Friendless » Fred Weasley

lxiv. a canceled match

"Where is Tori? The match is about to start!" Wood stood in front of his team, widening his arms in confusion. Fred and George glanced at each other. She hadn't come back into the common room the night before, or not when they were awake. She also didn't come to breakfast either, or meet them to walk down to the quidditch pitch.

Fred felt terrible. He had barely slept the night before and felt so guilty about what he said to Tori. How could he be so stupid?

No one seemed to know the answer to that. Wood sighed, calling in a reserve. "If anyone sees her after this, send her to me." The team flew out onto the field, but Fred couldn't shake the awful gut feeling. Something was wrong.

The Hufflepuffs were huddled together, going over some last-minute plays together while the Gryffindor team flew around the pitch. Madam Hooch met them in the field, about to start the game when Professor McGonagall rushed out in the center with a large purple megaphone.

"The match is canceled!" She shouted, waving her arms high up. There were several boos and shouts from the seats. Wood jumped off his broom, racing over.

"But Professor— We've got to play! The cup— Gryffindor!" Professor McGonagall ignored his pleas and continued to shout. "All students make your way to your house common room where the head of your house will be giving you further instructions."

She took the megaphone away from her mouth and turn towards the team. "Potter, Weasleys, I think you better come with me." Fred and George glanced at each other, following her and Harry up towards the castle.

Ron detached himself from the grumbling crowd and ran over to Harry. Professor McGonagall surprisingly let him come along. Fred didn't know what was going on, what had they done now?

He couldn't remember the last prank they did that was this bad. Sure, they had just swapped a ton of plants in the greenhouse, but he couldn't imagine it would cancel an entire quidditch match.

McGonagall led them through the halls of Hogwarts, speaking without looking back. "This will come as a bit of a shock." She said as they approached the hospital wing doors. "There's been a triple attack."

Fred felt sick as Professor McGonagall opened the doors. Madam Pomfrey stood crouched over a fifth year Ravenclaw. Fred and George recognized her a Penelope Clearwater, a prefect Percy had been with several times.

"Oh, Hermione!" Ron groaned, rushing with Harry over to the second bed. Fred and George glanced at each other, confused why they were there when Fred noticed to children with dark black hair seated beside a bed. Fred's heart stopped as he and George rushed over to see it was Tori.

She was lying on the bed, her wand stretched out in front of her. One of her arms was stretched outward like she was blocking someone. The young girl seated by her was holding her frozen hand. But there was something neither Fred nor George sure they would ever be able to forget. The look on Tori's face.

It was filled with terror.

"I think I'm going to vomit," Fred whispered to his brother. George nodded along, looking like he was in pain. Fred glanced up to the two people beside her to see it was Avalon and Dove.

Dove had tears running down her face as she held her sister's hand. She was crying quietly, unable to meet Tori's eyes which were on her. Avalon on the other hand looked green. He was standing, running his fingers through his hair several times. He barely even acknowledged the twins' presence.

"What happened?" George turned to McGonagall, who stood in the center of the room, looking sad. "We found them outside of the library, does this have any meaning to any of you?"

She held up a circular handheld mirror. The twins shook their heads, turning back to their friend who laid there emotionless.

✧ ✦ ✧

"I can't believe they canceled quidditch!" Wood ranted once Fred and George entered the common room. It was piled with students, all talking about why the match got canceled and wondering what happened.

The quidditch team, plus Lee and Alicia, sat around a small table, trying to come up with some reason the match was canceled. Fred slumped into one of the chairs, snapping at Wood. "There are more important things than quidditch."

Wood scoffed. He meant well, but to him, nothing was more important than quidditch. "What's going on?" Lee asked, grabbing Fred's shoulder with concern. Fred looked like he was about to cry.

George took his brother's silence as his cue to break the news. He took a deep breath, glancing around him. "Tori's been petrified."

"What?!" Angelina gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. Alicia's face went blank like she was trying to take it all in. Lee's jaw dropped with shock.

Professor McGonagall entered the common room, making the room fall silent. She looked tired and sad, pulling out a scroll and reading from it.

"All students will return to their House common room by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All future Quidditch matches and practices will be postponed. There will be no more practices at night."

She rolled it up, glancing around at the students before speaking in a choked-up voice. "I hardly need to add that I have rarely been distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

She then proceeded to step out and the common room filled with chatter. Lee stood up, the anger of what happened to his friend running through his veins. He counted off his fingers, speaking loudly for everyone to hear.

"That's three Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff. Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin?! The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin— why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?"

There was loud applause, but Fred didn't feel any better.

angst