𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 | g. w

23. the swirling of butterflies

Things escalated quickly after the twins' departure from the school.

Umbridge—via the help of her so called 'Inquisitorial Squad'—managed to uncover what the DA had been doing during after school hours, and before Dobby the house elf was able to warn us, the pink toad and her group of mostly Slytherin bullies, broke into the Room of Requirement, capturing most of our members for interrogation.

I was lucky and managed to hide away in one of the upstairs broom cupboards while my friends were forced to sit through hours of constant interrogation from Umbridge and her goonies.

I realized quickly, after having seen firsthand the torture Umbride put us students through, that I needed to get out. I wasn't about to stay and watch her continue to hurt people—young kids—and no matter how badly I didn't want to be parted from my friends, I made the decision to leave school. I couldn't stay there any longer, and as long as Umbridge was Headmaster, I didn't want to either.

I guess it's safe to say it must have been a wee bit of a shock for the twins, seeing me with my packed trunk and owl, outside of their shop late one night. But the smiles on their faces reassured me that they were far from angry with me.

I had missed them dearly, and I was happy to be reunited with them once more. Especially one specific ginger.

"Rune? What are you doing here?" Fred asks after seeing me walk in, a shocked expression plastered across his freckled face. He's animatedly talking to his twin brother, who has his back to me. They seemed to have been discussing another one of their new product lines, WonderWitch, and when the door bell chimed only the youngest twin seemed to notice.

Fred smiles and nods my way, pulling George's attention to me.

He smiles when he sees me, and if it wasn't for the fact that I've been in love with this man since forever, I'd think I was falling ill. My hands grow clammy, and I run them against the fabric of my jeans. I feel my up until this very moment steady heartbeat pick up until I feel as if it's going to combust. No one's every made me as nervous as the ginger before me, watching me with a sly grin on his face, and I'm scared they'll both be able to tell just how flushed my cheeks have become. I pray to Godric they don't take notice of the anxious mess I've turned into.

"Mia." He says, the words falling off his tongue like soft velvet, and I'm once again completely done for.

He's really in total control of me, and he's not even aware of it.

I smile, stepping closer to the two of them, feeling the tension radiate. I'm not entirely sure what to do, I've never been apart from them for this long before, and it feels almost weird to be standing in front of them now. They might be my best friends, and yet I can't seem to let a single word escape me. That is until Fred lets out a fake cough, forcing me to speak.

"Eh—hi."

"Come here."

There's a moment of wondering what will happen next, but before I can even process what's happening, I'm locked in a sweet embrace, his scent filling my nostrils and his strong arms keeping me safe and secure from the dangers of this world. I feel my heart beat rhythmically within the comforts of my chest and I hope he doesn't notice just how badly I've missed being in his arms like this.

"I've missed you", he whispers, and I can feel Fred's brown eyes staring us down knowingly from behind me. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Fred chuckles. "Tell me about it. He's talked of nothing else. You should've heard him, 'Mia this, Mia that.' I swear, I was just about whack him over the head with how annoying this guy has been."

George punches his twin in the side to get him to stop talking, but I find myself growing more interested with this particular topic of conversation. What was his on about? George missed me?

I feel the swirling of butterflies in my stomach, a smile spreading across my face at the idea of him missing me just as I have missed him.

I grin, George's got his arm still wrapped around my waist and I find myself wishing he never lets go.

I keep grinning, looking up at his tall frame. "You missed me, huh?", I ask.

He smiles down at me, before whispering:

"You have no idea."

(...)