Chapter 2: Atop the Astronomy Tower

"I thought you two were upset you couldn't try for the Tri-Wizard Tournament." I said, looking up at a smiling Fred. My head was currently resting on his lap as we lounged down by the lake the first Saturday of Term and enjoying some of the last few days we'll get outside before the temperature started dropping. George was standing a few feet away, skipping rocks over the flat surface of the water with a simple flick of his wand.

"We're working on it." Fred said, grinning. He reached down and ran his fingers through my hair for a few moments as I gave him a puzzled look. "Don't worry. You'll find out when they're ready."

"And they'll be ready in time." George said with a chuckle.

I sighed, closing my eyes. "Does this have anything to do with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" I asked, mentioning the ultimate plan of my favorite twins.

"Maybe." Their voices chimed together, causing me to sigh again.

"You two are impossible." I said before raising my wand to practice a charm for Professor Flitwick's class.


We didn't head back up to the castle until four hours later, when the twins decided they were bored and chose to splash me with water. It had ended with the three of us drenched from head to toe and me upset, even as I laughed with them. After a quick drying spell, we agreed to head back. George was teasing me for various reasons on our way to Gryffindor Tower as Fred smiled, staying quiet.

We ran into Jordan Lee on our way up, another Gryffindor in the same year as the twins and another of their close friends, though we barely spoke.

"Hey guys, Alexis, I was just about to head down to the kitchens for a quick snack." He said, smiling widely. "Who want to join me?"

"I'm good." I said, smiling. "You boys go ahead."

George chuckled. "Well I'm game. Fred?"

"I'm not really that hungry." He shrugged. "You two have fun."

George and Lee blinked, but shrugged and hurried off, joking and laughing.

I looked at Fred and raised an eyebrow. "You never skip out on a trip to the kitchens." I commented.

He smiled and shrugged. "Not hungry. Besides, you and I never really get time on our own."

I blinked again, then smiled a bit. "Okay. Do you want to do anything then?"

"Can we go to the Astronomy Tower?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

I smiled. "Sure, come on." I took his hand, pulling him along towards said tower and missing the blush that appeared on his cheeks.

It only took about 10 minutes until we were sitting at the top of the Astronomy Tower, looking out at the wilderness beyond Hogwarts grounds. We sat in silence, enjoying the view and the quiet. A cold breeze tugged at our robes, making me shiver and lean closer to Fred. I never saw the smile, but he put his arm around my shoulder to hold me close.

"Cold?" He whispered.

"A bit." I sighed, closing me eyes. "Are you two really going to try to enter the Triwizard Tournament?" I asked a few moments later.

"We need the prize money for the shop." Fred said, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"Fred, people have died in this tournament." I said, voicing my worries. "What am I going to do if one of you gets hurt?"

His arm around me tightened a bit. "We'll have you to pick us back up." His words were barely a whisper, but clear.

I sighed again and turned to look at him, frowning slightly. "Fred, I can't always be there for you two." I told him softly.

He frowned and pulled me back to him with his arms around my waist. He hid his face in the crook of my neck, and I hesitated at the suddenness before wrapping my arms around his shoulders and returning the hug.

We sat there, somewhat awkwardly, for a few minutes. I ignored several things, like how as I straddling Fred's lap or that his lips were just barely touching the exposed skin of my neck, as he held onto me like I was an anchor to keep him from floating away.

I had never seen Fred like this, so desperate and needy for contact. It made me worry as a rubbed the back of his neck and pet that flaming red hair that I always wondered how they kept so soft. I felt rather than heard his breathing start to even out, but still he held me so close. I knew he needed this, though I didn't understand why.

"Fred." I said softly, my lips close to his ear, finally breaking the 15 minutes of silence. I don't know how I knew it was 15 minutes, because it had felt like hours. "Fred, what's wrong?" I didn't care that my voice held the worry I felt and ignored the slight tremble in my words.

He was silent for a few moments, then his grip on my waist relaxed and he pulled away. He looked me in the eyes for a few moments, and I saw a mix of emotions in those brown eyes. Before I could recognize them, they were gone and he smiled.

"Sorry." He said, voice full of that usual cheer. It made me frown. "I just needed a moment." He sighed, patting my shoulder. "Let's head back. It's almost dinner time."

I nodded and got off of him, though I was still worried about the moment that we'd just had. What was it? What had almost made him break like that?

As we got ready to head down to the Great Hall, I realized something. That night was the night I discovered that, for whatever reason, Fred wore a mask of happiness. And I wondered exactly when he was wearing that mask and when he wasn't.


Hey, Mask here. Curious if you guys can guess what's going on with Fred :) Leave your thoughts in a review and maybe I'll message you about it!