star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER SIX

Panic surged through the marquee in a matter of seconds. The protective enchantments placed on the Weasley's property by the Ministry had broken, enabling anyone to Apparate and Disapparate there as they pleased, including Death Eaters, who began to take advantage of this as soon as the silver lynx sent by Kingsley had vanished. Arabella found herself frozen with fear, her brain not allowing her to think of what to do as she watched screaming wedding guests Disapparate to escape the sudden danger. Somehow, her eyes had managed to find Ron in the crowd, who stood holding onto Hermione. The twins locked eyes, and in that moment, Arabella knew this would be the last time she would see him for a long while. However, neither of them had time to say goodbye, as Harry had reached his friends and the trio Disapparated.

The only thing bringing Arabella out of her trance was Ginny calling her name as she reached her side. Just moments later, though, Elizabeth had reached them, linked arms with them both, and then Disapparated, taking them away from the chaos that had ensued.

When Arabella's feet had landed on solid ground once more, her brain had unfroze and she was finally able to think again. "I could've done that myself, you know," she said to Elizabeth.

"Well, you weren't," Elizabeth said. "Stay here." With that, she Disapparated again.

Ginny and Arabella looked around and quickly realized that Elizabeth had brought them to the Village, exactly like she had after Death Eaters had set the Burrow on fire the previous Christmas. They weren't the only ones there, either; all of the younger members of the Wood family were there, with the exception of Faustus and his best friend Rosalia, who had also been in attendance at the wedding, and Ben and Adeline.

"Where are Fred and George?" Ginny asked Olivia, knowing that the woman was always with the two.

"Fred is back at the flat, I would assume," Olivia told her. "I sent George to collect him. They should be arriving here any moment, don't worry."

"And our parents? All of your parents? Bill? Fleur? Charlie? Everyone else?" Ginny questioned further, looking around at everyone, desperate for answers.

"Back at the Burrow dealing with the Death Eaters," said a young woman who appeared to be the oldest of them all; Arabella recognized her as Sarah Wood, Fraser and Duncan's older sister who had been Head Girl at Hogwarts years previously. "They'll be arriving here when it's safe to do so."

"And if they don't?"

"Then we," Sarah began, motioning to herself and Olivia, "will go back to find out what happened, and assist in any way we can."

"What about me?" Arabella spoke up just as Fred and George Apparated on scene. "I'm of age, I can help."

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean no. You might be of age, but just barely. You haven't even left Hogwarts yet."

"So? Neither has my twin brother! Or Harry and Hermione! And they're off doing who knows what to defeat You-Know-Who all by themselves!"

"To be fair, no one exactly let them do that, Bella," Fred said.

"Everyone might as well have. Mum might have tried to convince all of them to go back to Hogwarts but no one else did. In fact, you two even transformed the ghoul in the attic to look like Ron so that when he didn't return to school, we could convince people he was sick at home. Don't think I forget."