Confident | Fred Weasley

Chapter 102 | Ring

"Hey, Dad," Fred stepped into the Burrow's shed.

The buzzing chorus of electric filled Fred's ears. All around him were various projects his father had picked up, from a pile of muggle radios to the complicated wiring large devices that the muggles called 'computers'. His father was leaning over one of the computers at that moment, peering into the metal container filled with various components that were all connected with miniscule wires.

Mr Weasley jumped at the sound of his son's voice, accidentally flinging his pliers across the room. Fred narrowly dodged the flying metal instrument, and it bounced against the wooden wall with a loud clatter.

"Merlin!" Fred gasped, glancing between the pliers and his father's pale face.

"Sorry, son," Mr Weasley inhaled deeply, leaning back in his seat, "You spooked me."

"S'alright," Fred shrugged with a grin, bending down to pick up the pliers. He strode across the room, handing them back to his father.

Now stood beside Mr Weasley's chair, Fred had a clearer look at the computer. There were coloured wires scattered in different directions, a few metal slabs, and more screws than Fred could count.

"What you working on?" Fred chirped, his curiosity caught on the complicated object.

Fred always reckoned he got his desire to invent from his father, who had always been curious about muggle technology. Mr Weasley was always deconstructing and reconstructing objects, adding his own magical touches if he could. The old Ford Anglia and Hagrid's motorbike were evidence of that.

"Sit, sit!" Mr Weasley insisted, pointing to another chair shoved in the corner, "I'll show you."

Fred dragged the ageing wooden chair across the shed and sat down.

"This," Mr Weasley pointed to a small metal slab with the tip of his wand, "is a hard drive."

Mr Weasley stretched out the word 'hard-drive', as if he wasn't quite certain how to say it. It wouldn't surprise Fred if that was the case.

"A hard drive?" Fred questioned, testing the word carefully on his tongue, "What does it do?"

"It holds the memory of the computer," Mr Weasley responded, his eyebrows furrowed, "I think. It connects to this - the motherboard."

Mr Weasley pointed out a flat, rectangular piece of plastic. It was green, with thin copper lines on it. There were sockets and slots on the motherboard, clearly for other things to be connected to it.

"I guess the motherboard is the most important component?" Fred asked, feeling the bumps of the copper lines on the motherboard.

"Quite right," Mr Weasley confirmed, before his tone twisted into uncertainty, "At least I think so. I've been getting my information from Muggle Library books. I haven't been able to get updated ones since..."

His father trailed off, but Fred finished the sentence, "...since you've been getting tailed."

"Yes, exactly," Mr Weasley slumped into his seat.

Seeing his father so defeated was strange for Fred. His father, in all of Fred's childhood, was the pinnacle of strength. He was always steadfast, even in the face of hardship, especially at the Ministry.

"We'll get through this, Dad," Fred said firmly, "I know we will."

Mr Weasley squeezed Fred's shoulder, "Yes, we will."

"We have so much to look forward to, anyway," Fred said brightly, watching as Mr Weasley began to fiddle with the wires again.

"We do?"