Marooned - Fred Weasley

Chapitre 63: Captured

Arthur and Remus ran towards Fred and George, everyone shaking and worried out of their minds.

"We need to go after them! Go find HER!" bellowed Fred, getting up from the ground, gripping onto Remus.

"She could be anywhere! We don't even know who they were, they're new members," said Remus urgently. "Merlin..."

"You don't know?" Fred's face was contorted in outrage, "What the hell's been the Order doing if not keeping track of that?! You bloody know what they'll do to her! We need to do something!"

Remus rubbed his forehead, completely helpless and heartbroken as well but Tonks came up to wrap her arm around his. Fred's heart sank at the sight of that, he turned away and frowned up at the sky.

"We can't go banging on every door, we'll signal all their alarms, we need to go about it quietly," said Arthur sternly.

Molly and Selena were sobbing behind them.

"So you suggest we just..." Fred turned to his father bitterly, the look he had in his eyes could have made Arthur cry, "Sit back. Collect intel. And eventually if we're lucky enough, we'll find out where she is."

Arthur didn't want to agree but Fred was right about what he'd meant.

"You were there when she was found our sixth year. That was ONE Death Eater. How can you just-" he snapped his mouth shut and shook his head, his eyes filling with tears once again as he looked on the ground, seemed to search for something. He went around George and his father and picked up her wand.

"She's strong. The strongest out of all of us. She'll hang on until we find her. I trust her to do that. Do you?" Arthur fought his distress. His chin was trembling.

Fred only glanced at him then looked down at her wand, fumbled with it with a pained frown on his face. He backed away from everyone, alone, betrayed, saved because she loved him and now she wasn't here. And every single one of the men standing before him trying to reason him could simply turn around and hug the one they loved.

He gestured at the three of them and behind at Tonks, Molly and Selena, "Easy for you all to say."

That felt like a gut punch to all of them and they looked back, through their silence admitting he wasn't completely wrong.

"Nothing about this is easy," said Remus tensely.

And with that Fred turned his back on them.

Arthur tried to go after him but George stopped him, "Don't. He needs a moment."

Fred walked, wasn't exactly sure how long but he walked, found a tree and sat against it, let all his sorrows out. He clutched as hard as he could to her wand, everything he had left of her. Cried until he couldn't breathe, and even after, he continued, gasping shallowly for air, anyone passing by would think some kind of animal was in agony.

He exhausted himself, went completely numb after a while and simply stared at the tall trees, his mind going feral over every second she spends suffering while he stands here powerless.

He was holding her wand and the pocket watch, observed the clock turn and the picture inside, replaying the moment she gave it to him, going back to that night, that time, where it seemed he'd had it all. All of her, everything he's ever wanted. And there he was now, in less than a minute, with nothing.

He heard some leaves scrunch behind him, if it was something or someone that would kill him, he wasn't even sure he will fight it. He barely could keep his eyes open.

Someone sat beside him quietly and stayed silent. Fred didn't look to see who it was, he didn't care. Whoever it was, it wouldn't be Sarah.