If You're Not Here With Me

Chapter 3

Fred was sitting on the couch, reading through a letter, when Bethany finally arrived just after nine o'clock. She called out her usual chirpy greeting but Fred didn't reply. His lack of response didn't appear to phase her as she flounced over and kissed his cheek.

"What are you reading, sweetheart?" Bethany asked, sitting down beside him. When Fred held up the stack of envelopes, her face fell and paled by two shades. "How did you find those?" she whispered.

"I thank you for not making me drag out a long interrogation process," Fred said, placing the letters on the coffee table. He had been prepared to listen to a myriad of denials and excuses. "Hermione found them today after tripping over the loose floorboard they were hidden beneath. As you can imagine, she wasn't at all pleased with me after I had sworn to her several times that I never received her letters." He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I'm more confused about at the moment- the how or the why. Would you care to explain?"

"Does it really matter? You told me this week that all of that was in the past." She placed her hand on his leg and huffed when he pulled away. "Really, Fred. We've been together for two years. We're in love. Why should things that happened three years ago affect that?"

Fred pursed his lips, using every bit of inner strength he had not to completely lose his temper. "All of these letters are dated a full year before we started seeing each other." He held up one envelope that only had his name and the number 507 written on it. "This one wasn't even sent. It was left at the hospital." Bethany didn't answer. She crossed her arms and stared him down as if challenging him to continue. His fuse ran out and he jumped up from the couch, shouting, "Why, Bethany?!"

His outburst made her flinch and recoil against the couch. A second later she stood up and said, "Fine, you want to know why? I did it because I could. I liked you from the moment I met you. Of course, I couldn't do anything while you were my patient so I was waiting for the day you were discharged to ask you out. But then I saw you kissing her and it wasn't fair! She didn't deserve to be with you."

"You don't get to decide that," Fred said through clenched teeth.

Ignoring his comment, Bethany continued. "I was lucky enough to intercept that letter the day she left. When I read it, I saw my opportunity and took it. With her gone, I was sure you would forget all about that silly kiss by the time you were out of the hospital and I could finally be with you. A few 'coincidental' meetings and we came together like we were meant to."

"Right..." Fred was struggling to wrap his head around all the information that Bethany was freely giving up. "How did you get the other letters?"

"Oh, I have a friend that works in the international owl post department. I had her put Hermione's name on the list of flagged names. Everything she sent got held back for inspection. Sienna would give me any letters addressed to you and then send along everything else as normal." Bethany waved her hand as if that was something everyone did.

"So, on top of lying to me and stalking me, you also committed mail fraud?"

"Fred, you make it sound so serious. I--"

"It is serious!" Fred cried. "How do you not see that nothing about what you've told me is something a normal, rational person would do?! I mean, after all that, you then hid the letters in my flat? What was the sense in that?"

"If you found them at my place, you'd know it was me. I figured if you ever found them here, you'd blame George."

"You not only jeopardized my friendship with Hermione but felt it was okay to do the same with George? My own fucking brother?" He let out a morose laugh and shook his head. "Lucky for me he is very patient and forgiving."