Chapter Text
Evermore
Chapter 6
I Can See You – Taylor Swift
And I could see you being my addiction
You can see me as a secret mission
There was something wrong with Isabella. She was going insane.
She was sat in Herbology, OWL exams long gone and done with. For the first time in months, Isabella felt like she could breathe, the academic impending doom buried away for another year. It was the start of June, her birthday was next week, and the sun was shining warmly across campus. Sprout had asked her fifth-year class to help her plant in the school gardens as a project. Each table was given some bases so they could dig up some holes and put roots in the ground. So Isabella and Adrianne sat under a tree close enough to the Great Lake a gentle breeze was washing over them. A few feet ahead, Fred and George were digging several holes into a patch of soil that Isabella had deemed good enough for their potted plants to grow. Isabella had been happy for a fun distraction when Professor Sprout announced the project to finish the year off, especially after the toll OWL examinations had taken on her brain. Really, it was a project of not much at all and meant they really got to bunk off in the lesson. Everyone was excited about it.
Isabella was organising the pots, ready to place them into the holes she'd ordered the twins to dig. Well, Isabella had been organising the pots. Adrianne looked up from her diagram drawing, just for a second, and grinned at the sight before her.
Isabella had stopped to take a drink of water and was sipping mindlessly from her bottle as she observed one twin in particular. In the sweltering heat, the boys had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, a very attractive sight, and Isabella could see just how muscular Fred was as his arms flexed to shovel. Large hands wrapped completely around the stem of the shovel, and on top of all that, he was quite literally glistening under the glowing sun. It was one of the most attractive things she'd ever seen in her life, Isabella thought, the demonstration of strength Fred was showing. She just couldn't take her eyes off the delicious sight in front of her. In fact, it was so distracting that she didn't notice when she finished her water, and she didn't hear Adrianne attempt to gather her attention the first four times she called her name.
"Isabella!" Adrianne snapped, whipping her friend in the arm. Isabella jumped and clocked herself in the mouth with her water bottle.
"Ouch! What?" she exclaimed, wincing. Isabella finally took her eyes off Fred, realising she had been staring. Her cheeks flushed a deep red.
"You were staring," Adrianne sang, dropping her eyes back to her work. Isabella scoffed but slid her gaze back to a particular twin.
"What?"
"You're doing it again. Thirsty?" Isabella rolled her eyes and swatted her friend, but sighed in resignation. She didn't take her eyes off Fred this time.
"It must be my hormones," Isabella declared. "But is that not one of the hottest things you've ever seen? He's so tall. And Merlin, so muscular. Who knew Quidditch did all that?" Isabella sighed again, rotating her water bottle in her hands. It just had to be her hormones.
"Is someone getting a crush?"
"No. Someone needs a shag. Or an exorcism. What?" Isabella added when she saw Adrianne give her another look. "I can't appreciate a good view?"
"Maybe you should shag him," Adrianne suggested. Isabella turned her gaze to Adrianne and narrowed her eyes at her. "Oh, please. You're thinking about it right now."
"Am not! I just…" Isabella trailed off and frowned. She looked back at Fred again. He and George were now throwing dirt at each other with their shovels. "I mean… don't you think he's kind of… Hmm."
"Well, if you did decide to shag him, you'd have my complete support. I'm sure he'd be eager to shag you too."
"Please stop saying the word shag. And it's not like that. He's just very good-looking with lots of muscles. We're just good friends." Isabella considered Fred a very good friend, actually, and George too. Since her OWL breakdown, Isabella often hung out with the twins, just here and there when Adrianne and Daniella were doing their own things. Sometime, Daniella would join her. But Isabella had reached out to Fred alone, too, and he sometimes joined Isabella when she performed her prefect-patrolling duties in the evening, just keeping her busy. Isabella was perfectly content with just hanging out with Fred; he was quite entertaining and patient with her. And quite frankly, Isabella did not have the time to get romantically involved with someone, especially not someone so unlike herself. Every single thought she was having about Fred right now was wrong, and so out of the blue; she just needed to get her hormones in check.
"If you say so," Adrianne hummed. Isabella rolled her eyes and stood up, picking up two of the pots. She walked over to where the twins were now sword-fighting with their shovels. Children.
"Are you boys done?" Isabella interrupted, coming to a stop a safe distance away from the shovels. Hell if she was going to get gross.
"Yes, ma'am." The boys stopped and mocked coming to attention, just like soldiers. Isabella tried to not sigh and inspected the holes. She'd like to say she was used to their antics, but then she'd be lying.
"Well if you're done messing about, the holes look all the right depth, so we can deposit our plants in there now. George, would you grab the other two, please? And get Adrianne here, I want us all to put one in each," Isabella ordered, walking around all four holes to assess them.
"Yes, ma'am." George saluted her and headed for the tree. Isabella let herself roll her eyes.
"And how can I help?" Fred asked. Isabella looked over her shoulder to see him grinning.
"Come take your plant and pick a hole. Here," Isabella directed, but as she turned so that she could give him one of the pots, her foot missed the ground and slipped on the edge of one of the holes. She yelped as she stumbled, but Fred moved faster than she did and he caught her before she fell on the floor. They both hit the ground as Isabella's weight knocked him over. Isabella squealed as she landed on top of the Gryffindor, who groaned, and Isabella was very aware that his arms had circled around her waist in order to catch her. She was not aware that she'd miraculously managed to save the plants she had worked so hard to prepare, but only because she was lying atop of something very solid and muscular. Isabella thought she might combust at that very moment.
"Sorry!" She yelped another moment later, and when Isabella realised she was still on top of the poor man, placed the pots down and scrambled to stand up. She offered Fred her hand to help him up. "You okay?"
"I've been knocked out by Buldgers heavier than you," Fred informed her, taking the offered hand. Now that they were standing, they were standing impossibly close, and Isabella thought, as she looked up at Fred, that he must be at least a whole foot taller than her. He grinned down at her, and Isabella's breath caught in her chest. She had the urge to kiss him. Stupid, traitor hormones. He's just a man.
"You guys okay?" Their bubble was burst by George, carrying the other two pots, who was smirking next to an also smirking Adrianne holding the watering can.
"Yeah," Isabella and Fred answered, a little bit too quickly, and they both stood back at the same time. It was honestly a miracle their two pots were still standing.
"Okay, everyone pick a hole for their pots," Isabella directed, sending a glare Adrianne's way. Isabella was so not living this down.
A similar incident happened a few days later. Isabella had been looking for the twins to collect the last sections needed for a group project, and their sister Ginny directed Isabella to the Gryffindor Quidditch team changing rooms, as the boys often liked to just fly about to release some energy. So Isabella trekked down to the Quidditch pitch. It was a Friday morning, still early enough that classes wouldn't start for another half hour, but Isabella only had an hour-long free period before the Potions group essay needed to get to Snape. She approached the hut that served as the changing rooms and went straight in. Isabella realised she'd never quite been inside any of the Quidditch hutches before, and rounded the corner of the entryway to see George sat, fully clothed for the school day.
"Hey," she greeted. George turned to Isabella with a full smile on his face. Isabella thought it was more earnest than Fred's, but nevertheless just as charming. Damn twins were a force to be reckoned with.
"Hey! What can I do for you, Izzie?" he asked.
"Ginny said I could find you guys here? I need your sections of the group essay for Snape so I can read over them and hand them in. I have a free period first so I'll go hand it in then," she explained. "Please tell me your sections are done." Before George could answer, a voice coming from the showers interrupted.
"Is that Izzie I hear?" Fred had emerged from the steamy corner of the hut with his happy smile and- oh Merlin. There was only a towel wrapped around his waist, and it looked as if he'd just finished his shower for little tiny beads of water were rolling everywhere across the large expanse of his chest and- oh, Merlin. Fred wasn't just solid, he was burly, well-defined. He had filled out well over the year, and broad, muscular shoulders led to full biceps.
When Isabella realised that she was staring, a full eternity later, she turned quickly and dropped her gaze to the lockers on one of the walls. She was sure she'd flushed as red as the paint on the walls.
"Just came to get your guys' sections for the paper," she said quickly, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear.
"Think they're in our dorm. I'll go grab 'em now." The offer came from George, and Isabella heard the door to the hut open and then shut, just leaving her and Fred. She could hear Fred move around the hut.
"Sorry we didn't get it to you earlier," Fred said from behind her. "We forgot to pass the message on we were going to get it to you at breakfast."
"Oh, that's okay," Isabella responded. She was definitely still blushing. A part of her hoped it really wasn't obvious, and was suddenly thankful that Fred could not see her face.
"So, any plans for the summer?" he asked. Isabella could hear him move again.
"Oh no, not really. I prefer being here to home, really. What about you?" Isabella was still distracted by the sight of a half-naked Fred in her brain to really hear herself answer. Merlin, she had to get a grip.
"We're trying to get tickets to the World Cup," Fred told her. "It'd be great to see that."
"Oh. That's nice," she said weakly. "I forgot about that. Congratulations on your win, by the way."
"Thanks." His voice was closer than she realised; Isabella jumped and turned around to see Fred standing directly in front of her. Isabella's back pressed against the lockers to give herself some space; he was stood impossibly close to her, now in his school trousers and his school shirt on but unbuttoned. She let out a small, quiet gasp, but Fred was so close he must have heard. Isabella looked up at him, blinking. What was happening right now? Get a grip, Isabella.
Wait, what was happening right now?
"You saw the match?" he asked. Goddamn, that charming grin.
"Er- yeah," she responded, suddenly breathless. "It was a good play. Shitty of that Malfoy kid and his friends to do what they did, though. Enjoyed it otherwise."
"Yeah." Fred moved to tuck away the same piece of hair that had come loose. Oh, Merlin. A part of Isabella's brain registered that for some reason, she was suddenly in trouble about something. This closeness, the way her brain was reacting to Fred right now… had this been building all year? She'd been in denial; they were just friends, pretty damn good friends. But right now she was pressed against the wall and he was shirtless and the way Fred's hand was just hovering where he'd tucked away Isabella's hair, right by her face… she was certain that if she reached up and kissed Fred, he certainly wouldn't object.
Her inner turmoil was interrupted quite suddenly by George, who'd returned with some parchment in his hand. The abrupt noise from the door opening and closing made both Isabella and Fred jump, and he stepped back, but only a hair's width. He was still impossibly close, and Isabella could smell him, a familiar smell of grass and pear and something else, something just so him. Stupid man, making her hormones go all haywire. Her ex-boyfriend never made her feel this crazy.
"Found 'em." George had the decency to look apologetic. Isabella dropped her eyes down to Fred's chest in embarrassment, but then made direct eye contact with his beautiful pecs, and then slid her eyes off to the door at the opposite end of the hut. She didn't dare look at Fred, didn't dare try and read whatever emotion was surely written over his face. Isabella instead wondered if he was feeling the mixture of mortification and disappointment and confusion she was filled with.
"Thanks," Isabella said. Fred finally moved away, returning to his stuff, and Isabella went to pick the pieces of parchment from George, who now had a smirk covering his face. Isabella reckoned that if Adrianna and Daniella witnessed the same incident, they would have the exact same look on their faces. Isabella then had the urge to whack George's arm.
"You can check those over at breakfast with us," Fred offered. His back was to Isabella and George now as he finished dressing himself. "We've got a free period first thing as well, so we can come with to hand it in if you like."
"Sounds good," Isabella said. George was quite literally staring at her as if he'd just walked in on Fred and Isabella shagging, and her embarrassment was quickly turning to annoyance, especially when he wiggled his eyebrows. Merlin, she was having a week.
And now she was lying in bed later that evening, book open and all tucked into bed, but she wasn't reading. Isabella could not stop thinking about Fred shirtless. About Fred's biceps, and how his arms flexed when he did just about anything. About how tall he was. About how his hair fell across his face so messily and then he'd run his hand through it and it would still look the same. About how he always took a second to reread his notes after every paragraph with his tongue poking between his teeth. About his deep laugh, and the way he grabbed his chest when he rumbled. His laugh was so contagious, Isabella often found herself smiling when she heard the noise. And about how he spoke so kindly to a first-year who'd fallen down a missing step and had gotten really embarrassed. Fred had been so sweet and patient, and Isabella, who had been with him heading to lunch from potions at the time, had just stared at him. When Fred had peeked over the first year and smiled at her, Isabella's tummy had done a funny thing.
Could she..? No.
Isabella sat up so suddenly her book dropped to the floor. She scrambled to pick it up, getting tangled in her sheets.
"You 'kay?" Daniella called sleepily from the next bed over.
"Yeah! Night!" Isabella called back, waving her night light off.
Surely, Isabella was not developing a crush on Fred Weasley. No, she wasn't. Yes, he was cute and kind and funny and intelligent, but that simply meant nothing. That meant he was a person. She was hormonal, and Isabella had been single for a while now. She was growing up, and Fred was nearby, and Isabella's mind was simply turning nothing into something.
Isabella did not have a crush on Fred Weasley. And that was final.
Friends, and nothing else.