EIGHT

"GAMBLING? REALLY, GUYS?" Rory sighed, shaking her head with disappointment.

"Well it worked out fine didn't it," George grinned.

The World Cup had just ended with a triumphant win from Ireland despite Bulgaria catching the snitch. The twins had made a bet on that exact outcome and won the money they needed to really start Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Rory didn't agree with what they did but, the ends justified the means.

When they reached back at their tent they were staying in, none of the kids were really in the mood for sleep. Their energy levels were at an all time high as the atmosphere was just as energetic. Mr. Weasley, although a bit reluctant, let them have one last cup of hot cocoa before they turned in. They all got into friendly discourse about the match, but Mr. Weasley soon ended it when Ginny fell asleep on the table and split her cocoa. Hermione, Ginny, and Rory went to the next tent over leaving the boys alone.

"Ugh," Ginny groaned as she changed into her pajamas, "Why does everyone have to be so loud."

Rory slipped a raggedy tank top and a pair of sleep shorts on and climbed into bed. She watched as Ginny stumbled around getting up to the top bunk of her and Hermione's beds.

"Goodnight, Ginny" She giggled, "You too, Hermione. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Rory." Hermione said.

Rory slipped into a deep sleep rather quickly. Her body was completely exhausted from being up so early the night before. It was a dreamless sleep, one that feels as if you just blinked and awoke hours later. Except hours had not passed. Or at least she didn't think they did. Because when Rory woke up it was still very dark out.

Mr. Weasley had run into their tent without much explanation. He told them to get outside as soon as they could and there wasn't time to explain. Rory grabbed her wand, a jacket, and ran out of the tent with Ginny and Hermione. For a second, Rory thought the tent had magically transported somewhere else because what she was witnessing was not anything like she had ever seen before. At first, it was a blur. She saw people running into the woods, a group of people marching... she looked around and saw flashes of green light and what looked like figures floating in the air. She didn't have much time to process what was happening when Mr. Weasley shouted, "We're going to help the Ministry! You lot — get into the woods and stick together. I'll come fetch you when we've sorted this out!"

"C'mon," Fred said as he grabbed Ginny's hand. Together, the seven of them ran into the woods. Chaos still erupting around them, they kept moving forward towards the dark, twisted woods. Rory didn't look back until they were deep enough to know they were safe. When they turned around they noticed (of course) that Ron, Harry, and Hermione were no longer behind them.

"Shit," Fred groaned sitting on a tree log. "Did any of you see where they went?"

Rory shook her head and sat down next to him. Her body was still in shock, not even processing how cold it was for an August night.

"They'll be okay," Rory sighed, "They always are. Let's just wait here until the chaos dies down."

Ginny nodded and ran into George for a hug. The young girl although one of the bravest Rory had ever met, was still only just thirteen. George lightly patted her tangled red hair and planted a kiss on the top of her head to help calm his sister. Rory's teeth began chattering as the initial numbness wore off and she was becoming fully aware of her body.

"You okay, love?" Fred asked, wrapping an arm around her. Rory nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "We'll head back when things calm down. With so many people here from the Ministry that shouldn't be long."

Fred and George were always joking. Always making people around them laugh. But they were special in the sense they knew when to be serious, and they were very good at being serious. Especially when it came to Ginny. They had a way of helping her keep calm when she was anxious or afraid.

"Did you two see anything else before we came out?" Rory asked. It was the thought of not knowing that she didn't like.

Fred and George looked at each other as if they were unsure of what to say.

"You remember that muggle we saw earlier? The one dad had to Obliviate?" George said slowly.

Rory nodded. A muggle man had let them into the Cup earlier that day. He was very nice, and Rory almost felt bad for him and how confused he must have been.

"Well... the people... in the masks... they were sort of levitating that man and his family and spinning them around. His wife and kids, too. It was..." Fred couldn't bring himself to finish and he seemed to hold Rory a bit tighter.

"That's sick." Rory said quietly, "All because they're muggles?"

George nodded, looking nauseas. He was still with Ginny, making sure she was okay.

Suddenly the sky illuminated. Rory looked up and let out a terrified scream. It seemed everyone had the same reaction to what was above them. The Dark Mark. Rory knew what it was, she knew it was the mark of You-Know-Who. Fred and George recognized it immediately too. She remembered learning about it in her Defense Against the Dark arts textbook.

"Holy shit." George whispered as Ginny hid her face in his jacket.

Rory became very scared. She grew up knowing nothing but muggles. Her mother was a muggle, her and her brother were half bloods. It made her sick to know that something like that would put her at higher risk than the Weasleys for something bad happening to her.

She watched as the symbol glowed in the sky around the night fog. The people she saw marching earlier had to be his followers. They were here, at the Cup. Rory shut her eyes and covered her ears, trying to escape her mind to somewhere else. But she couldn't. She flinched and perked up as she heard footsteps approaching. Her hand grabbed Fred's and her heart raced. Through the green, illuminated trees, Charlie Weasley appeared in front of them.

Rory sighed with relief, but her hand was still tightly gripped on to Fred's without intent to let go anytime soon.

"Good, you guys are safe." Charlie said, slightly out of breath. Rory noticed he had a large rip in his shirt but appeared unhurt. He led them back to the boy's tent and they stayed there, not really saying much. Percy's nose was bleeding profusely and he had gotten blood all over his shirt. Bill was also bleeding badly on his arm and using a bedsheet to stop the flow.

"You all okay?" Percy asked. They all nodded, staying silent.

Not long after, they heard Mr. Weasley's voice from outside the tent and he, along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione came in. All unharmed.

Rory, Fred, George, and Ginny didn't say much as Harry, Ron, and Hermione explained what had just happened. Rory seemed to zone out a bit, she must not have slept for long, she almost felt herself drifting off, but she didn't. It must have been three in the morning when Mr. Weasley sent them back off to bed. As Rory got up to walk with Ginny and Hermione to their tent, she realized she hadn't let go of Fred's hand.

"Sorry." She said quickly letting go.

"Don't be," He said quietly. He pulled Rory in for a hug. She heart his heart, beating as anxiously as hers, against his rib cage.

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WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE BURROW the next morning, Mrs. Weasley nearly attacked Fred and George with a giant hug. She was so guilty for shouting at them about their O.W.Ls before they left because it could've been the last thing she ever said to them. Rory thought for a moment, what was the last thing her mother said to her before she left? She couldn't remember. It certainly wasn't "I love you".

Mr. Weasley and Percy had to hurry off to the Ministry because of a mess of an article in The Daily Prophet. Although the rest of the kids needed sleep, Ron thought Quidditch was the best option for them all.

Playing Quidditch made Rory miss Hogwarts. She longed for the feeling of early morning practices before anyone else was awake. Then she would slip back into her dormitory and bask in the silence while the rest of the world woke up. However, she was still not a morning person. She was a Quidditch person, there was a difference. Harry, Ron, Bill, and Charlie also played with Rory and the twins. Ginny watched longingly while Rory played with so much passion she nearly forgot how tired she still was or what they had all witnessed hours earlier. It was good for all of them to have a healthy match, getting their stress and energy out. Lunchtime was approaching and Rory felt herself grow hungry. Ron seemed to feel the same.

"Want to stop for lunch?" He asked, still flying around in mid air.

The rest of those playing dismounted their brooms and headed towards the kitchen. Rory caught up with Fred, while George was busy arguing with Bill over their match as they walked to the Burrow together. They had accidentally fallen a bit behind the rest as Ron was nearly running towards the home.

"Fred, I'm a bit mad at you." She joked.

He didn't realize she was joking it seemed, and his smile quickly dropped, "Oh no, what'd I do this time?"

"I found it absolutely demeaning how you drooled over those Veelas at the Cup..." She huffed.

"I was covering my ears!" Fred defended, holding the door to the Burrow open for Rory.

"But your eyes were wide open!"

Fred sighed, "All right, don't judge a book by its cover, never trust a pretty girl. You don't get it, their purpose is to make people swoon over them! I get you're jealous Aurora but really I'm responsible."

"I'm not— whatever, not everyone swooned over them anyways," Rory defended.

"Yeah, yeah I know but straight boys fall under the category of swooning, I'm sorry Rory but I respect them... and from now on I promise to only swoon over one girl." Fred completed winking at Rory. Rory rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of water. On the counter, Mrs. Weasley had prepared sandwiches for everybody, Rory grabbed her plate headed towards the table.

"How charming." She said sarcastically.

"I am charming, aren't I?" He smiled, grabbing a banana off the counter and following her to the table. She gave him a look, and he gave her a look back. Rory liked talking to Fred, she liked talking to George too, of course. However, her and Fred had some sort of gift where they could have full conversations without actually speaking. They understood each other a bit more, even in their sarcastic humor. As everyone ate their lunch, Fred seemed to carry on this unspoken dialogue at the table. He looked at George, then at Rory, then up at the ceiling and smirked. Rory nodded as she translated it as "Weasley Wizarding Wheezes business, upstairs, after lunch".

"What are you three smiling about?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

Rory shrugged innocently, "Nothing, Ginny."

Upstairs, the three of them sat in Ron's room on the ground. Fred and George had plans to sell some of their products at Hogwarts and after Mrs. Weasley ripped up their old order forms, they needed to make new ones. Rory was still unsure if she thought it was a good idea to tell candy that makes you vomit to children, but the twins were passionate about it so she didn't want to shut down their dreams.

"Got any ideas for any products, Ror?" George asked.

"You guys know I'm not very creative." She said.

"We need a feminine touch if we're going to expand our brand," Fred sighed. "You're clearly smarter than both of us, and we need to appeal to all audiences!"

Rory sat and thought for a moment. She never thought the twins would ask for her help, so she had never pondered on product ideas before.

"How about... color changing nail polish." She said.

"Yeah, we'll give you some more time to think about it." George nodded. Rory rolled her eyes and agreed her idea wasn't ingenious, but it had potential.

"Love potion would be sick," She said, "Although not some sort of permanent thing, but it'd be a fun prank for Valentine's Day."

"She's getting there," Fred said, finishing up writing another order form.

"I never claimed to be good at this," She said.

"We know." Fred nodded giving her a light pat on the back.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Ron's room, watching the Chudley Cannon's posters move around nearly making her dizzy. It was a nice distraction from life for a bit, fantasizing about the twins' future. Rory closed her eyes and imagined a joke shop owned by Fred and George.