"So, let me understand. I have to stay here because I don't have a wand? That's ridiculous!" You exclaimed, throwing your hair away from your face as you talked to Remus.
Remus' chin dipped to his chest, eyeing you with a bound of understanding. Your rebellious reminded him of someone. "Y/n, it is the only thing I am asking you to do. Please, listen to me. You have to stay here," he explained, looking at you as he enforced every word.
You exhaled thoroughly, feeling the air fly out of your mouth in a huff. You didn't want to follow his orders. You didn't want to stay here while your friends are out, fighting, possibly to their deaths. You looked into Remus' eyes, trying to tell him what he wanted to hear but, your voice betrayed you. "I'm sorry Remus, but I can't stay here while all of you are out fighting. I don't want to be rude, but I have to do something," you said quickly before realizing what you said.
Remus sighed, knowing you were going to say something along those lines. He dug his hand in his pocket taking out a wand. "Harry told me you didn't have a wand since you lost it, I believe. So, I took it upon myself to bring you a wand. Here, see if it works." He extended his hand towards you, everyone in the room stared at the wand in his hand.
You got up from the carpeted floor, stepping over some of the mess that was thrown on to it. You grabbed the wand and observed its detail in seriousness. It was made of dark colored wood, fairly similar to your own. You looked up at Remus and said with an appreciative tone, "Thank you, so we are on the same page of me not staying here?"
Lupin exhaled, his smile coming back. "I guess so, just be careful okay?" He looked around everyone and said, "All of you." He grabbed his wand and along with Tonks, they left the room in a hurry, already watching as how some death eaters entered the castle. The door closed with a thud behind them, a soft wind making your hair sway.
You turned back to look at everyone in the room, all of them still searching the wand in your hands. "I guess we have to do something?" You asked, gripping the wand a lot more confidently. You felt better being armed, having something to protect you reassured your safety than being without it.
"Yes," Bill replied, walking towards the center of the galloping room. He was the oldest in the room at the moment, everyone looked at him with a sense of respect. His obvious scars on his face were illuminated by the firelight, making them look more disastrous. They have healed since the last time you've seen him. You appreciated Fleur for still loving him despite what some would consider a flaw. You always liked them as a couple, they compliment each other really well.
"I believe that the older of us should go out and help others fight. While Harry, Ron, Hermione and Y/n stay here for as long as possible," Bill continued, taking his wife's hand and walking near you towards the door. "Be careful," he addressed.
The four of you nodded and he opened the door for his wife and walked behind her. The door shut again and the only ones left were the four of you, the twins, and Neville. Neville was the first to speak as he said, "I should go out as well. I want to be with Dumbledore's Army for a little bit. Is that okay?"
"Don't need our permission, Neville. Go ahead," you encouraged, stepping out of his way.
Harry stepped forwards along with Neville for a moment. Neville stopped walking, wondering why Harry walked along with him. Harry looked at Neville and said appreciatively, "Thank you for helping us get here. I don't know how we would've came here without your help."
You were confused and asked immediately, before Neville got the chance to respond, "What do you mean? How did he help get us here?" You were curious to know. Neville's bashful expression made you realize that he was a huge help.
"He helped us get through the heavy security at Hogwarts to be able to help you with the Basilisk Venom. I didn't even know if we could've enter through Hogsmeade but what he did was brilliant. Thank you for that," Harry acknowledged, patting Neville with a friendly smile.
Neville chuckled and said shyly, "It wasn't a lot but I was glad I could help! I really have to go now." He made his way through the room after giving Ron and Hermione a smile. He waved at you goodbye and he opened the door and left. You sighed happily because you knew that that helped him gain some confidence.
You observed your friends. The twins were near the fire, staring limply at the ground. They were wearing their shop clothes, like you always called them. Before you followed your friends in the quest, you visited Weasley's Wizard Wheezes frequently. It was no secret you liked sweets and you never denied it. You are incredibly proud of both of them, making them know about it every time you were there. You remembered, as you looked at their clothes, how Harry bought you a sweet that made your tongue blue. He called you a smurf for the rest of the month and you didn't mind it at all. You thought it was sweet. "What are you guys going to do?" You probed the twins, making them get out of their daze.
"I don't know, you?" Fred said, letting his face ease a little.
"Planning to show all of you my juggling abilities and hoping to get a job at a Circus when this is over," you teased. This seemed to lighten the mood as they chuckled.
"Do you really know how to juggle?" George intrigued, looking at you with a slight smile.
"Y/n? Nope, she can't even multitask. Something usually ends up wrong," Hermione answered, with a raised eyebrow, laughing a little.
"One time I set my shoe on fire! Just once, and you don't let me learn how to tap-dance," you answered, rolling your eyes jokingly.
"I'm sorry, you what?" Harry laughed, making his eyes twinkle with joy.
Ron made a sizzling sound and said, "I think we should save that story for later, mate. Time's ticking."
"Way to kill the mood, Ron," you moaned, feeling the atmosphere darken as everyone's smile went away. He gave you an apologetic look but you nodded because you understood. It was nice to laugh, at least for a little moment.
"I don't think we should stay here for longer, Fred and I are going to be out. We'll be safe and don't do anything stupid," George commanded, looking sternly at Harry and Ron. "I know the girls are going to be smarter and not do some irrational things. So, please just follow their orders."
"It's not like we haven't done that the whole time," Ron mumbled, earning a grin from Hermione.
"Yes, but, we've gone this far with the help of Y/n and Hermione," Harry praised, raising an eyebrow at Ron.
Hermione nodded and chuckled while crossing her arms over her chest. "That's correct," she supported, laughing with Ron's small chuckle. Her sleeves stretched on her shoulders, making it hard for her to completely cross her arms. She took off her robe a couple of moments earlier, complaining how it wasn't necessary to wear it anymore. You took yours off because you didn't want to wear it anymore, you found it unnecessary as well. Harry and Ron still had theirs on, for some reason that you couldn't understand.
"Bye Georgie and Freddie. Stay safe," you said, giving them a small hug instead of saying goodbye. Goodbyes never sat well with you because it felt too bittersweet. The word in itself made you feel something, like a lingering effect after having a good cry. You didn't want to say goodbye, because it meant departing. You didn't even want to imagine what it would mean so you said, "I'll see you guys soon."
"Same here," Fred reassured, squeezing your arm tenderly, "Take care of Ron, my mom's going to kill me if something happens to him. Or Harry. Or Hermione. Or you."
You chuckled and nodded. George gave you a small pat on the back and he wrapped his arms around you. You smiled hugging him back and he leaned down towards your ear. "I advise you to either tell him how you feel now or you are going to regret it," he whispered over the mess of your tangled hair.
You froze a little bit, still smiling. "What?" You whispered, breaking from the hug. You looked up at his shining eyes, and a little confusion dawned on your face. You didn't understand what he was telling you, especially here in front of everyone.
"Harry," he announced, still not breaking eye contact from you. You understood now and you let a little shocked expression. How could he know? What is that obvious? Why would he say it so loudly? He gave you a small smile, your expression confirming his thoughts. "Take care of them, and I expect them to take care of you as well," he continued, waving at all of them goodbye. He left the room right after his brother, a little serious nod before shutting the door again.
You were still a blushing mess before you saw your friends standing silently. You cleared your throat, regaining your composure again. You hoped they didn't hear the conversation you and George had. "We should really discuss what we should do now," you stated, rubbing your hand over your face, dreading what the topic is going to be about.
"You think?" Ron asked, sighing as he made his way on the couch, a dull expression on his face. He let his body shrink, placing his arms over his knees and interlocking his fingers. His hair was ruffled after running his hands through it every now and then. He took out his wand from his back pocket, seeming to have bothered him as he sat down. He looked at it with a wandering expression, observing it like he's never seen it before. "Sorry if that came out rude, I'm just a little stressed," he sighed, running his hands over his hair again.
"It's alright," you said, sliding on the hard wall behind you. You let your arms rest on your knees, playing with the loose threads on your jeans. You intertwined the threads on your finger, making your skin turn white. You were thoroughly entertained until Hermione made a nervous squirm. You looked up to see her, feeling her anxiety through the air.
"Guys, it's four hours close to midnight," she observed, eyeing the clock on the wall with her eyebrows knitted together.
"Oh no," Harry sighed, his eyes falling on the floor, his shoulders going down with them.