NOIR - [Fred Weasley]

06. An Offer She Can't Refuse

✻ When She Visits Her Father's Home

The green eyed boy had pretty much teared the entire room down by the time his two best friends showed up to check on him. The small two-bed sanctuary, that once belonged to the Weasley twins as children, had been turned upside down as Harry searched frantically for that forsaken piece of paper that had managed to put a rather big dent in his summer.

"What do you mean you've lost the envelope, Harry?" asked the bushy haired girl as she started picking up the pillows that had landed on the floor, swiftly returning them to their original spots on the beds.

"I mean, I can't find it, Hermione. I swear, it was right here in my jacket pocket, and now it's gone!" explained Harry as he took one final look under the beds and reached for his jacket, inspecting the inside pocket for the tenth time that morning.

"Did you put it somewhere else after we came back, perhaps? Or maybe you lost it on the way home?" suggested the girl, but the raven haired boy only shook his head.

"No. Nothing happened. I was careful. We were leaving 'The Lair' when..."

Ron's brows furrowed as his friends words were cut short. Harry's emerald eyes lit up in realisation as he looked over at his best friend, the ghost of the previous night's memories dancing in his eyes as he remembered what had happened.

"What? Did you lose it?" asked Hermione.

"What's wrong, mate?" added Ron, a worried look on his face.

Harry only huffed and stomped out of the small room, his friends following suit as the group of three descended the stairs of the Burrow.

"Are Fred and George still here?" asked Harry, thoughts swirling in his head as he hoped the twins hadn't departed yet.

"They're still downstairs. They're about to leave though. Mum baked them muffins." explained Ron, the stairs creaking as the trio increased their speed.

"What's going on, Harry? Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, effectively putting a stop to Harry's stomping as he turned to face his friends.

"The last time I had the envelope in my pocket was when we were leaving Margaret Thibault's shop. As we were leaving, Fred bumped into me."

Ron chuckled in disbelief. Why would Fred steal the envelope? What could he possibly have to gain by taking it?

"Are you joking? My brother couldn't have stolen it. Is he bloody mental?"

Harry barely spared another look at his companions as he descended the last flight of stairs, releasing a deep breath as he spotted the man he was looking for.

"Fred." he stated, and the older Weasley twin turned around to face him, the usual mischievous grin on his lips.

"Hello Harry, fancy a fresh muffin?" he asked, his eyes motioning the to big bag of freshly baked muffins — their aroma filling the small homey kitchen.

Harry shook his head quickly as he released a stress filled breath. "Did you take the envelope from my jacket yesterday?"

Of all the weird adventures and the trouble the raven haired boy had been on in his sixteen years of life, nothing really had prepared him for the completely carefree, almost gleeful answer he got from his red-headed friend.

"Of course I did." smiled Fred, his shoulders shrugging as he took a bite from one of the muffins in his basket.

"Wh... What?" asked a baffled Harry, his brain barely comprehending the relaxed demeanour of the boy in front of him. "Why?"