BURNED DREAMS▪️ F. WEASLEY ▪️ REWRITING!

chapter VI: fred

''So? What did Miss. Perfect I'll Kill You say?'' asked George once the Silencing Charm was placed on their frog and Flitwick was satisfied. The small professor walked away from their desk to Lee and Alicia's where she was scolding him for turning their frog into a pillow.

''She said she'll think about it. Why do you keep changing her nickname?"

''She said she'll think about your breakup?'' George raised his eyebrows and sent a sneer his way.

''Oh, you meant — she didn't take it well.'' Fred shrugged and his face flushed with colours of red. It's not an everyday thing to confuse Lyra Lestrange with Rose Walters —  a Slytherin with a Hufflepuff. ''Something about revenge being the only way. I don't know.''

''Yes, I can see that.'' he sighed and raised his wand to levitate a frog. It was opening its mouth to squeak and shriek, but nothing came. Fred guessed that was how Lyra felt at Malfoys' — silenced, helpless, forbidden to speak or breathe. It must've hurt her, he thought, after all, no power can be kept hidden for that long. ''Walters is very discreet about you.''

''What?'' Fred sent his twin a confused look and glanced towards the blonde across the room. She was fuming with anger as her red tips of the ears showed; he knew her well enough to see when she was furious. And her frog wasn't just silenced, it was also struggling to breathe.

''You can only hope a curse doesn't come your way.''

It wouldn't be a first one from Rose's wand. He remembered the early stages of their relationship, when she didn't want to know where he was all the time, when she would even spent her summer at the Burrow — when times were easier and safer. He remembered Rosalie sending a Tickling Charm towards him and him erupting in laughter just a second later. Fred had loved her then, but now those feelings were gone, and just the weirdness of being single again occupied him. And, well, perhaps something more, but he didn't want to acknowledge those feelings yet.

''Have you asked her to the party?'' asked Lee once they were in front of Potions, in those big, but stuffy corridors. None of the Gryffindors liked dungeons. Or Potions.

''Oh, yes, I asked her to marry me and to go with me to the party.'' he answered, but quietly so Slytherins couldn't hear him. There was too much loyalty between them, and he knew very well they would rat on him to Lyra if they knew he meant to ask her out. She was the epitome of their leader —  they respected her, not because of her last name or her parents' mistakes, but because she was there for them when they needed her. ''Of course not. I'm not mad.''

Lee's face occupied a laugh and he pointed his hand to the Potions' entrance where Lyra was standing with Ruelle and another Slytherin. She was shaking her head and biting her lip, just as that another Slytherin snapped at her and took out a paper out of her bag. Kate? Was it Katherine or Kate? Yes, probably Katherine, he saw her when the idiot of his brother tried duelling her. He really was stupid.

''Well, you should hurry up. I heard Nico from her house is planning on asking her to that party.''

''Angie? When did you appear?'' asked George, pretending to be thoroughly surprised as he pressed his hand dramatically on his chest.

''I've been behind you the whole time.'' the dark-haired girl answered and placed a smile. ''But really, Fred, you should hurry up.''

''You think she would say yes to Nico?'' questioned Lee, the corners of his mouth quirked up. It was as if Fred wasn't even there. He wasn't even planning to ask her out! He simply wanted to know if she was coming or not.

''Well. . .I would definitely say yes. Have you seen him?'' Alicia joined the debate and placed her hands at her hips. What was up with these girls? Was that Nico a god or what?

''We don't need to know your fantasies, Alicia.'' smirked George and just as Alicia opened her mouth to snap back at him, Snape unlocked the classroom and let them in, muttering something to himself as usual.

The Potions classroom was like a home to snakes — it was cold, full of moist and dark, with heads and arms and legs of creatures in jars on the shelves. Slytherins didn't seem to complain, but Gryffindors did. Alicia and Angelina were shivering, even though they had their jumpers on under robes, and Lee shuddered every now and then.  While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

''I will give you two hours to brew — Miss. Travers what do you think you're doing! Put that bezoar away!''

''Right, sorry, professor.''

Ruelle Travers, the girl with dark auburn hair and the best friend of Lyra chuckled and put an innocent smile, when in reality she was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Fred knew that very well — she was just as mischevious as he and George, maybe even more. Her name spoke more for her than she did. Ruelle had her father's temper — William Travers was impulsive and dangerous, and that got him locked up in Azkaban, and Fred wondered will Ruelle ever be like him.

'' — to brew the Antidote to the Common Poisons and an hour to write an essay about Muffling Draught.'' Snape continued as though nothing happened. Of course, a Slytherin would never tell another one what to do. They follow their own rules. ''You may begin by dividing into groups of five. Do not disappoint me.''

The five of them stood with their cauldrons around the stone table. Alicia sighed and caught Fred by the hand, dragging him to the shelves where unsurprisingly, a bit further, stood Katherine and Lyra, murmuring something to themselves.

''Go! Ask her!'' whispered Alicia fiercely, and nudged him in the ribs.

''No! What's up with you?''

''Do it, Fred!''

''No, Ali. I just broke up with Rose.'' said Fred and began taking the ingredients. It was a miracle he remembered them, for their book barely said anything.

Alicia looked up at him, grabbed a couple of Mistletoe Berries and walked off to their table. She might have not said anything, but her face spoke it all. Lyra was still standing there, but she wasn't whispering. Her gaze was directed to him and he could feel himself redden. . .why did Alicia had to leave now?

For a moment, she had looked like she wanted to say something to him, and just when Fred had raised his hopes high, she turned her back on him and continued bickering with Katherine. Whatever, he thought and let the butterflies in his stomach die.

''Weasley?''

Her voice came behind him, clear and cold, filling his head. Fred slowly turned around and tried hiding his cheeky grin, but as unsuccesful it was, it still made the infamous witch in front of him crack a smile.

''Mind telling me when and where we should come?''

Fred Weasley wanted to scream Yes! Yes! Yes! at the top of his lungs, but since it seemed inappropriate, he cleared his voice and spoke, his voice somehow being deeper than usual.

''Go to the sixth corridor and tap twice on the nose of Barny The Dancer.''

Her face, in all her paleness, still mirrored perfectly her cousin's and it was full of mockery, but he didn't care. Lyra would come! And hopefully just with Ruelle and Katherine, who waited impatiently at their table. Their suspicious glares made him squirm with discomfort.

''Well. . .if that's it, you'll be seeing me and Nico on Friday.''

His heart sank.