The Girl who Survived (Fred Weasley)

Ch 5. Start as Friendships

~Fred's POV~

We were nearing The Leaky Cauldron, and I thought to myself, "Would Ron ever stop talking?" He had been going on and on about Egypt and all the pyramids to anyone that showed even the slightest bit of interest. It was however funny when Georgie and I nearly forced Percy into a ruin, that definitely would have me chuckling for the foreseeable future.
    "Oy! What's got you all giddy mate?" Ron asked me, I hadn't even noticed the huge grin that had spread across my face.
    "He's probably thinking about seeing the lovely Elodie Potter. Or will it be Weasley soon?" Ginny said. Hearing that made both of our parents look over at us with raised eyebrows.
    "Pipe down will you! We're just friends," I told her.
    "Friends you say? Don't the best of them always start out as friendships, Freddie?" George said to me, nudging me in the ribs with his elbow.
    "Not sure, let's find out, Mum? Dad? How long were you two friends when you started fancying each other?" Ginny asked them with a chuckle in her voice.
    "That would be about two years, I couldn't take it any more so I just had to confess my feelings to your mother," my father said, pulling in my mother to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
    We'd heard the story before, about how they spent most of their time in school together, the late night strolls, sneaking back into the dormitories.
    "See Fred, all it takes is a confession." Ginny said with a smirk on her face.
    "If that's the case, summon the priest," I told her, shaking the hair on top of her head. They still looked at me wanting to hear more. I must admit, seeing her was quite often the highlight of my day, at least until Diggory came along. I had no problem with him, we were friendly enough, I just wondered what was so different about their friendship from ours? Why did she look at him in a way she'd never looked at me before? Maybe it's because he was obvious about his feelings for her. But she always said they were just friends, nothing more. Still, I couldn't count on one hand the number of times I'd seen them holding hands. Staring at each other as if no one was around. Having an inside joke between them.
    "You watch yourself, yeah! That's my best friend's sister!" Ron said to me as if he had a point.
    "She's our friend," George and I said together very matter of factly.
    "Perhaps this shall be the year she's more than just your friend? What do you say Fred?" Ginny said directly to me with a wink.
    "Yeah, that would require him saying more than three words to her before cracking a joke, or stuttering like a bumbling baboon " Ron said.
    "Oh Ronald, haven't you heard?" I told him.
    "Food may be the way to a man's heart," George told him.
    "But laughter is the way to a woman's," I finished the statement. Hovering over him with George. Ron rolled his eyes annoyed. He'd become very much like Percy lately. A bit of a prat.
    "It's true," Mum said with a huge smile on her face as she was still looking over at us.
    "Right, well good luck with that, I happen to know she has a boyfriend," Ron spat feeling proud of himself. Oh how little did he know.
    "Well we have it oh good authority, that git is just her friend," I informed him.
    "Yeah? Who's?" Ron asked.
    "Her's of course," George and I said together.
    That left everyone quiet for a moment as George and I smiled at each other. I looked to my mum to be met with a stern look on her face. She was used to us going back and forth like this, but that didn't mean she particularly liked it. Sure she would rather we be more focus driven like Percy, but as far as taking an interest in someone romantically I'm sure she didn't mind it being in Elodie.
    We walked into The Leaky Cauldron and it was only a few people sitting mainly at the bar. Harmonie was there who Ron went and got acquainted with right away, but then it sounded as if they had begun going back and forth about their pets.
    "Go get settled boys," My mother said, handing us a room key to one of the lower level rooms. George and I made our way down and then plopped on the beds.
    "Odd isn't it?" George asked me, even though I didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about. A rarity with my twin.
    "What's that Georgie?" I asked him.
    "Follow me on this one dear brother, you too Percy, if you can keep up," He looked over as to include him in on his realization. "Potter. The girl, not the boy. You've known her for six years now, if she asked you to jump through a hoop of fire for her, no question you would. Yet here you are, completely unable to ask her on a proper outing, much less let her know you share interest in her. Care to explain? Cause even I can't find reason," He told me. He definitely had a point.
    "It's probably because she wouldn't have him," Percy said looking over to us. We both stared back waiting for him to continue. "She's top of her class in all marks, and you're were? Somewhere near the middle?" He finished just before he was turned to leave the room. I just rolled my eyes at the tosser.
    I thought about it for a moment, before deciding to just speak words until it all made sense."It's like...." I began as I sat in the bed across from him. "Okay, you know Angelina Johnson right? Completely in love with me, not bad on the eyes, decent enough head on her shoulders, good girl to bring home to mum," I said going on about the girl who made it obvious she fancied me.
    "Ahh now we're getting to it," He said and sat in the bed to face me. "Go on".
    "Right well that's just it. I don't want 'not bad' or 'decent enough' or even 'good'. I want the girl whose eyes shine brighter than the stars in the sky. The one who's perfect to bring home to mum. The girl who's at the bloody top of the class damnit! I don't want to settle for the one who wants me, when I can work for the one I want," I explained to him and it finally all made sense to me.
    "Even if it means watching her be with another for a bit?" George asked me.
    "I was patient enough to wait for you to be born, was I not?" I told him with a huge smirk on my face. He nodded his head knowing that I would do it. I would do everything in my power to get the girl.
    He stood up and headed for the door to join the others before turning to me and saying, "You realize those are also Harry's eyes that shine brighter than all the stars in the sky right?"
    I couldn't even begin to acknowledge that what he was saying was true, so I just let it be. I followed behind him back upstairs with the others. Everyone was already sitting at the table and of course Ron was going on and on to Harry about Egypt.
"Brilliant. Loads of old stuff... like mummies, tombs, even Scabbers enjoyed himself," On and on Ron went.
"Egyptians used to worship cats," Hermione told him.
"Along with the dung beetle," Ron rebutted but leave it to George to know exactly what I was thinking.
"Not flashing that clipping again?" George asked him as he passed behind him to take the seat two down to leave space for Harry.
"I haven't shown anyone," Ron said lying, through his teeth.
    "No, not a soul. Unless you count Tom. The day maid. The night maid. The cook. The bloke that came to fix the toilet. That wizard from Belgium," I said naming off everyone I could think of just off the top of my head. I grabbed the paper to finally put an end to his constant loop of blabber.
    "It's good to see you Harry," Mum said as she grabbed onto Harry's face.
    "Oy, you recon she's here yet?" George asked me and Ginny leaned in to join the conversation. She always did find the humor in my failed attempts of any romantic notion.
    "Can't say, her letters said that she wasn't spending the holiday with Harry but she would meet us here," Ginny said. Both George and I looked at her in shock. She had left out that detail for a while now. "What? She's my friend too," She told us, snarky as ever.
    "My stars!" Mum said and we looked up to her and followed the direction her outstretched arms were heading. "That can't be my Elodie? Darling girl, you look absolutely radiant!" She said as she took her into an embrace, and it was as if time slowed down, allowing me to take in the sight that was Elodie Potter.
And mum was right, she was utterly and completely radiant. The summer holiday suited her well. Her skin had been touched slightly by the sun. Her hair had grown long enough to fall around the center of her back. It looked as if she had put a bit of makeup on, not that she needed it. And she stopped wearing those baggy overalls that hid her perfect figure. Instead she had been wearing fitted jeans, a low cut long sleeve with a camisole showing through to provide her modesty and an open jumper to protect her from the cold air. It also looked like she had gotten her ears pierced as she wore simple silver balls on her lobes.
"She's rounding out nicely, ay Freddie?" George whispered in my ear as he noticed her lovely curves as well.
I placed my hand together in prayer and looked up to the sky "Thank you puberty," I said to the gods above. I looked back over to them catching up and suddenly the smile that had taken permanent residence on my face whenever she was around, fell.
"Ah, Cedric," Mum said, giving him a hug as well. "Will you be joining us as well dear?" She asked him. Causing my gut to wrench.
"5 sickles says he stays," George whispered in my ear.
"I'll take that," I told him, not completely confident, but unable to resist.
"No ma'am, I'm just here to escort Elodie. I should be getting back to my parents," Cedric said.
I felt George slip me the 5 sickles and I felt a sudden relief, maybe this would be my chance.
"Good to see you nonetheless. Take care dear," mum said and gave him a quick embrace. She wrapped an arm around Elodie and began walking her over to sit next to me. Looks like young Harry would just have to find another seat.