my best friends brother - fred weasley

l. legacy

Harry hadn't returned to our compartment after disappearing, which we all sort of expected. He was always off doing his own little thing. I spent the half the ride silently begging Hermione to not talk to Ron about Fred and I, and the other half waiting for Ron to strike up some conversation. There was some small talk, but barely anything to keep ourselves occupied. Even at the feast, Harry didn't turn up. At least, not until it was almost over. He received the usual stares and mumbles as he walked over to our table, his nose all bloody. 

"Why is it he's always covered in blood?" Ginny asked Hermione, Ron and I, craning her neck to watch him walk over. Everyone's attention gradually turned back to Dumbledore making his annual speech, introducing whichever poor teacher was assigned Defense Against the Dark Arts that year. We were all surprised when he said Snape was teaching it that year, since it was known around the school that it was the one job Snape had been desperate for since he started teaching at Hogwarts. The potions class was being taught by Horace Slughorn, Harry said he was an old friend of Dumbledore's, whom he met before arriving at the Burrow during the break. 

Like all other years, Dumbledore ended his speech with a surprise, but this years wasn't as fun as the years prior. He told us all about Tom Riddle, and his history at Hogwarts, which just sent the room into chaos. I picked up on Hermione nudging Harry on the shoulder and gesturing over her shoulder. I followed their eyeline to see Draco sitting behind them, staring off into space. The exchanged a few whispers between each other before filing out into the hall with the other students. 

The common room looked how it usually did, an orange glow around the room from the fireplace, the aged armchairs and pieces of parchment already sprawled across the room. Everyone continued through as usual, dispersing into their groups and up to their dorms, but I stayed in the doorway, sticking to the side so I wasn't in anyone's way. The common room was missing a significant spark that was usually there, it didn't feel as warm as it did just a few months ago. With Fred gone, the common room felt empty, even though it was packed with first years. Normally the twins would be setting up their first prank of the year, or relishing the chaos they would've caused. I had to dodge the crowds to make it to my dormitory, opening my trunk as soon as I got in, since no one else had made it in yet. Placed flat on top of my things was the Marauders map, along with a note. 

'Continue the legacy for us.
There's a letter for when you need.'

Fred's messy handwriting made me smile to myself, he insisted time and time again that the mismatching fonts of each letter added character. I had to search through the entire trunk to find the letter the note mentioned. When I grabbed it I immediately noticed how thick and bulky it was. Inside, there were pages and pages of jokes, conversation topics, ideas for pranks and joke products, drawings and letters for when I'm upset.

"What's that?" Hermione walks into the room, noticing me grinning to myself. 

"Just something Fred did." I smile harder.

"Oh, last night or..." I can feel her smirk as she makes her way over to her bed.

"No." I roll my eyes, turning to face her. "He wrote me things."

"How kind." She gushes with me, slowly unpacking her things. "Did he give you the map too? Harry was wondering where it went."

"Yeah, he said it's to 'continue the legacy' or whatever." I laugh to myself, stuffing both the letter and  map under my pillow. There wasn't a great deal of conversation afterwards, she complained about something then went to bed, not realising that I was half asleep myself. 

⊱✿⊰

I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling completely disoriented. Not sure if I was feeling homesick or if it was my new sense of loneliness from Fred's absence, I felt the need to get out of the room. Deciding that a shower would help, I grabbed my things, along with the map and my wand,  making my way through the hallways, making sure none of the teachers would be able to sneak up and catch me. Hermione gifted me a set of strawberry scented soaps and shampoo for my birthday, which I learnt made a very loud bang if you drop them while sneaking around a castle at night. I had made it to the shower, managing to avoid the teachers and ghosts that were patrolling. After my shower, I felt the need to continue exploring, still feeling off. Hogwarts looked completely different at night, it was a lot scarier and colder, with the ghosts still roaming around and the silence from both the paintings and the students being asleep. I decided to tuck the map into the pocket of Fred's hoodie; something he also snuck into my trunk. I passed classrooms and halls, trying to wander off the lost feeling I had in my stomach.