Obsidian & Bronze {Fred Weasley}

40. Rejected

"Wow" I whispered breathlessly as he pulled away for a final time, my words caught up in my throat, fighting for dominance with the thrum of my rapid heart.

"Wow, indeed" Fred smirked, the tips of his fingers still lingering on the apples of my cheeks, gently tracing small shapes as though he was reluctant to completely disconnect his body from mine.

His smile was crooked, slightly sloppy and drunk, his eyes so wide he was pushing on a lost puppy, and his finger trembled slightly against my burning skin, the kiss seemingly only a brief moment of sobriety as he slipped back into his intoxicated state.

"Can we-" He began after a drawn out and prolonged silence, the sound of the party slowly beginning to spill back into the room through the crack in the door.

"Shh. Don't say anything" I muttered with what I hoped was a warming smile, pressing my finger into his lips softly, "I don't want to ruin it"

Which was the truth in theory, or perhaps I just wasn't ready to hear that he was drunk and not thinking straight and this was some terrible mistake he wouldn't even be able to register in the morning.

Fred scoffed, a loud and obnoxious noise I don't even think he intended, catching us both by surprise "I'm that clumsy with my words, am I?"

I giggled, jumping down off the counter and looking up at him, the dim bathroom light catching his angular features perfectly, my heart slightly heavy as I pondered the repercussions soon to suffocate me.

"I'll see you around Fred" I hummed, reluctantly heading for the door, my heart fighting persistently with the rationality of my head, my head narrowly coming out on top as I took one final look back at Fred and his soppy smile before slipping out back into the living room.

Although there was still a dull pain, one I couldn't deny, as the taste of Fred Weasley lingered on my lips, and the touch of his warm fingers grazing my cheek still warmed my entire body, a paining buzz gliding through my veins, and so I drank, until I forgot why.

*****

"Come on, this compartment is free. We can wait for Ron and Mione here" Harry explained, sliding open the glass door and heaving our luggage onto the overhead shelf.

I threw myself down onto the seat without so much as a grunt in response, my head still throbbing from the events of Friday, the cool glass of the window my only relief as I dropped my head against it and closed my eyes, blocking out the dull morning light spilling into the train and releasing a satisfied sigh.

"Do you want some water?" Harry offered, taking the seat opposite me and shoving a bottle of water in my eyeline, a gentle and sympathizing grin pulling at his lips, his eyes kind although they masked a sense of pity that I loathed.

I accepted the water nonetheless, my throat painfully dry as I chugged the contents, Ron and Hermione entering the compartment just as I wearily slammed down the empty bottle onto the small table separating Harry and I, my head immediately dropping back onto the window.

"You're still hungover?" Ron chuckled, placing Hermione's case onto the shelf and sliding himself next to Harry. Hermione neatly tucked herself beside me, careful not to knock her legs with mine.

"You would be too if you drank until the room turned blue" I groaned, collapsing my pounding head onto the table, refusing to bring it up again until we arrived at Hogsmeade station, attempting to drown out the ache that was pulsating through my veins, a dull pain I was certain to not have been caused by the copious amount I drank.

The ride from the station to Hogwarts was something of a spectacle, it was fascinatingly beautiful although something I rarely even acknowledged. As the dim moonlight cleared a path, the trees surrounding it visibly ached for autumn, the ground below sparsely scattered with browning leaves, and the wind sung in gentle whisper, its bitter air cold, although far from discomforting.