Collision - Fred Weasley

Chapter eight

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The twins eyes immediately darted to Theodore Nott.

Fred's brows furrowed as he glanced between Lyra and Theodore, trying to piece together why Nott, of all people, was suddenly so interesting.

The silence hung in the air for a moment. Fred's gaze narrowed slightly as he caught the subtle way Theodore stood just a little too close to Lyra.

"Late-night wanderings with Nott?" Fred finally said, trying to keep his voice casual. "That's a new one, Arakan."

George shot Fred a quick glance, sensing the shift in his brother's mood. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes flicking back to Lyra with mild curiosity himself.

Fred, on the other hand, wasn't as subtle, his eyes locked on the Slytherin pair.

Lyra rolled her eyes. "I don't believe that's any of your business, who I wander with late at night, so now if you excuse me and Theo, we'll be on our way."

Fred's jaw clenched at the casual way she said Theo, like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to be hanging around late at night together. 

Theodore, who clearly noticed Fred's lingering gaze, smirked slightly, clearly sensing Fred's discomfort. 

"Yeah, just wandering together late at night, Weasley. Nothing for you to worry about." His tone was smooth, deliberately calm, as if he enjoyed riling Fred up just a little.

Fred let out a short, humourless laugh. "Right. I'm sure."

"Why do you care, anyway?" Theodore added, his tone light but with an underlying challenge in his words. "Doesn't seem like it's any of your business who Lyra spends time with, all you do is bother her anyway."

Lyra glanced between the two of them. She could sense the tension rising, but for some reason, she didn't step in right away. 

There was something strangely satisfying about watching the interaction. 

Fred's eyes flicked back to Lyra, narrowing slightly. "Just seemed weird, that's all," he muttered.

"Didn't know you and Nott were so, close."

Lyra chuckled, a smirk playing on her lips. "Why? Jealous, Weasley?"

Fred's reaction was instant, he stiffened. "Of you and Nott?" he scoffed. "Please, don't flatter yourself."

Theodore's smirk grew as he leaned casually against the doorway. "Right. You keep telling yourself that."

Fred looked the brunette boy up and down, with a disgusted expression on his face, but before he could retort, George stepped in.

George clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Alright, this is getting ridiculous. We're not here to argue over who's spending time with who. We've got a match tomorrow, remember?"

Fred shot George a look, but his twin just grinned back, clearly amused by the entire situation.

Lyra, meanwhile, had already turned her attention away from Fred, clearly uninterested. She glanced back at Theo with a small nod. "We should get going. Don't want to be caught out after hours."

Theodore nodded, but not before giving Fred one last look—part smug, part curious, as though he enjoyed knowing he had gotten under Fred's skin. 

"See you around, Weasley," he said before turning on his heel and heading out the door.

As Lyra followed, she paused for a moment, looking back at Fred. "Good luck tomorrow against Hufflepuff, both of you. You're going to need it." She joked

Fred's eyes locked with hers, something unspoken passing between. "Don't worry about me, Arakan," he said, his voice low. 

"Who said I was worrying?" Lyra gave him a final scowl before turning and walking away, leaving Fred standing in the classroom alongside his brother.

 As the sound of their footsteps faded down the hallway, Fred finally let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair.

"Bloody hell, Fred," George chuckled, shaking his head as he started to pick up the scattered books and broomsticks. "What's gotten into you?"

Fred didn't answer right away.

"Nothing," Fred finally muttered, though even to his own ears, it didn't sound convincing. "Let's just focus on the match."

But as headed back to Gryffindor common room, Fred couldn't stop thinking about the way Lyra had looked at him, and the way her name sounded when Theodore said it.

If he could just make her disappear, somehow.

He hated how she affected him, he hated everything about her, honestly. But most of all,

He hated that he cared at all.

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