Settling of the Soul

by LadyPeverell

As an adolescent reaches adulthood their daemon settles into a single form that best represents their character. A collection of shorts centered around daemons settling and the bond between humans and their daemons. HP/HDM crossover daemon!au

11. Chapter 11: Fred

Chapter : Fred

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter or His Dark Materials.

Fred was only eleven when Eris settled. It came as a complete surprise. George and Fred had always done everything together, they especially loved switching their daemons up so that no one would be able to tell the difference between the two.

Eris had shifted while Fred was playing a particularly classic prank on his older brother Percy. George had been downstairs distracting him with Circe. Fred had paused in surprise causing the bucket he was tying up to plummet back to the ground covering his twin in scummy pond water. George bellowed out a life, "Nice going Forge!"

Percy just shook his head muttering as he turned to re-enter his room. Probably to do homework. How disgusting.

George just shook the water out of his hair and jumped up to sit next to his twin, Circe hanging off of his shoulder. "You okay Fred?" he asked as his twin listlessly sat beside him. Circe hopped to the floor seamlessly shifting into a fennec fox and nudging Eris gently with her nose.

Fred turned to his twin, "I think this is it George, Eris..I think she's settled." A heavy weight settled into the bottom of his stomach. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! It was supposed to be Fred and George and Eris and Circe. They came in pairs, they were supposed to be the same. They were supposed to settle together.

George, to Fred and Eris's surprise, just laughed. "That's great Fred! Imagine all the trouble we can get in with such a useful form!"

Eris hesitantly stepped forward, "You mean you aren't mad?" she asked.

"Mad? Why would we be mad Eris?" Circe replied

"I don't know, I guess we just thought you wouldn't be happy that we weren't the same anymore."

"That's silly Eris! We're Twins! Nothing will ever change that, we're a pair of four."

"A package deal!" George added playfully bumping his brother's shoulder.

Fred felt the anxiety melt as his stomach became lighter, "A package deal." he repeated.

Later that night Fred lay awake with Eris curled on his pillow. Listening to his brothers even breathing he ran his hand across his daemon's side. A ferret wasn't such a bad form, he thought, useful even.