Hogwarts Romance

Frog Choir - Fred Weasley

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Female! Reader
Word Count: 1.5K
Warnings: Bullying, lack of self-confidence

    You weren't popular by any means. You were quiet and bookish, most likely to be found in the library or studying in your common room. You weren't one for parties or socializing in general. Yes, you a far cry from the popular crowd that you longed to run with. Specifically the crowd that contained the charming and charismatic Fred Weasley.
    You loved Fred Weasley.
    You loved his humor. His bright red hair. Even his apt for mischief-making.
    You loved the boy; but he didn't give a damn about you.
    Well, maybe that was a lie. He did enjoy taking the piss out of you on a fairly regular basis.
    Everyone would stand around and laugh at the seemingly harmless jokes; but inside, you were crushed. All you wanted was for this boy to like you back, but it was evident that all he saw was the timid, nerdy little girl that you were. And it didn't help that you were part of the Frog Choir.
    No, that only made things worse.
    The second he saw you debuted as part of the Frog Choir he began heckling you. Your other schoolmates just laughed and joined in on the jokes while your eyes welled with tears.
    The only reason you joined the stupid Frog Choir was to hone in on your vocal talent. See, you had desires aside from Fred Weasley. You desperately wanted to become a professional singer when you graduated from Hogwarts, and the Frog Choir was the best place to practice. Not only would you experience performing in front of people — oftentimes having solo pieces — you would also receive professional advice from Professor Flitwick.
    The pros of this quickly became overshadowed by the very large con of Fred's teasing and you even tried to quit the choir a few times. Each time, Professor Flitwick would convince you to stay. You were, after all, the best singer in the choir and it would be a great loss if you quit.
    So, you stayed on. Your voice became better and better each year, and Fred's teasing grew worse. He'd started calling you "Froggy," which caught onto your classmates, and soon the whole school was calling you by the insufferable nickname.
    You couldn't believe you had a crush on him, as bad as he made you feel, but you did. All throughout your years at Hogwarts, you loved him. Even after he and his brother left Hogwarts, you loved him. And you didn't stop loving him until you finally met another boy a few months after you graduated.
    He was a talent agent, a few years older than you. He'd discovered you singing in a pub and was immediately transfixed by you. He took you under his wing, introduced you to some important people, and helped propel you to stardom.
    You fell for each other. He made you feel like you were worth something. He made you feel seen and loved back.
    Your feelings for your "childhood crush," Fred Weasley, quickly morphed into bitterness and contempt. Realizing that all he did was make you feel worthless.
    Your new relationship and career in music helped you see your worth. You became more confident and more willing to show your lovely personality. And soon, you had moved to Los Angeles with your boyfriend and were playing sold out shows all across the globe.
    Life was good for a few years until your relationship began to fizzle out and the glamour of Los Angeles faded.
    You were with your partner for almost six years when you called it quits. It was a devastating blow, him being part of the reason you had flourished, but the two of you just weren't meant for each other in the end. Not to mention, LA was quite a lonely place for you and your mental health suffered.
    That's how you ended up moving back to London, and back into the sights of Fred Weasley.
                                                            ~
    Fred was just out having a pint with his brother when he heard a voice that made his stomach flip. It was a very familiar voice. One that he recognized instantly. Yes, the voice may have changed a bit over the years, becoming more matured, but at its core it was still the same. It was your voice.
    Fred froze, letting his glass slip from his hand and crash to the floor. The room went silent at this. The piano stopped abruptly, your voice stilled, even the other patrons stopped talking and all turned to stare at him. It was quite embarrassing and he jumped out of his seat, immediately reaching into the lining of his coat for his wand to clean up the mess; but George stopped him.
    "Muggles," he whispered, reminding him that they were at a muggle pub. Something that they did on occasion.
    At this point, the patrons stopped paying attention to him and went back to their conversations and the barkeep had come around to clean up the glass. Fred apologized profusely, but the barkeep waved him off. The pub went back to normal, except there was no more music. Fred looked up to find you frantically packing up your things in effort to get out of there.
    George nudged him. "You should talk to her. She's coming this way."
    Fred nodded, taking a nervous breath. He flashed you an award winning smile as you approached the bar, but you didn't even so much as look at him. You came up next to him, staring straight ahead, and rapped on the tabletop. "Brian," you said, gaining the attention of the barkeep. "I'll be on my way out now. Thanks for letting me use the piano."
    Brian looked a bit surprised. "Already? You weren't here very long. Don't you have that big show coming up?"
    "Yeah, I just remembered I have something to do. I'll rehearse somewhere else."
    Fred screwed up his face a bit, wondering why she needed to "rehearse" in a bar, but that was when he felt another jab in ribs from his brother. He nodded quickly, turning back to girl he hadn't seen in years. "Y-Y/N," he said, his confidence slightly failing him.
    He watched her hesitate to look at him and he knew then that she remembered him. "Fred," she said flatly, barely looking at him.
    "Godric, it's been years! How've you been?" Fred asked in a cheerful tone, trying to ease the tension that was clearly present.
    "I'm fine."
    "What're you doing in here? I wouldn't expect someone of your status to be lurking around a place like this." He'd meant it as a compliment, but it didn't come out that way.
    A look of shock passed over her face before it slipped back to indifference. "And where should I be?"
    "Well, I'd expect you to be playing at the Ritz or something."
    "I like playing here. It's quiet. Nobody knows me," she explained.
    "Oh," Fred replied, not really knowing how to respond to that.
    "If you'll excuse me," Y/N muttered, turning to leave.
    Fred panicked, not knowing if he'd ever see her again. He gave his brother a panicked look.
    "Go after her," he prompted.
    "Right." Fred nodded before jumping out of his seat and scrambling out the door after the girl. She was just a few paces ahead of him when he called out. "Y/N! Wait, please!"
    She stopped and turned to him slowly. "What do you want, Fred?"
    He winced at her cold tone, but pressed on. "I just... wanted to talk to you."
    She didn't reply, just gave him an expectant look.
    He took a deep breath. "I'd like to take you on a date, if it's alright with you."
    "Why on earth would I ever want to do that?"
    "So we can talk."
    "We're talking now, Fred."
    "Yes, but there's things I need to say to you and I feel it would be better said at dinner."
    "Whatever you have to say, you better say it now, because I'd rather chew off my own foot than go to dinner with you."
    Fred stalled at the harsh comment. She huffed and turned away. "I need to apologize!" He shouted, causing her to stop in her tracks again. "I was a prick back at school. I never should have teased you the way I did. That was no way to treat anyone."
    You scoffed, fixing him with a steely gaze. "You made my life hell."
    "I know," he said, looking down ashamedly. "I was awful. And I'm so very sorry."
    "I almost quit singing because of you."
    "Godric, I'm so glad you didn't," he said softly, taking a step towards you. Your heart twinged when you saw his limp. An injury he'd procured from the war, no doubt. A war that you didn't bother coming back for. "I'm so sorry for ever making fun of you. Your voice is so beautiful. I've always thought so."
    "Then why did y-"
    "Because," he said, cutting you off. "I knew you liked me, and I always liked you back, but I didn't know how to handle those emotions, and unfortunately they surfaced in a way that hurt you."
    You just stared at him for a few moments before you visibly softened. "I forgive you," you whispered.
    Fred looked up sheepishly, "You do?"
    You nodded. "You were a real arse, but I can see you've changed. Besides, you're teasing helped me practice dealing with the haters."
    Fred chuckled and you finally smiled at him.
    "As for dinner," you continued. "Brian makes an excellent Fish n' Chips."