Fred Weasley x Reader (slow and Steady)

Ch 78: And So We Go to War

"Yes ma'am." The two spoke in unison.

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Finally, we reached the end of the tunnel revealing a large wooden door. Pushing it open, the group of us stepped down and out of the tunnel and walked into what looked like a storage room. Piles of pillows and blankets lay scattered about, books and personal items lay in piles circling different makeshift beds. Lofts and other makeshift beds hung from shelves to make room for others as the floor seemed to be full with several others already.

"This looks like-" I began.

"It's the room of requirement, yeah." Ginny answered, smiling as she looked around the room.

Hearing that, I definitely saw it. It was completely different compared to the training room it had conjured for us back then, though yet again that was the benefit of the Room of Requirement. Not one room was ever the same, it turned into whatever the holders required at the current time. By the look of things, this time it looked like a retreat.

"Some of the students who were against what was going on in the school attempted to stand up to them," Ginny answered my questioned look, "It failed quickly of course, so for our safety we turned to the room of requirement to hide."

"You were in hiding?" I asked, worried.

"When I was here, it wasn't too long that we had hid in here. Though since I've left I'm surprised it's lasted this long." Ginny looked around.

"If you hid here, where is everyone?" Fred leaned forwards.

"I don't know honestly," She pondered, "Maybe everyones been gathered elsewhere? The great hall perhaps?"

"To the great hall then." Arthur nodded.

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The halls were terrifyingly quiet, worse than the days before my graduation. The sickening feeling felt immense, foreign. Like a sickness had begun to seep from the castle's walls. I felt like a stranger, no longer in my old home.

Holding my bicep, I leaned closer to the group as we walked down the hall in silence. Noticing my posture, Fred's arm hooked around my upper torso pulling me tightly against him for a few moments before releasing. Looking down, he gave an encouraging smile and kept close.

It didn't take too long for us to walk down the halls to the Great Hall, the route had been burned in the minds of those who had gone here not too long ago, it felt like ease. The only unfamiliar part of the trip, had been the huddled group of people who stood nervously in the middle of the hall.

Their heads turned to our echoing footsteps as ours halted, that far away the group of them felt unfamiliar, we had no idea whether or not this group was part of the Death Eaters or innocent people. We hung back in anticipation waiting as the group ahead began walking towards us with a quickened pace, with an almost earnest look to it.

As the group got closer, Molly's cry confirmed who the group had been. Rushing forwards, Molly ran and tightly enveloped Ron burying his dirty red hair into her shoulder as she shook weeping. Her son was now finally back in her arms. The year that she had spent worrying over him finally came to an end, he was here, while no longer at home she at the very least knew that he was alive and safe, confirming the notion Aberforth had spoken. Hugging her tightly back, the two of them mumbled unhearable words, though it wasn't too hard to guess what they were talking about. Arthur had joined in on their hug not too much longer, the three of them tightly hugging for several minutes, the twins and Ginny joining in together before pulling away with stiff bodies, another familiar face stepping into the crowd.

Percy.

The twins pulled away from their brother and glared back at Percy, the hesitance brimming in their posture.

They were right to feel such a way, all those years of torment and unreasonable anger from Percy had left the family hurting.

Tonks, Lupin, and Kingsworth looked uncertain at the group as the Weasley's looked to Percy. Molly looked as though she wanted to reach out to her son, it's all she had wanted, the christmas' she had spent without another one of her children had left a small hole, seeing him but not talking for those years was brutal. The twins had been furious with him, angry to see how he had treated their parents all for the sake of getting a job inside of the ministry, a borderline lap dog of the Minister.

"It's good to see you." I whispered, leaning to the three others.

"Likewise." Lupin laughed, "Although it seems that the situation has gotten a little awkward. I wasn't aware how hostile it had been with their family, I heard snidbits but still-"

"Yeah, it's going to be a little rough." I winced.

"It was the same with Ron earlier," Tonks noted, "Though after some talking, the two of them have made a treaty more or less."

"Maybe they'll do the same?" I offered.

"They'll have to, we're running out of time." Lupin sighed.

"Hello mom, dad." Percy was the one to say something, "George, Fred, Ginny." He looked at his siblings.

"What are you doing here?" Fred asked, his eyebrows glaring.

"What do you- oh. I heard that you were all coming here to help and fight," He looked to the ground, "I've been thinking about how horrible I've treated you all for the years, and I feel awful. And I am sorry. Now, I can't expect you to all forgive me right away, but I want to at least start the process." He slowly looked back at them.

Molly was the first to dash forwards, enveloping her arms around Percy tightly and yanked him into a deep hug. "Welcome home," She smiled and leaned back to look up at her son.

So thus, a peace treaty had commenced. The twins weren't too happy about it first, but agreed that it would be better to have him as an ally for now. There would be time for talk later.

"Where to now?" Molly turned to Lupin and the others.

"Everyone's been gathered in the great hall, Snape knows Harry Is here." Hermoine replied.

"It's good to see you dear," Molly smiled, "And if he knows Harry is here, where is he? Why isn't he with you?"

"He went off with the other students." Ron answered.

"Why would he do something so risky and stupid?" Lupin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"He has a plan," Hermione assured, "Let's just go meet them there, he's going to need us."

"She's right, let's move on." Kingsley spoke up, "Stick together everyone. Bill and Fleur will be waiting for us before the door."

"They're here as well?" Arthur asked, "That's good to hear."

Nodding sternly, the group of us made our way down the halls, ready to take on whatever the enemy had in store for the group of us. We were ready.

Clustered in a large group together, we welcomed Bill and Fleur happily as they stood with us before the giant wooden doors. The doors that had welcomed in so many first years as they came to the school for the first time, the doors that had always been open to the school now stood closed.

With our wands at the ready, our group pushed forwards thrusting the doors back open, no longer would the doors of this school be closed for anyone.