Obliviate ; Fred Weasley

Sixteen

"You're such a fucking menace."

Laughing, Fred followed me down the hallway after our shower and I hurried off into the kitchen.

"It was a question, Kai!"

"A stupid one!" I exclaimed. "You know I'm not in a place where I want a child right now!"

Fred leaned on the kitchen island, watching me as I grabbed a glass and filled it with water.

"You're never gonna want a fucking child with me."

I didn't answer. I downed the entire glass and then looked at him while putting it down.

I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and let out a sigh.

"We are in our mid twenties, Fred. We have got time. Loads of time. Why is it so important to you to do it right now?"

He shrugged.

"All of our friends are having babies, Kai. George and Angelina just became parents. Martha and your brother are expecting. Hell, Bill and Fleur are having their second child soon. We are the only ones—"

"Felix and Lee don't have children."

"Well, I don't consider Felix one of my friends." He shrugged. "He's your friend, and your ex-boyfriend but that's not something I can talk about either, is it?"

I groaned.

"Plus, they are looking into adopting." He said. "We are the only people in our friend group that won't have a baby in six months."

I just stared at him for a while, chewing on my lip while holding down my anger about this conversation.

"I apologise for not wanting to rush into parenthood." I said calmly. "I like the way my life is right now. I don't crave to carry a baby for nine months just to be in an insufferable amount of pain to push that baby out."

"That'll be momentarily but parenthood is forever."

"Exactly." I nodded. "We'll have the responsibility of a child for eighteen years, Fred. I don't see how people are so obsessed with the idea of having children. It's a lot of filthy diapers, a lot of puke, a lot of drawing on the walls and I don't want that in my life right now."

"In our life." He corrected me. "We're married. It's our life, not your life."

I pressed my lips tightly together, staring at him.

"If you are so desperate to have a child right now and you can't wait until I'm ready, go marry someone who wants one as much as you want one."

He walked around the counter and leaned back against it.

"I want a family." He said. "And I want it with you."

I didn't answer.

"Are you ever going to want one with me?"

"I don't know, Freddie."

He watched me for a while without saying anything. I grabbed my empty glass and put it in the sink before walking past him.

"Kai, I'm sorry." He sighed while I walked towards the sofa where Aaron was sleeping. "But how exactly is this marriage going to work if we're not on the same page about family?"

I looked at him while sitting down in the corner of the sofa, running my fingers through Aaron's fur.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"That you should've made it clear to me before you married me!" He raised his voice and turned to me as well. "You've always known I've wanted children and you've always told me that you want them one day, but now you're saying you might not want any at all?"

I closed my eyes for a moment. I didn't need this. I didn't need to have this fight with him, and I definitely didn't need to get angry with him right now.

"My mother threw out my older brother because of a fight. She threw me out because I had sex and there was evidence of that. She called me a whore. Then my father died and she's been neglecting my little brother ever since." I said. "I don't want children right now. Not when I have to worry about my little brother. Not when I'm trying to figure out what's going to happen with him when we turn mum in to the ministry."

I stood back up.

"I'm leaving. I'm gonna go for a walk and we're both gonna take a breath." I said. "I'll be back in a couple of hours, we'll eat dinner together and then we'll go out for New Years."

Fred didn't say anything. He stayed in the same spot while I put on shoes and a coat, and then I left.

I walked for a while, needing the fresh air but then I decided to go see Felix and Lee.

I apparated to the house they shared, walking up to the front door before finding their extra key.

They were fine with me using it. They had quite a big house so sometimes they wouldn't be able to hear when someone knocked on the door.

Especially if Lee was working down in the basement.

I let myself in, shutting the door behind me. I took off my shoes, hung my jacket on the wall and then walked further into the house.

"Felix?!" I called, my voice echoing through the walls. "Lee?!"

No one answered so I let out a sigh and decided to help myself to some food in their kitchen.

Though when I entered, I froze, and so did Theodore Larch who stood behind the island, a cup of tea in his hand.

"Theo..."

His eyes were slightly wide as he stared at me.

"You— I've not seen you since..."

He inhaled sharply and put down his cup.

"I can't even remember." I lied. "What are you doing back?"

"I've been— I've missed my family." He said quietly. "Mum and dad don't want me in the house but Felix... he doesn't know how to say no."

This was weird. I hadn't seen him since he had stabbed me and almost killed me.

"Are you still—"

"No." He said quickly. "And I regret everything I did, everything I supported. Kai—"

He stepped around the counter.

"I want to apologise—"

"Oh, it's fine." I waved it off. "I mean, the part where you stabbed me when trying to stab Fred... that wasn't okay, but I'm able to forgive. You made some horrible mistakes but if you've learned from them..."

I couldn't read his expression. Maybe he looked... shocked?

"You don't remember..."

He didn't say anything else and I cocked an eyebrow.

"What? Remember what?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing. Sorry. Wrong person."

I didn't answer. I looked around the kitchen and then over my shoulder before looking at him again.

"Is Felix home? Or Lee?"

"Felix, yes. Lee, no. He'd kill me if he saw me here."

I just hummed, waiting for him to tell me where his little brother was.

Then he pointed upstairs and I nodded, thanking him before leaving the room. I hurried upstairs, finding Felix in his office, in the phone with someone.

His eyes landed on me and they widened.

"I gotta go." He said quickly and hung up. "Kai!"

"Hey..." I said, crossing my arms over my chest while leaning against the doorframe.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Kai? Theodore is downstairs."

I nodded.

"I know. I talked to him, but it's fine. I believe people can change and he seems a lot... calmer."

Felix shook his head as he ran his hands though his hair.

"Go home, Kai."