the gentle moon / george weasley

the gentle moon

"I think I'm going mad." Fred groaned, throwing himself at the couch and burying his face in the cushion.

"Clearly." August looked over the edge of her book at him, a small moon that only Fred, Remus and she could see. The pair found a way to put a vanishing charm on the pillow/moon, making it only visible to them and Fred.

"What's wrong with you?" George laughed, kicking his brother in the shoulder and making him fall to the ground.

"That!" He pointed up at the ceiling, to nothing. Well nothing for everyone, not August. She could see it, it was definitely bigger than it was when she first charmed it.

"What?" Angelina looked up at the ceiling. "I don't see anything."

"ARGGG!" Fred groaned into his hands, "It's right there!"

"Mate, there's nothing." Lee laughed. And then he looked at August, who was giggling behind her book. "Oh.." Lee whispered, going back to his homework.

"I'm not joking!" Fred looked like he could be brought to tears any moment, "Bloody moon is following me!"

"I'm not following you!" August said

"Not you, idiot!" Fred sighed, pulling a pillow off the couch next to him and covering his face. "For the last week, I've felt something just hovering above me. And then yesterday I noticed this moon, it just follows me everywhere. And it keeps getting bigger!"

"I think you have gone mad, should we write to mum?" George asked

"You clearly have pissed someone off." Angelina laughed, "You're cursed."

"Someone cursed me?!" Fred shot up from the ground, "I don't even know who I could have pissed off!"

For the next few days, Fred was the nicest he had ever been to everyone. Opening doors for professors, carrying girls' books. He even helped Snape pass out materials in their class. The moon was as big as beach ball now, barely fitting through doors when Fred walked into a room. August decided to free Fred of his torment when Lee asked her too. The match was coming up and Fred was barely flying straight with the moon always with him, and Wood was getting pissed.

Fred was alone in the common room one night, face in his hands in front of the fireplace and a large moon hovering above him. He only looked up when he felt a pillow fall on him. He looked over his shoulder at August smiling, with her wand up.

"It was you." He said, "What did I do? I'm sorry for whatever it was."

"You didn't do anything." She laughed, sitting next to him, "I needed you to remember me like this."

"What do you mean?" He held the pillow in his hand, and then looked at her, "Remember you how?"

"Like this, me. Exactly the same, the same girl who tortures you for a week. The one who loves you so much and can't imagine a world without her best friend."

"Moon, what's going on with you? You're worrying me."

"That moon sure did bother you all week, didn't it?" She wasn't laughing.

"Yeah.. Couldn't bloody sleep."

"I totally get that.." She shrugged, "Can you come with me? I need to talk to you in private.."

He watched her face carefully, she was biting her lip in worry. Her eyes were soft as she looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah." He smiled, gently, "I know a place."

They walked down a corridor that August didn't even know was in the castle.

"I need a room." Fred said out loud, not to anyone in particular. Before August could question him, a small door materialized in front of them. He smiled at her, motioning her to open it. She walked into a room that did not look like it could be in the castle. It had two couches, a desk with a bunch of potion makings and sweets. There were posters all over the walls, Weird Sisters, Irish National Team, and Holyhead Harpies. There was a bulletin board of illustrations of potential logos, with the letter 'W'.