The Unbreakable Bond (Fred Weasley Fanfiction)

~Chapter Seventeen: The Connection~

Ana winced in pain, blood still dripping from her hand. She turned around and slid to the ground. Her hands ran through her hair as she thought. She thought hard. Could it be a coincidence? Was it all in her head? Was something really going on?

She didn't even notice the blood getting smeared into her hair until a few students walked by her, giving her weird looks. She realized how crazy she must have looked. Her own blood was on her face and in her hair, and she was shaking.

Ana stood up and began to run back towards the common room. She could barely pay attention to the world around her before she collided with a student in the hallway. The student scoffed in annoyance before turning to her.

"Ana? Are you alright?" Taylor asked at the realization of who it was.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine," Ana stuttered, as she ran away quickly.

Taylor shook her head and walked into the Great Hall, sitting down next to Kaitland. Fred was just down the table, wincing while looking at his hand.

"Just so you know, Ana ran into me in the hallway. She looked out of her mind. Covered in blood and distraught or whatever." Taylor said casually, biting into an apple. Kaitland was the only one who seemed to hear her.

"Um, that's odd," Kaitland responded quietly, trying not to be heard by others at the table. "Should we go check on her?"

Taylor shrugged her shoulders as she continued to eat her apple. Kaitland rolled her eyes and grabbed Taylor's hand, dragging her out of the Great Hall.

The two went up to the Gryffindor common room, where they assumed she would be. Kaitland was able to let Taylor in with the password. They searched through the entire room, and even in the dorms, but Ana wasn't there.

"I think I know where to look next," Taylor said. Kaitland furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but followed Taylor.

The sisters walked to the lake. Kaitland sighed. Of course, she would be at the lake. They walked to the tree that the three closest to the lake. It was the same tree they danced by on a rainy day.

"Ana! What are you doing here?" Kaitland asked. Ana didn't respond to them or make eye contact. She sat in her own thoughts, unable to think about anything else. She twiddled with the necklace Professor Lupin gave her.

"Anastasia!" Taylor shouted. She snapped out of her daze and jumped out of fear.

"You scared me!" Ana said.

"We scared you? Ana, what is wrong with you? You're acting like you've gone mad!" Taylor said as Kaitland nodded in agreement.

"Something is wrong... something is very wrong, and I don't know how to explain it," Ana said, still shaking. 

Kaitland and Taylor began to get worried. Ana was clearly very distraught, ad she still had blood on her face and in her hair.

"What's wrong? You can tell us." Kaitland said, kneeling to Ana. Taylor stood just behind her.

"It's Fred. I-I can't explain it. Every time I'm far away from him, I feel cold... almost empty. When I'm close to him, I feel warm, comfortable. I-I don't know."

"I knew you liked him!" Taylor teased.

"It's not that, Taylor. I mean, I feel physically warm. That's not even the weirdest part..."

"Ana... why is there blood on your face? and your hair.... and your hand?" Kaitland asked.

"Every time I get hurt, Fred gets hurt." Ana blurted out. Kaitland and Taylor looked at each other. Ana must have been crazy. That was just out of the realm of possibility, even for the Wizarding World.

"It must be a coincidence." Kaitland quickly shut it down.

"I thought so too at first, but when I first came to Hogwarts, Fred and I had detention together ad we touched.... and both of us were almost paralyzed for a moment. It was painful at first, but then I just felt warmth and comfort. I know he felt it too. I saw it in his face."

"Maybe it was some sort of hex? From Professor Snape?" Taylor questioned, trying to come up with another reason for it.

"You see, I thought that too! Then I got up, and Fred had a cut on his hand, ad my hand felt like it was cut in the same spot. It could've been a coincidence, but then it happened again when Kaitland hit Fred across the head, and I felt it... then I broke my leg, and Fred was screaming like his leg was broken. Then when I fell at Hogsmede, Fred fell at the same time. He was grabbing his arm in the same place mine was hurt.... so I had to do it."

"Do what?" Kaitland and Taylor asked in unison.

"I cut my hand. Pretty bad, actually. I probably should've gone to Madam Pomfrey." Ana said, looking down at her injured hand.

"Ana, what is wrong with you?" Kaitland shouted, grabbing a piece of cloth and wrapping it around Ana's hand, causing her to wince.

"I had to see if I was right. Kaitland... I was right. He winced like he was hurt the second I cut my hand." Ana said. She looked up at Taylor and Kaitland, who were very clearly not convinced. "You don't believe me? Let me prove it." 

Ana got up and rushed toward the castle. Taylor and Kaitland followed her quickly. They got to the top of the hill and found Fred and George sitting with some of the quidditch team. The group was laughing and talking casually.

Ana pushed Kaitland and Taylor to the wall so that Fred and George couldn't see them. The sister stared at each other, confusedly, before Ana turned back towards them.

"Hear me out, Katie. Punch me."

"Come again?" Kaitland spat out, her eyebrows furrowed. Ana was officially crazy.

"Punch me, and look at Fred! You'll see his reaction." Ana tried to convince her, but Kaitland was most definitely not convinced. Taylor sat back and watched in amusement.

"Are you mad, Ana?" Kaitland yelled loudly. "Are you seriously out of your mind?"

"Kait, just punch me!"

"Ana!"

"Do it!"

"Absolutely not!" The two went back and forth, neither of them willing to give up.

"For merlin's sake, get out of my way!" Taylor said, pushing Kaitland out of the way and swiftly punching Ana in the face, shocking both Ana and Kaitland.

Taylor and Kaitland whipped their heads around the corner to see Fred, who was clearly in pain. He was knocked back, and his hand was on his face as if it had just been hurt.

Kaitland and Taylor's jaws dropped.

The three girls looked at each other. None of them said a word, yet you could see their exact feelings displayed on their faces. Ana had clear annoyance on her face. She told them so, but they didn't believe her. Kaitland and Taylor had no words. Not one. 

"Told you so," Ana said, crossing her arms.

"Ana... this can't be true," Kaitland said.

"But it is..." Taylor added. Ana sighed a breath of relief, knowing she wasn't the only one who knew now.

"Don't tell Fred. I want to figure out what this is." Ana asked, causing Taylor to laugh.

"I would never! Are you kidding? We could have so much fun with this." Taylor responded, but Kaitland was pacing the floor, her hands on her head, trying to go through every textbook she has ever read, but nothing came to mind.

"We need to go to the library. Now." Kaitland spat out in distress.

"We? Not my scene." Taylor responded. Ana and Kaitland rolled their eyes before dragging her into the castle and to the library.

So the three went to the library, spending hours in the restricted section. Kaitland read book after book after book, while Ana and Taylor laid on the benches, listening to her ramble. 

Nothing. They found nothing.