Hidden Secrets {Bill Weasley}

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Bill was down in the courtyard when he spotted Belle. He knew Harley had gone off with the younger Lupin but there was no sign of her now. Through the chaos, dodging spells, jinxes and curses, Bill joined her side and aided her against the oncoming attack from a group of six.

"Bippity boppity, get the fuck off this property, stupefy!" Belle's wand spurted a line of green and sent one of them flying back.

"Nice one, Belle!" Bill smirked and sent three more off in the same way. "Where's Harley?"

Belle scoffed, "Not really the time to ask questions is it, Bill? Expelliarmus! I don't know where she went. There was a massive explosion and she just disappeared, I tried to find her but got caught up here! Stupefy!"

"Right. Try using wordless magic, sweetheart, it's quicker." Bill told her seeing her struggle to get the words out and the right wand movements at the same time whilst in the commotion.

"I can't! I haven't mastered that yet!" Belle shouted over a large explosion from a pillar nearby. "Have you seen Fred?"

"Inside with Percy and George! Go to him, I've got this, Belle."

Belle nodded and left Bill, she ran and duck and dived in order to get back into the school. One thing that made her glad to be a werewolf was her heightened sense of smell and she could smell Fred's aftershave from the entrance and quickly joined him just as he said: "You're actually joking Perce! I don't think I have heard you joke since you were-" There was a loud explosion and screams rang out from all around, including the seventh floor.

A while after the cold voice of Voldemort echoed in everyone's ears. "You have fought... valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilt is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful and I command all my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity, treat your injured..."

It went on. It dragged on painfully as all those alive listened to Voldemort condemn Harry to suicide in order to save the rest of them. It pained all those on his side to know that their lives depended on his death. Not one of them liked the idea. To them, Harry was a saviour, a true hero and to lose him for the sake of their own lives seemed brutally unfair and very much like a trap.

Yet, they did as Voldemort said, for once. Those who were dead and whose bodies were not hidden beneath rubble and unfound yet were brought into the great hall and laid out one by one. Those who were injured had healers tending to them whilst others gathered with those they were close to. The Weasley family, Sirius, Madison and Nancy gathered in the hall together around two people who were laid on the floor next to their feet. They stared down with sorrow and all held onto someone whilst Madam Pomfrey was with the pair on the floor.

"But Fred he-"Choked George who held tightly onto Charlie. Charlie and Nancy had returned from Romania mid-action and were alongside Bill for the majority of the battle.

"What happened?" asked Sirius.

Percy stepped forward with his head hanging low, "I distracted him by accident, then the wall exploded but then Belle she... she pointed her wand quickly at the fragmented wall and it slowed enough to get everyone out of the way then he tripped and hit his head on some rubble."

Loud footsteps hammered against the floor and Ron hurried over to his family. "Don't tell me he is bloody dead!" He cried staring at his older brother who laid unconscious on the floor.

Mrs Weasley, who was relieved to have all her children now back around her managed to speak through her tears, "No dear, just unconscious from hitting his head." She told him and brought him into her arms, "He should be fine."

"Thank God," Hermione breathed in relief then noticed Remus beside Fred. "What about..."

Tonks who emerged with Belle from the other side of the room. Belle was being tended because the scarring on her face had ripped open gulped. "He should be fine too, well, as good as he can be considering Greyback came back for round two and scratched the living daylights out of him. Then despite me trying to cover him, my beloved cousin-in-law, Roldolphus, decided, once Greyback had finished, to send him hurtling into a statue so he's knocked out from that." For a woman who watched her husband get injured and torn to pieces when she should have been far away from here, Tonks kept as cheerful as she could to disguise the sadness she felt when she couldn't stop Greyback or Roldophus Lestrange from hurting Remus.

There was murmuring from the ground and simultaneously, Fred and Remus came to. Fred groaned loudly as Belle knelt down beside him to aid him in carefully sitting up, George joining her and letting his brother lean his weight on him for support. Remus, however, remained laying down as he rubbed his eyes to help them adjust. It was a sheer relief to everyone that the pair was okay.

Nobody spoke a word for a few moments as Madam Pomfrey continued to check the pair over until Fred scoffed, "Wow, Harley could at least have the decency to worry over my unconscious self!"

It was then everyone's hearts dropped. Bill's stomach sunk as he searched the room to look for his wife. "You promised to keep her safe, William!" Sirius growled at Bill, "Where is she?"

Bill's lips quivered, "I don't know! Fuck! I need to find her!"

"I'll help," said Charlie.

"Me too," Percy added.

The three men hurried out of the hall, Bill went down to the dungeons, Percy went left and Charlie went right. Deep down in Bill's stomach, something wasn't right.