𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 ›› 𝐇. 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 ✓

[17] ; ROAMING

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IT WAS CHRISTMAS DAY. The recently fallen snow cladded the ground; untouched, sparkling in the sunrise. Aubrey uncomfortably moved around in her sleep, shivering from the below zero temperatures. The metal seats she was laying across were frosted, numbing the brunette witch to the touch. It had been months since Aubrey was exiled from the infamous golden trio, and things had gotten significantly worse. From the moment Aubrey apparated out of Grimmauld Place, a group of Snatchers had tried to capture her. Since then, she's been hiding in various parts of the country.

Aubrey would keep track of the trio's journey through the Daily Prophets and Potterwatch. During an episode, Lee Jordan and Fred Weasley talked about how Harry, Ron, and Hermione was spotted and chased throughout the Ministry. Aubrey knew it was because of the locket.

The witch sat up in one of the seats, trying to stretch her aching muscles. She pulled up her hood from her winter coat, looking around her surroundings, making sure a Snatcher or Death Eater wasn't around. When the coast was clear, she dashed into a local coffee shop, ordering a cup of hot coffee. She handed the cashier a few euros, before she sat at a table nearest to the door.

The door to the shop opened, as a cold draft worked its way into the shop. "Hey, do you mind?" Aubrey muttered under her breath, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Sorry," the voice apologized. Aubrey almost dropped her coffee hearing the familiar voice.

"Oh my God," Aubrey announced, getting up from the booth, "Ron!" The brunette expressed fondly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She almost could cry of joy, seeing the familiar face she's grown to love.

Ron's arms stayed put at his side. Aubrey pulled away, her smile faded away being replaced with confusion. "Wait, why are you here? Why aren't you with Harry and Hermione?" She asked, her voice lowered, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves.

"It's not of your business, Death Eater," Ron grumbled, thrashing open the door. Aubrey followed in suit.

"Ron, I'm sorry I lied to you guys. But I promise, I'm not on their side anymore. I quit. Once I understood what I was doing was wrong, I put a stop to it. I just want to help Harry," Aubrey insisted, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to keep warm.

Ron sighed, fiddling around with his Deluminator, sitting on the same seats Aubrey had slept on. "I guess we've all done things we're not proud of."

Aubrey sat beside him. "Ron, what happened out there?"

"After you left, we all were down in the dumps. But we pushed through, getting the locket from Umbridge. I managed to get splinched, and it hurt like a son of a bitch," Ron started to explain, looking down at his once hurt arm.

"But we came to realize, the locket alters one's mood when you have it on. I had it on for too long, and I exploded at Hermione and Harry, thinking they were becoming too close for my liking. Which they weren't. The locket makes you think things you normally wouldn't think," Ron explained sadly, his head hanging down.

"Anyway," Ron muttered, "Once I left, I instantly regretted leaving. And since then, I've been hiding from Snatchers and Death Eaters ever since."

Aubrey pursed her lips. "I'm sure Harry and Hermione want you back with them."

"I told Harry he doesn't have any family; that he's parents are dead," Ron said with despair and guilt clouding his weary voice.

The witch gasped lightly at the red-head's harsh words. "You were mad and it wasn't you. It was the locket. And we both vowed to help Harry find those Horcruxes and destroy them."

"That's the thing, the locket is the only Horcrux we found. And we don't know how to destroy it," Ron stated, shaking his head.

Aubrey stood up, pulling Ron up with her. "We're rejoining Harry and Hermione. They need us."

"How are we even going to find them?" Ron questioned.

"We'll find a way. There has to be a way. I need there to be a way. I have to get back to Harry," Aubrey desperately pleaded, heavily bitting her lower lip anxiously.

Ron fiddled around with his Deluminator, clicking a button. A bright ball of light came out of the device, staring at the faces of the two wizards. Aubrey glazed at the light in curiosity and bewilderment; the light glimmered against their faces in the nighttime sky. The light broke into two, both going straight to their hearts. Ron could hear Hermione, and Aubrey heard Harry. They knew where they were being taken too, and they knew they were going to reunited with their other halves. The two balls of light grew brighter, as the light captured their bodies, apparating them to the outside of a forest.

Aubrey looked around, noticing the darkened forest landscape around them. The evergreen trees were covered with snow, dried leaves crumbled underneath. A white light shaped like a doe formed at the edge of the forest line, catching the attention of the two teenagers. The brunette approached the doe, as she knew it would show her the way back to the love of her life. She motioned for Ron to follow.

The doe had stopped abruptly, pointing her snout in a direction. Aubrey turned to the direction, spotting Harry sitting against a tree stump. He glazed up, eyeing the doe with confusion. The doe jumped from its spot, making its way toward the frozen over lake, circling around a specific spot. Harry got up, carefully walking over toward the mentioned spot, peering through the ice, widening his eyes at the sword of Gryffindor laying at the bottom of the lake.

Harry started stripping, as he broke the ice. He jumped into the lake, trying to grab onto the sword. The locket that was wrapped around his neck started to strangle him. The ice started to reseal itself, as the Potter boy was choking and drowning. Ron and Aubrey immediately darted towards the scene. Ron grabbed ahold of the sword from beneath the water, as Aubrey pulled Harry out of the freezing cold water.

The wizard coughed violently, as he stared up at his rescuers. "Aubrey?" Harry spoke, as Aubrey smiled lightly. She nodded, gulping at how he would react.

Harry embraced the witch, the man still stripped down to his underwear, dripping wet. Aubrey laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. She dreamt about how this moment would turn out, and the real thing was so much better than a silly dream.

Aubrey felt safe in his arms. She felt at home.

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