Love In The Shadows | Fred Weasley x OC

Chapter 70

Chapter 70: The Book

It was a crisp morning in Diagon Alley, and Fred Weasley was already out and about, heading to his shop with a skip in his step. The street was bustling with activity, the air alive with chatter, laughter, and the occasional magical mishap. Fred thrived in the chaos of it all. The joke shop was waiting for him, and he had ideas buzzing in his head about the new pranks they were working on.

As he passed a small café, a woman hurried past him, almost bumping into him as she rushed along.

"Sorry!" she called out, barely breaking stride.

Fred laughed and gave her a good-natured smile. "It's fine. You alright?" he called after her.

She didn't stop, only nodded quickly, pulling her hood tighter over her face as she darted away into the crowd. Fred watched her go for a moment, noting how fast she was moving. Definitely late for something, he mused, shaking his head with a grin.

"Take care," he called after her, amused.

As he turned back around, Fred noticed something on the ground where the woman had been. A book. It lay there, a little crumpled, with its pages slightly bent at the corners. Fred bent down to pick it up. Magic in the Mundane: Everyday Lessons for a Meaningful Life.

He read the title and raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the kind of book he usually associated with the bustle of Diagon Alley. Self-help books weren't exactly his thing, but he figured it wasn't a bad find.

He looked around, but the woman was long gone, vanished into the crowd. He shrugged and slipped the book into his bag.

As Fred made his way to the joke shop, the book rested in his bag, largely forgotten. His mind was focused on the new products they were brainstorming, the latest orders, and the general chaos that came with running a prank store. But when he arrived and started to sort through some paperwork, his hand brushed the book in his bag, and he pulled it out absentmindedly.

Curious, Fred flipped it open to the first page. It wasn't a long read, so he scanned through it quickly, skimming the tips about finding magic in everyday life. He preferred practical jokes and tricks, not this introspective stuff. But there was something about the book that made him pause.

In the margins of several pages, there were handwritten notes—thoughts and reflections scribbled hastily, as if someone had been deep in thought while reading. Fred's curiosity got the better of him, and he started reading some of the notes.

"True magic isn't about casting spells. It's about the wonder in the little things we often overlook."

Fred couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Bloody hell, that's poetic, he thought, rolling his eyes. The sentiment felt like something his twin brother George might have said, or maybe Ginny. Fred didn't think too much of it, but as he flipped through the pages, he kept finding more scribbled notes. Each one seemed more personal than the last.

"The world doesn't always work in your favor, but you have to find a way to make it work for you."

Fred stared at that note for a second longer than he meant to. It wasn't particularly profound, but it made him think. He closed the book with a soft snap and set it down on the counter, shaking off the slight feeling of familiarity gnawing at him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the tone of the notes was... familiar.

He walked off to start preparing some new items for the shop, his mind whirring with thoughts of products and pranks. But the book stayed there on the counter, a constant presence in the back of his mind. Every now and then, he would glance back at it, but there was no rush to finish it.

Later in the afternoon, when business slowed, Fred picked the book up again and started flipping through it, his attention caught by another handwritten note.

"You have to let go of the past, or it will drag you down like an anchor."

Fred stopped cold. Let go of the past, the words seemed to echo in his head, reminding him of something he'd thought about many times before. He rubbed his temple, unsure of why the words were affecting him so much. He'd moved on from a lot of things in the past, things that had once seemed so important. He had buried those memories in the farthest corners of his mind, but the words felt like they were speaking directly to him.

There was something oddly personal about these notes—like they were meant for someone who had gone through struggles of their own, someone who had learned hard lessons and had come out the other side stronger. Fred couldn't help but wonder who the book had belonged to. The notes were intimate, like a private journal, and yet there was something about them that felt... familiar.

But then he shook his head, laughing to himself.  He didn't know who the book belonged to. It was just a book—nothing more.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of customers, deliveries, and new jokes to test out. By evening, Fred had mostly forgotten about the book. He had other things to focus on—like what to make for dinner and whether George would ever stop talking about that blasted prank they were working on. But as he began to head out, the book was still sitting on the counter, quietly waiting for someone to take it.

Fred grabbed it one last time and tucked it into his bag, figuring he'd drop it off at the Lost and Found or somewhere else later. For now, though, it stayed with him, a small mystery that he would probably never solve.

As he walked home that night, Fred couldn't shake the feeling that something about the book had been too familiar, too close to something from his past, but he didn't give it much thought. He had no time for that. Tomorrow was another busy day.

It was strange that Fred never recognized the book he had given to Adhara. He had spent countless hours picking it out for her, hoping it would be something meaningful, something she could turn to when life felt heavy.

Maybe he had already moved on. After all, he was dating Angelina, wasn't he?