Summer Nights | Fred Weasley (o.h)

Chapter Three

"Where were you last night?" Claudette Durand, Giselle's younger sister hissed at her, at breakfast the next morning.

Giselle rubbed at her swollen, tired eyes. The previous night's adventures although exhilarating at the time, it had cost her, her sleep which she sorely missed. "Pass the juice will you?"

"I'm serious, Giselle." Claudette hissed again. "Where were you?"

"I went to the toilet." Giselle hissed back.

"For three hours?!"

"Yes."

"Oh, let me guess you took your book to the toilet with you again?" Claudette said, knowing very well of her sister's bad habit of reading on the toilet. Giselle had always responded that she was merely multitasking.

"Uh...yes...yes, that's it....I took my book to the toilet."

"Well, why didn't you just say something," Claudette said, laughing a fake laugh as her face turned emotionless. "You better watch your step, Giselle. This family doesn't need any more stress."

"You better watch out Claudette. I'm the older one, you shouldn't be bossing me around, that's my job." Giselle responded with a slight smirk.

"Watch me," Claudette responded with an identical smirk.

"No fighting, girls." Jacqueline Durand said as she passed, her youngest and only son, Mason Durand trailing behind her.

Her aristocratic beauty still shined through, although the greying hair at her temples gave her a little bit of a more worn look. However, that didn't prevent her from stopping her two eldest children fighting and furthermore instilling the most important family values in all her children.

The Durands were the typical Pureblood family but they didn't reach the same extremist views that many other Pureblood families held. Jacqueline Durand had experienced the typical Pureblood family upbringing as wished to do the same to her own children however, her husband often became soft with their children, after not experiencing the same upbringing.

"Oh, let them be, Jacqueline. At least they are talking to each other again." Corentin Durand said also as he passed where the two girls sat, ruffling the hair on their heads.

"That's always what you tell me to do, Corentin. But what purpose does it serve?" Jacqueline retorted back.

"Please, let's not do this now, Jacqueline." Corentin sighed wearily. "Not in front of the children."

Giselle and Claudette shared concerned glances. The stress on the family was getting worse.

The night as Giselle lay in her bed, listening to Claudette's light snores, waiting for the clock beside her bed to reflect 12:00 am so she could sneak out of the house.

11:55 am

Giselle gently pushed back the covers and exited her bed, pushing a spare pillow in her place. That way is Claudette noticed her missing again in the dark it would appear as if she was still there.

She was just pulling on her shoes again when she heard a few anguish shouts from the room down the corridor, her parent's room.

A few tears falling harmlessly from her eyes, she quickly exited the room, before creeping down the corridor once more.

Little did she know that this routine would continue for a few more weeks, hearing her parents fighting as she once again snuck out from the house.

However, this time as she was heading out to meet Fred as promised, there was no way she could conceal the tears running down her face.

"Whoa, whoa. Giselle, what's wrong?" Fred asked her immediately.

"Nothing, it's just the thing with my parents getting to me." Giselle lied immediately.

Fred's concern for the crying girl didn't immediately dissipate but he didn't bring it up again.

But as the early morning hours ticked by, as the two conversed about random topics over two plates of fries, one that Fred had actually contributed to buying. It was clear that something wasn't actually alright at all.

Giselle was distracted, often resorting to a simple nod instead of using words. Fred had only known the girl for a few weeks but their midnight adventures had caused the two to become friends quite quickly. But no matter what was going on between her family, it wasn't like Giselle to be this quiet.

"What's going on, Giselle?" Fred asked. "And I don't want a bullshit answer about your parents, it's something bigger."

"My grandfather died, this morning," Giselle said emotionless.

The shock Fred felt slowly crept up through his bones. Giselle had told him a fair bit about her grandfather, the experiences they shared and how close Giselle held him in her heart.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Giselle."

"Yeah, thanks. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You'll work it out, everyone does."

"You speak like you have experience?" Giselle asked skeptically.

"I don't trust me. I'm incredibly fortunate to not have lost anyone. Although I wouldn't mind my Aunt Muriel passing over in her sleep, what an old hag."

Giselle suppressed a small chuckle. "How are you so good at that?"

"At what?"

"Making people laugh."

"Let's just say it comes with the job title."