Seeing Fred

Ottery St. Catchpole

She looked down at her hand, her index finger tracing her own scar. "Carrot top."

Before George could ask what she had whispered, Fred and Leah's eyes closed as the memory of that summer's day in 1986 came flooding back.

When Leah's eyes opened again, she grinned. "Need glasses, carrot top?"

"Oh Godric!" George called out; his eyes went wide. "You were the girl?"

"Yeah, guess so."

"But you said you never been to Ottery St. Catchpole before."

"My Nan and my parents always called it Otter's River."

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you." Fred whispered as he was still crouched down in front of her.

"Fred, it's been almost thirteen years. I wouldn't have expected you to."

"We need to send Minnie a message, so she can narrow down her research. Because we first thought you never met but now..." George stood up from the bench. "I'll go hide behind the trees and see if I can send her a Patronus." Not waiting for an answer, he hurried down to the tree line.

"Did you come here often? Because besides that day, I never saw you again." Fred asked sitting down in George's vacant seat.

"Addie and I came here almost every other weekend during the school year when my parents had to work. And during the holidays, it would alternate from us coming here, or my grandmother coming to our place. But Addie and I mostly kept to ourselves."

"I still can't believe it." She whispered. "How did we not put two-and-two together? I mean, come on, Otter's River and Ottery St. Catchpole." She laughed, Fred joining in.

"I can't believe we were so close but never saw each other again."

"Maybe it was for the best, I don't think we would've gotten along." She turned her hand, so she could see the crescent on her palm. "So, we bumped into each other and got cut?"

"Seems so. Did your scar light up?"

"Light up? No, I don't think so." She frowned at her hand. "My Nan cleaned the wound and put a band-aid on it. What happened with yours?"

So, Fred began telling his tale, rather exaggerated and elaborate, just so you know. George was coming back from the tree line when Fred was at the point in the story, the two of them made their way back home, so Leah patted the space on her other side, which George quietly took as she placed her finger on her lips.

"Hm, okay." Leah started, as she took in this new information. "But how did it turn into a gash, a scar? I didn't bump into you that hard."

"You hit me pretty hard." Fred grinned.

"Or maybe you were just a little wimp, carrot top." She teased back.

"Oi!" George shouted behind her.

"What?" She asked, looking over her shoulder.

"You know I'm his twin, right? Identical twin. If you call him a wimp, you're calling me one."

"So?" She grinned at the second twin.

George clutched his heart, in mock hurt and let out a high-pitched scuff. "You'll pay for that, missy." And he lunged for her trying to tickle her sides, but she just sat there, grinning at him. "Why isn't this working?" George grunted.

"I'm not a ticklish person."

"That's no fun." George pouted as he ceased his attempts. George looked over his shoulder to her grandmother's house. "You know... I can get us in."