LUCKY FLOWER||FRED WEASLEY {REWRITING/MOVED}

YEAR THREE: CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

"Hey, Rapunzel. How are you feeling?"

Fred watched with raised brows as Rapunzel took a seat across from him at the Gryffindor table, a warm smile on her face and all colour returned to her skin. She seemed totally unbothered, not even the slightest bit lethargic or anxious. He shared a brief look with George, who only shrugged.

"Great, why?"

"I just thought, y'know, after last night–" Fred was cut off by George's elbow in his side and he winced, craning his neck as George leaned in closer.

"What was that for?" He whispered harshly, rubbing his sore ribs.

"She probably just wants to pretend it didn't happen," George spared a glance at Rapunzel, who watched the two but made no effort to eavesdrop. "It was pretty rough."

Fred sighed in resignation as he pulled away. "Nothing, nevermind. You sleep alright?"

"I slept wonderfully," Rapunzel beamed. "Thanks for asking!"

"Right. No problem."

~*~

"Like this: Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" The class mirrored, a few giggles rippling through the group, Rapunzel among them. It was quite a silly name for a spell.

"This closet is a boggart," Remus explained. "It will show you your greatest fear, which may be overwhelming, I understand. But all you need to do is cast Riddikulus–make sure to enunciate, and it'll turn into something not to be feared. Understood?"

Concerned murmurs, uncertain nods, and vehement head shakes in response, and Remus smiled.

"Excellent! Let's get started!"

For some reason there was an odd amount of students deeply afraid of clowns, Rapunzel noticed. Perhaps it was a muggleborn thing? She would have to ask.

But when it came to George's turn there was no clown, nothing over dramatic or peculiar, nothing to laugh at. He saw himself, older, withered and grey. But he was alone, Fred wasn't beside him like he usually was and his eyes were heavy. He held flowers in his hand, wilting, clenched tightly in his fist. A gravestone.

"Oh, Georgie." Rapunzel whispered, not going unnoticed by Fred, the boy's eyes growing damp and his lips pressed in a thin line as he stared on at his brother's greatest fear.

George hesitated, forcing his gaze to the floor and gripping his wand so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Riddikulus." He exclaimed curtly, and the tension in the room was only slightly broken when his older self disappeared in a brilliant explosion of fireworks, red and gold that circled the room before going out.

"Well done, Mister Weasley." Remus' voice and his eyes said two different things, his tone neutral but eyes sympathetic and heavy. He knew what George was afraid to endure all too well. He was living it.

George wordlessly went to the back of the line, still staring at the floor despite Fred's attempt to get his attention. He looked back at Rapunzel with wide eyes, and she nodded in George's direction.

"It's fine, go check on him." She whispered. "The professor will understand."

Fred hesitated, meeting Remus' knowing gaze before conceding, rushing to the back of the classroom where George had tucked himself away.

In the meantime Rapunzel stepped up, it was her turn. In retrospect, she didn't know what she was deeply afraid of. She hadn't really thought about it.

As the boggart changed shapes in front of her, she suddenly wished it were a clown.

His name was on the tip of her tongue, a deep nagging familiarity tugged at her mind but she couldn't place where she had seen him before. But she had, her mind was racing too much to even attempt remembering his name.

"Look what you did to me!" He shrieked, black hair astray, open holes that showed right behind him scattered across his body, a large one in the centre of his chest. "You did this!"

"I don't know who you are!" Rapunzel cried, forgetting she was facing a boggart instead of a real man who had some kind of vendetta against her. "I never did anything to you!"

"You killed me! Again and again and again! All of this is your fault!" His voice was reaching unfathomable levels of volume, a vein pulsing in his neck.

"Please," Rapunzel whimpered. "Stop. I didn't do anything."

With an enraged cry he lunged for her, she squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for whatever she was about to face but nothing happened. An odd noise before the wardrobe was slammed shut and locked.

She slowly opened her eyes to realize the room had gone dead silent, everyone was looking at her, no one said a word.

"I..." her voice broke. "Excuse me."