Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world and all Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling and strictly to J. K. Rowling.
A/N: This is a fanfic for the practice round of The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. It's a really interesting and fun competition. I'd recommend joining since there are still spots left on several teams. A link to the forum can be found on my profile.
The prompts I am using for this fanfic are as follows: finding friends at Hogwarts, No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller, A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. John Barrymore, and tiptoe. – MsHologramRibs
. . .Friends Who Gave Him No Regrets
"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams," Fred said out loud. He had been sweeping in their store when Hermione Granger, who had been helping around the shop, started talking about muggle literature and quotes. The girl was always talking about books she had recently read in a nearby bookstore. Fred had been talking about things he wished he had done while he still went to Hogwarts and Hermione had recited that quote to him. He said it out loud now as if it would make more sense if he said it himself but no, he didn't have any regrets. Did he? And he wasn't particularly old. Sure, he had a wife and children of his own but that was expected when growing up. Did he, Fred Weasley, have any regrets while growing up?
Fred thought back to his first day at Hogwarts. It was just after the welcoming feast when he and George thought it would be funny to put firecrackers, which they had found in their dad's shed where he kept all his muggle junk, under their older brother Percy Weasley's bed. They were tiptoeing up the staircase to the upperclassmen's dorm when they heard someone behind them. They turned around to see a dark haired boy who was in the same class as them following them.
"What are you doing here?" George had asked. The boy looked at the firecrackers in their hands and shook his head.
"Do you even know what those do?" the boy asked. Fred and George looked at each other.
"Of course we do," they said and the boy stared at them.
"You do know those are highly flammable, right?" the boy asked. Fred and George looked at each other again. They hadn't considered that. Now the thought of lighting them under Percy's bed seemed dangerous and like they could get kicked out of Hogwarts because of it.
"What's your name anyway?" Fred asked the boy. The boy smiled.
"Lee Jordan," the boy replied. Fred and George walked down the staircase to be at level with him. George threw his arm around the boy's shoulder and started to steer him towards their own dorm.
"Nice to meet you, Lee Jordan. Tell us more about your vast knowledge of flammable things," George said making Fred laugh. That had been the start of a lifelong friendship with Lee Jordan, one that benefitted them when it came around to creating their products. Fred smiled to himself as he continued to sweep up the shop. He could use magic to finish but he liked how it was letting him think and reflect on his past. So far he had no regrets.
Then Fred started to think about when he and George started Quidditch and how that forged a friendship between them and Angelina Johnson. Angelina was a great chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in Fred's opinion. And later, a great team captain.
"You two better not slack off this year, I mean it," Angelina told Fred and George once she had become captain. Fred and George mocked being offended.
"When have we ever slacked off when it came to Quidditch?" George asked. Angelina glared at them both and then couldn't help but smile.
"I know how you two joke. I'm your friend, remember? I just don't want anyone to get lazy this year," she explained. Fred and George stood up and put one arm around her shoulders as they walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Don't worry about us, Angelina. We'll definitely win this year," Fred said to which Angelina frowned.
"You don't know that, Fred," she said and the twins shared a look.
"With Harry on our team, we've been nearly unbeatable!" George exclaimed. Angelina turned around in their arms so that she could face them forcing George and Fred to put their arms down.
"Still, NO SLACKING OFF!" Angelina yelled walking off. Fred and George watched her walk off and smiled.
"That's one amazing woman," George said and Fred laughed.
Fred couldn't help laughing now, now that he remembered that particular conversation. George was now married to Angelina Johnson and they couldn't be happier. Fred sighed as he finished sweeping. Hermione walked in from the back of the store and brought out several boxes of some of their new products to stock on the shelves. Fred turned to her.
"How do you know if someone has lived? Without regrets?" Fred asked and Hermione turned around to look at him, surprised at the unexpected question. She put two and two together and knew it must have been what she said earlier.
"Oh Fred. No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit," she said smiling at him. Fred looked confused.
"What does that even mean?" he asked. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle.
"It means that no one who ever looked down on the world has ever done anything of good use. You, my friend, are not a pessimist and you have done a fair amount of good things," she said. Fred couldn't help but smile. He walked forward and drew the young woman in for a hug.
"Thanks, Hermione," he said. Hermione looked dumbfounded as she wasn't sure what was going on in his trickster head. She just accepted the hug and continued to shelve the new products. Fred went upstairs and thought to himself, yes he had no regrets. He had many good friends and every second spent was worth it.
. . .
A/N: So, yeah, my first time writing exclusively about Fred. Hope you liked it! -MsHologramRibs