Safe With Me ~ Fred Weasley

Black's Break in

"Have you slept yet?" Her voice was sleepy, and I knew it wouldn't be long before her eyes shut again.

"A bit." I lied again. "Someone's teeth were chattering."

"They were not." She let out a soft giggle and I carefully pulled her into my chest closer. "Are you scared?"

"Of Black? No shot. Why, are you scared?" I teased.

"No. Not with you." She murmured. In the seconds I hesitated, trying to think of a witty response, I heard her breathing slow and I knew she was back asleep.

"I've got you, Cass. You're safe with me." I sighed and finally let myself fall into sleep myself.

Cassidy

I felt a new warmth on my face, as if I had fallen asleep outside and the sun was rising. The windows in our dorm weren't that big. I felt so groggy, I didn't want to have to open my eyes for at least the rest of the day, but I knew I had to eventually. I blinked into the bright sun and tried to figure out how I had fallen asleep outside. The clouds rolled overhead, covering the sun for brief seconds at a time before it shone back on my face with a vengeance. Before I could ponder the mystery of the lack of ceiling, however, I felt something cradling me from both sides. I looked back down and nearly jumped up in shock.

I had fallen asleep. In Fred Weasley's arms. I had spent the night probably drooling on his flannel. I scanned the room and found his two brothers sprawled around us, Harry and Hermione next to Ron, all still fast asleep. I had no idea what time it was, or if that even mattered. Memories from the night before were flooding back. Sirius Black breaking in to the school, slashing the portrait entrance to the Gryffindor's common room, all of the students gathered to sleep under the stars in the Great Hall. Fred waking me up in the dead of night because my shivering had kept him awake.

I slowly lifted my head from his chest and tried to slide out of his arms unnoticed. That was all I needed, for his kind gesture to turn into some weird moment between us. There was a difference between him trying to keep me from frostbite and me cuddling up against him the entire night.

What an idiot.

I had barely made it three centimeters when Fred stirred from his slumber, obviously noticing the missing weight he had endured through the night.

"Cassy?" He muttered, his eyes barely open, squinting into the sun as well.

I watched him nervously. It was too late to make a jump for it back to my empty spot on the ground.

"Good morning." He shot me a strange look, as if to ask why I was awake already. "Where you off to?"

"I... didn't mean to fall asleep... on top of you, I'm sorry." I tried to laugh through my embarrassment, but Fred offered me a sleepy smile.

"It was for the good of the entire Hall, your bloody teeth would have woken everyone up eventually. I was just doing my duty as a Gryffindor, you know... chivalry and all."

I wasn't sure how anyone could be this witty from the second they woke up, but I still returned his smile.

"You gonna go back to sleep? Judging from the sun up there it's about half past too fucking early." He slumped back onto the floor, his arms folded into a makeshift pillow behind his head so he could still look up at me.

"No, I'm gonna see if it's safe to go." I looked around the hall for Professor Sprout or really anyone who could tell us the plan for the day.

"I'll take you," Fred climbed to his feet and stretched his long arms high above his head, the fabric of his shirt lifting away from the bottom of his pants, exposing a perfectly outlined V which I did not linger on, pretending to continue in my search for a teacher.