petrichor ☆ fred weasley

t h i r t e e n

The air was crisp and cold as both Fred and Persephone approached the Black Lake. The rain had finally stopped, leaving only the sound of the wind brushing through the treetops. A familiar smell was ever-present in the air, causing a faint smile to curl at Persephone's lips.

Fred nudged her affectionately, "what you smiling about?"

"Just the smell."

"You waited for me to have a shower! Surely I don't still smell from Quiditch" Fred asked, putting his face down to his armpit and giving it a whiff. He looked skeptical as Persephone started to laugh.

"Not you idiot, the air!"

"The air has a smell?"

Persephone groaned, "You know, the smell of everything after it rains. It's all just fresh and new and wholesome."

Fred let out a quiet chuckle as the pair found a seat upon an old tree stump looking out over the lake, "wholesome?"

Getting to her feet, she stood next to him, covering his eyes with her tiny hands. Lifting his own up to his face and removing hers, he asked "what are you doing"

"Just trust me stink head." Pushing his hands back down into his lap, she began to cover his eyes again. Her pale fingertips crossing over to cover his brown irises. "Now, just breathe, listen to the birds and the wind, and smell."

Suddenly, like she had put an obnoxious candle up to his red tinged nose, he smelt it all at once. The pleasant smell of the earth after rain; fresh, new, and wholesome. Just like she had said.

"Now, how was that?" Persephone asked, removing her hands and sitting back down on the slightly damp trunk.

"It's no dung-bomb, but it was pretty cool."

Persephone's giggles chimed next to Fred's deep chuckle as he finished. Leaning down, she picked up a large flat rock, twirling it in her hands, running her fingers across its smooth grey complexion. In the silence, she found her eyes drifting over the Hogwarts castle, glancing over the hospital wing, just visible through the peaks of the Great Hall's roof. She thought of Harry, stuck there, waiting for a spell strong enough to fix his broom, or for his infamous snowy owl to come soaring through the window with a brand new nimbus in it's grasp.

"Do you reckon Harry will be okay?" she asked.

Fred pulled his eyes from the still lake to look at her, a small smile toying at his lips. "He'll be fine, I think Wood is taking it the hardest - even though his broom and limbs remained intact this game."

She nodded lightly, still fiddling with the stone in her hands.

Getting to his feet, Fred stood in front of Persephone, holding out his hand. Grabbing a hold of it, he pulled her forward, dragging her onto the rocky waters edge. Whilst he approached the waters edge, she strayed from it, still wary of it after her last experience. With jolt of understanding, he stepped back to her, where they both glanced over the un-bothered surface of the large body of water.