Everything Changes // Fred Weasley

chapter 31: unnecessary return addresses

In our dorm, Naomi asked the questions that my excitement seemed to have overshadowed. I hadn't really been worried about the specifics as I sat in Dumbledore's office, listening to him explain the circumstances that led me to where I was. I could barely wrap my head around those four little words.

You are a witch.

But Naomi's questions were valid, and ones that I should be worried about. Would I start taking classes as soon as possible? How would I get my wand? What did the Ministry think about the situation? How was I going to catch up with the other witches and wizards my age?

I figured I'd let her get all of the questions out in the open so that we could pick them apart later, when my heartbeat stopped picking up every time I thought about those few words and what they meant and I learned how to get my breathing under control every time they reentered my head.

As she paced around the room, brimming with excitement, I took my place in the dormer— curtains drawn, of course. I ran my fingers over the lines of the cushion as I tried to process everything that had happened over the past few hours while Naomi continued to drone on and on, counting each new question on her fingers.

Everything was changing. And I couldn't be more excited.

"What did Dumbledore say exactly?" Naomi asked as she finally stopped pacing and took a seat on the edge of my bed.

"He said I was a witch," I answered for what seemed to be the hundredth time, my stomach doing flips at the sound of the words escaping from my lips, "He said I've always been a witch, and the Ministry decided it was their decision to keep that from me."

Naomi sighed with exasperation, "We should sue them."

"Sue the Ministry?"

"Yes." She said, as if I was the one who was taking idiotically. I didn't even think that there were wizard lawyers, though there was a lot about the wizarding world that I didn't know.

"There's gotta be some sort of law that prohibits them from keeping this from you." She continued, "This was supposed to be a big part of your life, and they just decided it was their right to keep it to themselves? And don't get me started on Dumbledore—"

"Nom," I laughed, pulling my legs up into the dormer, "I know that I should be upset about this, but honestly, I don't really know why I would be. I mean, I completed muggle schooling, which I know no one here has done, and now I get to learn about magic too."

"Yeah, but that still doesn't excuse what they did to you."

"I know," I sighed, wrapping my arms around my knees, "It's really shitty, but if I knew from the beginning, then who knows if we would be where we are right now. We might have grown further apart than we had, or we might be closer than we could ever imagine. I might never have fallen for Fred because I would never have had an excuse to hang out with him like I did this year. Hell, you and George might not be together if I had been sent a letter. So yeah, I know that it sucks, but honestly, I'm just grateful that we found out in the first place."

"Merlin Gem," Naomi said, her eyes wide, "I thought I was supposed to be the glass half full twin."

"I guess there's a lot we don't know about me." I laughed, hopping out of the dormer and taking a seat next to Naomi on my bed. She leaned her head into my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her.

Naomi moved beneath me, silent sobs escaping her lips, "I'm so sorry," She cried softly, burying her head into my chest.

"For what?" I asked, cradling her closer to me.