CANDY CRUSH {Fred Weasley}

20

"Okay before anyone of you starts yelling at each the next batch of the escape room is starting, maybe we go in and yell. It's soundproof,"   

"Ms Densmore, this way please," The receptionist said.

Charlie got up and walked towards the tunnel with had a start on the front of it. She looked back to see her father and grandfather standing with their arms folded across their chest and their backs facing each other. What they didn't see was how much these two were similar to each other.

"Would you two leave it?" Charlie said as she pushed both of them towards the maze.

"Now, the thing is that it is a pair work, so I think you two should do it," Charlie said slowly as she walked back.

"What?! Charlie!!!"

"Did you plan this?" Thomas looked at the now-closed door and then towards his father who was looking at a piece of parchment with confusion written all over his face.   

"Yes, Thomas, this was all my plan, that is why I have this look on my face," Willy said pointing at his face.

"Then why? Why did she do this and how the hell do we get out of this?" Thomas said as his hand went to the inside of his coat where his wand is always is but it wasn't there. 

"Use your wand son, you're a wizard, Tom,"

"Where did my wand go?" Thomas said as he ignored the nickname.

"Mine is also missing," Willy said as he felt around his jacket.

"How are we going to get out?"

"Guess we work it out,"

An hour went by with Thomas and Willy just sitting on the floor of the maze quietly because neither of them knew what to do or how to get out, they had never played escape games, the only thing going on in Thomas's mind was how Charlie was in big trouble.

"Do you know how to get out?" Willy asked.

"No, but I will find out, I don't want to be stuck here with you," Thomas said as he got up dusting his pants.

"Thomas, this a pair of work, we have to do this collectively," 

"I would rather die than do this with you,"  

"Don't say things like this,"

"Why does it hurt you?"

"Yes. Yes, it does, you have to forgive me, Thomas, you can't carry around the anger and frustration of something which happened almost fifteen years ago, I apologized several times, I asked for you to forgive me what more can I do?" Willy said, his voice cracking at the end.

"I want you to bring back mom, I want you to bring back the days she worked day and night to feed us, I want you to bring back the joy which vanished from our lives the day you decided to abandon us, can you do that, Father?" Thomas said. The silence in the room was unbearable, both looked like they were on the verge of crying, Thomas had tears in his eyes, tears of anger, which he tried blinking away furiously but didn't succeed while Willy had his head in his hands as he slid down the wall.

"I am sorry, Tom, but you have to forgive me, I wanted to protect you and your mother, what I didn't know was that I was pushing you away from me,"

"Protect us from what?" 

"Madness, which I was drowning in, you never saw how I was when the factory was shutting down, I went mad, I would have never forgiven myself if I had hit you or your mother," Thomas went silent.

"Say something, son, please," Willy begged.

"You could have talked to us," Thomas sighed.

"I could have but I didn't, I was a coward, my father always told me that crying and sharing problems are for the weak,"

 "But you could have contacted us, after everything,"

"I tried, I really tried but there was no way to contact you, I didn't have your address, and you moved quite a lot,"

"We did, we moved when the muggles detected something was wrong with us,"

"I am sorry," Willy said as he placed his hand on Thomas's knee and gave it a light squeeze.

Thomas looked at the hand and at his father, a look of desperation masking his face, the bags under his eyes were a clear indication that he didn't have proper sleep, the lose clothes indicated the lack of nutrition in his body. In front of him was a helpless man who tried to fix his relations but didn't succeed.   

Thomas placed his hand on top of his father which caused Willy to look up, hope in his eyes.

"I am not forgiving you, at least right now, it will take some time but I want to make peace with you," Thomas whispered.

"I don't expect you to forgive me instantly, I promise I will not let you down," Willy said as he hugged Thomas, who lightly patted him on his back.

"Come on, someone is going to get a full ear today," Thomas said.

"I don't usually appreciate you threatening my granddaughter, Thomas but this time she will get a full ear for performing such stunts,"