✔️ 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓&𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

64 | A R R I V A L

•••
if we could only have this life
for one more day.
•••

One hour left.

Lynnea watched him look at her like she never saw anyone look at her before. Fred's warm caramel brown eyes were filled with deep embrace. She blushed under his loving gaze, while his fingers stroked the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her lips curled into a smile, she pulled the blankets closer to her bare skin and tried to burn this moment in her memory.

One hour left. Just sixty minutes of peace, before everything could fall apart; before the life they both knew could have a sudden end.

In one hour they'd all be gone to fetch Lynnea's brother from Surrey. Almost everyone she loved would be flying across England, balancing between life and death, and there was no guarantee she would get any of them back ...

Only Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Lynnea herself had to stay here at the Burrow. She couldn't tell who was protesting most against this unfair treatment, Ginny or Lynnea herself, but there was no chance to persuade the adults to let the girls accompany this mission.

"I'm your guardian, Lynnea, and as long as your under age I forbid you to come with us!", Remus told his goddaughter with a stern look, and as she opened her mouth to fight for what she thought was her good right, he raised his hand, saying: "Stop it, you won't come with us, end of discussion!"

Fred's soft fingertips on the naked skin of her back snapped Lynnea back to reality. "You seem concerned", he said, drawing circles on her scapula, what made her shiver.

"You don't say!" She rolled her eyes, bowing down at him, placing her lips on his. When she pulled back, his warm smile gave her goosebumps. "It's not I could lose almost everyone I love tonight, is it?"

"Lynnie, nothing bad will happen", Fred said and pulled her down onto his chest. "The Order is prepared. You heard old Moody. They spread fake news about Harry being fetched on your birthday. No one will attack us, they won't even think about us coming to get him today."

"But why do I have this feeling that something will go terribly wrong?", Lynnea mumbled against his skin.

"It's okay to be nervous", Fred just replied, pulling her closer.

One hour ...

•••

"They should already be back, shouldn't they?" Ginny's question was merely a whisper, but she dared to speak out loud, what Mrs. Weasley and Lynnea had been thinking for more than an hour now.

"They'll be okay", Lynnea said, more to calm herself down, than anyone else. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat, about to suffocate her if it wasn't for her to swollow down the pulsing knot every minute. 

A thundering crash outside made the womens' heads snap up. Lynnea was on her feet before anyone could stop her, storming outside into the yard. Hagrid was trying to get on his feet, but her eyes lay on the raven haired boy with the circular glasses, who stood next to the half-giant, looking completely lost, and her heart just bursted with relief.

"Harry", Lynnea whispered, running to him and throwing her arms around his neck. He pulled his sister into a tight embrace, panting heavy as if he'd just sprinted all the way from Surrey to the Burrow.

"Lynn", he said in a low voice between two gasps for air. "Are you okay?"

"Me?", she echoed, still not even thinking about letting go of him. "Are you kidding me? What about you? You should have been back for an hour!"

"Death Eaters", Hagrid muttered and Lynnea felt her stomach fall. "Is 'e rest o' us okay?"

"You're the first to arrive ...", Lynnea heard Mrs Weasley say, and with her words the world started spinning faster; the ground felt like shaking, but it was just her legs, who forgot how to work. The full loathed relief of Harry being back was now again harshly shoved aside by the devastating reality that their friends and family was still out there, fighting for their lives.

Suddenly a blue light did appear in the darkness: It grew larger and brighter, and Remus and George appeared, spinning and then falling. Lynnea knew immediately that there was something wrong; Remus was supporting George, who was unconscious and whose face was covered in blood.

She finally stepped away from Harry, her eyes widening in horror. Not George! Harry ran forward, helping Remus drag George into the living room; Ginny and Lynnea followed. As the lamplight fell across George's head, Ginny gasped and Lynnea's stomach lurched: One of George's ears was missing. The side of his head and neck were drenched in wet, shockingly scarlet blood.

All of a sudden, Remus grabbed Harry, pointing his wand into the boy's face.

"Are you nuts?", she yelled, raising her own wand at her godfather. "Let go of him!"

"What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" he said, giving Harry a small shake. "Answer me!"

"A - a grindylow in a tank, wasn't it?"
Remus released Harry and fell back against a kitchen cupboard.

"Wha' was tha' about?", roared Hagrid.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I had to check," said Remus tersely. "We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor."

"So why aren' you checkin' me?", panted Hagrid, still struggling with the door.

"You're half-giant", said Remus, looking up at Hagrid. "The Polyjuice Potion is designed for human use only."

Harry and Remus started arguing, but Lynnea's attention was drawn to another yet of blue light; seconds later Kingsley and Hermione came into living room.

"What happened to George?", Hermione whispered, her face pale.

"He lost an ear", said Remus.

"Lost an -?", repeated Hermione in a high voice.

"Snape's work", said Remus.

"Snape?", shouted Harry. "You didn't say - "

"He lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape's. I wish I could say I'd paid him back in kind, but it was all I could do to keep George on the broom after he was injured, he was losing so much blood."

Lynnea shivered, she could feel Harry's blood boil next to her. Since Snape killed Dumbledore, nothing was the same. She never would have guessed him being a Death Eater. He was grumpy and strange, reserved, but evil?

Another flash of blue light let her snap round, running into the backyard. Before she even saw him, she knew it was him. Lynnea stepped into the cool night air, looking at the two pale men in front of her. She let out a sigh in relief, when she noticed they were uninjured.

"Fred!", Lynnea half-yelled, throwing herself into his arms and letting the warmth of his hug for a second drag away all the misery of this world.