It's Better If You Do
Quarante-Cinq.
"Do you know where the zoo is?" Rose asked, as they wove their way through the bustling crowd of Diagon Alley. She asked because from the way he had acted before hand, he apparated to places he had been before, or knew where they were. Fred hesitated, then shook his head.
"No, but it can't be that hard to find." he said quietly, a bit sheepish he had agreed to take her to a place he had no idea where it was.
"Says the man that went into the muggle bookshop to ask for directions," said Rose teasingly with a wide smile. He laughed, and nodded.
"You've got me on that," he admitted. "But I'll find it. I would just apparate directly to it, like you did earlier, but I've splinched myself a couple times doing that, and it isn't pleasant."
"I've never splinched," she said proudly. "Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. Something you see to lack, Mr. Weasley." Rose then smiled mischeviously at him, and pulled his hand into hers, and turned on the spot, her mind completely focused on London Zoo. They appeared right inside the entrance, and she frowned rather dramatically. "I meant to appear in the line... I feel bad not paying."
"Don't worry about it. You can put in some money as we leave," Fred suggested, smiling at her. She nodded, and began tugging him past the gift shop, an eating place, and towards the nearest exhibit, which happened to be an aviary.
The calls and chirps of the many birds flooded her ears, and she smiled watching the colorful birds. They had a wider variety of them here than they did at the zoo where she lived. "There's a Secretary bird," she murmured to him as the bird ruffled his wings from his perch, looking down on them with a rather austere glare. "They've always reminded me a bit of Phoenixes..." Fred's mind immediately flickered to the Order, and he wondered what his father was doing. If he was still guarding the "weapon" or if another member had taken his place, since Arthur had already been attacked once. "Oh, there's a Macaw."
"You know, besides the animals at Hogwarts and the ones around my house, I haven't seen many animals. I've never been to a zoo, actually." he told her, a half smile turning up one of the corners of his mouth. Her eyes widened, and a fanatical gleam came into her eye.
"Then I'm going to have to educate you!" she declared happily, not noticing how his lips pursed against laughter and the way his eyes twinkled merrily.
"Alright." he said mildly, as they walked through, noticing different birds as they went on. "I say it's a fair trade since I'm going to teach you how to play quidditch."
Noticing a small pair of birds, brightly colored with green, yellow, and purple, Rose blushed slightly as she remembered Bellamy's teasing phrase, she pointed and quietly said, "And those are... lovebirds."
Fred flushed as well, but grinned all the same, "I don't think they're half as attractive as us." Rose laughed, glad that he was making a joke of it.
"I disagree," she said lightly, tilting her head ever-so-slightly as she watched the birds twitter and ruffle their feathers, all the while not losing an inch between them. "I'm lacking color."
He looked at her and said, "Swans are still beautiful, and they lack lots of color." Rose's cheeks burned and ducked her head, letting her hair hide her face and the wide smile that perched on her lips at his comment. "Of course, when you blush you have enough color for about three people."
She gave him a playful glare, and said loftily, "Well, with your flaming hair you have enough color for ten, and even more when you blush."
He chuckled, running his hand through his hair a bit self consciously, "It's the Weasley trademark. You can always pick us out from the hair, freckles, and heighth."
Rose nodded thoughtfully, as she ran her hand through her hair, looking at it with a speculative expression, "I always wanted to look like my family. I have my father's eyes, but besides that I take after my grandmother. I only know that from pictures, though. She died before I was born."
"I'm sorry." he said sincerely, giving her hand a sympathetic squeeze. She smiled at him, and shrugged.
"It's fine. I'm sad that I never got to meet her, but I can't really miss someone I've never met." Rose said logically.
He nodded, understanding her way of thinking perfectly. "I feel the same way about my mum's brothers. They were twins-- like George and myself --and were murdered by five Death Eaters during the first war. I even suspect she named us after them since they were Gideon and Fabian."
"That's so sad..." murmured Rose, as she thought of his mother crying over the loss of her brothers. It was different than her grandmother dying; she had lived a full, happy life, but those brothers were probably only just middle aged. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Bellamy."
Fred was instantly reminded of how much danger all his friends and family were in, as they were all fighting the war against Voldemort, and he didn't know if he could even speak. It was a possibility that any of them might not make it. He didn't know if he could answer her and sound normal, so he merely nodded. She noticed his obvious discomfort, but didn't comment as they finally made their way out of the aviary.
She looked up at him and asked quietly, as not to disturb his deep thinking, "Do you want to go to the Aquarium or the Reptile House?"
He smiled and said cheerfully, "How about the Aquarium?"
Rose returned his smile, glad that he seemed to be okay. "Very good choice. I like reptiles, but fish are more fascinating, I think."
"Well, I do have good taste," said Fred with a smirk, as they walked into the large white building, and they fell quiet as the blue water reflected across the room and onto them, giving them a sense of being underwater. They were the only ones in there, that they could see, and without thinking Rose gripped his hand tighter. He smiled softly at this, and walked forward looking around at the glass filled with coloful, and often odd, fish. After a minute, he said, "Merlin. I've seen some strange things, but this makes the top twenty."
She nodded solemnly, "More people have gone into space than gone into the depths of the sea. It's... a mystery, to say the least. Like it's own planet. You see that plant right there? Those are called anemones. Those orange and white striped fish are called clown fish. Ordinarily, and in all other cases besides those fish, those plants are poisonous, and eat the other fish, but the clown fish are immune so they take shelter there..."
Rose trailed off, watching the course of nature take it's place before her eyes. After a moment, she walked forward to another tank, smiling when she saw the waving green plants on the bottom and the tiny seahorses with their tales wrapped around the stalks, holding themselves in place against the rush of the water swirling around them. They must be stubborn, she thought fondly. Just like Bellamy.
"No, but it can't be that hard to find." he said quietly, a bit sheepish he had agreed to take her to a place he had no idea where it was.
"Says the man that went into the muggle bookshop to ask for directions," said Rose teasingly with a wide smile. He laughed, and nodded.
"You've got me on that," he admitted. "But I'll find it. I would just apparate directly to it, like you did earlier, but I've splinched myself a couple times doing that, and it isn't pleasant."
"I've never splinched," she said proudly. "Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. Something you see to lack, Mr. Weasley." Rose then smiled mischeviously at him, and pulled his hand into hers, and turned on the spot, her mind completely focused on London Zoo. They appeared right inside the entrance, and she frowned rather dramatically. "I meant to appear in the line... I feel bad not paying."
"Don't worry about it. You can put in some money as we leave," Fred suggested, smiling at her. She nodded, and began tugging him past the gift shop, an eating place, and towards the nearest exhibit, which happened to be an aviary.
The calls and chirps of the many birds flooded her ears, and she smiled watching the colorful birds. They had a wider variety of them here than they did at the zoo where she lived. "There's a Secretary bird," she murmured to him as the bird ruffled his wings from his perch, looking down on them with a rather austere glare. "They've always reminded me a bit of Phoenixes..." Fred's mind immediately flickered to the Order, and he wondered what his father was doing. If he was still guarding the "weapon" or if another member had taken his place, since Arthur had already been attacked once. "Oh, there's a Macaw."
"You know, besides the animals at Hogwarts and the ones around my house, I haven't seen many animals. I've never been to a zoo, actually." he told her, a half smile turning up one of the corners of his mouth. Her eyes widened, and a fanatical gleam came into her eye.
"Then I'm going to have to educate you!" she declared happily, not noticing how his lips pursed against laughter and the way his eyes twinkled merrily.
"Alright." he said mildly, as they walked through, noticing different birds as they went on. "I say it's a fair trade since I'm going to teach you how to play quidditch."
Noticing a small pair of birds, brightly colored with green, yellow, and purple, Rose blushed slightly as she remembered Bellamy's teasing phrase, she pointed and quietly said, "And those are... lovebirds."
Fred flushed as well, but grinned all the same, "I don't think they're half as attractive as us." Rose laughed, glad that he was making a joke of it.
"I disagree," she said lightly, tilting her head ever-so-slightly as she watched the birds twitter and ruffle their feathers, all the while not losing an inch between them. "I'm lacking color."
He looked at her and said, "Swans are still beautiful, and they lack lots of color." Rose's cheeks burned and ducked her head, letting her hair hide her face and the wide smile that perched on her lips at his comment. "Of course, when you blush you have enough color for about three people."
She gave him a playful glare, and said loftily, "Well, with your flaming hair you have enough color for ten, and even more when you blush."
He chuckled, running his hand through his hair a bit self consciously, "It's the Weasley trademark. You can always pick us out from the hair, freckles, and heighth."
Rose nodded thoughtfully, as she ran her hand through her hair, looking at it with a speculative expression, "I always wanted to look like my family. I have my father's eyes, but besides that I take after my grandmother. I only know that from pictures, though. She died before I was born."
"I'm sorry." he said sincerely, giving her hand a sympathetic squeeze. She smiled at him, and shrugged.
"It's fine. I'm sad that I never got to meet her, but I can't really miss someone I've never met." Rose said logically.
He nodded, understanding her way of thinking perfectly. "I feel the same way about my mum's brothers. They were twins-- like George and myself --and were murdered by five Death Eaters during the first war. I even suspect she named us after them since they were Gideon and Fabian."
"That's so sad..." murmured Rose, as she thought of his mother crying over the loss of her brothers. It was different than her grandmother dying; she had lived a full, happy life, but those brothers were probably only just middle aged. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Bellamy."
Fred was instantly reminded of how much danger all his friends and family were in, as they were all fighting the war against Voldemort, and he didn't know if he could even speak. It was a possibility that any of them might not make it. He didn't know if he could answer her and sound normal, so he merely nodded. She noticed his obvious discomfort, but didn't comment as they finally made their way out of the aviary.
She looked up at him and asked quietly, as not to disturb his deep thinking, "Do you want to go to the Aquarium or the Reptile House?"
He smiled and said cheerfully, "How about the Aquarium?"
Rose returned his smile, glad that he seemed to be okay. "Very good choice. I like reptiles, but fish are more fascinating, I think."
"Well, I do have good taste," said Fred with a smirk, as they walked into the large white building, and they fell quiet as the blue water reflected across the room and onto them, giving them a sense of being underwater. They were the only ones in there, that they could see, and without thinking Rose gripped his hand tighter. He smiled softly at this, and walked forward looking around at the glass filled with coloful, and often odd, fish. After a minute, he said, "Merlin. I've seen some strange things, but this makes the top twenty."
She nodded solemnly, "More people have gone into space than gone into the depths of the sea. It's... a mystery, to say the least. Like it's own planet. You see that plant right there? Those are called anemones. Those orange and white striped fish are called clown fish. Ordinarily, and in all other cases besides those fish, those plants are poisonous, and eat the other fish, but the clown fish are immune so they take shelter there..."
Rose trailed off, watching the course of nature take it's place before her eyes. After a moment, she walked forward to another tank, smiling when she saw the waving green plants on the bottom and the tiny seahorses with their tales wrapped around the stalks, holding themselves in place against the rush of the water swirling around them. They must be stubborn, she thought fondly. Just like Bellamy.