𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧 𝐠𝐨 → 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺

→ chapter ninety eight

; ♡⋆.ೃ࿔*

"Chaerin!"

His voice. It sounded the same, as if she had only been with him moments ago. It was like warm honey trickling out of his lips, a soothing and comforting sound that she had been longing to hear for so long.

It called to her like a siren, tempting her to inch closer yet she couldn't get her brain to communicate with her feet that they needed to move. She was frozen, it was pure agony, a sweet symphony called her name gently yet she couldn't follow it to find her way home.

It had been 24 hours ago that he had received the message that Chae had been found, he'd wasted no time in getting to his older brother's cottage that he shared with his wife. He expected to see her waiting for him, with his expectations now destroyed he didn't know what to think, feel or do.

"She hasn't spoken a word since she got here I'm afraid," said Bill, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"It eez a shame, even when ze the poor elf died she did not say a word," Fleur's voice seemed distant to Chaerin, it was as if she were a million miles away.

"So she just won't say anything?" Fred asked, his arms crossed with his features knitted together in worry.

"Pretty much, we've tried talking to her but got nothing but gestures, Fleur cleaned her wounds as best as she could but I think Mum will need to use magic or at least take her to St. Mungos," Bill responded solemnly.

Chae stood up abruptly when she heard the hospital's name, she shook her head rapidly. She would not be taken to a hospital, she wasn't insane and she would not be treated like she was. It was not her fault that she couldn't bring herself to talk.

Fred rushed over to her in a hurry, reaching his arm out to wrap around her but retracted it rapidly when Chae flinched away. The pain that shot through his body was indescribable, to see the person he treasured most flinch away from him as if he was going to hurt her caused his heart to fracture.

"I-. Baby, no, I would never."

The girl in front of him said nothing, she couldn't even bring herself to look at him, it was like the magnetic pull was not strong enough to bring them together. Fred was a piece of Chae that she knew she needed, but after going so long without that missing piece, how was she supposed to react now that she had it back? Would it even fit anymore?

For the first time in forever, Fred felt as if his eyes were really seeing Chaerin Chang. Her skin was sickly pale, her hazelnut eyes seemed lifeless and dull as they sunk into her face, her features were gaunt and hollow. There wasn't an inch of her that wasn't covered in hues of purple and grey, if he looked close enough he could see the scars on her chest and neck.

She was different.

But that didn't matter, he swiftly wiped the tear that fell down his cheek. This was Chaerin. The girl he had pined over in disguise for years, the girl who would give him the answers to their potions homework if he pretended to struggle, the girl he had fallen hopelessly in love with.

The room was silent, Bill and Fleur excusing themselves and leaving to cook something to eat, Fleur hadn't stopped going on about Chae's malnourishment since she arrived.

Slowly, Chaerin lifted her head, tears finally threatening to spill over when her eyes landed on the tall redhead. And suddenly, she couldn't ignore the innate feeling of wanting him, she wanted him more than wanted anything else. He was the person she craved most, the one that satisfied her emotions that seemed to control her.

He was the sun that came to greet her in the morning, the oxygen that healed her lungs, the heart that kept the blood pumping. Fred Weasley was something she could not live without. She needed him.

Chae's feet began to move accordingly and before she knew it, she was engulfed in the home that she belonged to. Finally. After all those sleepless nights and months of torture, she was home. She was where she was supposed to be. Chaerin Chang was home.

The couple cried silently, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, afraid that if they were to let go one of them would simply disappear again. Their tears soaked one another gently, tying them together closely, an unbreakable bond sealing itself in the river of tears.

"You're safe, it's okay I've got you."

a/n ~ i originally wanted to make this longer, however i felt that it fit better if i kept it like this. i'm not sure how i feel about this chapter, i suck at writing romance but i hope you enjoy fred and chae's reunion! thank you for reading and please remember to vote and comment <3