Disclaimer: I do not own anything. This story is not being sold for prophet, it's just written for fun.
Written for: Hogwarts Online II forum (Link's in my profile) September Monthly Challenge.
Challenge: You'll have to write a story of "5 things..."
Fred Weasley sat at a wooden desk in his room at the Burrow, alone. He was thankful that his twin wasn't in the room with him. Fred wanted time alone after a funeral to think. He was eleven-years-old and had just been to a funeral of a member of his family. He was puzzled over the funeral, and wanted to do something about it.
Still dressed in black, he sat with parchment and quill at hand. The funeral triggered something deep in his thoughts. He started thinking what would happen if he died? Would he live a good life? He wondered if this was normal for a young kid to think about. Although Fred hadn't know his Great uncle well, he had met him a few times before. His uncle had a 'bucket list' as his mum called it and Fred thought he should have one too. At the top of a piece of parchment he scribbled:
"Five things to do before I die:"
One. Go to Hogwarts and get sorted into Gryffindor, the best house.
Two. Play Quidditch as a Beater with George.
Three. Befriend a ghost or Poltergeist
Four. Kiss a girl.
Five. Make mum proud.
He placed the quill down beside the parchment and stared at his list. Scattered around him were several lists he didn't like. 'This will be the final list,' he thought. He carefully folded the list, placed it in his pocket and remembered September first was fast approaching.
One.
Fred had stood in line alongside his brother George as they waited to be sorted. He could see his older brothers Charlie and Percy at the Gryffindor table and wished to join them.
"Weasley, Fredrick," Professor McGonagall called as he stood there nervously. He walked slowly and nervously to the stool, sat down and faced his fellow classmates. He loved an audience, but today he didn't want to be the center of attention.
He fiddled with his hands as he waited patiently as the hat thought of the best place for him to fit in.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Fred jumped off the stool as soon as Professor McGonagall took the hat off his head. He raced to join his brothers at the Gryffindor table.
"Congratulations, Fred!" Charlie said as he patted his back. George was next, and Fred settled down, as he watched with the rest of the school as his brother sat on the stool. He had hoped his brother would be in the same house with the rest of the family.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted as soon as it sat on his brother's head. His brother raced towards the table, sat in between him and Charlie and smiled a big grin at his identical twin.
"We made it, Fred. We're officially Gryffindors." George smiled.
Later that night, before bed, Fred waited till everyone had left the Gryffindor common room. He pulled out the folded parchment from his pocket, opened it, and smiled down at it.
"I can cross number one off my list," Fred said as he smiled. He took a quill, dipped it in ink, and crossed in a thick black line 'Go to Hogwarts and get sorted into Gryffindor'.
Two
One year later, Fred stood in front of the Quidditch pitch along with his brothers. He was twelve now, and old enough to try out for Quidditch. Charlie was captain, and smiled down at his brothers as he gave a pep talk to those trying out for the team.
"We're going to be Beaters right, Fred?" George questioned.
"I hope so, Charlie doesn't pick favorites. We're his brothers, but I want to prove to everyone that we made the team because we are good." George smiled at his identical twin.
"Beaters, take your positions," Charlie's voice boomed.
They were ready. Fred winked at George as Charlie tossed a Bludger into the air. Fred was the first to respond to it and hit the Bludger with all of his might, as he aimed at the fake opponent on the opposite side of the field. Fred hit the opponent square in the chest.
The crowd screamed cheers of joy as they saw Fred fly back down to the ground.
"Way to go, Fred!" Charlie said in amazement.
"George, you're next."
Fred watched his brother send the Bludger right to the chest just like he did moments before.
Again, the crowd cheered as another Weasley did a good job.
An hour passed as they watched the other students of Gryffindor try out for the team. Charlie called everyone's attention and gave another talk.
"Right, now I will place a list of names tomorrow morning. Good luck." He watched as the students scattered for their equipment.
"Fred, George, come here," Charlie called their names. The two walked up to their older brother.
"Good job today. How'd you learn how to play so well?" Charlie asked them. Fred had a twinkle in his eyes as he smiled at his brother George.
"We played Quidditch at the top of a hill while Mum and dad were out shopping."
"You take after my own heart.," Charlie chuckled.
The next morning Charlie posted a notice on the common room's notice board
"Fred, wake up! Wake up!" George said excitedly the next morning.
"What is it, George? Ohh, Quidditch tryouts!" Fred's eyes grew wide as he remembered the previous day.
He quickly pulled on his clothes and rushed past his brother. Together they raced down the stairs and into the common room.
"George, we made it!" Fred shouted as he saw the names on the parchment.
"Blimey, Fred, we did!" George grinned a huge smile at his brother.
Later that night, alone in the common room, Fred pulled out the parchment , from his pocket, and placed it on the table.
"I can cross number two off my list." He smiled as he read the second line on the list. Fred then pulled out a Quill and Ink. He drew a black line across: 'play Quidditch with George as a Beater'.
Three
"Fred, what are you doing?" George asked as his brother stared out into the grounds one cool morning.
"Ever wonder why Peeves acts the way he acts?" They were in their third year now at Hogwarts and knew every inch about the school.
"Because, he's a Poltergeist, Fred. Everyone knows that," George retorted.
"But what causes him to go crazy and pull pranks with out caring about anyone?" Fred asked his twin with an eager tone in his voice. George turned to his best friend.
"Get that twinkle out of your eye, Fred," George said.
"What twinkle?" Fred said innocently.
"You're up to something, Fred," George stated as he watched his brother get his books ready for the day.
"I'll see you in class, George, I'm going to find Peeves," Fred said smiling to his twin.
"Fred, why?"
"Don't you worry. We're pranksters, George, if Peeves is the ghost that pulls pranks on people, then I have a few tricks up my sleeve for him." Fred winked at his twin, picked up his book bag, and walked off to find the ghost.
Secretly, Fred wanted to befriend Peeves. He felt they had a lot in common and wanted to help him. Fred found Peeves in the Trophy room putting crumpled up pieces of parchment in the trophies.
"Peeves," Fred said calmly making the poltergeist jump.
"I know who you are, you're a Weasley," Peeves said almost too calmly for Fred. Peeves aimed a crumpled up piece of parchment right at Fred's head. Fred ducked and it missed.
"You know, there's a better way of doing that." Fred opened his book bag, looked around for something and handed it to the Poltergeist.
"What's this?" he asked out of curiosity.
"It's a slingshot. I've been told Muggle children used these to aim objects at stuff."
Immediately, Peeves put a crumpled up piece of parchment in the sling, pulled back, aimed for a far away trophy and let it go. The parchment flew through the air and landed inside the middle of a trophy.
"Where'd you get this?" Peeves asked as he smiled a little wicked grin.
"Knicked it off of Filch. It was in his office in a box listed 'forbidden items'." Fred said as Peeves handed the slingshot back to him.
"Keep it," Fred said.
"Are you sure? I could use this to cause a lot of pranks," Peeves said happily.
"That's why I gave it to you. We pranksters need to stick together. Use it well," Fred said smiling.
"No one's ever given me anything before." Peeves took another wad of parchment, placed it in the sack and again aimed, this time at the ceiling. It soared through the air and landed in the middle.
"I've gotta get going to class. Have fun, Peeves," Fred said. He knew it was a good start to what would be the oddest friendship he's ever had.
Later that night, alone in the common room, Fred took out the same old parchment from his pocket.
"I can cross number three off my list," he said as he read the third line. He drew a black line across: 'Befriend a ghost or poltergeist'.
Four
Fred frowned three years later, as he saw all the happy couples in Hogsmead. Valentine's day was a joke, he hated everything about it. He was sixteen now, and alone. George was off with a girl which surprised Fred greatly. He never pictured George to be the first one to get a girlfriend. Fred went to the ball with Angelina in their fifth year, but it was just a date. George snatched Angelina from him after the ball when Fred realized she was more of a sister than girlfriend material.
Everywhere he turned he saw a couple kissing in the snow. He even saw Harry Potter with Cho Chang. It made Fred think of someone he had his eye on. Someone, with whom he shouldn't have a crush on knowing his little brother had a crush on the same girl. Speaking of the girl, he saw Hermione Granger head towards the Three Broomsticks. He wanted to follow her, but knew it would be better not to.
Two hours later, after Harry had left Madam Puddifoots alone and went into the Three Broomsticks, Hermione came out and headed up to the castle. Fred decided to follow her at a short distance. She walked as if she was in a hurry.
Fred didn't know what came over him but he had to talk to her, it was as if she was making him want her all over again. He watched her every move. She turned slightly, saw him smile, and stopped walking. He caught up to her.
"Hey, Hermione," he said nervously.
"Are you okay, Fred?" she asked him as she eyed him. He knew he was acting weird, but couldn't explain it with out making a fool out of himself.
"Fine," he squeaked suddenly blushing. He ran off leaving her confused and alone. He thought he could handle talking to her, but realized he couldn't.
Later that night, alone in the common room, he sat staring at the parchment on the table. How stupid he was for acting the way he did. He knew he wouldn't be able to cross it off the list. To his surprise, someone came down from the girl's dormitory. Hermione faced him as she approached him.
"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked her. This time it was she who was acting differently. She eyed his paper as he tried getting it out of her way. She was quicker than he was.
He watched her read the paper to herself quietly. She read every word silently, her eyes darted across the page. For some reason, Fred didn't take the paper away from her.
"Have you ever kissed a girl?" she asked as she moved her thumb over number four on his list. His eyes darted away from her, as she stepped closer to him.
"No," he said shyly wondering where the shyness came from. She put the parchment down on the table, took his hand and wrapped it neatly in hers.
"Do you want to?" she whispered as she held tight to his hand.
"Yes," he said honestly.
"Do you want me to be your first kiss?" she asked already knowing the answer.
"I think you know the answer to that," Fred said, as he tried not to sound too sarcastic.
"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about this afternoon?" She was making him beg for a kiss. It played with his emotions, and she knew that.
"No, I just wanted to talk. But for some reason, I couldn't around you."
"If you want to kiss me, just ask me," she said smiling. When he couldn't get the words forming, Hermione stood on her tiptoes to match Fred's height, smiled, and leaned in to kiss him. He pulled back slightly as she gave him a confused look.
"May I kiss you?" he asked, just as she had suggested.
"I already gave you permission," she teased him. This time, he pulled her slowly close to him, wrapped his arms around her and leaned in as he kissed her lips gently. When they broke apart, she smiled at him.
"You can cross that off your list," she said smiling.
"You won't tell anyone?" he asked her as sat down at the table in the Common Room.
"Everyone has secrets of their own. It's not mine to tell," she said smiling as she went to her dorm.
Later that evening, as he sat down reflecting what had just happened, he pulled out his list and smiled.
"I can cross number four off my list," he said as he reread the fourth line. He drew a black line across: 'Kiss a girl'.
Five
Molly Weasley entered what once was Fred and George's room. She frowned as she thought of the last time her boys had been here came in here, and became mad at herself when she couldn't remember exactly when it was. The way the room looked now, looked cold and unwelcome. Molly shook her head as she fought tears in her eyes. She didn't like to think of the room as not lived in. Instead, she thought of what it use to be like during their Hogwarts years.
Back then, it was full of life. Clothes scattered the floor, the twins talked about anything and everything. Explosions were heard coming from the room. Molly was always banging on their door when explosions were too loud at first, but then she sighed and got use to the noise. Now she missed it and would give anything just to hear them again coming up with something new. She could almost see them sitting there on Fred's bed hunched over something. They were always tinkering with something. She could hear herself yell at them from the threshold of the doorway, and their look of shock as their mother caught them again. Punishments were handed out, but praises weren't as easily given to them. Their Hogwarts books were scattered in and around the trunks as they awaited going back to school. Molly often nagged them about keeping their room messy.
Today, it was too quiet for Molly to handle. No noise came from the room, no explosions and not even the twins talking. Dust covered everything as if it hasn't been cleaned in years.. When Fred died she swore she'd never set foot in that room again, but on his first year's anniversary of being gone, she wanted to relive his memory. Instead of going to the graveyard with her family. Molly didn't want to go there today. She wanted to enter the room she swore she'd never go in again. Fred and George's room.
At first, Molly wanted to start cleaning off the dust on their desks, and bookshelves, but something told her to go sit on his bed. She slowly walked to the bed just staring at it before she sat down. Dust even covered the sheets that haven't been slept in years.
Her eyes darted towards the desk and saw something on the desk that once belonged to Fred; a wooden wand, stood up and walked over to it. She picked up the wand, as she did so, a loud squeak came from the wand as it turned into a giant rubber mouse.
Molly started to cry then, as she had found one of the few surviving fake wands. She thought back to when she use to yell at Fred and George over every little thing, and wished she could take it all back just to see her son again. Molly dropped the mouse suddenly. She was angry with herself, and wished she had said one nice thing to Fred before they went into hiding.
She bent down carefully and looked under the desk for the mouse, and found it next to a piece of old parchment. Molly forgot about the mouse and picked up the parchment. It had belonged to Fred because it was by his desk by his old bed. She didn't know what she was about to read, but sat down on his bed and opened it.
Molly stared at the title , 'Five things to do before I die', she stared at the list, the comments he made on the side and frowned as she read the last, unmarked list. 'Make Mum proud', was list number five. It wasn't crossed off like the others, and it certainly didn't have notes beside it like the others.
'Well, Fred Weasley,' Molly thought. 'You most certainly made me proud. You showed bravery and courage and fought in the war along with the rest of us. I hate the outcome, you should be here with us. But fate had other plans. I only wished I had told you sooner. I admit, you also made me proud when you opened your shop because you finally finished a goal you had. It might not have been my goal, but it was yours, and you completed it.' She started to cry again as she left momentarily from their room into hers, found ink and a quill, and came back to their room.
"I can cross number five off of your list, Fred. You made me proud," Molly said as she reread the fifth line. She drew a black line across: 'Make Mum Proud.'