Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Whatnot

In Charms the next day, Harry told us about the spider funeral and how he got the memory from Slughorn. Then, he explained what the memory was about - Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Apparently, he made seven and Dumbledore has been searching for them. Harry’s allowed to go with him to destroy it when he finds the next one.

“He only made seven? But surely he’s killed more people than that” I said.

“The number seven would hold a sort of magical significance to him, I suppose” Harry said.

“Wow,” said Ron, who was waving his wand vaguely in no apparent direction. “Wow. You’re actually going to go with Dumbledore…and try and destroy…wow.”

“Ron, you’re making it snow,” said Hermione, grabbing his wrist to redirect his wand from the ceiling.

We noticed Lavender Brown glaring from a distant table and Hermione immediately let go of his arm.

“Oh yeah,” Ron said, looking at his shoulders. “Sorry…looks like we’ve all got horrible dandruff now…”

He brushed some off Hermione and Lavender burst into tears. He stopped, immediately looking guilty.

“We split up,” he told Harry. “Last night. When she saw me coming out of the dormitory with Hermione. Obviously she couldn’t see you, and I don’t know where she was, so she thought it had been just the two of us.”

He pointed to me on the ‘she.’

“I said I was sorry” I said.

“No you didn’t” he said.

“Oh, I didn’t?”

Hermione shook her head.

“Oh, well… ‘sorry’”

“Why did you put sorry in air quotes?” Hermione asked.

“Because I’m not really”

“Well – you don’t mind it’s over, do you?” asked Harry.

“No,” said Ron. “At least I didn’t have to finish it”

“Coward” muttered Hermione, looking amused. “Well, it was a bad night for romance all around. Ginny and Dean split up too, Harry.”

We both looked at him, knowingly.

“How come?” he asked, trying to be indifferent.

“Well, after Lavender caught Ron and Hermione at it, she went off crying and Dean found her. While trying to comfort her, they hooked up, and Ginny discovered…”

“No, no,” Hermione shushed me, “It was something really silly…She said he was always trying to help her through the portrait hole, like she couldn’t climb in herself…but they’ve been rocky for ages.”

“My story was way more interesting” I muttered.

Later that day, I got a letter from George saying that Fred had some sort of fight with Angelina and was in a really bad mood, he asked if I could come down for the weekend, maybe it’d cheer him up. I guess Hermione had been right about the romance thing…geez. Of course, who was I to pass up the opportunity to get out of this building and see my best friends?

However, it proved more difficult than I thought. They tightened security a lot recently, and didn’t particularly like students leaving except on breaks. I had to beg and plead with McGonagall…and tell her Fred was deathly ill, which I’m not sure she bought. Then I had to appeal to Headmaster Dumbledore. He didn’t really seem to care either way, but they said they had to discuss it, and would get back to me. So, in the meantime, I was on my best behavior…no pranks, no immature jokes during class, and no hexing Crabbe and Goyle (which was a great strain on my self-control, I must say).

Finally, Thursday evening, Professor McGonagall informed me that Dumbledore was giving me permission to nurse Fred back to health as long as I was back by Sunday evening. I of course said that would be no issue since I was a master healer and it shouldn’t take me more than a couple days anyways, chicken soup always does the trick.

I arrived by floo powder late on Friday, after I knew they had closed the shop. George was in the living room to greet me.

“Hey” he kissed me briefly. “I’m glad you’re here”

“Are you sure you didn’t get me to come here just for you?” I smiled.

It quickly faded though when he shook his head and said, “Unfortunately, no, and it’s gotten worse, too. She broke up with him, yesterday, I think, but he won’t talk to me. I didn’t push him like I usually would because he hasn’t been himself since they fought, and he keeps snapping at customers”

“Oh, geez” I sighed. “Where is he now?”

“In his room”

“I’ll talk to him”

“Thank you, you’re the best” he kissed me again.

I knocked softly on Fred’s door, “Freddy?”

No response.

“Fred, I know you’re there, and I’m coming in so you better be decent”

When I went in his room, Fred was lying flat on his back, on his bed. I closed the door behind me and lay down next to him. I hugged him, and he pulled me close against his chest.

“Are you okay? Well, that’s kind of a stupid question, but you’re not suicidal or anything right?”

He shook his head.

“Good, so you want to tell me what happened?”

He shook his head again.

“Come on, Freddy, I’ve known you forever, talk to me”

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

“She broke up with me” he shrugged.

“So I heard, but why? What happened?”

“I don’t really know, I guess it was sort of coming all along. We’d been fighting a lot lately, and we weren’t seeing each other all that much since we’re both so busy”

I nodded.

“But you guys have broken up before, you always just get back together”

“It was different this time, I can’t really explain how, it just felt different. She seemed really set on it, I think we may be done for good”

“I’m sorry”

We were quiet for a little while. I lay on my back too and closed my eyes.

“I thought I could love her, I thought maybe she would be the one”

“You’ll find the one, Fred, just be patient”

“How do you even know?”

“Cause you’re a great guy and you deserve it”

I still had my eyes closed. I felt him shift slightly, but thought nothing of it, until I felt his lips on mine. My eyes flew open in shock, and I pushed him off me quickly.

“Are you serious? What the hell was that?”

“I’m sorry” he said, shaking his head, “I don’t know. God, I’m so messed up”

“Fred” I said more gently, “You’re my best friend and I love you, but you’re just upset right now and I’m not about to cheat on my boyfriend of almost two years with his twin brother”

"I know, I know, I’m sorry, it was really stupid. I guess I’m just jealous”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Of what George has with you. You’re so perfect together, and hardly ever fight or anything. He talks about you like you’re the best thing in the entire world, and your children are going to be frickin adorable”

He fell back onto his bed with the last part.

“Well…you’ll have pretty adorable children too, you share his DNA”

He chuckled slightly, “Yeah”

“I’m sorry” I said.

“It’s alright, I think I was trying too hard to make me and Angelina work out like you and George.”

“Everybody’s relationships are different”

“Yeah, but George and I are twins, that should count for something right?”

“But you’re still different, and Angelina and I certainly aren’t the same”

“That’s true, she never pushed me off, yelling ‘What the hell?’ when I kissed her”

I laughed slightly, “Well, she obviously wasn’t very smart then”

He stuck his tongue out at me.

“And she wasn’t dating someone else”

“George is going to kill me”

“He’s not going to kill you”

“Yes, and it will be long, painful, and bloody. Like those awful Muggle horror movies”

“You’re exaggerating”

“No, I’m not because, not only did I kiss his girlfriend, but I made you my ‘rebound.’ He’s going to be pissed”

“Would that really even count as a rebound?”

“No, but that’s how he’s going to see it”

I rolled my eyes, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t kill you. I’ll tell him you weren’t in your right mind, which you aren’t – “

“No, not really”

“ – and it might help if you told him the things you told me, about being jealous. We can definitely back off, you know, less PDA. We could get back to how we used to be, the three Musketeers”

He grinned, “Ah, the good old days of Hogwarts. Man, how I miss that”

I smiled too, “Exactly”

He hugged me again, “Thanks, Caroline, you’re an awesome best friend”

“I know”

He chuckled.

“But in all honesty, I’m always here for you” I said seriously.

“Thanks”

I laid down next to George and he put his arm around me, but I could tell something was bothering him. Fred and I had talked to him earlier, and explained everything, but I knew he still wasn’t okay with it. He'd been pretty angry with Fred, and they'd had a somewhat loud discussion in Fred's room before he calmed down and let Fred explain. He didn't yell at me or anything, but I almost wished he had. I’d hated the hurt that flashed in his eyes. I never wanted to hurt him, I only wanted to make him happy like he made me.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I kissed his cheek, “I told you it was nothing”

“Yeah, I know, but I can’t help but wonder if Fred had liked you back then, would you still be with me?”

“Of course I would be”

“I mean, if you think about it,” he said, ignoring me, “Fred and I are pretty similar. But he’s usually more up front about things, so he would’ve told you way before I did”

“That wouldn’t matter because I like you”

“Why?”

“Why do I like you? Well, you’re cute and funny – “

“You could say that about Fred – “

“And,” I cut him off, “you’re sweet, caring, protective, brave, loyal, sensitive, and…I can’t really explain it, but there was always something about being around you that gave me butterflies”

He was smiling now, “I gave you butterflies?”

“Yes” I blushed.

“Do I still?” he asked, smirking.

“Maybe,” I muttered, I must’ve been completely red by now.

“Did you know you’re really cute when you’re embarrassed?”

I rolled my eyes, “Do you believe me now? I promise you it was nothing”

He sighed, “Of course I believe you, you could lie through your teeth and I’d believe you”

“I’d never lie to you” I kissed him.

“I love you too much to ever lie to you” I said, kissing him again and he pulled me against his chest.

"I love you too" he whispered.