As Lavender Brown's body lay amongst the ruins of what was once her home, she watched a family grieve the loss of one of their own, wondering why fate had so cruelly dealt them such cards. From a young age, all she wanted was to love and be loved in...
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»»» ENTERING Diagon Alley reminded Fred of the very first time he had done so, equally nervous and excited as he trailed behind his older brothers, chest puffed up as if it made him seem older than he was. The experience was somewhat traumatic for his twin brother who found the crowds unnerving, preferring to hold onto his frantic mother's hand instead. That was until young Frederick realised his partner in crime was missing and immediately took action. He pried George's hand away from their mother's, slipping it into his own and together they walked down the busy street as he pointed out all the different stores they would both have to go in when they grew older and prepared for Hogwarts.
The distraction tactic worked perfectly and soon George was laughing along with him, and not before too long an intense game of tag would be initiated, the happy squeals of two mischievous three year olds echoing in the streets followed by a flustered father failing to keep up.
Standing at the far end of the deserted street now, Fred only wished he had his brother with him. Maybe he would spot the fears that were bubbling inside just like he had done previously. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he mentally scolded himself for being so selfish. George had enough on his plate. And anyway, it was Fred's duty to be there for his siblings, not the other way around.
The entire time he tried to convince himself that the task was easy, he found his strides becoming smaller and slower. He watched Lavender walk on to the edge of their radius, struggling to lift a leg to take another step, if anything, to avoid having to see the amusement she would no doubt find with his antics. Whilst he knew that his fears were all irrational, just the thought of it all going horribly wrong was terrifying enough.
His mind buzzed with all the various explanations he could come up with for his sudden appearance, each one far too ridiculous to voice aloud, let alone offer to the man who knew him best. Without the certainty of what would happen next, he couldn't fathom the possibility of saying the wrong thing and making things much worse.
It took a moment for Lavender to notice that her partner had long since stopped listening to her story about the time she ended up sleepwalking into the kitchens and fell asleep by the fireplace. But when her step faltered, feeling far less solid than usual, she turned, eyes narrowing at the sight.
Pavarti had always told her that she was the type of person who couldn't hide her emotions well (that is if she managed to do it at all), and it was only looking at Fred that gave her an appreciation for what that meant. Her eyes trailed up, soaking in the information he was silently communicating. From the closed fist, to the clenched jaw, all the way to the steely gaze focused at the bright store standing at the end of the street. He had barely noticed his form was flickering, far too interested in the impossible task of spotting a red headed individual in the window.
She didn't need to follow his gaze to know what had trapped it, instead she took a step closer to him. Firstly to make sure they didn't end up as sentient beings again, but also to block his gaze completely. The problem with the latter was her shorter height, which made it far more difficult to obstruct his view. Not one to accept defeat easily, Lavender resorted to the only plan she could think of. Placing one hand on his arm, she scoffed at his lack of reaction, but she wasn't finished just yet. Using his arm as a steadying bar, she jumped, pulling a silly face as she did.
