The Haunting of Judith Wagner{George Weasley}

Chapter Three

"What do you mean you won't take no as an answer?" Judith snarled at Fred who sprawled out on her bed, tucking his arms under his head.

"I mean, I'm not leaving here until you agree to help me. You can see and hear me..."

"We've established that. What you don't seem to understand is that I don't want to help you! I don't want things to do with any of this."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you started to communicate with the dead."

"I wasn't aware that I could!" she argued.

"Oh..." Fred sat straight up and grinned at her. "So does that mean I'm your first?"

"Get out!" she pointed out her door. "Out! Out! Out!" she stomped her foot.

Fred arose from the bed and walked outside of her bedroom door. He turned to say something but instead was met with a slammed door in his face.

"That's friendly!" he yelled from behind the door.

Judith crossed her arms and sat on her bed.

"But you do realize-" Fred stuck his head through the door with ease, " closed doors don't really mean anything when you're dead."

"Ugh!" she fell back onto her bed and buried her face into her pillow, muffling her frustrated scream.

No matter how much the spirit of her dead classmate pestered her, Judith refused to take part in helping him. She hoped that he would eventually give up and leave her alone, however, Fred had other plans.

It was nearing three o' clock in the morning as Judith glanced over at her clock that was illuminated by the moonlight shining through her window. In only five hours she would have to be up and getting ready for work but she hadn't even closed her eyes to sleep.

Fred decided that if she wasn't going to help him, that he was going to bother her by singing through the night, very, very, loudly.

She pressed her pillows over her ears trying to drown out his out of tune voice as he purposely sang horribly.

"Please stop!" she begged.

"Agree to help me and I will."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm not sure how many times I have to repeat myself...you can see me, which means you can help me."

"How am I supposed to help you? Don't you think time is what your family needs to heal? They aren't going to believe me in the slightest that I can communicate with you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Trust me, my grandmother has had this ability for a long time and she's called a fraud on a daily basis."

"Well, let me take care of that part when the time comes, but you need to help me first."

Judith shook her head. "I don't want to. I don't want to do this. I don't want to communicate with the dead..."

"Even if it means helping an old classmate?"

Judith rested her chin on the tops of her knees and stared at Fred for a moment. She began to feel terrible, there they were the same age, yet she was alive, and he was gone.

"I'd be forever grateful." Fred told her.

She sighed. "I'll think about it. But please, just let me get a night's rest so I can think clearly. I have work tomorrow..."

"Alright, alright. I'll let you sleep. Would you like me to sing you a lullabye?"

"NO!" she screeched.

The two were quiet for a moment.

"I mean...no...no thank you. I fall asleep to silence so much better."

"Suit yourself."

The next morning, Judith awoke and found herself alone in her room. No sign of Fred Weasley as she got out of bed and her home was silent.

"Oh thank goodness." she said in relief. "It was just a dream."

"What was a dream?"

Judith screamed as she was startled by his sudden appearance.

"Don't do that!" she spat.

"What? What did I do?"

She let out a loud groan resting her forehead on the wall.

"This can't be happening."

"Oh but it is. Do you have an answer yet?"

"No."

"No, as in no you won't help me or no you don't have an answer yet."

"I don't have an answer." she left the bedroom and went to her kitchen.

Settled at her kitchen table trying to eat some breakfast before work, she watched as Fred went through her cupboards.

"My word woman!"

"What?" she set her spoon down.

"How many tea bags do you have here?!"

"What do you expect? I work at a tea shop."

"Is your flat the tea shop?"

Judith snorted. "No, but I like my tea. Whenever we get a new one in, I get a box and take it home to try."

Fred shook his head before closing the cupboards over.

"I think you have a drinking problem, Judith."

"Tea is a drink made for comfort." she attempted to explain herself. "The warmth, the herbs...all very soothing for the soul."

"Always tasted like dirty dishwater to me." Fred said sitting down beside her.

"Well, perhaps you never tasted the right tea for you. I believe there is a tea for everyone. There's fruity, earthy, bitter...there's bound to be one."

"I don't think that matters anymore." Fred reminded her.

"Oh...right. Sorry." She quickly wiped her mouth and brought her dish over to the sink.

Fred remained at the kitchen table drumming and staring out the window.

"I'm going to get ready for work." she called out to him, unsure of why she felt the need to tell him.

"Don't worry I won't barge my head through the door. Unless you want me to."

"No, thank you!"