LOST ↝ G. WEASLEY [1]

22 | A Helping Hand

"Mad-Eye, they're right behind us!" Harry Potter exclaimed in a voice that didn't quite sound like his own, looking behind him to see the six or seven Death Eaters trailing behind them, some riding on broomsticks while others were flying mid-Apparation in clouds of black smoke. "We have to go back!"

"We can't turn back now!" Mad-Eye exclaimed in a gruff voice, willing the broom they were riding to move faster. "We have to just fight them off, Mundungus. We can't let the mission fail!"

"No," Joey muttered, knowing full well where this scene was headed.

Joey desperately tried to send spells out towards the Death Eaters, but for some reason her wand didn't seem to be working. It seemed she was watching the scene in front of her from somewhere above, as if she were hovering over everyone. She tried to look away, but it was as if her eyes had been anchored to the action. She looked towards where her feet were to see she seemed to be standing in midair, watching the figures below as one of the clouds of smoke, cloaked with green began to gain speed, nearing Mad-Eye and Mundungus disguised as Harry.

Bill had told the group that night back at the Burrow that You-Know-Who thought Mad-Eye was likely the one to be transporting the real Harry, due to his skill as an Auror. That he and Mundungus were the first pair the Death Eaters targeted, as they were eager to remove them from the team.

"Mad-Eye!" Mundungus exclaimed, watching as You-Know-Who began to appear within the dark green cloud of smoke, a wide smile on his face as he saw who appeared to be the Chosen One himself. "Mad-Eye, it's him!"

With a pop, Mundungus Disapparated, leaving Mad-Eye alone on his broom, Death Eaters surrounding him on all sides.

"Avada Kedavra!" You-Know-Who exclaimed, the burst of green light shooting from his wand and hitting the man in the back, causing him to crumple forward, falling off the broomstick and toppling towards the ground.

"No!" Joey exclaimed, shooting upwards into a sitting position as she tried to catch her breath, looking around at the dark Room of Requirement and the large number of sleeping students scattered both across the floor and in the hammocks above.

Nicolette was sleeping peacefully on one side of Joey while Neville slept on the other. Neville stirred a bit from the outburst, but slowly rolled over onto his other side before laying still once more. Joey finally managed to catch her breath, burying her face in her hands as tears began to spill from her eyes.

"Joey?" A voice whispered after a bit, and she felt a calming hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Tommy watching her intently, a concerned look on his face as he crouched down next to the sobbing girl. "Joey, what's the matter? Come on, let's get you over near mine and Seamus's side. There's more room over there, and it's late. We don't want to wake everyone up."

She nodded as he scooped her up bridal style in his arms, carrying her over towards the other side of the room where few students slept. It was secluded, taken up by Tommy, Seamus, and a couple boys from Ravenclaw, the latter three still asleep.

"S-sorry if I woke you up." Joey stuttered as Tommy set her down, pulling her into a hug.

"You didn't wake me up," he assured her. "I uh... I don't sleep much anymore. Ever since that day in Dark Arts, I tend to be woken up by the feeling that I'm being tortured while my siblings and fellow students are forced to watch."

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I should've stepped in, should've done something to try and stop it."

"No," Tommy shook his head. "they would've done worse to you. Now, what happened that's got you so shaken up?"

"My f-father," Joey stammered, the images from the dream coming back to her, flashing before her eyes as the green light never quite seemed to disappear from her vision. "I-I saw him die. I don't know if that's exactly what happened, but from what I've heard from Bill..."

"You don't have to tell me about it." Tommy said, rubbing her back gently. "I understand. When my parents died..." he trailed off, letting out a deep breath he'd been holding. "I would relive it all the time. Molly would constantly find me sitting out in the kitchen in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. She'd just make me a cup of tea, and when I was ready, I'd go back to bed. Happened to Lissy a lot, too. The Burrow was always like a home to us, but having it be our actual home wasn't quite the same." he admitted. "Things felt a lot more back to normal once Bash finished school and got his own place for us nearby, but they'll never be the way they were before."

Joey nodded, a yawn escaping as she watched Tommy with tired eyes.

"Here," he offered, pulling his sleeping bag open. "why don't you try to get some sleep."

"I don't know if I can," she admitted shakily. "will you stay with me?"

"Of course," he nodded as she laid down, making sure the covers were back over them before pulling her close into a hug as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

"Joey?" a voice asked, and she looked up from her Potions essay to see Tommy leaning against one of the library bookshelves nervously. "Sorry to bother you, but... could we talk? About last night?"

"Of course," she said, raising an eyebrow and gesturing towards the open chair across the empty table. "take a seat."

He sat down, setting his bag on the floor.

"I just want to make sure I wasn't..." he trailed off, searching for what seemed like the right word. "overstepping any boundaries last night."

"Of course not," Joey reassured him. "I actually wanted to thank you for calming me down. I'm sorry I was such a mess."

"Don't be," he said. "I completely understand. And look, Joey, I know I may flirt with you a lot to piss off my sister, but you really are like family to me. And I protect my family. Besides, you've got George, who actually is family to me, and there's someone I've got my eye on already..." he said with a wink.

"Care to share, Black?" she asked with a smirk, intrigued by his latest revelation.

He shook his head. "Not just yet. I've got a plan up my sleeve, though."

"Well, whoever she is, she's a very lucky girl." Joey informed him. "You really are one of a kind, Thomas Black."

"As are you, Josephine Moody,"