Ethereal ✭Fred Weasley✭

102.

"Bill, Fred, come with me to the Entrance Hall," Arthur instructed as he pointed at his sons. "Charlie, Fleur and George, you head towards the Astronomy Tower. Molly, Sophia, you go towards the courtyard near the Great Hall."

"You're separating all the couples Dad. Coincidence?" Charlie jokingly narrowed his eyes at his dad. "Even the newly wedded? Congratulations by the way Fredster."

"This really isn't the time Charlie," Arthur sighed. "Do as you're told."

The Weasley boys all laughed and started to depart to their allocated places. The family seemed like they were prepared for the battle and were hyping themselves up to make some sort of light of the situation. But if you were an outsider and was watching the family, you would see the only brunette standing a small distance away with a metaphoric cloud over her head.

Sophia stood with her hands clasped together to stop them from shaking and shuffled her feet around on the tiled floor. She stared mindlessly ahead, not hearing Arthur's instructions because of the high pitched ringing in her ears. She couldn't even look up to face any members of the Weasley family and for the first time ever, felt unwelcome among them. They didn't know anything about what was to come and Sophia felt like the child that ruined Christmas by opening everyone's present early. She knew something that they didn't and the very idea of standing near them made her feel like she was betraying them.

"Sophia?" the dreaded voice broke through the ringing in her ears and forced her to look up, seeing the face she adored yet hated at the same time. He looked so innocent and unaware of his fate. Sophia gulped as Fred's eyes stared into hers, attempting to find an explanation of why she seemed so distant.

He had noticed how much she had been staring into space since the preparation of the castle, but had thought better to say anything until now. When his father had said that he'd be with him in the Entrance Hall and that Sophia would be in the courtyard, he tried his best to ignore the sinking stone in his chest. He wanted to be sure that she was okay throughout the battle and be next to her for its entirety. Maybe Sophia was feeling the same. Maybe that was why she was being like this.

"You okay?" he questioned while leaning down and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," she nodded but her voice was weak and cracked as if she had been crying. Fred's eyebrows pinched together in concern at her ghostly complexion and shaking hands. She noticed his gaze and put her hands by her sides to make it harder for him to see.

"Are you sure?" he tried again.

"Yes. I'm sure," she said with a forced smile, furiously blinking away the tears that pinged to her eyes. The sight of his face made her want to tremble and curl into a ball from guilt and betrayal. How could she let him walk right into the battlefield? She could be considered a murder for letting him walk to his death.

"Alright. If you're sure...", Fred had no choice but to leave her be.

Sophia opened her mouth tospeak again but stopped before she could let the words fall out. She smiled plainlyand turned away from him, following after Molly to the courtyard. Fred watchedher leave and had the urge to follow to maybe get some more answers from her.But she turned the corner of the corridor before he could, making him sigh and head to the Entrance Hall. Besides the already heavy atmosphere of the oncoming battle, Fred felt the odd behaviour of Sophia worrying. If she wasn't confident during this, then he definitely wasn't going to be. 

The barrier that surrounded Hogwarts began to be penetrated by spells and curses from the hills. The mass of men and women that held their wands up to get through to the school could be seen even through the dark night. Flakes of the barrier flowed down and disintegrated in the air, the castle starting to become vulnerable and susceptible for the attack. One final shot caused the explosion that created a force that blew everyone's hair back from the demolishing of the magic field.