"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Jamie asked, not for the first time.

Freddie nodded, also not for the first time. "Of course."

The frown on Jamie's face might have seemed uncharacteristic to anyone who didn't know him too well, but Freddie had long gotten used to Jamie fretting over everyone. "Are you sure?" Jamie pressed on.

"I'm sure," Freddie said, and shoved Jamie lightly. "Go on or you'll miss your Portkey. Have fun with Leah."

"It's impossible not to have fun with Leah," Jamie said. They were both leaving tonight for their year off, and wouldn't be back for several months: instead of touring Europe, as was expected for a wizard freshly graduated from Hogwarts, they would be going on a tour of South Asia. Freddie knew the ins and outs of their agenda far more intricately than he cared to, since he and Danielle Jordan had had to hear them plan it during the end of their seventh year, when they were meant to have been studying for their NEWTs. Leah Wood was nothing if not a punishingly intricate planner, which made for excellent parties but also meant that all of them were used to itineraries and agendas. Jamie, of course, thought that Leah's tendency to plan was brilliant, because he thought everything about her was brilliant.

"Yeah," said Freddie, "You'll have fun."

"It's not too late to join us," Jamie said, looking at Freddie with a vaguely worried expression.

"Nah," Freddie said, "I've got to stay and look after the shop, don't I?"

Jamie nodded, but he didn't look convinced.

"Besides," Freddie continued, "wouldn't want to barge into your romantic trip."

Jamie's cheeks went pink. "Fuck off, it's not a romantic trip, just because you and Dani aren't coming with us—"

Freddie grinned. "Have fun," he said, again. "Go. I promise I'll be fine."

"I know you'll be fine, it's just… it hasn't been long since you and Anna…"

Freddie's grin faded. "You'll miss your Portkey," he said. He was aware that he was repeating himself, but they were verging into the territory of things that he definitely, completely, did not want to talk about. He loved Jamie as if they were brothers and not just cousins, but he didn't want to talk about this; not now, not ever.

"Dani'll be here," Jamie said, obstinate in his refusal to take the hint and leave. "So if something happens with, you know, her, then—"

Freddie was saved from having to respond by the fireplace in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes going bright green. Leah Wood stepped out, brushing soot off her clothes. She was dressed for travel in a pair of smart Muggle trousers, a button down shirt, and a cardigan that Freddie recognised as one knitted by his gran. "Hi," she said, tucking a strand of her shoulder-length hair behind her ear. "You weren't at your parents', so I thought you'd be here, annoying Freddie."

"Accurate," Freddie said.

"Oi," Jamie said, and then tugged Freddie into a hug. "We're getting the Portkey from my house. Do you want to come? Al and Scorpius and Lils are around, and Mum and Dad."

Freddie shook his head as best as he could with how tightly Jamie was hugging me. "I'll see them tomorrow for dinner at the Burrow," he pointed out, amused.

"Oh, I am sad to be missing that," Jamie said.

"It'll be the first thing we do when we're back," Leah promised.

"You know me so well," Jamie said. He leaned in and kissed Leah, and she wrapped her arms around him immediately.

Freddie waited politely for a moment, and then cleared his throat.

"Anyway," Jamie said, once he pulled back from the kiss. "We'll only be an owl away. So. Write to us if anything goes wrong."

"Or to tell us about the gossip here at home," Leah said, and leaned in, kissing Freddie's cheek. "And if Dani starts dating someone new. I'm counting on you to tell us what we miss, Freddie."

"Alright, alright. Bye," Freddie said. "Have fun."

"We will," Jamie said cheerfully, and wrapped his arm around Leah's shoulders.

Freddie's dad didn't need the time off. Freddie had leaped at the chance to take care of the Hogsmeade branch of the joke shop for a while. He didn't feel like doing any travelling, the way most people did upon graduating Hogwarts, and he definitely didn't feel up to attempting a real job, or stepping into the real world. Managing the shop for now seemed like as good a way to make himself useful as any.

"You know," Freddie's dad had said, when he had announced his plans for the year, "We really don't need any help with the shops."

"Of course you do," Freddie said, crossing his arms. "At your age, I thought you'd be grateful for the help."

"At our age?" Dad spluttered. Mum, on the other hand, looked infinitely amused.

"She's right, George, you are getting on."

"You're the same age as me, Angie."

"But you don't see Freddie offering to take over my job, do you?"

"I don't think either of you are too old," Roxanne put in, around a mouthful of toast. "Can you pass the jam?"

"I never said you're too old –"

"It certainly seems to be what you're implying," Dad said with a huff.

"Just that you could use the help."

"Well, the London branch really runs itself," Dad said, "And Ron's good with helping, too, although don't tell him I said that."

"The Hogsmeade branch, then," Freddie said. "Surely you need help there."

Mum and Dad both levelled Freddie with a look. "So that's what you want to do with your life?" Mum said. "Run the joke shop?"

"Not with my life, Merlin. Just for now. Like… a gap year, I suppose," Freddie said.

"And you've thought this through?" Dad asked.

"No, not really. But it seems like a good idea. Might be fun," Freddie said.

"Works for me," Dad said.

"Will someone please pass me the jam?!" Roxanne said.

And that had been that.

There was a tiny flat above the joke shop in Hogsmeade. It had two bedrooms, a small living room, and an old-fashioned kitchen; with the exception of the kitchen, everything was covered in boxes which contained dusty books, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes inventory, old expired Zonko's products, and Merlin knew what else. "Zonko stayed here at first," Dad told Freddie, "But then he and his family bought a proper house in Hogsmeade, and so it's been used as a stock room for… I don't know, decades."

"Lovely," Mum said dryly. "Are you sure you don't just want to stay home, Freddie? You can take the Floo or Apparate here…"

"It's fine," Freddie said.

And so that was where he stayed.

He brought his old Hogwarts trunk with him on the second of September, the day after they saw Roxanne off on the platform to go back to Hogwarts. Seeing her greet Lily, Albus and Scorpius and Rose, Lorcan and Lysander, and Hugo, and get on the train with them, had filled him with more nostalgia than he cared to admit. He still couldn't believe that he was done with school. Only he could believe it, because of how burned out he felt after his NEWTs, the fatigue he carried with him in his bones. He felt tired, down to his veins, and everything that had happened with Anna towards the end of his seventh year didn't help. He was surprised that he ended up passing his NEWTs at all, what with his Head Boy duties, the Anna drama, and everything else that had been going on.

He spent the night of the second unpacking his trunk. He'd brought very little with him: clothes, some letters, a few of his favourite books, and some Bertie Botts, because he never knew when the craving hit him. He was close enough to home that he could go back if he needed anything, and the flat was too small for him to bring anything else.

Mum had come in with him last week, and helped him set up an old bed and some sheets. He lay down there, once he finished unpacking and putting away his meagre belongings in the creaky cupboard and old desk in the corner of the bedroom (the spare room was still filled with boxes that Freddie had no intention of tackling any time soon), and did his best not to think about how close Hogwarts was, how he had no idea what to do with his life now that he didn't have it to return to.

He settled into a slow, uneasy routine over the next few weeks. He woke up, made himself a cup of tea and some sort of breakfast in the flat, went downstairs to open the shop, and sat at the till there. Unless it was a Hogsmeade weekend, it was never too busy at the shop, although they did steady business, so Freddie usually had a book with him. On especially quiet days, he'd retreat to the study in the back and start attempting to invent new products, or even just prototypes he could show his dad and uncle. Sometimes, his dad would come see him at the shop, or coax him back to the Burrow for Sunday dinner. Sometimes, Uncle Ron would stop by, too.

Danielle stopped by, once or twice a week. She was working in London, interning at the WWN with her dad, but she still showed up, forced Freddie out to lunch, and that was when Freddie felt the most like his old self, like nothing had changed in the last few months. But then she would leave, to go back to London, and he would be left alone in Hogsmeade.

It was in equal parts peaceful and lonely. Freddie, who had never been alone for too long for as long as he could remember, found it more of an adjustment than he thought it would be, but he slowly grew used to it.

Before he knew it, it was the second week of October. He was sitting at the till, with a copy of A Hundred Things Every Novice Potioneer Needs to Know propped open, and then the bells at the door tinkled, suggesting that someone had come in.

"Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he said, automatically, and looked up to see who had come.

It was a man he didn't recognise. He looked old, older than his parents, maybe his grandparents' age, and he limped up to the till, grimacing. He was tall, although he perhaps would have looked taller without the way he was hunching, and wearing a set of violet robes. "Listen here, son," he said, "have you seen anything suspicious today?"

Freddie frowned. "Do you work for the Aurors?" he asked slowly.

"None of your concern," the man said.

Freddie raised his eyebrows. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"Never you mind," the man said.

That was also not an answer, Freddie thought. "Nothing suspicious, unless you count the fact that we're sold out of Nosebleed Nougats."

"You're sold out of – what are you talking about?"

"Nosebleed Nougats? Make you bleed from your nose?" Freddie said.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Well, for a joke. It's sort of the point of a joke shop, isn't it?"

"I suppose," the man agreed. "But I don't have the time for jokes."

Freddie sighed. "Alright, then," he said. "I haven't seen anything suspicious. If I would, I would probably alert the Ministry. What are you looking out for?"

"You'll know it when you see it," the man said, and then produced a slip of parchment. "Do me a favour, would you? Write to me if you see anything. You can reach me here. Especially if you see any of those scumbags Selwyns around."

Freddie blinked. "I'm sorry," he said. "Did you say… the Selwyns?"

But the man, having left the parchment on the counter, gave him a grim approximation of a smile, and then turned around.

"That was weird," Freddie muttered, pocketing the parchment without looking at it and doing his best not to think about Anna Selwyn.

"It was weird," he told Danielle, a week or so later. She'd joined him for dinner, and they were eating at the Three Broomsticks.

"So he just left? Just like that?" Danielle said.

"Yeah! And said to tell him if I saw anyone suspicious, or… or any Selwyns," Freddie said.

"Weird," Dani agreed, and then, "Have you seen her?"

Freddie didn't say anything.

"Anna, I mean," Dani said, as if it wasn't obvious who she meant. She checked in about this every time they met.

"No," Freddie finally said.

It was as if she had disappeared after the breakup; he had no idea whether he was meant to write to her. Usually, they would break up and she would approach him a few weeks later – or write to him – or something like that, anyway. This was the longest they had gone without speaking to each other, which made him think that maybe this was it. Maybe it was really over.

Dani patted his hand sympathetically. "Should we get very drunk?" she offered.

"Merlin, yes," Freddie said, and grinned.

"I can tell you all about this date I went on last week," Dani said. "She told me she played for the Wasps, but when I got there…"

Two hours later, Freddie was tipsy, pleasantly buzzed, and he draped his arm around Danielle's shoulders as they walked back to the joke shop from the pub.

"Maybe I should just date you," he said, looser and more relaxed with his words now than he was before, "Less drama."

"Yeah," Danielle agreed. "If only I was attracted to most men."

"And if only I was attracted to you."

"Hey," Dani said, and poked Freddie's ribs. "Everyone's attracted to me a little."

"Not me," Freddie said stubbornly.

"Fine. Everyone but you."

"And Jamie."

"And Jamie, " Dani conceded.

"Still. It'd be less dramatic if I dated you."

"Yes," Dani said, "Less dramatic. More boring."

Freddie had to concede that she had a point, even if just thinking about the constant rollercoaster that had been dating Anna Selwyn made him dizzy now – well, either thinking about it or the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed tonight.

"Happier, though," he said, after a moment.

Danielle patted his shoulder.

"Do you want to stay over?" Freddie asked with a yawn, fumbling with his keys until he managed to fit them into the door.

"Go on, then," Dani said.

There was no spare bed, so Dani – who was good at Transfiguration even when she was drunk – Transfigured the sofa into a passable single bed and collapsed into it. "Don't worry, Freddie," she mumbled, muffled by the cushion of the sofa. "It'll all be alright. Don't be sad."

Freddie gave Danielle a fond smile, and Conjured up a blanket, which he draped over her. "Night, Dani" he said, and went to his own room, closing the door.

That should have been that.

But Freddie was always a light sleeper. It had made sleeping in the Gryffindor dorm with Jamie, who was a terrible snorer, quite difficult. He didn't sleep through even the smallest of noises.

Which was why, what felt like a minute after he closed his eyes, he was sitting bolt upright in bed. He thought it was Danielle at first. "Lumos," he muttered, and made his way out of his bedroom, to the living room, where –

Where Danielle was fast asleep. When he shone his wand at her, though, she opened her eyes with a groan. "What?" she mumbled.

"Thought I heard something," Freddie said. He was still half-asleep, but his heart was racing – maybe the crash had come from downstairs. What if it was her, downstairs, wanting to be let in? "I'm going to go check."

Danielle slowly sat up, grabbing her own wand. "I'll come with," she said reluctantly.

She stumbled as she followed him out of the flat, down the narrow flight of stairs. At first glance, the shop seemed quiet.

"No one's here," he said.

"We should check," Danielle said, "Now that we're up. I'll take this floor. You go downstairs. I know what you're like, you won't sleep unless we're sure."

"You're not wrong," Freddie said.

"I never am," Danielle said with a yawn.

They split up; Freddie went to the basement floor, which seemed completely empty. Not a single bottle out of place. Once he satisfied himself with his search, he started walking up the stairs, but paused at a sudden sound.

A scream. Danielle's scream.

He raced up the stairs, his heart pounding in his mouth. "Dani?" he called out.

"Here!"

He followed the sound of her voice, found her in the hidden back room where they displayed their Muggle tricks.

"Freddie," she breathed, "Look."

But he didn't need her to tell him to look: he could see it right there, on the floor of his family's shop. Illuminated by the lights of both his and Danielle's wands, a man, lying on the ground. The same man who had come in last week and asked him about suspicious activity. He was surrounded by broken bottles, his eyes were closed, and he didn't seem to be moving. Freddie was too scared to step closer and check if he was breathing at all.

"Why is he here?" he whispered.

"Who?" Danielle said, sounding terrified.

"The – this is him. The man from before," Freddie said. He forced himself to take a step closer, and his eyes went wide when he saw what was clenched in the man's hand. A ring with a coat of arms on it. Freddie didn't have to look any closer to recognise it as the Selwyn coat of arms.

"What is he doing here?" Danielle asked.

"I don't know," Freddie said darkly, and took a step back. "But I get the feeling we're about to find out."