UNBREAK | D.M (UNRAVEL BOOK 5)

[ 10 ]

"See you later, my love," Aine replies, shooting him an encouraging smile.

As Aine and Aion looked at one another, they spoke of their location and tossed the Floo powder. Vibrant green flames enclosed them and they felt their surroundings warp, Draco's face slowly disappeared from their sight. Replacing it was the streets of Diagon Alley, and unlike the once bustling street they recognize, there was an ominous atmosphere to it.

The place had a dramatic change to it, the cobblestoned pathways were no longer crowded with witches and wizards. Shophouses that were formerly brightly lit and colourful had lost their cheerfulness, it was like all signs of life had been removed. There were wanted posters plastered on most windows, with faces that both Aine and Aion recognized, flashing faces of Deatheaters as they went by. Faces that both of them knew, some of them were even living in their accommodation now, doing as they pleased.

Most of the shops' windows were also covered with boards— Cauldrons, spell books, potion ingredients, Quidditch supplies and a couple of other magical artefacts were no longer visible, obscured behind the planks. 

Their tracks halted when they passed Ollivanders, the shabby-looking store where almost every witch and wizard had gotten their wands from had been in ruins. The store's signage with the word 'Ollivanders' in peeling gold paint was crooked, barely holding onto the nail. Windows were shattered and sprawled across the pathways and the furniture was all wrecked inside the store. There was no hiding that the place had been ransacked and evidence of struggles and fights had happened. 

Aine only prayed that the friendly old man who had sold her her first wand was safe. She could only imagine what had happened. It only proves that the incoming conflict between the Wizarding World and Voldemort was advancing and that casualties and tragedies would befall. Saddened, the girl and her brother went on ahead. 

It wasn't just Ollivanders that had been destroyed savagely. Just a few buildings down, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour had been vandalized too. The pink-coloured shop was no longer pink but was stained with dirt, the adorable ice cream displays that both Aine and Ginny once fawned over had been damaged. Pieces of the dessert Ferris wheel had toppled away like a doll house, scattered about the display as if a child had played with it. 

Aion blinks away from it, sharing the same solemn expression as his sister. Their silence was loud enough for one another to know how they feel about this. They simply hung their heads low and walked ahead.

Slowly, whatever little parts of their innocence were slowly disintegrating...

Aine's jaw clenched when she saw Cal's face on one of the posters that were fluttering on an empty street cart. The famous smirk and flirty wink of the person who had killed their father met her eyes. Even though the young Deatheater wasn't here, the very face had angered Aine, taunting her through the flimsy paper. Her hand gripped tightly on her brother's who shot her a worried look, he knew that it had bothered her greatly. He decided to say nothing but his actions had given away what he had felt.

When his shoulders brushed past the poster of Cal, the paper immediately caught fire. With a snap of a finger, it had been reduced to ash, slowly trickling down on the black stoned grounds. 

Drown in both nervousness and excitement of finally seeing their friends again, Aine and Aion arrived at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Their heads drew back at the shop that was situated in the middle of dull, poster-muffled shops around them. The Weasleys' shop was bright and cheery, with splashes of orange and purple paint alternating. Needless to say, it was very attention-catching with its exterior.

Aine gaped at the massive head sculpture of one of the twins on top of the warping structure of the shop. 

It had to be Fred, she said to herself. Her lips twitched to curl when the sculpture of Fred raised one of its arms to pull away the magician's hat to reveal a bunny doll, and when it closes it and opens once more, it had disappeared.