Matilda Matlock

All Can Be Found

Matilda blinked at Abacus.

"You can... take us there?"

The elf man nodded.

"What do you mean?" Ginny said, quickly moving to sit next to Matilda on the bed. "How can you... I don't understand."

"It's your magic," Luna said calmly. "Isn't it?"

Both of her friends turned to look at her, bewildered.

"His special abilities," she explained. "Magic that he possesses that others don't. Remember?"

Matilda's eyes slowly widened in realization and she turned back to Abacus.

"It's a sort of... apparition method," he said. "Only, I do not travel with you. I simply transport you there. The cave Omne Quod Invenitur, you said? Yes, I remember studying the place back in school, years ago. Are you sure you want to go there?"

"We're taking any chance we have at this point," Ginny said seriously. He nodded.

"Very well," he spoke softly. "But I must rest a bit more before I do so. We shall leave tonight."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Matilda passed the time by sitting on the porch of the little Potter cottage, looking out at sea, as well as walking the beach with Lily and talking. It helped her keep her mind off of things.

When the evening had become more present, she was walking down the creaky upstairs hallway when she noticed the door to a bedroom cracked open and heard a deep sigh, prompting her to peer in and see Fred pushing himself up into a seated position on the bed.

She swallowed, noticing that his side was bandaged up, and gently knocked on the door, one foot inside the room. He looked up and smiled weakly.

"If it isn't the troublemaker herself," he said.

Matilda smiled and walked inside, making her way to the side of the bed. The evening sky was sprawled out against the beach outside the window and a lamp was dimly lit on his bedside table. His hands were folded in his lap as he watched her come in.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, feeling guilty.

"Been better," he answered. "Not exactly in my most handsome state, but we'll make do with what we have."

She laughed softly, but her face soon fell when her eyes flicked to his side again.

"How bad is it?" the words hurt to say.

He looked down.

"Got me pretty good..." he admitted, "...it's just a burn."

Matilda looked up at him. "How bad of a burn?"

Fred gulped. "She sort of... put her wand to good use on me. When I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, she... she gave me a pretty attractive blister, but... it's alright. Don't worry about me."

Matilda sighed and stared at him with soft eyes.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You know," she said. "You knew what she was capable of... you had no idea where that sword came from. Why did you lie, Fred?"

He looked down at his hands.

"I knew I'd rather have been taking the heat instead of you three..." he said quietly, "...I couldn't watch you get hurt anymore, could I? So I... I sort of just... did it. I don't know. I had to."