Fifteen Years

Part Six

Angelina had kicked him out. He was left tossing and turning on the couch, his legs tucked up so that he could fit his whole body on. He’d been left with one pathetic pillow and one battered old blanket -both of which smelled like they were centuries old.

The moment he had stumbled through the front door, she had started to yell. He noticed Freddie and Roxanne peeping down at them from the top of the stairs, worried expressions on their little faces. He had motioned for them run up the stairs. They had turned to each other with frightened faces, and Freddie had taken hold of Roxanne’s hand and led her back up to their shared bedroom.

Angelina wanted to know where he had been. Why did he look so dirty? Why was his face flushed? Who had he been with? Did he know she had been waiting up, worried? Was he ok? Why was he clutching his side?

George opened his mouth to respond, but her tsunami of boiling words was not yet over.

Had he not realised that Freddie wanted to look through all of his new school-gear? Couldn’t he see that Roxanne needed to spend more time with her Daddy?

He told her he did know, he had realised. He was sorry. But he’d been caught up…

Who had he been caught up with?

He hadn’t been able to give a proper answer then. And that was why he had been abandoned on the couch. Moored on a lonely little island in the centre of the living room.

He sighed and switched on the lamp. His brain was buzzing as he pulled An In-Depth Study of the Works of Beedle the Bard from beneath his pillow. He cast a secretive look around the room and opened the book to the contents page. He placed a finger on the tender pages and traced downwards. There. Chapter forty-seven; The Tale of Three Brothers. His heart began to pound as he flipped through the book, and -

“Dad?”

He jerked back violently and the book slipped from his grasp. It landed on his big toe and his jaw dropped open in surprise. “Blimey Freddie! What are you doing still up?”

“What are you doing on this couch?”

George laughed solemnly. “Mummy and I just had a little argument, so we’re just… cooling off. Don’t worry though, everything is fine.” Actually, I’ve never heard her so angry before. She doesn’t trust me. But I can’t tell her the truth… she’ll think I’ve gone crazy.

Freddie eyed him up suspiciously. “Why are you reading that book? It’s huge. You’ll never finish it,” he bent down and scooped it up, examining the title.

“It’s to help me calm down, it’s so old and boring it will put me straight to sleep,” George took the book gently from Freddie’s hands. “Go back to bed Freddie, it’s much too late for you, especially with school starting soon.”

Freddie crossed his arms.

“Don’t you want to be wide awake for your first day?” George dug into his pocket and pulled out a container -barely larger than a matchbox. “Otherwise you won’t be able to use this properly…”

Freddie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the portable swamp. “You got me one!” He reached our for it, but George tucked it away quickly.

“Only if you go and get a good night’s sleep. We wouldn’t want you to accidentally drown the whole school, would we?”

Freddie laughed, and looked away, holding on to his left arm.“Only, I’m scared, Dad.”

George frowned and tilted his head to the side.