[DISCONTINUED] Speak of the Devil // Fred Weasley

July 1997

The bright, early morning light seeped through the dusty windows of the Burrow as Rhiannon's eyes opened. She had arrived there last night, at Ginny's request, and immediately fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from the two-hour broom ride. After staring at the ceiling for eternity she became semi-aware of her surroundings, sitting upright, brushing her fingers through her tangled hair, and aggressively blinking her eyes. 

When she swung her legs over the side of the bed and from under the thick quilted blanket Ginny had laid onto her, she noticed that she was still donning the same faded black pants and black oversized muggle band tee that she had worn for her trip. Once she groggily located her bag next to the dirty fireplace, she made her way to it and scoured its contents in search of a decent outfit to replace the sweat and grime covered one she was wearing. After grabbing some jeans, a white shirt, and some socks that had been mismatched during last night's haphazard packing session, Rhiannon searched for a place to change.

She stumbled up the winding and uneven steps of the Burrow, occasionally missing a step or two, but ultimately made it to the floor where Weasley children resided. Still drunkenly tired, Rhiannon opened the first door she came to face, wrongly assuming that it would lead her to the bathroom. Frankly, her attention did not extend much further than her immediate surroundings such as the floor beneath her feet and the clothes in her hand. Closing the door and sliding down awkwardly against the door she began pulling her pants off, struggling with the tight fabric and tiny buttons. Now, clad in only her big Nirvana shirt and her undergarments she lay tired, surrounded by clothing, and defeated against the door as she dozed off again.

"Sleep alright there darling?"

Came a booming voice from above her. Startled and disoriented Rhiannon looked up to find a messy-haired and beaming Fred Weasley, or maybe it was George. She wasn't awake enough to tell. Either way, she examined the messy room around her filled with gadgets of all kinds and the intoxicating scent of cinnamon, gunpowder, and some other fragrances that she could not place. Looking back to the boy that was still standing above her she saw his hand outstretched towards her, beckoning for her to take it. As he pulled her up her vision cleared and she realized that her initial guess had been correct and that it was indeed Fred Weasley that had woken her up. As they made eye contact, Rhiannon felt her cheeks heat up out of embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry, Fred, I didn't realize... I thought that this was the bathroom."

"Clearly"

He retorted, motioning his free hand towards the pile of clothing she had left strewn on the floor. Her cheeks further reddened, from the realization that she was still wearing only a shirt, having left such a mess of Fred's room, and for having blocked Fred's doorway for Merlin knows how many hours. She looked down at their still touching hands as he raised her hand to examine it.

"You know," he said, "you really should go get your nails done. They look ghastly."

Shocked and embarrassed, she smacked him with the same hand.

"I'll go to a nail salon when you're sitting in a coffin, Fred Weasley, stop being such an ass..."

"Well, as much as your statement pains me, I think you should. I can't have my little sister's best friend looking like a dirty mole rat, can I?"

Rhiannon looked at him inquisitively and tried to stall by picking up the discarded clothing that lay at her feet. She was still trying to decipher his intentions from the mixed signals she had been presented with when she snapped back at him.

"Even if you paid me I wouldn't go, I would never give you the satisfaction!"

Upon hearing this statement, Fred conjured five shining Galleons, placing them in Rhiannon's small hands. He moved closer to her and guided her hesitant hands to the pocket of the jeans she held and gently encouraged her to drop the coins.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to reconsider, Evans?"

Too shocked to say anything back, Rhiannon opened the door with her free hand and ran out of Fred's room. She scrambled down the uneven steps again and into the living room where she had slept so soundly last night. In a frantic haze, she grabbed her bag once more, stuffing the clothing she had been carrying into the vastness created by an Undetectable Extension Charm. As she calmed down she heard a plate drop from the kitchen's direction, turning around she saw none other than the entire Weasley family, with the exception of Fred and the addition of Harry and Hermione, staring at her in all of her pantsless glory. Internally, she wanted to die, but externally she managed to muster a quiet greeting.

She had never hated Ginny but at that moment... she wished they weren't friends.

A/N: I have no clue when the next chapter will come out but I hope y'all like it.