Stumble - A Fred Weasley Fanfiction

Chapter 36: 160 Days Before

It took Addie a full week to find the hammer. It was incredibly hard to search for an escape weapon when your kidnapper was constantly in and out. After weeks of trying to casually wander around without drawing Thomas's attention, Addie finally found what she was looking for: a small black tool bag, and the hammer inside.

It was tucked into the top of her linen closet, behind a pile of spare quilts. She had gotten it as a gift from her mother, who thought it might be useful. Addie hadn't wanted to explain how magic rendered such tools useless, so she had accepted the gift with a smile and tucked it away out of sight the first chance she got. She would have to remember to thank her mother when she seen her again. She quickly shoved the hammer under her mattress before Thomas found it, and waited for the opportunity to use it.

She had to admit, it took much longer than she wanted. Thomas had the habit of showing up when Addie least expected him. He would say he would be gone for an hour, and then show up again fifteen minutes later with a change of plans. He would stay up until he was sure Addie was asleep. He acted casual, but Addie knew he expected her to try something.

The two had barely spoken to each other since Thomas revealed the horrendous thing he'd done to Addie, and she didn't try to pursue conversation with him. She left him in his sullen silences, and during her own, she plotted and schemed of ways to escape.

It was with great pleasure that Addie finally woke up to find Thomas gone. His black cloak was gone, and so was the horrible mask he wore around his fellow Death Eaters. He was out on a mission, and Addie decided to take the risk. The hammer was heavy in her palm as she took it to the kitchen, lifting her arm up to the cupboard Thomas had opened earlier, the one that had contained all of his potions. And her wand.

It had been locked by magic, but Addie had watched as he performed the charm again after healing his arm, and she was pretty sure it applied to the lock, not the entire cabinet. And so she rose the hammer above her head and swung hard and true.

The resounding crack as the hammer went through the wood was a pleasant sound to Addie's ears. She swung again, creating a bigger hole. Finally, it was large enough for her to stick her hand through. She pushed past bottles of potions and grasped the wand at the back, catching her hand on the splinters of wood as she pulled her hand out. A long scratch trailed from her palm to the tip of her pinky finger, dripping blood. She went to go grab a cloth to wipe away the blood when there was another crack behind her. This one was not from the cabinet.

It was the sound of someone apparating.

Addie whirled around, wand raised. Thomas stood before her, his mask still on his face, his own wand raised at her. Addie couldn't see the top half of his face, but his mouth was drawn into a thin line. "Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked coldly.

"Getting this back," Addie said, keeping a firm grip on her wand. It took her a moment to realize that it was her wand, not the one she had been given after hers had been taken at the Ministry. It felt good to have back in her hands. It felt right. "Where'd you get this?" she asked.

"I have connections in the Ministry," he said. "But that doesn't matter. The point is that it should not be in your hands right now." His eyes moved from her to the shattered cabinet behind her. "You shouldn't have done that."

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to trust you Addie," he said. "I don't want to lock you up in your room. I want to give you some freedoms. But if you always act on these...rebellious urges...I'm going to have to change my mind."

"I don't plan on sticking around long enough to find out."

"Expelliarmus!" The spell was cast so quickly, Addie barely had time to block it. When his first one failed, he cast a sea of curses, so many that Addie had difficulty blocking them all. With each new curse he sent her way, he took a step towards her. He was still casting them when he was only a step away, close enough that his free hand shot up, grabbing her wand from her hand and pulling it roughly away.