Songbird ; Fred Weasley

Twenty-five

"Fred, get out."

Both Fred and I looked up at the sound of August. He was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, his cheekbone red, and I knew it was going to bruise soon.

Fred didn't answer, but he also didn't move, other than turning his head away again, focusing on me.

"Please." August sighed. "I need to speak to my sister."

Fred looked at my face, and I nodded at him, letting him know it was okay. He offered me a smile, standing up.

He pushed the ice pack into August's hands, and then walked out of the kitchen.

August sighed and walked over to me. I snatched the ice pack from his hands and pressed it to my knuckles.

"I'm sorry—"

"I'm not a whore." I cut him off, and he raised his eyes to look at me.

"No..." he shook his head. "You're not. I shouldn't have said that. I don't think you're a whore."

"Then why say it?" I asked. "Are you aware of how humiliating that was? You called me a whore and talked about previous guys I've slept with, not only in front of our brother, but also in front of Fred."

August leaned against the counter across from me. He crossed his ankles and grabbed the counter on each side of him.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked him. "You don't want me to date your friend."

"No. I don't want my friend to date you."

"Yeah? Then why is it me you're punishing?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "You've been ignoring me for two days."

He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"You lied to me, Mavis. We live under the same roof, and you've been sneaking around behind my back. I don't even know how long you've been dating for."

"Not that long." I shrugged. "We kissed right before I turned eighteen, we went on our first date shortly after my birthday..."

"Right, so three weeks?"

I shrugged again, staring down at my hands.

"I'm really sorry, Maves. I shouldn't have slut-shamed you. I shouldn't have been commenting on your sex life. You're eighteen. You're an adult and I think I have a tough time accepting that."

"No shit." I muttered.

"I don't like that he's dating you. I think you can do a lot better, but then again, I don't think anyone would be good enough for you." He sighed. "But I'm also worried. I don't want you to end up getting hurt if it doesn't work out."

I shrugged.

"It's apart of life." I told him. "You fall in love and you may or may not have your heart broken."

August ran a hand along his clenched jaw, looking towards the door.

"I'm going to respect whatever relationship you have, alright?" He said, not looking at me. "But I can't support it. I'm sorry, but I can't."

He walked out of the kitchen, and I clenched my fist, feeling angry. He was apologizing, but at the same time he won't support Fred and I, and that pissed me off.

I was about to leave the kitchen, when I heard the sound of my parents and the youngest kids return home.

The front door slammed shut, and fast footsteps echoed through the house.

I heard August greet Toby, and shortly after, Eliza came running into the kitchen and straight towards me.

"Mavis! Look what daddy bought me!" She shouted, full of excitement.