Smoke still clung to the air, the acrid scent of burned wood and singed fabric mixing with the faint metallic tang of blood. The street was a wreck — shopfront glass shattered, cobblestones scorched black in uneven patches, a few lampposts still crackling faintly with the last remnants of misfired spells. You could still hear shouts somewhere in the distance, the rapid thud of footsteps as the last of the Death Eaters were chased off.

George’s hand was on you before you’d even properly caught your breath, warm and firm, pulling you in close so abruptly you stumbled into him. His eyes scanned your face first, quick and sharp, then darted down to your arms, your torso, searching for injuries with the kind of urgency you rarely saw from him.

“You’re not hurt?” The words came out rushed, almost too fast, like if he didn’t get an answer immediately, he’d start tearing your sleeves apart to check himself. His usual grin was nowhere to be found — instead there was a tightness to his jaw, that warm brown gaze darting over you again, as though he didn’t trust his first look.

When you started to shake your head, he huffed, not entirely satisfied. “Merlin, I’ve been in matches that were less bloody mental than that,” he muttered, his hand still lingering at the curve of your hip as if letting go might give the chaos a chance to take you. “You could’ve been—” He cut himself off, jaw flexing, his eyes briefly closing like he didn’t want to finish the sentence.

Somewhere behind him, a spell sputtered out with a weak hiss, drawing your eyes for just a second — but he caught your chin gently, bringing your attention back to him. “Hey. I’m fine. Fred’s fine. But I need you to tell me you’re fine.” His voice had dropped low, almost hoarse, the adrenaline still running hot beneath it.

And then, softer, almost like an afterthought but not quite, “If I’d lost sight of you for another minute, I swear—” He shook his head, huffing out a breath and finally, finally, letting his thumb brush over the back of your hand. “Don’t scare me like that.”