PURIFY : Fred Weasley

17: Shunned

He doesn't answer me. He doesn't answer my letters. The first one I send him gets returned by owl. I assumed it was because he was on holiday with family, although I was a little confused as to why it was returned. So, I waited a month and sent him another. Fred never answered me.

I only send him the two letters. I know how to protect my own dignity.

Eventually, I bid my family farewell. I meet up with Ander Ander in London, and from there we take the train to Norway. The ride is spectacular. I've never been as far North as I go on the train. The trip takes a few days.

Ander Ander's parents (the Anders) are just as distant as him. His father's name is also Ander, as was his father's father. His mother is named Elfrida. Not that she speaks to me.

We mostly stay in a cabin on a mountain. It's secluded, and basically impossible to get to without apparating, so we only occasionally run into a few tourists and none of them are Muggles. I'm there for three weeks. Sometimes we go into town and walk through the shops. I buy a few new items of clothing, but nothing substantial.

Most of my time is spent at the lake, in the cool water. Ander Ander isn't into playing, and I don't think that I would want to swim with him if he was. Instead, I stare at my won reflection in the water, and try to decipher who I am.

Eventually, I get to bid his family farewell. I head back to Hogwarts.

During the entire summer, I did not receive a single letter from any of my friends. Of course, I didn't send any either. It gives me the perfect out.

I wander around the Hogwarts Express, looking for somewhere to sit. As I walk, I pass by Harry Potter's cabin. He is sitting with a few other Gryffindors whose names I do not know. One of them I recognize from her red hair.

Sliding open the cabin door, I peek inside. "Hello."

"Hi," Harry answers. He looks at the others and then realizes I'm staring at him. "Can we help you?"

"I'm looking for Fred and George. Have any of you seen them?" I ask.

The ginger girl shrugs. "Sorry, no. They're probably pulling a prank on the trolley lady."

I nod. It seems that I am out of luck. "Thanks anyway."

Afterwards, I don't wander. It seems that the universe is trying to tell me that business is as usual. Instead, I head back to our usual carriage and find my spot. Surprisingly, I am not the last one there. Only Elora is inside.

I sit down opposite her. She looks older, even though it's only been a few months since we last spoke. Her jawline is tighter, and her eyebrows are well-manicured. She's wearing new robes too, nice robes. Ones that are more suited to business than casualwear.

She doesn't say hi to me. Instead, she buries her nose in a copy of the Daily Prophet.

Silas and Bronwyn enter shortly after. Bronwyn is scowling at him, and her voice is a loud whisper.

"You're wrong," Silas says, his voice thick. "It's not going to happen."

"But it is," Bronwyn insists.

She sits down next to me, instead of asking me to move next to Elora so that she and Silas may share a bench. I look at her. She looks older too, but in a much different way than Elora. There are bags under her eyes, and crow's feet are beginning to form on her face.

Elora eyes them both as Silas sits down. She puts down her copy of the Prophet, and she folds her hands in her lap. "Turns out the Prophet thinks Dumbledore is full of rubbish."