Love In The Shadows | Fred Weasley x OC

Chapter 63

Chapter 63: A House Without a Home

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the newly completed house that stood at the edge of the village. Fred Weasley stood at the threshold, his heart heavy with a mixture of anticipation and despair. This was meant to be their dream home, a place where laughter and love would fill the air. Yet, as he stepped inside, the overwhelming emptiness engulfed him, and a cold shiver ran down his spine.

The house was everything he and Adhara had envisioned—spacious rooms filled with light, a cozy kitchen with a nook for breakfast, and a greenhouse that promised blooms in the spring. But now, it felt like a hollow shell, devoid of the warmth and vibrancy that only Adhara could bring. As Fred wandered through the rooms, his fingers brushed against the furniture they had painstakingly chosen together, and it all felt painfully pointless without her.

Every corner reminded him of her absence; every shadow seemed to echo her laughter. He had thought this day would bring him joy, yet all he felt was an insatiable longing that threatened to swallow him whole. The dreams they had spun together felt like cruel mockery now, and each empty space screamed of what could have been.

Fred moved through the house like a ghost, his heart heavy with the weight of sorrow. He had poured every ounce of himself into this place, believing that when Adhara walked through the door, it would finally feel like home. But it didn't. Without her, the walls felt cold and unwelcoming. The vibrant energy they had imagined together was replaced by a deafening silence, and the hopes they had built were now a distant memory.

He sank onto the couch in the living room, his heart racing with frustration. It was everything he wanted, yet nothing at all. He had bought an exquisite emerald ring weeks before, its vibrant hue reminiscent of Adhara's bright spirit. He had even met with Draco to seek his blessing, imagining the day when he would slide that ring onto her finger, sealing their future together. But now, that future felt like a cruel joke.

"Addy," he whispered into the stillness of the room, the name tumbling from his lips like a prayer. She had been his everything—his confidante, his partner, the love of his life. How had it come to this? The thought of her trapped somewhere, hiding from the very family she had once known, left him feeling powerless. He could barely remember the last time he had seen her, the pain of that moment etched in his mind like a brand.

Fred searched every corner of the wizarding world, desperate for any sign of Adhara. He combed through London's hidden alleyways, questioned old acquaintances, and even ventured to places he'd never imagined, but she was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving nothing but the echo of her absence.

His frustration grew as he confronted Draco, demanding answers. "Where is she?" he had asked, voice tight with urgency. But Draco only looked at him with that cold, impenetrable gaze, as if the very question had never crossed his mind.

"She told me not to tell you," Draco replied flatly, his voice devoid of any trace of sympathy. There was something almost cruel in his calm demeanor, as though he was following an order—one he wasn't willing to break, no matter how much Fred begged.

Fred's heart tightened with each word. She told him not to tell me?

The thought stung more than he could bear. She had trusted Draco to keep the truth from him, and in doing so, she had drawn a final line between them. Fred could feel the weight of that choice, the impossibility of it. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but he knew it would be futile. Draco had made it clear: Adhara had vanished by her own will, and Fred had no part in that decision.

It was the silence that hurt most. Every day without her felt like a relentless storm, and no matter how much he searched, he couldn't escape the sense that she was slipping further and further away, a ghost he could never reach.

Fred sighed, his thoughts drifting back to the last conversation they had shared, the heartbreak he felt when she walked away. She had seemed so resolute, and in that moment, he had realized the depth of his love for her. But now, as he sat in the echoing silence of their unfinished life, despair clawed at his heart.

Days turned into months, and the excitement of the joke shop's success faded into the background noise of his life. George had thrown himself into work, the shop thriving as it had never before, but to Fred, every moment of triumph felt like a hollow victory. The laughter they shared felt incomplete without Adhara's witty remarks and infectious enthusiasm.

Every night, he found himself staring at the ceiling, replaying their last moments together in his mind, wishing he could go back and change everything.

As he lay in bed, staring into the dark void, Fred began to lose hope. The house felt like a prison, trapping him in memories that were both beautiful and heartbreaking. He had thrown himself into work, tried to bury the pain, but every success felt tainted by the absence of the one person he loved most.

One night, Fred found himself sitting in the darkened living room, the only light coming from the flickering fireplace. He picked up the ring once more, letting it catch the light, its beauty contrasting sharply with the bleakness that surrounded him. He imagined Adhara wearing it, the joy on her face, but that thought quickly turned to bitterness as the reality of their situation sank in.

"I can't do this without you," he murmured to the empty room. "I thought I could be strong, but I feel so lost." The words hung in the air, a testament to his growing despair. No matter how much he tried to move forward, the weight of her absence was an anchor pulling him deeper into darkness.

The following days passed in a blur. Fred would go to the shop, mechanically engaging with customers and helping George, but his heart wasn't in it. He would often find himself staring out the window, lost in thought, yearning for a glimpse of the girl who had made his world so vibrant. He felt like a shadow of his former self, a mere echo of the boy who had once laughed with Adhara by his side.

One particularly cold night, Fred stood outside the house, gazing up at the stars.

"Adhara," he whispered into the night, a desperate plea carried away by the wind. "I don't know how to live without you." His heart ached at the thought, the truth of his words settling heavily in his chest.

Months turned into years, and with every passing moment, the hope that had once burned brightly within him flickered and faded. The house stood as a constant reminder of everything he had lost, a monument to dreams that felt impossibly out of reach.

In the quiet moments of the night, Fred would lie awake, clutching the emerald ring to his chest, wishing he could turn back time. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't change the past. All he could do was hope that somehow, someway, he would find a way back to Adhara.

But deep down, in the darkest corners of his heart, Fred couldn't shake the feeling that he might never see her again. The thought was suffocating, and as he closed his eyes, he felt the walls of the house closing in around him, leaving him trapped in a reality that felt more like a nightmare than a dream.