Falling Slowly (A Hogwarts Lovestory) - Fred Weasley Fanfiction

33 | Say Nothing at All

"So tell me, Julie, where have you been hiding all the time? I haven't seen you in a while besides breakfast and dinner."
I blushed. Hermione was watching me closely. Of course she knew I was up to something, it was impossible to hide something from her.
"Ehh, I was up all night studying", I lied and tried to focus on my porridge so I wouldn't have to look at her. I was a bad liar.
"No, you wasn't", interfered Alicia who was just walking by. "You went to bed late yesterday. I heard you coming to our dorm long after midnight."
Alicia's eyes were still red from crying; she and Cedric had broken up a few days ago and she and Angelina were cursing boys ever since. Which was probably another reason why I didn't tell them the truth about what was going on.
"That's because I was studying at the library", I said and tried to put on my most convincing expression. "Snape's giving me a hard time this year. I don't want him to give me another reason to torture me in Potions."
My made-up answer seemed to convince Alicia, but not Hermione. She raised her eyebrows but luckily didn't say any further.

I hated to have to lie to my friends and I knew how selfish I acted right now by hiding the truth from them. The problem was, I was afraid that things would get complicated again as soon as the secret was out. That things wouldn't be as exhilarating anymore. And, to be honest, I had to admit that I loved that secret affair Fred and I were having. Luckily I had found the Room of Requirement when I was in second grade, otherwise meeting secretly would've been more of a problem. But this way, we had an entire room with an incredible comfortable bed just for ourselves....

It has been a very happy time for both of us so far. Yet we never had the talk we promised each other to have after my ride on the hippogriff, but we were getting along better than ever. I reckoned we were both afraid of commitment but we also couldn't let our hands off each other. That's why we somehow came to a silent agreement and kept it simple. We made out secretly, didn't tell anyone and didn't put a lable on what we had either. And it worked pretty well. At least for now.

"Could you scooch over a bit?", asked Alicia.
I was just about to ask why, when I saw them walking over to our table. Fred and George, already wearing their Quidditch uniforms. Today was the last day of training before their great game against Hufflepuff tomorrow. They used to play against Slytherin, but they had to postpone it because Malfoy was allegedly hurt in the hospital wing after he got hit by Buckbeak.
Merlin, how handsome Fred looked in his uniform. I was sure he and George must look so alike for everyone else, but for me, they looked completely different. It was only Fred's attractive smile that made a bunch of butterflies make their way through my guts.
He immediately started smirking the moment he noticed I was watching him. I wished he'd be a little more subtle, but apparently nobody noticed or at least they thought Fred flirting was nothing special.
"Ready for the big day tomorrow?", asked Alicia, as Fred and George sat down. "Oliver is getting all nervous. I reckon he kept you up all night on the field to practice his new strategy?"
"Yesterday night was indeed very exhausting", Fred admitted seriously and grinned. "I barely closed my eyes for even a minute."
George rolled his eyes. Of course he knew.
"Shouldn't you make sure to get enough sleep for the game?", asked Angelina, who just joined us and filled her bowl with porridge full to the brim. "Oliver is literally going to kill you if you're not resting enough in bed."
"Oh, I bet spending time in bed isn't his problem, is it?", Hermione asked and glanced meaningfully at both of us.
"There are many ways to get yourself some recreation, Hermione", said Fred and winked at her. She just rolled her eyes annoyed and exchanged a long look with George, who just shrugged his shoulders.
"However", I tried to change the subject, sounding as innocently as possible. "Have you talked to Cedric yet, Alicia? Wouldn't it be awkward to play against him tomorrow if you didn't?"
"I know I should talk to him", she sighed. "But the truth is, I'm a coward."
"Why did you break up in the first place?", asked Hermione curiously. "I thought you loved him?"
"I did", said Alicia and her face got sad again. "And I told him that, but apparently he doesn't feel the same way about me."
"Shoot", said Hermione and put her arm around Alicia to comfort her. She was always so caring.
"I honestly hope you all will never know how it feels to tell someone you love them but they doesn't love you back", said Alicia and grabbed a napkin.
I got pretty quiet and avoided to look directly at someone, even though I could feel Hermione's eyes on me. She always knew everything so I was quite sure she knew pretty well that what Alicia just told us was what I feared most about my relationship with Fred. That it, once again, meant more to me than to him.

Funnily, I only had thoughts like that when I wasn't with him. When Fred and I were together though, I didn't had the slightest doubt that what we were doing was right.
What I had with Fred was completely different from what I had with Oliver or Roger. Oliver has always been the caring one who gave me everything I needed, the one who thoughtfully lent me his jacket when I was freezing or made sure I got my favourite muffin for breakfast. Roger on the other hand has been the one that treated me like a trophy, like I was something precious and valuable and he also shared my passion to music.
But when I was with Fred, I felt alive, truly alive. I didn't doubt anything anymore. I didn't fear anything anymore. When I was with him, I knew exactly who I was and where I was supposed to be. I have never felt more like myself than in every little moment I spent with this man. I knew that everything was right just the way it was and that everything was possible and I also knew that I would love Fred Weasley forever for giving me that feeling, no matter how this relationship would end.

When the day of the great Quidditch match came, I got pretty nervous.
Fred and I spent the night together in the Room of Requirement as usually and he suggested to stay the whole night and not to go back to Gryffindor tower this time. He wanted to wake up next to me as a lucky charm for the game, he said and I turned ruby red and wasn't able to say anything properly, so I just agreed and kissed him passionately.
But later, long after Fred was asleep, I woke up with a strange feeling in my guts. I stood up and walked over to the window to look outside. It was in the middle of the night, so the sky was dark of course, but unlike other nights at Hogwarts I could not see even one single star. The sky was covered completely in black clouds.
A storm was coming, I could smell it. Hopefully it would be gone by the morning so there wouldn't be any dangerous incident during the game.

It turned out that I have had every right to be worried the other night.
Not only the storm, but also the dementors of Azkaban disturbed the Quidditch game the next day. Dumbledore had to rescue Harry who fell from his broomstick after a dementor almost kissed him and Gryffindor lost the game against Hufflepuff.
It was hard to tell what made Oliver more furious - Harry being in the hospital wing after the dementor incident or losing the game.

"How is he?", I whispered to Fred after we all convinced Madam Pomfrey to let us visit Harry in the hospital wing.
"He got hit pretty hard", he whispered back and put his arm around me. Nobody noticed since everybody was busy worrying about Harry. "But his broomstick got hit even harder. The Whomping Willow put and end to it."
Fred nodded over to Ron, who was carrying a pile of damaged branches that once used to be Harry's beloved Nimbus 2000.

When Harry finally woke up to find out his broomstick was completeley destroyed and he'd also lost the game, he didn't took it that well and Madam Pomfrey made us leave the hospital wing so Harry would get some rest again.
On our way out, we ran into Oliver Wood, who was on his way over to Harry.
"Too late, Oliver", said George. "Better come back later."
"I would've been here earlier but I had to discuss with Professor Dumbledore about the game. It should have ended earlier, Hufflepuff shouldn't have won!" He was completely outraged.
"Whatever, mate", said Fred. "It's over now."
Oliver frowned as he noticed Fred had still his arms around my shoulders.
"What's going on with you two?", he asked shocked. After all, seing me in Fred's arms obviously terrified him even more than losing a game or a seeker.
"Ehh, nothing", I muttered and freed myself out of Fred's arms. I noticed how hurt Oliver looked, but apparently Ginny didn't.
"Julie and Fred are together now, even if they won't admit it, right?"
"No, Ginny, we aren't", I disagreed, because it was the truth and because I didn't want to hurt Oliver.
"You know what's the funniest thing about that?", Ginny continued and totally ignored me. "They think they are lying to us when they are actually just lying to themselves about being in a serious relationship."
"That's enough, Ginny", said Fred.
I didn't even have enough time to wonder how Ginny knew about us, because our little gathering in the corridor was just brought to a sudden end by a frustrated Oliver Wood, who turned around and ran away furiously, leaving us others behind, saying nothing at all.

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may, I can never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing
- Ronan Keating