𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 || 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

➳ FORTY

XXXX. THE MINISTRY

"Thank you for bringing this situation to light," McGonagall said calmly once they were settled in her office. "I'll contact Headmaster Dumbledore immediately and we'll sort this out."

"But Fred asked us to help," Katrina pressed. "We need to go to the Ministry now."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to leave the school during the academic year, especially without your parents permission," the professor explained.

"But Harry and his friends have left," Poppy said. "Who knows how long they've been in the Ministry. They could be hurt or worse! So we need to go and help quickly!"

McGonagall sighed. "I suppose since Mr Weasley asked for you especially, I'll allow it. But only you two, since that's all he said," she said, gesturing to Poppy and Katrina.

"I'm sorry Professor but I'm going," Ruth spoke up, earning surprised looks from everyone in the room. "I will not stay her and let my sisters fight without me. There's no way."

A fickler of pride and impressiveness could be seen in McGonagall's eyes for a split second before it disappeared. "Alright then. We'll have to go the Headquarters of the Order Of The Phoenix. If you'll follow me."

McGonagall stepped into her office fireplace with a handful of Floo Powder. She threw the powder at her feet, calling out "Number 12 Grimmauld Place!"

Once the professor disappeared, the three girls followed her actions, although wary of the situation. They had no idea where they were going. Ruth stepped into the fireplace second and followed Katrina to the unknown location.

The ended up in a living room that looked ancient. Katrina was standing next to McGonagall, looking around the room. She pulled Ruth out of the way of the fireplace just before Poppy appeared.

No words were spoken as McGonagall lead them out of the living room and into a narrow hallway. The kitchen at the end of the hall was bustling with people.

"Minnie, we didn't expect you!" a man with long dark hair exclaimed once they entered the kitchen.

Someone tugged on Ruth's arm, forcing her to spin around and face the person. Fred was looking down on her with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Fred hissed. "The letter was addressed to Pop and Kat. Not you."

"Hello to you too," Ruth greeted her boyfriend sarcastically. "Why don't you want me her? I'm the one who's going to become a bloody auror."

"Do you realize what were about to do?" Fred asked. "We're going to the ministry. Where You-Know-Who is. It's not safe."

"How come you're not as worried about the rest of us Freddie?" the man with the long hair said. He had moved from his place at the kitchen sink to stand next to Fred, giving Ruth a clear view of who he was.

"Wait, you're-" Poppy began.

"Innocent," George appeared. "It's a long story that we don't have time for right now. We're about to leave."

As the group-which consisted of a few familiar faces, including Professor Remus Lupin, the older half of the Weasley family and Alastor Moody-got ready to leave, Fred turned to Ruth again with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I'm going," Ruth confirmed. "And there's nothing you can say to change my mind."

Fred sighed, but he was smiling. "You're so stubborn, Rue."

Ruth fiddled nervously with her wand throughout the entire journey to the Ministry Of Magic. Time moved quickly and they were outside the Department of Mysteries before they knew it.

"Now listen to me," Moody said before the doors could open. "This is going to be messy. We aren't dueling to disarm, we're dueling to kill." He seemed to be saying this more so to the students of the group rather then the adults.

The heavy dark oak doors were thrown open before Ruth felt ready and the volume of the world seemed to be turned up to its highest setting. Ruth's feet carried her into the room, where death eaters-too many to count-were dueling a group of teenage Hogwarts students.

Spells were flying everywhere, whizzing too close to her friends head's for Ruth's liking. Spells came from Ruth's wand but she couldn't remember casting them. Her entire mind and body seemed to have gone numb.

While she was helping George with a certain death eater, Ruth noticed her sisters struggling out of the corner of her eye. The death eater they were dueling had a crazy mop of black hair and was minorly familiar.

"Go help them!" George yelled. "I got him!"

Ruth nodded and raced to help her sisters. Her wand joined the duel, their green spark hitting the death eater's red one. Ruth stared at her face, hidden by a mask, trying to figure out who he was.

"And the third Ash triplet joins," the death eater shouted, laughing manically. "I remember you. You have that same look of fear in your eyes from that night."

For dramatic effect, the death eater removed her mask and Ruth finally recognizes Bellatrix Lestrange. Ruth was transported to the night he was talking about, the night Carson died.

"I spared you that night, Miss Ash," Bellatrix grinned. "But I won't be as generous this time."

"He killed Carson," Ruth screamed for her sisters to hear. "He killed him!"

Their spell seemed to grow stronger after Ruth's declaration. With one final blast of magic, the death eater disappeared in a burst of black smoke. Poppy's knees buckled and she grabbed onto her sister's shoulders for support.

Poppy's forehead was covered in sweat as she stared at where Bellatrix had been moments ago. "Where'd she go? Did we-"

"SIRIUS!"

The scream rang through the air and straight into Ruth's ears, hitting the drum and then bouncing around her brain. She turned to see Harry being restrained by Lupin as Sirius Black's body grew lifeless. A woman with dark curly hair was pointing her wand at the now dead man.

Bellatrix Lestrange grabbed onto her forearm and let out a mad cackle. "He's here! He's here! The Dark Lord will finish what he started all those years ago."

Suddenly, the remained death eaters disapperated. Bellatrix simply walked out of the room with a furious Harry Potter following her.

Ruth turned to see George running towards her. "Pop, are you okay?"

Poppy had settled herself on the ground and gave George a weak smile. George and Katrina joined her on the ground while Ruth was winded by Fred crashing into her.

"Are you okay?" Fred breathed, pressing Ruth's head into his shoulder. "Merlin, that was intense."

Ruth giggled and hugged Fred back before looking up at him. "I told you I'd be fine."

"I was still worried," Fred said, which made Ruth smile. He had never been this open about his feelings towards her. "Who was powerful enough to take on the three of you?" he asked, nodding his head at the three girls.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who killed Carson," Ruth said roughly, wrapping her arms around Fred's waist. "We almost got the opportunity to avenge Carson. If only she didn't disapperate like a coward."

Fred chuckled and Ruth could feel his entire body vibrate. "You're going to be one hell of an auror."

"Don't I know," Ruth winked, Fred's laughing seemingly having lifted her mood. "How's the shop?"

"Great," Fred grinned. "We'll be opened before summer starts."

Ruth stood on her tip toes to peck him on the cheek, feeling very happy, despite the circumstances they were in.