Restricted

Chapter 35. Cosmos

**double update!! whoop whoop! Enjoy!**

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As Fred descended the grand staircase, en route to the North Tower, he inwardly thanked the silence of his unoccupied trip.  

Moments such as this one were rare to come by, and without the blissful diversion of their quidditch practices, it gave his mind a chance to roam.

Not that he'd particularly wanted it to, especially with the week that he'd had.

Alone as he might be, his thoughts still found their way back to what George was doing in his free hour.

Fred had not seen this side of his brother in months—not since last summer, actually.

Angry, bitter, and resentful.

That was all that was left of George since his and Jolie's breakup just days ago.

And from the moment that George had initially disclosed the details of it, there wasn't much else that he'd talked about since. When he did finally deign to speak, that is.

Frankly, Fred had been tired of hearing about it before the week was even over.

He found himself grateful for their nightly detentions, as terrible as that sounded. The only reason being that he didn't have to hear another word about Jolie Carrow for a few brief hours of his day.

And now, apparently, Thursday afternoons.

He'd also recently gained a newfound and astounding appreciation for Lee.

Lee had been the person his brother rambled to the most, confided in most often. Lee almost always managed to talk George down from the soap box he'd now grown infatuated with.

It was Lee who had taken the brunt of George's frustrations, leaving Fred to face the leftover rage his brother had spared if he so chose to.

And in most of their spare time, he often did.

In the very least, Lee was always there to mediate in times of trouble. He was more attentive and patient than either of the two combined, a great friend to have around.

Fred wished he'd voiced as much to his friend sooner.

He never pitied or discouraged them, never judged or belittled them for expressing themselves the way they did. And he always knew the right thing to say. Always.

So it was Lee that George had told first about his and Jolie's breakup the night that it happened.

Fred was left to find out the morning after the party. Well, he had actually been told that night, too. But he'd been too drunk to remember. Lee had reminded him that next morning, though. 

Then, with half of the quidditch team piled in their dorm, George had relayed the story to the rest of their friends.

Katie and Angelina were more than compassionate when it came to their stance on how unlikely and surprising it was for Carrow to say what she had. Alicia, however, had been the first to take George's side, both in her vocalised support and the physical sense.

She'd practically snapped at her own teammates for even daring to lend a defence in Jolie's name. And she'd done it all whilst comforting George to the greatest extent aside from outright offering a bloody shoulder for him to cry on.

But, admittedly, as difficult as it was to hear about his brother's hardship, Fred found it equally as difficult to sympathise with him.

He had tried to warn him—on multiple occasions.