𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 | f. w

v. best friends

chapter five
BEST FRIENDS

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» » FRED AND EDITH SPENT the rest of the night talking. About old memories and life itself, but mostly they talked about George. It hurt to think about all the good times they shared, but it also served as some sort of comfort. Knowing that despite him being gone from this world, they still had their memories of him to hold onto. They would never seize to exist, they stayed within the safety of their hearts.

Edith found herself laying beside Fred in his bed, nuzzling closer to his chest. The warmth of his skin seemed to radiate off him, making Edith feel all the more safe and calm in his presence. Despite the fact that they hadn't really talked about the way things escalated between them, and where they stood with one another, it didn't really matter in that moment. All they really cared about then and there, was the way they made each other feel. It was nice, normal. As far as 'normal' goes.

"Remember that time we planted a Portable Swamp in Umbridge's office and no other teacher did anything to remove it?", Edith scoffed, as she let her head rest in the crock of Freds neck, while he continued to draw patterns across the skin on her arm.

Fred couldn't help but smile at the memory. "How can I forget? It sent Umbridge into a complete fit of rage as she struggled to get across. God, if only we could go back in time. Things felt so much simpler then".

"Yeah, I wish we could too. We were so innocent back then", she grinned sarcastically.

"Speak for yourself", Fred nudged the brunette, to which she let out a quiet groan.

"I just mean that-we had no idea just what the future had in store for us. It was only the beginning of the end".

✦✧✦

Edith fell asleep within the comfort of Fred's arms sometime during the early morning, and it wasn't until she felt him stirring next to her that she woke up from her slumber. She was relieved to find out that the redhead hadn't left her in bed the way he did some days before. Instead, he lay swathed in the covers, mumbling incoherent words in his sleep. Edith found it to be cute, the way he rested on his stomach, his eyelids aflutter.

"Morning, Freddie", she smiled, placing a kiss to his forehead before he got the chance to wake up completely.

"Morning to you too. Slept well?", he yawned, sitting up, facing the brunette. His hair was completely tousled and sleep marks scattered the side of his face, but she couldn't seem to care any less. He was so handsome.

"Hmm", she nodded. "You?".

"Like a baby", he grinned, pressing a gentle kiss on the bridge of her nose.

"What was that for?". Edith raised a brow, her cheeks a shade of crimson red.

"For being you".

Edith felt the butterflies swirling within the pit of her stomach, a feeling all too familiar. She used to get butterflies all the time when they were in school. Each time he took a hold of her hand, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, laughed at something she said, or even just glanced her way. Each time felt like the first time, and she couldn't seem to make sense of the way her heart started beating ferociously whenever he was near. She'd often brush it off, telling herself it was just a small crush, and that it would pass as quickly as it came. Of course, it never did, and she was left with the heartbreak of knowing the'd never be able to make it as a couple. They were just too good at being best friends. It wasn't worth ruining their friendship over some silly school-girl crush.

Fred and Edith spent the rest of the day just catching up. They wanted to do everything they had missed out on the last couple of years, things they used to love doing when they were at school. Things like hitting The Three Broomsticks for a glass (or rather, in their case, more than a few glasses) of butterbeer, playing a game of wizards chess as well as a round of gobstones, and having Fred show Edith around the joke shop. Of course, she'd spent much time there before everything happened, but she would still feel her heart beating rapidly at how excited Fred got from presenting all of the products in store.

She had missed him. It was adamant that she'd been struggling to keep up a good front when with Charlie in Romania. All though she loved working with dragons and saw Charlie as a role model, she couldn't help but feel like a big chunk of her life was missing. A chunk that stayed behind in London.

"So... Are we going to talk about what happened at all? I mean- between us?", Edith asked as the end of the day drew nearer. The moon casting a glimmering light over the green summer plains surrounding the village of Diagon Alley.

"What did happen between us, Edith?", Fred scratched the back of his neck nervously. He barely knew what do with his hands. Still, he had wished for her to bring up the subject of their little indiscretion, wanting to get the whole thing over with. "Because right now it feels like we're just- I don't know- moving in circles. I'm not saying I didn't have a great time with you today, because I really did. I just don't know what to do with. . . this". He signed between the two of them.

"Look—all I know is—the way I felt today—I haven't felt like that in years, and I'm not completely ready to give that up just yet. It feels like we're finally in a good place, and I don't want to go back".

Fred smiled sheepishly. "I don't want to go back either".

"Good", Edith placed a quick peck on the side of his cheek, making Fred blush. He hoped that she didn't notice the way his face heated up, when in fact, it was pretty obvious that the girls' actions had left him feeling completely warm inside. It wasn't a bad feeling, not at all.

"Good". He mirrored.

⬩ word count: 1049