Okay everyone, those of you who have been reading 'Adopted by the Malfoys', this is a one-shot of Fred's feelings towards Marie in that story. I didn't want to put this into 'Adopted by the Malfoys' because I thought that this way, more people might want to check the story out after reading this?
Let's find out!
"Talking"
'Fred's thoughts'
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It was Marie's third year when Fred Weasley first really noticed her at the Quidditch match when Gryffindor went against Hufflepuff and it was storming. The crowds in the stands were screaming and shouting for their best teams. Some Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were cheering for Gryffindor and the rest of the Ravenclaws, Slytherin and Hufflepuff were rooting for Hufflepuff. Fred didn't care, however.
He was cheering for Marie, Gryffindor's best seeker.
It was a close match in the rain and Marie was all over the field, trying to find the snitch. Fred watched as she flew gracefully in the chaotic storm. The game was cutting close but finally, Marie seemed to have found the snitch and bolted after it. Cedric Diggory wasn't that far behind though, and was tailing after her. They went far up into the clouds to the point where no one could even see them anymore and it was taking a while.
'Is she alright?' Fred wondered.
The Weasley twin was getting worried and George patted him on the back, well knowing of Fred's crush on Marie, even if Fred didn't know it himself yet ,"I'm sure she's fine, Fred. Any second now she'll come flying down with the snitch in her hand."
Right after George said that, Marie came flying down.
"See I told yo-", George stopped.
The crowd cried out in horror as Marie Potter was falling down from the sky without her broom at an alarming rate. Fred was about to cast a cushion spell towards her but Dumbledore seemed to have beaten him to it and stopped Marie from falling mere inches from the ground.
Fred let out a sigh of relief and glared at his brother, "You were saying?"
George gave a shrug, "Sorry"
The game ending quite quickly after that as the Dementors started to come down from the clouds. The students were immediately sent back into the castle and Marie was taken to the Hospital wing.
Fred was tapping his foot impatiently in the Gryffindor commons, waiting for Marie to come through the painting so he could check her over, joke with her then go to bed. However, Hermione and Fred's brother, Ron, came through the painting instead but saw him sitting there alone, as George was hanging out with Lee to give his brother some space.
"Fred or George?" Ron asked stupidly and Fred just stared at him unimpressed.
"Really?"
Hermione punched Ron's arm and her couldn't resist a smirk as she scolded him, "Ronald! He's your own brother and you don't know which one he is! How could you be so self-centered?"
Fred smiled at her but Hermione blushed, "Hi George."
Fred frowned, "I'm Fred, Hermione."
The girl blushed even harder and covered her face with her hands as Ron laughed, "I'm so sorry, Fred!"
Fred shook his head, "Don't worry about it. You're not the only one, surely not the last. How's Marie?"
Ron frowned this time, "Why do you want to know?"
Hermione slapped his arm again but she answered his question, "She's doing fine but Madam Pomfrey wants her to stay the night in the hospital wing to recover."
Fred nodded and Hermione read his thoughts, "Why don't you go visit her?"
Ron looked between the two, "Why would he go visit her? He's never really been around her."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "You are so daft, sometimes."
With that, Granger walked to her dormitory on her own and Ron was left with his daft brother.
"Bloody hell" Ron mumbled, "What's her problem? Girls, right?"
Fred twitched an eye and finally decided to just get up and leave for the hospital wing. Ron was left in the Commons on his own.
Dinner would be soon, so Fred walked down by the Great hall. However, instead of going in the hall, he went up to a portrait of fresh fruits and tickled the pear in the painting. Right then, a secret passage way opened up that led to the kitchens. Before he could get bombarded by House-elves, he quickly cast a disillusionment spell on himself and grabbed as much food as he could from the fridge.
As Fred made his way to the Hospital wing, he hid the food in his robes and walked in the door. Right away he heard many complaints.
"But Madam Pomfrey! I feel fine! I don't need to stay here the whole night. Please?"
But the medi-witch was strict, "Absolutely not! You will stay here until I find it necessary for you to leave. That's final, Ms. Potter."
A heavy sigh could be heard and Fred smiled at the jittery girl's behavior.
Fred walked in some more and Pomfrey saw him immediately, "Young man! What are you doing in here! Visiting hours are over."
"I just came to see Gryffindor's best Quidditch player is all. Can't I please come in? I'll be in and out before you know it" he winked at the elder and she blushed red at the handsome young man.
"Oh fine!" she gave up" But only five minutes and you're gone."
Fred nodded and walked towards Marie's bed. Marie had a sour look on her face as though she had just been flouted.
"Hey Marie."
The girl looked up at him and blushed, "Oh hi, Fred."
Fred smirked, "How do you know I'm Fred and not George?"
Marie smiled and giggled, "I know your differences. That's all I'm going to say"
The Weasley smirked at the girl's playful behavior, "I brought you some food from the kitchens. Thought you might like that better than potions."
Marie rolled her eyes, "You didn't have to do that! But you are right. I do prefer good food over Snape's gross potions any day!"
They laughed shortly and Fred took out the food, "I didn't know what you liked so I just grabbed a bunch of stuff." He took out his wand and transfigured a pen into a tray, setting the food onto it on her lap. There was some cheese, some fruit, beef jerky and even some treacle tarts, which were Marie's favorite desert.
"Oh Fred!" she gasped at all of the food, "Thanks! It looks delicious!"
"Hurry before Pomfrey sees it." He ushered her and he chuckled lightly as Marie stuffed the food in her mouth and gobbled it up as if she hadn't eaten in days.
"Full?" he teased her and Marie laughed as well.
Then there was silence between them for a few moments before Fred finally asked, "So how do you know the difference between me and George?"
Marie smiled, "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."
By that time, Madam Pomfrey came back in and was ushering Fred out the door, scolding him for giving her patient prescribed food. Fred didn't mind though and he laughed, making Marie smile that wonderful smile.
The next few days went by carefully and finally school was working normally, beside the felon that was supposedly trying to break into Hogwarts. Fred was on his way to his Potions class with George and Lee when they spotted something not out of the ordinary.
Malfoy was bullying Marie as always and Ron was having a name-calling face-off with the young Malfoy heir as Hermione just rolled her eyes at the boy's arguing.
Marie, however, was being pushed up against a wall by Malfoy and was being verbally abused. Everyone else couldn't see it but Fred could. On the outside, Marie looked defiant and brave getting ready to strike back at the boy but on the inside, Marie was a frightened little girl begging for help from anyone to make all the bad go away.
So Fred stepped up.
"Oi! Malfoy! Back off ya prat!"
Draco looked behind him to see that the older boy was glaring at him and being the chicken that he really was, the young blonde sneered and walked away without a word. Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Pansy naturally walked after him in disappointment. With that, the other students that had been watching the fight walked away to their next class as well.
Meanwhile, Ron, Hermione, George and Marie stayed in the hall outside of the Potions classroom. Ron was staring at his brother in stupid amazement, Hermione with pure knowing and George and Lee with a smirk on their faces. Marie wasn't looking at him at all, kind of embarrassed.
"What?" Fred asked them and Ron spoke up first.
"That was bloody brilliant!"
George rolled his eyes, "Fantastic use of vocabulary, Ronnie-kins."
"Shut up"
Fred scratched the back of his neck in awkwardness, "You okay, Marie?"
The girl nodded slightly but then Hermione cleared her throat, "We should go to class, Marie. We'll see you there alright?"
With that, Hermione dragged Ron off with her to their next class and George patted Fred on the shoulder and left with Lee into Snape's classroom. That left only Marie and Fred alone in the dungeon hall in a discomforting silence.
Finally Fred came closer to her and spoke first, "Don't worry about Malfoy, Marie. He's just a coward."
Marie nodded, "I know that. It's just getting old . . . and worse. He just won't shut up at times."
Fred laughed, "Yeah, neither does Ron."
Marie cracked a smile as well.
Fred cocked his head, "So Marie, I'll see you later?"
Marie frowned and Fred cursed himself for being such an idiot.
"Yeah. Alright. I gotta get to class anyways. See ya."
With that, now Fred was left in the hall by himself.
He ended up not going to class after that. He felt just too disappointed in himself.
'Why couldn't I just ask those few simple words? Would you go out with me, Marie? That's not so hard! Damn, you're a bloody idiot!'
Fred curled his fingers in his own red hair in frustration.
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It was now Fred's fifth year in Hogwarts and Marie's fourth year. Fred was worried sick about Marie and awaited in the stands in the Quidditch fields for her or the dragon to reappear. Even though he and George had even tried to enter the Tri-wizard Tournament, he never thought that Marie would have been able to. They knew each other well enough now as he often teased and talked to her. However, she was just a little bit distant since she had been chosen in the Tournament.
George noticed his brother's fidgeting and slapped him on the back, "She'll be fine! She's Marie Rosalina Potter after all! She can face anything."
Fred glared at his twin, "Yeah and look at what happened the last time you thought she was going to be okay."
George looked hurt but it was lost when Marie came flying back into the field by herself. George slapped Fred again and made him turn his head to look. Fred turned and almost cried in happiness, "Marie! Yeah! You did it!"
The crowd burst into similar screams and jumped up in down in excitement. Marie dropped down on the boulder and grabbed the egg hurriedly as if it would disappear.
Fred and Marie locked eyes and smiled.
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The day after the third task, Fred walked to visit Marie in the hospital wing. It was being said that Marie had witnessed the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. However, hardly anyone really believed her since she came back by the portkey with Cedric's dead body. The look on Marie's face when she had returned had been horrifying. Like she had been to hell and back. Come to find out that Mad-eye Moody wasn't even himself but in fact, Barty Crouch Jr., the minister's son that had escaped Azkaban. He had been the one to jinx the Goblet of Fire into entering Marie in the Tri-wizard Tournament.
Marie was so shaken up he heard that not even Ron not Hermione could get her to talk about what had happened. Hermione came to Fred and asked for his help.
Right now he entered the Hospital wing and he was surprised by how many people were in there. There were his parents, George, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Remus Lupin, a strange dog, Snape, McGonagall, the minister and some officials and Dumbledore.
Then Fred saw Marie sitting in the bed staring at nothing with her arms crossed around her knees like a frightened child. Fred came to her bed and placed an arm on her back. She flinched but Fred hushed her.
"It's okay Marie. You're safe now. Everything will be alright."
Marie looked up to Fred and trembled, tears running down her cheeks, "Fred." She whispered, "He's back. He's back and he killed Cedric!" she fell into sobbing, unable to continue talking and Fred just hugged her tightly in his arms, hushing her.
The people in the room looked on at the scene carefully and Fred rubbed her back and kissed her forehead.
Until the strange black dog jumped up on the bed and started licking their faces, that is.
Marie giggled, "Stop it! Down boy. I love you too, Padfoot."
Sirius whined in content and laid down on the bed with her. Fred pat his head and addressed Marie, "Could you tell us what happened Marie? In the graveyard?"
Marie stiffened, "I already told you. I told everyone. He came back by some weird resurrection with Wormtail's help, he killed Cedric then tried to kill me. We dueled and I escaped, bringing Cedric's body back."
Fred nodded but then a scoff could be heard from the minister, "Preposterous! The Dark Lord has not returned! It's a lie!"
"Minister Crouch, if I may," Dumbledore started, "The very fact of you still being here is preposterous."
The small group of teens in the room chuckled at Crouch's stunned face.
Fred smiled at Marie and hugged her again, "Everything will be alright. We'll protect you, Marie. All of us. I won't let anything bad ever happen to you."
Marie, being oblivious to the fact that Fred felt more than just a friend towards her, nodded and hugged him back as a friend would.
'One day maybe she'll think of me of more than just a friend?'
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R&R
Once again, this is just a one-shot of Fred's feelings towards Marie before 'Adopted by the Malfoys'.
Hope you enjoyed it. Perhaps I'll do some more little one-shots once in a while with this story?
