Petrified (Fred Weasley Love Story)

Chapter 1 - The 7th Year

Chapter 1 is by far the longest chapter in this story as introductions and characters are formed, but push through and I really hope you like the whole story as it begins to unfold.

- CinderedAshes

Chapter 1

A blood-curdling scream pierced my ears and my eyes shot open frantically. I was still in my small bedroom with my babbity rabbity book clutched to my chest. Piercing screams rang through the house and I was up in an instant. My heart was hammering, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes. I hadn't any idea of what was happening, but I was scared, absolutely petrified.

I was watching my bedroom door with such intensity, waiting for my mother or father to come and tell me everything was alright, but instead I saw a bright flash of luminous dark green shoot through the cracks of the door... another scream followed.

I whipped the pink blankets away and sprinted to my little white cupboard, pulling the door closed quickly. I was holding tightly to my favourite book like it was a lifeline. Hot, salty tears fell down my face and terror raced through my small body.

Suddenly the house went a deadly quiet, enough that my ears rang in the silence. The only thing I could hear was my rapid breathing. I tried to stay as quiet as I could, I knew I had to, but I was a frightened six-year-old girl; I couldn't do much else but sob.

I heard footsteps through my crying and tried to hold my breath, but it was too late, they'd already found me. I watched the doorknob turn slowly and heard the terrifying creek of the door hinges, as the cupboard door was slowly pulled open...

"Charlotte" a dark voice whispered.

"Charlotte," it said louder.

"Charlotte!"

I bolted upright in bed, breathing heavily and gasping for air. I stared wide-eyed at my cousin Evy and she just looked back in disgust.

"Ew, you're all sweaty. Mummy wants you to make breakfast, so hurry up" she said in her snotty eleven-year-old voice and then ran out of the room. I sighed and fell back against my bed, reminding myself it was just a dream. It wasn't happening all over again.

Slowly I threw my feet over the side of my bed and sat with my head in my hands for a few moments as I tried to catch my breath.

"CHARLOTTE!" Aunt Sophie called loudly, her low rumble of a voice echoing through the house.

"Coming!" I called back exasperatedly. I heaved a sigh and got on my feet, throwing on a wool jumper before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Aunt Sophie was standing there with her pudgy hands on her hips and her abnormally large brown eyes shrunk to slits as she glared at me.

"Charlotte, you're seventeen years old, you should be up and doing your chores without having me send Evy up to your room to wake you" she stated, waging her fat little index finger at me.

"Marley's seventeen and doesn't make breakfast. It's only seven in the morning, I bet she's not even out of bed yet" I replied, rolling my eyes.

But I knew that was no excuse. Marley was Aunt Sophie's golden daughter. Perfect grades, perfect friends, perfect hair, and perfect life; where I am just the freak niece she had to take in when my parents were killed.

"Don't you back-chat me, child. Now you start making breakfast before my girls starve" she snarled at me. She then walked off to the dining table where Evy and Veleta were sitting, the trouble twins.