Philophobia // Fred Weasley

VII

VII Hogsmeade

An orange leaf fell from a tree outside of the Hogsmeade train station, joining the many others already fallen. Rowen and Fred walked next to each other, a comfortable silence long-settled between them. The couple headed toward The Three Broomsticks, where the Hogwarts students were celebrating the end of the first task.

As the pair neared the pub, Rowen noticed George and Lee walking towards them. The boys were absorbed into their own conversation until Fred picked up a small rock and tossed it at his brother's head.

"I'd beat your ass if Bishop wasn't here," George said rubbing the spot where the pebble hit.

"Don't let my presence stop you," Rowen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

George shook his head. "I don't want to embarrass my brother in front of his girlfriend."

"Shut up, George." Rowen and Fred said simultaneously.

"What? Girl. Friend. With a space in between. Friend that is a girl." Lee and George made eye contact before bursting into laughter.

"I need a drink," Fred said matter of factly.

Lee wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and smiled at Fred. "I'm way ahead of you." He said pulling a silver flask from his robes. "Bottomless. As all drinks should be."

Fred smiled grabbing the flask from his friend and taking a swig. He held it towards Rowen. "Care to partake, Princess?"

Rowen smiled at the nickname. "Fuck it." She said grabbing the container and taking a sip. It burned going down and she coughed.

Lee winced. "Lightweight."

"My family aren't really the firewhiskey kind of people. We're more the wine swirling eat like you have a secret kind of people."

All three boys laughed as she handed the flask to George. He took a drink and passed it back to Lee who shoved it into his pocket.

The group walked into The Three Broomsticks where Rowen was immediately overwhelmed with her surroundings. The pub was packed full of Hogwarts students, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and loud music shook the floor. Rowen noticed immediately that the air smelt of marijuana and butterbeer. Lee and George went to order the group drinks while Fred and Rowen found a table.

"Did I ever thank you for making that potion for me and George?" Fred leaned towards the girl, hoping to be heard over the loud music.

"No need. I'd do it for any of my friends."

"Do you go to the girl's room a lot?"

Rowen laughed. "Yes, Fred. Multiple times a day in fact."

Fred's face turned a deep crimson. "That's not what I meant. I meant Myrtle's bathroom specifically. You seem to know quite a bit about her and you had that cauldron hidden behind the bricks."

"No one goes in Myrtle's bathroom." The girl said shrugging. "It's a nice place to think."

"How do you stand her constant weeping?"

"All Myrtle ever wanted was someone to be polite to her. All I did was treat her with respect."

The couple was ripped from their conversation when four large mugs of butterbeer were slammed on the table beside them. Lee passed a mug to each of them as he sat down, George beside him. Lee raised his mug. "To our champions for giving us an excuse to drink." An old woman cleared her throat behind him. "Non-alcoholic drinking of course. Am I right Professor?" Lee turned around to Professor McGonagall, who looked as if she was suppressing a smirk. She gave the group a small nod before walking to a table of teachers, setting down her own order of drinks.