Confident | Fred Weasley

Chapter 92 | Pursuit

Sarah sipped her tea as she curled up in one of the rocking chairs that were tucked into the bay window of the living room. She stared at the view outside, her eyes darting across the trees and bushes.

Her eyes caught sight of the blossoming apple tree. It was the largest tree in their orchard, its branches stretching towards the pear tree beside it. She would have to pick the apples soon, but that idea sounded quite nice. She pictured herself with a woven basket, pulling ripe, red apples from the branches.

The rocking chair beside her creaked, and she turned to see Fred sitting beside her. He had his cup of tea in his hand. With his other hand, he placed a plate with two slices of strawberry cheesecake on it.

"Mum sent over some food," Fred explained, "Said it was to get our spirits and morale up, or something."

"It looks lovely," Sarah commented. She dug in, making sure to get a spoonful with the biscuit base, cream cheese filling, and strawberry all in one. The explosion of flavours in her mouth made all the hassle worthwhile

"When those apples grow," Sarah inclined her head toward the window, where the apple tree stood tall and proud, "we'll have to send some sort of dessert back. Apple crumble, maybe?"

Fred, already halfway through his slice, nodded, "Sounds like a good idea."

The pair sat in comfortable silence, finishing off their cheesecakes and sipping their tea.

"There's something I need to give you," Fred finally spoke, and Sarah looked up interestedly.

"What is it?" Sarah inquired, watching as Fred dug around in his pocket for a moment.

He withdrew a small, red velvet box. So small, in fact, that Sarah wondered whether it was a...

"Earrings," Fred said as he popped open the box. In the cushioning, two simple golden studs were sat, "I've put the protection charms that we use for the shop's protection gear on to them. Ideally, they'll deflect minor jinxes or hexes."

Sarah exhaled, unsure whether she was relieved that it wasn't a ring or not. She had told Ginny she didn't want to rush into getting married, but she feared the wedding fever had caught up to her.

"Oh, excellent!" Sarah lifted the box to examine the earrings closely, "What protection gear will you be wearing?"

Fred rolled down his sleeve, flashing his slightly battered silver watch that he had got from his parents for his seventeenth birthday, "Charmed the old watch up."

"Good," Sarah smiled, "I'm glad we'll both be as protected as can be."

Fred's smile shifted into something more serious. Sarah wasn't used to that expression on his face, and something about it unnerved her.

"It's seven," He said, glancing at his watch, "Let's get ready and go."

Sarah agreed, and with a swish of her wand, she sent their mugs and plates soaring into the kitchen. Meanwhile, she followed Fred up the stairs and into their bedroom.

She loved their room, but her heart went most towards their four-poster bed, with an intricate glass canopy. They had splurged on the bed, but neither of them regretted it. The dark wood tone matched Sarah's makeup table, the chest of drawers, and their wardrobe excellently.
Fred went to shuffle through the wardrobe, whilst Sarah headed to the foot of their bed. She had already laid out the clothes she was going to wear tonight.

First, she pulled on a vest top and tucked it into her dark jeans. On top of that, she pulled on a deep blue jumper, verging on black. After sunset, it was going to get chilly, especially if they were flying. She also kept the colours of her outfit dark so that she didn't stand out too much. It would make her harder to spot.