DOROTHEA {fred weasley}

eighty three

"Bloody slimy bastard," George Weasley muttered, shaking his head as he held one corner of an envelope. Molly held the other side, beaming from ear to ear in contrast and cooing.

Fred looked up from where he was looking over shop forms, "what?"

"Letter from Ron," Molly smiled, offering it out.

"You'll never guess who Ginny has decided to date now."

Fred scanned the letter, his expression turning to one of disgust.

"Harry?"

"I know," George groaned, shaking his head.

"Boys, she's liked him for years!" Molly exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. 

"Urgh," Fred said, covering his ears.

"Agreed," George muttered.

"Not like you've got a great track record yourself, Frederick," Molly said sarcastically.

"Too soon," he winked back, smiling at the fleeting feeling of normality. Joking with his family had been second nature not so long ago, it was strange how quickly everything could change in a year. He felt like a completely different person most days.

"Ron say anything about his love life?" George asked, forcing an uninterested tone as he looked up at his mum.

Fred met his brother's eye and winked.

"Yeah, any mention of Granger?"

Molly raised an eyebrow and looked confused, "didn't know there was anything there."

"On Ron's side there certainly is," George laughed.

"She's got eyes for another-" Fred tried to say, but was cut off by a hard kick under the table.

"We'd better go, mum," George said, quickly standing up. "Told Ollie we'd meet him."

Molly's amused expression fell at the mention of Oliver, her smile fell into a slight frown as the pair stood up.

"You boys..." she began, shaking her head with a glint of tears. "You've gone through far too much when you're far too young. I'm sorry."

"Hey, you and dad had it the same, remember? You're going through it for a second time," George said kindly.

"The reason we fought so hard the first time was to make the world safer for you, though, now I wonder what it was all for."

Fred smiled sadly at his mum, neither twin knew what to say to her.

Molly spoke for them, "go to Oliver, give him my love, tell him he's welcome here any time, it can't be good for him, all cooped up. Will I see you at the meeting later?"

Fred and George sat on either side of Oliver at the Order's meeting, each of them wincing at the normality of Alastor Moody's tone as he spoke of various raids and people missing. The death of Elvira Jones was one of many, they knew that, but what they couldn't stand was how it was being treated as so wholly unremarkable. Just the thought that here they were, not even a month after the witch had been murdered, acting like everything was okay felt entirely dystopian.

"We're worried again about the trace on the name..." Nymphadora Tonks was saying as Fred zoned in and out of her words. "...Remember, we want them arrested-"

Oliver cleared his throat at this point, "if I come across Ezra Nott, I will be murdering him I'm afraid, Tonks."

"Seconded," George said under his breath, backed up by a nod from Fred.