ROSIER

19

Treason
...

Gwen turned around to find Red and her moustached partner standing by Justus and the box. The man had her uncle in a tight grip. His wand was pressed against Justus' throat, and his eyes were filled with a great longing to harm him.

"You make my job much easier. I will give you that," Red spoke, laughing as she traced the box with her big hand.

Gwen felt her heartbeat quicken, overlooking the scene for every person possibly participating in the outcome. If there were more Aurors, their chances of getting out would become even slimmer than they already were.

"Maybe you're just not good at your job if you have to rely on two fifteen-year-olds to do it for you." The blonde commented, seemingly calm from an outside perspective.

"You're bold with your words considering the things we could do to your uncle," Red remarked. "Is it personal, or are all Rosiers so careless when it comes to protecting others?"

"It doesn't matter what I say. If you wanted to kill or harm him, you would've already. You could've easily gotten control over us and left with the box. But you didn't, and that means something is stopping you."

"Dorcas didn't lie when she said you were clever. She knows you very well. How you behave, who you trust, and where you keep your most important possessions," Red pulled out the file, skimming through it with a sinister grin. "Oh, you didn't know? My beloved Dorcas was a wonderful help. You even told her your plans for tonight, and all we needed to do was cast a quick spell to find you. She even provided me with hair from your brush to make the spell easier for me."

Gwen could feel her insides sinking at the ruinous confession. Her knees felt shaky and weak, wanting to sink to the ground from the weight stacking on her shoulders. Memories rattled through her head of her best friend, feeling the betrayal like poison through her veins, but she couldn't let go now, not when Justus and Remus were still in danger.

"We spent enough time talking." The blonde replied with a mere shoulder shrug. She glanced at Remus, who was much too quiet for her liking, but her silent pleas went unnoticed as his eyes were staring at the Aurors in high concentration. "How about we come to the point now?"

"Give us the key, and I will let all three of you go your ways,"

"What if we don't?"

"Then I fear at least one of you will not make it out of this forest," Red came closer to the girl, and it seemed it was this motion Remus had waited for.

He threw a smoke bomb onto the ground and disappeared in the thick white. He managed to free Justus by using a spell to throw the moustached Auror against the next tree but misjudged the time he had left until Red pointed her wand against him.

His entire body stiffened as the forbidden spell forced him to act under the woman's will. "Let me guess, the Gryffindor?"

"Let him go," Gwen begged, holding her wand out against Red. "Let him go, and I will give you what you want."

She could see the silent plea in the boy's eyes, telling her not to do it, but now it was her pulling her gaze to the Aurors. The man was slowly recovering, pain seething through his body, and she feared his angered response once he found hold of his wand again.