Orange Trees | Fred Weasley

Chapter Ten

August 30th, 1994

Jericho, Fred, and the fairies had settled comfortably under the shade of the orange tree. The sun casted a dappled pattern of light on the ground, leaves swaying in the wind. For the past hour, the fairies flitted about, their wings shimmering as they listened intently to Jericho's recounting of the World Cup. Their eyes grew wide with amazement, their tiny hands covering their mouths in shock at the intense parts of the story. They were in awe, and were happy Jericho was able to go on an adventure worthy of an epic story book.

Now currently, the two boys were engrossed in decorating the fairy houses they had started the previous week. The fairies had brought them an assortment of tiny flowers, feathers, and sparkling stones, and the boys were meticulously adding these to the miniature structures. Fred's hands moved deftly, attaching particular shiny pebbles to the roof of one of the houses. Jericho was working on another one, weaving small vines and flowers into intricate patterns.

As they worked, Jericho began explaining his frustration with the way his summer ended. His voice tinged with the bittersweet ache of summer's final touch. "It's so annoying that I essentially spent the last week of summer locked in my room. I hate having to go back to school."

Fred looked up, his eyes brows slightly furrowed. "I thought you liked school? You do really well in your classes and everything."

The younger boy shrugged, "I've never really been fond of school to be honest. Sure, classes aren't necessarily hard, but... summer feels like when I'm truly in full bloom, you know? I wake up every morning and get to watch the sunrise with my fairy friends, have the freedom to go wherever I want, and the space to just... be."And the statement rang true. It was as if he was a wildflower that only thrived under the open sky, away from the crowded bushes of an overgrown garden. Some plants, grow better by themselves, with its only companions being the wind, the rain, and the sun. They don't flourish when confined; they need the wild to stretch out their roots.

Jericho paused, his eyes distant, as if seeing the future and the past all at once. "At school, it's different. It's not just the learning in the classrooms that gets to me. It's this constant feeling of being watched, being judged. It's like...learning in public. And that's the worst kind of learning, because everyone gets to see your mistakes. They get to see you mess up, fall, get back up, and try again. Every change, every bit of growth, all of it is on display. Even if people don't mean look, they do. It's exhausting to be watched by so many eyes, where you're constantly aware of how you're perceived, how you're evolving. It feels like you're this plant forced to grow in a garden where every leaf and petal is examined, compared, and sometimes even pruned before it's ready."

Jericho's voice softened, a hint of vulnerability creeping in. "I guess... in the summer, I feel free to grow in my own way, in my own time. I can stretch towards the sun without worrying about how I look doing it. But at school, I feel like I have to fit into this mold, to be something I'm not entirely comfortable with. I wish I could always feel like I do in the summer, have that sense of blooming, with me throughout the school year. But... it's hard when you know everyone is watching, waiting to see if you'll blossom or wilt."

The older boy listened to Jericho's words, feeling a pang of empathy. He admired the way he spoke, how his thoughts seemed to weave effortlessly into poetic reflections. When Jericho finished, Fred took a deep breath, his tone gentle yet resolute. "I'm sorry that your summer ended the way it did. You deserve to feel like you're in full bloom all year round."

The boy gave Fred a small smile, thankful for the acknowledgment of his vulnerability.

Fred looked down at his house, his finger's fidgeting with a smooth pebble. He could feel himself wanting to continue, to pour his heart out about his own struggles to the boy in front of him. As he looked up, his eyes meeting Jericho's, he felt the words begin to flow from his mouth. "You know, for me... it's kind of the opposite. Being home during the summer is... well, it's chaotic. With so many of us, it's usually the one time of year everyone is home. And it's nice, but it also seems to be when the most family issues come up. With so many of us under the same roof again, it's like my parents can't help but compare us to each other. And it's not that I don't love my family, I do. But sometimes, it feels like they don't really see me and George for who we are. For who I am. They love us, I know that, but they don't seem to take us seriously. It's like they don't believe we'll ever be successful... especially my mum. And that stings more than I care to admit."