Serpentine ; Fred Weasley

Forty-four

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

My mum was angry out of her mind. Absolutely furious.

The moment I came knocking at the door and she saw me being outside of Hogwarts, her eyes widened and she had that look in her eyes that told me to run, but instead I walked straight into her bear cave — the house.

"You dropped out of school?" Dad asked. He was being calmer about this entire situation. He was sat opposite of me by the dining table while mum stood up, a hand on the table and her angry eyes focused on me.

"Do you have any idea how much money we've spent just to send you to school?!" Mum yelled. "The school tuition, uniforms, books, other essentials. We bought you a broomstick for your second year and when you started school, we got you a brand new wand instead of one of those hand-me-downs. So much money, Kai and this is how you thank us?!"

I sighed, trying to stay calm.

"I can't believe you, Kai." Mum said in disbelief, shaking her head. "Why can't you be more like your brother? He worked hard during school. He became prefect, quidditch captain and head boy and what do you do? None of those things, plus you drop out only two months before your NEWTs!"

"Mi-Cha." Dad warned mum who brushed her long black hair back as she looked away. "You don't need to yell at her."

"Do not tell me not to yell at my own daughter, Chas!" Mum snapped before she looked at me again. "What is your plan now, Kai? Without your exams you won't get a decent job. How will you afford food? A place to live?"

"I— well, Fred and George are opening a joke shop and they said I can work there until I have enough money to open a book shop."

My mum snorted with laughter.

"A joke shop? Yes, because that'll be successful." She said. "And a bookshop, Kai? I can't see you working your own business. You were supposed to graduate and then get a job at the ministry."

"What, like Carter?" I asked. "I don't want to work at the ministry, mum! They're fucking cowards! They're the reason Umbridge was hired! They're the reason we're getting fucking tortured at Hogwarts!"

Mum frowned at me and my dad sat up straight.

"Torture?" He asked. "What do you mean by that?"

I sighed and showed them my hand from yesterday when Umbridge made the entire of Dumbledore's army write lines.

"She's making people write lines in detention." I said. "Lines with a quill that uses one's own blood and in a few days, it won't even be visible. She makes sure that there's no evidence of her torture. I couldn't stay there, alright, and I don't need my exams so it doesn't matter!"

"Oh it definitely matters!" Mum yelled. "I don't know what you think you're doing Kyung-Hu Isabell Brooks, but you are ruining your future, do you hear me?"

I ran my hands over my face before looking up at my mum.

She used my actual name, meaning she was so angry that I could expect her to strangle me in my sleep.

My name isn't actually Kai. I just use it because it starts with a 'K' and it's easier for people to pronounce when you are outside of Korea.

My grandmother really wanted my parents to have one child at least with a Korean name and since they already had Carter, they decided to name me Kyung-Hu which means "a girl in the capital".

"I'm sorry that I'm such a big disappointment to you." I said. "But just because you can't see my potential, doesn't mean it's not there. I will open that shop and it will become a success because I believe it will."

With a scoff, my mum marched out of the kitchen, leaving me there with dad who sighed and rested his head in his hand.

"Kai..."

"I'm not Carter." I said. "Which I've had to listen to since he and I were kids. I'm not Carter and I never will be."

"Your mother doesn't mean it." Dad said and reached for my hand. "She's stressed. She's hormonal at the moment and she's taking it out on you."

I shrugged.

"Listen. You should've told us what was going on at Hogwarts." Dad said. "And that you wanted to drop out. I'm sure your mother would have supported it if just she knew and had time to process it."

Dad rubbed his thumb over my hand before he stood up.

"One second, darling." He told me, ruffling my hair on his way out of the kitchen.

Only a moment later, he returned with a smile.

"Get up. There's something I want to show you." He said. "Just had to check with mum to make sure she was okay with it."

I frowned but got up and followed dad upstairs and down to his office. He pushed the door open and my jaw dropped when I saw that it had been completely transferred.

The walls were blue with white skies painted all over them, long thin white curtains hung on either side of the window, a very comfy-looking chair stood in the corner with a side table next to it that had a picture frame of what seemed to be an ultrasound.

And then there was a crib by the wall. A white one made out of wood.

"What—"

"We found out shortly after Christmas." Dad told me. "Turns out mum was already pretty far along but we didn't know it was possible with us being in our forties."

I looked at dad.

"You mean..."

"We're having baby." He nodded at me. "He's due in two months."

"You—"

Wait a damn minute.

My eyes widened and I looked into the room again, taking in every detail before I let out a laugh.

"We wanted to tell you and your siblings in person." Dad said. "Carter knows and we'll tell Maya during the Easter holidays."

"I'll have a baby brother?" I asked, dad smiling as he nodded.

"Yeah. I know this doesn't excuse the way your mother spoke to you, but she's pregnant. Her body is full of all these crazy hormones. She was much worse though when she was pregnant with you and Maya. The first pregnancy was rather easy when I think about it."

I didn't really know what to say. I had not expected this to be the news I'd get by coming home two months early.

I'd have a baby brother soon — in just two months.

"This is—" I chuckled. "...Maya will be pissed."

Dad laughed.

"I'm sure she will." He smiled, walking into the room before he turned to look at me. "That bookshop you talked about. How much money do you need to make it work?"

"Oh... uh, I don't know, really." I said honestly. "I haven't really looked into it yet." Though Fred and George is making their shop work with a thousand galleons."

"Okay." Dad nodded. "I'll invest in you and your future."

My eyes widened.

"What? No... dad, you can't afford that."

"Can't I?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "I have some savings in Gringotts, darling. I wouldn't be offering it to you if I couldn't afford it."

I stared at my dad for a moment before I hurried forward and hugged him.

"Thank you so much!"