❝𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐄❞
aspen andrews was a worrier, an affectionate older sister, a hard-worker and the proudest hufflepuff you'd ever meet. but up until nine...
WORRY PRETENDS TO BE NECESSARY BUT SERVES NO USEFUL PURPOSE ECKHART TOLLE
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ASPEN ANDREWS was a worrier. Everyone who knew her was more than aware, having more than likely observed the frequent anxiety that ebbed through her uncomfortably. Yet arguably, Aspen had never known worry quite like this.
Darkness shrouded the Burrow on the evening of the twenty-seventh. Inside, Molly, Ginny, Aspen and Alessia waited impatiently for their family's return, but with every passing minute, it only seemed more futile. The eldest of the bunch was staring irritably at the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds until the first arrival was supposed to materialise. Meanwhile, the other three girls sat stoically on the couch, Aspen in the centre with her arms wrapped protectively around Ginny and her sister. The embrace did little to stem their distress, and rather, it served as a reminder of the others that were missing from their usual spaces around the living room.
"That's it," Molly said, a hint of defeat in her voice. "They've missed it! They should be back by now."
Aspen felt her stomach lurch, twisting into painful knots. Ron and Tonks were to be the first back, and the prospect that they had not arrived was terrifying. Ron was so young, only a year older than her sister and barely legal, for that matter. Tonks, too, was young, but more importantly, just married, much to Aspen's surprise. She had not even had time to even discuss it yet, and the idea that she never would was enough to leave her beyond panic-stricken.
"They'll be back, Mum," Ginny said, although she sounded unconvinced all the same. "You know what Auntie Muriel is like, she'll be fussing over them and they'll just have missed it."
"Yes. You're probably right," Molly said, although her eyes were misty and she turned away to hide her uncertain despair.
Despite Ginny's attempt at reassurance, the four women did not seem comforted in the slightest. A thick tension settled around them all, and Aspen could not tame the way her heart hammered viciously against her chest. Molly's eyes were determined, trained the clock, and yet in contradiction, Aspen found that knowing only made her feel worse.
"Another one," Molly said grimly, dragging the three girls from the almost peaceful unknown. "Fred and your Dad, Ginny. They're late."
Aspen almost had to excuse herself to vomit. Fred had promised her he'd be okay, and they were suspiciously late. Things should have gone off without a hitch, and yet so far everything seemed to have gone wrong. Alessia slipped her hand into her sister's in hopes of providing a morsel of solace, having become all too aware of the dismay that radiated from her like a firework about to explode.
"I think I need some air," Aspen said quietly, mostly to herself, and she detached herself from Ginny and Alessia, stumbling over her own feet as she forced herself out of the Burrow's back door.
