Christmas was a strange day. Sylvia hadn't spoken with her mother or Quentin in exactly a year. She didn't even do it on purpose, and she believed the same for them as well. There had to be a strict effort put forth for them to communicate since she left for college, and she only wrote to her mother once in the fall before, simply letting her know when she'd be back for winter break. They didn't even know she was staying with Fred over the summer. She wondered if they knew she was still there.
It took a month of convincing herself to send her mother a present, though Sylvia thought it was silly, she hadn't even sent her anything for her birthday. Still, she gave Pigeon a small package containing a silver watch with a small rectangle face, all wrapped in brown paper, and watched him fly away with it out the window. It had only cost her five dollars at a second-hand shop on Canal Street and it was probably worth less, but she had little else to give.
Things almost felt normal. Fred hadn't shown any sign of abnormality since the end of the summer. It was almost like nothing had happened. Like they couldn't feel something ominous and heavy like a cloud waiting to crack open with thunder on the horizon. The air even felt like it was full of radio static, hair stood on end and ready to be shocked.
Sylvie felt naive when she pretended not to feel it. And still she woke up on Christmas Eve and kissed Fred all over his face until he pushed her off and climbed over her to kiss her for real, with their mouths open and tongues against one another.
"Your breath stinks," she mumbled, but continued to kiss him. He broke away to breathe in her face, making her close her eyes and giggle until he kissed her again. She protested when he rolled off her, holding onto his hand as he stepped away. He let out a sleepy laugh, tripping over some unseen thing on the floor as she reluctantly let go.
Ginny had come back from school looking years older, eyes sallow and dark. She made Sylvia pluck a grey hair from her head, "It'd be cool if it looked like yours," she said, "but I'm too young to have grey hairs."
"Are you sure you want to go back for the spring?" Sylvie asked.
Ginny grumbled, "Mum's making me. You should have seen how pissed she was when Ron told her he wasn't going back."
"Mm," Silvie chewed on her lip, watching as Ginny prodded at her face in the bathroom mirror, "I suppose it's probably safer there."
"Not with those fascists running the place. They literally cane us."
"You're joking," She watched her brows furrow in the reflection.
"Well," Ginny sighed indifferently, leaning away from the mirror, "rather get my palms whipped than be where those three are."
Her voice went quiet at the end and she pursed her lips, like she hadn't meant to say it out loud. Sylvie almost asked which three? and kicked herself for letting herself forget. Their eyes met in the mirror and she could tell Ginny noticed. Her eyes cut deep and she cleared her throat when she looked away.
"Thanks." She said, barely a whisper, and flashed a small smile before leaving, turning the light out behind her.
Sylvie stood there in the dark, looking at herself until her features became unrecognizable and all she could see was the shine of her eyes.
"Jesus."
She turned, George stood in the doorway, silhouetted in the daylight that poured in, "You know it might be easier to see with the light on."
He reached in and turned on the light, the fluorescent glow burning Sylvie's eyes.
"Can I use the toilet or are you not finished staring in the mirror with the lights off?"
YOU ARE READING
Bad Decisions | Fred Weasley
Fanfiction"We were together. I forget the rest." Fred didn't like her. In fact, he had decided, first year, that he despised her. Despised is a strong word and he meant every bit of it when he told her to her face. ••• An inspired playlist: https://youtube.co...
