Mayhem - G.Weasley

75. At last

The breath had left George's lungs.

Contrary to his friends and family's screaming, he couldn't utter a single noise. He had watched the woman he loved wake up in some horrific daze, grow wings, and jump off a castle balcony into some unknown danger.

A part of him was a bit relieved to see her soar fast and far above the treetops until she was nothing but a star in the sky. But the other, felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. George turned over his shoulder to see his sister crying, clutching her chest. And then his eyes locked onto Atanas, who stood stoically in the shadows of a pillar.

Why was he here?

George stormed over and gripped a fistful of Atanas' flimsy tank top in one hand and yanked him close. "Where is she going?!" He demanded.

Atanas, ever the unbothered, shrugged his shoulders. "How should I know?"

"Don't be coy!" George felt the outline of where his freshly torn-out heart should be, pounding in his chest.

They were wasting precious time.

"You always seem to know something everyone else doesn't." George grit through his teeth. "Spit it out."

"I just followed the commotion, same as you." Atanas was a clever liar. George didn't believe him for a second. His eyes dropped to the tattoo on his right forearm. George's eyebrows furrowed. . . Odd, he thought.

A dragon. Something stirred in him, what an insane coincidence that the pair of him and Ivy both had similar tattoos. Ivy's was a dragon in flight, but this tattoo seemed to focus more on the sword the dragon wrapped itself around.

Atanas wrangled out of George's grasp and started to back away slowly.

George fought the urge to go after him. "Please." He let out a breath through his nose.

Atanas paused his escape. "It is unwise to get involved." He turned his head, the look on Atanas's face confused the anger George had felt. Atanas appeared weary. . . And for the first time, he looked tired.

"I love her. . ." George whispered into the wind, but everyone heard him all the same.

Atanas's shoulders seemed to droop a little lower. A deep sigh left his lips. "The forest is a dangerous place to be. It's inhabitants can be very protective of its greenery."

And with that, Atanas disappeared.

George supposed that's the only answer he'd get from the man. George drew his wand and summoned his broom. He'd figure out the riddle on the way.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Fred placed a hand on the pommel of George's broom.

"I have never seen her like that." George carefully swiped the broom away from his twin. "And I have seen her at her lowest and most frightened." George sucked in a breath. "And what I just witnessed. . . Terrified me." He mounted the broom. "I won't let her fight this on her own."

Fred held up his hands in mock surrender. "No need for the dramatic speech." He chuckled a bit despite the situation. "If you hadn't so rudely interrupted I was going to say where do you think you're going. . . alone?"

George gazed around at his friends and family. Their wands were at the ready, a whoosh letting him know their brooms were arriving.

"Together then." George nodded.

"Together." They replied.

*************

Ivy could barely feel the cool air on her skin. Lucky her she was wearing clothes. Not that it would have mattered. She'd have crawled through glass naked if it meant she could save Shadow.