Novus Orbis | Fred Weasley x Insert | ON HIATUS

Chapter 23 - Over a Butterbeer

When Y/n comes down the stairs to the common room  the next morning, Fred is waiting for her, his twin nowhere in sight.

"Morning," he says to her, offering her her gloves. He keeps them in his room now, bringing them down to her on the chillier days when he knows she's going to forget them. It's a sweet sentiment, but part of her misses wearing his. She slips them on, and they start for the portrait hole.

"Where's George?" Y/n asks, looking around as they come out onto the Great Staircase.

"He already went down for breakfast," Fred says simply.

"Oh. Usually we walk together, right?"

"I had something I wanted to ask you." His face is unreadable, and Y/n peers at him curiously, waiting to hear what he has to say next. "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

A laugh, and then she realises that wasn't a bright idea, because his expression is one of poorly hidden hurt.

"Sorry," she apologises quickly, "I didn't mean to laugh at you. I just meant—we are going together, aren't we?"

He pauses at the next landing, not looking at her.

"I mean just us. No George. No Harry, no Ron, no Hermione or Cedric or anyone else."

Y/n startles a bit.

"Oh," she says quietly. They stand together at the top of the last set of stairs leading to the Great Hall. And then—"Okay."

"If you don't want to go, just say so," Fred says. A bit irritably, Y/n might add.

"I will go with you."

Neither of them says anything else, but he doesn't let go of her hand as they tramp down the steps. George and Lee are already there when they go to sit down, and everyone has already started eating. Fred offers her the seat next to George before taking the one next to it.

"Ooh, strudels!" Y/n exclaims at the plate in front of her, not at all seeing the looks passed between Fred and George. "Great!"

-

"You are so clueless," Angelina laughs. She's watching Y/n from her four-poster as the girl observes herself in the mirror.

"I hope I didn't offend him," she says. "When I laughed. The way he asked was so odd."

"It was only odd because you three already go everywhere together," Angelina says. "Anyone else would immediately know she was being asked on a date." Y/n freezes.

"It is a date," she panics, "oh my godric." Another laugh comes from her friend. "I don't even know what to wear."

"What you wear every time you go to Hogsmeade: a great outfit." Angelina gets up and goes over to one of the dressers on the wall, peeking into a drawer. "He's your best friend, anyway. He likes you whatever you wear, and this isn't something you've ever stressed out about before. But isn't there a sweater you have that he really likes?"

"I think it's that one," Y/n says, pointing to a worn sweater that Molly had pulled out of Charlie's old trunk of clothes the day after she had arrived, among a few others. Charlie had laughed loudly when he first met her on a day she happened to be wearing it. It's still in amazing condition, having been well-cared for despite the frequency of its use.

Pulling it on over her long-sleeved tee, she gazes again in the mirror.

"This will do," she says. Grabbing her jacket, she slips it on and heads out of the room with a quick thank you thrown to Angelina. Who, after her friend has left the dormitory, stares amusedly at the forgotten pair of gloves laying on the bedside table.