Wizarding World One-Shots!

I'll Be Your Friend (Fred Weasley x fem!Hufflepuff reader*)

(*Can be read as either platonic or slightly romantic)

Fred Weasley was well liked by most people at Hogwarts. He was charming and funny, a rule-breaker with a heart of gold. He even acted like an older brother to many of the younger students. Fred was the kind of guy nearly everyone was friends with. There were few exceptions, but that was because Fred couldn't stand bullies. Ironically though, he'd have to thank a bully for meeting his newest friend.

A ruckus caught Fred's attention as he walked toward Snape's currently empty classroom. With furrowed brows, Fred followed the noise. "Please leave me alone," you were saying when Fred rounded the corner. "Why would I do that? You need to learn your place. You don't belong at Hogwarts. A Mudblood. A Hufflepuff to boot." Your back was against the wall as Pansy raised her wand. Fred had had enough.

"Oi! Piss off!" The Slytherins all jumped at the sound of his voice. Fred knew his face was red with fury. The younger Slytherins who had simply followed Pansy all took off. Pansy stared for moment before looking back at you. Her gaze darted between you and Fred for a minute before finally lowering her wand. "The Mudblood isn't worth my time anyway. And neither are you, blood traitor." Fred rolled his eyes as Pansy left.

A sniffle made Fred look at you. "Alright there?" You started to nod, but as the tears began to roll down your face, you shook your head instead. "T-Thank you," you stuttered out, making Fred smile a little. He shrugged. "Nothing to thank me for. What does she have against you anyway?"

"You heard her. I don't belong here. I'm a 'Mudblood'." Your voice was barely above a whisper and you refused to meet his eyes. Fred reached over and gently cupped your chin in his fingers. "Hey, don't talk about yourself like that. You are worth ten Pansy Parkinsons." You looked at him for a moment, but didn't say anything. Fred let go of your chin and smiled a bit.

"You don't even know me. How can you say that?" Another shrug. "Because I've seen you around. You're quiet and shy. You don't talk much and you're brilliant. And believe me, I'd rather associate myself with someone like you, Muggle born or not, than a pureblood like Parkinson or Malfoy." You sniffled again. "Thanks, uh...sorry. I just realized I'm not sure which twin I'm talking to," you said sheepishly, making Fred laugh.

"That's alright. Even our mum can't tell us apart sometimes. I'm Fred." You greeted him before offering your own name. "Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. Now, I know something that will cheer you up and you won't have to talk to anyone except me and my brother. Interested?" Fred could tell you were curious, even as you opened and closed your mouth repeatedly. "W-Would we get in trouble?" Fred pretended to think for a minute. "Possibly, but I doubt it. George and I never get caught unless we want to be. And you'll be able to humiliate Parkinson." Hufflepuffs were kind, everyone knew that, but they also weren't going to continuously let someone walk all over them when pushed to the limit. "Alright."

You let Fred help you up, but he didn't let go of your hand as he gently pulled you after him. He tried to ignore the pleasant feeling that he got holding your hand. Now was the time for pranks. Fred lead you to where his brother was waiting. "Hello, Freddie. And where did you find this lovely lady?" George asked with a charming grin.

"This is Y/F/N. She ran into some trouble with Parkinson. I thought she could help us with our little excursion today, though I think we should change our target." George's smile grew. "Saving the damsel in distress and letting her help with a prank? You're a genius, Freddie." You glared lightly at George.

"I was not a damsel in distress. I'm just," you stopped with a soft sigh, "I'm just too shy to stand up to people like Parkinson. And even if I were a damsel in distress, I'm glad Fred was the knight in shining armor." Fred couldn't help the pride that welled up in his chest. Even George had to laugh. "Alright then. Not a damsel at all. Well, come on. We'll need something different for Miss Parkinson." Fred took your hand again and you followed after George.

"You know I can follow without you holding my hand, right?" Fred moved to let go, but your grip tightened. "It doesn't mean I want to," you whispered. Fred gave your hand a squeeze. "What do you think, Freddie?" George asked when you all stopped outside the Gryffindor common room. Fred pondered for a moment. "I think we should let Y/N decide. It's her revenge after all." Your brows came together in worry and confusion.

"I don't want to hurt, Parkinson. Not really. Just...humiliate her a bit." Fred and George nodded in unison before sharing a look. "Then we've got Puking Pastilles, Canary Creams, or Ton-Tongue Toffees. The last took us ages to get right." Again, you looked confused as you asked what each item they were talking about did. You'd never heard of them, and for good reason. "These, love, are our own personal creations. We plan to open up a joke shop and sell our wares." You smiled a little.

"How will we get them to Parkinson?" Again, the twins shrugged. "Leave that to us. You just sit back and enjoy your well-earned revenge," Fred told you with a smile. You looked down at the ground, a little embarrassed, and Fred had to fight to keep from saying how adorable you looked out loud. It was already obvious to him that even though you had a compassionate heart, you also had a fiery temper. "You promise she won't be hurt?" Fred nodded and squeezed your hand, that he had yet to let go of, again. "Alright. Then I think we should use-"

The next morning, you were sitting at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. Fred met your gaze from his own place at the Gryffindor table and winked. You rolled your eyes, but your lips turned up into a smile. The smile grew a bit when George reappeared at his twin's elbow. "Done already, George?" George arched a brow. "'Course. Should I come back later? I'd hate to interrupt the goo-goo eyes going on between you and Y/N."

"Shut it. Y/N is my...our new friend." George hummed. "And how many of 'our' new friends have you ever let help with a prank before?" Fred didn't dignify that with a response. He simply took a sip of his drink and let his eyes finally leave you and travel to the Slytherin table. Pansy had just sat down and just in time for the mail.

The sound of wings filled the air as owls swooped in, dropping assorted letters and packages on the tables. In the chaos, no one paid attention to the fact that your and the Weasley twins' eyes were glued to Pansy. Her expression turned into one of confusion as she picked up the package an owl had dropped for her. She turned it over, examining it. After a moment, she clearly decided there was nothing to be suspicious of and she opened the package.

If there was one thing few people knew, it was that Pansy loved her sweets. You had only discovered it when you noticed her sneaking bits of toffee into her mouth in the library one afternoon. So it came as no surprise to you when Pansy immediately shoved not one, but two pieces of the toffee in her mouth. It took less than three seconds for her to let out a muffled scream as her tongue began to swell.

Heads turned toward the source of the noise cutting through the din. Pansy shot out of her seat, her face turning red from embarrassment. She darted from the Great Hall and a few other Slytherins followed after her. Fred met your eyes again and you smiled before mouthing, "Thank you," to him. He gave you another charming wink, making you roll your eyes once more. He had a feeling you were going to be the twins' best friend for a good long while.