20 - spellbound

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Fred's POV

IT feels like waking up from a deep sleep. Like coming up for air after being underwater for too long. Except I can't remember a thing that happened. The last thing I remember is standing outside Zonko's with Valeria waiting for Lee and George to finish up inside. We were chatting and then she kissed me. I tried to pull away but it was like she had me in a death grip, then her tongue came into my mouth and everything since is a blur. No, not a blur. Just darkness, like a void that you can easily get lost in.

And now I've come back to the light, finding myself sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "What happened?" I blurt out suddenly, and everyone whips their head in my direction, shocked as if they forget I was sitting next to them. 

Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Harry, George. No Rowan. Merlin, is she so mad at me for missing our planned date on Friday that she can't even be in the same room as me?

"Where's Rowan?" I ask, not waiting for them to answer my previous question. 

"Um...I don't know. She went to work on something in her room." Hermione mutters in answer, but there's something vague about her answer. Like she's hiding something from me. 

Harry gives me a weird look. "Why do you care?"

I return his weird look. "Because I love her." I say emphatically. 

Hermione's fork clatters to her plate, and all of them look at me completely stunned. "What's wrong with you guys? What's going on?" I demand.

"We don't have time to explain the whole thing but when Valeria kissed you a week ago she put you under a seductress spell, making you feel like you were in love with her, totally forgetting about Rowan. It seems the spell is broken but the only way I know that the spell can break without the use of the counter-spell, if there even is one, is if the temptress has used her kiss on someone else." Hermione says hurriedly as she stands up. "We need to go find Rowan now."

*****

NONE of us question Hermione as we follow her upstairs to Gryffindor tower, into the common room and up the stairs to the girls dormitories. I bust open the door, and march inside but it's empty. Her bed is scattered with various thick books and in the corner of the room is a pile of ropes. "She's not here." I say, my head starting to spin with panic.

"Valeria must have taken her." Hermione says, glancing at the books. "It looks like Rowan may have found a way to break the curse on you and Valeria found her. We need to find what the solution is and then find her."

Before we can start looking around the room for clues as to where Valeria may have taken her, there's a thump and I turn around to see that Harry's fallen to the floor. His body curls up, his eyes screw shut and then he starts screaming. "Harry! Harry! Wake up!" Ginny yells at him, shoving his shoulders.

A second later his eyes fly open. "It's Voldemort. He has Rowan and he's torturing her."

*****

WE all take Harry's word for it as we ride our brooms to the Ministry of Magic, there was no time to alert anyone of what we were doing. All that's on my mind is saving Rowan. 

When we enter through the visitor's entrance Harry leads us into the elevator and down multiple floors to where he says he saw her in his dream, the same courtroom he had his hearing over the summer. 

We burst into the room but what we find isn't what we expected. Instead of Voldemort standing in the center of the room torturing Rowan like Harry told us, the room is empty except for two people on the other side of the room. 

I immediately recognize the dark brown colour of Rowan's hair but other than her outward appearance, nothing about her is familiar. It's like she's turned into a completely different person under the surface. She's abandoned her Gryffindor robes and is now dressed in the recommended black of the Death Eaters. I can only hope to Merlin that she doesn't have the brand of the Death Eaters on her arm as well. Her body is draped carelessly across Valeria's lap, as Valeria strokes her fingers along the inside of her thigh, kissing her neck as Rowan melts into her touch.

She's most definitely under the influence of the seductress kiss. And I need to break the spell. 

"Ah, I see you've finally decided to join me Harry. I guess the sight of dear Rowan being tortured really tugged at your heartstrings." Valeria smirks.

Rowan turns her attention towards us too, and her lips pull into a sneer at the sight of us. Merlin, Valeria has sunk her claws in deep. 

"What do you want Valeria?" Harry asks through clenched teeth. 

She lets out a loud laugh. "You. Your life, specifically." 

"And if I hand myself over you'll set her free?"

Valeria seems to contemplate this a moment. "Yes." she nods, though I can't tell if she's lying or not. It may be a risk we'll have to take. 

"You can't honestly be thinking about handing yourself over Harry?" Hermione asks him incredulously.

He turns to her, looking her straight in the eyes. "This is Rowan we're talking about here, Hermione. If it's her life or mine, I want it to be mine that's taken. I wouldn't be able to live with myself otherwise."

Then before anyone can stop, he starts to take a step towards her. 


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