Pure

The very second I was on land, I knew something was wrong. I fell on the ground, clutching my left hand in agony and screaming. Around me I could feel my family pressing upon me, asking me questions, but my hand hurt so bad I could not think clearly. As I opened my eyes, I saw my left hand covered in a massive amount of blood. The world began to revolve and I sunk into unconsciousness.
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When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed and the light was coming in steadily from my window. I yawned and began to stretch, but the bandage covering my hand distracted me. I brought it close to my face, inspecting it, when a voice spoke.

"You splinched yourself during the side-apparation. We grew back your skin, but the muscle tissue is going to have to take some time to heal back properly," Mother calmly said, standing from the chair she had pulled close to my bed. She looked at me and I could see her emotions rising to the surface unsteadily. "You scared us halv to death last night, Saden. Vere vere you?"

I sighed, leaning back on my pillows as I tried to answer her question truthfully, but with as little details as possible. I played with the edge of my bandage as I said, "I got lost in the crowd and I ran into the woods; it was the safest option at the time."

She pursed her lips and nodded, consenting, "It vas. You vere right in doing so."

I looked up, feeling the return of panic I had felt last night. I whispered, "Zee... Dark Mark. Is... he...?" Mother shook her head, her eyes dark with burdens and worries.

"Nein, he iz not back. It vas somevon else... it vas only to scare us, and so it did," she said, before gently touched my cheek and gave me a solemn smile. "I do not know vat I vould do vithout you, liebling."

I immediately smiled at her, but inside a million swirls of memories attacked: the arguement in the tent, Alheid's words, and Draco's cutting remark. Frowning, I thought of the rest of my family. "Where are the others?" I asked.

"They all left not soon after we found out you were okay," she told me, and as my face fell, she added, "Nina and Benjamin told me that they would write you and invite you to come see them and the TriWizard Tournament at Hogwarts."

I perked up instantly and sat up in bed as I exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

Mother smiled and laughed, replying, "I'll arrange it vith your Vather."

At the mention of him, I raised my eyebrow slightly and asked sharply, "Vere vas he last night?" She immediately exhaled loudly, looking at me now with irritation.

"Zis is not vor discussion, Saden," she stated curtly, turning to leave the room. I glared at her as she walked out, then rolled my eyes when she shut my door with more force than was necessary.

I laid in bed for a while, replaying the night when I heard a sudden knock against my window. Looking over, I saw a rather bedraggled looking owl with a letter attatched to his leg. Instantly I knew who it was from and I raced over to open the window, put him in Vestri's empty cage, and took the letter.

Dear wood nymph (Saden),
I hope you and your family made it out alright last night. We're all fine now, though my brothers and Dad are going to be working overtime at the Ministry for weeks now. I'd rather get swallowed by a hippogriff than do that rubbish. Going to school is work enough for me, honestly. You're lucky you're taught at home, though I wish you went to Hogwarts so I could see your beautiful face. Well, my mum is about to do a nut if George and I don't do our chores, so I must bid you adieu, or rather, tschüss.
Love,
Fred

I re-read the letter five times, smiling more each time; his writing was very much a sloppy chicken scratch, but I liked him all the more for it. I hugged the letter to my chest for a moment, then sped over to my desk, grabbing my quil and parchment. I launched into the letter with fervor and didn't stop writing until all the light had faded from my room. Sealing it with deliberation, I tied the letter to their owl's leg and watched him as he flew out my window.
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I never did get confirmation from my parents about where my Father was that night. Any time I brought it up, I was either scolded or ignored so I simply stopped asking, though I knew my suspicions were one hundred percent correct. I began sixth year lessons with Phillip and settled back into my normal routine, except I wrote Fred every second of my free time.

The more we talked, the more I realized liked him. He was funny, intelligent, charming, confident, and would give the sweetest compliments I'd ever received. There was never a negative word from him and all the world was but a joke. It was quite a change from my own attitude, to be sure.

I told him all about my growing up, letting him know secrets I'd never told anyone; he explained what it was like to be one of seven children, and how they often struggled for money. We bonded over the "blood traitor" status' we had and had small funny quarrels over Quidditch. He confided in me about his and George's plans to open a joke shop and I gave him suggestions on products.

Once the TriWizard tournament was announced and I told him I was coming to watch, he wrote me back within the hour, exclaiming I had to sit with him and George. I marked each day off my calendar with enthusiasm, counting down the days like I used to waiting for Christmas to come. If I had been paying attention to anything that had been going on in my house, I would have seen the warning signs. But, as it was, I was completely wrapped up in the charm of Fred Weasley.