and I stand with you

three

I was three minutes late, but Fred was standing at one of the embrasures looking at the stars. The moon lit up his freckled face, and I caught myself staring a bit too long. He turned over and saw me and I forced myself to smile and hide what I felt now.
"Hey Frederick." I walked over and stood next to him. He scooted closer and our sides were touching as we looked out in the night sky.
"Hey Octavia." He smiled, and it was a real smile, one of the realest I had ever seen. I blushed, and decided to climb onto the ledge to hide my face. I hooked my feet over the edge. The coldness bit at my skin, my tights not even protecting me. I wished I hadn't thrown my robes when I was mad. Fred sat next to me, as close as last time, his fingers touching my knee, and I embraced the warmth of his hand.
"Are you cold?" He asked, and I nodded. Without hesitation he took off his jumper and pulled it over my head. I giggled and pushed my arms into the sleeves.
"Won't you be cold, Freddie?" I pulled my hair out of the sweater.
"I guess you'll just have to hug me so I'm not." He smirked, he now danced his fingers on my hand as it sat on my leg.
"Are you alright, Via?" He asked, and I turned my hand and grabbed his, tangling our fingers. He scooted a bit closer to me and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"No Fred, I am not." I was honest.
"Would you like to talk to me about it, darling?" He leaned his head on top of mine.
"I don't know how I could even tell you." I said, realizing if I told him about Draco I would push him away more than I wanted. I felt close to Freddie, and I didn't want to mess this up.
"You can tell me anything." He squeezed my hand.
"Draco." I whispered.
"What about him?" He asked.
"He's just- he's- he toys with me." I sighed.
"What do you mean? Does he hurt you?" He put his hand on my cheek and makes me look up at him. My eyes were watery, a tear threatening to slip at any second.
"He uses me. He makes me weak and then knows I'll come to him no matter what he does. He makes me feel terrible. I hate myself because of him." I realized I was crying, and I looked down at my lap.
"Hey, hey, don't cry darling, look at me." Fred said softly, wiping the tears off my cheeks.
"He's not going to hurt you again, okay? If he does you just let me know." He pulled me into his chest, and I hugged him for a while.
"Via, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" Fred asked, and I smiled for real this time.
"I'd love to."
"Want me to walk you back to your room or would you like to stay here a bit longer?" He laced his fingers with mine once again, and I knew I wanted to stay.
"I'd like to stay, if you would as well." I leaned into his chest and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"Yes I'd like that too." He smiled down at me.
"What's your favorite color Fred?" I asked, trying to get to know him better.
"You certainly make me like green." He smirked, and I slapped his arm.
"What's yours?" He asked after.
"Well you certainly make me like red." I mocked him and we both laughed.
"What's your patronus?" I questioned.
"Same as George's, magpie." He chuckled.
"Figures, a bird."
"What is yours?" He asked back.
"Uh- I don't- I haven't got one." I stuttered.
"Oh, well that's quite alright. I can teach you then." He says to make me feel better.
"That would be great." I say back.

It was almost sunrise when we talked again. By then, we had moved our position, and Fred was sitting back to the wall, with my head in his lap. His fingers were running through my hair softly, and he was humming a song I didn't recognize. I was drifting in and out of sleep to the sound of Fred's humming and his heartbeat.
"Freddie." I mumbled.
"Yes darling?" He whispered.
"We should probably get to our dorms, the sun is about to come up." I suggested, lifting myself up from his lap.
"But you look so pretty in this light." He pushed a strand of my hair out of my face.
"Is Fred Weasley flirting with me?" I giggled.
"Well if it wasn't obvious." He ran his thumb over my jawline.

"At this point we might as well just get ready to go to Hogsmeade." He said after a while of us watching the sunrise. I nodded, and Fred climbed back into the tower. He grabbed my waist and pulled me down onto the floor, holding me close to him for a minute. The only thing I could hear was my heart in my ears as he looked down at me and down to my lips.
"Yeah, that's what it is innit?" We heard someone saying as the started to round the corner in the tower. Fred let go of me and we started to make our way down. He walked me to my dorm to get ready, but I wished he hadn't ever let go of me earlier.