Fred had noticed.
Of course he had.
Calli should have known better than to think she could hide something from him for long.
He had spent an entire summer without her. He knew every little difference in her now. The way she went quiet when something bothered her. The way she held herself more rigidly than before. The way her smile sometimes appeared a second too late.
But he hadn't known what.
Not until now.
The group had taken over one of the empty corners of the library after dinner. Lucy and Stella were quietly working on assignments while George was half-reading a book and half-sketching something that looked suspiciously like a new product idea.
Calli sat beside Fred, completely absorbed in a stack of notes about antidotes and counter-charms.
Fred watched her for a while.
The way she tucked her hair behind her ear.
The way her left hand moved across the parchment while her right remained tucked beneath her sleeve.
Again.
Always the same.
His eyes narrowed.
"Calli."
"Hm?"
She didn't look up.
"Your hand."
Her quill paused.
Only for a second.
But Fred noticed.
"What about it?"
The answer was too quick.
Too practiced.
Before she could move, Fred reached over and gently caught her wrist.
"Fred-"
He wasn't rough.
Never with her.
But the surprise made her freeze.
He pulled her sleeve back slightly.
Then he saw it.
The words on her skin stared back at him.
Fred's expression changed.
The warmth disappeared.
The joking disappeared.
"What is this?"
His voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
Calli immediately knew that was worse.
"Fred."
"Who did this?"
George had already stopped pretending not to listen.
His chair scraped against the floor as he leaned forward.
"What happened?"
Neither twin looked away from her hand.
Calli sighed.
"Umbridge."
Fred's fingers tightened around her wrist.
Not enough to hurt.
Enough that she felt the anger running through him.
"She did this?"
"It's not as simple as-"
"She carved words into your hand."
His voice rose slightly.
YOU ARE READING
Callidora ☆ Fred Weasley
FanfictionCallidora Nott has always known exactly what is expected of her. As the daughter of one of Britain's oldest pure-blood families, her future has already been carefully planned; alliances, power, and a life shaped by tradition she never chose. At home...
