you belong with me || fred weasley oneshot
synopsis. you and fred have been best friends ever since first year: denying countless dating rumors and continuing to be glued together every hour of the day. but when fred asks for your help asking a girl to the yule ball, you feel⊠jealous? now you have to figure out how to get fred for yourself, something you swore youâd never do.
pairing. fred weasley x reader
content. friends to lovers, roommates with ginny and hermione, angst/light angst, original character (emily), suggestive fluff, NO INCEST!!
word count. 5k (im so sorry)
a/n. this was highly requested in the most recent poll! iâll write theo next since he was #2!
fourth year meant a lot of things for hogwarts students. newt prep, hogsmeade, and most of all⊠the yule ball.Â
hogwarts prefects earn their own train compartments as a job perk. so, ever since percy became a prefect, he allowed you, fred, george, harry, ron, hermione and ginny to all clamber into his new acquisition while he himself stayed in his girlfriend's compartment. it was the first year in any compartment without percy, and the change was noticeable.
ânice when thereâs no one telling us to stay in our seats, right?â george snorted as ron chased a stray chocolate frog around the cramped space, despite hermioneâs look of disdain.Â
ron fell into his seat between fred and george, cupping his frog tightly between his hands. âright on.âÂ
 you sat directly across from them, next to ginny and hermione.Â
freds face suddenly hardened. âblimey, is this what itâs like in a relationship? you forget about your friends?âÂ
âof course not!â you say defensively. âpercy has a healthy balance.â
âwhyâre you defending him anyway?â fred asked, leaning forward towards you. âthis is the first time youâve talked all day.â
âwhat, are you keeping track?â ginny snorted.Â
âdonât get pissy because she didnât find the stupid broomstick joke funny.â hermione said.
harry and ron elbowed each other.
âfine, fine.â fred murmured, leaning back again, not breaking eye contact with you. âiâm just saying. when i inevitably get a girlfriend this year-â he paused to glare at georgeâs amused holler - â... i wonât forget you guys.âÂ
you chose to ignore the sentiment, refusing to meet his gaze as your eyes stayed glued to the window until you felt his eyes leave you.
first day introductions were the same as they always were. hermione stayed at attention while first years were sorted into their houses as the rest dozed off.
after sorting, you follow ginny and hermione to the girls' dorms to unpack, chatting mindlessly about whatever happened during the ceremony that was mildly interesting. once you are in total seclusion from the boys, ginny shuts the conversation down quickly.
ânow that weâre aloneâŠâ she began, an excited look in her eyes. âfred asked for my help on something.â
hermione sat on ginnyâs bed, interested. âdoes he like someone??â
ginny nodded with a grin. âheâs never come to me for stuff like this. and guess who it is?? emily!â
emily was the transfer student from beauxbatons. she transferred into hogwarts last year, after her family moved to britain from france. she was gorgeous, of course: with long black flowing hair and an effortlessly cool style... all the boys immediately were very interested.Â
you feel your stomach drop and are unsure why. maybe it was the fact your best friend didnât come to you for advice.
ây/n?â hermione asked. âthoughts?âÂ
somehow, hermione could sense you were upset about⊠something.
âtha⊠thatâs great!â you said in a way you thought was convincing, giving a smile that didnât quite reach your eyes. âand heâs asking her to the ball, right?â
âno duh!â ginny continued, believing your reaction. âheâs going to try and get her to like him first, so he says.â ginny paused, remembering something.
âiâm going to be right back.â she finished, inevitably going to talk to fred.
hermione turned to you once ginnyâs footsteps faded. "i won't tell ginny." she said quietly. "if you like him..."
you turned to her, an outraged look on your face. your mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "hermione?!"
she raised her hands innocently. "look, i can always tell. i'm just saying you can trust me."
you sigh, sitting down on your own bed across from hers. "is it really that obvious?"
"to me, yes." she said with a sympathetic smile. "but nobody else has a clueâŠâ she bit her lip. âi think george is suspicious, though.â
"what?!" you shriek again. "how would they know?"
"well, I didn't say anything."
"wait a minute, hermione." you raise an eyebrow. "how did you know?"
she blushed. "you started being more... evasive. whenever anyone talks about fred. you get this look in your eye whenever he flirts as a joke-"
"alright, enough." you huff stubbornly.
"how long has it been going on?" "nothing's going on. i just started finding fred irritatingly... attractive."
hermione squealed.
"...and i'm going to sort it out."
"sort it out?" hermione's face changed. "a crush isn't something you can just sort out, y/n-"
"sure, it is." you said finally, settling the matter. "let's go to the common room party."
the party went on as always. some hogwarts version of frat hazing to the first years, fred and george engaging in borderline mean pranks...
that was, until fred caught sight of emily. it was like his whole demeanor changed. he started watching his long limbs, carefully maneuvering himself to appear what he would define as 'attractive'. george was gone in a millisecond.
"what a dork." george snorted from behind you, already evacuating fredâs scene. you turned, and he and oliver wood began playing a game of wizard's chess on the couch behind you.
"right." you laugh emotionlessly as you flop down next to them. you remember hermione's words "...george knows."
"i mean, it's clear he has it going for you." george continued, barely paying any mind to you.
"...huh?" you choke out, snapping back into reality. oliver chuckled.
"how can one be so oblivious?" oliver said, almost bitterly.
"george, he said himself he likes emily." you say, defending him.
"he says a lot of stupid stuff." george knocked woodâs piece off the board, then looked up at you. "he's just deflecting because he knows you'll never like him."
"why would he think that?" you try to say coolly.
"'cause he's tried to give you the hint for four years. feel bad for the bloke, honestly."
"aw." you say, heart racing. you are about to stand when-
"heyy guys!" fred says with a cheesy grin. "hey y/n!"
you can't help the blush that creeps across your face. "hi fred!"Â
george and oliver stare at the chess board. hard. smiles poke at their mouths.
"how's emily?" you ask fred, trying not to appear nosy.
fred furrows his eyebrows. "how do you know about that?"
"it's obvious. why didn't you tell me?"
"ah... i don't know. thought it would be awkward." fred scratches the back of his head, suddenly nervous.
"it won't be." you punch his arm lightly, cheering him up. "you can tell me anything."
that seems to be the breaking point for george and oliver, who burst out laughing.
fred laughs at their strange behavior. "oi, what's the matter with you two?"
"nothing, freddy." oliver giggles.
fred rolls his eyes. "anyway, butterbeer this weekend, y/n?"
"yeah, yeah." you barely meet his eyes, responding dazedly as you watch him go back to george and emily.
"y/n and freddy sitting in a-" george starts before you kick his leg and stand as well.
"i'm going to have an early night. bye guys." you don't wait for their responses before briskly returning to your room and heaving yourself onto your bed.
was there any way you missed fredâs signals the past few years? if you hadnât, would you have felt things sooner?
the dilemma weighed itself out in your head, but ultimately, you knew the true issue. if you donât risk the friendship, risk the fact that fred probably didnât like you like that anymore⊠emily was going to have him.Â
that weekend, you nervously prepare yourself to grab âcasualâ butterbeers with fred. you couldnât stop thinking about how quickly things had changed.Â
you supposed you realized you liked him last winter at the burrow: when you and fred stayed up late talking by the fire. but to tell yourself truthfully, you mustâve liked him for much longer.Â
ever since then, you had been denying yourself. sleepovers with ginny became âavoid fredâ and he hadnât got a clue.Â
you put down the hairbrush and checked your phone. one new notification.
âim outsideâ from freddy.
talking to him was no problem. it was just as easy as ever to chat about the upcoming quidditch match, the food, the gossip. the problem was looking at him.
â... so iâve been meaning to ask you.â fred continues, opening the three broomsticks door for you. âyouâre a girl, right?â
âha. ha.â you say with a dead face. fred chuckled at your expression.
âwhat kind of gifts do girls like?âÂ
you blush. was he really asking you about emily? what an idiot. âwell, probably flowers or something like that.â
fred nodded his head and continued on to talk about how emily would probably like roses or something âromanticâ. you kept thinking to yourself that he would surely find something else to talk about⊠âany moment now.â but fred kept on his chatter as you gave your mindless answers or dead-panned nodding, adding in a âmmâ or âwowâ as needed. every compliment he gave her felt like a stab to the heart. you wondered why you even asked him about emily in the first place.Â
â...y/n??â fred said, snapping you out of it. you were already at the school gates.
âyeah, sorry.â
âwanna study in the library tomorrow?â âsure.â suddenly you wanted more than anything to get away from fred. âI have to go finish something in herbology, so iâll see you then.â
youâve already turned to leave, shuffling onto the grounds, tears welling up in your eyes and throat feeling chokey. of course it wasnât fredâs fault. you asked for this, anyway.
âi can come with?!â fred shouted from behind you, frazzled at your rushed walk-off.
âitâs fine!â and you canât hide the shake in your voice. thank god fred didnât notice.
you enter the greenhouse, slamming the glass door behind you. you sniffle sadly, wiping your tears with your scarf.
â...y/n?â george whispered, unsure of how to react, stands suspiciously stiff at his torso while the mandrake in front of him buried itself deeper in a pot of soil.
you jump. â...ah, god. sorry george, i thought no one was in here.â you turn to leave.
âno, donât.â george says quickly. âis⊠thisâŠâ he jabs a finger at your teary face â...about fred?â
âitâs not his fault.â you confess.
âwhat a jackass.â george rips out the mandrake from the pot, quickly muffling itâs âmouthâ so itâs screams donât bust your eardrums. âwhy donât you just tell him how you feel?â
âgeorge.â you sigh at his naivety. âif you liked someone for four years and develop feelings for anyone else⊠wouldnât it be smarter to pursue the latter?â
âbold of you to think fredâs smart.â george chortled. â...and if youâre using that logic, donât you think he would have stronger feelings for you?â
ânot buying it. alllll he did was talk about emily. i donât think i heard a word he said after fifteen minutes.â
âwhen are you seeing him next?â
âlibrary tomorrow.â
âlet me guess, he made the plans?â
âsure, but we always hang out.â
âno offense, y/n, but you are blind. just watch, heâll be flirting the whole time. i mean, heâs been doing this for so long. heâll make excuses to touch you, pull out your chair, dumb jokes just to make you laughâŠâ
âoh come on, george. heâs being friendly.â
âiâm his brother. watch. tomorrow, youâll see what iâm talking about.â
you return to the commons with a newfound hope that night, excited for the next day.
in fact, you barely got any sleep from the adrenaline. classes move at an achingly slow speed, partially due to the fact you refused to look in fredâs direction in the ones you shared. when they finally end, you race to the library.
snagging your and fredâs favorite seats (the ones by the window), you pull out your phone and text him.
âiâm here!â
no response. to be fair, you were a bit early.
âi got us our favorite seats!â
still delivered? a doubt begins growing in your mind.Â
you wait for twenty more minutes before texting again.Â
when you get back to the dorm, you think of last year. fred would have dropped everything to hang out with you. did everything really change? all because you couldnt catch a hint?
âŠlooks like fred was making progress. and you couldnât believe how wrong george was. i mean, if his own brother got this wrong, what chance did you really have?
when you found yourself walking to the same spot as the day prior, you expected things to go the same way. after ten minutes, you use basic pattern recognition skills and send fred one text.
this time, you get a text back immediately.Â
somehow, it phases you worse the second time. maybe it was the fact that your dynamic was really changing.Â
you click your phone off, dumping your bags on your bed.
ây/nâŠâ hermione said gently, reading you as always.Â
âitâs fine.â you lie.
âfreds an ass.â
her rare vulgarity comforted you, and you felt it resonate with you more and more the next few months.Â
ginny eventually found out about your affection, and of course endlessly apologized for her unwarranted excitement about fredâs crush at the beginning of the year. although ginny and hermione tried to comfort you without pushing you towards any direction, you knew what was best for the friendship dynamic. if you didnât want to make things awkward, you best keep a bit of distance.Â
so⊠at the end of every shared class with fred, when he tried to talk to you, packing his things hastily to rush to your desk, you were already out of the room and down the hall.Â
when george tried to give you âhopeâ, you chose to believe he was joking. it wasnât that hard. avoiding fred wasnât hard. it was the feeling that came with it. every time you saw the shattered, confused look in his eyes after avoiding yet another interaction with him, it pained you. but you knew what was best for him. you were only keeping him from emily.
âseriously, y/n.â hermione began one day at dinner, in the tone of a concerned mother. âyou arenât acting like yourself. youâre avoiding every hangout where fred is involved! i mean, the others are catching on.â
â... what is your plan?â ginny asked honestly.. âare you just going to ignore him until the ball?â
 âwhat other choice do i haveâŠâ you thought glumly, on your way back to your dorm after dinner, abandoning the girls to go study. unfortunately, things donât always go the way you plan them.
âoi!â fred shouted, catching up to you, suddenly at your side. it feels like your heart stops. â...you donât even know how hard itâs been trying to find you. what, are you mad at me or something?â
âno.â you say untruthfully.
âOh please.â fred scoffed lightheartedly. âseriously, what did i do? i didnât even know you were capable of holding a grudge for this long.â
âyou didnât do anything, fred.â
âhave you been avoiding my texts?â fred asks abruptly.
âno.â
âwell that is bullshit.â fred suddenly says, more seriously. âokay, you know what? if you donât want to tell me why youâre mad, at least let me make it up to you.â
you already imagine fred flaking once more.
âshopping? like last year?âÂ
his earnest tone makes you unable to deny him. âi guess.â
just like always, you curse yourself for getting nervous and being excited. when hermione and ginny get back to the dorm, you pretend to be asleep to avoid their well-meaning pity.
that weekend, when you get the familiar âopen ur doorâ text from fred, you canât help your heart racing. of course, he looks handsome as usual. his hair has already grown out and is almost past his ears, compared to his neat haircut ms. weasley gave him at the beginning of the year.
he wears his âfâ knitted sweater he got for christmas. itâs chilly outside, but in your appeal to look nice you wear something less appropriate for the weather. you know you shouldnât be trying to âlook goodâ for him, that is, if youâre going to try and lose feelings.
it was your first time talking to fred in months. you felt like you were betraying your past self, who swore to avoiding him. but something about fred seeking you out, relentlessly looking for you just to see youâŠ
who were you to resist?
you notice a difference in fredâs mannerisms. could it be possible he had matured over three months? he made more jokes, some cornier than others. he kept his eyes on you the whole time you talked, which of course made it impossible for you to look back up at him.
and other than that, he was a complete and utter gentleman. he was never unkind to you, but now he was different. like a⊠refined fred.Â
at honeydukes, he bought you any candy you eyed. at gladrags, he suddenly had fashion insights, holding up articles of clothing â âdo you like this one?â â and buying them for you.
the day ended with a feeling you hadnât quite had in a while. hope, excitement and utter infatuation. fred held countless bags, bantering with you at a speed you had been reminiscing of. hogsmeade was bustling with students on late-night endeavors, chilled by the windy night air. fred talked about some funny story that you had missed when avoiding being around him. harry and ron had done some stupid thing like alwaysâŠ
â-are you cold?â fred asked suddenly, noticing your rigid demeanor.
âah, a little.â you mumble, embarrassed.Â
fred doesnât waste a second before silently passing you his knitted sweater.
âthanks.â you murmer, pulling it on. a comfortable silence grows between you. you tried to ignore the blush creeping over your cheeks, the shift in energy that suddenly made the cold environment feel warm.
you fumble with the intricate knitting of the sweater frayed at the bottom. you can feel fredâs eyes on you.Â
âthis is not how i remember hanging out with fred last year.â you thought, silently commemorating the friendly banter and family dynamic you thought you shared⊠or was it ever really just that?Â
fredâs demeanor suddenly shifted: he stood up straighter, hands in pockets. you look up, and shift as well.Â
emily and two of her companions walk into hogsmeade, down the short and what suddenly felt very narrow path. she looked you up and down, not unkindly, but noticeably observing how close you and fred stood and the sweater you had on. you think she knew your name didnât start with an âfâ.Â
fred swallowed, adams apple bobbing. you cursed yourself for thinking what you had been a second prior.
â...so how is it with you and emily?â you say, voice shaky.
âoh, right.â fred said, peeling his eyes off you and forward. âyou know, iâm running out of ways to get her to laugh.â
âthatâs weird.â you chortle. âsince when does fred weasley have a cap on jokes?â
fred smiled to himself.Â
âcanât you prank somebody or something? i always loved those.â you ask.
âwho would i prank? i donât have any enemies⊠yet.â fred thought for a moment. âwould you mind..?â
your stomach drops. you really didnât want to make a fool of yourself in front of emily. but fred had pranked you so many times before, and you had never been âembarassedâ.Â
âsure.â you try to say coolly.Â
the topic, like always, shifts back to emily. you were used to it. it felt less⊠emotional than talking about yourself.Â
by the time fred dropped you off at the girls dormitory, you were utterly exhausted. you made your way to your roomâŠ
ây/n?â a chill goes down your spine when you hear emilyâs voice.
âoh, hi!â you say in a voice that didnât sound like yours. âemily, right?â
âyeah.â she gave a tight lipped smile that almost looked like a grimace. the expression she gave was like she was thinking of small talk to give but couldnât think of anything. âyou⊠you and fred donât have anything going on, right?â
you swallow painfully, âno, no, of course not!â you say too quickly. emily looks at your sweater, unable to hide her curiosity. â...i was just cold.â
emily smiles, relieved.Â
âi hope he asks you to the dance, emily.â you say quietly to her back before turning to your room, not waiting to see her undoubtedly thankful expression.
what have you gotten yourself into? emilyâs agreeability made it so hard to hate her. how could you try to put yourself between her and fred?Â
you leave fredâs sweater in the dorm, leaving your room only after breakfast was over to avoid seeing him entirely.Â
even being in the same room as him in potions and charms was impossible. itâs like he remembered you existed. he threw crumpled up paper balls at your back, surely engraved with a funny or charming note.
you ignored it.
when snape asked for everyone to find a partner, you grabbed the nearest person and winced at freds shocked expression.
instead of waiting for fred after the last class or returning to your spot in the library, you scurry to the common room.Â
when you get to the portrait and say the password, you hear a devastatingly familiar voice behind you say it too.
â...hi y/n.â he said quietly. ââgonna tell me why youâre ignoring me?â
ââm not.â you lie.
âcome on, y/n. why canât you just tell me whatâs going on? i thought you forgave me for whatever i did?!â fred grew frustrated at your detachedness and stepped in front of you, blocking the entrance to the commons.
âi told you! you did nothing wrong.â and you knew you were being unfair. âif youâll excuse me-â
as you pushed past his unwilling, tall stature and step through the portrait frame, you hear an almost noticeable âclickâ, as if you had walked over an invisible tripwire.
without a second's notice, pounds of glitter, multicolor and sparkling, rained over you. you looked down at your hands and are almost unable to see the color underneath the grains. in front of you, in the common room, emily and her cohorts laugh at the sight. even harry and ron laugh.Â
you swipe the glitter off your face and turn furiously to fred. âhow dare you!â you shriek indignantly. the laughter stops immediately.
his hands reach out towards you but you spin around and storm towards the girls dormitories. fred follows, ignoring the eyes of the dozen students around you.Â
you march up the stairs. fred follows.
âyou arenât allowed up here!â you say suddenly, making fred trip backwards at your sudden approach. âitâs- itâs girls only!â you wipe the tears from your eyes and ignore the crack in your voice.
ây/n, seriously.â fred says pleadingly. âi swear i forgot to dismantle it from this morning, you said i could prank you-â
âi know what i said, thank you very much.â you huff. you go up further to your dorm and slam the door open to your empty room, knowing fred was behind.
he was saying something, some apology you didnât want to hear. he had never done a prank so⊠insensitive like this.
âwhat went wrong?â fred asked, holding the doorway. he was already in girls territory, and entering your room felt wrong.
and not only so, he was afraid to approach your crazed self, which was ransacking your own dresser in search of something.
âi was humiliated.â you seeth, unable to stop the pitchiness in your voice and tears streaming down your face. âyou never pranked me like that.â
âi know i went too far.â fred said quietly.
âyou did.â you say finally, pulling out fredâs maroon sweater from your drawer.
finally meeting his gaze and walking towards him, his eyes widen seeing the clothing article in your hands.
âno you donât-â he said, pushing the thing away.
âyes. i. do.â you say, pushing it back towards him. there was a brief silence before you spoke again. âemily laughed. she thought it was funny. so maybe you should just go to her.â
ây/n-â
âand another thing. she asked if there was anything between us. donât worry weasley- i assured here there wasnât.â
fred winced at the name. not even fred? you had never been so cold with him.
âplease just let me speak-â fred asked, eyebrows furrowing. He threw his hair back with one hand, a sign of nervousness he rarely displayed.Â
âno.â you say, nervous at the prospect. you shoved the sweater into him in one final swoop and shoved the door closed onto him.
a loud âshit!â reverberated outside your room.Â
you spent the next hour picking glitter out from your hair and throwing away the clothes you had been wearing, all while blotting your eyes with tissues.
when hermione and ginny returned to your shared room for the night, hermione removed the glitter with one flick of the wand and ginny comforted you: âfredâs an idiot.âÂ
but when the lights turned off and you all lay in your separate beds, you felt as if you needed to be alone. being in the same room as ginny, who was going to the dance with neville, and hermione, who was dancing with krumâŠ
you made your way to the commons in your pajamas, quietly sneaking down the steps hoping to sit by the fire.
when you enter the shared space, you freeze.
âŠfred.
fred noticed you immediately, suddenly sitting straight where he had previously been slouched on the couch.Â
you silently creep onto said couch, sitting at a noticeably far away spot from him.
âlisten.â fred said carefully, weighing out his words. âi didnât mean to hurt you. you loved when i pranked you.â
you choked back the knot in your throat. âbecause you were- you were trying to make me laugh!â
âi wanted you to laugh today, too!â he cried, raising his arms.
âno you didnât.â you say, almost inaudibly. âdonât lie, fred. it was all for emily.â
fred opened his mouth, actually taken aback. âis that what youâve been so mad about?â
âno.â you heave, then winced at the blatant lie. âyes. fredâŠâ
âdid george tell you i liked you?â
you perked up.
âsince first year.â fred looked at you seriously. âis it really my fault for moving on? was i supposed to wait forever?!â
âyou didnât have to move on.â you furrow your brows, looking as mad as he looked confused.
â...what?â
âi said you-â you wipe your tears again, choking back more. âyou know how hard its been? every time i stopped avoiding you, you would talk about emily. and iâve tried so hard to push it back, but it hurts so much when all you do is tell me about her!â
âi do not-â fred spluttered furiously. âhavenât you thought that maybe my feelings hadnât changed?â
âiâve thought that maybe im getting between you and emily.â
âno.â fredâs mouth goes dry. ây/n- you could never.â he moves closer to you on the couch. âemily is⊠sweet.â
âoh, great, here he goes again.â you scoff, and fred laughs shakily.
âlet me finish. emily is sweet, and pretty. thereâs nothing wrong with her⊠but sheâs not you.â
you swallow. â...what?â
âsheâs not you.â fred said, more confidently. âsheâs- sheâs like a distraction from the real stuff. I kept trying to make myself like her because you didnât want me.â
your heart swelled and you suddenly noticed how little space there was between you. âyou didnât have to do that, fred.â you whisper.
âi really didnât, did i?â he said with a pitiful grin. you felt your heart hammering in your chest, looking up at him.
he looked back at you, eyes flickering away and then back as if he couldn't keep them off you. like they magnetized his.
fred weasley never looked unsure... until now?
you could see his chest growing and falling rapidly. you knew yours was too.
âplease donât run again-â he began, but you didnât let him finish.
you closed the distance between you without thinking.
he caught you around the waist, allowing you to swing your arms over his shoulders. for a millisecond, he barely moved, like he couldnât believe what was happening.
then out of nowhere, he pulled your torso closer to his and kissed you back with a groan, with hunger, and surely like he was waiting for the years he was.
his hands ran down your back.
you ran a hand through his hair, desperately kissing him like you would never get a chance to again, eager to no longer be denying what you felt for him-
a gasp.Â
you pulled away from each other, looking up at the entrances to the girl and boy dormitories where hermione, ginny and george stood.
â... merlin.â fred said at the three guilty figures, a red blush creeping over his cheeks. they looked as if theyâd walked into a crime scene.
âtold you.â george unmistakably mouthed to you, before hurrying back to his room. hermione stuttered out an insincere apology and took ginny back the other way- who was giggling uncontrollably.
and you laughed too, fully relieved, looking up at fred.
he just smiled at you, searching your face. âlooks like the secrets out.â
"...finally."
ok so boom.
guys no spelling corrections this is EXTREMELY messy and i know i repeat stuff like 20x in the plot but just let it happen ok papa~
please hit that like button if you love me~









