harry potter imagines

fred weasley x reader: if you're ever ready

fred weasley x reader

summary: a chance meeting leads to something unexpected

words: 2.3k

warnings: small curse, and so unedited it's not even funny

author's note: lol this took me ages to get it to where i want, so i doubt i'll do a part two, but also i hate open ended fics when i read then so idk. anyway, let me know if you all like it- gracie ♡♡

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The brittle January air was enough to make the faces of children red while chasing after one another, and it was certainly enough to make any sane person struggle to leave their warm bed.

You were perfectly sane- at least, in the sense that with the cold weather, you found yourself getting to the underground later and rushing out the door quicker. And, while the cool breezes were a large reason you ended up scolded early in the morning by your boss, there was also the fact you still had to remind yourself of small things. You had to remind yourself to not put on your velvet robes, to leave your wand in the bottom drawer of your dress, and mostly, to blend in.

It wasn't necessarily something you would consider unnatural for you- hiding the magical part of your life away neatly in the back of your closet and folded gently underneath your summer clothes. No, in fact, it was something you had mastered as a kid, but simply in reverse. With two muggleborn parents, you were given the lecture about hiding the muggle side of you at a very young age. You spent most of your summers playing futbol and attending summer school to learn about natural science and physics. Then, when September came around, you packed away your dreams to be an archeologist and forgot that part of your life. You supposed there was irony in it all.

Today was another day of rushing out the door and attempting to find some sort of routine in a world you hadn't been apart of in a long time. "Oh, watch out," you blurted, the words, unfortunately, coming out faster than you could move out of the way.

"Sorry- I didn't see you," the man apologized, his brown eyes scanning you for any injuries. There was something uncanny about him- you weren't entirely sure if it was his face, which was scattered with freckles in the same way the night sky was scattered with stars, or it was his unruly red hair. "I'm Fred, um, do we know each other?"

You snapped out of your mindless observation of the redhead, blushing furiously and checking your watch. "I'm sorry, sir, I have to make the 10:15 tour at the British Museum. I'd give you a galleon for the coffee stain, but I'm really late," you blabbered on, the wizarding phrase slipping out before you could stop yourself. "Send me your dry-cleaning bill, will you? Just give it to Sam at the museum- he'll find me. Thanks."

You left quicker than Fred could ask your name, but something about you made him think he already knew it. "Galleon," Fred mumbled to himself, running his calloused thumb over the golden coin that sat at the bottom of his pocket. "She's got to be a witch, but she's going to a muggle museum."

Fred stood in the middle of the crowded streets, his mind reeling and his feet leading back towards the way he came. By the time Fred had shaken the thoughts about you out of his mind, he found himself in front of a building that his dad used to take him often. The British Museum, a place of history and culture, at least, that's what his dad used to say before getting distracted by the ticket printer.

"Hello, um, am I too late for the 10:15 tour?" Fred asked, shifting his weight as the elderly man looked down at him from the help desk. "I am catching up with an old friend."

"For which exhibit, sir?"

Fred glances at the growing line behind him before leaning in closer to the elderly man. "Actually, sir, I- I ran into this girl on the street and she was rushing to get here after she spilled coffee on me. I don't really know what sort of tour she was talking about, but she mentioned Sam."