Crumpets
Soon enough two cups were floating down from the second floor of the shop and towards her. She looked up at Fred's face by her side only to see him intently following the cups' movement with his gaze.
"Focused?" She asked teasingly.
He quickly shushed her with a small grin, yet not taking his eyes off the cups. "You dont want me to drop them, do you?" he asked, and she watched as the cups surely made their way towards them. Once they stopped in front of her she took a cup from the air with a smile. Fred did the same.
"God, I think I'll need a lie down after that," he muttered, taking a sip from his cup while playfully wiping his forehead from imaginary sweat.
She let out a laugh. "Oldie," she muttered quietly, almost so quiet he couldn't hear her.
"Hey," he immediately erupted. "That's not the way to talk to the guy who just got you tea." He shook his head, sipping the tea in an excruciatingly judgemental way. "Besides, it's just two years so I'm not sure what you're on about."
"Oh is it really? You could've fooled me."
He looked at her with an offended look. "Ouch. You're rude today."
She smiled, looking up at his tall form. "Sorry," she said, the sound almost resembling a giggle, and he playfully shook his head in response. Truth is she often seemed to feel that glint in her eye when she was around him, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
"Anyway, this is the snackbox things," he continued, pointing to an area where the different assortments were on display. "We have some new ones, like the Cold Caramels, which causes the eater to get cold-like symptoms, starts snivelling and things. Another new one is the Lumping Licorice, which just makes lumps grow all over. You've probably heard of some of the old ones; Puking Pastilles, Fever Fudge, Fainting Fancies and Nosebleed Nougats."
She nodded as he listed the products, although slightly disgusted by them all.
"Hey, I think I remember this one," she said, stepping forwards towards the shelf to take a closer look. She read the label, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I didn't realise when I read the products list but– this is the one that is also called the Blood Blisterpod, right?" Leigh asked, pointing to the Nosebleed Nougat and looking up at Fred with anticipation.
"Yeah, might say that in the products list," he responded, and she nodded to herself.
"Right! I remember that!" She waltzed into her memories with a smile, thinking back to those days in 5th year. "I remember I think Evan took one of those once. Not sure he knew what it was, all of a sudden he just bled like crazy, nothing seemed to stop it. I was freaking out! Had no clue what to do until this 4th year came up and told him to just eat some purple sweet, and finally it stopped." She laughed slightly. "Turned out some Ravenclaw in charms had just offered it to him and forgotten to say what it caused. It was chaos," she chuckled before she quieted down. "But that was...before," she drifted off uncertainly, gulping as she tore herself away from her blissful memories. "Yeah", she nodded to herself, looking away from the products and down onto her hands.
The hand not holding the mug came up to scratch the side of her neck as she gulped again, looking into her tea. Her throat closed up and she was aware of the awkward silence which hovered around her.
"Sorry," she quickly mumbled, although she wasn't really sure why. She couldn't understand why she couldn't keep it together, but every mention of her late friend made pain well up inside her. It was like the cup in her chest kept spilling over. "I'm just– I–" she stammered, trying to get herself back on track but failing miserably. Not here, please, she begged herself.
Fred had been quiet since she started her rant, and she didn't dare to look up at him, afraid of the sight she would see. She was embarrassed off her mind and felt like sinking through the earth. Then, just as she was about to shield her face and storm out the door, his voice was unexpectedly heard from beside her, capturing her attention.
"I remember after that one quidditch game where me, George and Harry were banned. He came up to me and George the day after, fuming, saying it was a bullshit decision and that they had lost three of the best players Hogwarts had seen for years," he laughed faintly. "Bit of an overstatement perhaps but I felt very flattered. He seemed like a good guy."
She chuckled softly through the tears that were building in her eyes. "Yeah, that's him. Loved quidditch."
"Should've had him on the team, then," Fred stated, glancing down at her. His gaze said he was hesitant with his words, not knowing how she would receive them, but still gave her a small smile.
She giggled at the idea of Evan being on a broom, on the pitch. "Not so sure about that. He loved watching quidditch. Not very good at playing." She said, although her voice came out in a squeak.
Fred shrugged beside her, smiling softly. "Well, team spirit is the most important, right?"
She nodded, not daring to speak. He looked down at her subtly, giving her space and silence. After a second he spoke. "Do you want to sit down?
She nodded silently, wiping away a stray tear that managed to squeeze its way out when she thought he wasn't looking. He directed her to the corner of the room, which they hadn't reached yet, where two sofas were placed. A series of small bottles of liquid with all kinds of labels lined the section around them. The light against the glass created a certain glow, almost like being underwater surrounded by luminescent colours.
She sat down and held the cup closely against her body, hoping the heat would warm up and fill the empty space in her chest.
She sniffled. "I'm sorry I don't want it to be weird."
He looked at her with understanding eyes, some form of stillness and innocence gleaming in them. "I'll still see you as a stealthy academic genius even if you shed a tear, I promise."
She tried to give him a watery smile, tilting her head to the side as she did so. "Thanks," she mumbled in a thick voice.
Fred sensed she might want a moment, and probably didn't want him to stare at her while she was trying to get a hold of herself. "Do you want anything else?" He asked softly. "We have some crumpets I think. Or if you have a sweet tooth you can have some toffees but you have to be quick to bite the second side to reverse the symptoms before they kick in. If not it can be a very unpleasant experience. I'd offer you some of the normal ones but George ate them all."
Leigh couldn't help but giggle, even tho her eyes were still watery and her face was still flushed. She wiped a stray tear with the sleeve of her shirt. Fred didn't bat an eye.
"Yeah, sure, I can have a crumpet", she said in a giggle, experiencing that weird feeling of wobbling between strong emotions. "If you're having a crumpet."
"Oh, I'm having two crumpets," Fred replied cheekily. "Beat that."
She watched with a smile as he gave her a last look before moving up the stairs and out of sight. She knew he probably could've gotten the stuff from upstairs from his seat, just like he did standing when he got them tea, but she appreciated him silently giving her space.
She exhaled shakily, clearing her throat and wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. God knows she didn't want to cry, she had cried so much yesterday she thought she would be out of tears. But now here she was, tears again seeming unlimited as they welled up in her eyes.
She felt...unstable, to say the least. Like she was balancing on a thin thread and did her best to stay upright.
She glanced towards the front door, out the windows. The street outside was close to empty, only a few people scurrying down the street. The sun had started to set, and the world was bathing in an array of colours; orange and pink dancing across the clouds.
She rubbed her eyes, focusing on the forms of the clouds and the whirling of leaves outside. It seemed like the summer was dancing its last waltz, and the thought of grey autumn days and cold winds made her frown. The floor by the stairs creaked.
"You okay?"
She sighed, not even looking towards Fred on the top of the stairs before dropping her head into her hands, taking a deep breath. Her eyes stung, and she wiped them with her palms. "Dont know," she mumbled silently, although she knew she wasn't tricking anyone – she was a mess. And the gradually darkening evening outside the window didn't help either.
The faint thumping of shoes accompanied Fred as he made his way down the stairs, and she looked up slowly once she heard the footsteps draw closer.
She raised her gaze to see Fred standing in front of her, balancing plates in his arms. One with a massive pile of crumpets and one with what looked like jam, butter and sliced banana. It was a cute sight, she had to admit, one she would never expect to see of the man. In normal circumstances she would've let out a giggle, but her eyes were overflowing with tears and she shielded her view with her sleeve, which she pushed up against her eyes.
She sniffled, imagining the horrid view of her red eyes, flushed face, and wet cheeks. The two of them weren't even close – maybe he felt uncomfortable. Maybe she had overstayed her welcome. How could she ever be able to look him in the face again? Her thoughts just made her feel worse. She buried her face in her hands again, doing her best to shield her tears and suppress her emotions.
She heard some more thuds across the floor, and the placing of plates on the table. Then felt the couch dip beside her.
"I'm r- really sorry," she forced out between her sharp intakes of breath, sniffling and doing her best to wipe her eyes. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, I–"
She was silenced by a big hand softly landing on top of her shoulder, and she strangely enough felt herself relax immediately.
"I'm not, it's completely alright." His voice was low, a bit raspy, and closer than expected.
She shook her head in her hands, feeling stupid and overbearing. "I– it's embarrassing." She admitted shakily between her tears.
All of a sudden he laughed slightly, a light and airy chuckle which shocked her, and she looked up at him slowly. He was facing her on the couch, his body angled in her direction as he lightly held her shoulder, his thumb rubbing in circles across the fabric of her top. "Why would it be embarrassing?"
He caught her gaze with a slight smile, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze.
It was strange – just through his gaze he had a tendency to make everything seem so simple and easy. Why would it be embarrassing? As if answering his own rhetorical question, he continued:
"The last few years have been horrible. People have been through a lot, as have you. Tears are nothing to be embarrassed for." His thumb continued to absentmindedly rub circles upon her shoulder. "In fact, I wish I cried more. I think it could be healthy."
She knew he was joking, at least partly, and she attempted to smile. He smiled sadly back at her. "I'll teach you." She stated coarsely. "I'm quickly becoming a pro."
"Deal." He gave her shoulder a last squeeze before removing his hand, and she felt herself missing the touch the second it disappeared.
"I'm lucky I didn't lose anyone in the family," he started. "Well, except George's ear but who needs two anyway–"
She furrowed her brows, sniffling and wiping her nose. "Wait, George lost an ear?" She asked suddenly, taken off-guard.
He looked at her with raised brows. "Yeah, haven't you noticed? He only has one ear nowadays."
"I– no, I didn't notice," she replied in embarrassment. She should have noticed, she realised, given that his short hair means there is nothing to hide the lack of ear behind.
Fred chuckled slightly. "Well, now you know. I think he trimmed his hair that short to show it off. Like a badge of honour you know."
Leigh realised, again, that she definitely should've noticed, especially considering the amount of time she had spent with the twins so far. She knew George had shorter hair... Or rather, she knew Fred had longer hair. That had been how she told them apart: Fred's longer hair. Maybe she had just looked at Fred more than she realised. She blushed at the thought.
He looked at her and seemed to notice the faint red colour growing on her cheeks, and suppressed a smile. He swiftly grabbed the plate in front of him and raised it towards Leigh. "Crumpet?"