We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- What Lurks Beneath -

"She had imagined turning eighteen a thousand different ways. None of them had ended with darkness beneath her skin."

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Molly's heart lurched the instant she heard frantic footsteps pounding across the grass outside.

For one impossible second she couldn't move.

Then instinct took over.

"Ginny!" she called sharply, already hurrying from the kitchen. "Hot water. Clean cloths. Quickly!"

She threw open the back door just as several figures emerged from the darkness.

The sight made her stomach plummet.

Remus Lupin staggered across the garden carrying Katherine in his arms.

She hung limply against him.

Far too still.

Her head rested against his shoulder, her loose ponytail hanging almost to the ground while one arm swung lifelessly with every hurried step. Her clothes were torn, dirt streaked across her skin, and there wasn't so much as the slightest reaction when Remus nearly stumbled over the uneven paving stones.

Tonks was beside him, one hand pressed protectively against Katherine's back while desperately trying to steady Remus.

Arthur, Kingsley and several others followed close behind.

Every face looked pale.

Every face looked terrified.

"She's alive," Tonks said immediately, as though sensing the panic spreading across Molly's expression.

Her own voice shook despite her attempt to remain calm.

"She's alive... but she's hurt."

Remus could barely speak.

His breathing came in harsh, ragged bursts.

"I—I couldn't..." His voice broke. "I couldn't stop her."

Molly didn't waste another second.

"In here."

Her voice became firm.

Commanding.

"The sofa."

Remus carried Katherine inside with astonishing care, kneeling rather than dropping her onto the sitting-room sofa before slowly easing her down onto the cushions as though she might shatter beneath his hands.

Only then did Molly properly look at her.

Katherine's skin had gone almost ghostly white.

Her lips had lost nearly all their colour.

Even unconscious, her brow remained tightly furrowed, tiny tremors passing through her body every few seconds.

Molly rested trembling fingers against her neck.

Pulse.

Weak.

Far too weak.

"What happened?"

Remus shut his eyes.

The memory clearly replayed behind them.

"She doubled back." His voice sounded hollow. "There was another Death Eater after one of the others and..."

He swallowed hard.

"She wouldn't leave them."

Tonks quietly continued when he couldn't.