The Life After [f.w/d.m]

Chapter Four.

Autumn came and went with a nasty bite and an eerily calmness about it. The leaves fell from the whomping willow, the temperature ranged from cold to a good day in spring.

Winter was overhead, and yet the majority of people didn't seem to mind. Most were in need of a break, from school and just the incessant shrill of a certain pink toad.

Nova felt awkward around Fred, whilst watching George and Maia stare at each other in DA, Fred would position himself as far away from Nova as he could, and was never hesitant to be her duelling partner — and then hex her into oblivion with a flurry of stinging jinxes to her lower torso.

This boy didn't take rejection well and whilst Nova felt bad, she didn't realise he cared that much, as far as she gathered, his idea of love was as skeptical as hers.

It seems the difference was, she'd never had it and never felt it so as a result never needed it whilst he'd never had it but felt and saw it first hand, so needed it.

It was a complex ideology in her head and yet, she was tired of coming back to the common room with massive jinx marks all over her legs and Fred barely breathing in her presence.

"Could you two stop eye-fucking each other every moment you get?"

After the third lesson, it seemed Fred had had enough of seeing romance in the air.

Every had someone, even his twin brother.

Who now he barely spent time with because it was all about another girl.

'A waste of fucking time.' Fred thought, anger bristling at his seams just thinking of her.

Her and her long legs, the way she glides through the corridors, her dainty fingers which he kept thinking of them wrapped around his arm at Hogsmead, or even on his face in some alternate universe.

In a forbidden moment that none of them ever seemed to get access too - "Fuck!"

Pain shot up his arm and he heard a crack.

Alone.

Again.

In his and George's dorm, but George was with Maia.

And he was alone.

In pain.

He had it convinced she was different, the way everyone wanted her, but nobody could. And now here he was, punching a wall over her?

"Pathetic, Fred. Punching the wall. Over a girl?"

A familiar voice, yet it wasn't George.

"What do you want, Baker?"

"Ooh not very friendly. It's a Friday night, I'm bored and my best friend is hangout out with your twin. Drink with me?" She offered weakly, holding up a bottle of fire whiskey.

"That's definitely not a good idea. You should-"

"Fred, you've known me for a good few months, and known me well at that. And you think, you can tell me what to do? Why would you, Fred Weasley, turn down drinking? You need it by the looks of it."

"Nova, I can't fucking drink with you. I can't because once I've started, I'm shit at stopping and then I'll be a drunk mess at the end of it."

"So?"

It was a fair warning, and yet Nova knew he was hurting.

Over a girl.

That wasn't the Fred Weasley she knew and yet, she wanted to help.