AN: Written for QLFC Round 10
Appleby Arrows
Seeker
Prompt: Write about your OTP breaking up. There's nothing technically wrong, but your OTP (or one-half of them) just doesn't feel right.
WC before AN: 1101
Betas: Ikuni and Captain Hope
The Breakup
Fred sat alone on one of the benches inside the gazebo just past the covered bridge and stared out at the courtyard. He noticed immediately when Angelina came outside before her eyes locked onto him. She began to walk towards him. Fred offered her a wave and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I thought I might find you out here," she said when she was close enough.
Fred nodded. "I've been coming out here a lot lately. It's a nice place to think."
She sat down beside him and placed her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. "And what have you been thinking about?"
He shrugged and looked out at the grounds. Autumn was in full swing and everywhere you looked you could see the signs of change. The leaves had turned from the bright greens of summer into the reds, yellows, and oranges of autumn as they fell from the trees around them. Fred couldn't help but think about how when winter came, the grounds would be covered in snow instead of the leaves that crunched beneath their feet.
Everything was changing and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
It wasn't just the seasons, either. Things were changing in nearly every part of Fred's life. Voldemort was back, and he and George had heard the rumors often enough through the use of their extendable ears that this second war was going to be even worse than the last, and yet here he sat at school, doing nothing. Contributing nothing.
He glanced down at his and Angelina's hands, and then up to meet her eyes.
"I don't think I've ever seen you look so serious, Fred," she commented, her brown eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong?"
He sighed and squeezed her hand once before letting it go and standing up. He walked over to the other side of the gazebo and looked out towards the Forbidden Forest.
"Everything is changing. I just want things to be simple." He paused and took a deep breath. "Do you ever think that sometimes, even though things are going well, that they just don't feel right? That no matter how hard you try or how much you want something to work out, it's just not meant to be?"
Behind him, he heard Angelina stand up and walk over to him. "Honestly, I was afraid you would say something like that. I've been thinking along the same lines for a while now."
Fred turned around and stared at her for a long moment. She smiled softly before taking his hand again. "It's alright, Fred."
"It's not," he disagreed. "I really like you, Ang."
"I like you, too, but you're right. Things are changing and we can't stop it. Maybe it's better that we find out now before we get even more invested. Especially with everything else that's going on out there." She thought about Umbridge and then added, "and everything going on here as well."
"I know, but…" Fred trailed off and Angelina let go of his hand to take a few steps away before turning back to face him again.
"Things don't feel right between us anymore, Fred, and we both know it. We've just been putting it off and trying not to think about it but it's not working. I think we're better off just being friends." Even as she said the words, Angelina felt her heart break a bit. This wasn't how she had wanted this to go either but she didn't know how to make it better.
Fred sighed, but then he nodded and shot her his trademark grin. "We've had a lot of fun though, haven't we? Plenty of good times through the years."
Angelina smiled. "'Course we have!" She hoped her voice sounded brighter than she felt. "And I'm sure we have plenty more years of fun left ahead of us. Especially once you and George open your joke shop!"
"Oh!" Fred exclaimed before pulling something from the pocket of his robes and holding it out towards her. "Would you like to test out our new and improved Puking Pasties? They're guaranteed to get you out of classes for the whole day!"
Angelina eyed it warily and shook her head. "I don't think so. I'd rather not spend the rest of my Sunday stuck in the bathroom."
Fred gasped and put his hand over his heart. "You act as if I don't also have antidote candy. Angelina, would I do that to you?"
Angelina rolled her eyes but smiled up at him before standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later, Fred."
"See you," he said softly as she turned away from him.
Fred leaned against one of the posts of the gazebo and watched as she walked back across the bridge and into Hogwarts. When she was out of sight, he reached back into his pocket and pulled out a small picture. It was of him and Angelina on the night of the Yule Ball the year before. They were standing next to each other and Fred had his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close to him. Neither of them were looking at the camera because they were both so lost in each other.
Fred took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're probably right, Ang. As much as I don't want to admit it, it just didn't feel right anymore."
He walked down to the Black Lake and stood at the water's edge with the picture still clutched tightly in his hand. He would simply need to open his hand and it would fall into the lake and float away. And yet, now that he was here, he couldn't bring himself to let go.
He may have just broken up with the first girl he'd ever truly liked, but he couldn't just give up the memory of such a perfect moment.
Fred took in the picture again, focusing on the way they were so caught up in one another and how they swayed to the music that had been playing that night. If he concentrated, he could almost hear the notes of the song and despite their fresh breakup, Fred found that it made him happy to think about it.
With a smile, he tucked the picture back into his pocket before turning away from the lake and heading back up to the castle.
A moment later, he looked up to see George waiting for him on the steps of the Entrance Hall, ready with some new prank or joke to make him feel better.
At least some things would never change.