Power ▸ Ron Weasley [1]

XXIV. FEAR OF LOVE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR:

FEAR OF LOVE

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       Nova had never seen so many people try to run at a door as quickly as everyone in the Room of Requirement did. Everyone flocked towards the door like a swarm of birds, all trying their best to exit through the door that, no matter how much Nova wished it would be bigger, didn't magically grow in size. Almost immediately, Nova felt someone's hand intertwine with her own and she squeezed desperately onto Ron's hand, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

      "Ron, if Umbridge finds out -"

      "I know. She'll punish you and tell your father." His eyes got hard, steel flashing through them. "She won't find out. I won't let her. Get out of here, and don't you dare go to the kitchens. Not tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

      She gave him a nervous smile, but there was a sinking feeling in her gut, like Ron's words didn't matter. Someone would find out. Theo would be punished for her actions. She didn't care much about what she'd receive, but Theo would be in jeopardy. Nova pushed through the crowd, her hand detaching from Ron's as she managed to squeeze her way out into the corridor. Running to the Slytherin dormitories was going to take too long, so she settled on rushing towards the Owlery, quickly pulling out her wand and Accio-spelling a quill and piece of parchment into her hands the second she hit the inside of the Owlery so it would look like she was inside the room for its intended purpose. 

      While she was there, she felt the weight of the world crash onto her shoulders all at once. The feeling of Ron being the one memory to produce her Patronus, the knowledge that if she had gotten caught tonight, Theo would have been put in an awful position. Theo. God, she missed him. She missed talking to him like she used to, before things went wrong. 

      How was she expected to do this? How was she expected to have this burden on her shoulders and make it out alive?

      Nova flung herself into one of the chairs in the Owlery, throwing her head in her hands and letting out a shaky breath. She could do this. She had spent months trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing, and she wouldn't let twenty seconds of fear change her mind. She was doing something for Theo, helping in the only way she knew how. 

      She would get him away from the toxic manor, the house that had always been just a rest stop. It had never been home. It would never be home. Nova had used to imagine what her home would look like when she was old and married (when marriage was still an option in her eyes and the war was far from her mind). She wanted it to be big, but not so big that it felt empty, like the manor she lived in now. She wanted it to be decorated with things that were hers and not just decorations bought from the wealthiest wizards alive. Nova wanted her house to have the feeling of comfort when someone walked inside. The walls wouldn't be pristine and white and there would be messes on the ground to show signs of life and humanity and love.