An Affair to Remember (Fred Weasley)

58) The Nursery

Adrienne stared at the polaroid films in her hand, her heart beating erratically in her chest. It had been a whole day and a night and Fred still hadn't returned since the morning he had left her all alone in her bedroom. She had expected him to return at least before the sun set but there was no sign of him, not a single word.

She slapped the box of film down on the counter before getting up from her seat and heading over to the telephone. Picking it up, she pressed the speakerphone to her ear and dialled the familiar number until she could hear the rings, they were almost tantalisingly slow.

The line clicked and Olivia picked up "Hey Olive" Adrienne spoke nervously into the receiver "I was wondering if Fred had dropped by recently?" she asked.

"What's the matter, why should he drop by here?" Olivia asked. Adrienne's heart started beating faster at the realisation that no one knew where he was. She had already called a couple of shops that she knew of but they were just as clueless as her.

"It's nothing, I-I'll talk to you later" Adrienne mumbled, cutting the call. She rested against the wall, turning her head from side to side to ease the knots of stress that formed there. She was left with no choice, either she left Fred to get lost in the village or she went to look for him.

The latter seemed like the only feasible option.

Pulling on a jacket, Adrienne apparated to the village, unsure of where to start. That's when her gaze was caught by the old, dingy board that read 'Shelby's Stationary'. She thought back to the phone call she had received from this very store, asking her to buy polaroid film. Polaroid films that had already been paid for.

She didn't even know who paid for them.

A little bell rang through the store as she pushed the door open. At the checkout counter stood Mrs. Shelby herself, her triangular glasses sliding down her nose as she worked away on a bit of parchment.

"Good Afternoon Mrs. Shelby, I was wondering if you could help me out with something?"

"What is it?" Mrs. Shelby asked without looking up from her parchment. Many found that she wasn't a very pleasant woman to be around.

"Have you seen a tall man, around twenty-five years old with deep red hair around? His name's Fred"

"None"

"I got a call from your shop yesterday, asking me to help out by buying some things because I heard that business wasn't doing very well. Can I ask who paid for the polaroid films I ordered?" Adrienne asked instead, that was the second question that had been nagging her since yesterday.

This caught Mrs. Shelby's attention, she looked very appalled, as if Adrienne had accused her of a crime "Out of business? That's ridiculous! Our shop is doing much better than ever, why on earth would we call anyone to buy things from us?"

"Well I got a call, polaroid films is what the man asked me to buy. Have you sold any of those recently?" Adrienne asked.

"Tommy get in here!" Mrs. Shelby yelled after throwing Adrienne a reproachful look.

A young lad of about eighteen popped his head out from between the aisles. He had mousy brown hair, and looked very frightened "Yes Mrs. Shelby?"

"Have we sold any polaroid film recently?" she asked grumpily. It was quite obvious that she took Adrienne as a disturbance rather than a customer.

"Polaroid film...yes we have, just yesterday evening. A tall man with red hair bought some and asked me to get it delivered to a 'Ms Adrienne Ellis'" he said in a thick, Irish accent