[✎]Willow Black - Accomplice (Fred Weasley)

[15]

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<The Great Hall, Hogsmeade Weekend>

"Hey Willow, coming to Hogsmeade?" Fred asked as the trio sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast, "sure" she replied and took another bite into her slice of toast. "Awesome we'll meet you in the common room at nine," George said as they got up to leave, Willow wolfed down her toast and went to get ready for their trip to Hogsmeade.

"Bag, check, wand, check" she mumbled to herself as she listed off the things she needed. "Scarf, nope," Willow said and grabbed her scarf from the chair beside her bed. It was getting quite chilly out, it was snowing after all. Willow looked at the clock. 8:55. Perfect, she thought and descended the stairs into the Common Room. "Oh hey Willow, Fred and George wanted me to tell you that they forgot to do something and that they would meet you at the Three Broomsticks at 10:30," Alicia said grabbing her arm as she passed by, "oh thank you!" Willow replied before continuing through the portrait hole.

-

Willow walked along the hallway, her mind in a completely different universe to her current one, that was until she was rudely brought back to reality by a sound. She paused and listened, there was a muffled noise of distress coming from a nearby classroom. Curious, Willow approached the room and pushed the door open, the noise stopped almost immediately. "Hello?" she said peering into the classroom, "Draco?". "Go away, you never saw this" he spat, he was in a corner of the room, his hands on a desk as he hunched over it and took a deep breath "do you really think your second cousin is just gonna ignore the fact that you're upset?" Willow asked putting her hands on her hips. "Go away, you wouldn't understand," he said turning to glare at her, Willow's gaze softened as she saw that he had been crying. She walked towards the desk he was leaning on, "then help me understand" she said softly placing a hand on his shoulder.

Draco sighed, "I'm tired. I have so much to live up to all the time, there are times when I don't want to be bitch and I don't want everyone to hate me but I've put myself in a box and with my father constantly on my back, there's nothing I can do to escape it" he blurted out. "Does that feel better?" Willow asked, he nodded looking away, "you can't tell anyone," Draco said in a warning tone. "I won't" Willow responded, Draco got up to leave "thanks" he muttered. Willow held out her arms knowing exactly what he needed, he looked at her, waiting a moment before he let himself be embraced by his cousin. "You know Willow, you're like the sister I never had" he mumbled into her shoulder. "Aww thanks, Count" Willow said a giddy grin on her face, this reminded her so much of when they were younger. A much simpler time when they would play together in the neverending hallways of the Manor or the luscious and well-groomed gardens. "Do not start that again" Draco warned as he pulled away and shook his head, "awww, why not Count Draco-ular" Willow continued, smiling stupidly, "you're so weird" he sighed and walked out, "you're welcome" she yelled after him before leaving behind him and making her way to Hogsmeade.

-

"There you are," Willow said impatiently as the twins finally arrived, ten minutes late, "oops sorry," Fred said and shrugged, "what were you up to?" she asked, "secret," George said. "Come on! We don't keep secrets!" Willow replied taking a swig of her butterbeer, the twins simply shrugged, not giving in and not giving anything away. "Next stop, Zonko's" George announced once they had finished their butterbeer. "Good I need to stock up on my Filibuster Fireworks," Willow said and got up to head out the door, "and we need to stock up on everything," the twins said together, following Willow out of the pub.

-

The shop was crowded with students from Hogwarts, "meet me outside when you've got what you need" Willow suggested and the twins nodded before heading off amongst the crowd. Willow located the fireworks and started to weave her way through the crowd to the cash register. "Thank you," she said as she received her change and made her way outside. Willow spotted a park bench and sat down on it while she waited for the twins.

A big, shaggy black dog came up to her as she sat there and planted itself at her feet, looking up at her. Willow wasn't a big dog person, opting for cats usually but she adored dogs, especially if they looked as kind and friendly as this one. "Hello there," she said and bent down to stroke it, Willow gazed at the dogs face, trying to gauge a reaction or emotion from the dog. Suddenly she paused, the dog looking curiously up at her as she took her hand away from its head. "Hang on," she told the dog and reached inside her coat pocket. She pulled out a photo of herself with her dad and mum from when she was barely two. Willow looked back and forth between the photo and the dog, her eyebrows furrowing in amazement. "Your eyes look the same as my fathers," she told the dog before putting away the photo.

She reached down to scratch under its chin "I don't know if dogs like this but cats do" she said and scratched, it leaned its head upward, "I suppose you like it, "you remind me of him, but I can't quite work out why" Willow said thinking out loud. "But Gosh if dad was here now... the dementors would get him for sure and well let's just that's not what I want," Willow told the dog, shaking her head. "Do you have a name, I wonder?" Wilow said to the dog, it just looked up at her with its big eyes. "No? Well then I'll name you after a name I saw on the Mauraders map, Padfoot" she said and the dog's ears pricked up as it stared at her. "Oh! You like that name?" Willow cooed to the dog, in response the dog rested its chin on her knee. "I like you," Willow said to the newly proclaimed Padfoot.

The bell of Zonko's door opening rang and Willow heard the mischievous voices of the Weasley twins before she could see them, "Willow why are you talking to a dog?" Fred asked. "I was bored and it seems to understand me" she explained, "you're mad," George said and laughed, "but you love me," she retorted reciting the line she had said so many times before. "Anyway time to go," George said, "oh okay then, bye Padfoot," Willow said as she gave the dog one last pat and stood up, walking over to the twins. "You named it after a Marauder?" Fred said grinning, "it seemed fitting," Willow replied grinning, "idiot," George said and off they went, Willow glanced back at the dog but it was gone.

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