Adored - Fred Weasley

Chapter Nineteen

"W-what, what the hell Adrian?!" you sputtered, backing away from him, "Where's Fred?" 

"Fred?" Adrian asked, "How would I know where Fred is?"

"He was just here," you insisted, gesturing wildly with your hands, "I was just kissing him!"

"No you weren't," Adrian continued slowly, "you were kissing me. Are you still not feeling alright?"

You suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous but it wasn't from the alcohol. You slowly get to your feet and walked over to your friends, your heart in your stomach.

"Where's Fred?" you asked them, your voice slightly trembling.

"Well uh," Katie said, "We all came over here to check on you because you hadn't come back after a while." Katie paused and inhaled before continuing, "and then we saw, well that, and he just turned around and walked out of the common room without a word."

"How are YOU the one who's confused right now," George said stepping towards you, the volume in his voice rising, "you cheated on my brother." 

"Just let me find Fred and talk to him." you pleaded, "I will figure this all out, okay?"

Before waiting for any of your friends to answer, you ran out of the common room in search of Fred. You didn't care if a teacher saw you running around the castle after hours, all that mattered was finding Fred. In the dark, you hissed his name but were unable to find him within the castle's walls.

As you searched for him, you replayed the night's events in your mind up until when you kissed Fred, then opened your eyes and Adrian was there in his place instead. None of it made sense.

Eventually, you found yourself outside of the castle and practically sprinting across the grass towards the quidditch pitch screaming Fred's name. Then, you saw him. He was just standing on the grass, head down, ignoring your shouts for him. You ran over to him, feeling like your lungs would burst but felt a wave of relief wash over you knowing you had found him.

"Freddie please can we talk," you said standing in front of him, just staring at the top of his head and hair which he had spelled back to its natural orange. He didn't look up at your prescence or your words.

"What? You figured out that you don't like me? Is that it? Is that your big realization you ran all the way out here to tell me?" he said sarcastically, his head still fixated on the ground.

"Fred-" you started, but Fred continued talking.

"When I was in Lupin's class a few weeks ago we were working on our casting our Patronus." Fred started, "He told us to think of one of our happiest memories and I picked you. I picked when we were out here, right here on this exact grass, holding each other in the rain and asking each other to the dance. I was so happy." he said, looking up at you, tears beginning to well in his eyes, "Was that a mistake?"

"Fred no, please just hear me out," you begged, now feeling your own eyes fill with tears, "I thought that Adrian was you. I didn't kiss him because I like him, I kissed Adrian because I thought I was kissing you!"

"So you're blaming this on being drunk?" he said in disbelief, "Because that sure didn't look like a drunk kiss to me."

"Fred I wasn't drunk. I know what I saw. Adrian was YOU. I couldn't have been drunk, I only had one drink and it was-" you abruptly stopped, the realization hitting you right in the face. 

"I think Dilla did something to my drink, Fred. She could have slipped a potion into it. It was the only thing I drank and it would explain why I saw Adrian as you!" you said, becoming slightly upbeat, "And we know Dilla practically has it out for me, it all makes sense." you felt a little better now knowing you weren't crazy. This could be, had to be the logical and correct explanation.

"I want to trust you," Fred said looking into your eyes, "but I just can't get the image of you kissing Pucey, holding his face, smiling into him, and worst of all enjoying it," he said as if he had a terrible taste on his tongue.

"The only person I want to enjoy kissing is you, Fred," you said.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Fred then pulled you into a fierce hug. You were okay. You immediately wrapped your arms around him and the two of you stood there hugging one another in comfortable silence. This was now the second time in this spot outside the quidditch pitch you two had done so. As the two of you stood there, you felt tears of relief rolling down your cheeks as your head was buried in Fred's sweater. 

"Fred," you said, both of you still embracing one another, "we need to go back inside and let our friends know what happened. We've both been gone for so long they are going to get worried. I also have to confront Dilla." 

"You're right." he sighed, pulling out of the hug, "You always are."

You looked up at Fred and was listening to his words when he noticed your tears. 

"Why are you crying? We're okay," Fred said, bending his knees to get closer to your face, "plus if you keep crying I'll probably cry too," he said wiping your tear-soaked cheeks with his thumbs, holding either side of your face. 

"I guess it's fitting we dressed up as Shaggy and Velma huh? Because we sure solved a mystery."

His stupid joke made you laugh, and as a result, made Fred laugh too. Soon enough the two of you were holding one another's arms for balance and nonstop giggling under the light of Halloween's full moon. Even though things were awry for a little, you already felt things going back to the way they were hours earlier.

When the two of you finally caught your breath, you began to head back up into the castle, the both of you preparing yourselves for whatever would happen next.