Marooned - Fred Weasley

Chapter 68: Plotting

AN

Here's a new chapter loves, a long one at that, making up for the week without any updates. My last exam is Friday, so this weekend announces itself to be quite prolific.

Thank you so much for reading, do feel free to react and comment, it means so much to me when you do. Now without further ado, enjoy the sweet moments between Sarah and Fred. I know I do love writing them ;)

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The following few days had been spent unsuccessfully planning.

Hogwarts had started, everyone's minds were kind of stuck on the friends they knew would go there, Ginny, Neville, Dean, Luna, Seamus. There were far away from Diagon Alley, but Dobby had come by to drop off newspapers so they could be aware of what is happening outside. Not that they were trusting the information, but just to be certain the main title 'HARRY POTTER NR.1 UNDESIRABLE' was still being printed.

Hermione was sleep deprived, Sarah could see it written all across her face, staring at her cup of tea in the kitchen, ruminating on how to get a set of teenagers into the Ministry.

"Please sleep, Mione," she pleaded. "Nothing good will come out of it if you're too exhausted to function."

"I know," she breathed out, let her head fall into her hands. Hermione rubbed her eyes and when she looked up again, they were bloodshot from tiredness but also holding back frustrated tears. "I have to figure it out."

"We will figure it out. You're not alone anymore, lovey," Selena walked in and told her. Sarah and Hermione turned to stare at her, silently questioning her choice of words.

"Lovey?" wondered Sarah as if reading Hermione's thoughts.

Selena scoffed at her, "Okay, I tried something, but I can't pull it off, I'm sorry." She shrugged and took a seat next to Hermione, poured herself a cup of tea as well. "What matters is we need a way in. And the only way in is through workers nowadays. Can't we use a Confundus charm or something?"

Hermione let out a small whimper and sniffed softly, "I dunno. I'm so tired, I don't even remember the wand movement for the charm." She dipped her head low and rested in on her hands, making Sarah and Selena look at each other and agree that it was time they used force to make their friend sleep.

With weak protests from Hermione, they led her onto the couch, warned the boys to keep quiet for the rest of the evening.

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The surroundings were ice cold, she was back. The moon was shining grayer, like deprived of joy as well. It hit the small metal barrier just above the stone walls and now Sarah had woken up. She didn't believe it at first but she was shivering, the temperature had dropped again. She was confused, she couldn't have hallucinated getting out, she remembered Draco coming down here, Dobby getting her to Fred. But when she looked around, it was like she'd never left. The bucket of water was as she left it, she was wearing her pale green dress, ripped up, dirtied.

The stone froze her feet with every step she took, they began hurting, she felt like stepping onto needles every time her toes touched the ground.

That feeling of sickness overtook her once again, making her feel powerless, forgotten, weak, completely alone.

Alone. Because Ollivander wasn't there either. Did they kill him while she was asleep? Will they kill her, too?

Suddenly someone grabbed her arms from behind, started shaking her aggressively, "You left me! You left me!"

The shrieking voice was Ollivander's, he made her turn and Sarah saw he looked half-dead, face green, eyes hollow, empty, a ghost haunting her, blaming her. His white hair caught the light while he screamed at her.