Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 70

Sleeping was an impossible task for me that night as I laid awake. But I finally gave up when Mrs. Weasley came into our room early in the morning to call us down for breakfast before we had to leave for Hogwarts.

I felt myself become unable to talk to anyone, and even more so to even look at Sirius.

I couldn't get Kreacher's words out of head as I stared down at my plate, looking paralyzed.

     I kept telling myself that he could be lying. He could be wrong. This couldn't be real. I knew who my father was. It had always been Roger Hooper. Not Sirius Black.

     But a nasty voice in my head kept telling me that Sirius and my mum were old friends. It reminded me how I had more things in common with Sirius than my own father. It told me that it could be a possibility and the timing added up.

     I knew nothing of what Kreacher had told me. But one thing that I did know, was that I was happy with the person I thought I was and felt that I would be betraying my own father and all he had ever done for me by questioning him.

After everyone was done with breakfast, we all got up and went upstairs along with Lupin and Tonks, who were going to accompany us.

After saying his goodbyes to Harry, Sirius threw a glance at me, probably expecting me to try one last time to convince him into telling me what he knew.

But I said nothing. I just looked away, walking towards the door. But my feet stopped me from going further as I came to a halt.

I couldn't leave. At least not without saying goodbye. Not when I knew this was probably going to be the last time I was going to see Sirius Black.

So in a flash of an eye, I immediately turned around and ran towards him, bringing him to a hug.

It took him a second until he came to himself and hugged me back. But I quickly pulled away and ran out of the house without another word, knowing that any longer and my tears would've streamed down once more.

I followed the rest out of Grimmauld Place, not daring to look back at it as the world became blurry to my eyes once again, tears filling them up.

***

My mood certainly didn't pick up as we arrived at Hogwarts. I couldn't forget what Kreacher had said, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't even bring myself to talk about it to anyone.

Umbridge didn't help the situation at all as more decrees were set upon us, one more ridiculous than the other.

After the news came that ten high security Death Eaters had escaped Azkaban, a new decree came out which stated that teachers were bound to talk about anything that was not strictly related to the subject in the classroom.

So the next day, when I met up with Fred, George, and Lee in the Great Hall, my eyes widened as I saw the back of Lee's hand was bleeding furiously, obviously coming from Umridge's detention.

"What happened to you?" I asked as the three sat down beside me, all looking grim.

"Umbitch," said Lee, grimacing.

"Well, Fred and I were playing Exploding Snaps at the end of her class," said George.

"Of course you were," I rolled my eyes. "Go on."

"Then Umbridge caught us and tried to call us off!" Fred scoffed. "Can you imagine the nerve of that woman?"

"Then what's Lee got to do with it?" I raised a brow.

"I told her that Exploding Snaps got nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts!" said Lee. "And I told her that wasn't information relating to her subject!"

***

Unlike my usual self, I was doing anything in my power to stay out of trouble with Umbridge around this year.

I was growing moodier by every day that passed, feeling detached from my prankster side.

But that was the least of my worries as I kept thinking about Sirius and back again at Kreacher. I didn't want to think about the meaning of his words. It just didn't make any sense. Although as January came to an end, Valentine's day seemed to pick up my mood unlike my expectations of it.

That day, I got ready for our second Hogsmeade trip of the year and went down to the Common Room to meet up with the twins, but I only came upon one of them.

"Where's George?" I asked, walking down the stairs and toward where Fred was waiting for me on the couch.

At my sight, a smile crept through his face and he stood up as I reached him. "I thought we should spend today together. I mean, seeing as it's Valentine's day, we could go on our — er — first date."

I chuckled. "I thought dates weren't your thing."

"I could spare some time for it," said Fred with a cheeky smile, coming closer and holding onto my waist, "if it means being alone with you."

"Now don't you go getting any ideas, Mister," I pointed a warning finger at him jokingly, making him laugh.

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Snappy," he said teasingly. "That's not what I had in mind for this date."

     "Then what do you have in mind?"

     "Patience," he said in a scolding manner.

I grinned, placing a small kiss on his cheek and then pulling back. "Are you sure George won't get sad?"

"I'm sure he understands," said Fred with a mischievous grin, winking at me. "Well c'mon, then." He then took a hold of my hand and led me out of the Common Room.

I expected him to get me towards the Hogsmeade carriages, thinking that he would know someplace in the village that's suitable for our first date.

But when he dragged me in the exact opposite direction, I frowned in confusion.

"Fred?" I said unsurely. "Where exactly are we going?"

He just grinned before saying, "You'll see."