Content Waring: References to adult kithing, and painful breakups.
The workplace was extremely tense from there on out, Odile rarely making an appearance, if at all. George silently thanked his lucky stars that he'd managed to hire extra workers that didn't require much extra pay. He'd tried to convince Fred to breach contact, but it seemed pretty damn obvious Odile wanted nothing to do with him. She'd sent Angelina to pick up her clothes and apparently gave orders to glare at him the entire time. As the dates passed on the calendar, October came and flew by. Fred didn't do much at the shop other than stock, never really having the energy to greet guests. George stalked up the stairs painfully after a particularly rough workday. He pushed open the doors to see his brother sitting by the bay window, staring out at the open sky. The festivities of Samhain raged on below them, the stench of butterbeer and pumpkin filling the air.
"Fred, just go to bed if you're not going to go out." He muttered, pulling off his work shirt. He wasn't surprised at the lack of response as he yanked a clean one on. He sighed as he jammed his arms into his robe, hanging from the hook by the door.
"Alright, Grumps, I'm heading out. You're welcome to join the boys and me down at the pub whenever you come back to life." His only response was a grunt, which he took as a "bugger off". George looked up as his bedroom door opened to see a drop-dead gorgeous Angelina standing there in very little, but with a smirk wide enough to make up for it. He gulped as he drank in the sight of her endless legs and her firm stomach muscles from years of hard work and exercise.
"Heading out, darling?" She questioned innocently, the devious look in her eyes betraying her true intentions. He gulped loudly, letting the robe fall from his shoulders.
"Well, I suppose they can wait for a bit." He tried to reply casually as he quickly crossed the room, tearing off his shirt.
"Oh, they can they?" She murmured with a broad smile as he grasped her hips. Their lips connected briefly before he gripped her thighs, sending her squealing when he hoisted her up. There were more kissing and giggles followed by the sound of George slamming the door closed with his foot. Fred shuddered, glad once more for the silencing charm Odile had helped them weave into the door. There it was again, the pang in his heart, appearing every time her name came up, even in his thoughts. He leant his head back against the wall, closing his eyes.
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"Come on, Ange, the boys will already be making me pay for the next round, and I've yet to even start." George whinged from his position underneath the girl laying on a heap on top of him. She groaned and rolled off him, waving her hand dismissively.
"Fiiine, at least grab me a pumpkin juice from out the fridge before you leave." He grinned as he hastily crossed the room, pushing past the door, zipping up his jeans as he went. He scratched the back of his head and couldn't help but admire the red marks that followed the length of his back and arms. He took a swig of the open orange squash that sat in the fridge, pulling a bottle out for Angelina. He shook the bottle as he began walking back to the bedroom, rolling his neck as he went. Stretching slightly, he groaned as he felt the soreness in his spine before stopping dead. He turned his head to the side and blinked before rubbing his eyes.
"Uhhh, Ange?"
"Yeah?" She shouted from their shared room, flipping through the magazine sitting by her bed, stretching her aching muscles.
"Come here, please."
"Why?" She whined, obviously not wanting to leave her boudoir.
"I need your help." She groaned, flopping her head on her pillow. She sat up grumpily before slumping into the living room, pulling her nightgown across her body as she went. She looked over to where her boyfriend was standing, following his eyes.
"What?" She asked, annoyance evident in her tone.
"What's missing from this picture?" He wondered aloud, disorientation causing his mind to run at 5 mph. She looked between him and the bay window with bewilderment before the penny finally dropped.
"Fred!" They said in unison, turning to face each other, fingers pointed in an "aha!" expression. Instantaneously the door flung open behind them, kicked open by the man himself. They whirled around to see him carrying a small body, bridal style, the arms of the figure clasped around his neck.
"Fred?" George questioned, finger now pointing at his heaving form.
"George?" A weak voice inquired, drawing his eyes to the form clutching his brother.
"Odile!" He cried in shock, eyes going wide at the sight of the girl. Her floor-length chiffon dress was ripped along the hem and covered in dirt, mascara streaks running down her cheeks. There were dark bruises around her wrists, blooding seeping from her nose and a gash on her cheekbone.
"Ange?" She murmured as she turned her head to see the dark-skinned girl gawking at her, dressed in a practically see-through silk nightie.
"Odile!" She exclaimed, eyes flicking back and forth between the two.
"Fred?" George asked with eyes full of question, Angelina rushing towards where the two stood.
"Alright, enough! This isn't a bloody Scooby-Doo cartoon." Odile snickered at Fred's visible exasperation. He felt an unintentional grin stretch across his face as he felt his chest rumble with the vibration of her laugh. He gripped her tighter, never wanting to put her down.
"Odile, what happened?" Angelina asked, gently stroking the hair from out of her face. Fred could feel the strain on his biceps as he continued to hold her, though he was too afraid to place her down in fear of losing her once more.
"Well, I'll tell you once this big lug decides to stop being a knight in shining armour and puts me down." Fred huffed dramatically at that before carefully placing her down on the sofa. She sat up too quickly, grabbing Fred's arm to stabilise herself.
"Odile, what's going on?" George asked as Angelina frantically hurried around collecting blankets and pillows to make the girl more comfortable. Odile moaned in pain, clutching her head, accepting the glass of water that Angelina had brought her. She took a small sip before practically chugging the glass down.
"I don't even know where to start." She said once she settled, adjusting her position on the sofa, never once releasing her grip of Fred's arm.
"Try the beginning?" She narrowed her eyes at George before rolling them and clearing her throat.
"Well, I suppose this all started after Fred and I's fight..."
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"Odile?" The voice behind her caused her to whip her head around, eyes already brimming with tears. A very confused Remus Lupin stood watching her, having been startled awake by the loud pop of her apparition.
"I'm sorry, Remus, I just didn't know where else to go. I-" With that, her voice cracked, and the tears began streaming down her face. Remus hurried forward as her knees began to weaken, wrapping her in a tight bear hug, and she sobbed. He hushed her soothingly, rubbing her back like his mother had done to him many times when he was a child. He glanced over to the head that had peeked out from the kitchen, meeting Tonks eyes with an utter loss for words.
It took a while to get the girl under control, then they had Odile on the settee, glass of bourbon in her hand, a throw over her shoulders. Lupin listened to her story as Tonks rubbed her back, tissues at the ready. Remus allowed the girl to release everything sitting on her chest, from the argument with Fred to her relationship with her father. When she finally stopped for a breath, he let out a long exhale, searching for the words.
"I wish I had the solution for you Odile, I wish I had the magic words that could fix everything. Right now is your time to decide what comes next and what that means for your relationship. I know that what Fred said was wrong, but I don't have to tell you how much that boy loves you. It's up to you whether you can find it in yourself to forgive to stupid git or whether what happened was the end."
"And you stay here as long as you need Odile," Tonks jumped in, nervous eyes meeting Remus' calm opposites, "We've got all the room in the world." Odile nodded slowly, sniffing before meeting Remus' soft look of support.
"What would you do?" Remus sighed deeply, sinking back into his armchair in thought.
"I've seen far too much loss to ever let someone go, especially if you love them," his eyes flashed to Tonks for a mere moment, "But relationships can never be easy; you have to decide for yourself if it's worth all its potential mess and screw-ups, all the tears and fears, etc. Do you love him enough to look past his flaws, and is he smart enough not to let such a good thing go to waste?"
"I don't know." She ventured eventually, voice meagre in comparison to her usual tone. Fred's hurtful words had hit deeper than perhaps intended, exposing the insecurity of her family life. The feeling she already dealt with, the fear that her father never really loved her.
"I just don't know."
A/N: Sorry for another short chapter, but finding cutting off points are strangely difficult. Well, hope you enjoyed, see ya on the next chapter!