Scratches (Fred Weasley)

(43) Meanwhile

"You daft fool!" George yelled, eyeing his brother incredulously as he paced around their small room at home. Fred was sitting guiltily on his bed, as there wasn't much that he could really do at the moment.

The seemingly small row that Fred and Florence had on the train remained a mystery for a couple of days. Fred refused to talk about it, but George found his ways into getting his twin brother to talk.

And when he did find out, well, the way George found out was the worst timing of all.

Unaware of George's oblivion about their whole plan exploding at her face, Nicolai had immediately sent him an owl, expressing how distraught she was with everything.

And so George, not understanding a single thing on Nicolai's letter, had demanded Fred to spill the beans.

And so there they were. Fred was currently being reprimanded like an eleven year old boy and felt helpless about it. Not by his mother, no. But by his twin. Imagine that.

"You told Jordan and I that you two talked? Why all the waffle, Freddie? What possibly made you think in shambles and to lie to a Ravenclaw?"

"It was stupid..." Fred mumbled.

"Well I'm glad you figured that out! A little late yeah, but atleast you did. You don't lie to a Ravenclaw, Fred, you bloody learnt that the hard way."

He sighed, "I know, but believe me I regret almost all of it... I didn't really mean for it to go down that way—"

"Well just so you know, Florence isn't speaking to Nicolai... I hope you realize how big of a damage that shitty lie brought down—"

"Merlin, George, stop guilt-tripping me, will you?"

"But you deserve it," he said pointedly, plopping down beside him, "You really upset her, you know. Said Nicolai."

"I know..." Fred murmured yet again.

"Now even if we clearly think the same why, I have no idea why you bloody did that. I mean, it's obvious that she likes you, and you like her. What else was holding you back?" George rambled.

He frowned, "No she doesn't."

"What?"

Fred huffed, "Florence. She doesn't like me, well, not in that way, for sure."

"Are you kidding me right now?!" George breathed out, frustrated. He had stood up once more, and was making clenching hand gestures in hopes of showing how frustrating it was. "What made you think that she doesn't like you?! She basically told it to your face!"

"I must have misinterpreted it. There are tons of ways you could like a person, Georgie, not just romantically. Besides, I thought she fancied a bloke like Jeremy Stretton or Roger Davies—"

"Stretton? Davies? So that's it, you lied to her because you were being an insecure wuss?"

"I wasn't insecure because of her Quidditch Teammates..." Fred scoffed, "I-I just thought I wasn't good enough for her—I don't know, believe me I'm confused."

"Sounds exactly like being insecure." George muttered bitterly, receiving a glare from Fred.

"I've sent her an owl though."