The Chaser : A Fred Weasley Fan Fic

Fifty: Aftermath

I woke up in a daze. My eyes snapped open and I was immediately disoriented. The room filled with soft light from the curtain-less window that looked out on the desolate space at the back of the twins' shop.

The pressure of Fred's arm rested across my midriff and glanced to the side to look at him. His eyes were shut but fluttering as though he wasn't in a deep sleep but his breathing was steady and rhythmic. His long red hair had flopped over his face but I got a peek of the freckles that smattered his cheeks.

He looked the same but different in so many ways. Soft crow's feet and smile lines had started to form from the amount of time he spent laughing. His face looked more gaunt than it'd been when we were together, making him look more like a grown up, but he still had his boyish charm of course. Him and George had always looked older than everyone, they'd always gotten away with getting served alcohol before they were 18 but this was different.

I relished the quiet moment to admire him. I rarely got to look at him for very long without him making a stupid joke or accusing me of fancying him. It only wound me up because I did fancy him so much and he knew it.

It hadn't sunk in what we'd done yet, it felt as though I was still on a high from the night before but a pit was beginning to form in my stomach. I'd done one of the worst possible things you could do to someone who loves you. I would try to enjoy Fred for another moment longer but I'd only be reminded that if I wanted this to continue then I would have to tell Otto it was over. I couldn't even begin to imagine how that conversation might go.

There was still so much uncertainty. I didn't even know if that's what Fred wanted. Did he even want me to leave Otto for him or had he just been caught up in the moment? I'd told him I didn't love Otto anymore, but he never said the same about Angelina.

I lifted myself into a sitting position, carefully taking Fred's arm off me and moving as little as possible so I didn't wake him. I shifted to the end of the bed and slipped my dress on and my knickers underneath. I hadn't done this in so long. Nocturnal activities only happened in the bed I shared with Otto, there was no sneaking out the next morning or quietly getting dressed before waking someone up.

Last night had felt like a release, not only because I hadn't sleep with anyone at all for a very long time, but because it felt like I got a chance to take out my frustration on the entire situation and just be with Fred how I would like to be. He listened to my body in a way no one else ever had. He knew exactly what I was thinking and what I needed.

I sat at the end of the bed to fasten the small buckle on my sandals that had an ever so slight heel to them, trying my hardest not to dip the bed too much and wake Fred. I didn't want him to get up and feel uncomfortable, like he had to make me breakfast or spend the day with me, if anything I had to go home and do damage control. I pondered what excuse I could make for not returning home in the end.

Flooing home would be my own option so I didn't get spotted on a walk of shame and tiptoed towards the door, wincing at the creaking floorboards.

"You might want to take this before you go" Fred groaned. I heard his body shift in the bed as he sat up. Fred fumbled in the drawer to his bedside table and pulled out a vial of lilac liquid.

"What's that?" I asked. My voice was more polite than normal, only because I felt guilty for being caught leaving.

"Morning After" Fred said, holding it out to me. I tapped towards the bed and took it from him, our hands grazing slightly and sending electric shocks through my fingers.

I glanced at the vial, tipping it to the side to get a better look in the light. It didn't looking like any Morning After potion I'd ever taken. It wasn't jet black for one thing.