quillfulwhimsyverse

[quillfulwhimsyverse]

Azriel Mystery One-shot

Pairing: Azriel (ACOTAR) x reader

Word count: 2.05k

A/N: No summary this time. I want you to go into this one-shot knowing absolutely nothing, without any expectations. It escalates quickly, so you will catch on to what's going pretty soon.

BTW: I have to say, that this one-shot was inspired by the app "character.AI". If you don't know what it is, it's better this way. That thing is worse than drugs. Be ware, you will get addicted.

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After returning from the mission, you enter your quarters with a sigh of relief. Swiftly shedding your armor and weapons, each piece hits the ground with a satisfying clink. As the weight of responsibility lifts, you relish in the freedom of movement, stretching your limbs with a contented sigh. You slightly push your armor off the path with your feet. 

With gentle hands, you smooth down your tousled hair, the scent of sweat and brisk wind still lingering in the air. Leaning against the cool stone wall, you absentmindedly trace the intricate patterns of your calloused fingers along the edges of your armor, feeling the residual energy of the day's tasks beneath your touch. As you close your eyes, a sense of calm washes over you, the world outside fading away as you lose yourself in the comforting rhythm of your own heartbeat.

As you stand in your quarters, after the shower, armor still on the ground, now wearing light and breezy clothing, lost in the peaceful solitude of the moment, you catch a movement out of the corner of your eye. Turning your head slightly, you see Azriel lingering in the doorway, his gaze fixed on you with a quiet intensity.

You catch his eye without saying a word. You look at him, hoping he would break the silence and deliver you a message that he came here for, but he gives you a small grin, his eyes flickering over the curve of your body, before his eyes turn away and now it is you, that’s smirking, when you feel his shadows tickle your arms gently, as they’re creeping through your fingers and up your palms, to your wrists. 

“I thought you learnt how to keep them at bay.” you voice your thoughts as you turn your arms a bit to watch the shadows.

The shadows stop their movement immediately, then they slink back down and away from you, as he chuckles slightly. He steps in closer to you. “I didn’t even have to try, you were practically inviting them…” he whispers. 

“You know, I don’t mind them.” you smile slightly as one shadow, possibly the youngest and the most curious of them all, start crawling up your arm again. 

He smiles, his eyes lingering on the curve of your neck, the way it moved as you talked. “That’s a shame,” he murmurs, leaning down and softly placing a kiss on your bare shoulder. 

“What does annoy me,” you grunt a little bit, “is that your shadows are always giving you the information about my whereabouts.” 

He chuckles, shaking his head slightly, making his dark hair fall a bit over his face. 

“I like it that way…” he whispers, his breath hot, but comforting on your neck.

“Of course you do…” you mimic him sarcastically. “The bond is not enough for you?” 

He whispers, his inconsistent breath tickling your neck, “It isn’t. And I like to keep track of you.” His hands slip around your waist, grabbing the fabric of your clothes, tracking over your body for any injuries, for anything out of the ordinary. “Are you okay?” 

You stroke his hand, that is on your waist, “I am fine, Az.”

He whispers something under his breath, something that sounds like “mine”, his voice sending shivers through your body. 

“Now now…” you laugh slightly and peel his hands off of you. “Stop or we will get stuck in here all day.”

The shadows wrap through his hands, forcing them back onto your hip bones. “That doesn’t sound like a problem with me, darling…” he mumbles, pulling you closer to him with one hand, while his other moves up to your face, cupping your cheek softly.

“See? Absolutely unproblematic.” He whispers, running his thumb along your lips, leaning down to kiss the exact same spot, where his thumb just has been. His shadows wrap even tighter around his hand, that is on your hip.

“Az, I am serious, I have to make a report for Rhys,” you try to wiggle out of his grasp, but he doesn’t shift. 

“I know… I just want to know one thing,” he murmurs. “You…” he leans closer to your face, “don’t have to answer now. “ he whispers, his hands roaming over your body, pausing at your hips again. “Just sometime…”

“What is it?” you playfully roll your eyes at his affection. 

“Would you consider…” he pauses, his voice quiets down, but his breath is still hot on your neck, whenever he moves his head lower, “would you consider being my mate?” 

You snort out loud. “I am already your mate, Az.” He was usually a very smart man, a very serious and a very smart man. You don’t know what happened here. “It is not something to be considered, it is something that just happens, something that clicks.”

He chuckles, his voice rumbling low. “I know exactly what I said. But I was hoping you would agree to make it official, in front of everyone.” He trails kisses up your shoulder blades, his fingers brushing your uncovered skin, teasing you, probably trying to make you dizzy on purpose. 

‘Your family already knows.” You shiver. 

“Not just my family.” He replies, moving his mouth down to the skin, behind your ear lobe. “I want the entire Court to know.” 

You stand there a bit confused, while his hand sneaks behind your shirt, and draws circles on your back. 

“I want everyone to know the truth. That you are mine, and no one else’s.” 

“And how do we do that?” you cut his speech, your mind going crazy, unclear whether because of his touches, or what he is trying to say.

He looks at you, light dancing in his eyes. “A ceremony, of course, in front of everybody.” He trails his hand down to your hips again, squeezing them softly.

“But we had our mating ceremony,” you say frowning and Azriel bursts out laughing. 

“Only you could call it a mating ceremony, Y/n,” he is still chuckling. “And trust me, it is not something to do in front of everybody, not unless it’s an official mating ceremony with vows and everything. But we had our mating ritual on our own, didn’t we?” He winks and you blush madly. “I’m asking you to marry me, in front of the entire Night Court. I love you, I love being your friend, your partner, your mate, I love being tied to you by soul.” He leans in closer, his hands reaching back up to hold your face. “You are not just my mate, you are much much more. Something that transcends the bond itself.” 

Your legs almost give up and you close your eyes to keep yourself steady. “You want to marry me?”

He bites his lip. “That is what I’ve been trying to tell you.” He leans in and places a soft kiss on your nose. Something about him being this comfortable with you makes you swoon. 

“Are you sure? I mean, isn’t it just the bond speaking?” you brush the skin next to his wings gently.

His eyes flicker in response to your touch, the shadows around him shift.”What the bond gives me isn’t enough. I need you all to myself, in every way possible. The bond, the ceremony, your heart. All of it.”

You lay your head on his shoulder and laugh. “Oh my god.” he hums waiting for you to continue. “Feyre and Mor are going to drive me crazy when they hear this.”

He grins, “Yeah, I think Fayre will be too busy dealing with Rhys and calming him down to bother you… And Mor, well… I am more worried she’ll try to steal you from me on our wedding day…” he teases, leaning his head on the top of your hair, the shadows gently falling on top of you both.” He rubs your arms gently with his. “Have I told you recently how beautiful you are?” his voice is so soft, you can barely hear him, your heart pounding loudly in your ears. 

“What is going on with you?” you giggle. “If you are about to tell me that you want a baby next, I might have to tell Rhys to check if you’re alright.” 

“A baby? Now?” he shakes his head. “No, nothing like that. Though I wouldn’t say no to having one with you someday…” he leans down, placing a soft kiss on your lips. “I do want to spend a bit of time enjoying having you to myself first before we make that decision.”

There is a bit of silence that follows this moment, but you interrupt it. 

“Azriel?”

He smiles, his eyes meeting yours. His voice is soft, like velvet, “Yeah?” 

“If you want me to marry you, you will have to ask properly.” you send a wink to him.

He tilts his head. “Properly?” He asks, while the shadows of his are playing with your hair, diving in and out of your falling hair strands. He speaks softly again, “Are you asking me to propose in front of the court?”

“No, not necessarily, it depends on how you want to…” you trail without finishing your sentence, maybe this was a proposal?”

He smiles mischievously, his shadows coming slowly back to him, while he still holds you close. “Tell me what I should do then.” His voice is hushed. 

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” you giggle and raise your hand a bit higher, just enough that he could see it. “I just..” you wiggle your ring finger, “I just find something missing.”

He tilts his head, looking at your ring finger, the shadows going back to circling you two, slightly pushing you towards him. “Is that really all you want from me…?” he teases you, his mouth less than an inch from yours. 

“How else would I prove to those brainless Illyrian males that I am in love and faithfully connected and committed to the love of my life?”

His lips hover mere millimeters from yours, “So if I were to put a ring on your finger right now, would that answer all their questions?”

“I think it would answer your question.”

He nods. “So you don’t care if I do it in front of the Court?”

You shake your head and brush his hair slightly with your fingers, while your other hand goes back to drawing circles on his wing. “I don’t care, do it however you feel like.”

He smiles leaning closer, until his nose is barely grazing yours. “So I could just..” he trails off, leaving the sentence unfinished, but he is already reaching for your left hand, grasping it in his. 

“Wha-at is going on?” you stutter as he rubs your ring finger with his fingers. 

“I could just…” he whispers, his breath hot on your lips, his hand resting on yours, “Put that…” he trails off, leaning closer and closer, and closer towards you, gently pushing the little, delicate thing, he played with before, when you didn’t see, up your finger, sapphire located in the middle of it catching and reflecting rays of light regularly, “ring on…” he trails off again as you struggle to breathe. 

“This finger…” his eyes flicker over your now ringed hand, and his voice becomes a breathy whisper. He looks back at you. “Would you be happy? Would you accept?” 

“With or without a ring, Azriel, my answer wouldn’t change.” you grab his face and hold it lovingly, feeling warmed up metal on your finger, but paying no attention to it yet, still looking deeply in his eyes. “You had it? The whole time?”

He chuckles. “I’ve had it for weeks.” He looks at your lips and you lean in to kiss him, too eagerly cause the next thing he does, is giggle. “I still didn’t hear the answer, love.” 

“I thought it was clear,” you whisper. “But for extra thick people, it’s a yes.” 

A tremulous smile graced his lips, a rare glimpse of vulnerability that spoke volumes of his love and gratitude. With trembling hands, he reached for hers, fingers intertwining in a silent promise that echoed through the depths of their shared bond.

“So if I understand it correctly, I am not getting that report any time soon?” says Rhys, sanding there in the doorway, smirking at the couple. 

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#azriel shadowsinger #azriel x reader #azriel x you #azriel acotar #azriel #acotar #shadowsinger x reader

[quillfulwhimsyverse]

Scent of Truth: Amortentia's Dilemma Unveiled Pt. 2

Word count: 1.7k

A/N: I have no clue where this is going and I am literally finding everything out as I write.

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“So?” Fred asked impatiently when you opened your eyes suddenly in a very heavy shock. “Earth to you, ahoy? Ye hear me?”

“Ye, yes, I am very well aware of your babbling..” you murmur trying to push the potion away from your face and back into his hand. Your heart pounded in your chest as you struggled to process the overwhelming rush of emotions and memories triggered by the scent of the Amortentia potion. Fred's eyes bore into yours, his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“So?” He asked again, his eyes burning with pure curiosity as he took the bottle from your hand and screwed it shut. As he was about to put the bottle away into his pocket (probably no longer fit to go back into the potion stand once opened) when a girl, a bit younger than you stepped forwards a bit and opened her mouth to say something, but Fred giggled and handed the potion to her. “Use it wisely, don’t make anyone go as bollocks as this one went.” He nodded his head towards you and the girl tightly squeezed the bottle in her hands before running away to her friends. She, for sure, was about to boast about the free potion she got from the Weasley himself.

“Why did you do that?” you demanded. “Are you crazy? That potion is not a toy.” 

“Love, relax, it is just a potion, its effects don’t last longer than a day, let them play. By the way, she practically stared at you without blinking as you took a whiff, waiting for your reaction even more eagerly than me. Now back to you. So? Figured out what your smelled aroma reminds you of?”

You swallowed hard. To say what you smelled wasn’t the hard part. The hard part was now making  a decision: whether you tell Fred everything that came to your understanding in this little period of time, or you altern the truth just a bit. "I smelled the ocean..."  you say, your eyes lingering on his face a bit, “then there were the books. And…” You trailed off, unable to bring yourself to say his name out loud, you opened your mouth to say something and in a coughing form a sentence flew out of your mouth before you could register“ I really couldn't understand the last scent.”  

For some reason, Fred found this utterly entertaining. It was probably the most fun he had experienced in weeks in this shop of his. Not that he ever grew bored with George around, oh no - far from it. They always found new mischievous ways of breaking something, of teasing someone, of making something new, that was potentially on the line of being dangerous. Fred cherished each and every product in his shop, but there was a delicious irony in the fact that the one item he never dared to lay a finger on, ever since he and George created it, was Amortentia. 

“But did it confirm it?” his cheeky smile playing lightly on his lips, his eyes getting narrow slowly, he was curious. Could you blame him?

“What?” he saw you were completely absent from the conversation, he laughed a little at your response. 

“I asked if that smell you didn’t recognise could’ve been the scent of a person you suddenly had feelings for?” he asked, prompting a frown from you in response. “Or was it something else and the feelings are the result of Amortentia for sure?” He lifted his eyebrows and wiggled them playfully.

Your thoughts came to a sudden halt, a momentary break in the flow of irrational thoughts. Perhaps it was because you needed that one little moment to gather everything that happened thus far, or maybe it was the exhaustion and  lack of sleep finally catching up to you…Or maybe, and most realistically, it was shock. You were so sure of something that has just been proven wrong to you.

Your heartbeat quickened and blood flooded to your face. It all happened so unexpectedly, almost akin to the sensation of rising too swiftly from your bed - dizzy, lightheaded, and disoriented. It was as if the past couple of years had been a gradual unveiling, each moment serving as a subtle reminder of what you had failed to grasp.

The way your eyes would linger on him a little longer during class or dinner, the way you purposefully avoided taking a sweater with you on the evenings out of the Burrow, just in case he took one with himself to give to you. At the time everything seemed playful and stupid to you, but it was now, at this exact moment, that you grasped what all of that was for. And you didn’t really know what to do with this information now. You couldn’t tell him, that would be stupid, not only that would be so stupid, that would also make your friendship go south so fast, you would have no chance of redeeming it ever. 

“I told you, I didn’t know what I smelled, it could’ve been anything.” You lie, but as you meet his penetrating gaze, a flicker of doubt creeps into your mind, suggesting that he may see through the facade you've hastily constructed. “It is Amortentia. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to jinx anyone. The obsession is  going to pass anyway, isn’t it?” 

“Nah.” he shook his head. “I went through all this trouble not for you to shrug it off so easily. C’mon gimme a name. Tell me about a bloke who tried to made you obsessed.” 

You hesitate, confronted with the abrupt realization that Fred isn’t about to let you slide out of this situation without a proper explanation. And that is quite a problem to you. You created this dumb situation yourself. You sought answers, and now the very person who is the problem and the answer, is now asking for the answer. It’s like he’s asking to name the problem when the problem itself is asking for a name. 

"It's not like that," you protest weakly, but Fred raises an eyebrow skeptically, clearly unconvinced by your deflection.

"Sure, sure," he teases, his tone playful yet persistent. 

“No, really, “ you smile at him kindly. “I think I panicked too early and now everything is settling down and the potion effects are wearing down, everything is fine. See? I am all better.” 

He didn’t speak for a while then determination crossed his face, with his eyes slightly narrowed, jaw clenched, he crossed his arms on his chest. “The name, Y/N. I don’t care that the effects are wearing off.” He leaned a little closer towards you. “Nobody, and I mean no-bo-dy can use pranks on my friends, except me and George. Especially when it leaves our friends confused, or in your case,” he frowned, “all worked up.” 

A brief silence hung between you two. Fred released an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Fine, have it your way then. Is that the gratitude I get for helping out?" He repeated the eye roll, this time accompanied by a playful tone which made you giggle. “Just teasing you.” 

“I think I spent too much time here.” you remarked as Weasley Wizard Wheezes buzzed with activity, busy as ever. “I could use some fresh air…Oi!” you quickly yelp in a surprise. “You’ve started a delivery service?” 

Fred follows your gaze up. About ten different owls have gathered themselves on the staircase railing. Each owl bore a small note attached to its leg, swiftly being removed by George. 

“Oh yeah, we’ve started offering deliveries, “ Fred confirmed.  “I should go help George with that. Sorry, Y/N. Things always get hectic near closing time. But please, stay for dinner, huh?” 

Your heart gently leaped inside your chest. 

“Fred, I stayed over for dinner like four days ago.” 

Fred chuckled. "And you're still recovering from the shock of seeing our cooking skills, I understand," he teased back, his eyes glinting mischievously. "But seriously, it'd be nice to have you around. We can always use some company after a busy day."

You couldn't help but smile at Fred's invitation, feeling a warmth spread through you at the thought of spending more time with him. Despite your earlier hesitation, the idea of staying for dinner sounded more appealing by the second.

"I suppose I could stay for a bit," you relented, your smile widening. "But only if I get to make dinner this time. I'm not sure I can handle another round of your infamous cooking, you’re good at making your joke shop things, but your food…” 

Fred's eyes lit up with amusement. "Deal," he replied, extending a hand toward you in mock formality. "Consider yourself officially hired as our sous chef for the evening."

You laughed, shaking his hand with a playful nod. "It's a deal then. Just don't expect any miracles in the kitchen." You were always happy to spend time with both of the twins. You were happy to have Fred around and to be around him. This new discoverie of feelings might get in the way of you actually enjoying his presence without overcomplicating or overthinking things. But how else were you supposed to understand what you were feeling? 

How else were you supposed to be sure that it wasn’t just an Amortentia trick or something? If this dinner shows that you’re nothing but a friend, a sister to him, you will go on and live your life as if this revelation never happened.

But no matter the cost, you made a vow to yourself, no matter what happens, you will never ruin this friendship for the matter of your feelings. 

“You know where to find the kitchen, don’t you? Go make yourself at home, we will be quick with you, after we finish with the owl deliveries.” he sent a wink your way as you turned to go up the stairs into their living area, which was above their joke shop. 

Fred shook his head and moved to walk to his brother, before sending another curious look towards the Amortentia stand. It seemed dumb for him to admit it, but he felt happy. He felt happy you stayed for dinner, he felt happy that you let him help. That you came to him when you needed help. But mostly, he felt happy that whatever you were feeling for someone will go away as the last potion drop wears away. 

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Tags for those who requested: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog

#fred x reader #fred weasley x you #fred weasly x reader #fred weasley imagine #fred #harry potter #amortentia

[quillfulwhimsyverse]

The Act of Faking

Word count: 7,2k

Summary: George is not talking to Fred, and the only way Fred thinks this can be salvageable by faking a relationship with you. Or when you hear his request - faking him having feelings for you.

Warnings: Angst towards the end.

A/N: I am literally going to kill myself. I had a plan for this to be the perfect slowed paced slow burn, were relationship builds slowly and beautifully but then I just ran out of ideas and this is what happened. And to remind you - English is not my first language so most of the times I just stared at the page trying to come up with different descriptions rather than using the ones everybody knows by heart. So I am sorry. Please enjoy.

P.S I am very sad that I found out about the "5 Acts of Play " stature at the end of writing this one-shot. I could've used it to make the story more interesting. But oh fucking well… _______________________________

One thing that everybody in Hogwarts knew, - the Weasley twins were always together. One never went anywhere without another. They also never had any serious arguments, only slight disagreements that seemed to be forgotten pretty soon after.  

That was why you currently frowned looking at the door. Fred came into the Great Hall looking tired, confused and disappointed to say the least. You closed your book, your interest peaking. He only looked like that when he'd gotten himself into detention that overlaps with Quidditch practice. 

‘So what happened to you?’ you asked as Fred moved to sit in front of you at the Gryffindor table. He looked really upset. ‘Prank gone wrong?’

‘No, I wish tho.’ He sighed. ‘It’s George. I haven’t had a single conversation with him for what seems like days.’ 

‘You never fight.’ you mentioned, as Fred was taking a gulp of juice from your glass. 

"We haven’t gotten into a fight, Y/N, he just dumbly avoids me. When I try to talk to him, he mumbles something about guilt trips and at the next moment he’s gone.’ He started fidgeting with his wand. 

‘How come? Why would he “guilt trip”?’

“Well our dear best friend, Geroge,” Fred mumbled irritably, for a moment you thought he might snap, “had gotten himself a girlfriend, bet you didn’t know that, right?” you only nodded. “Well apparently nobody knew, including me.”

“Yeah…” you bit your lip. “I still don’t see what the problem is.”

“I will tell you what the problem is… The problem is that I accidentally caught him snogging Angelina off in the Quidditch pitch.” You looked at him trying not to show too much emotion. “That wanker wanted to keep it a secret, because he thought I might get hurt.”

“Well, I kinda understand why he kept it a secret.” You waited for his reaction, but he only looked at you blankly, waiting for you to continue. “Weren’t you, like, in love with her a couple of years ago?”

“Yeah, so?” he shook his head. “ I was, that’s the point, Y/N. Was. I am not. Not anymore. I wouldn’t care if they got married tomorrow.” He rested his head in his hands, slowly massaging his forehead. 

“Have you told him this?” 

“Yeah… Like a dozen bloody times. He doesn’t believe me, though. Says “I am only saying this to make him feel better.” How many times, do ya reckon, I would have to repeat this to make him believe it?”  

“Hmmm..” you thought for a second. “Just give him a bit of time, maybe that will solve something?” you suggested. 

“Just give him time…” he repeated your words to you. “How do you assume I should do that? With the Christmas holiday upcoming? Although, I think he would rather spend the whole time with the gnomes instead of me in the same room.” 

You stayed silent for a moment. Now that you have thought about it, you haven’t seen George for a couple of days too. 

“But.” Fred lifted his eyebrows and took a deep breath.” I have a little plan.” He quickly reached for his bag and pulled a letter out of it. “ This morning I got a letter from my mother, about my bad behavior in class and yada yada yada, but she did mention inviting you to stay over during holidays. And this, dear Y/N, sparked a thought in me.” 

You shifted uncomfortably on the bench. 

“You and I,” he pointed towards you and then towards himself. “We are going to fake being in a relationship. Over your stay at The Burrow.”

“Fred.” you snapped quickly. “You’re crazy.” 

“Why? I mean, it’s a good plan. Angelina will be going home during holidays, and George will be forced to be with his family instead, and we’re going to pull a little show for him, just enough, so he would drop this stupid avoidance game he is playing.” 

You frowned at your best friend. 

“You have a perfect opportunity to talk to him during the holidays and you want to spend it playing a pretend game?” you ask him as he nods. “Yeah, well there is a slight problem in your plan. We have never ever acted romantically towards each other, and George isn’t so stupid, he won’t believe it. He spent so much time with both of us together, so he will notice that there’s just no spark, or whatever.” 

“That is exactly where you are going to help me,” he stated. “Your mother is muggle, right? You mentioned once that she is really into those romantic books muggle people read? What do you call them? Noveelies?” 

“Novels, Fred.” 

“Yeah, whatever, not the point. You said you were into them when you were younger. So what I’m trying to say is that you will help me put this act together, so it looks convincing.”

You look agape at him. 

“You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?”

“I had too much time on my hands with my brother successfully avoiding me, I’ve even opened the Transfiguration book a couple of times out of boredom. Closed it pretty soon after, it was even more boring than doing absolutely nothing.” 

“Still, Fred, no. It’s your whole family that will notice this as well and I don’t want to lie to Molly. And anyways, how would explain the sudden break up after the Holidays. And… Oh my god… Ron and Ginny will literally tease me to death. This is a really stupid plan, Fred, no one is going to believe it anyway. Just think of something else, I dunno, talk to Angie and make her help you out or something.”

“How am I supposed to talk to Angelina when she is almost always with George nowadays? I knew you would think the plan is stupid, but look - you are my best friend, right? I know you inside out, it would be much easier to pretend we’re in love.”

You look skeptically at him. You wanted to help him, you really did, but this plan was bound to fail one way or another. You very well knew how he flirts and acts with other girls, the last thing you wanted - to accidentally fall for him for his stupid act. 

“No.” You started packing your book into your bag, not looking at him.

“Then at least let me act as if I had fallen for you, you won’t have to do anything, just help me out to put the act together, so it looks convincing enough for George, c’mon, Y/N, you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” You let your eyelids fall a little more over your eyes while he speaks. “It’s either this or I am going to do something even more stupid.” 

You let your head lull back.

“Alright.” you sight. “But.” You quickly state. “Embarrass me, Weasley, and you will have two people not talking to you.” He rolls his eyes and then determinedly looks at you. 

“Okay, so how am I supposed to pull this off?” You look at him in frustration. “What? I need step by step guidance.”

“I am gonna tell you this once. You miss it, I won’t repeat it. It is extremely stupid and why do I even… Aren’t you like a huge flirt and tease? Why would I need to teach you how…” He gave you a warning look and you shut yourself up real quick. “Oh, for Merlin's sake, okay.” 

He nodded. You gave yourself a moment to think it through, and he let you, keeping everything he wanted to say to himself. 

“Because this will be coming from literally nowhere, you must be really subtle at first.” He opened his mouth to say something but you interrupted him. “ I know, you don’t know how to be subtle, so just gaze at me from time to time during the dinner or whenever you’ll be sure George notices.” 

“So all I have to do is just look at you from time to time?”

“No, you muppet. I called it a gaze for a reason. You know? Staring at someone you find admiring?” He slightly shook his head, his ginger hair falling over his brown eyes. “Or just someone you find unbelievably pretty?” He still looked at you a bit dumbfounded. “Fred, you do it when you think about Quidditch and pranks.” He smirked, red tinting his cheeks. 

“Okay, loverrr…” you deliberately said the last word as slowly as possible, teasing him intentionally, hoping he might have a change of heart and call this plan off.  “We will call this “Act Number One.” In case you fail convincing George with this one, we will move on to the “Act Number Two.” Where you will seek close proximity.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Step over the line with this one, Fred, and I will hex you.” 

He raises his hand into the air. “Whatever you’ll say, Ma’am.” 

“You will have to be subtle with this too. Otherwise it will just be whatever you do here, in Hogwarts on a daily basis. Try to sit next to me when the dinner is ready, try and fix my hair slightly or something, you will figure it out as you go.Then there is gonna be “Act Number Three”, I believe, you will need no assistance on this one - teasing. No comment on this one. I think this should do the job.”  You look at him blankly, something about this makes you irritated and anxious. 

“And what if after all of this, he still won’t be on no speaking terms with me?” 

“Then an actor's career won't be suitable for you.” 

Act Nr. 1

Your stay at The Burrow began shortly after the plan was devised. You had urged Fred to attempt a conversation with George before enacting the plan, and in the presence of Molly and Arthur, all appeared well between the brothers, they even shared a joke about Ron’s owl Gigwidgeon. However, once left alone, their relationship reverted to its former state. And you knew that it was a matter of hours before Freds attempt at Act One.

And indeed, your prediction proved accurate. The scene unfolded during dinner, just as you had anticipated. While engaged in conversation with Ginny, who sat to your right, Arthur kindly addressed you, prompting you to look left, up at him.

“Y/N, Fred shared the fact that your mother is a muggle,” you nodded looking at him. “How fascinating.” Arthur remarked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I recently got a hold on this little thing..” he reached for his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette. “What exactly is this?” He held it with the tips of his thumb and forefinger as if it was a little wand. “I’ve seen it ignite flames. Is it some sort of muggle magic wand, huh?”

You couldn't help but giggle at Arthur's question, but your attention soon shifted to Molly, who cast her husband a warning glance. Unbeknownst to you, Fred's focus shifted to you, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he observed the interaction. 

“Not quite, Mr. Weasley,” you replied with a smile. “It's called a cigarette. It contains an addictive substance called nicotine, which people often smoke to alleviate stress or tension.”

“Really, Dad,” Bill interjected with a laugh, “Mum will be reaching for one of those every time you mention something from the Muggle world at the dinner table.”

Suddenly, Fred erupted into laughter, his eyes dancing with amusement as he directed his gaze towards you. “Well, would you look at that,” he exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone at the table, yet his eyes were locked on you. “Our dear Y/N, the epitome of innocence, enlightening our dear old Dad about the vices of the Muggle realm.”

You shook slightly, your eyes widening a bit. What was he doing? But he only laughed at your widened eyes, the mischievous glint in his eyes indicating that he was teasing you, trying to uplift the mood at the table.

As the Weasleys' laughter filled the room, you felt a warmth spread through you, despite the slight embarrassment of being the center of attention. 

Ginny shot Fred a knowing look, her lips curling into a smirk. "Looks like someone's enjoying themselves a bit too much," she teased, earning another round of laughter from the group.

Fred caught your confused look as you were about to mouth him to watch what he’s doing, but he only winked at you. 

After the dinner you jumped quickly on your legs to help Molly. When you went to roll up your sleeves to wash the dishes, Molly quickly stopped you with a light touch and smiled kindly. “Honey, the magic will take care of that, go ahead and rest on the couch with everybody.” She rushed you to the living room. 

You turned back to look at the rest of the family: Arthur was explaining to Bill about some corruption that involved the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts Wizarding Bank; Ron and George were playing the wizards chess on the floor and by the look on George's face - Ron was winning. Ginny picked up a plate of cookies, murmuring that these were Percy’s favorite, so she had to offer some of him, so he wouldn’t starve himself to death with whatever he was doing as an exemplary Head Boy; and Fred seemed nowhere to be found. 

You turned back to Molly. “My mother always said that magic was too precious to use it on simple daily tasks, that could simply be managed by humans.” She smiled gently at you and her eyes lifted a bit from your eyes. 

At that exact moment you felt a heavy chins presence on your right shoulder. You turned your head towards it to see Fred's untidy red hair that was brushing your cheek slightly.

"Fred," you greeted softly, turning your head to meet his gaze.

His brown eyes sparkled with mischief as he grinned down at you. 

"Hey there," he whispered, his voice low and intimate despite the bustling room around you.

A sense of ease washed over you in his company, a feeling you'd grown accustomed to over the years of friendship. 

"Thought I'd join the party," he quipped, his breath warm against your ear.

“Go rest, you two,” Molly interrupted, “while I go and see where to lay you, Y/N. I hope you sharing a room with Ginny would be alright.” 

“It’s perfectly fine. Thank you, Molly.” 

Fred feigned a dramatic sigh, before nudging you gently towards the living room. 

“You are not following the plan, Fred, you ran over all of the acts in one day.” you scolded him, but he laughed loudly. 

“Y/N, darling, when was I ever following the rules?” 

Act Nr. 2

For a couple of days, the plan appeared to be on hold. The Weasley children found themselves occupied with various tasks around The Burrow, and you willingly lent a hand wherever needed.

Whether it was assisting Molly with preparing meals in the bustling kitchen, helping Arthur mend a fence in the ramshackle backyard, or joining Ron and Ginny in tending to the garden, you immersed yourself in the daily rhythm of life at The Burrow. Once or twice you caught Fred gazing at you while he took a little break to drink some water or just to catch a breath. 

However after the evening to a hold on the house and everybody seemed to be resting, gathered in the cozy living room of The Burrow, Fred subtly initiated Act Nr. 2 of the plan. With George engrossed in a conversation with Ron about Quidditch tactics, Fred seized the opportunity to position himself strategically closer to you on the worn-out couch.

With a casual yet deliberate movement, he shifted slightly, allowing his arm to brush against yours. You glanced at him, raising an eyebrow in silent amusement at his subtle maneuver. His response was a barely perceptible smirk, a silent acknowledgment of his progress in the plan. 

Every now and then, he would lean in slightly, as if to share a secret or a whispered joke, his breath tickling your ear. Each time, you couldn't help but smile at his playful antics, a silent agreement between you to maintain the facade of blossoming feelings.

Just then, George's voice cut through the jovial atmosphere, interrupting the conversation about Quidditch tactics. "Oi, Fred," he called out, his tone tinged with a hint of mischief. "You're looking a bit too comfortable there, mate. Planning on falling asleep, are you?"

Fred's smirk widened, as if he had anticipated this exchange beforehand. He shot a playful glance at George, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Can't blame a bloke for seeking a bit of comfort, can you?" he retorted, his tone light-hearted.

George chuckled, shaking his head in mock disapproval. "Well, just don't go drooling on her shoulder, mate," he teased, earning a round of laughter from the others in the room.

You couldn't help but join in the laughter, though you felt a slight flush creeping up your cheeks at the playful banter. Fred's proximity and the teasing exchange sent a pleasant warmth coursing through you, despite the teasing scrutiny of the Weasley twins.

Although, ironically, as the evening wore on, the warmth of the fire and the gentle hum of conversation lulled you into a comfortable state of relaxation. Despite your best efforts to stay alert and engaged in the lively discussion, the cozy ambiance of The Burrow proved too inviting, and you found your eyelids growing heavy.

Unbeknownst to you, Fred noticed the subtle droop of your head as you began to nod off, a small smile playing on his lips at the sight. He leaned closer, discreetly adjusting his position to offer you more support, ensuring you were comfortable.

Meanwhile, George shot Fred a knowing grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he observed your gradual descent into sleep. "Looks like someone's had a long day," he remarked sotto voce, his tone filled with gentle jest.

Fred nodded in agreement, his gaze softening as he watched you drift off into slumber, a sense of warmth and protectiveness washing over him. He couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for you, his best friend, as he silently vowed to ensure you rested undisturbed for the remainder of the evening. 

That was how Act Number two acted out. 

Act Nr. 3?

You were seated on the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in your hands, lost in thought as you gazed out the window. You sent Molly off from the kitchen.

Outside, Molly stood with her hands on her hips, a hint of exasperation evident in her flushed face. Before her, Ginny, George and Bill exchanged mischievous grins, their laughter ringing out like bells in the crisp winter air.

“Are you two crazy? No scarves, no hats on. You are going to get sick.” She urged her children to get back in and dress properly for the weather. 

In a moment of playful rebellion, George scooped up a handful of snow and molded it into a perfectly packed snowball. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he took aim and let it fly, intending to playfully tease his mother.

But fate had other plans.

In a twist of irony, just as Molly turned to face her son, the snowball found its mark, striking her squarely in the face with an unexpected impact. Time froze for a moment, the air thick with disbelief, before erupting into uproarious laughter, Molly's angry face told them enough and they all turned to get back inside. 

“Had a good night's sleep, Y/n?” George's voice rang out as he entered through the door, his laughter trailing behind him like a mischievous echo. He shook his hair, sending a flurry of snow cascading onto the floor, much to Molly's disapproval.

Your cheeks flushed slightly as you slid off from the table, reaching for the teapot and mugs to distract yourself. "Alright," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper, though your embarrassment spoke volumes.

"Only alright? I thought Fred tucked you in quite nicely." George's laughter filled the room, rich and hearty, as he winked at you. His playful jab struck a nerve, eliciting a mixture of amusement and discomfort. You turned away, feeling the weight of his teasing words lingering in the air, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions within you.

As soon as they all settled down to enjoy a cup of tea, you seized the opportunity to slip away, making a beeline for Fred's whereabouts. But as you ascended up the stairs, he was going down, so you practically ran into each other.

"Oh, good," you exhaled, relief flooding through you at the sight of him. "I was looking for you."

Fred's smirk widened as he halted on the step above  you, closing the distance between you almost imperceptibly. "Slept well?" he inquired, his tone laced with amusement.

Your brow furrowed slightly as you struggled to articulate your thoughts, the urgency to convey your concerns  before the family downstairs didn’t get any ideas as to why you were standing on the stairs a moment too long. "Yeah, look," you began, your words tumbling out in a rush. "Why won’t you give this plan a little break? You seem to be talking again with George, and with the plan advancing at this pace, soon enough everybody will be asking about the relationship that doesn't exist."

"Darling, breathe," Fred intervened, his hands gently finding purchase on your shoulders as he chuckled. "You only fell asleep on me, so what? You’ve done this a million times in the common room, what’s the difference? But if you want to give it a breather, it’s fine too," he reassured, his expression softening with understanding.

However, instead of finding solace in his words, you recoiled slightly, evading his touch as you took a step back. His hands fell away from your shoulders, hanging awkwardly in the space between you as you sidestepped past him, eager to retreat to the safety of Ginny and your shared bedroom. 

Fred's brow furrowed in concern as he watched you retreat, a pang of unease tugging at his heart. He hadn't anticipated that his attempt to reassure you would only seem to exacerbate your anxiety. For a fleeting moment, he considered reaching out to you again, wanting to offer further comfort, but he held back, sensing that you needed space.

Meanwhile, you hurriedly made your way to the bedroom you shared with Ginny, seeking refuge from the whirlwind of emotions that had been stirred up by your encounter with Fred. Once inside the familiar space, you sat on your bed burying your face in your hands, closing your eyes briefly as you attempted to steady your breathing.

You have indeed fallen asleep on each of the twins at least ten twenty times during your years at Hogwarts. And not once has the teasing afterwards bother you, but something about today sent you reeling. You were blushing madly and wished that that would stop. Maybe the whole plan you helped to build, was turning against you, and each, and every time Fred paid attention to you, finally started playing with your head. 

You promised yourself to be a little more careful after that. 

Act Nr. 4 - the improvised part. 

The same night, you were roused from sleep by a gentle hand shaking your shoulder.

“Hey, Y/N, you up?” Fred's voice, soft and filled with excitement, whispered through the darkness as he continued to shake you awake.

You groaned in annoyance, feeling disoriented from being pulled out of sleep. “What is it?” you muttered, your voice tinged with irritation.

“Remember that star we told you about? The one me and George discovered last summer?” Fred's tone was eager, like a child on Christmas morning, and you realized where this was headed.

“Yeah,” you replied, still half-asleep and struggling to grasp why he was waking you up in the middle of the night for a star.

“Well, come on. I found it again,” he urged, his excitement palpable even in the dim light of the room.

You hesitated, feeling reluctant to leave the warmth of your bed for a star. “Why would you wake me up for a star, Fred? It's just a star,” you grumbled, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

But Fred was undeterred, his enthusiasm contagious as he handed you a pair of special goggles and gently grasped your wrist, guiding you outside into the chilly night air.

“Put these on and look straight up from where you're standing,” he instructed, his grip firm yet gentle as he positioned you in the right spot.

With a sigh, you relented, slipping the enchanted goggles over your eyes and following Fred's guidance. As you gazed upward, your breath caught in your throat at the sight before you.

The darkness of the night sky was transformed into a mesmerizing display of swirling colors, reminiscent of oil puddles reflecting light from muggle cars. It reminded you of the evening sky as the sun finally starts to set, bringing out the most vivid colors. The bright colors danced and twirled around in the  star and all around it, creating an ethereal display that seemed to defy explanation. Shades of deep indigo melted into vibrant hues of sapphire and emerald, while streaks of crimson and gold streaked across the dark sky.

“Pretty, ain’t it?” asked Fred while you watched the view in silence. You took the goggles off and looked up again, seeing only small, little stars shining above you. “Well the other ones do not look that extraordinary, but somehow that one does. And it comes up like three  or four times a year. It’s a miracle it came up over your stay here.” 

You turned to look at him. “It's really beautiful, Fred. I’m glad you woke me up.” 

He gently stroked your arms to make you a little bit warmer as you continued to shake due to the cold of the winter's night. 

When Fred retrieved back into his room, he smiled like a dumbass. When you got back inside you asked him if he had named that star and with a gentle smile he asked you to come up with a name for it. 

“Where have you been?” Apparently George wasn’t asleep when Fred got back, and curiosity won over George.  

“Out.” 

“You showed her the star, didn’t you?” George chuckled slightly when his brother removed his clothing and fell backwards into his bed. “I noticed it appeared again yesterday.”

“I might have done that, yes.” Fred admitted with a sheepish grin.

George laughed. “Told her what you named it?” 

“No, that would’ve been a bit embarrassing.” 

George laughed loudly but then quickly stopped, before waking the whole house up. “You're  hopeless, man. But I am happy for you.” 

Fred quickly turned his head to look at his brother, even though through the dark he could only make out his silhouette. “So? Are you back on speaking terms with me?” 

“Yeah, mate,” George chuckled, “I realized I was being dumb.”

Fred was happy. He genuinely was, but something about coming back to terms with his brother stopped him from feeling completely pleased with the situation. 

Act Nr. 5

Act 5 unfolded on a brisk afternoon a couple of days later. The sun was casting long shadows across the snow-dusted grounds of The Burrow. The Weasleys were involved in their own activities. You specifically were interested in another bewitched muggle artifact Arthur promptly told you about, then he went on reading the letter from the Ministry again, completely forgetting about telling you anything afterwards.  So you sat at the kitchen table, engrossed in a book. As you finally coughed up to where you left off, Fred entered the room with a lopsided grin.

"Hey, Y/N," he greeted, his voice warm and inviting.

You glanced up from your book, offering him a small smile in return. "Hey, Fred. What's up?"

"I was thinking," he began, his tone casual yet tinged with excitement, "why don't we take a walk outside? It's a perfect day for it."

Your eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. "A walk? Now?"

Fred nodded eagerly. "Yeah, come on. It'll be fun. We can explore the woods behind The Burrow. I heard there's a hidden clearing with the most amazing view."

Despite your initial skepticism, you found yourself unable to resist Fred's infectious enthusiasm. With a shrug, you closed your book and rose from the table. "Alright, why not? Lead the way."

As you ventured into the woods together, Fred regaled you with stories and anecdotes, his laughter echoing through the trees. With each step, you felt yourself relaxing in his company.

Eventually, you reached the hidden clearing Fred had mentioned, and you couldn't help but gasp in awe at the breathtaking view before you. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a golden hue over the landscape, while a gentle breeze whispered through the trees.

"It's beautiful," you murmured, your eyes scanning the scenery.

Fred grinned, his gaze fixed on you. "Not as beautiful as you," he replied softly.

You froze, your heart skipping a beat at his words. But before you could respond, George's voice rang out from behind you.

"Hey, lovebirds!" he called, his tone teasing. "What are you two up to?"

Your confusion turned to disappointment as you realized that Fred's affectionate words were likely just another one of his improvised acts. With a forced smile, you turned to face your friend, masking your disappointment behind a facade of nonchalance.

"Just enjoying the view," you replied, your voice lacking its usual warmth.”Care to join?”

As George joined you in the clearing, the moment between you and Fred faded into the background, leaving you grappling with the lingering sting of disappointment and confusion.

As the days passed quickly in The Burrow, the atmosphere seemed to settle into a familiar rhythm, apart from that, the twins seemed to get back into their close relationship, which made you extremely happy. 

Once or twice Fred would act out your made up plan and gaze at you during the day at dinner or whenever you were near each other. You, of course, didn’t expect anything more than that, understanding that now the two brothers were back to their old selves and your interactions with Fred were purely out of keeping the act just for George. But that did not change the fact that the shift happened within you. You spend more and more time thinking how everything will play out in the end when you get back to Hogwarts. How you will be sitting there, in the common room, pretending not to notice how Fred flirts with other girls and then returns to you to boast about it. This held a tight grip over your heart, making your chest feel heavy. 

There you were, sitting on the couch, watching Ron make the wrong move and lose his bishop in the process, Ginny bobbing her head happily whilst laying on the ground.  

“George just now told me that you don’t know how to play chess,” Fred sat down next to you, accidentally knocking several chess figures of the ground. 

“OIII!” Ron shouted. “Watch what you’re doing.” 

“Sorry, mate.” Fred laughed and dramatically reached for the queen on the ground and put it back on board in the wrong spot. “Y/N?”

“Hmm?” You turned to him, shifting back from your thoughts to reality. 

Fred raised his eyebrow and laughed. “What were you thinking so deeply about? Me?” he teased and you felt his hand reach for your own. As he tried to intervene your fingers together you quickly pulled your arm away from him and stood up. No matter how angry this made you, you tried not to give it away.  You felt sickened to your stomach. The action was small. But for some reason it was enough for you. This went too far, the act he was doing and suddenly there was no going back, everything went from too early to too late to stop this stupid lie, and the only thing you dreaded for - happened. It was your own fault, you agreed to this.

“Just remembered, I haven’t reached out for my parents for a while now,” you mumbled and left the room to actually write to your parents and ask if you could get back home from The Burrow earlier than planned. 

The Finale 

You were folding your clothes and putting them back in your trunk, while Ginny watched you from her bed. 

“Did they really ask you to go back home?” She asked once again in disbelief. You nodded. “They always let you stay as long as you want.”

“Yeah, I guess something happened back home.” You lied without looking back up at her. 

“Did you tell Fred? That you’re going back home?” She sat up, while you stopped packing and thought for a moment whether you should tell her the truth. “You haven’t,” she said, quite shocked. “Why? The boy’s going to go mad.” 

“I really don’t think so,” you mumbled.

“But he will tho,” spoke George standing in between the door, his arms crossed on his chest, he looked disappointed. 

You paused, feeling the weight of George's words sinking in. Despite your efforts to convince yourself otherwise, deep down, you knew he was right. Fred would indeed be affected by your departure, you were his best friend, nevertheless. 

Ginny shot her twin a sympathetic glance before turning back to you. "He's right, you know. Fred may not show it, but he'll definitely be upset."

You sighed, feeling a pang of guilt gnawing at your conscience. "I know," you admitted reluctantly. "But I need to sort things out back home."

“No, you don’t.” Said George again firmly. He looked quite mad now. “Considering the fact that it was you, who asked your parents to go back home early, not the other way around.”

“Uhmm… How do you?...” You stammered, caught off guard by George's accusation. His words hung in the air, heavy with accusation and disbelief.

Ginny's expression softened, her eyes filled with concern as she glanced between you and George. "George, calm down," she interjected gently, trying to diffuse the tension that crackled in the room.

But George remained undeterred, his gaze fixed firmly on you. "How do I know?" he repeated, his voice low and intense. "Because you accidentally used the quill we use for pranks. It creates two messages as it writes, one to your recipient, second to its owner,  and that would be me and Fred, only I got the hold of the message first.”

You hid your face in your hands, embarrassed. 

“Then,” George continued, “I assumed Fred had done something stupid once again and pressed him until he told me everything, And when I say everything, I mean it. Merlin's beard, Y/N, I thought Fred was daft, but turns out this friendship with us made you daft too.”

“Ummmm?” Ginny interrupted. “Mind to elaborate a little bit?” 

Ginny's interruption brought a momentary pause to the tense atmosphere in the room. George sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair as he struggled to find the right words.

"Well," he began, glancing at you briefly before continuing, "apparently our dear Y/N here concocted a plan to get Fred and me talking again. She thought we needed a little nudge to mend our relationship, so she came up with this whole scheme of them faking a relationship."

Ginny's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You did what?" she exclaimed, turning to you with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.

“First of all,” you raised your finger angrily at George, “ it wasn’t my idea, Fred came up with it. Secondly, it wasn’t a fake relationship,” you said angrily, “it was for you to believe he had feelings for me so you would drop your stupid not talking to Fred phase, because you thought he was still in love with your girlfriend. So in the end, who is to blame?” you asked him. 

Ginny looked from you to George. She was sitting dumbfounded, and if it wasn’t for the angry looks on your and George's faces, she would’ve started laughing. 

“Okay, it was stupid, I agree with you,” George mumbled. “But you're as thick as it gets, Y/N.”

“Why am I the thick one?” 

“Because you actually thought Fred would fake having feelings for you,” these words from George stung like a slap in the face, the truth of them hitting you harder than you anticipated. You felt a surge of embarrassment and hurt wash over you, realizing how naively you had fallen for Fred's act. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Even Ginny’s mouth fell open. 

“George…” she murmured silently. 

“What? Wasn’t he like in love with her for a couple of years?” He said angrily. “And then you,” he pointed towards you, “went on and let him continue this charade and now because you can’t take it anymore, you’re leaving. Of course this is going to upset him.”

You tried to say something, you really tried, but words just did not form inside your head. 

Thank the spirits, cause it was Ginny who spoke after. “No, George, wait. I don’t think she knew.” 

You met Ginny's eyes, grateful for her unwavering support in this moment of turmoil. 

“I… I didn’t know,” you finally managed to utter, your voice barely above a whisper, but each word weighed heavy with sincerity. “I didn’t realize... I thought...” Your voice trailed off, the words catching in your throat as you struggled to articulate the whirlwind of emotions that churned within you. “I genuinely thought that he was doing it for you. I was leaving because I didn’t want to…” the words died out from your mouth and you didn’t finish your sentence. 

“I didn’t want to end up hurt afterwards. I assumed he only saw me as his best friend and the act would die out eventually when we got back to Hogwarts.” 

The snort from George interrupted the silence that followed after your sentence. “You and Fred must be two of the dumbest people I know. Y/N, he named a star after you, you were more than his best friend for a while now.” 

“Oi, mate, not nice to throw me under the bus like that,”  Fred quipped, entering the room with a lopsided grin.

You turned to him, quite in shock. 

“And I think this is our cue to leave,” said Ginny gently, sending a wink to you and grabbing George by his forearm to lead him out of the room. 

“Complete idiots,” George managed to yell whilst leaving. 

Fred chuckled, stepping closer to you. "Ignore him, love. He's just jealous because he hasn't named a star after anyone yet."

“I am extremely confused, Fred.” 

Fred's grin softened into a gentle smile as he reached out to take your hand in his and intervene your fingers together. He smiled as you let him. "I know, Y/N. It's been a bit of a mess, hasn't it?"

You nodded, still trying to process everything that had unfolded.

"I promise to explain everything properly," Fred reassured you, his eyes earnest and sincere. 

Fred took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before he began to explain. "Okay, so... I know this whole situation might seem incredibly confusing, but there are a few things you need to know." He paused, searching your eyes for any sign of understanding before continuing.

"Firstly, yes, I did come up with the plan to pretend to have feelings for you, but it wasn't just to mend things between George and me. It was also because..." He hesitated, his expression turning earnest. "Well, because I actually thought I might kill two birds with one stone.”

Confusion flickered across your face as you processed his words. "What do you mean?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Fred took a deep breath, steeling himself before he continued. "I mean, yes, the initial idea was to help George and me patch things up by making him think I had feelings for you. But... it was also a way for me to... explore my own feelings for you."

Your breath caught in your throat as his words sank in. "You mean... you actually do have feelings for me?" you asked, your voice barely audible.

Fred nodded, his gaze unwavering as he met your eyes. "Yeah, I do. I've liked you for a while now, Y/N. I just didn't know how to tell you."

Emotions swirled inside you, a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and a flicker of hope. "But... why didn't you just tell me?" you asked, your voice trembling with emotion.

Fred sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was scared, Y/N. Before our friendship even began, you seemed to be annoyed everytime I approached you. I am not even going to mention the looks you gave me when I tried to flirt with you. Then I dropped it, I thought you weren’t interested and it proved me right, cause quickly after you joined our trio. (A/N: We can not forget our Lee.)”

“I thought you saw me as one of these girls you always flirt with, I thought you were being a tease for your own entertainment.” 

Fred's expression softened as he listened to your words, a tinge of regret coloring his features. "Y/N, I understand why you might have thought that. And I'm sorry if I ever gave you that impression.”

“But why did George think you were still into Angelina?” 

“Because before you came into the picture I kinda liked her. And we got along pretty well, I just did not realize at the time she was being extra friendly with me, cause she liked George. Then you came along and my feelings changed. I mentioned them to George once or twice and then dropped it. Didn’t want to annoy him, didn’t want to hear him tease me when you joined our friend group. When he fell for Angelina, he must’ve overthought everything. But he kinda put everything together after I returned to our room after I showed you your star.” He raised his free hand and gently tucked your stray strand of hair over your ear, and then pressed his hand over your cheek, to which you leaned in. 

“Pretty soon after you arrived, you fell asleep on me, literally in front of everybody,” you closed your eyes in embarrassment as he spoke, he started softly caressing your cheek, “I thought you finally started to catch on, but you asked me to put the plan on hold, and I genuinely got scared I was pushing you away with the way I acted.” 

“I am so sorry for not catching on sooner, for avoiding you…” you tried to explain yourself, but Fred interrupted you. 

Fred shook his head, his expression tender. "No apologies necessary, Y/N. You did what I asked you. I hope you will now understand that everything was sincere.” 

You closed your eyes again and as lovingly as possible said, “And I hope you will understand that I sincerely fell for you.”

He laughed as he leaned in closer, “I got that while you were having a little chit chat with my brother, otherwise it would’ve been me who stayed over with the gnomes.” He looked deeply into your eyes as if asking if it was alright, you slightly nodded, so he closed that little space that was left between you and kissed you. 

#fred weasly x reader #fred weasley x you #fake relationship #slow burn #harry potter #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley one-shot #fred x reader #fred

[quillfulwhimsyverse]

Masterlist

Now listen - listen, it is in process. But requests are open.

Fred Weasley

Scent of Truth series:

Scent of Truth: Amortentia Gone Awry Pt. 1 - You tried to prove yourself that the feeling that suddenly arose within you were nothing but a consequence of someone using Amortentia on you. You were wrong. Scent of Truth: Amortentia's Dilemma Unveiled Pt. 2. Scent of Truth: .... Pt. 3 - (not even in process yet.)

The Act of Faking - George is not talking to Fred, and the only way Fred thinks this can be salvageable by faking a relationship with you. Or when you hear his request - faking him having feelings for you.

Azriel (ACOTAR)

Mystery One-shot - No summary. I want you to read this without any expectations. It escalates quickly, you will catch on pretty soon.

#masterlist

[quillfulwhimsyverse]

Scent of Truth: Amortentia Gone Awry

Word count: 1.7k

Summary: You tried to prove yourself that the feelings that suddenly arose within you were the consequence of someone using Amortentia on you. You were wrong.

A/N: No warnings. This might be the first part of many to come. There can be a handful of grammar mistakes, feel free to correct me. Enjoy.

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You were tired to say the least. And you were angry, if anything. For a couple of nights you have laid in bed waiting and begging for sleep to finally take you, only to have your mind spiraling even more deeply into the matter than before. It was as if the universe had conspired to awaken something within you, something you never knew existed until now. And that something drove you mad. 

That is why you were currently standing in the Weasley Wizard Wheezes, looking around trying to avoid anyone's interested eyes directed towards you. You were looking for something in particular, yet after standing in one place for a bit of time, you were sure you won’t be able to find it here at all. Suddenly you became aware of a tall body behind you.

“Having a bit of trouble, love?”

You jumped, startled, and quickly reached for a shelf to steady yourself. In the process, accidentally knocking at least fifteen of the potions you were interested in to the ground. 

“Scared me, Weasley.”

Fred laughed a little. “Oh, did I? I am sooooo sorry, darling.” He said in the most over the top apologetic tone you have ever heard, but of course, he didn’t mean one bit of that apology. Afterall, after you turned around, the smirk was there, on his lips. “I would ask you, what you are looking for…” he laughed, “but seeing you here, standing in front of this Amortentia Potion stand, for at least…” he checked his non existing watch, “30 minutes, I wish to ask, who you’re looking to attract?” He whispered the last part, moving closer to you. 

“I don’t want to attract anybody,” you murmur, the fact that he was staring at you completely flying over your head.“ I am just looking for the effect of this thing, I assumed you would have mentioned it somewhere on the bottle.”

He laughed, taking one of the Amortentia bottles from the stand, turning it around and reading the back of the item. “Well, darling, everyone who has taken the potions class knows the effect of this thing, isn’t that why the potion is so popular among you, girls?”

But instead of answering, you only looked at him and frowned. Why would anyone be interested in this potion.. You thought. Becoming very well aware of the bottles lying on the ground. Fred followed your glimpse towards the ground and smirked. “Forget about it, George or I will pick it up later.” 

“Now tell me…” he said slowly as he came a little closer, his voice was low and this caused your arms to tremble slightly. But fortunately (unfortunately) for you he only reached past you to put the bottle he was holding back to the stand shelf. You felt his eyes on you, he was smiling slightly with his lips curved upwards, the way he smiles when he talks to girls. The way he smiles when he flirts with girls. “… what’s up with you and the effects of this potion?”

You suppressed a shiver. You tried to look as normal as possible, not to make him ask any unnecessary questions about why you are acting so suspicious, because, let’s face it, even for you… you were acting a bit suspicious. 

“I don’t know why… But I think. I think someone might have slipped a little Amortentia into my drink, or something. And I just wanted to be sure that that is exactly what happened.” you explained. It sounded dumb. You know it did. But that was exactly what you were thinking. How else would you explain the feelings that surfaced within you at random. 

Fred laughed out loud. He only laughs this way when a prank goes well, or when the teasing he does  works on people and gets them all flustered. “Would you like me to use some Amortentia on you, so you can see if the effects are the same?” He chuckled silently into your ear. 

WHY… you yelled to yourself in your thoughts..why would I want to feel the same way I do now!!?

“But you know…” he said casually, still leaning slightly towards you, “I always assumed my good looks and my charming personality does the job better than any amount of Amortentia could…”

Your heart was jumping rapidly in your chest, you could hear its beats in your ears. “Why won’t you ask the girls if they find your personality charming.”  And there it was. That little, small, yet powerful ping of jealousy. 

He chuckled, purposefully shifting his body so close to you, 

that if he leaned in a little closer, somebody from a side would think you were kissing. This made you slightly uncomfortable. 

“Now now…” he shook his head and you felt his right hand’s index finger brushing your left hand, that was resting on the shelf’s edge, slightly, “don’t be bitter. But do tell me, who has occupied your mind so bad to have you blame it all on this innocent potion?” 

“Oh I will tell you… that this is none of your business. You had no business whatsoever writing the effects of the potion on the potion, so I have no business telling you anything about the consequences of the potion.” 

“Something tells me that you’re not that sure…” You raise your eyebrow at him suppressing a deep inhale while his eyes look straight into yours. “You’re not that sure if it is the Amortentia, are you?” The look he saw in your eyes almost made him suppress a laugh, but seeing you, slightly stressed, he only managed to let out a ‘tsc” with his tongue falling from the roof of his mouth. “Ah. So you might have actually caught feelings, haven’t thought of that, did ya’?”

“No, of course I have thought of that. But it’s simply impossible.” Freds smirk grew a little wider and you felt a blushing creeping into your cheeks. He sure as hell was getting a kick out of you struggling to make sense of yourself and falling into his little tease-traps. 

“Well there is a very simple solution.” He says and you’re quite sure he will suggest you some sort of an antidote to lift the effects of Amortentia. Only he doesn’t. He reaches past you again, slightly and very gently brushing past your hair with his nose, to pick up another bottle of the potion. You start shaking your head. He silences you with his strict look and starts unscrewing the bottle cap letting the steam rise in characteristic spirals. 

Only then it hits you, when some sort of trance lifts your body faintly, that you two were in public the whole time. Kids run past you holding differently shaped candies in their palms, wanting to show it to a friend. The bottles you accidentally dropped before are nowhere to be found on the ground now, someone must’ve swooped them up without you noticing. 

Your attention turns back to the redhead when he moves the bottle faintly in front of your nose, his eyebrows lifted slightly up while he looks down, straight at you. “Smell it.” 

“Are you stupid?” 

“Oi! I’m trying to help you out and you’re insulting me. Not nice, not nice, Y/N.” You quickly try to push the open potion away from your face as he pushes it closer to you, but then with his free hand he grabs your own hand, trying to keep you from jerking it away. “C’mon, doll, don’t you want to know?” 

“At this point, I am convinced you want to figure this out much more than I do.” You sighed.

“Not gonna lie, I am interested.” He still held the bottle near your face, someone passing by laughed at you both, but before you could react, Fred already spoke “Go on, would ya?” Then quickly he turned back to you.

“I don’t get what you are so afraid of. Ya already know what you like and if you don’t smell something else, there ya go, we will find the bloke that slipped this to ya, and jinx him, alright?” At this point he seemed to be watching you very closely as if you would sprint through the door at any given moment.

You nodded slightly, rolling your eyes a bit. You took the potion from his hand, raised it to your eye level and just started at it for a moment. You tried to understand what you wanted the outcome to be. Fred was still watching you closely. You lowered your head to have a whiff of the potion.

At first, you smelled absolutely nothing, for a second you thought the bottle was filled with water. But then it hit you. It started coming in like a well written melody, well assembled together by different instruments. At first you noticed the refreshing, yet salty scent, there was a bit of a moment you thought you had smelled the sunscreen…Must be the ocean. Then the second smell overtook the previous one and you’ve realized that now you smell of old books, the ones you and Hermione loved to read in your free time. But the last scent almost sent your heart spiraling. You smelled The Burrow. Not the house specifically, but one person who lived in it. The scent was so strong that you couldn’t help yourself from remembering when you got familiar with the smell: 

That one summer you stayed for a couple of weeks at The Burrow. At that time you stood shivering in Molly's garden, while the rest of the Weasley children sent the gnomes flying in the air. Molly was pissed at all of them for neglecting their duties all day long, so there you were, enjoying the view late at night. Ginny giggled slightly at you being cold, because you completely forgot to bring your sweater with you. The excitement of seeing gnomes getting the best of you. One of the twins furiously thrusted his sweater into your hands, complaining that you gnashing your teeth in cold was even more annoying than trying to grasp the gnomes in the dark. He urged you to put the sweater on and help them all out. And that was the first time you smelled the fire, cookies, hints of broomstick polish from Quidditch practice ever, associating the smell to Fred Weasley ever since. 

“So?” Fred asked impatiently when you opened your eyes suddenly in a very heavy shock. 

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