The Haunting of Judith Wagner{George Weasley}

Chapter Two

Judith backed away slowly from the spirit of Fred Weasley that continued to approach her.

"Stop!" she exclaimed holding her hand up at him. "Don't come any closer."

Fred stopped in the spot where he stood and looked at her with a particular look.

"Is it my breath?"

"You're dead." She whispered under her breath.

"You've said that already."

"W-why are you in my kitchen?"

"Would you have preferred if I waited in your bedroom?"

Flustered and disturbed after finding her dead classmate in her home, Judith slowly lowered herself to the floor and sat down.

Fred took a couple of steps towards her and crouched down to her eye level.

"You can really see me?" he asked her.

She glanced up at him, taking in the red hair and the Weasley traits.

"If I couldn't, do you think I would be reacting this way?" she countered.

"Good point." he smiled but she didn't return the smile as she scooted away from him, pressing her back against the wall.

"What are you doing here?"

Fred stood straight up ignoring the question.

"You can see and hear me, this is great!" he clapped his hands together triumphantly.

Judith reached for her wand, hoping she could escape the spirit of Fred and retreat to her grandparents' home to question what was going on.

She had gone almost twenty years without a spiritual encounter and her first one was now wandering around her kitchen.

He seemed all too happy to have been seen or heard by her.

"You know, earlier, I thought I was really losing it, thinking you heard me." Fred said turning his attention back to her.

"Earlier?" She questioned.

"At the cemetery, you were there, I was there..."

"You were there?"

"Obviously. Hello." he pointed to himself.

"Oh." She remembered the faint whispered she had heard.

"You were there talking to yourself."

"I wasn't talking to myself." Judith argued.

"Well, there was no one else there and you weren't talking to me."

"I was talking to Renna!" she said sharply.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. It just appeared as though you were talking to yourself." He made a face. "Anyways, this is brilliant."

"Why do you say that? What do you want? Why are you here?"

"I would have thought you'd be friendlier, you seemed nicer in school."

"Pardon me, but a lot has changed since school."

"Right."

The two watched each other for a few minutes, while Judith hoped she was just having a weird dream. Why would her first paranormal visit be Fred Weasley? They didn't speak during their schooling and she wondered why he was coming around during that time, over a year had passed since the battle.

She thought of all the spirits that visited her grandmother, all claiming they had unfinished business that needed to be taken care after they had already crossed over.

But the happy gentleman before her didn't appear distressed with a final task that needed to be completed.

"Why are you here? Why now?"

"Well, now that I know you can see and hear me, I figured I could use your assistance." Fred said.

"Use my assistance? In what way?"

"I have some things that need to be taken care of and it seems like you can help me."

"No." she said firmly standing up.

"No?" Fred repeated.

"I do not deal with the dead. I refuse, I..no." she headed towards her bedroom.

"Doesn't look like you have much say in the matter considering you are the only person who can see me!" he called after her.

Judith closed the door over to her room and quickly locked it behind her. Biting down on her thumbnail, she began to pace back and forth. The floorboards creaked with each step only adding to her crazed state.

"This can't be happening." she said. "There's no way."

Although she claimed their was no way out loud, she knew internally that it was very likely that she was able to communicate with the dead just as her grandmother and brother did. Different from the ghosts that roamed the halls of Hogwarts, spirits were the ones who had made their peace with death but still managed to return to the earthly plane with their own purpose and messages. But it was rare for them to be seen to the normal eye, those with medium abilities were their gateways and guides.

She didn't understand why Fred had appeared to her.

She could hear Monty screeching and Fred trying to calm the bird down.

Her curiosity got the best of Judith as she wondered what unfinished business the late Weasley twin had. Perhaps communicating with his family, a final goodbye.

She groaned. She wouldn't be able to do such a thing. Judith had witnessed many people doubt her grandmother when Bethany approached them claiming she had a message from the deceased. Most people believed that if a person didn't become a ghost after death that there was no more communication. Many had called her grandmother a fraud and Judith didn't want something like that resting on her shoulders.

Opening the door, Judith prepared to tell Fred to go elsewhere, but instead as soon as she opened the door she found the grinning red head before her. She cried out and stumbled back, falling onto her bed.

Fred laughed. "Sorry 'bout that."

Judith glared at him before standing up and straightening her clothing.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave." she said. "I can't help you."

"But you can-"

"No," she cut him off, " I can't! This...whatever this is that's happening...I can't...I've been trying my hardest to put the war behind me and you being here is not helping."

"Well, that seems a bit hypocritical." he countered.

"H-how so?"

"You were waiting for your friend Renna to come speak with you, how is that putting the war behind you?"

She frowned biting down on her lip as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry." he added.

Judith wiped her eyes as they began to water.

"What are you doing back here? You already crossed over."

"I know." Fred said walking over and sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I was prepared to die when we entered the battle. I wasn't expecting it to be honest. I wasn't wishing for it, but I was prepared. However, I wasn't prepared for the consequences."

"The consequences?"

"I didn't fear death and I came to terms with it as I crossed over. But my family.." She watched his face turn serious, it was rare and slightly unsettling.

She turned away from him feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

" I need to make sure my family is okay. I need to reassure George and my family that I'm alright, I found peace. But they need to find peace and I know you can do that."

"Me?"

"Yes you and I'm not taking no as an answer."