Chéri || Fred Weasley

lxxxvi

Now that Fred's wedding day was around the corner, time was not being merciful with Madeleine. The week she begged time to go slow, it was as if life was mocking her by going by faster. She tried avoiding him as much as she could but it was mission impossible, there was always this unstoppable magnet that was determined to them together in any way possible, call it destiny if you will. With managing the café, taking care of Teddy and the emotional bagage that she was now forced to care, deep inside Maddie felt like a mess. All the time her heart ached. All the time her brain was passing old memories with him like a bloody broken record. That's the only thing she had left. Time.

"I thought you were never gonna bother us with all that wedding nonsense," Maddie said as she handed him over his coffee to go before scanning the invitation he had just given her.

"Come again?"

"I specifically remember the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding you promised not to do the wedding stuff you said and I quote, 'you can all wear what you like and I'll put a full body bind curse on mum until it's all over.' I guess Molly is not really part of the planning by the looks of it so you maybe should try doing that with Angelina," she said quietly.

"How come you remember that? It was three years ago," Fred mumbled.

"I have a good memory, but rehearsal dinner also qualifies as wedding nonsense," she sent him a small smile.

"Touché," he nodded, "thanks for the food."

"Anytime, have a nice day," she whispered.

"You too," Fred said and once he left, he turned around to look at her from the window as she talked to another customer with a smile on her face, his heart aching at the sight of her.

*****

Wednesday night, Maddie was sitting alone on her living room couch with Duchess curled up on her lap. She was staring blankly at the delicate invitation on her coffee table and couldn't help but let the tears she had been holding so hard for the past two months, run freely. She had never known how soothing a cat's company could be as Duchess tried licking the tears from her face, but she didn't expect for her flat's door to burst open at that hour of the night.

"We've come to cheer you up!" Alicia said loudly and set on the kitchen counter several store bags.

"Why?" Maddie quickly brushed her tears away.

"Tomorrow is the dinner rehearsal so-"

"Yeah, I know Liz," Maddie sighed.

"We brought tequila," Alicia grinned and handed each of her best friends a bottle before taking one for herself and sitting down on the couch.

Madeleine didn't want to talk. She knew that if she did, then tears would fall again and she was afraid that they would never stop if she did. They drank in silence, Maddie's gaze still fixated on the invitation when music filled her ears. She looked up to see both of her best friends grinning. "So we prepared a number that we know you'll like but for us to do it, you have to drink more and join us," Lizzie beamed.

"Listen, this is really nice but I'm not in the mood-"

"We made a promise six years ago Mads, always and forever and that also means through thick and thin and this is thicker than what any of us really expected," Alicia said.

"More than a war?" Maddie frowned.

"You know what I mean!" Alicia huffed. "The war was horrible but right now, we are also at war with Fred and the Wicked Witch of the West, so please just drink some more and get your ass up!"