Seeing Fred

The Tawny Owl

"That was exciting." Fred smiled broadly as they entered her flat. "The tube is..."

"Crowded?" She offered, closing the door behind her.

"That's one way to call it."

"Do you mind if I turn in? I'm absolutely knackered." She said kicking off her shoes.

"No, no of course not." Fred said and turned to face the TV when Leah pulled her shirt over her head, impudent. He waited until he heard her in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. He leaned against the doorframe as she rinsed her mouth. "What's Sonic?" He asked, pointing at her shirt.

"Oh, it's a game." She looked down her shirt.

"Like the games you program?"

"Yeah, like that." She smiled, passing by and crawled into bed. She took her notebook out of her nightstand and started to write everything down.

"What are you writing?" He asked from the chair. She looked up to him and cocked her head.

"You can sit next to me. I don't bite, most of the time." She grinned.

"Are you sure?" He said, slowly standing up.

"Yes, Fred." She padded the spot next to her. "I don't mind sharing my bed with a guy I can't even touch. But I do move a lot in my sleep, so I apologize in advance if my arm or something suddenly goes through you."

"Thanks for the warning." He grinned, flopping down next to her. "Care to share?" He asked, pointing at the notebook on her lap.

"If I had an eventful or stressful day, I write it all down in this notebook before I go to bed. Otherwise, I can't sleep soundly. And believe me, I need my damn sleep."

"And today was eventful or stressful?"

"Eventful, definitely." She started to write things down before glancing to her right. "I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer, but I need to process everything, it's been... a lot."

"You don't need to apologize. Not only are you seeing ghost, a very handsome I might add. But you just found out about a whole other world. Things you thought where fiction are real, hidden in plain sight."

She looked up at him, a small smile forming on her face. "Thanks for understanding." She placed her book back in her nightstand and made herself comfortable. Fred did the same, now they were laying down in bed facing each other. "I want to try something else."

Fred cocked his head to the side, asking her to continue. "I want to tell you about today. I know that you were there, but I just want to – never mind it's silly." She said, shaking her head, looking down.

"No, it's not. You can tell me anything. And I can even answer some questions that I know you have."

"Maybe one or two." She smiled looking back up at him.

So, they talked, they talked about that day; Diagon Alley, the shop, George, everything. She talked, Fred listened. If anyone from his past could see him right now, they would fall from their chair as they never seen him quiet for that long. Then her questions started, that Fred happily answered for her. After she was done talking, Fred took the steer and started telling her stories about his family. They talked until well in the night, Leah falling asleep, her face right next to him. Fred watched her sleep peacefully, knowing the talk helped her fall into a blissful sleep. He concentrated on her breathing and soon he was in a trance again, feeling like he was dreaming as his eyes fluttered shut.

It took two days before Stella, the tawny owl appeared at her window. Fred was just watching her play on the game-box-thingy when a tapping noise came from her kitchen window. Leah paused the game and looked up confused.