We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- After the Silence -

"For weeks, all I could think about was how much he had hurt me. The moment I saw him again, all I could think about was how much I had missed him."

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Without allowing herself time to think, she grabbed the Portkey.

Instantly the familiar hook-like sensation yanked her forward.

The office vanished.

The castle disappeared.

The world twisted violently around her.

She hated Portkeys.

She hated them with a passion.

And yet she had never been happier to use one.

A second later her feet slammed against solid ground.

The spinning stopped.

Her stomach lurched.

She stumbled forward.

Then froze.

Towering above her stood the bright orange storefront she knew by heart.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

For the first time in months, Katherine Potter was finally going to see Fred.

The bright orange storefront towered above her, just as vibrant and ridiculous as she remembered.

For a moment, she simply stood there.

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.

This was it.

After a month of silence.

A month of crying herself to sleep.

A month of unanswered letters.

She was finally here.

And she was finally going to see him.

Suddenly, she wasn't so sure she wanted to.

What if he really didn't want to see her?

What if nothing she said mattered?

What if—

No.

She had not spent a month suffering only to turn around now.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine pushed open the shop door.

The familiar tinkling bell rang overhead.

Instantly, she was hit with warmth, laughter, and complete chaos.

The shop looked busier than ever.

Shelves overflowed with colourful products.

Boxes exploded occasionally in the background.

Customers wandered through aisles with fascinated expressions.

A group of children were gathered around a display of Skiving Snackboxes while their exhausted mother looked moments away from surrendering completely.

For the first time in months, Katherine felt something close to normal.

This place felt like Fred.

Loud.

Chaotic.

Brilliant.

A little bit dangerous.

And completely impossible not to love.