Be Mine, Fred Weasley

Diagon Alley (Part 1) (Fred's P.O.V.)

"Fred! Fred! Get up! We have to leave now if we want to get to Diagon Alley within the hour." Yells mum.
"Yeah. Whatever. Okay." I say falling bac-
"FRED WEASLEY!"
I snap awake. "Yes Mum, I'm awake."
"George you too! Hurry up." Says mum walking out the door.
I look around the room to see George already in his day clothes. "Bloody hell mate. What are you doing up already?"
"Well unlike you Fred, I'm excited for the day that is ahead of me. Unlike you Fred, I have been looking forward to seeing my friends for the first time in two months." Says George.
I don't say anything, because I know he is right. "Who says I don't want to see my friends?" I snap at him.
"Oh I don't know. That pile of letters in the corner from Beth."
He is right. I have received about 20 letters from Beth in the past month. I haven't opened a single one. The last letter I opened was the one I almost wrote back to. Which was 2 months ago. It's August now, August 13th. Beth's birthday. How could I ever forget?
"Fred. Stop day dreaming. We need to leave now." Says George waking out of the room.
I get out of bed. Put on the nearest pair of pants and pick a shirt off the floor. I sniff it and it smells acceptable. I put it on and look for a pair of shoes. I find a pair of boots under my bed and head downstairs for breakfast. I walk into the kitchen full of people. Percy is wearing his 'Prefects' badge and I want to get George to help me hex it, but I know he won't talk to me. Mum is almost in tears, because the "the last boy of the family is going to School!" Ugh. People are so emotional. I take a seat next to George and look at our spell book list. We need 5 new books this year and our potions equipment stocked. This isn't going to be cheap. Yet again, nothing is, but our family doesn't care about how much money we have. It's about trust and love. And I like that.
Mother starts worrying about the time and Dad is sitting in the couch just listening. He's been reading some books about muggles. He's fascinated by them for some reason. Although I don't see how they manage without magic.
"Alright everyone! We are using Floo Powder! Percy you first." Says mum.
Percy steps into the chimney area and says, "Diagon Alley!" And with a puff of green flames he is gone.
"George! You next." She says pointing at George.
"Mum, how many times am I going to have to correct you! He's George and I'm Fred!" Says George winking at me. And for the first time in what feels like years, I smile. Not paying attention a burst of green flames appears and mum calls for me, or should I say 'George.'
I step into the little space and grab some Floo powder. "Oh, by the way mother, I am Fred! Diagon Alley!"

"So did it work?" asks George.
"As always my brother." I say wrapping an arm around his neck. We wait with Prefect Percy until mum and the others arrive. Mum and Dad go to the bank while we walk around admiring things from a distance. We look at the new Nimbus 2000 for what feels like hours, when mum comes up behind us.
"Alright. Ron and Percy with me. We will get Ron some robes and potion supply's and Percy that owl you wanted. Dad you take the twins to go get their books. Along with Ron's and Percy's. Ginny go with whomever. alright let's go!" Says mum walking away with almost the whole gang. Now it's just George, Dad and I.
"Alright boys lets get these books, so I can converse with some friends at work and so you can do the same." He smiles at us and we head off the get books. Dad hands me Ron's list and I start looking around the secondhand bookstore for the cheapest find, and that's when it happens.
I'm walking quietly down an aisle and just as I'm passing a girl on a ladder she looses her balance and starts falling. I drop the things in my hand's and catch her.
"You should really be more careful-" I start saying but as I'm setting her down saying this, I realize I know her. "Beth?"
"Oh. Thanks Fred. Bye." She says walking off.
"Wait Beth! What did you do with your hair?" I'm looking at her head of hair. What once was a beautiful blonde is now a dark brown, almost black color.
"Well Fred if you could read you would know." She starts walking off again and I yell back once more.
"Happy Birthday."
She stops and looks at me. Then I realize something. She has curves in places she didn't last year. Her hair is short and straight, but not short short, like below the shoulders short. She's now taller, at least I think because I have grown a foot myself, but she is still Beth. Beautiful as ever.
"Thanks. I really have to go Fred. Oliver is waiting for me." She says walking away for real this time.
Wait. Oliver? She is still with Oliver!? I can't believe this! What does she see in that guy! I mean he's just a big arse! He's a dic-
"Fred time to go! Do you have all of Ron's books?" I turn around and see Dad smiling.
"Uh yeah, almost." I say scratching my neck. "I'm just looking for standard book of spells year one."
He comes in the aisle and looks around for a moment. "Ah! Here we are! Righty under your nose!" He says taking the book from right in front of my face. "Let's go son."
Dad pays for the books and we head back on our way home. On the way we stop and talk to Lee and Lucy. Well... When I say we I mostly mean George. Lee and Lucy know about me not answering Beth and apparently she told them about her and Oliver and they are happy for her. What great friends they are right?
I listen to to the rest of the conversation. It's all about the nimbus 2000 and how great it is. On normal occasion I would agree. But when I think of the broomstick, I think of Quidditch. And when I think of Quidditch, I think about our team. And when I think of our team I think of Oliver. And when I think of Oliver I think about how much I want to tear his face apart. On the other hand the conversation is over and George and I are walking away.
"You need help my brother." He says to me.
"I'm jealous. I know, you have told me before." I say back.
"Let's just had a good rest of the summer together, and I'll forgive you for ignoring me the whole summer." I start to smile because I need this. I need George back. But as I'm about to agree he says something that scares me more than anything. "But I have one condition. You need to talk to Beth."