Chapter Text
“Hello, Minister!” bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. “Did I mention I’m resigning?”
“You’re joking, Perce!” shouted Fred, driving back the Death Eater he was battling. He’d been stunned thoroughly, collapsing to the ground in a heap. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him; he seemed to be turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with glee. Who knew Perce still had it in him? Good thing he had witnesses, George might never believe him otherwise.
“You actually are joking, Perce…” He paused, a broad smile on his face. He felt like laughing, properly laughing. “I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were –“
The air exploded. Pain hit him without warning. He dropped his wand. His vision blurred.
“No – no – no!” someone was shouting. “No! Fred! No!”
He could still hear them.
Someone was shaking him.
The noise of the battlefield started to fade. He hadn’t realized how loud it had been until now. The pain started to vanish. Probably Hermionie’s work, clever little thing she was. You could always count on her.
The red-head knew he shouldn’t relax, but it was hard. He felt more at peace than he had in months, maybe even years. He took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment. When was the last time he felt so at peace?
This was nice…. He let the breath go, his body feeling lighter now. Time passed, though Fred wasn’t sure how much time. Had it been hours? Minutes?
He should probably try to wake up now…
He had things to do. He needed to make sure George was okay. He needed to protect Ginny, she was still so young. Someone had to look after Percy and the others…
The young man felt someone shaking him again, though not as urgently as before. He grimaced. His eyelids felt heavy, like someone had jinxed them shut or something. He let out another deep breath. The movement felt easier than it had before. Someone must have patched him up quite well.
He groaned aloud as someone continued to shake him. Finding strength he didn’t know he had, he rolled over and away from the person trying to wake him.
Fred heard mumbling coming from behind him, in a familiar voice he couldn’t place.
“Aguamenti”
Cold water hit him. The boy shot up instantly, trying to shield himself from the jet of water.
“Told you that would work.” Someone from across the room spoke up, their light laughter filling the room.
“That it did,” Another chimed in. “Let’s just hope he’s not feeling so vengeful today, shall we?”
Fred wiped the water from his face, blinking several times to clear his vision. Fred’s mouth fell open slightly. His expression shifted from shock, to confusion.
Standing before him was his twin, George. That might not have been too unusual, except that he looked like a teenager again.
“Morning Forge?” The teenager spoke, a look of amusement painted on his face.
Fred rubbed his eyes, as if trying to force the sleepy vision away. He blinked several more times, but nothing changed. George was still there, the pinnacle of joy. How long had it been since he’d seen such an expression on his brother's face? How long had it been since he’d worn it himself?
The other lad ran a hand through his shoulder length hair, a smirk nestled on his face. George was wearing a Hogwarts uniform, or at least half of it. He just had the trousers and white shirt on, the necktie hanging over his shoulder.
The lack of response shifted the expression of his twin. He tilted his head in slight concern.
“Fred?”
He took in a deep breath, trying to make sense of the situation. This had to be a dream, right? One of those walking daydreams they’d crafted up. Yeah, that had to be it.
“Lee,” His twin hollered. “Help me out here.”
Answering the call, his old friend bounded over.
Lee was also younger, his dreadlocks still only landing around his chin. He looked almost like a child, at least to Fred. He still had round plump cheeks of his youth, no sign of his haggard man who’d been on the run whilst broadcasting the ‘Potterwatch’. Fred hadn’t realized how much they’d all grown over the course of the war, but seeing the two people he spent the most time with like this made the change obvious.
“What’s wrong with him?” Lee asked, his voice cracked slightly as he spoke. “We gotta’ go!”
Fred had forgotten his voice did that. It took till their 7th year for Lee’s voice to stop cracking. They’d thrown him a party once it happened, and slipped something into his drink to make it crack every 19 words. Lee took the prank in good fun, like always.
The two teenagers grabbed his attention again, coming closer.
“I know,” George grabbed his twin's arm while Lee took hold of the other. “Come on, Fred! We’ve got to hurry.”
The man let these two teenagers pull him off the bed, still staring at them. He was practically the same height as George, though both of them were still much taller than Lee. The boy had never let the height difference get in the way of their fun. Lee actually ran better than both George and himself, something that had surprised them when they’d pulled they’re first big prank together back in second year.
Shaking the memory, Fred tried to focus on what was happening around him.
This didn’t feel like a dream. He knew they’d made huge improvements to the walking daydream, but this was far beyond that. This was almost… Real.
But that couldn’t be right, this had to be a dream of some sort. Lee pushed some clothes into his arms before he started filling a book bag. Fred clung to the fabric in his hands, noting how they smelled like home.
His eyes wandered, taking in the details of his old dorm. It was so familiar, and yet so foreign to him now. He didn’t remember that poster hanging over there on the wall, or that precarious piles of papers stacked around the room. Were those product ideas or school papers?
As Fred looked around the room he moved on instinct, changing out of his night suit and slowly putting on his old uniform. It felt so weird to be wearing it again.
“We’ve got to hurry if we want to eat anything.” George spoke, trying to hurry the other two boys along. “Won’t have time for lunch today, not if we’re going to get this potion ready on time. I’ve nicked the last few ingredients we needed, so all we need to do is drop our names in the Goblet by tomorrow evening.”
Lee nodded his understanding, handing a bag off to Fred. The man took it, slinging it over his shoulder as he considered what was happening.
Goblet? As in the Goblet of Fire? That was almost 4 years ago. Was this a memory then?
Before he could further consider things, his twin started pushing him towards the door. Lee flung the door open, quickly making his way down the stairs. Fred followed, with his twin at his heels.
George continued to steer him, leading them down the familiar route to the great hall.
Fred couldn’t help the way his eyes wandered, taking in the brightness of the castle. Had it always been so colorful? It hadn’t looked like this before the battle. The place felt dead, as if it was aware of what was to come before the fighting had even started. Then again, having Snape as a headmaster for the year would probably take the color out of anything.
Lee stopped abruptly, causing Fred to run into his back and George into his.
Speak of the Devil.
The man felt his blood boil, instinctively reaching for his wand. He felt a flash of panic realizing that he didn’t have it. He was defenseless, in front of the man who killed Dumbledore.
It’s just a dream…. Relax, it’s not real.
He’s not real.
He repeated the mantra, forcing himself to breathe.
If this was a dream, then why on earth was Snape part of it?
“Up to no good…” The man paused, “Are we…” The dramatic man pursed his lips, eyeing the trio with not so thinly veiled contempt.
Fred glared at the man. His hands clenched into fists, the color draining from them.
“Solemnly not Professor.” George chimed in, his chipper tone caused the Potions Master to scowl. “With the guests in the castle we’ll need to put our best foot forward. Right George?”
Fred recognized the joke.
Switching names was something they did often. If everyone was going to struggle to remember who was who, they might as well make it impossible. That was more fun for them at least. Bill had been one of the few people who could tell… Snape had been another…
The grown man mentally shook himself, forcing his hands to unfurl. Whatever this was, dream or memory, he knew how to respond here.
“Of course Freddy.” The practiced words slipped out, “We can’t do that without breakfast, now can we Professor?”
George smiled brightly. Fred could practically feel his twin relax beside him. This really was such a vivid dream.
His eyes met Snape’s.
Goodness, even the man’s scowl felt real. His beady little eyes, and his silly hair. The man looked just like he always had….
But he didn’t look like a murderer.
His stomach flipped uncomfortably. He shook his head, clearing the thought of the dead headmaster. Fred caught the concerned glance his brother threw his way before speaking.
“Surely not Georgie,” The twin moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. “Everyone knows Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even the muggles know it.”
There was a small moment of silence. Snape was looking at Fred with an unreadable look. The expression looked wrong on the man, as Fred had never seen him look at anyone in such a way. It made his skin crawl.
Stupid traitorous backstabbing son of a -
Lee cleared his throat, pulling Fred from his thoughts. He saw the look of concern on his friend's face. Just how long he’d been having a stare off with the Potions Master?
The red-head looked back to the old man, waiting for him to say something. But the Potions Master simply raised an eyebrow in Fred’s direction.
As if suddenly making a decision, the snake broke eye contact with him turning to glare at the other two children.
“Go.” He commanded, his words came out almost plain, missing they’re usual venom.
Well that was weird?
“Thank you Professor.” Lee chimed in, a cheeky grin on his face. The dungeon bat waved a hand dramatically, sending them off on their way.
Fred was once again pulled forwards, letting himself be guided away from the soon to be Murderer.
“What the heck happened in Detention last night?” George whispered his way. Lee leaned in close, waiting to hear his response.
The man was at a loss for what to say. He vaguely recalled having a detention with Snape around this time, but was it before or after they’d thrown they’re names in the cup?
“Same as usual.” He settled with saying, instead focusing his eyes ahead again. Neither of the teenagers believe his words, sharing a look behind his back.
The great hall was packed, as always. The loud bustle of students filled the large room with sounds of clinking glass and idle chatter. The smell made his mouth water and his stomach grumble. He was a little caught off guard by the sensation. George really had been working hard on this little contraption, hadn’t he?
Fred felt himself relax even more as they sat down. They placed themselves in the center of the Gryffindor table, Lee sitting across from the twins. You don’t realize how much you’ll miss this place until you’ve left. There was comfort in Hogwarts, or at least the Hogwarts of his memories.
Lee instantly started making himself a plate, pouring himself a mug of something hot. George also dug in, reaching for the usual breakfast fixings. The grown man smiled, following their lead.
His stomach grumbled again, causing the man to chuckle slightly. He reached out for some orange juice, bringing the glass to his lips. He nearly choked on the liquid, startling the other two boys.
“You alright?” Lee asked, his words slightly distorted from the food in his mouth.
Fred nodded, but looked down at the glass in an accusatory way.
“Swallow first.” George grimaced. “Unless you wana start going by Ron now.”
Lee scowled at the comment, swallowing his food and washing it down.
“As if,” He waved his fork dramatically. “I’d never be able to eat as much as him.”
Both George and Lee laughed, but Fred was lost in his own thoughts. The two looked at him, waiting for him to take notice. Sharing a look, George leaned over, nudging his twin with his shoulder.
“You still with us Fred?”
The twin in question startled, looking up quickly.
“Hmmm? Oh.” He nodded. “Yeah… Just a bit tired.”
Neither of the boys bought that lame excuse. They shared another look, real concern etched on their faces.
Fred looked back down at his cup of juice, setting it down as he reached for something on his plate. His face was the pinnacle of confusion as he chewed. He quickly tried something else but his expression remained.
He could taste the food.
The grown man knew for a fact neither he nor George had figured out how to incorporate tastes properly into the walking daydream. They were years away from a proper solution, which was being generous. They planned on working on it more fervently after the war, but that begged the question.
Why could he taste the food?