fred slowly put down his eating utensils and wiped his mouth. He grabbed his school bag. got up and started to walk, hopefully looking casual, out the Great Hall. It seemed like all eyes were on him, like they knew what he was up to. It felt like he knees were about to collapse under his weight. He tried to not speed up, in case it would arise and suspicions. After what seemed like forever, he finally made it out of the Great Hall, he took a deep relieved breath.

He began to make his way to the Room of Requirement. He glanced around him, and seeing that no one else was around, he began to sprint. He finally faced the huge wall standing before him.

I need to leave Hogwarts with my family, he said to himself, I need to leave Hogwarts with my family. It's not safe anymore. Some of my family are currently fighting to the death. Some are already dead. I can't lose anyone else. Molly's dead, Hermione's dead, James—

He swallowed and tried not to cry. Stop thinking about James, he's gone now—

He suddenly noticed that the wall had been changed into two great doors. Fred scanned his surroundings and went inside. The others were there, along with Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley.

"Teddy! Victoire!" Fred exclaimed when the doors had closed behind him, "What are you doing here?"

"We came to get you out of here?" Victoire beamed at him.

"How? You can't Apparate into Hogwarts!"

"I'd like to consider ourselves masters of disguise." Teddy grinned.

Roxanne rolled her eyes, "You're a Metamorphmagus and she's part veela."

"What about the others? Lily, Albus, the ones who're in the Games?" asked Lucy.

"We've got that planned. Dumbledore's Army and the Order are handling it. They're going to break them out," explained Victoire.

"Where are you taking us?" Rose said.

"A safe place," Teddy answered, "Our headquarters."

Fred felt himself smile for the first time since saying goodbye to James, "Wicked."

"We're going by Floo Powder," Victoire said, "We've got someone at the Ministry ministering it since, you know, this is kinda illegal."

Roxanne smiled cunningly at Fred and said mischievously, "Illegal is my favorite word."

Teddy handed each of them a hand of Floo Powder, "Speak very clearly. We're going to Number Seven Godric's Hollow. Victiore will go first."

Victoire threw down the powder, stepped into the fireplace, and announced, "Number Seven Godric's Hollow!" In a whirlwind of green flames, she was gone.

"Fred, you next."

Fred sighed and thought to himself with each step toward the fireplace. Will this be the last I ever see of Hogwarts? What's going to happen? I'm scared. I'm excited. But I'm scared.

"Number Seven Godric's Hollow!"