Except For You ~ {Fred Weasley}

Chapter 13

It’s been a couple weeks and the snow’s falling too heavy for any outside classes to happen. Me and George are in our common room doing some homework when he says he’s too bored to do anymore.
“Let’s go find Perc and annoy the hell out of him.” He pleads with me.
“Fine.” I begrudgingly get up (begrudgingly because we really needed to get that homework done) and follow him out of the common room entrance. We’re walking down some steps when we pass this girl with silky, long black hair and Slytherin robes on. George and the girl make eye contact and flush. It finally clicks who that girl was.
“You like Miss Salty’s friend!” I tease once she passes.
“Do not!”
“You totally do.” I whisper. We suddenly hear some shouting.
“Attack! There’s another attack! A double one! Attack! A double!” I recognise that voice. I run back up the stairs and down multiple different corridors before I finally get to the scene, George panting behind me. I skim the crowd and see Miss Salty and her friend hugging. They’re laughing about something when I go over.
“You good?” I ask immediately. She rolls her eyes like it’s impossible that she wouldn’t be. “I’m serious.”
She answers, “Yeah, I just secured a spot so you can save me from danger.” I laugh quietly. She will never fail to tease me.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I yelled at some idiotic Hufflepuffs that Harry wasn’t the heir then immediately asked him if he could keep me on his list so you’d get off my back for a while.” I laugh then salute, dissolving back into the crowd and over to George.
“You two are so flirty.”
‘I’m the one flirting. She wants nothing to do with me.” I respond.
“That can’t be true. She’s done this much with you.” I think about it.
“You know what Georgie? You’re finally right about something.”

“This Quidditch match is cancelled.” McGonagall announces a few weeks later.
“You can’t cancel Quidditch!” Wood exclaims.
“Watch me Mr Wood.” She presses her wand to her throat and when she speaks it’s like a megaphone. “Can Miss Mathias, Mr Potter and Mr Ronald Weasley please come to me. The rest of you will quickly and quietly make your way to your common rooms.” She lowers her wands and turns to the rest of us. “Get dressed quickly and go to Gryffindor tower.”
“Was it another attack?” George asks.
“I’m afraid so.” She answers solemnly. Ron and Miss Salty run up to her (Harry's obviously already there) and they follow her off the pitch. I rush into the change rooms, throw my uniform off and my casual clothes on and rush to the Hospital Wing after them. I can hear Miss Salty choking back tears. Her friend must have been petrified. She turns on McGonagall. I hear her spit, “A heads up would have been nice.” She bursts out of the wing and runs away, not seeing me. I knew she was crying. I run to the kitchens, grab some of her chocolate biscuits and some tissues, and head to the library. She’s nowhere there. I try my luck and head to the Astronomy tower. I slowly make my way there, leaving her time to cry. I finally make it all the way up and open the door. She is there. I don’t say anything. I just sit down next to her, and knowing she will punch me in the nose if I do, I don’t hug her. But instead I give her the packet of biscuits I grabbed from the Kitchen. She rips it open and grabs one. She curls up and nibbles on it while tears drop down her cheeks. Surprisingly, she pushes the packet over and for me to grab one too.
“I’ve never seen you cry before.” I say quietly after a while, handing her another biscuit.
“Yeah, well I’ve had nothing to cry about. Great, now I look like shit.”
“Not nearly as much as me.” I laugh, trying to boost her mood.
“Why would you look like shit?” She sniffles.
“Because that’s just what I look like. Mind you, I’m still the hotter twin.”
“You do always look like shit, I agree. But neither of you are hot.”
“I’m not hot, just hotter. There’s a difference.”
“True.” She agrees. I hand her some tissues and she rubs her eyes. After a bit of just sitting there, she gets up, grabs the biscuits and tissues and heads out the door. She does her usual elegant wave and disappears. I sit there and exhale deeply, staring at the door. Until her best friend is restored, her life’s going to be shit.

We’re suddenly rushed to our common rooms one day after that. Then the news hits us.
“Ginny Weasley has been taken by the monster.” My body goes stiff and I can’t move. My sister. She’s gone. McGonagall’s talking to us about Hogwarts closing, but I don’t take any of it in. How could you?

After about half an hour, something unexpected happens. Miss Salty enters the common room. Everyone stares at her with confusion and shock. She sifts through everyone and sits down next to me. She nudges my arm and I lift it. She hugs me. Is this actually happening? I’m shocked, but she hugs me tighter. She lets go of me and then walks over to Harry and Ron. She hands them a piece of paper and walks back to me, sitting down and leaning her head gently against my arm.
“How’d you find the common room?” I ask.
“The paintings are super gullible.” She whispers softly. I laugh hollowly. Harry and Ron get up, and I guess everyone felt bad for us that nobody even tried to stop them. Nobody tried to stop Miss Salty when she entered. We sit there for a while, nobody talked, or moved even. It was like everyone was dead. Someone finally speaks up.
“You're not supposed to be here.” She turns and looks at Percy. He’s slightly shorter than me, with horn-rimmed glasses and a shiny prefect’s badge. She smiles softly, though not genuinely.
“You're not allowed in the Ravenclaw common room either.”
Percy flushes. “I've never been in there!”
"That's because you've never been able to answer the questions correctly." He fumes and she smirks. “Just because your girlfriend is petrified that doesn’t mean you can be stuck up." She whispers. She turns back around, and I’m shaking his head in disbelief.
“Girlfriend?”
“Yeah? Oh my- you don’t know?” I shake my head. She laughs lightly. “That prefect, Penelope Clearwater, the one who got attacked?” I also laugh and I shake my head again.
“Perc has a girlfriend?” She nods, smirking. I look back on Percy, who’s fuming, and smirk as well. “That picks my mood up a little bit.” She checks her watch and her eyes widen.
“I, need to go. Professor Flitwick said we needed to pack, and I haven’t yet, and it’s really late now, so…” She stands up and waves, stepping back through the sea of students. I stare after her. She left her common room for you. She broke the rules for you. So, does she like you? I really, really hope so.

McGonagall enters the room hours later, beaming. “Ginny Weasley has been rescued by Mr Potter and Mr Weasley. There will be a feast in the Great Hall shortly.” She exits and I turn to George.
“You hear that Georgie?”
“I did. Our sister’s gonna be alright Freddie. She’s fine.” I grin. A lot of things are going to be fine now.

After about five minutes the entire school's at the Great Hall, celebrating my sister's rescue. Just before I sit down however, Miss Salty runs over to me and hugs me again. I grin.
“Who are you, and what have you done to Miss Salty?” I exclaim. She grins and shakes her head. "No, seriously."
“Well, your sister just got saved and the thing I was angry at you for turned out to not be your fault.” I laugh.
“So I’ve made it up to you then?”
“Not even close Mr Trouble.” She winks at me and dashes down the tables to sit at her own.
"So, Fred, do you also have a girlfriend?" Percy whispers.
"No! She's not my type." I mutter.
"Uh huh, sure, okay." George mumbles suspiciously.
"Shut up!" He grins but turns away, grabbing some food. It's fifteen minutes after the feast has started when the giant doors open. Hermione, Colin and Nearly Headless Nick come and join us, Ernie heads to the Hufflepuff table, Penelope rushes to Ravenclaw table, and Miss Salty's friend runs up to her. They're laughing and talking when Miss Salty sends Penelope up to Percy.
"Hi." She says, giggly.
"Hi." He responds. She pecks his cheek and dashes back to Ravenclaw table. Me and George instantly start teasing him while Ron, Harry and the others laugh and Percy tries to swat us away like we're flies. I look over and make eye contact with Miss Salty. I smile, flushing. She rolls her eyes and looks back at her friend, but her cheeks are pink.