The Chaser : A Fred Weasley Fan Fic

Fifty Three: Serum

9:00 AM was much earlier than I had been waking up recently but I set my alarm half an hour beforehand so I could prepare myself to take Fred's potion.

I was alone in the house by that point and I poured myself a large glass of water and set it on my bedside table. I perched on the end, watching the second hand spin on the clock as the minute hand ticked infuriatingly slow.

When the time was right, I gulped down the small vial, pausing for a moment to take in its flavour before deciding whether I needed to wash it down. It tasted like elderflower and the aftertaste that lingered was liquorice. It was fairly pleasant but I washed it down with my pint of water anyway, hoping it might make it work quicker.

I'd hardly slept all night. I'd been alone in my bed for the first time in ages and it led to plenty of tossing and turning, mostly because I was unsure whether I should take the potion at all. I was terrified that he'd have slipped me truth serum and I'd be caught by Otto at just the wrong moment or maybe it was an elixir that forced you to reveal your deepest secrets and desires to the next person you saw.

I wanted to believe Fred wouldn't do anything too stupid but that felt like I was giving him too much credit.

Over the next few hours, I assessed how I was feeling. I'd decided it would be safer to spend my Sunday at home if I was going to be trialling a mystery potion. It could break me out in hives or make me do the most awfully embarrassing things in public.

But even while I was safely at home, I was anxious. My heart was racing as I waited for something to kick in. More importantly I didn't want it to hit me just as Otto arrived home. I knew he'd be coming back from his weekend away at some point but he'd never written to tell me when.

Painful hours went by and I still felt nothing. I was thinking about Fred a lot but it seemed no more than usual. Around 5pm, the front door opened with a loud click and Otto set down his large duffel bag beside the coat rack.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called in a loud, exaggerated version of his voice.

"Hello, love" I smiled, pecking him on the cheek and taking his bag upstairs for him while he followed behind me.

"I missed this" Otto growled, giving my arse a sharp slap from behind. My skin crawled.

"I missed you too" I lied, rubbing his shoulder as I put the bag on the bed and watched him begin to unpack. "How was it?"

"Oh it was great! Beers and the new boys from the team" Otto said enthusiastically, putting dirty socks in the wash bin, "You'd really love them all"

"I'd love to meet them" I lied again.

"What have you been up to?" Otto asked. He always asked though I knew he'd tune out half way through.

"I had dinner at Ginny's last night. It was lovely, she made-"

"Just the two of you?" Otto interrupted.

"Yes" I lied for a third time, this one just slipped out.

"Great, honey" Otto smiled, kissing me on the forehead and heading into the adjoining bathroom to turn the shower on. "What are we having for dinner?"

I rolled my eyes now he was out of the room. It was like raising somebody else's child sometimes.

"I'm not sure but I'll make us something. Are you hungry now?" I called.

"Ravenous!" Otto shouted back, his voice drowned out by the din of the shower.

I went down to the kitchen to start prepping ingredients, putting things in dishes, waiting for the oven. I heard the sound of the shower turn off upstairs and started setting the table.