Songbird ; Fred Weasley

Ninety-seven

I'm considering doing a spin-off to this story.

Maybe with one of Mavis' siblings being the love interest or the protagonist?

Idk. Whose story would you like to read?

I'm not sure it will happen, but I'm definitely considering it.

-

Growing up, whenever I got upset and ran away, I would always come back to the same place.

I would hide in the same playhouse as the day Daniel was kidnapped, but I never knew why I kept returning to that same place.

Now, I returned once again without even thinking about it. I sat in the corner of the playhouse, my knees tucked to my chest and my arms wrapped around them.

Now I knew why.

This was where I hid after Daniel disappeared when I was just six years old. My subconscious knew so everyone I got upset and ran off, my brain would tell my legs to go here.

I was growing cold after sitting there for a couple of hours.

While sitting here, I was staring to realise that I needed help. I had practically stopped taking care of myself and relied on Fred for too much.

A shadow covered the small door to the playhouse, and my head snapped up, my eyes zoning in on Fred who was crawling through the small door.

"Hey." He said softly, dropping down in front of me. "Flynn said you might be here."

He held a blanket that he immediately wrapped  around me to warm me up, then rubbed his hands up and down my arms.

"They told you..." I said quietly, staring up at his face.

"They did." He nodded. "They're worried about you, and frankly, so am I."

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"It's okay." He assured me. "You didn't mean to freak out on them. And Flynn's phone is already as good as new."

"I embarrassed myself." I said. "I completely lost control of my feelings. They— they cornered me and it was like a fucking intervention or something. I felt pressured and I acted and fuck."

"I know." Fred pressed a kiss to my temple and wrapped both arms around me, keeping me warm.

I reached a hand up and dragged my it across his jaw, feeling the stubble on his skin. He hadn't shaved for days, and I liked the roughness of his jaw whenever he didn't shave.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered again. "I'm a horrible mother. They're going to grow up to hate me."

"That's not true."

"I don't know how to give them the happy life they deserve." I told him. "They deserve so much better. I feel like I'm failing them."

"Hey, beautiful look at me for a moment." Fred pulled his head back a few inches and grabbed my face, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "You are not failing them. Our children deserve a happy mother just as much as you deserve that happiness. How about we go home, get some sleep and tomorrow we will look for options. Find some help for you?"

I stared at him for a moment before I nodded slowly, warily.

"The kids are staying with my parents for a couple of days while we figure this out." He told me. "And your family has promised to leave you alone tonight. We go home and we go upstairs. You need some sleep."

"I'm not wearing any shoes." I said quietly, and Fred's eyes dropped to my feet.

"Shit. Alright, we're apparating home. You must be freezing."

Once we were back in the bedroom, Fred urged me to the bed, wrapping the blanket tighter around me while also tucking me into the duvet.

He joined me on the bed and his hands slipped under the duvet, rubbing my feet warm.

"I'm going to look at mental health hospitals in the morning." Fred told me, and I sighed, shutting my eyes.

"No, Freddie—"

"Please." He said, and I opened my eyes to see him look at me, begging me with his gaze. "Do this for yourself. At least just for a few weeks. There'll be therapy every day and it'll help you."

I ran my hand over my face and into my hair, staring up at the ceiling.

"You can't be a patient at Cygnet Hospital because that's where Daniel is, and I'm not sure it would be ideal for anyone to be at a mental hospital along with family, so I'll look for something else."

I didn't want to fight him on it. The way he was looking at me, convinced me that he was right.

"Okay." I whispered.

Fred moved up the bed, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"I have to use the bathroom for a sec. I'll be right back." He then kissed my lips and got off the bed, disappearing into the bathroom.

By the time Fred got back to bed, I had fallen asleep, and I woke up again the next morning when the sunlight shone right through the window and landed on me.

When I got out of bed, I found Fred in the bathroom, rubbing shaving cream across his cheeks and jaw.

"You're shaving?" I asked, earning his attention. His eyes fell on me through the mirror, and he offered a slight smile.

"It's starting to annoy me." He admitted while I walked over and pulled myself up to sit on the sink.

Fred washed his hands while I reached for the razor.

"C'mere." I said softly, tugging him in between my thighs.

I gently tugged on his hair to make him lift his chin up, and then I carefully dragged the blade from the base of his throat and all the way up to his chin.

"Have you looked at mental hospitals?" I asked quietly as I shaved line after line across his neck and throat, then moved on to his neck.

"Not yet. Figured we should do it together." He said. "You deserve to have a say in the decision."

"Does that mean I don't have to go?"

Fred sighed deeply.

"Of course you don't have to. I won't force you, but think about yourself, Maves. Think about your family, our family."

I nodded.

"I know." I muttered. "I'll do it. I just— it scares me, okay?"

"I know." Fred rubbed his hands up and down my thighs. "It scares me too. I hate the thought of leaving you in there, but I just want you to be happy."

I finished shaving him in silence, cleaning up the sink while he put on some moisturiser.

When I finished cleaning up, I moved closer to him and slipped my arms around his waist.

"I love you so much." I whispered, gazing up at him.

Fred brushed some hair out of my face and leaned down to brush his lips over my forehead.

"I love you too, beautiful." He said and tilted my head back.

He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, then brought me in for a hug.

"Did you sleep alright?" He asked. "After last night?"

I nodded in response, closing my eyes against his chest. I was enjoying his embrace while dreading whatever mental hospital he would be taking me to.