Once everyone was dressed in the same set of clothes, Mad-Eye addressed the room, "right then, we'll be pairing off. Each Potter will have a protector." He walked around and assigned everyone with each other.
"Y/L/N, you and Remus will take the front with George. Flank him and hold position," you nodded and looked over at Fred, well, Harry, and he looked at you anxiously.
You walked over to him and squeezed his hand, "don't worry, we'll look after each other. I'll be alright." He nodded and pulled you into a hug, and it was strange since his body was completely different but you just closed your eyes and listened to his voice, "don't let anyone get the jump on you, alright? Be safe," he pressed a kiss to your cheek and then stood over with Arthur.
"Ready, Y/N?" George asked as he handed you a broom.
"Ready, George. Let's go," you told him and then you all gathered outside. Harry set Hedwig off into the air, you only knew it was the real him because of his owl, and gave you a single nod of acknowledgement as you climbed up onto your broom, George was on your left, and Remus flanked his other side.
"Head for the Burrow," Mad-Eye instructed, "we'll rendezvous there." You nodded in agreement and his blue eye swivelled from you to everyone else. You gripped your broom tightly and triple-checked your wand holster at your hip to make sure your wand was easily accessible.
"On the count of three! One...two...three!"
You all shot up into the sky, making sure George was close to your left, "alright, Georgie?" you asked and he nodded, "you?"
You grinned at him as you gained height in the sky, "absolutely smashing." But while you rose into the dark clouds, you instantly knew something was wrong and your smile disappeared from your face.
You, Remus and George were immediately set upon by Death Eaters, and you just barely ducked a curse as it flew over your shoulder. You grabbed your wand and shot multiple jinxes ahead of you and one of your targets fell from their broom. You and Remus flanked George closely as Death Eaters sent blasts his way, and multiple furious roars of 'which one?' and 'where are you?' sounded from around you.
You desperately wanted to look around for Fred and the others, but you knew a moment of distraction could prove fatal, so you continued jinxing and blocking as you soared through the air. George was being herded like cattle by three Death Eaters and you and Remus had no choice but to follow him as he turned directions while the others overtook you.
Remus was almost driven off his broom by one blast that he blocked at the last second, and you were being flanked by two more Death Eaters while a third was gaining on George. Your experience as a Chaser gave you quick reflexes and you feigned a dive which caused your two attackers to fly downwards, allowing you to set their brooms on fire as they spiraled to the ground. You quickly flew towards George and your heart almost fell out of your chest as you saw a curse being sent his way, knocking him clean off his broom.
"GEORGE NO!" you screamed and you pointed your wand at his assailant, "Stupefy!" and the stunned Death Eater likely fell to their death but you didn't care, your only thought was diving after George as he fell from the sky.
You flew downwards so quickly that the cold wind whipped your face and made tears stream from your eyes, but it also could've been the result of the shock of seeing your best friend being shot from the sky.
You saw him falling and he was clearly unconscious so you flew under him and intercepted him on your broom, thankful that he was in Harry's smaller frame as you pulled him to your chest and held on tightly, but that advantage was short-lived as his red hair sprouted from his head and his legs grew and weighed your broom down. You struggled to keep hold of both him and the broom and you felt hot blood covering your neck and shoulder as you clung to him and his head lolled backwards.
You almost cried in relief when Remus flew towards you, "Y/N! Is he-"
"I don't know! But I can't hold him and the broom while casting spells!" you cried desperately and he flew closer to you, "I'll cover you, just make sure you get to the Burrow!"
You nodded and followed him closely as he blocked spells heading in your direction, and your only bit of solace was feeling the rise and fall of George's chest as you held onto him, your fingers bunched in the front of his shirt as you flew through the air, and you were grateful for the footholds of the broom to help with your balance as you struggled with his weight.
You looked down for a split second at where his head was hanging forward and you winced at the sight of the entire side of his head being matted with blood that was still gushing and covering you and him.
"Land down there, Y/N! We'll Apparate the rest of the way," Remus instructed and you did as he asked, landing below in a field and toppling off your broom with a still unconscious George. You rolled him over on his back, "George!" you got no answer but you cupped his head and turned it over, feeling sick at the sight.
Remus landed behind you, "Y/N, all the blood-"
"It's not mine, it's George, I don't know what they hit him with but it looks bad," you cried, and hot tears spilled from your eyes. Remus put a hand on your shoulder as he looked down at George, "we'll get him back to the Burrow and have a proper look at him there."
You and Remus hauled George up and put his arms over your shoulders just as you had with Bill only a month beforehand. The three of you Apparated to the Burrow and landed in the grass, hearing worried voices up ahead.
"Here! Quick, into the house," Remus shouted as you both dragged George towards the house. Harry instantly appeared by your side and he grabbed George's legs to help you carry him inside.
"Oh, my boy!" Molly cried as you entered the sitting room and she took the cushions off the couch so you could lay George down. You sat on the floor by his side and held his hand as Molly went to grab towels from the kitchen, and you were too worried about your friend as he lay pale and bleeding to pay much attention to Remus shoving Harry against the wall and interrogating him.
"Y/N, you're bleeding too," Molly whispered in horror as she came back with towels.
"It's George's, I'm okay. Where's Fred?" you asked her quietly and you felt a lump grow in your throat as she shook her head, "he'll be back any minute now, they all will. I'm sure of it." And you weren't sure if she was trying to convince you or herself.
"We've been betrayed," Remus said to Harry, which made you look up, "Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure you weren't an imposter."
The sound of more people Apparating made him, Harry and Ginny run outside, but your shaky legs failed you and you stayed seated on the floor next to George. He stirred slightly and you squeezed his hand, "hey, Georgie" you whispered and he lightly squeezed your fingers in response but said nothing, and Molly anxiously petted his hair and sat on the arm of the couch next to his head.
"Y/N? George?" you could've sobbed out of joy as Fred ran into the room, he smiled in relief at the sight of you but his face fell as he saw George bleeding on the couch. He ran over and sank to his knees next to you and he rested one hand on your knee and squeezed it gently, and the other one on his brother's arm where you were still holding his cold hand.
"What happened?" he whispered and you let out a shaky breath, "someone cursed him, completely sliced off his ear."
His eyes traced down your front where your grey top was completely saturated with blood, "is that..?"
"His," you confirmed and he turned to George whose eyelids fluttered slightly as he came back to consciousness.
"How're you feeling, Georgie?" Fred asked quietly and George stirred at the sound of his twin's voice, "saint-like."
Fred's pale face pinched in confusion, "come again?"
"Saint-like. I'm holy," George repeated as if it made any more sense the second time he said it. He opened his eyes slightly and a grin ghosted his lips, "I'm holey, Fred. Get it?" He raised a shaking, bloody hand and pointed at where his left ear once was.
Fred looked at his brother in disbelief, "the whole wide world of ear-related humour, and you go for 'I'm holey'. That's pathetic."
"Reckon I'm still better looking than you, whatcha think Y/N?" George asked, resting his gaze on you. You just sighed and shook your head in incredulity, "ask me again when I'm not covered in your blood." He huffed a tired laugh then looked over your shoulder when Bill walked into the room.
"Mad-Eye's dead," he said solemnly and you closed your eyes and put your head in your hand that wasn't holding George's. Remus sat down in shock and everyone else wore wide eyes and horrified expressions.
"Mundungus took one look at Voldemort and Disapparated," Bill explained. Silence fell over the room and you took deep breaths, you felt Fred squeezing your knee comfortingly and you took your hand from your face and squeezed his hand back. You couldn't believe that within the space of five weeks, two of the Order's most powerful wizards had been killed.
---
You stood in one of the Burrow's showers later that night and stared down at your feet as the blood washed from your skin and hair. You didn't know how long you'd stood there without moving but a knock on the bathroom door startled you.
You peeked around the shower curtain and Fred slowly opened the door, "it's just me, love. Can I come in?" you nodded and he walked in and locked the door, and then pulled off his dirty clothes and stepped behind the curtain with you.
He didn't say a word, he just grabbed the body wash and scrubbed the dried blood from your neck and shoulders, and you rested your forehead against his bare chest as he put shampoo in your hair and gently massaged your scalp, letting the red-tinted water trickle down your back and chest.
"Rinse," he said quietly and you stood back under the streaming hot water and rinsed your hair and then you pulled him under with you and gently washed his tense shoulders and chest. He looked down at you and strands of his wet red hair hung down over his forehead and sent droplets of water down his nose.
He cupped the back of your neck with one hand and used the other to tuck your wet hair behind your ear, and he pressed a firm, lingering kiss to your lips and then to your cheeks and forehead and you wrapped your arms around his middle and laid your head against his damp chest.
"I'm glad you're okay," he murmured and you trailed your fingers up and down his spine. "I'm glad you're okay, Fred," you told him quietly, "I couldn't have coped if I saw my best mate getting shot out of the sky and then something happening to my boyfriend as well."
Fred kissed your head, "well, George has one less ear now, which I suppose is better than plummeting to his death. Which would be a shame because I quite like having a twin." You chuckled at his attempt at lightening the mood, "I'm just glad he's alright."
"You saved him, I honestly don't think I've the words to thank you," he said and you could tell he was choking up a bit so you stepped back a bit and held his face in your hands, "you know I love him like he's my brother too. I wasn't going to let him fall, no matter how much he may irritate me sometimes."
Fred laughed at that and you were just happy to see his smile again, "let's go to bed before we use up all the hot water," you said tiredly and he agreed.
Then he scooped your wet body up into his arms making you shriek and he put you down on the bathmat and bundled you up in a thick fluffy towel and then wrapped another one around his waist. He pulled his bathrobe off the hook behind the door and put that on you as well, and you both giggled at how big it was on you.
You walked across the landing towards Charlie's room, and peeked into the twins' room where George was sleeping soundly after being cleaned up and having his head wrapped in a bandage. You walked the rest of the way to the bedroom and Fred closed the door behind you, he handed you one of his t-shirts and pyjamas bottoms which you had to roll up at the waist but you didn't care, you just wanted to be cosy. He dressed himself in pyjamas and climbed into bed, and you towel dried your hair as much as you could and then curled up under the blankets with him and exchanged lazy kisses with each other before you fell asleep in each other's arms.