A Weasley Twin

3.

'Harry?' I called through the midst of the empty wreckage. 'Harry?' I called again, a bit louder this time.
My eyes searched the tragic scene, finally finding movement next to a burned out campfire.
'Harry!' I cried, throwing myself onto the ground next to him to hug him tightly.
'There was a man,' he said, worried.
'A man? What man, Harry?' I asked, releasing him from the hug to look at him.
'I didn't see his face. But whoever he was,' Harry paused, 'he did that.'
Harry pointed up at the sky, my gaze followed it to see a green cloud, forming the shape of a skull with a snake for a tongue. I felt ill. I wanted to be home, I wanted to be far from here.
'Everyone hands in the air!' A tall man stood a few metres away, wand aimed directly at me, Harry and Fred.
After a moment of stunned silence between the three of us, my eyes found more unfamiliar faces surrounding us.
'Stop! They're children! They're just children!' Arthur shouted, breaking through the group of people surrounding us.
'Barty, this is dark magic that three kids would never even think of conjuring,' Arthur stepped toward the man who had first aimed his wand at us, whispering something to him that I couldn't quite hear.
'Come on you three.' Arthur had a cold look as he gestured for us to follow him.
When we were far enough that I wasn't heard, I at last decided to ask the question I had been dying to have answered.
'Mr Weasley, who was that man? Why was he there? And what was that thing... in the sky?'
'That was Barty Crouch. He works for the ministry and must've been sent to find anyone who may have caused the commotion. As for the thing in the sky, that was a piece of dark dark magic, a symbol,' Arthur explained, a grave expression flooded his face.
'A symbol? A symbol for what?' I pressed for more answers, sure that he wouldn't answer.
'People associate it with you-know-who, the symbol is said to have been marked on the arm of each of his followers.'
I felt my breathing go shaky, knowing that someone was releasing that thing- that symbol- into the sky made me feel uneasy, like something was different. A warm hand planted on the small of my back, I realised my walking had slowed and everyone had travelled several metres further than me.
"It's going to be okay, Hermione. You don't think I, or Ron, or Harry, or even Ginny would let anything happen to you do you?" Fred's eyes fell to mine and he did that smile that he always did when trying to make people feel reassured or safe. Even though I knew he was scared and uncertain I trusted him. All because of that smile. That damn smile that made me melt every time.
'I think things are changing and I don't think I want them to,' I whispered staring up at him.
'Everything's changing, but I don't think it's necessarily bad.'
'You called me Hermione earlier. Twice, actually,' I said before thinking.
'What?' he replied, seemingly startled.
'Well, um, it's just you usually call me Granger and I don't think I've ever heard you say my actual name before,' I trailed off, knowing how dumb I sounded.
'I did? I think you're hearing things, Granger,' he laughed awkwardly.
'Do not try to cover it up! You so did!' I giggled.
'Okay, so maybe I did...' he grinned before
jogging away to catch up to the rest of the group leaving me standing alone.
Maybe I could see something happening with Fred, maybe it could work.