Marooned - Fred Weasley

Chapter 76: A Centuries Old Story

Long chapter to make up for the lack of updating lately, sorry for that. enjoy!

__

"We're all packed, then?" asked Ron, still trying to enter Hermione's good graces again. She'd packed up her things and he offered to carry her bag, which she refused.

"Yes, Ronald," she spoke pointedly and moved away from him.

"Still no luck, there, mate?" said George, trying his best to hold in his laughter.

Ron pursed his lips, "No."

"You mean your little voting attempt from before didn't make her swoon?" George squeezed his shoulder and shook it playfully.

"Here's what you want to do," Fred set an arm around his shoulders and leaned in to speak lower so Hermione doesn't hear. "You'll need some rope, twigs and honey. You roll around in leaves-"

Sarah slapped his arm, resulted in Fred chortling. "Ignore him, Ron," she glared at Fred for a second. "She'll forgive you, just persevere in your apologizing, eventually she'll know you mean it."

"Thanks," he mumbled half-heartedly, fumbling with the straps of his own bag. He zipped it and followed Harry who gestured for them to gather around him.

"You had the opportunity to offer advice to your younger brother and you blew it, hope you're happy," Sarah reprimanded Fred, throwing her own bag over her shoulder.

"You mean about that or in general?" he asked with a flirty grin.

She deadpanned him instantly and he tugged on her hand to bring her against his chest, "Because in general I can't really complain."

"Dial it down, Weasley, we need to go." Sarah patted his back and ushered him towards Harry and the others. "What do you suppose the Lovegoods' house looks like? I see a giant colorful flying balloon, next to a garden filled with weird creatures," ventured Fred with a childish excitement to his voice.

It made her smile fondly, "I think it's just a regular house, Freddie."

"If that's the case I will be fairly disappointed," he bowed his head as he spoke to make his point, looked back at her, with creases at the corner of his eyes. They exchanged that smile before joining the others fully, how she could still have the will to smile like that is something she will never understand, but something she will spend her whole life trying to put into words.

"I don't know the exact location, only the whereabouts, so we'll need to walk a bit," Harry informed them all, putting his hand in the middle for everyone to grab onto.

George tutted then, "That's my deal-breaker I'm afraid, I will require constant levitation."

Everybody snorted, Fred squeezed his shoulder while chuckling. "Okay, come on," Harry dipped his head to get them to grab his hand. As soon as everyone did, the world turned upside down, they Sarah felt as though she was moving somewhat unnaturally through space and time.

Her feet touched the ground shortly after those odd and familiar feelings of Apparition. In the distance she observed a singular house, standing tall in the vast golden meadow, just up a hill.

Yet again, although there was nothing to smile about, she did, "Fairly disappointed, I presume?"

"Completely, yeah," Fred grimaced, "It's just a house."

"Maybe it'll be more colorful inside," she tried to reassure him, tugging on his arm to follow everyone else who'd walked up in front of them.

Harry was trying to talk Hermione out of being mad at Ron, unsuccessfully. And Sarah understood. As mad as Ron had been, it would have taken a single second for him to stop and think about it, think about abandoning his best friends at their worst. Jealousy got the best of him and it happens, but Sarah also kept thinking that were the roles reversed, and it had been Hermione who'd left, she wasn't sure they would have been as lenient, although she hoped.