Make Some Magic: A Fred Weasley Fanfic

Chapter 8: Bicker

Fred_
"Your mother? That raggedy old hag wants to kill me?"
Fred was in disbelief. Saying he was in shock was too far, but still. Ryn looked away from him and walked over to her trunk and pulled out a pair of shorts. He followed her.
"Ryn, you can't just say something like that and walk away."
"What difference does it make? She's in Azkaban, just like you said."

Fred let out a choked laugh and ran a hand through his hair.
"Just a second ago you told me she could get out."
"I-I never said that. I said She's gotten out of prison before not-"
"Oh my God, Auxuère. Really?"
She sighed and looked at him, a tired look in her eyes.
"Freddie...I couldn't let myself take the risk."
"Risk? Seriously, Auxuère. Your mum is at best a beaten witch with abandonment issues."
He turned in frustration and swooped down to pick up his trousers. How did they always end up bouncing from fighting to joking to fighting again? He pulled on his pants, and was in the middle of doing them up when Ryn said,
"I'm scared of her, Okay? Is that what you want me to admit? Fine, I'm saying it."
He paused, then, and she continued,
"That woman is...when she threatened me with you, I couldn't do it. I couldn't- stay. Not when I knew that she would do it. I knew she would."
There was, he supposed, some truth to what she was saying. Olivia had told him and George a little about her and Ryn's mother. 'Sadistic woman' she'd said. Explained that you'd never seen a mother so cruel and hateful and violent. Had said that their mother was horrible to both of them, but worst to Ryn. Olivia said to him that Ryn grew up with fear, with constant fight or flight, and he knew that the kind of treatment she'd gotten from her own mother didn't just go away. He suspected that if Ryn's mum threatened the sky would fall, she might just believe it.
"Don't do that."

Ryn suddenly said, and he turned around to look at her.
"Don't do what?"
"Don't go thinking that I'm some traumatised charity case. I know that Olivia told you about our mum and I know that she painted me up as this hurt animal that cowered in a corner."
"Auxuère, I don't think-"
"Yes, my mum hurt me and my sister. Yes, I'm afraid of what she would do to you. But no, she didn't break me. No matter what Olivia would have you believe."
Fred rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at her. Seemingly decided that she was done with this conversation, Ryn pulled on some sneakers and grabbed her broom before heading for the entrance to the tent. Fred stuttered and shoved his feet into his shoes before following her out and grabbing her arm. She whirled on him with fury,
"What?!"
"You're overreacting."
"Overrrea‐"
"Yeah! You are! How many times have we had this conversation? How many times has it ended with you realising that I've never assumed anything like that about you! How many times have I said that I don't care about your mum? And neither does George, or Ron, or ginny or mum or dad!"
She stumbled on whatever she was about to say and shut her mouth.
Someone gasped, and they both looked over at whoever it was.
"Is someone out there?"
Neville said, he had his head poked out of his tent, but he was frozen in his place.

His eyes shot immediately to where Fred held Ryn in place, then to Fred's trousers, which were still undone.
Neville tried and failed to close his mouth as he gaped, and then Fred realised that he was still shirtless.
"Uh, Neville-"
He started, but Neville cut him off,
"Sorry! So sorry!"
Then he disappeared into his tent and didn't come back out.
"For gods sake, Fred, go put a shirt on."
Ryn hissed, and began walking with purpose.
"Well- where are you going?"
He said, still standing shirtless at 4am.
"To the only place on this pitch that's cleared. I need to train."
"Wha- train?"
She didn't answer him and instead kept speeding off. Fred let out a groan of frustration and darted back into her tent to snatch his shirt.
He grabbed it and then ran after her. Lucky for him, he was much larger than her, and had much longer legs, so he caught up quickly. He tugged the shirt on as he slowed to a walk at her side.
"Why would you need to train? You're-"
"I already told you, back on the hogwarts express. I need to work on being a Beater."
"Good, then. I'll help."
She laughed sarcastically. Fred snatched her firebolt and inspected it. She didn't even try to take it back, only crossed her arms and continued walking.
"Lot of scratches. What'd you do, smash it against the ground?"
"Pfft. No. I just broom surf."
"Well, I know that!"
Of course he did. Its practically what she was famous for. No one else in the professional Quidditch league could broom surf like Ryn. Still, Fred ran his fingers over the dents and scratches in the wood and wondered how they'd gotten there. Even he knew that the amount of damage didn't come from standing on the wood.
He didn't press it, though.
Not with the fight they'd just had.
"Why do we do that?"