CHAPTER 64

                                    

                                          
Fred's POV:
                          
I wanted to visit Alice and Bella, but I couldn't because of all the death eaters who were patrolling Diagon Alley. The only time I could go was at night and after not seeing them for a month, I decided that today I would finally meet them.
                          
Emma hadn't been at the joke shop for the past couple of weeks because she couldn't risk being seen by a death eater. She lived in a muggle flat in London, George was pretty upset that he couldn't meet her but he didn't admit it.
                          
Even the number of customers had started to reduce. We barely had a couple of customers a day, and they usually didn't even buy anything. We were considering closing the shop down but decided to wait for a few more days.
                          
"George, I think I'm going to go meet Alice and Bella today"
                          
"Are you stupid? She said very clearly not to, you don't want to risk getting her caught do you?"
                          
"Of course not, it's just-"
                          
"Look mate, I know you miss her and everything but you can't go to Atlantes, that's the only place they're safe" George reasoned.
                          
I sat on the chair, my head in my hands. He was right, I couldn't risk their safety. I couldn't even write a letter to ask them how they were.
                          
And I missed Alice, a month away from her was proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be.
                          
.
                          
Alice's POV:
                          
I washed the dirty bowls in the basin, trying to find something to do with my hands. Fortunately, there had been no death eater attacks anywhere near Atlantes, so Bella and I were safe for the moment.
                          
I hadn't heard from Fred but that was probably because of the death eaters in Diagon Alley. 
                          
I glanced at the headlines on The Daily Prophet that read: Muggle Registration Committee.
                          
It wasn't a committee. It was just an excuse to put muggles in Azkaban, and there was no way in hell I was ever going to let Bella near that place. There were also many horror stories from Hogwarts, students being tortures and what not.
                          
Snape had become headmaster and death eaters were the teachers. I could only hope that everything happening there wasn't too terrible.
                          
I opened the cupboard to see that we had run out of groceries, I really had to go shopping. I knocked on Bella's door but she didn't respond so I opened it slowly to see that she was fast asleep.
                          
Nothing bad would happen if I left her alone for half an hour would it?
                          
I shut her door and the main door, and made my way to Jean-Weave's Grocers, they had just about anything and everything you would need. I opened the door and made my way through the aisles, using my wand to quickly levitate whatever I needed from the shelves and placing them in the trolley in front of me.
                          
Suddenly there was a loud cry from outside, I turned around to see people running out of the shop. A witch passed me and I asked her what happened.
                          
"It's a raid! The death eaters found us" she barely managed to say before rushing out of the shop.
                          
Shit.
                          
I pointed my wand towards my face and performed the stinging jinx. Then, I used a hair colour changing potion I had bought from the joke shop and drank some. I immediately abandoned the trolley and ran out of the shop but came face to face with a death eater.
                          
"Stop right there! What's your name?"
                          
"Nora Earnheart, pure-blood. Daughter of Merlyn and Ben Earnheart" I said hurriedly, not looking back at the death eater. Merlyn and Ben Earnheart must have been famous pure-bloods, everyone seemed to know them but not enough to know that I wasn't even their real daughter.
                          
My eyes widened in horror when I saw that the door to my cottage was wide open. I ran inside, praying to Merlin that Bella was still asleep in her room.
                          
"Bella?" I called out, opening the door to her room.
                          
She wasn't there.
                          
"Bella?" I screamed again, scanning the entire house before heading out again.
                          
I made sure to check everywhere but she was gone. The death eaters had taken her, and I had no clue where.
                          
My heart beat out of my chest, I didn't know where to look for her. I was a terrible sister, how could have I been so irresponsible?
                          
I apparated to the first place I could think of, fortunately none of the death eaters seemed to notice me. I sprinted to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and pushed the door open. George jumped when he heard the door bang against the wall and Fred got up from his seat on his chair. The stinging jinx must have disappeared from my face because he recognised me immediately.
                          
"Alice!" he cried, running towards me and enveloping me in a tight hug. I hugged him back but pulled away hurriedly. Fred noticed the panicked look on my face.
                          
"What's wrong? And where's Bella?"
                          
Tears began to form in the corner of my eyes.
                          
"Al, what's wrong?" he placed his hands on my cheeks, trying to wipe the tears away.
                          
"Th-there was a raid. They have B-Bella"
                          
"They? You mean the death eaters?"
                          
I nodded,
                          
"It's all my fault Fred, if I hadn't left her alone to go to a fucking grocery shop-"
                          
"No no don't blame this on yourself, it isn't your fault Al"
                          
"Yes it is Fred! And I have to go look for her now!"
                          
"Look for her? Are you crazy? You can't be anywhere near the death eaters!" Fred said, his eyes widening.
                          
"I don't care what they do to me Fred, she's my sister"
                          
"And you're my girlfriend! I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger like that"
                          
"So you're saying I should just leave Bella on her own? Let her go to Azkaban where the dementors will suck the life out of her?" I yelled, tears flowing uncontrollably from my eyes, I didn't even want to think that thought.
                          
"No! I'm saying that there has to be another way, you think I want Bella to suffer?"
                          
"It sounds a lot like you do, I don't have time Fred! I'm going, and if you care about me, you'll let me go!" I said, storming out of the shop, Fred followed me outside.
                          
"I care about you more than you know Al, but you don't even know where to start!"
                          
I remembered the newspaper from earlier, muggle borns were taken to the Ministry for trials.
                          
"The Ministry" I said.
                          
"Al that place is full of death eaters"
                          
"Fred, listen to me, either you let me go alone or you come with me" I said, crossing my arms.
                          
"But-"
                          
"No buts! Give me an answer now!" I said. I was being quite harsh but right now, my mind was focused solely on Bella.
                          
Fred thought for a moment.
                          
"Fuck it, I'm coming with you. I don't want anything to happen to Bella either" said Fred.
                          
"This is why I love you" I said, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.
                          
"Besides my obvious sexiness?"
                          
I glared at him, now wasn't the time to joke.
                          
"Okay sorry, give me a minute, I'll get the polyjuice potion" Fred went into the shop and reappeared with two vials in his hand.
                          
"Let's do this" I said, holding his unoccupied hand and disapparating from Diagon Alley.