The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow » Harry Potter

1.46 | A Magical Flight to Freedom

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Seeing in the dark was no problem for Margaret, and Fred knew this. However, this did not stop her from annoying him.

"Are we there yet?" she asks for the umpteenth time, her fingers laced with his as he pulled her along.

"Not yet."

"...How about now?"

"No."

"And now?"

Fred did not answer, but she heard him huff.

"Is this it?" she questions, smirking.

"Almost there, Margie."

"Why'd you have to- ow, Fred, that was a rock!"

"Oh, whoops," says he, pulling her towards him even if it was too late. He pointed his lit wand at the ground and then up at her, causing her to avert her eyes to avoid being blinded. "See? This is why you should focus! Now hush up and keep walking if you want to make it there before dawn."

Margaret rolled her eyes playfully.

When Fred had told her to meet near the Whomping Willow before dinner, a date in the Forbidden Forest was the last thing she expected. However, with Fred, things were nearly always unexpected.

Her red eyes darted around, watching in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. It was not frightening; she liked it in fact. The canopy of trees that overshadowed the forest floor even in the sunlight caused the forest to be even darker at night.

In the distance, she could see the slight fog blanketing the uneven grounds, and she could hear the crickets in the undergrowth, the owls hooting above in the dark treetops, and the occasional howl or screech of an unknown creature. What caught her attention, however, was that she could hear water not too far away, like a low-force stream.

She said nothing for a few moments, taking in the serenity of the Dark Forest, then:

"Are we there yet?"

"No!"

Five minutes later, Fred stopped, muttering "Nox" and pocketing his wand. He moved behind her and, all of a sudden, covered her eyes with one hand and placed his free one on her shoulder to guide her.

"What-?"

"Shush, it's a surprise," he tells her, voice laced with amusement. "Keep walking straight."

She would have rolled her eyes if she could. "Is this where you kill me?"

"Nah," says Fred lightly. "Unless you're surprised to death... That'd be unfortunate; we did work hard for this, y'know?"

Margaret scoffed. A few moments later, she suddenly felt like they had passed through a very thin curtain of humid air.

"What was that?" she asks seriously, stopping in them in their tracks. She could hear the tinkling of waters clearly now, almost tasting the dampness in the air, feeling it on her skin.

"Protective enchantments," Fred answers. "Wouldn't want any fantastic beasts to ruin our date, now, would we?"

"You've prepared this very well," she mumbles, mildly impressed. "Can I see it now?"

"Yes, but before you do so," Fred begins softly as though not wanting to disrupt the tranquil ambience, "I, well, I wanted to tell you that I've never done this before... Ever. For anyone... So it might not be perfect but..." he takes a deep breath, "I didn't want to leave without giving you a proper parting gift," he says quickly but sincerely.