Stumble - A Fred Weasley Fanfiction

Chapter 35: 167 Days Before

Addie was contemplating the best way to burn a house down. She would need the outer walls to collapse first, so that she could escape. Or for it to be slow burning, so that she would have a chance of being rescued first. Although she wasn't sure that would work either. She was clueless as to what charms Thomas had placed on the building so that she would be unable to leave.

If people came to help her, would they be able to enter the building? If the house burned to a crisp, would Addie actually be able to leave, or would the spells stop her?

She had been stuck in her apartment for five days and Thomas still hadn't returned. She still had enough food to last her another week, but she was terrified that it wouldn't be enough. She didn't want to starve to death.

Nearly every hour Addie would attempt to open the door, and each time found it locked. She hoped Thomas had been right when he said that if he died, his spells would break. The thought of being trapped forever was terrifying.

It was nearing the end of the fifth day, Addie had showered and eaten, and had just finished checking the door for the tenth time that day. She was about to curl up in bed and try to find the sleep she had been unable to get so far, when Thomas stumbled through the door.

He was bent over, clutching his right arm, groaning in pain. He stood up a little straighter, and Addie could see the blood that had seeped through his black robes, and she watched as droplets splattered to the floor. He quickly made his way to one of the few locked cupboards in the kitchen, opening it with his wand and going through the different potions in there. Addie watched as he shifted the bottles around, noticing that in the back was a familiar looking object. Addie gasped as she realized it was her wand, but Thomas closed and locked the cupboard before she could do anything about it.

Thomas quickly poured a potion over his wound, and Addie watched as the long cut magically stitched itself back together. He locked the cabinet, much to Addie's disappointment, before going to the sink and washing all of the blood away. Then he disappeared to his room.

When he reappeared, he was in a brand new set of robes, and his hair was wet from a shower. Addie was perched on the couch, waiting for him. "What happened?" she asked.

He was in a foul mood, his features pulled into a scowl. "Your boyfriend happened," he spat.

"Fred?" Addie asked.

"You have multiple now?" Thomas growled, his very being seeming to shake with his anger. He didn't wait for Addie to respond. "Of course it was Fred! He and that stupid Cresswell ambushed us. We got a lead on some muggle-born witches hiding out in the country, and when we went to investigate they were waiting for us."

Addie's breath caught in her throat. "He...he's alright though?"

Thomas glowered at her. "He escaped," he said flatly. "It wasn't out of any mercy on my part, though. He just got lucky." Thomas displayed the long scar that was the result of his wound. "He left me this. And for that, he will pay."

"Thomas-"

He didn't let her finish. "No, Addie. That insolent little brat needs to pay. I don't care who he is to you anymore. He's part of the Order, and now he's tried to kill me. He has to die."

Addie's heart stuttered to a stop. She sat there, gaping at Thomas, unable to believe the words that had come out of his mouth. He hadn't killed her, had worked hard not to kill her if he was telling the truth. But now he was going to try to kill the person she cared about the most. And apparently without any guilt. "How many people have you killed?" she asked bluntly.

This stopped Thomas short. His anger dissipated, left with a startled surprise. He hesitated before he replied. "I've killed before," he answered.

"That's not what I asked. How many?"