second chance - george weasley

twenty-nine

THE NEXT DAY

George's POV

Yesterday's conversation lingered in my mind through the whole night, I got up from bed plenty of times to go to her room and apologize once again but would always give up and end up pacing around in the corridor, walking back and forth between our rooms wondering what words to say and in what way to say them.

Eventually I ended up going down for breakfast only to find everyone but her at the table, chatter filling my ears.

'' Morning.''
'' Hey '' Ron handed me a plate awkwardly '' Mum left breakfast for us.''
'' Cool.''

I sat down to eat, my eyes still wandering about for any traces of her.

'' If you're looking for her, she went out to get some things from Hogsmeade, said she needed them for a school thing.'' Fred whispered.
'' And you let her go alone?''
'' She's a grownup, she doesn't need a body guard.'' He shrugged me off and went back to eating.

On one hand I was relieved she hadn't just decided to leave to avoid me, but on the other one I was even more concerned that she was out there completely alone.

Everything is going to be fine - I told myself.

An hour went by, then two, three, and just like that the day went on, still no sign of her.

I took a glance at Hermione, who had her head buried deep in a book and approached her.

'' Hey, did Violet ask you anything about the items she needed for the school thing?''
'' School thing? Wha-... WHAT SCHOOL THING?'' She got up from her seat in a hurry, worried she had forgotten about an assignment.
'' Woah, calm down. Violet said she was going to Hogsmeade to get some things for a school project, so I was just wondering what were those things.''
'' I'm not aware of any assignments we have due soon..'' She said still in a panicky voice ''..Perhaps I should write to Professor McGonagall and ask her!''

She left to go grab some parchment leaving me even more doubtful than before, there was no way Hermione would forget something like that, the girl is a walking agenda.

"Have you considered," Ron gulped, stopping mid-sentence, "...that maybe she went out with Cedric?"

Realization finally hit. We fought, I was hurtful to her. Of course she ran to him.

" Hah!.. Fucking amazing, of course she did.'' I said in disbelief.
" What do you mean by that?'' Fred asked with furrowed brows.
" None of your business.''

Just as I was about to turn around to head upstairs, a knock on the door. I went to open it, surely it was Violet.

The door opens and it's none other than Diggory.

" Hello, can you tell Violet I'm here?''
" ... What? We thought Violet was with you.''
" What do you mean? No! We were meant to meet here at 5 to go-" He stopped and his eyes widened ".. Oh no."

He turned around, his hands on his head.

'' Oh no? What the fuck does that mean?'' I grabbed him by the shoulders.
" She-We.." He kept stuttering.
" Speak!''
" She went to her old home, where... where her parents died. I was supposed to come with."
" What?! Why would she do that?"

He stood silent and looked at the ground.

" Cedric, if you know something there's no better time to speak.'' Fred said from behind me.
" She thought she could take on Voldemort herself by looking for him where she thought he would look for her.''

A common gasp was heard.

" And you're telling me you agreed to a crazy idea like that?! You didn't think of stopping her?!" I screamed at him.
" I did! I tried, okay?! But she wouldn't budge so I just said I would go with her, make sure she was safe!"

I let go of his shoulders and rubbed my hands across my face, trying to think of what to do next.

" If something happens to her, I swear to FUCKING god I will ki-"
" Me too, George.'' Cedric interrupted me and looked away shamefully " Me too."
" Boys, come on!" Hermione stood between us " We need to think of something, and fast.''
" Okay, okay." Fred sighed " Cedric, George, Harry, you come with me to her old place, Ron, you warn Sirius and the others and Hermione, Ginny... we might need some unctions and healing potions."
" On it!'' They ran inside.
" Come on.''

We all apparated to her old place back in Feldcroft, a village left abandoned and desolate after Voldemort and his followers attacked it many years ago, no one survived other than her.

The old buildings had been reclaimed by nature, old moss and vines crawling out from the creases in the cobblestone, cold mist laying haunting on the old pathways.

We walked around quietly, only our steps echoing through the alleyways as we walked by.

" Guys." Harry called out and pointed at one of the many houses " I can feel the traces of her magic, this must be the place.''

I stepped up and readied my wand as I opened the door, no dust or cobwebs fell out, confirming someone had been here right before us.

"Violet?" I called out, almost as a whisper. No answer.

We walked in further.

Torn furniture and paintings flipped from where they once rested, books and pieces of paper scattered everywhere as if the place had been rummaged through. A dirty frame left broken on the floor had a picture of her and her parents when she was just a baby, I couldn't bare the thought of her suffering, watching them die in front of her.

" George..." Fred called out as he came down from upstairs.

I looked up to him, he was holding a wand. Violet's wand.

" Fuck!" Cedric cried out as he sat down on the floor, as if his legs had given out.
" She was taken, but there was no way she would've just left her wand behind, she left it so we would know to look for her." Said Fred.
" But she won't be able to fight back without a wand, we need go get to her as soon as possible!"
" We need to think, where could they have taken her?" Said Cedric.

We all paced around, thinking, and then Fred's words started resonating more and more in my mind "She left it so we would know to look for her."

"Fred!" I said as a thought came through my mind "Where did you find the wand?"
"Upstairs, in what I assume is her old room."

I ran upstairs and they followed, I barged into the room, looking for clues.

"You were right Fred, she left the wand for us to know she was taken, but she's smarter than that." I scooped around, lifting papers from the floor, dusty curtains from the windows.
"The wand was right there, on the floor." Fred pointed to the corner of the room.

As I walked near it, a reflection hit my eye blinding me for a few seconds, the windows were broken with no chance to reflect sunlight so I looked closer and spotted my own reflection through a whole in a piece of cloth. A tal mirror stood under it. I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat as I carefully pulled away the cloth, revealing a chilling sight etched into the surface.

"It says 'Mal-,' but... the last letter seems to be dragged away," I said, my voice faltering as I called the others over.

Cedric, Harry, and Fred gathered around, their eyes widening with concern. We exchanged glances, knowing the significance of her unfinished message.

"She was trying to write Malfoy." Said Harry.
"That bastard! We need to act fast. She's been taken to Malfoy Manor," Fred said, his jaw clenched with determination.
"We should go, now." Cedric rushed downstairs.

We apparated back to Grimmauld's place to gather with Ron and Hermione and finally set way to Malfoy Manor together, a mix of fear and determination washing over us.

TO BE CONTINUED