Chapter 4 - Questions
FW
"I still can't believe dragons are real!" She said for the third time. Fred laughed loudly as he watched her expression, her mouth slightly open.
"There is a lot more you will find hard to believe."
"So, I'm guessing you don't go to school like us, since you don't even know what a microwave is." She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"We are home schooled until we turn 11, then we go to a wizarding school. For us in the UK it's Hogwarts, in Scotland."
"One school for the whole UK?"
"Yes, it's a big school but they aren't as much of us as there are muggles."
"Not really a fan of that word, muggles." She crunched up her nose. "Must have been loud, growing up in such a large household."
"It was. But you always had someone to watch your back."
"Can I ask something personal?" She asked slow, carefully.
"Depends." He shrugged with a small grin.
"Do you want to go see your family? We could try to go to Devon."
"I want to but I'm afraid of seeing them."
"I understand that. Death normally doesn't affect the people who died, but the people who have to live without them."
"Exactly. But if we would see them, I want to start with George. He doesn't live that far from here."
"Really?"
"Yeah, in Diagon Alley, it's in London."
"Never heard of it, and I grew up here."
"That's because it's a wizarding street. Do you know where Charing Cross Road is?" She nodded her head. "There is a pub there, at least for us. For you it would be a broken-down shop."
"Oh, I think I know where you mean. I tried to break in there with some of my friends back in high school."
"How did that pan out?" Fred grinned.
"I think you know." She grinned back at him. "We couldn't find any way in, we tried to force open one of the boards that covered the window, but it wouldn't budge. So, we engraved the boards with our initials."
"George and I, always left our mark too." A sad smile on his face. "I think I want to see him."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I need to make sure he's okay."
"Alright, but how do you plan on getting me into a wizarding street? Through a shop or pub, I can't get into."
"A friend of mine, Hermione, she is a muggleborn, that means her parents are mug- non magic folk. And they got in, so I assume if you know what is there, the pub will appear."
"We should think of a plan. IF I can get in, we need to know what to say before we head over there."
"Yeah." He said nervously.
"It will be alright Fred." She reached over and fell through is shoulder. "Shit! You look so..."
"Alive?"
"Yeah, it's like you're really sitting next to me; you walk, and you're not see through. But then I touch you..." She took in a deep breath and looked in his piercing blue eyes, they stared at each other for a moment. "Do you have any questions for me?"
"Millions!" He said excitingly and jumped up, looking around the flat. "Never been in a muggle house before."
"Never?" She laughed as she stood up, next to him.
"No, when we are young, we aren't supposed to mingle with you guys. Because we can't control our magic yet and then the secrecy is blown to bits. So, is this a fellofoon?"
"Fellofoon?" She burst into laughter as Fred pointed at her rotary phone.
"What?" Fred asked, eyebrows high.
"It's a telephone. This is an old one. The newer ones don't have a wire and you can just push the buttons. But I like vintage things."
Fred wandered further in the apartment pointing at random things and asked what they did. He especially liked the Walkman as she showed him how it worked, but his favourite thing, which was no surprise to her, was the TV. He was looking at her video collection picking out a movie they could watch that evening.
"What about this one?" He asked pointing at the tapes, grinning. "Ghost."
"You want to see a movie about a ghost?" She asked as she took the tape out of the stack.
"Well, yeah. Maybe we could learn something from it."
"Doubtful but okay." She laughed, opening the box and popped in the tape. "Just have to rewind it first, I'm always too tired to do it after the movie."
"Rewind?" He mumbled as he watched as she took the remote and planted herself on the couch. When the movie was rewinding, her stomach started to growl. "Have you eaten today?"
"Uhm... this morning." She said, looking at the TV.
"Eat something woman!"
"I didn't want to eat in front of you." She said hesitant.
"Don't be daft, you need to eat." He demanded with a chuckle.
"Fine, I'll order something." She sighed and walked over to her telephone, she pulled out the drawer and looked between the takeout menus. Fred came over and hovered behind her, looking over her shoulder. She dialled the number of the Chinese place around the corner. When she hung up the phone, she jumped as she turned, Fred was standing an inch away from her.
"Oh, hi." She smiled up at him.
"Hi." He mimicked back her expression. "They just bring it to your place?" He asked stepping back.
"Yeah, they'll be here in about thirty minutes." She said as they walked back to the couch. "We can start the movie in the meantime."
"Excellent." He flopped down in the couch, placing his feet on the coffee table. "Weird that I can sit on things but not pick them up." He frowned at his feet.
"We'll figure it out. One day at a time." She smiled at him.
"Yeah, let's see some ghosts." He winked at her as she pressed play on the remote.
About forty minutes into the movie the bell rang. She hopped off the couch, grabbed some money from her purse and darted down the stairs. A minute later she popped back in, holding a bag full of food in her hand. She started unloading it as they continued to watch the movie. She glanced over her shoulder to Fred.
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"I'm sure." He said not taking his eyes away from the TV, Sam was just talking to the psychic Oda Mae, scaring the shit out of her. "Reminds me of you." He winked.
"I wish I could toss food at you." She said, sticking out her tongue.
"You could but your coach would get messy." He snickered.
FW
After the movie was done, Leah was sleeping on the couch, her head a few inches next to Fred. Fred looked down and was tracing lines above her head when she started to mutter in her sleep.
"Addie! No!" Leah's head started to go from left to right, shaking. "ADDIE!"
"Oh Merlin, Leah!" He called out as he dropped down next to the couch, his eyes full of worry. "Leah, wake up."
Leah's eyes shot open, and she stared up at him. "What happened?"
"You fell asleep, you were having a nightmare. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." She said sitting up. "Just a long time I had one." Rubbing her temples. "I think I'll just head to bed." She stood up and walked to her bedroom before she looked back. "What are you going to do? Do you sleep?"
"I don't think so. But I never been here this long." He shrugged.
"I'll let the door open. I don't know what will happen if we are closed off from each other. Do you want me to pop in another movie?"
"Yeah." He said, sitting back in his prior position, feet on the coffee table.
"Which one?"
"You pick."
"Alright. You said you had a joke shop right; you invent things?" He nodded his head as she walked past and bend over to her pile of video tapes. "I think you'll like this one." She said, holding up a tape. "Willy Wonka." She grabbed the remote from the table and rewinded the video.
"Goodnight, Fred."
"Night, Leah." He looked over the couch as she disappeared in her bedroom.
FW
Fred pov
After question round number 2, Fred got excited like his dad as he wanted to know all about the muggle appliances she had in her flat. Dad would have been proud, he laughed to himself. Merlin! He misses his family. But now he was standing in front of Leah, a muggle, he'd never met in his life, as she talked over the fell- no telephone. She wanted to help, see what this is, see what she could do to help. For starters going to see George in a wizarding street, which she didn't even know about an hour ago. Now she knew about wizards, ghosts, dragons and more and still she wasn't running for the hills. It's going to be a challenge getting her in Diagon Alley, without raising suspicion. He heard Leah climb in her bed as the movie in front of him started to play. It was silly, feeling jealous about her ability to sleep, but still it was there. He wished he could just crawl in bed, under a light comfy blanket and doze off. But no, he sat there watching the TV, not even getting a yawn. When the movie ended, he walked around the flat, looking at the pictures on the walls, a pile of books stacked on the ground, waiting for her to wake up. He didn't want to look like a creep, but still, he found his way in her room as he was bored out of his mind. He sat down on the chair next to the door and listen to her breathing, slight snoring one might say.
When the sun started to rise, he was so focused on her breathing, it was like hypnotism, like he was in some sort of trance-like sleep, he didn't hear her wake up.
"Fred?" Her voice snapped him out of it and looked at her.
"I wasn't being creepy or anything." He started, jumping up.
"It's alright, Fred. I'm not that easily flustered." She smiled getting out of bed, wearing only a short and a tank top. If Fred were alive, he thought, he ears and neck would start to run red. "Fred, are you blushing?"
"What? No!" He said and ran out the bedroom. He found the mirror next to the coat rack and looked at himself in the mirror, and there it was ears red, neck red, even a blush on his cheeks.
"I didn't peg you for the shy type." Leah said suddenly, standing next to him, grinning. "Vain, yes." She pointed at him in the mirror.
"I'm dead, a ghost. Why am I getting red? Why did I feel my heart stammering in my chest, yesterday?"
"I don't know." She whispered, both looking at each other through the window. "How did it go last night, could you sleep?"
"No, but when I listened to your snoring, sorry breathing." He grinned when she shot him a glare. "It was like I was in a trance. I think that's as close as sleeping I'll get."
"You're welcome to watch me sleep." She smiled up at him. "God, that sounds creepy and weird."
They looked at each other before falling into a laughing fit.
"Everything about this is weird." Fred said as they laughter died down.
"Yeah…" She said, biting her lip.
FW
Three days later, they had formed a 'plan' to go talk to George. Three days later, Fred was ready to see his twin.
"Let me eat something and get dressed. What time is the shop open?" She asked walking to the kitchen.
"9." He said as he sat down with ease on a barstool, he had tried it that night to see if he could sit without falling through it.
"Still an hour away." She said glancing at the clock as she took out a bowl from the cupboard. When she poured cereal and milk in her bowl, she sat opposite of him. "I – I know your family couldn't save you, but…"
"But?"
"But we both know, this isn't normal. You being here, in this form, the walking, feeling your heartbeat, even the blushing."
"Yeah, it is weird. We had ghosts at Hogwarts and none of them were like me."
"So, maybe there is an explanation… In the wizarding world."
"Maybe, but how do you want to get that information? You're not a witch." She looked down at her bowl, stirring in it, when it dawned on him. "George. You want to ask George for help."
"Yes." She said quietly. "I know I would've done anything to get Addie back, I believe he would do the same."
"I know he would but-"
"Believing us, believing me. A person he doesn't even know, who didn't even know about this world three days ago, a muggle."
"Hey." Fred reached over and placed his hand through hers on the bar. "You say like being a muggle is something less. You are amazing, Leah. What you are doing for me, my family. Don't ever think you're anything less."
"Thanks." She looked up; a soft smile graced her lips. "What do I do, say, to make him believe."
"I know just the thing." He said, looking longingly at her cereal.