𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 | g. w

33. forest of dean

"Where are we?" I ask aloud, pushing myself off the ground and to my feet, although quite rigidly. I take a peak at my surroundings, attempting to calculate a possible answer for myself and realise quite quickly we must be somewhere closer to the Forest of Dean. Al though I've not been there in a few years, I recognise the landscape quite easily. "Why did you apparate us here of all places, Alfie?"

He looks at me with a serious expression across his face. "It was the first thing that popped into my head. Remember I told you I went camping here once when my parents were gone from the house?" he smiles sadly.

"I remember."

Alfie's parents had specifically instructed him not to leave the house as a means to control him further, and in an act of defiance, he had gone off by himself to this very forest. It was in the middle of summer, and I had become increasingly worried about his whereabouts when not one letter from my closest friend had reached me. "We're going to go back though, right? I mean, Fred and George could be in danger and—"

"—We're not going back, Mia. George made me promise to look after you, and we can't be sure the Death Eaters haven't already gotten to them. If we go back now—we could be putting them all at risk, including ourselves."

I groan loudly, thinking about all the different things that might have happened to my boyfriend and best friend by now. I know it's the worst possible thing I could be doing, but it doesn't keep me from coming up with the most scary of scenarios in my head. I can't help but picturing them chained up somewhere, beaten and tortured. My heart beats increasingly faster, and I'm mere seconds away from a panic attack.

"Hey—hey", Alfie takes a hold of my hand when he notices my panicked state. He gives me a sad smile, and I send one back despite the torturous amount of pain I'm in from my controlling thoughts. He grips me tightly, breathing with me. "It's fine. It'll all be okay. We'll find them, I promise. Besides, you know Fred and George? They've probably already given the Death Eaters a piece of their mind." He chuckles, embracing me and I can no longer hold back the tears that have been threatening to fall for what feels like forever now.

"Yeah", I let a muffled sob escape into his neck. "Yeah, you're right."

—

A few excruciatingly long hours into the afternoon, we manage to conjure a medium sized tent from Archie's bag pack (he told me he managed to put an extension charm on it, a clever advice from Hermione Granger) and setting it up. We've decided to hide out in the woods for at least a day or two, planning our next move thoroughly so as to not make any deadly or stupid mistakes, but it doesn't take long before I grow tired of keeping away from the people I care most about. I'm thankful to have Archie with my of course, but I can't help but feel a heavy load settle in my chest at the thought of not knowing where or how the twins are. They could be just about anywhere. We have no real way of finding them, not even a hunch of where they might have been taken to. The Death Eater's are ruthless, evil, and would stop at nothing to get what they want.

"You know, I never thought I'd actually end up with George. He's one of my best friends in the entire world and I fell for him. I fell so hard and I didn't even realise until I'd hit the ground."

I've been attempting to fall asleep for the last couple of hours, but all my thoughts keep me up, haunting me. Taunting me. Archie lies on his side in the bed next to me, listening to me unload with a patient smile.

"I was so convinced he couldn't possibly feel the same way about me, and I pushed him away. I couldn't deal with the pain of seeing him everyday—sitting across from me at breakfast, hearing him laughing along with our friends about Merlin knows what, watching as his lips curved in a smirk when his eyes fell on Angelina—that I completely lost sight of what was important. I needed him. I still need him, and it was incredibly stupid of me to pretend as if I could live without him. I realised I'd rather have him in my life as a friend than not at all." I let out what seems like a mix between a sigh and a chuckle, a sad smile across my lips. "And then he kissed me. He told me he loved him, and he kissed me."

Archie chuckles, rolling his eyes in irony. "That idiot has been in love with you since before he even knew what the word 'love' meant. I'm certain he's out there somewhere, planning a way to get back to you as soon as possible."

My smile grows, and I close my eyes. Archie's words leave me in a comfortable haze, echoing in my mind until I eventually fall into a dreamless sleep, Fred's name falling off my lips. It's a silent mantra I repeat to myself on hopes of finally seeing him again.

It's been less than a day since I've seen him, and yet it feels like more than a lifetime.