Darling • Fred Weasley x reader

Chapter sixty four

It'd been about two weeks since Harry and I spoke in Diagon Alley. I'd decided to pretend as if nothing ever happened although I could feel it eating at me internally. I didn't even know to to trust anymore including my brother, he's probably already told Ron and Hermione by now.

I'd been spending time away from the girls as well by discovering new routes to my classes and spending most of my free hours on my own outside of the dorms until the last minute of curfew. Maddie and Ginny have both tried to reach out, but I knew an explanation would be in order and that I wouldn't be able to give that to them.

The whole ordeal would just cause much more skepticism than needed so, instead of spending my Sunday night spending time with the girls, I bask under a towering sycamore tree located at the heart of Hogwarts.

It's near the castle enough that Hagrid would be able to peek out his window and check on me but private enough that I'd have space to take a deep breath. The aroma in the school had traded panic for tranquility once Diagon Alley went quiet and no other sightings of the death eaters were reported.

My gloved fingers flip through the pages of the novel that lyes in my lap one by one and I quickly tuck my hands into a crossed formation to conserve my body heat. It was nearing Christmas by now, my favorite holiday by far, and the air became more frigid than ever, but a few extra layers would do the trick, I suppose.

Distantly, I acknowledge the crunching of the layer of snow coating the ground and a light huff is excreted as someone sat down on the other side of the substantial tree. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion, not having caught sight of the person on the other side. I brush it off and attempt to submerse myself back into the book, but I'm unable to so I take both sides of the cover in my palms and shut it closed, causing a louder sound than I'd expected.

Out of my peripheral, I catch a wand being held up to me for a moment, causing me to flinch, before its owner sighed in relief. "Merlin's beard," My focus lands on a tense girl with a swarthy complexion as she rubs her temples in exhaustion. "Sorry about that. My dorm mate has been after me with curses all week, I can't seem to catch a break." She apologizes, meeting me with her russet gaze.

"Don't worry about it, I know what that's like." I release an airy laugh.

"Parkinson's going to be the absolute death of me." She groans and I acknowledge the emerald tie around her neck.

"Your roommate is Pansy?" I ask and she nods with her lips pursed, clearly not content at the fact.

"You know her?" It felt like a breath of fresh air fanning me when she said those words. It had gotten overwhelming having everyone within the school know my business before I even caught wind of them as a person.

"Barely." I shrug off and she proceeds to rant about the girl in annoyance.

"I called her little boy toy an ass one time and now she's made it her life goal to hex me into oblivion. She's bloody mental! Especially, since I consider most of Hogwart's population asses."

"I like the way you think." I smile and she mirrors the look as she rolls her head back against the tree to face forward. My features twist at my sudden realization of her words. "Wait, boy toy? Pansy has finally found a man that isn't repulsed by her?"

"I'd hardly consider it that. It's the one who was turned into a ferret during fourth year. Sort of gorgeous, but a prick at that." She assures me, brushing a curl out of her eyes as she studies my taken back reaction.

"What, you think so as well?" She smirks at my silence and I instantly laugh at the idea.

"Draco Malfoy? Not even as a last resort." She chimes in with a snicker.