Songbird ; Fred Weasley

Seventy

We love family secrets being revealed.

Prepare ;)

-

"Mum?" I asked as I stared up at the angel wings ornament hanging from the tree, with the initials D.C carved into it.

"What is it, dear?" Mum asked, and I pointed up at the ornament.

"I've never seen this one before." I said. "The angel wings. Who's D.C?"

Every child had a ornament with their initials. An ornament we were gifted at birth. It was a family tradition.

Ronan was the first child and got a simple red Christmas ball.

Mine is a Christmas bell.

When mum didn't answer, I looked at her and she had grown awfully pale.

"Mum?"

"It's no one." She said quickly. "It shouldn't even be up there."

She snatched the ornament and marched out of the room, and I stared at her back as she walked away.

That ornament seemed so familiar.

D. C.

I narrowed my eyes, knowing there was some sort of thing she wasn't saying. I had to ask my dad about this.

I walked to dads office. The door was open and he was in discussion with Fred who had Theodora on his arm.

I hit my knuckles against the door, earning the attention of both of them.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but dad, I have a question." I said. "It won't take long. I just need to know who D. C. is."

Just like my mother, my dads face paled and he looked down at the stack of papers on his desk as if those documents were the most important thing in the world.

He messed with the corner of the stack, shaking his head.

"You know we don't talk about him, Maves."

"Talk about who?"

Dad looked up at me from under his eyebrows, Fred watching the interaction all while holding our youngest daughter.

"Don't make me say his name. No one in this house has mentioned him ever since the day he got taken."

"Since who—"

"Daniel!" Dad raised his voice slightly, but then took a deep breath. "Fred, will you leave us alone for a moment?"

"Of course." Fred walked over to me and pressed a kiss to the side of my head before he left the office and shut the door behind him.

"Who the fuck is Daniel?" I asked, and now dad's face changed. He looked at me with confusion.

"Daniel. Your brother." He said. "Mavis, you have to remember him. You were six when he went missing."

I'm so lost right now.

"You don't remember him?" Dad asked when he noticed how I just stared at him.

I shook my head.

"I have six older brothers?" I whispered. "Is he older than me?"

Dad ran a hand through his hair and dropped into his desk chair. Then he ran a hand over his mouth before finally looking at me again.

"He and Harvey were twins." He said. "Daniel and Harvey. It was always Daniel and Harvey. Until Daniel went missing. Then it became Harvey and August."