✔️ 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓&𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

13 | D E V A S T A T E D

•••
i wish i could fly to the simpler days;
back to the time where
              my innocence lays.
•••

   "We lost her", Harry panted, when he, Ron and Hermione came running back to the village's entrance. "Seems like they went back to school."

   Fred frowned. "Well, if you ask me, we can leave here, too."

   "Where's Angelina and Alicia?", Hermione asked, looking from Fred to George.

   "Gone", Fred laughed. "They kinda noticed that we were following our little snake friend. Angelina got bit pissed."

   "And why are you laughing?", Hermione wanted to know, cocking an eyebrow.

   "Because he's Fred", Ginny snorted, but of course Hermione wouldn't leave it with that. All the way up to Hogwarts she bombarded Fred with suspicious questions he tried hard to ignore until they arrived the gate and passed the black lake.

   "Would you finally shut up, Granger?", he groaned and rolled his eyes. There he saw her. Her firey red hair was shining against the splendid snow and the stealthy dark surface of the water like a burning flame. "Hey, there she is", he said. "Do you think we should -"

  But George had already given him a push in Lynnea's direction. Slowly he neared her, and the closer he came, he could hear her muffled sniffs. Maybe the snow silenced his steps, maybe she did just ignore him, but she didn't turn around. He stopped right behind her, seeing her shaking.

   "Lynnie?", he whispered carefully. She immediately flinched and twirled around. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose was sore. Tear tracks were visible on her pale face, as another one escaped the corner of her eyes. She looked at Fred out of her big eyes, her lips trembling, and a second later she started crying; cascades streamed down her cheeks, and Fred stretched out his arms, pulling her close into a tight embrace.

   "Shh, love, it's alright", he muttered into her hair, while softly stroking the back of her head.

•••

    Aiden stood in front of her, he didn't look at Lynnea, but stared through the window into the depths of the black lake. Finally he started speaking.

   "Okay, I already told you, that when my parents fetched me from your house last Christmas, they told me, you're not who you pretend to be. But that wasn't everything they told me", he said and scratched the back of his head nervously. "My - my mother told me, you don't know yourself who you are. They never told you. But my father noticed, who you really are, although that's what he never told me. Mum said ... She said you - you'll be in big trouble sooner or later and that was why I should stop writing you. Of course I didn't, I managed to write you less, but at least I could. But then they said, I'd be in great danger. And so would be you. Mum said they'd use me to get to you and that I'd make it even more dangerous for you. So I stopped writing you. If only I'd known back then, what I did ... I swear I didn't know, Lynn. You have to believe me!"

   "To do with what?", she asked, but was deeply afraid of the answer.

"Lynn, you're not the Baileys' daughter", he finally said, now looking Lynnea straight into the eyes. "They adopted you after your real parents died."

   She felt the floor under her feet shake. Her jaw dropped. That was crazy! What was he talking about? Lynnea stared at him in pure disbelief, searching for a sign, that he was lying, that he was kidding, or trying to freak the shit out of her. But she couldn't find any.

   "As I already said, my dad noticed who you really are. The moment - the moment He, who must not be named, returned, my father sold you to him. He told me, that was the greatest thing he ever did; that You-Know-Who was pleased to hear, that you're at the Baileys, he already was after your mother."

   "Wait a second, please", Lynnea said quietly, her voice was shaking. "So you're telling me, your father sold me to Voldemort?" He jerked by the sound of his name, but nodded, glaring at his feet. "And because of your father my parents - who never really were my parents - had to die?" Again he nodded. "And you never thought that was something you should tell me? A simple word like 'run' or 'hide' would have done!" Her voice raised. She was fuming, now the first shock wave had rolled over her.

   "Lynn, I - I couldn't, please understand!", he begged and looked at Lynnea like a lost puppy. But she took all the force she could afford and slapped her hand right across his face.

   "I can't believe it!", Lynnea yelled at the top of her lungs. "You filthy coward!" She turned on my heels and stormed out of the common room, running through the dungeons while tears already burned behind her eyes. She crossed the entrence hall and ran to the grounds, down to the lake, her thoughts spinning. As she finally stopped, Lynnea's heart was racing, and she broke down sobbing on the snowy ground.

   That was where her friends found her. Almost she'd managed to calm herself down, just a few small sniffs were escaping her throat every now and then. But when she looked at Fred and her friends, this calmness crumbled and as Fred pulled her against his warm chest, she couldn't hold back any longer. Soaking his coat with her hot tears, his fingers stroked through her head, while he was telling her that everything was fine. But nothing was fine. She doubted that anything will ever be fine again.

   "Lynnie, what happened?", George said, coming closer. He wiped the tears from her face, as she looked up. Fred was still holding her tight. "Shall I break his nose? You know I would immediately -"

   "No", she replied with a shaky laugh, but still tears were running down her face.

   "So what has happened?", Fred repeated his brother's question, as he looked down on her, and she looked up, her eyes locking with his. She blinked several times, searching for words, but got lost in those warming glare. She opened her mouth, closed it again.

   And suddenly something shot through her mind so yet it almost knocked her off her feet ; the day at Grimmauld Place, the day after Harry arrived, when she eavesdroped Remus and Sirius ... They knew something.

   "I need to talk to Remus and Sirius", she whispered, now staring right through Fred.

   "That could be slightly difficult", Ron said. "The Ministry is observing every way of communication."

   "That's a problem, yeah", Fred said. "But no formidable obstacle. Right Georgie?"

   "Right, Fred", his twin cheerfully replied. "I know a chimney that for sure isn't observed."

   "Just tell us how much time you'll need", Fred smirked, still his arms around her, and even though she hated to admit it, she wished they could just remain like that for a while on.