my inheritance (g.w x o.c)

chapter thirty-six: the laughing letter

As soon as I got outside of the barrier, I apparated back to the Malfoy Manor. I walked inside and was grateful to see everyone had gone to bed. I went upstairs to my room, holding the letter tightly against my chest. I shut the door and sat on the bed. I felt like I was in some trance as I opened the letter. It took me forever to open it even once I got it out of the envelope. It vibrated softly in my hand, and I furrowed my brow. I opened it slightly.

"To my darling La-"

I immediately shut it. How in the hell did he get his voice in the letter?

I grabbed my wand, reinforcing the silencing charms I put around my room before laying on my stomach and opening the letter. On the actual paper was just a messy heart.

"To my darling Larissa," George slurred, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Merlin's beard, you sound drunk," Fred laughed.

"You try and lose an ear," George smiled. I pictured them sitting in the living room, creating this letter, and laughed a little. "Now, shut up, so I can talk to her."

"You're not actually talking to her. She won't hear this for a couple days."

"I don't care," George complained. "Go get me soup."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Mom," George yelled. "Do we have soup?"

"Yes, dear, Fred, come help," she called from far away.

"Fred, dear, go help," George teased.

"You're lucky you're holey now," he rolled his eyes. "Larissa, his idea of ear humor was holey so please make fun of him."

"Go get me soup, I'm dying." I heard some noise as Fred left before George spoke more quietly, but still in a slurred voice. "Don't worry, princess, I'm not really dying. It's just a nice claim for a little bit. I'm fine, really. I know you saw what happened. I saw you right before everything went dark." That must've been why he was asking about me. "I hope you're okay. Lupin said someone fell out of the sky right after I went out so I really hope that wasn't you. God, if it was you..." he sighed, and for a moment, I realized what Lupin was saying about him needing to know I was okay. He worries just as much as I do. "When you get this, maybe just write a little scribble to let me know you're alive. I'll even take a 'Back off, Weasley,' if that's all you want to send." I laughed lightly. "Like I said, I'm fine. Just got one less ear, but hey, now maybe my mom can actually tell us apart." He paused for a second. "I hope you're okay. I keep wasting my time, reading the Daily Prophet, scared I'm going to see a tribute to you, which we both know would be quite long and would probably have a picture of you smiling until you saw me then you'd stick your tongue out or something." He laughed a little, but it hurt my heart that I wasn't there. There was a little less certainty in his laugh, and I felt incredibly responsible for that. "I know it's near impossible to see you right now without inevitable doom coming my way or something, but I miss you a lot. I miss your smile and your snarky comments and sneaking around and just, you. You're pretty much all I think about. Well, you and-" He stopped himself, seeming to sober up rather quickly. "I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to bring it up. I just, damn it." There was a long moment of silence. "I love you so much, so so much, and nothing is ever going to change that. So please, please don't think that our relationship is anything short of amazing and spectacular and mind-blowing. Of course, with you, it's also been infuriating and heart racing and unbelievably frustrating. But I miss it. I miss it all. I just want you back so I can-"

"Here's your damn soup," Fred interrupted. "Oh, wait, sorry. I thought you would've been done."

"I need more than five seconds to speak a letter."