Angelina Johnson was lounging on her bed, a photo album opened on her lap , tears falling down on the paper. She still couldn’t believe he had left her that way, without saying anything. She turned to look out of the window and break down in a silent cry.
Fred had left five hours before, applauded by hundreds in his fifteen minutes of fame, leaving Dolores Umbridge humiliated in the pure chaos of her own school. Everybody was celebrating and Angelina was the only one locked in her dormitory. She looked back at the photo album and here they were, on their first date. Angelina was wearing along white and silver robes , her hair loose on her shoulders. The picture showed her seated at the table and Fred coming towards her with a glass of pumpkin juice in his hand. That picture was published in the ten-page insert of Witch Weekly about the Yule Ball, and for a couple of weeks the girls were all fussing about the two of them, then Harry and the rest of the Triwizard Tournament took over.
I can remember every single moment of it. I had fancied Fred for two years when, just a week before the Yule Ball, he asked me to be his date for the night. We danced the whole night and he made me laugh so hard I thought I’d never stop. Then he walked me to the dormitory, at the bottom of the stairs.
“I had a great night” I whispered.
“Me too” he said smiling and then, “ Goodnight!” before he turned away. I stood there for what seemed like a lifetime, then he turned around, came closer, cupped my face in his hands and kissed me so softly and tenderly, I could hardly believe it.
“Goodnight” he said again, and he went away.
Yes, they kissed; they didn’t stop kissing for about 18 months. And talking, and having fun, and sharing every moment of their lives. These things made it even harder to understand how he could have left in that way. Angelina turned the page and watched the picture. She and Fred were walking hand in hand down Hogsmeade’s main road. They were just in front of Madam Puddifoot’s , not that they ever entered it, Fred thought it was way too girlie. Looking closely, one could see Lee and George entering a shop in the background .
Look at us! I bet there wasn’t a happier couple in Hogwarts at that period. It was that Hogsmeade weekend before the Third Task. I remember the jumper he was wearing. He took me on a hill just to look at the landscape, it was so romantic. I will never forget his smell, some kind of sea smell. He always smells like a winter afternoon on the beach. And he made me smile so much. That afternoon he took me there and it was almost an ordinary date. When we found a galleon, he said he would keep it to make our wedding rings. I thought he was joking. I remember it had a stain on one side. It was the first time he had ever talked about a future together, I’d always thought it was some kind of Hogwarts love story, nothing more. After school we would both return to real life.
She started to cry again, this time she was sobbing. She could hear the noise from the Common Room. They were singing a song about the Weasley twins, their heroes of the day. To her Fred was a hero, but in a far different way . She felt like she was the only one who knew the real Fred. She knew the Fred who wasn’t afraid to show his emotions, the one who didn’t feel like he had to be funny all the time. She couldn’t say if Fred was like that when he was with George but she had always thought he felt a little more free when he was with her.
On the next page was a picture taken by Hermione Granger during Qudditch training. Angelina was in midair on an old broomstick, hair tied in ponytail, with the Quaffle in her hand. A couple of feet behind Fred, completely unaware of the Bludger zooming over, was motionless in the air, gazing at Angelina.
He scared me so much that day! I remember wondering what the hell he was doing to get hit by a Bludger in that way. A few weeks later I met Hermione in the Common Room and she said she had a picture she wanted to give me. It was this picture. Then I had my answer; he was looking at me. He never admitted it, though, he always said he was looking at the other Bludger coming towards Alicia and that it would have been George’s fault that he had been hit.
Angelina turned the page again. That picture had been taken in his dormitory, in his bed, the day they lost their virginities to each other. He had his camera on the bedside table and they snapped pictures of each other at the end of the morning. In that photo, in particular, Fred had held the camera high with his right arm and took a picture of them, under the white sheets, both smiling. There they were, her hair in real chaos, and he looked so beautiful.
Everybody was at Hogsmeade. We stayed to have some quality time together, since school was about to finish and we wanted to make the most of the time left. George went to Hogsmeade with Lee, and I waited for everyone to leave before going upstairs and waking him up. I was all dressed up with my favourite robes, a set my mom bought me in Paris, in my favourite colour, baby blue. I had on pair of earrings Alicia gave to me. It was our sixth month together. I woke him up and he smiled, kissed me and I melted.
“Good morning, honey,” I told him, handing him his robes, though I thought he was gorgeous in his pyjamas . He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him and we kissed again. “You know, I think I may be in love with you,” I let slip before falling on his bed. We made love and it was fantastic, so tender.
That evening at dinner he whispered in my ear “You know, I’m sure I’m in love with you”.
That was her Fred, a totally different person from the Fred of FredandGeorge, he was her “Freckles Fred”. She loved the freckles he had on his shoulders and he had always hated that nickname.
Angelina turned to look out the window and her eyes glanced at a note, an old note Fred had left at her place at the Gryffindor table which read, “It’s done, we have it! ” ‘It’ referred to the twins’ new shop. Angelina had been so happy for Fred, it never came into her mind that it would mean their separation. She was so proud of her boy and his almost-fulfilled dream. There was also that part of her which felt relief. Being with Fred meant that a lot of times she had to test their products with horrible consequences.
And now, he was gone. Had he thought of her before leaving? What was she supposed to do? Move on with life?
How can I move on? How can I find someone who can love me like he did? How can I even think of someone else? He was my rock, my wonderful boy. I feel so stupid for being so sappy about this. But I still can’t believe he left like that.
She was still crying when she heard something tapping on the window. A tiny owl, a grey nice one, was flying in front of the glass, desperate to enter the room. Angelina opened the window and let the owl in. It had a little parchment attached to its leg. Angelina took it and opened it on her bed next to the photo album.
Hope you’re not crying your heart out. I know I’m being a bit of a bastard leaving you like this, but I had no choice. I was dying with that witch as headmistress and you know everything was ready to let the business take off. I’m sorry we didn’t have our goodbye, but I promise I’ll do everything I can to make you forgive me.
Mum is freaking out, she says we should have finished our last year, since it was just another couple of months. Basically, she has been screaming “You prats!” for the last two hours. Dad seems to be less furious, but we had better behave ourselves for a couple of weeks.
By the way, there’s one more thing I want you to know. I love you, Ange, you’d better never forget that. These months together have meant so much to me. For the first time I felt like I was my own person, not just a half of FredandGeorge. I am half the man I can be if you’re not with me.
Give my best to our dearest friend, Professor Dolores “You-Know-Who-is-not-back-don’t-even-try-to-think-about-it” Umbridge. She’ll have to fight hard to remove that little present of ours.
Love always,
Freckles Fred
P.S.: Look under your bed
Under her bed Angelina found a blue box with a white ribbon. She took it, still smiling, and opened it. Inside was a little Golden Snitch with two crossed hearts engraved and three romantic words “Love you always”. It had a stain on one side.
I knew he couldn’t have left like that
Fin
Thanks to my wonderful beta, wishiwereaweasley.
Loads of love