Hogwarts Express: Time Travel

CXVII. Break (2)

CXVII. Break (2)

Annie didn't stop Ginny as she dragged her towards the great hall, didn't question what was happening, nor why did Ginny's face was red as if she finished crying, instead she just went along, she let her drag her around like a rag doll. She was mentally exhausted to even ask what was happening, the talk with Draco drained her. Ginny finally stopped when the two girls reached the gates of the great hall.

Ginny wheeled, a sad smile on her face "Annie, just don't panic, alright?"

"You saying that is sort of startling, making it sort of hard not to panic, you know, what's happening, Gin?" she asked, worry stretching over her soft features.

"In a moment, but seriously, Annie, just try to stay calm, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright, sure" the white-haired witch nodded in confirmation, praying to whatever deity was listening, that nothing too bad happened, she couldn't take another blow, especially not right now.

Ginny smiled again, a radiant smile, Annie hadn't seen her friend smile that way in a long time. The ginger nodded and finally pushed open the double door, almost instantly all heads in the hall snapped towards them, still hating the sudden attention, Annie cringes, but walks inside nevertheless, not seeing anything worth panicking over yet. She's pulled out of her trance when a small commotion is heard ahead, looking up she notices a small circle, a small crowd of gingers, the Weasleys, she could hear Molly softly crying, that was enough to send Annie into a worried state, worried that something might've happened.

"Ginny?"

"Just keep going, Annie, trust me"

"Not entirely reassuring, but sure"

Annie swallows and nods, doing exactly as asked, walking towards the small crowd, she notes that her mum, Alice and Marlene were there, Remus by their side as well, before she could ask Ginny again, the small circle parted and a familiar tall ginger walked past them, he smiles down at a teary Molly, who in turn caresses his arm as he walks past her.

Annie, brows furrowed, studies the man, who unlike what she thought seemed fine, by all means of the word, no injury on him whatsoever, relief floods her at the sight of Geroge unharmed and well, at least for once nothing has gone for the shits.

Her relief is short lived when then and there an almost copy of him comes to stand next to him, same face structure, same hair, same eyes, same height, she wasn't drunk this time, she hadn't touched alcohol in so long, minus that little glass of wine she'd had upon arriving here, so why in God's name was she seeing doubles, her heart drums against her rib cage, her mind practically short-circuited when the not really identical copy smiled with George. And just like that it was as if all the light has returned to the world finally, freckled nose and dimpled smile that lit up the entire great hall.

The girl freezes, rooted to her place, not even caring about Ginny, or anyone else in the world, her blood froze in her veins as she kept staring at the man standing next to George, smiling still. Deep down she knew, she knew it was him, she knew it with every fibre of her body, but she was still afraid, terrified even, she couldn't give herself that hope, she was scared it was just another mind trick her head was playing on her, certainly wouldn't be the first time, nor the second, she was scared to blink, scared that if she closed her eyes, he would disappear again, vanish into nothingness as he's been for the last two years.

It was him, him, the man who hunted her dreams and nightmares, who hunted her.

Fred, there was no mistaking it, he was there, with Geroge, in the great hall, in Hogwarts, surrounded by his entire family, by his uncles, mother, father, brothers, his twin, yet that didn't matter, it didn't matter at all, because his mere presence sucked the entire room, it was just them, just her and Fred, alone, the rest of the world faded.