Marooned - Fred Weasley

Chapter 71: The Locket

AN

I wrote this chapter entirely blurry-eyed. The title says it all. Strangely I hope you do, too. it's the same feeling when a friend asks you for a book recommendation and you jump in excitedly "you'd love this book-" and then it's a book that shattered your soul. anyway, if you don't end up tearing up, well...there's not much i can do about that. enjoy greatly,

lots of love,

s

__

The next morning, they did wake up early, Fred woke her up with a cup of hot coffee, put it next to her nose so she'd breathe in the scent.

She let out a soft and pleased sigh before she opened her eyes, and when she did, she was greeted by his beautiful smile, "Good morning, my love." He pressed a couple kisses on her face and handed her the coffee. She didn't talk, simply smiled gratefully, because she had just woken up.

She stood up and took small sips of her coffee, saw that Hermione was tending to Ron's arm already and the few possessions they had laid out during the last few weeks had been tidied up.

Sarah's eyebrows raised a bit out of surprise, "Did you let me sleep in?" she asked Fred.

He was folding their clothes and putting them one by one inside her charmed bag. At her question, he glanced at her and nodded.

Small moments, that's all they had, that was all they could hope for in times like these. But his soft gaze although she'd just woken up and probably looked like a forest creature and her lovestruck smile before his thoughtfulness was more than enough.

When he got up to gather the rest of his things, her gaze followed him, the joyful feeling she'd felt before faded, something greater and darker took its place and left her wondering why he would even care to do such a thing? What was his endgame? What happened while she slept? She had never thought of something Fred had done this way, it surprised her. But when she glanced down, she saw the locket hanging around her neck and it became clearer. She needed to be aware of it, then.

Sarah wore it for the day, and half-way throughout, she understood why people had acted the way they did. It didn't have the same effect on her as it did on Harry. She didn't want to yell or to hit something, she felt lonely. Her steps grew heavy, she displayed no will on walking any further, thankfully Harry suggested they'd made quite the journey and they could set up camp for the night.

It was the first time she wore it this long. And when Hermione asked her to hand it to her, she did so reluctantly, her mind still fully in thought.

She expected a night's sleep to somehow make it better, but the next morning she still felt strange, a general feeling that stretched over the next couple of days, wherever she was, she was out of place. And when it was her turn to wear the locket again, she welcomed it, although she felt it twist her insides. She couldn't bring herself to decline, everyone was wearing it, it was a responsibility, maybe a reminder, too. Of what they were fighting.

But it did nothing but darken her thoughts. Twist words. Everything seemed annoying, maddening. Every act of kindness seemed to have a back thought of manipulation and deceit.

She retreated into a secluded corner with a book and her Walkman, sending out clear signs of 'I don't want to be bothered' and everyone knew better than to cross that line. She observed from the corner of her eye her friends and Fred talking, smiling, just living together. It wouldn't have been much, but she watched them all differently, like with different eyes. She was long past rationalization and realizing that she was seeing a distorted version of the world.