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Fred apparated to his parents’ back garden. He stood still for a moment, letting the autumn breeze cool his sweaty face. He’d spent the day in the lab and all the cooling charms in the world couldn’t completely rid the room of the heat and humidity that a dozen simmering cauldrons built up.
Starting across the lawn, Fred’s trainers crunched over the dried leaves strewn everywhere. When he reached the back door, he kicked off his shoes and let himself in.
“Hello, sweetheart,” his mum greeted, kissing his cheek as she passed by.
“Hi, Mum. Where’s Ben?”
Molly gave him a sad smile and nodded towards the sitting room. “He had a bit of a disappointing day at school.”
Fred tossed his jacket over the back of a chair and made his way to the sitting room. He found his seven-year-old son laying on the floor, half-heartedly coloring a picture of a pumpkin. Fred took the same position, placing himself in front of Ben.
“Hey, mate. How was your day?”
“Dumb,” Ben muttered without looking up.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Wanna talk about it?”
“They canceled the carnival because there was an explosion and now the grass is poopy.”
Fred blinked, trying to unpack that sentence. Surely if there had been an explosion at the school he would have been notified. And poopy grass?
“There’s a paper about it in my backpack,” Ben said.
The little boy finally looked up and Fred’s heart broke. His brown eyes were red and puffy and the underside of his nose glistened with dried snot.
“Oh, I’m sorry, kidder.” Fred sat up and opened his arms. Ben immediately crawled into his lap and buried his face in Fred’s chest, soaking his t-shirt in fresh tears. Fred smoothed a hand over his son’s hair, identical to his own, and hugged him tightly. “I know how much you were looking forward to the carnival. Hopefully, they’ll be able to reschedule it.”
“They can’t,” Ben sobbed. “It’s going to take too long to clean up.”
“I’m sorry,” Fred said again. He kissed the top of Ben’s head. “I promise, you and I will do something special to make up for it, okay?”
“Okay.” Ben sniffled and wiped his face on Fred’s shirt.
Once his son was re-engaged with coloring, Fred made his way back to the kitchen. As his mum placed a mug of tea and plate of biscuits on the table, he dug into Ben’s backpack and pulled out the correspondence folder. A bright orange flier was front and center, announcing the cancelation of the school’s Autumn Carnival that had been scheduled for the upcoming Saturday.
That afternoon, after the lunch period, a sewage pipe had burst and covered most of the school lawn in foul-smelling muck. Repairs and cleanup had started immediately but there was no way the grounds would be fit to host the students and their families for the annual autumn carnival.
The floo sounded from the sitting room and Fred heard a voice say, “Hi, Ben.”
“Hi, Aunt ‘Mione,” Ben replied.
A second later, Hermione appeared in the kitchen, arms laden with two bulging grocery bags. Molly bustled over to relieve her of one and Hermione sat the other one on the table, across from Fred.
“Hey, Fred,” Hermione greeted. He could hear the hesitancy in her voice.
Forcing a smile, Fred said, “Hi,” and immediately looked down at his biscuit.
“Ben seems a bit down. Did he have a bad day?” Hermione asked as she unpacked the groceries and started helping Molly put them away.
“His school had to cancel their autumn carnival,” Molly explained, tucking carrots and celery into the icebox. “Poor dear was so excited for it. I had just put the finishing touches on his dragon costume.”
“Aw, poor guy. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Fred looked up to see Hermione looking at him, her face drawn with concern.
“No, thanks. I’m going to take care of it.” Fred gulped the last of his tea and stood up. “Come on, Ben. We have to get home.”
“Fred, if you need help with anything, I’m happy to--”
“I’m taking care of it, Hermione.”
Hermione’s lips faded to a thin line and she nodded before turning away to finish her unpacking. Ben slumped in and held his picture up to Molly.
“I finished it, Nan. It’s a drag-o-lantern.”
Molly took the picture and grinned. “I love it. You’re so creative,” she said, swooping down and placing a kiss on the little boy’s head.
After coloring the pumpkin, Ben had added green scales, a spiked tail, and fire coming out of the carved toothy smile. Molly charmed it to stick to the refrigerator, alongside the plethora of all her other grandchildren’s artwork.
“Get your stuff, buddy,” Fred instructed, shrugging on his jacket. Ben did the same, swung his backpack over his shoulder, and called out a quick goodbye as he darted out the back door.
“Benjamin Weasley, you best not be leaving without giving your grandmother a kiss!” Molly called, running out after him.
Before Fred could follow, Hermione grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. She had the look of pity on her face that Fred couldn’t stand and wished people would stop giving him. It had been two years. They didn’t need to pity and coddle him anymore.
“You’re not alone, Fred. It’s okay to let your friends in when you need us.”
Fred frowned and gently pulled his hand from her grasp.
“Have a good night, Hermione.”
After Fred and Ben had left, Molly returned to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. Hermione sat down at the table with a mug of tea and nibbled at the biscuits Fred had left uneaten.
“Is Fred still going to his therapy appointments?” she asked Molly, hesitantly. She knew it wasn’t her business but she was genuinely worried about the man.
Molly sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. I know he’s still taking Ben to his sessions but I have no idea if he’s keeping up with his own.”
Molly continued with her preparations and Hermione opted to take her tea outside. It was the most beautiful time of year and she couldn’t get enough of the autumn scenery. The colors on the trees, the crisp air, and the comforting smell of smoke coming from the chimneys as people put their fireplaces back to work. The combination brought a unique calmness to Hermione that she relished and tried to capture every moment of it before the chill of winter set in.
It broke her heart that the season couldn’t bring the same for Fred and Ben.
This year marked the second year Fred had spent as a widower. His wife, Rachel, had passed suddenly from a heart attack, leaving Fred to raise their then five-year-old son. Autumn had always been Rachel’s favorite time of year, too, and she had pulled out all the stops when the season rolled around. Every weekend was filled with pumpkin patches, apple picking, bonfires, and costume parties. The school carnival had always been the big finale.
Since her death, Fred did everything in his power to keep her love of the season alive for Ben. He took Ben to every pumpkin patch, filling their house with dozen upon dozens of pumpkins and flowers. Any farm that offered hot chocolate and hayrides, those two were the first ones in line. She could tell, of course, that it wasn’t the same but she admired Fred’s drive to keep Rachel’s memory in the festivities.
Fred had invited Hermione along for a day the year prior. She thought that they’d had a nice time. She and Ben had always gotten along great and there had been some flirting going on with Fred leading up to their outing. But after that, he had pulled away and barely spoke to Hermione unless absolutely needed.
Understanding that grief came in many waves and forms, Hermione stepped back and didn’t push the issue. It was the hardest thing to see someone she loved endure so much pain and have absolutely no idea how to help him. So, she took every chance to remind her friend that she was still there, should he ever need her.
Draining the last of her tea, Hermione gazed out over the fields and orchards of The Burrow. It was so quiet and secluded, one could stare out over the horizon and easily pretend like they were the only person on earth. So much beautiful, open space…
Inspiration struck her and sent her running back into the house.
“Everything okay, dear?” Molly asked as Hermione doubled over, trying to catch her breath.
“Yes. I have an idea. What are you doing this Saturday?”
Saturday morning ended up consisting of Fred lounging on the couch, reading Quidditch magazines, while Ben watched cartoons and ate his weight in Coco Pops. He had thrown out a multitude of suggestions for going out but Ben had declined all of them, refusing to change out of his pajamas. Deciding that it was one of those ‘pick your battles’ days, Fred didn’t force the issue and let his son drown his sadness in a box of sugary cereal. He was planning on doing the same with a bottle of Firewhisky that evening.
“Hey, Dad,” Ben said suddenly, his eyes still glued to the telly.
“Yeah, kidder?”
“Do you remember when Mum and Nan made me a Postman Pat costume?”
Fred smiled in spite of tears instantly springing to his eyes. It had been the last costume Rachel had planned for their son before…
“Yeah, that was a good one.” Fred cleared his throat and added, “I also remember you trying to convince us that we needed to go adopt a cat or else the costume would be ruined.”
“It would have been better with a cat.”
“You also would have been clawed to pieces. Cats don’t really enjoy trick-or-treating.”
Ben made a non-committal ‘eh’ and shrugged. Fred waited to see if the conversation was going anywhere but Ben kept his gaze focused on the Power Rangers and their monster of the week.
He went back to reading but only got a few lines in before Ben said, “I wish we had gotten a cat. Then you’d at least have a friend to talk to.”
That comment made Fred toss the magazine to the side and sit up.
“What do you mean? I have friends.”
Ben finally turned around to face him. He was expecting to see tears but his son’s face was pensive and serious as he stared Fred down. He was slightly taken aback. He couldn’t count the number of times Rachel had given him that exact same look when she thought he was being ridiculous.
“You don’t talk to people like they’re friends.” Ben sat up and pulled the pillow onto his lap.
“I say lots of nice things to lots of people every day and I talk to you all the time.”
“Doctor Sharon says your real friends aren’t afraid to talk about the tough stuff. You never talk about Mum unless I ask you about her. And you never talk to Aunt ‘Mione anymore and she was someone you used to talk to a lot.”
Fred took several deep breaths and swiped the back of his hands across his eyes. Of all the conversations he thought might happen that day, a therapy session hadn’t been one he had anticipated. But, his son was sitting here being honest with him and he felt he owed Ben the same.
“I, um, I don’t talk about Mum a lot because I’m afraid it’ll make you sad.” Fred blinked, letting a few tears escape, and added, “I’m afraid it will make me sad.”
Ben shoved his hand into the cereal box and stuffed a handful of crispy rice into his mouth. He chewed half of it before saying, “It does make me sad but I still like to talk about her. She was a cool mum.”
Fred cringed slightly as chewed bits of chocolate cereal sprayed from his son’s mouth. Sliding from the couch he scooted over to sit with Ben on the floor.
“She was a cool mum. The coolest of all the mums. Do you talk to your friends about her?”
“Yeah. Sometimes I remember something and tell Max and Katy about it because they still remember her, too. And then they tell me stories about their mums.”
Fred’s tears were streaming freely now. He couldn’t remember the last time he had cried in front of someone. Even at the funeral, he had kept himself together, not wanting anyone to think he couldn’t handle what life was throwing at him.
“I’m sorry, Ben. I never wanted to make you feel like you couldn’t talk about Mum or that I was trying to forget her. I think about her every day.”
“Me too,” Ben said, shoving more cereal into his mouth. “Why do you hate Aunt ‘Mione?”
“Merlin, swallow before you talk, mate,” Fred groaned, wiping cereal bits off his chest. “And I don’t hate Hermione.”
“You’re not being very nice to her. I thought you liked her. I’ve seen you watching her when she’s not looking.”
Fred could feel a flush creeping over his face. It wasn’t easy being called out by your own kid.
Truth was, he did really like Hermione. She had been the first person that he could actually see himself dating after Rachel’s passing. He had even gotten up the courage to ask her out, inviting her along for a day of picking and carving pumpkins with Ben. It had been a great day. Hermione had gotten along fantastically with his son and she continuously made Fred feel like there were fairies fluttering about in his stomach. In the end, the goodnight kiss has left him feeling guilty, like he was betraying Rachel. He had since distanced himself from Hermione, hoping to spare both of them the inevitable hurt.
“She likes you, too,” Ben continued.
“How do you know that?”
“Cause she’s always asking about you and wanting to help you. People don’t do that for people they hate.”
Fred frowned and looked down, digging his fingers into the carpet fibers.
“I guess I’m scared.” Fred glanced back up to see Ben staring at him, silently encouraging him to elaborate. “I’m scared of what your mum would think of me dating someone else. I’m scared that if Hermione and I do start dating, I’m going to mess things up and lose her too.”
“But she’s not going to like you if you keep being mean and then you’ll lose her anyway.”
Fred couldn’t help but softly chuckle at his son’s sageness. He shoved his hand into the cereal and stuffed a handful into his own mouth, chewing slowly as Ben’s words ran through his head.
“Mum liked Hermione. I think she’d be okay if you wanted her to be your girlfriend.”
“And what about you? Would you be okay with that?”
“Yeah. She’s really nice and has pretty hair.”
Fred reached over and ruffled Ben’s hair. With a sigh, he asked, “How did you get so smart?”
“Aunt Ginny.”
“She tell you to say that?”
“Yup.”
Fred laughed and took another handful of cereal. They were just finishing up the last of the crumbs when Ginny’s head appeared in the fireplace.
“Speak of the devil and she shall appear,” Fred said, smirking at his little sister.
“You’re not funny,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“I’m hilarious. What’s up?”
“You two need to get dressed and come to The Burrow,” Ginny instructed.
“Thanks but we’re just gonna have a quiet day at home,” Fred said, pushing himself to his feet.
“Not an option. Go make yourselves presentable.”
“Is James there?” Ben asked, moving until he was practically nose to nose with his aunt.
“Yes, and there are a few other guests here that would like to see you.”
“Who? Victoire?”
“You’ll just have to come and see, won’t you?” Ginny winked and then her head disappeared.
“Let’s go, Dad!” Ben called, running up the steps.
“Remember to brush your teeth,” Fred called back. He tossed the empty cereal box into the trash bin and climbed the stairs to his bedroom.
The day was supposed to be about doing something special for Ben. Spending the day with the cousins seemed like a nice, lowkey way to spend what was originally a day full of disappointment. It also got Fred off the hook of spending the day being therapized by his seven-year-old. He made a mental note to get in touch with his own certified counselor on Monday and schedule an overdue visit.
When Fred got back downstairs, Ben was already there, bouncing around in front of the hearth.
“Are you ready?” Ben asked, grabbing a handful of floo powder.
“Just gotta put my shoes on, mate. Give me a minute.”
Fred laced up his trainers and as soon as he got to the fireplace, Ben threw in the powder and shouted, “The Burrow!” Ben hurried through first, with Fred following close behind.
When they emerged into his parents’ sitting room, Fred was surprised to find it empty. Usually, if his siblings and their kids were here, this room was packed with chaos.
“It sounds like they’re outside,” Ben said, rushing through the house to the back door.
When they emerged into the back garden, Fred abruptly stopped and stared out over the lawn, not believing what he was seeing.
The field was full of people and rows of wooden booths. The smell of popcorn wafted over them, with shrieking kids running about with sticks of candy floss and plastic horns, all dressed in various colorful costumes. In the distance, he could hear the distinctive rumble of a tractor. There was even a ferris wheel in the middle of it all.
“Wow!” Ben said in awe. “It’s the school carnival!”
“But how?” Fred asked
“Ben!”
Two figures came barreling out of the crowd and skidded to a stop in front of him and Ben. It took Fred a second to realize the Pikachu and butterfly were Ben’s best friends, Max and Katy.
“Where’s your costume?” Max asked breathlessly. His yellow face paint was already starting to streak from sweating.
“It’s up in Percy’s old room.”
Fred whirled around to see Hermione coming up behind them.
“Your nan has it all laid out for you,” Hermione said, smiling at Ben and gesturing at the house.
“Be right back!” Ben cried, darting back inside. Max and Katy went to stand at the door to wait.
“Did you do all this?” Fred asked Hermione. Her face went red as she nodded. “How? Why?”
She fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater and said, “It wasn’t hard really. After your mum gave me permission, I got in touch with the school’s headmistress who was able to get in touch with all the vendors and parent volunteers. The carnival was already pretty much planned out. It was just a case of notifying everyone about a change of venue.”
“How did we not know about it?”
Hermione’s blush deepened. “I wanted it to be a surprise for Ben.”
Fred looked out over the crowd of students and parents, tears gathering in his eyes for the second time within the hour. “It’s unbelievable,” he whispered.
“I know how much it means to you and Ben and I know Rachel would have done the same thing. I’m sorry--”
Fred didn’t let her finish her sentence. He pulled her into a hug and held her close.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Fred mumbled against her curls. “I’m the one that needs to apologize for being an arsehole and shutting you out when all you ever did was be there for me. I’m so sorry, Hermione.”
“It’s okay. You needed time and I had plenty of that to give.”
“If Rachel were here she’d give me a right bollocking for being such a prick.”
“No, she’d--” Hermione paused and then laughed. “Okay, yeah, she would, but she’d do it in a very loving way.”
Fred laughed and held her tight. It felt like he had finally noticed the lifeline she’d been throwing at him for a year and he was afraid to let go for even a second for fear of being dragged back under.
Luckily he had a child that wouldn’t let that happen.
“Nice one, Dad!”
Fred pulled back just in time to see a green spiked tail disappear into the sea of people.
“He, um, gave me a therapy session this morning,” Fred laughed as he wiped his eyes.
“How did that go?” Hermione asked, a smirk playing on her lips.
“Good, though I’m afraid to see his billing structure. I might have to open up another shop to cover the expenses.”
“Bet you could get him a cat and he’d call it even,” Hermione suggested.
“Between you, him, and Ginny, I’m starting to feel ganged up on today.” He held out his arm and said, “I need to go on a dragon hunt. Care to join?”
“I would love to,” Hermione answered, linking her arm with his.
The carnival was a success. As Hermione and Fred followed Ben and his friends around, she heard multiple people insisting that the event should be held at The Burrow every year. It really was the perfect location and Molly and Arthur were ecstatic to welcome all the families to their corner of the world. Arthur’s face when the tractor had arrived and Hermione told him he could drive it for the day had been priceless.
Hermione was over the moon to see Fred smiling for the first time in...she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen his face lit up with a genuine smile. As big as Fred’s smile was, it didn’t compare to the permanent grin affixed to Ben’s face. ‘No’ wasn’t in their vocabulary that day. Fred’s pockets seemed to hold an endless amount of Muggle pounds for Ben to play every game and sample every treat offered.
“Hey, Dad! Betcha I can knock down the milk bottles before you!”
Hermione smiled as she watched Fred accept his son’s challenge and step up to the game booth. He placed some Muggle coins on the counter and the parent in charge gave him and Ben each three softballs. Both of them missed all three shots and Fred ended up handing over another stack of coins to try again. Fred’s next two throws went wide but his last one hit just right and sent the bottles flying off the platform.
“Ah ha!” Fred cried victoriously as Ben scowled at him. The parent volunteer handed him a stuffed black cat and Fred gave it to Hermione. “For you, m’lady.”
Before Hermione could say thank you, Ben said, “Why’d you give it to her?”
“The prize always goes to the girl,” Fred said simply.
“Oh.”
Ben turned back to the bottles, stuck out the tip of his tongue in concentration, threw the last ball with all his might and the bottles toppled to the ground. Max and Katy cheered and when Ben received his stuffed cat, he passed it to Katy.
“Aww,” Hermione said, watching Katy hug her new friend and name it Benny.
“Can I get a caramel apple?” Ben asked.
“How long is it going to take for this sugar high to wear off?” Fred gave him a skeptical look as he dropped three pounds into Ben’s hand.
The three kids ran off without answering and Fred just shook his head.
Hermione came over to his side and said, “He’s a good kid.”
“Yeah, he is. Not sure how I got so lucky.”
“Cause you’re a good dad.” Hermione laced her fingers with his and tugged him towards the ferris wheel. “Let’s go for a ride.”
When they were locked into their carriage, Fred draped his arm around Hermione and she rested her head on his shoulder. They made two full revolutions before the ride stopped, with their car gently swinging at the very top.
“Did you give her an extra pound to stop it up here?” Hermione giggled, glancing up at Fred.
“No,” Fred scoffed. His lips quirked upwards. “I gave her two pounds.”
Hermione laughed and leaned forward, making the car sway again. The sun was setting and the crowd was starting to thin out. She spotted a green dragon heading for the hayride, a caramel apple in one hand and a cone of candy floss in the other.
“He’s not gonna sleep for two days,” Fred groaned.
“Probably not, but I think it’s been worth it.”
“Seeing that smile on his face is worth a week of sleepless nights. Thank you.”
Hermione glanced over at him and smiled. “You’re welcome.” She placed a hand on his thigh. “You know I’d do anything for you and Ben.”
“I know.”
“And I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good, because neither am I.” Fred leaned over and placed a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. “Are you free tomorrow night?”
“Maybe. What did you have in mind?”
“I was hoping that I could take you out on a date, without a primary school chaperone.”
“I’d like that,” Hermione said, leaning in to kiss him again.
The ferris wheel jerked to life and they started to descend. When they stopped again, Fred took her hand and helped her step down from the carriage.
“I think there’s just one more obstacle to tackle,” Fred said, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“What’s that?”
“Talking my dad into giving up the keys to that tractor.”
“Ahh, yeah, that might take some time,” Hermione said. “I was thinking maybe we let your mum handle that and we could sneak off and snog in the orchard.”
Fred grinned and spun her towards the tree line.
“You’re full of good ideas today.”