Songbird ; Fred Weasley

Fifty-two

The house was quiet as I stepped over the threshold.

I pushed the door shut behind me before just listening to the silence for a minute.

Christmas decorations filled the entrance hall, and as I pushed off my shoes and walked further into the house, I saw the big Christmas tree in the orangery.

Piles of presents laid underneath it, and I walked over, carrying the bag with the presents in it.

I had bought christmas presents for everyone while in New York, including my mother.

Even though she lied and I was angry with her, she was still my mum and I loved her.

I placed all of the presents underneath the tree, and as I placed the last one, I noticed footsteps.

I looked up to see my mother approaching.

She looked like a mess.

Her hair was in a messy bun and she looked like she hadn't slept for years.

"Hi baby." She offered me a soft smile, tilting her head as she stopped a few feet away from me. "Did you have a nice trip to New York?"

I nodded once, my eyes drifting away from her, because looking at her was awkward and I didn't know what to say.

"Are you home?" She asked. "For good, I mean..."

I stood up, wrapping my arms around myself.

"I'll stay with Ronan until Fred and I find a place together."

"Oh..." she forced a small smile. "That's fine. As long as you have someplace to stay."

Mum took a step towards me but she stayed at a distance, probably too scared to scare me off or something.

"Have you had dinner?" She asked.

"I ate at Fred's place."

"Okay... well, how about some ice cream? We can go for some like when you were little, and we can talk."

I hesitated. I really didn't want to spend time with her, but then again, I did want answers.

-

I finished my ice cream and then was way too focused on the table and the scratches in it. I leaned back in my chair, glancing at mum.

We had both just been eating our ice cream in peace.

"Why did you lie to August?" I asked, earning her attention.

She stared at me for a minute before slowly putting the spoon down.

"You only told him about the affair. You didn't tell him how I was involved."

Mum let out a small sigh.

"I didn't tell him, because I didn't know if you wanted them to know the truth." She said softly. "I wanted you to make that decision on your own."

"I don't want to lie to everyone." I said. "And I'm tired of secrets."

Mum nodded once.

"Okay." She said. "I'll come clean to your siblings."

"Good."

Mum ate some more ice cream before she looked at me again.

"What happened with Eric back then was a huge mistake. Your dad and I was going through a rough patch and while that isn't an excuse, I slept with Eric a couple of times. I didn't know he had a thing for me, but when I found out, I called it off, came clean to your dad, and then about a month later, I fell pregnant." She let out a sigh. "I knew it was Eric's, but I didn't want to ruin our family even more, and I didn't want Eric to father one of my children. I told your dad it was his, and while I don't regret letting your father raise you, I do regret lying to him and lying to you."

I didn't answer because what was I supposed to say? Instead I just stared at her, waiting for her to say something else.

"You have every right to be upset with me, Mavis. You have every right to be angry. I just hope you can... I don't know, eventually look at things from my perspective and try to understand why I did what I did. Nothing excuses it, I know that, but I love you, baby, and I thought I was doing what was best for our family."

I was silent for another moment before nodding.

"I know." I said quietly. "But... I don't know— I just feel like everything has been one big lie. I keep thinking about everything. Every time Eric took me to that bridge where we would watch the water and try and find different kinds of fish. We'd talk and he always made me feel so important. I always thought that maybe I was the one he spent all that time with, was because I lived in the chaos of having only brothers and could use a break from time to time, but now it's clear that he only did it to get closer to his oldest daughter."

"I know, darling, and I'm sorry you have to go through all of this." She reached across the table to grab my hand, and I let her.

"Why did you let us have quality time when you knew the truth?" I asked with a frown. "It hurts so much more because of how close I've been to Eric."

"It scared me, but I was also scared of your dad finding out, and he'd be suspicious if I didn't let his brother spend time with his own niece." Mum shook her head as she spoke. "Now it's all out in the open and I am so relieved but also so sorry that it's affecting you."

I moved my hand out of mums grasp and placed both of mine in my lap, staring down at them.

"I just— I need to not focus on this right now. I'm halfway through my pregnancy and Fred and I will be looking for somewhere to raise her." I inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, mum, but I'm going to go. I'm tired and I still need to unpack my things at Ronan's place."

When I got to Ronan's, he was in the middle of making a cup of tea.

"Hey." He offered a soft smile when I walked through the door in his kitchen.

"Hi." I muttered and shut the door behind me. "I just came from eating ice cream with mum."

Ronan turned towards me and raised his eyebrows. Moving boxes scattered his flat, but then again, he had only lived here for a couple of weeks.

"Yeah? How'd that go."

I shrugged.

"I hate that I kind of feel bad for her." I said and let out a sigh. "Anyway... I will unpack my clothes and head to bed early. I'm tired."

"Okay." My brother offered me another smile. "Do you want a cup of tea before you go to sleep?"

I thought about it for a minute before I nodded.

"That would be lovely. Thank you."