SALEM ᵈ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ

xiii. Unnatural Phenomena

THAT night was probably the longest I ever stayed up for. I once thought that staying up until two a.m was late, but this tops the cake.

After arriving at Grimmauld Place via portkey, I immediately went to seek for mum, relief flooding through me when I found her beside Sirius.

I rushed forwards, tuning out the argument the twins were having with the man of the house as I let my mother hold me.

"Mum, is he—is he going to be okay?" I hiccuped, staring up at her with hopeful watery eyes.

Until now I hadn't shed any tear. But something about seeing mum again made me want to bawl in one corner.

She sighed and brushed the hair away from my face. "I've no idea, dear. But I know Arthur. I know he's strong and he'll fight through this. We have to stay strong."

"What about Dad? What about Dad is he okay—" I panicked, immediately clutching her arm when I realized he wasn't in the room.

"He's okay, Margo," she said gently, "he's currently in St. Mungo's with Arthur. He's okay."

Before they left Hogwarts, Dumbledore deemed it fit that I would join them to go home as Mr. Weasley is also a big part of my life and because my parents had requested it.

With Dad and Mr. Weasley working together at the Ministry and me practically growing up with their family, it only made sense to do so. I was thankful that Dumbledore understood that. The bond was too strong to break apart.

Mr. Weasley. . .the moment I heard the news from Professor Sprout, all panic and uneasiness settled deep within my stomach. I rushed out of the Common Room and practically dashed to the Headmaster's office.

It was a feeling I couldn't describe. It made me uneasy; it made me sick, and it made me want to cower in a corner.

The whole ordeal brought back memories of that night during the Triwizard Tournament. Hearing the shrill scream of a girl and seeing Cedric's unmoving body as Harry and his parents cried over him; it was the same feeling I got when I saw that.

The same sickly feeling right before you know something bad was about to happen; that there was a possibility something was going to take someone important away from your life.

I thought I could use the waiting time for a chance to get some sleep. But with the constant feeling of dread growing in my stomach and the sounds of muffled sniffles, it was harder than usual to do so.

Now, I was currently huddled next to a red-eyed Ginny, squeezing her hand every now and then to provide comfort.

I chewed on my lip anxiously, thinking about all the possible scenarios of what could happen to someone that was basically my second father.

Quickly wiping the tears that began to fall down my face, I took a shaky breath.

He'll be okay, I told myself. Merlin, please let him be okay.

I blinked repeatedly, trying to get rid of the oncoming tears and the strain in my eyes, unaware that I'd been staring at the fireplace for a long time.

From the kitchen, I heard a soft thud and looked to see that Harry was staring at the cup of butterbeer in his hands — the cup he slammed.

I frowned. I recognized the look on his face, it was the one he always had when he was deep in his thoughts, no doubt overthinking the whole situation. After all, he was the one who had that dream about Mr. Weasley.

I brushed away the hairs from Ginny's sleeping face before crossing the threshold of the kitchen, taking the empty seat beside Harry.

"Hey, you." My voice cracked. "Are you alright?"