Plot Twist [GEORGE WEASLEY]

48.

The summer heat had subsided in mid August. A calm breeze brushed their skin. This made the walk to the museum much more pleasant. Peter glanced around, wary. He was still afraid.

The house was at the very edge of town. It was an awful lot of walking. Amara's knees shook when they reached the line where shops started to wane. Few houses were scattered here and there. Not much as the centre of the town.

A forest sprang up where the rough road began. Amara sighed at the smell of the lush trees. She admired the trees reaching up to the sky. This place was beautiful. Peter did not think so.

Peter's shoes scuffed the road. His face wore a troubled look. He kicked up rocks and dust. Giving him a pointed look, Amara nudged him. Guilty, he quit scuffing the rocks. This time, he was not scared. But restless.

"So," Amara disturbed the quiet. "Did you talk to Rose?"

A whine escaped Peter's mouth. He massaged his temples. She hit a nerve.

"It's not that easy! You know," said Peter, kicking up more rocks. Amara glared daggers at him. "Sorry, I forgot. And Rose...Merlin, I don't even know what to do about us."

She gestured for him to go on.

"I told her. You know. That I don't know what she wants me to say. I told her that I want to be with her. Forever if I could. That I wish I could visit her at Hogwarts all the time. I told her that I will send a letter everyday if it meant I could prove how devoted I was."

Disappointed, he shook his head.

"But, no. It didn't convince her. She wants me to make actual plans! Apparently, Rose's mum always talks about getting married at twenty. I am only eighteen! I said maybe one day, not in two years! I told her we don't have to hurry up, it's the nineties for Merlin's sake."

Uncharacteristically, Peter growled at the ground. Amara skirted away. She knew it was coming. His foot came down on the road and kicked the rocks. So malevolent. Amara returned to her friend's side.

"I just want to take it slow. Naturally, you know. I want us to make the rules! Not our parents. They already made their lives. Not us," Peter finished, crossing his arms, defiant.

Amara knew she was supposed to agree with her best friend. What was so wrong with having plans in place? Then, she thought about Madeline, moving so fast she forgot about who she left behind. Rose, of course, would not do that. It's better to walk before you run into something as huge as marriage.

If she got into a relationship. The notion made her snicker. Funny to think about something which will never happen. She did reject two boys vying for her. If she got into a relationship...

She will take her time. Why rush things? Marriage was great, well that's what her dad said. It could be greater if you walked. Her relationship would not be uncomfortable for the sake of 'building a future'. Are we not building a future in every moment?

"That makes sense, actually, Peter," Amara nudged him, this time in solidarity. "I mean, getting married early is not as great as our grandmothers have said. My grandmother keeps telling me to get married fresh out of Hogwarts."

Peter gulped. The idea was not tantalizing to him either. If it was, she would urge Rose to dump him. The thought reminded her of Madeline and her boyf- fiance, Tom. She swallowed the distaste welling at her throat, and continued on.

"Does that make her angry too?" Amara questioned.

With a sigh, he nodded. "She couldn't accept it. That's what she told me. So, we actually..."