just for me ⚘ a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

81. baby's first mission

From the moment Fred was born, he idolised his father. From his curiosity and his job, to his humour to his fierce and unwavering loyalty. In fact, Fred's second word was 'Dada', only losing out to the word 'Borge', which was what he called George for the first few years of his life, and still sometimes did when he was tired.
Fred had to force himself to remember his admiration for his father as he followed Alastor Moody on of the rooms in The Burrow, which Fred had never seen unlocked in his whole life of living there. He told himself he was doing it for his younger self, that he was finally just like his father, whether he still wanted to be or not.

"Fred, George." Arthur said with a tense nod, sitting from a desk that Fred didn't know existed. He wished desperately for this to be one of those moments where he could hear George's thoughts with just a glance, but his brother had a strong, blank stare, closing himself off to everyone, including Fred.
He was, however, able to read his mother's expression without even looking at her. He could feel her disappointed eyes that he was so used to by now, and the unmistakable purse of her lips that meant she disagreed with his 'choice'.

"What a pleasure for you two to finally join." Albus Dumbledore greeted them before they could respond to their own father, urging them to sit down, just as everyone else in the room was doing, including their brother Bill, his girlfriend Fleur, Lupin and Tonks. "The Order thanks you for your support."

"Alright." Fred scoffed back, taking a spot next to the door, standing with his arms crossed, his own little act of defiance. Arthur gave him a disapproving look, choosing to ignore it.
George on the other hand, like the well-behaved twin he was, sat right beside Lupin, smiling politely at Dumbledore, ready to do what was told. That was something that always irked him about his brother. He was forever making Fred look worse, whether it was intentional or not. He'd pull back on pranks, always 'behind-the-scenes' so only Fred would get caught, follow rules when he wanted to, and was a shining star in their parent's eyes, compared to Fred.

"Si'down." Moody grumbled, slamming the door behind him and shoving past Fred to talk to Arthur and Dumbledore in a whisper, leaving the rest of the room to sit on an awkward silence.
Fred continued to glare at Moody, frustrated that someone was trying to tell him what to do in the home he'd lived in for his whole life. The only thing that broke his stare was a gentle tug of the side of his shirt.

"Hello!" Fleur chirped in her thick, French accent, a happy smile on her face as she looked up at Fred. "Where is Juniper?"

"Hogwarts." Fred answered, a bit more blunt than he had intended, earning a frown from Bill in the seat beside Fleur. "She hasn't finished school yet."

"Ah." Fleur nodded. "How is she? Have you heard from her?"

"Of course, she's good." Fred's stance had relaxed as he talked to Fleur, her calm and happy nature putting him at ease. Perhaps all Veela radiated relaxation, that would explain why he felt that way when he was around Juniper, even at the worst of times. "I was about to open a letter from her when Moody stopped by."

"What a shame!"

"I know, I'm sure she's fine." He tried to convince himself. He had been waiting impatiently for that letter, just for reassurance that Juniper was okay, and hadn't had a late night run-in with Draco that left her in danger. "She's fine."

"Good." Fleur nodded once more, giving Fred a concerned look. "She is uh... strong biscuit."

"Tough cookie." Bill whispered, his hand resting on her knee.

"Strong biscuit suits her better." Fred laughed, giving Fleur a thumbs up. She let out a small laugh, her light eyes crinkling at the sides just as Juniper's did. Fred felt a hollow ache in his chest, turning his eyes to the ground before he could even think about how much he missed Juniper.