Ethereal ✭Fred Weasley✭

8.

Sophia laughed along with the tall boy next to her, unconsciously leaning in against Fred's cozy looking sweater. It wasn't long till they reached the famous Zonko's Joke Shop, and the four entered the crowded store. Fred and George had seemed to be in their element, as they excitedly ventured to each shelf for new products and ideas for new pranks. Sophia followed behind and was amazed at the number of magical products that would cause havoc back at Hogwarts. The teachers must hate this shop yet have close to no power when it came to what went on in the common rooms and during the student's free time.

"Look at these Soph!" Fred cried as he once again grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her over to a shelf where a row of seemingly normal teacups and saucers were placed. "Nose-biting teacups! Do you think Snape likes to drink from anything besides a cauldron?"

"I'm not sure, but I think Ron likes a cup of hot chocolate every now and again," Sophia suggested and Fred beamed at the idea, swiping one off the shelf and venturing towards another part of the store with Sophia's arm still clasped in his hand.

Sophia had chosen to purchase two Sugar-Quills at Zonko's, as she thought they would be useful for when she would get hungry or needed a perk up in class. George and Lee said that they wanted to go to Dervish and Banges, which both Fred and Sophia had no interest in. But Sophia said she wanted to go to Honeydukes, so the two went together to the sweet shop that even looked packed from the outside. Fred followed Sophia into the shop, and he watched as the girl beamed at the amount of delights that she didn't know she wanted.

"Wow, look at all those Exploding Bonbons!" Sophia exclaimed as a pyramid of Bonbons sat in front of her near the windows of the shop.

"How old are you again?" Fred joked as she resembled a child with her wide smile and enlarged grey eyes. Fred couldn't help but swoon privately at how cute Sophia looked and was acting, and resisted the huge urge to reach out and pinch her cheeks as if she was eight years old.

"Hey! Just because you're sixteen doesn't mean you're not allowed to like sweets Grandpa," Sophia retorted as she grabbed three boxes of Chocolate Frogs, a packet of Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, some Fizzing Whisbees and a couple of Acid-Pops.

"Grandpa?!" Fred repeated from behind her as he clutched his chest in fake pain. "How dare you Lupin!"

Sophia stuck her tongue out at the boy before making her way up to the counter where a balding man stood serving mostly Hogwarts students with a good-natured smile. The girl put down all her products and went to pull the remaining galleons out of her pocket, when a hand appeared from next to her with the right amount of money for her items. She whipped her head to the side to see Fred standing there with a smug look, refusing to look down at her as the man took the money in Fred's palm.

"Fred! You did not just do that!" Sophia exclaimed as the man put the money in his cash register and started to load all of her sweets into a teal coloured paper bag.

"Oh but I did," he replied and finally turned to meet her glaring eyes. "Grandpas buy sweets too you know. For the youngins."

Fred grabbed the bag of sweets from the man behind the counter, winked at Sophia and turned to walk out of the shop still crowded with students. Sophia watched in awe, before turning back to the man behind the counter to thank him. The man smiled before saying,

"I remember when I did that for my girlfriend in my younger years. Might want to keep him close Miss, a boy like that won't wait forever."

Sophia was lost for words as she exited the shop, and found Fred waiting for her while leaning against the wall of Honeydukes with the teal bag still in his hand. He turned his head to meet her eyes once more with a lopsided grin, before pushing himself of the wall and walking over until he stood in front of her. Sophia stared up at him with face that asked him to explain himself, to which he ignored and slung his arm around her shoulders once more.