The Unbreakable Vow: wisps of Black | Fred Weasley [1] ✔

17: BETH & FRED

A week after lessons started again, all people seemed to be talking about was the Quidditch match with Ravenclaw versus Slytherin, which Slytherin was fortunate enough to win. This was good. Beth could walk the school halls without hearing about any Black nonsense. It felt like any other school year.

Beth spent the next few weeks surprisingly unbothered in the library with piles of homework spread around her. She was content in her own little world and everything was back to the way it was. Only, deep down, she found herself somewhat missing being pestered by one redheaded Gryffindor.

It was better than being pestered by Adrian Pucey, who was an absolute bore. At least Fred was...funny.

She was thinking all of this, reading about countercharms, when a small thud jolted her from her little world. Beth jumped and looked up at a wide grin. The grin of someone who had not approached her since the start of the Christmas holidays, and instead stole glances her way in the Great Hall, caught her eye and smiled at her in classes and grinned at her as they passed by each other in the corridors.

Beth looked down at what had made the thud and saw a pink, heart-shaped box. Her grey eyes flicked up at Fred's brown ones suspiciously.

"I'm not touching that."

"What? It's Valentine's Day!"

Beth felt her stomach jolt in a way she did not like. She didn't want any Valentine gift. The Christmas one was okay, but not a Valentine one.

"I...I don't want it," Beth said thickly, turning back to her book on countercharms. "You keep it or give it to somebody you like."

"Well, I want you to have it," Fred said slowly. "And I like you."

"Colin Creevey ran past me yesterday with a green face and spiky hair like he'd been shocked," Beth said simply, not looking up from her book. She heard Fred chuckling. "So, I don't trust you. And I just don't want it."

"Why not? It's just chocolate. If you don't trust me I'll even eat one."

Beth raised an eyebrow up at him. "Take off the lid."

Fred obeyed and took the lid off. There were about a dozen heart-shaped chocolates inside in little wrappings, and Beth chose one and passed it to Fred to eat just as he had reached for one for himself. As if she would believe it wasn't a prank if he chose which chocolate to eat.

Fred shoved it in his mouth and Beth watched him with a blank look. He chewed, swallowed, and then smiled widely.

"See? Nothing to worry about. I'm not going to prank you, Beth."

He couldn't prank her. Not as much as he wanted to, and he so very much wanted to prank this girl. He just didn't want to risk her getting mad at him; he knew she wouldn't find any prank on her funny at all and she would probably never speak to him again, and he would be right back to where he started.