Twin Fall ↠ A Fred Weasley story

20. Platform 9 3/4

Fred's body went into free fall without him ever feeling his feet leave the floor. He went to yell, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth. The air around him rushed past his face, and yet simultaneously, the air didn't move at all. Then, he landed - if that's what he could call it.

He found himself stood on a platform at King's Cross station with commuters and passers-by literally walking through him as though he wasn't stood there. 'I'm not stood here', he reminded himself sharply as he tried to adjust to his surroundings.

It was busy at the station and a single chime from a clock made him glance up and see that it was quarter to eleven. Fifteen minutes before the Hogwarts Express would usually leave.

Looking around, Fred could see what Dumbledore meant about the aura. He was stood in what he would swear was a completely normal place, but the light in this scene was almost silvery; it felt friendly and inviting, and almost calming.

His mind was buzzing, like his eyes were trying too hard to adjust even though he saw everything perfectly clear. He wondered for a second whether something had gone wrong, until he heard two very familiar voices - only they sounded much, much younger.

"I knew that would be a bad idea Harry."

"Oh yeah, and did you have a better plan?"

Fred turned towards the voices and felt a jolt pass through his body, rooting him to the spot he was standing in.

Jess and Harry; only they were the Jess and Harry that he'd not seen for nearly seven years. They were short - barely five foot. They were wearing really baggy and out of shape clothes, and Jess in particular looked very undernourished. They were pushing a trolley each and despite their bickering, looked extremely confused and nervous.

Fred knew when this was. It was the day they met.

"Nine and three quarters is obviously not a normal number, did you see the way the inspector looked at us?" She glanced over her shoulder. "We'll have security after us if we don't be careful."

"Why? We only look like we're travelling." Harry said.

"How many eleven year olds go into a busy London station on their own, with an owl as well?" She asked him.

"Good point," he mumbled.

"And, how would we explain a trunk full of spell books and a wand, and robes!" Jess muttered quietly so that people around her couldn't hear.

"Okay, okay, no more inspectors." Harry held his hands up in surrender. "Say Jess, what do you think will happen if we miss the train?"

Jess bit her lip and looked at him sadly, "I don't know."

Fred felt another involuntary jolt as a third voice floated in, a voice that hadn't changed at all. His mother's.

"It's the same every year, packed full of muggles. Come on, this way."

He gaped in disbelief as he saw his mother marching four boys and a very young Ginny along the platform towards the barrier. Percy, who led the pack, genuinely didn't look any different to how he did now. But, at the back, Ron was short, reserved and trudging along behind as if he didn't belong with the family.

Seeing Ron look so detached sparked a memory for Fred that had been long since buried. Ron always used to be the more submissive brother; he was always the quietest and least argumentative, completely overpowered by the rest of his siblings. Bill was the clever one, Charlie was the talented one, Percy was just perfect, Fred and George were the jokers, and even Ginny was outspoken and independent. Ron, on the other hand, he just used to strive to be better than his brothers at what they did rather than find his own traits to be proud of. Fred understood this though - it was hard sometimes to share the attention with so many people.