Rosy Cheeks
Her curious steps led her towards the direction of Hagrid's Hut, where she saw forms moving in the dark. She had nothing better to do after all. Her feet, only clad in slippers, moved in the cold grass, and her eyes were set on the silhouettes, whose faces soon became clearer as she approached.
Previously three people, one moved back into the hut and closed the door before he saw her – clearly Hagrid, while two were left outside the hut. Once Leigh spotted their bright ginger hair she knew exactly who it was: Fred and George.
They spoke to each other as Leigh approached, not registering her presence until she was within a few metres radius.
"Hey, what are you two up to?" She spoke as she pulled the cardigan tighter across her body.
The two of them looked equally surprised to hear another voice. A "Huh?" was all that was heard before they figured out who she was.
"Leigh?" George started, to which Fred followed up with "Leigh!"
"It's been so long," Fred continued dramatically as he embraced her.
"It's been like two weeks," Leigh chuckled over his shoulder. She was initially a bit nervous about seeing him considering she still hadn't received any letter from him after her latest owl, but the nervousness quickly fizzled away once she was in his presence.
"Exactly. Two whole weeks," Fred said, and she let out another breathy laugh, looking over Fred's shoulder at George, who rolled his eyes with a smile. He changed his weight from one leg to the other, swaying slightly.
She chuckled, pulling away from Fred to also give George a brief hug before stepping back and looking at them expectantly. "So, what are you two up to? In the middle of the night?" George immediately set to explaining, the way he dragged out his words proving he had had a few drinks while in Hagrid's company.
Apparently the two of them had been down to talk to Hagrid about some particular ingredients they considered for a future product. And, as everyone who knew Hagrid knew, he couldn't stop talking. One quick chat quickly turned into hours of story-telling, including drinks, some of which Hagrid had acquired from exotic places.
"He gave us some drink from, uh, what was it? Some weird thing from...Bosnia, no, B– Ba, Bi, Be– Belarus? I have no clue. It was strong," George continued to explain, prompting Fred to nod in agreement. Leigh couldn't help but giggle at the view. George seemed more intoxicated than Fred, but it was clear both had some drinks in their system.
Fred seemed to look out into nothingness for a second before his eyes instantly widened, as if realising something, and he looked back at Leigh. It suddenly hit him that she was in fact also out, in nothing but pyjamas and a cardigan, in the middle of the cold night.
"What in the world are you doing out? You must be freezing," he stepped forward, planting his hands on her upper arms before abruptly removing them again and instead shrugging himself out of his jacket and planting it over her shoulders. He pulled the sides of it around her, making sure it was snug and warming her enough, before taking a step back and admiring his handiwork. His eyes were glimmering in the light which shone from outside Hagrid's door, and Leigh giggled slightly at his mildly intoxicated state.
Looking between the two, George started shuffling on his feet. "I'm gonna...leave," he mumbled, quickly bidding his goodbye before starting his journey down towards Hogsmeade, leaving Fred and Leigh to look after him.
"I'll make sure he's home when I get there so he doesn't get...lost," Fred trailed off. "He's always been a lightweight. Look how lanky. The stuff gets to him like that," Fred snapped his fingers. Again, Leigh giggled, only being able to watch Fred ramble.
He stopped himself, instead listening to her laugh and smiling slightly to himself. He met her gaze, and the question from earlier, about why she was out, popped back into his head. "Are you a prefect?"
"Oh," she shook her head. "No." She pulled Fred's jacket closer around her body.
He looked confused. "Okay, firstly - why not? Surely you're the best of the best–" he continued before she was able to comment,
"– and secondly - why, then, are you out in the middle of the night, if you're not a prefect?"
The question hung in the air, and Leigh didn't have an answer. She shrugged softly. "Just...things."
"Thingsss," Fred hummed. "Just one of your thingssss." He gave her a soft smile, as if to let her know he wouldn't probe.
"Yeah, thingssss," she said, finding relief in him not asking further.
The darkness was vast around them, and the freezing temperature managed to slip beneath Fred's jacket upon Leigh's shoulders. A quick peek towards the jacket's owner showed that he, too, felt the chills and absentmindedly started rubbing his arms.
"I was just about to go inside and see Evan," she started, and Fred nodded in understanding, assuming they would part ways, before Leigh spoke again. "Do you– uh, do you maybe want to come with?"
Fred's face lit up, and he gulped before softly nodding. "Yeah. I mean if you think I should. If that's alright."
The corners of her lips tipped upwards. "Yeah."
She started moving towards the castle, Fred soon following suit. It wasn't a long walk, but it was long enough to notice the silence, which none of them minded. There wasn't a lot to be said in that moment. What do you say when you're about to meet someone's dead best friend?
There's something so unspeakable about loss. Perhaps the best way to acknowledge it is to mirror that emptiness, that hollowness felt, through the absence of sound. They stayed quiet.
They reached the entrance, and Leigh looked back at Fred with a small grin, nodding towards the inside of the castle. "Come on," she mumbled, catching the smile she received in return before slipping inside.
Fred almost immediately got stuck on the handle, and accidentally shut the door with a loud thud. "Sorry!" He whispered frantically, and Leigh stopped in her tracks to look at him with wide eyes. He disentangled his shirt from the door before slowly moving towards Leigh, almost noticeably tiptoeing.
"Sorry," he whispered again once he reached her, and she let out a breathy chuckle at his clumsiness.
She grabbed his sleeve in her hand, pulling him towards the entrance to the great hall. He couldn't do anything but follow, gazing at her hand which grasped the fabric of his shirt.
They reached the wall outside the great hall, walking along it and glancing up at the moving photos of the fallen fifty. Fred had been there at least twice before, but still a chill went up his spine at the view.
The two of them came to a halt in front of Evan's photo. The boy smiled, looking to the side before turning his gaze ahead again with an even wider grin. Leigh had it all memorised by now – she knew exactly what to expect.
She let go of Fred's sleeve and pointed up to the photo with a faint smile. Fred was already looking with soft, wide eyes. "Look at him," he started, "What a charmer. That's a winning smile."
"Yeah," she giggled airily. It was nice to have someone else enter her bubble.
He turned to look at her at the sound. "I– I kind of feel like I should've been sober for this moment. Don't want to mess up meeting him, do I?"
She quickly shook her head, delivering a soft look up at him by her side. "You're not messing it up."
He nodded. "Okay. Just...tell me if I'm overstepping."
She felt like laughing, but kept it to herself. He didn't know that she hadn't felt this relieved for months, just by having someone by her side.
She took a step closer to him, grasping his arm and smiling faintly, mostly to herself. "You're not overstepping. I like that you're here." Her head leaned against his upper arm, and she could feel his eyes on her. His other hand came up to softly caress her hair. Just for a second. She had forgotten how much she had missed him the last two weeks, having been stressed and preoccupied in her own little bubble.
"Yeah?"
She nodded, exhaling the word. "Yeah".
"Okay, good." His hand dropped from her hair but he remained leaning slightly into her. "Do you go here often?" He asked softly.
She nodded against his arm, almost whispering her reply. "Yeah."
"Hm," he hummed in thought.
They stood like that for a few moments before Leigh started tugging him backwards, towards the benches which sat neatly against the wall behind them. The stone was cold, but the person beside her was warm. The minutes ticked by, and none of them felt any inclination to move.
Fred had attempted to lean his head on her shoulder, but upon realising the height difference was too big for this to work, he instead let out a quiet huff and sank further down, planting his head on her lap. His eyes were closed as he laid on his back. A soft smile made its way to Leigh's face, and she instinctively reached out to remove a piece of dust residing upon his ginger strands.
"That's nice," he mumbled as her fingers made contact with his hair, and she hesitated just for a moment before letting her hand run through his hair again. It was softer than expected, and she enjoyed the feeling of it slipping between her fingers.
"You never responded to my letter," she suddenly spoke her thoughts. Nervosity hit her briefly, but she reminded herself that she knew Fred well enough not to expect him to burst out laughing in her face. The way he looked right now, his head lying relaxed in her lap, made it seem like he could do no wrong whatsoever.
He opened his eyes at her statement, just gazing up at her, and she instinctively moved a strand of hair from his face.
"I know," he said softly, maintaining eye contact. One of his hands laid upon his abdomen, while the other laid along his left side, bending at the elbow so his hand could absentmindedly graze against the side of her waist.
"Why?" She asked, nibbling her bottom lip lightly in thought. She knew she had let it take half a day before she replied to his letter, but surely he wasn't just trying to beat that record?
He smiled up at her, grin widening cutely in anticipation for what he was going to say next. "Don't laugh," he said, and Leigh couldnt help but smile, happy the atmosphere didn't get awkward due to her questions.
"You're the one almost laughing. I cant guarantee it won't be contagious enough for me not to join in."
He tried to deliver her a stern look before giving up, smile again tugging at his lips. He took a breath. "I didn't know what to say," he admitted, closing his eyes. The tips of his fingertips grazed against her waist again. Leigh liked the faint touch. "I was a bit nervous."
She chuckled lightly. "Fred Weasley was nervous about sending Anne-Leigh Conway a letter?" she replied, almost giggling to herself at the absurdity of the situation.
Fred opened an eye to look at her. "Shh," he mumbled, embarrassed, and moved his hand from his abdomen up to his face, shielding his eyes. "I said don't laugh."
She playfully rolled her eyes, not visible to Fred from under his palm. "Okay, okay," Leigh spoke through her smile, grabbing his hand and pulling it from his face. Again, like some weeks before, his cheeks were rosy as he looked up at her. Without thinking she let her fingertips move upon the heated skin of his cheek, and when she looked away she met his gaze. His eyes were set on hers, a bit dazed – perhaps partly from the alcohol, perhaps partly from her touch.
Moments later, some would argue too many, he tore his gaze away.
"Is your name actually Anne-Leigh?"
"Yeah. But I normally go by Leigh."
He nodded, processing the new information. Maybe he knew from before – he couldn't remember.
"Anne-Leigh," he spoke, testing how the name felt on his tongue. "Anne-Leigh."
"Yeah," she replied with a chuckle. "Not Conway anymore?"
His gaze met hers, and he shrugged softly with a crooked smile. "I like Leigh," he admitted.
She nodded, fiddling a bit with her fingers as a warm feeling spread in her chest. "I like Fred too," she mumbled quietly. A moment passed before she quickly added: "The name".
Fred immediately nodded from her lap. "Yeah, God, the name. Obviously. The guy's insufferable." He shook his head jokingly.
"Yeah, he's a bit of a menace," Leigh giggled.
"But in a good way."
Leigh hummed in thought before responding. "Debatable." The comment received a playfully unhappy expression from Fred.
He moved on. "I like Leigh," he continued. "Anne-Leigh has a bit more of a grandma vibe."
"Hey!" she exclaimed, pushing his shoulder softly, and a wide contagious smile exploded on his face. "I think that's the last drop," she said jokingly, nudging his shoulder by her lap.
"We should get up"
"No," he whined immediately. "I take back the grandma comment."
She shook her head. "As much as I appreciate that, we need to sleep"
"We?"
"Yeah, we need to sleep, it's late," she repeated, although she, too, wouldn't mind sitting like this for countless more hours.
"But you're comfy."
She chuckled. "I know. But still."
"Okay," he sighed. Against his will he got up, and Leigh immediately felt a bit colder.
He didn't move too far away, waiting for her to stand up and follow suit. Together they quietly walked towards the exit.
"Are you sure you'll be okay down to Hogsmeade?" Leigh asked, to which Fred simply smiled.
"I'll be fine. Dont worry about me. It's ten minutes. What's the worst that could happen," he shrugged his shoulders.
Leigh parted her lips again. "Actually that happens quite often. People get drunk and fall asleep in the snow and freeze to death without noticing how cold it is."
The random fact made Fred frown. "I'm not people tho...I'm Fred Weasley," his expression immediately changed into one of pride, and a smirk crept up onto his face. "And I'm not that drunk. And it's not that cold. I'll be fine."
"Promise," Leigh mumbled.
"Yes, yes, I promise. Look at me, I'm as fit as ever." He placed a light hand upon her back. "Now hurry back before you meet Filch. No one wants to see that sight, especially at night."
She smiled at him and let him guide her into a soft hug, pulling him closer once they were in each others' embrace. His arms tightened around her in equal amount, pushing her into his chest. Fred's nose softly nudged against the top of her head, and she could feel him smile into her hair. Then she let him go out into the night.