Ophidian | Fred Weasley ✔

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Chapter Twenty-Eight:

( N O   O N E   E L S E )

Third Person's POV:

It had been a fateful year of the dark haired witch living with the Weasley twins, and it had quite possibly been the happiest year of both Fred and Artemis' life, much to the latter's dismay as she had to give all that up in the very near future.

The obsidian haired witch looked out from the window of her shared bedroom with her lover, onto the dull streets of Diagon Alley. The streets deserted, shop owners kidnapped, shops vandalized, it seemed as if the life had been sucked right out of the place. It was such a stark contrast to the Diagon Alley Artemis had visited as a kid that she didn't recognize it anymore but this was the reality. Dark and gloomy.

As she watched another shop owner be dragged out onto the streets and his shop trashed, she made up her mind. It was time to go through with it. She had allowed herself a year of paradise with her lover but the time for playing house was over. Perhaps, her decision had also been affected by the small box lying innocently in her boyfriend's coatpocket that she had discovered accidentally while doing his laundry yesterday.

As much as she loved him, which was more than she's ever loved anyone, and wanted to be his forever, she couldn't. For the simple fact that she didn't have forever. She couldn't subject the love of her life to a life with her, for him to spend the best days of his youth on her, only for her to die a few years later. As much as it would hurt her, she wanted him to find someone better, someone who had a whole lifetime to spend with him, someone who wasn't damaged like she was, someone who didn't wake up in cold sweat every other week because she'd dreamt of someone dying, someone who could raise his children with him. And she couldn't be any of those.

Artemis clenched her fists as she hardened her resolve. For him.

The green-eyed witch descended down the stairs with a mission. Her eyes, like always were drawn to her red-haired lover who was in the middle of explaining a product to a customer and as if feeling her presence, he turned around to give her a wink before he turned his attention back to the customer. Don't waver. She told herself as she made her way out of the shop after telling him she'd be back in a while.

She walked into Gringotts in search of a certain wizard. She spotted him at the rear end conversing with a Goblin.

"Cedric!" She called as the bright eyed boy turned to look at her and grinned showing his set of perfect pearly whites. "I need your help."

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"When are you going to do it, mate?" George Weasley asked his brother.

"I don't know...is it just in my head or has Artemis been acting weirdly?" Fred said his voice insecure.

"Weirdly how?"

"She's been distant with me the past month. I don't know if it was something I did but she's acting distant." Fred confided to his brother.

"Maybe you did something or...maybe it's just the nerves getting to you. Happens to the best, man don't worry." George said patting his brother on the back as Fred nodded.

Yes. It's just in my head. Fred told himself but his mind flashed to the times he'd seen Artemis with Cedric, too close for his liking. She would choose spending time with Cedric over him most of the times nowadays, always at Gringotts or at his apartment. No, I'm just being paranoid. I trust Artemis, I trust her with my life. She wouldn't do something like that. Fred thought to himself chastising himself for even thinking that she'd betray him.