The air became less tense at the Tonks residence and Sophia was able to sit down in the living room without much worry. She sat in between her father and his wife on the large sofa and thought it would be best to introduce herself to her new baby brother.
"Erm hi," she muttered as she looked down at Teddy. The boy blinked at her with his dark eyes, interested and comfortable to be within the company of his mother's arms. Still with his lips attached to the bottle, Teddy whined slightly as Tonks pulled it gently from his mouth.
"Do you want to hold him?" Tonks questioned and Sophia's head jolted up.
"Err I guess so?" she replied in a sort of question. Tonks smiled and slowly handed her baby over with his blanket still loosely around his body before snuggling him into the crevice of Sophia's arms. Sophia sat up straighter and held Teddy against her chest, trying her best to keep her hands steady from the nerves of holding such a delicate being.
Teddy fussed momentarily from being moved but settled against Sophia's sweater. His chubby hand reached out as if to touch her face, cooing mindlessly and ran his eyes all over her appearance. Sophia felt her heart melt at his innocent eyes and unmarked skin, seeing nothing but curiosity and pure interest in his face. She had never really come in contact with a baby before and suddenly holding one brought her something she hadn't felt before. Teddy hadn't been exposed to anything. No Death Eaters or curses. He had no idea what state the world was in right now. He was only focused on where his mother was and when he could take his next nap. She couldn't believe that someone could have utter chaos going on around them yet have no idea and no understanding of what it was.
"He's cute," she laughed lightly and glanced up at Remus next to her. Remus beamed at her and felt his heart swell at the sight of his children being so happy next to him. He had half expected Sophia to be hostile towards Teddy and not accept him as family. But seeing the smile on Sophia's face and the small giggle coming from Teddy was enough for him to completely drop the idea of any hostility.
Because of how indulged the two were in the baby, they didn't see that Fred's lips had stretched into the brightest of smiles. From his place on the floor next to George, he was able to see the full display of Sophia holding the cooing baby and couldn't contain the buzzing sensation in his stomach. It wasn't new for him to fantasize about having a family with Sophia. They had gotten married with the intent to continue into a family just like any other couple. He had even told her back in his seventh year that he had wanted at least six kids with her. He was no stranger to the thought.
But seeing how gently she held her baby brother and the way her skin practically glowed, it reminded him how much he adored her and couldn't wait to eventually have a family with her. He always admired how happy and loving his own parents were/are despite their chaotic household and dodgy income. He hoped that one day, when the war was over and they could live freely, he could be just like his mum and dad with countless ginger children. Or brunette children. He didn't mind.
"So did you only come to tell me about your engagement?" Remus questioned after a short while. Sophia looked up from Teddy and bit her lip in anxiety, thinking of what she needed to painfully break to him about her Sky map.
"Erm well..." Sophia went to continue but was stopped by a ball of light flying in through the open window and stopping in the middle of the room. The Weasleys and Lupins looked up abruptly and immediately recognised a Sphinx cat Patronus belonging to Kingsley Shacklebolt.
'Lightning has struck at Hogwarts. Follow the discussed protocol.'
Kingsley's voice boomed before it disintegrated along with the cat into the air. Tonks immediately grabbed Teddy out of Sophia's arms and jumped up from the sofa, disappearing into the hall and out of sight with Teddy's gurgling following her. Fred and George jumped up from the floor and Remus did the same, straightening their clothes and pulling their wands out of their pockets. They seemed to know exactly what Kingsley was referring to unlike Sophia, who sat in confusion at everyone jumping to attention around her.
"Earlier than expected, but none the less..." Remus trailed off with a small shrug and headed to the front door with a purpose unknown to Sophia.
"W-What's earlier than expected? What's so special about lightning at Hogwarts?" she questioned as she stood to her feet, looking to Fred and George for some sort of explanation.
"It's Harry. He's arrived at Hogwarts," George hurriedly stated, following after Remus while looking over his shoulder. "The Order was told to get there as soon as he turned up. This is what we've been waiting for."
"W-Wait, you m-mean the battle? The battle we've been waiting for?" Sophia stuttered, turning to Fred as George walked out of the house.
"Yep. This is it, love," he nodded, surprising her with a giddy smile. "Hope you're ready. I mean, you can always stay here with Tonks and Teddy. I would actually prefer you'd be here-"
"No I want to be there," she cut him off. "There's no way I'd miss this."
"Right. Didn't expect you to," Fred shrugged and reached out, taking her hand into his. His demeanour suddenly changed and became grim. He gulped dryly and ran his eyes over Sophia's determined expression, wishing that she'd take a moment to reconsider coming along. He knew how hard headed she was and he admired her for that, but he was always worried for her. "You sure you're ready? It's gonna be a big one."
"I know," she nodded. "I'm ready."
"Okay," he forced a close-lipped smile. "As long as you are."
The four apparated into Hogsmeade and quickly headed to The Hog's Head with lowered gazes. They couldn't be seen by patrolling Snatchers or snitching shop owners, as Sophia was still a wanted fugitive and Remus, Fred and George were part of the Order. It would be a perfect place for an ambush with the whole Order of the Phoenix hurrying into the small pub along the outskirts of Hogsmeade.
It was nostalgic to walk through the village even for a brief moment. She hadn't been here since her fifth year when Hermione had called the first meeting to form Dumbledore's Army. After that, Umbridge had banned trips to Hogsmeade, making it the last time before Sophia was captured.
It wasn't like how she remembered it. The boarded up shops and unlit lamps made it feel cold and abandoned. The only shop open was The Three Broomsticks pub, but the owner Madam Rosmerta looked reluctant to even have a candle going inside. Sophia didn't like to see how dark Honeydukes was and even Zonko's closed. The street didn't feel the same and was yet another reminder of what the Order was fighting against.
The Hog's Head on the other hand, was exactly as Sophia remembered it. Maybe it was because it was dark and depressing to start with, walking in was just like walking in on her last Hogsmeade trip. The bar was still empty and the barman looked just as annoyed to have people in his pub as he did last time. It was only this time though that Sophia realised how much he looked like Dumbledore. He had the same long grey beard and clear eyes, only he looked much more tired and scruffier. He could be considered the more realistic and 'down-to-earth' Dumbledore, as the Headmaster was known for being quirky and unrealistic despite how experienced he was in nearly everything.
"Is everyone here?" Kingsley called out from near the unlit fireplace.
The pub was full of the resistance with a majority of its members being part of the Order. Sophia recognised Bill, Fleur, Charlie and the Weasely parents standing together in the corner as well as multiple Aurors she knew had gone into hiding once the Ministry was taken. Keeping her hand tightly in Fred's, she followed the rest of the group into a back room where a large portrait of a young girl hung on the wall. The barman pulled open the frame and revealed a long dark tunnel that looked to have been dug out only recently. She watched people crouch as they stepped up into the tunnel and began to venture into the darkness.
She was surprised to find that the tunnel lead straight into Hogwarts and into the Room of Requirement. Hammocks were attached between the pillars that held up the high ceiling and Hogwarts students were surrounding three particular people who she knew all too well. Everyone's attention was pulled up to the new comers and ogled at the sight of Aurors and wizards piling into the room.
"Whenever you're ready Harry," Remus spoke for all of them. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked grateful and amazed that the whole Order and resistance had come at the news of their arrival. They stated that they needed to find the last of the Horcruxes that were apparently hidden within Hogwarts. But they first needed to get Snape and the Carrows out of the castle before they could start looking. Kingsely devised a plan for Harry to confront Snape in the Great Hall where they were bound to call an assembly on the suspicions of his arrival, and then leave the rest to him and the resistance.
Once Harry was in the Great Hall and was seen by Snape, the group charged through the double doors and stood proudly. Teachers and students stared as McGongall stepped in to duel against Snape and eventually got him out of the castle, killing both of the Carrow siblings in the process.
Soon enough, Harry set out to start looking for the Horcrux he knew had something to do with Rowena Ravenclaw. The resistance began to plan for the protection of the castle while leading the students under the age of seventeen out to be sent home on the Hogwarts Express. Those who remained willingly followed orders to start barricading windows and charm doors to make it a challenge to penetrate the school's walls.
Sophia was standing out in the Entrance Hall with Professor McGonagall and Molly when she suddenly got a dangerous thought. The sky had started to darken from its evening glow and had spurted stars to cover the navy night. Looking up at the sparkling dots, Sophia gulped as the familiar whispers flowed down into her ears.
The past few experiences she had with star gazing had not ended well and she really didn't want to make the already tense and anxious situation worse. But she somehow had an urge to do it one last time. Maybe she could see something that would put them at an advantage against You Know Who.
She took a deep breath and glanced at Molly, who stood next to McGonagall on the steps leading up into the castle. They weren't aware of her intentions and that's how Sophia wanted to keep it. She looked up into the sky and slowly started to read the dots as if they were words. It felt odd to do this willingly again and it wasn't refreshing nor nostalgic. It felt like a dreaded chore and she almost didn't want to hear anything.
After a few moments of sorting through the irrelevant information, she soon came to the whispers that she dreaded to hear. She heard things of the sheer amount of Death Eaters heading towards the school, to which they already had an idea about. She also heard about the prophecy that Harry had told the Order of neither living while the other survives. It was coming to the end of all the readings and she actually thought for a moment that she wouldn't read something that she'd regret.
Boy was she wrong.
Her heart stopped and her breath hitched in her throat. Her head suddenly felt heavy and she wasn't sure if she actually stumbled or if it was just her fuzzy state of mind. Judging how no one had looked over to her with odd looks on their faces, she figured it must have just been in her heard. She knew that she would regret reading again and this had to be the worst one of them all. Worse than Barty Crouch Jr. Worse than Cedric's death.
Someone dearest to her was going to die tonight. And she knew that it was going to be Fred.