author's note: moonbeams and nice songs to all those who read my story. try not to get too much second-hand embarrassment from this one...
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
June 15, 1994
Elodie couldn't fall asleep. The moonlight shone in through the window, bright and strong. She felt like an ant put under a magnifying glass.
Lupin hadn't been lying when he said her senses would heighten. Elodie could smell each of her roommates and their different scents; hear and differentiate their breaths.
Even worse, George was snoring noisily in the boys dormitories. And someone else was breathing, very heavily.
Elodie tossed and turned, oscillating from anger, sadness, happiness, irritation-everything, really. Her emotions were a mess.
And bloody hell, did that person have to be breathing so loudly in the next room?!
Elodie stared up at the moon. It's former beauty had been disfigured by it's power over her, and now she felt like it was an enemy; something to be feared. She wondered how Lupin was. She wondered if he was felt the same.
Fucking christ, Elodie wanted to punch whoever was panting in the boy's dorms. His breaths had almost turned into gasps, for Agrippa's sake.
It might've been the moon that made her do it. But she couldn't sleep anyway, and the respiration was driving her mad.
Elodie got up, rubbing her eyes fiercely. She got on her slippers, intending on putting a silencing charm on the boy's dormitories. She crept down her stairs and up theirs, feeling more and more exhasperated as she came closer to the breathing.
Elodie had been about to cast the spell and walk away, when she heard her name. It was quiet, barely a whisper. "Elodie..."
Maybe someone had heard her walk up and fancied a chat. Then Elodie opened the door, and saw Fred's bed shaking slightly. He was sitting upright with his eyes rolled back in his head, and she quickly put the pieces together.
Elodie let out an embarrassed giggle and shut the door louder than she had meant to.
She ran downstairs, hands clasped over her mouth. Oh, Merlin. She was never, ever going to let Fred live this down.
"I'm going to kill you, you little minx!" Fred whisper-shouted, following her down the hallway. His trousers were only halfway buttoned, and Elodie tried very, very hard not to stare.
Elodie buried her face in a pillow, shoulders shaking with laughter. Her emotions were now a jumbled mix of amusement, embarrassment, and... being a little bit turned on.
Fred tackled her, making her laugh even harder. "You are dead. Why were you even in my room?!" He asked.
Elodie was completely in awe of Fred's lack of embarrassment at the whole situation. Why, if he had caught her...
"You were breathing too loud!" Elodie shrieked. "I came to tell you to shut up!"
"Why can you hear me breathe in the first place?!"
"Wolf things." Elodie answered smugly.
"Bastard." Fred sighed.
"Horny prick." Elodie replied.
"Shove off. It's all your fault."
"How is it my fault?" Elodie said incredulously. She couldn't think of anything in the world that was less her fault.
"You looked fit today."
"I looked like I always do."
"Which is fit."
Oh god, wait. Elodie's eyes widened. "Hold on, how many times have you-about me?!"
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, Florence." Fred shook his long hair, grinning slyly.
Elodie buried her head in the pillow again, cheeks flaming red. "Merlin, Weasley."
"Oh, please, you're the animal of us both, Ms. Wolfish tendencies. What we have is chemical." Fred shrugged.
"We?! Leave me out of your whole... situation!" Elodie shoved him with her pillow.
Fred scrunched up his face at her. It was sort of adorable. What came out of his mouth was less adorable.
"You want me." He said, raising his eyebrows at her seductively.
"I do not." Elodie said. She was a terrible liar. This was why she wasn't in Slytherin.
"Whatever you say." Fred held his hands up in surrender. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going back upstairs, and we are never speaking of this again."
"Use muffliato this time, please!" Elodie called after him.
She went back up to her dorm, her body refusing to sleep. She had the beginnings of a headache, and Elodie glared up at the moon angrily.
And dear Merlin, Fred had forgotten the spell again. No-he was doing this on purpose. To taunt her.
Now, his breaths had a different place in her mind. And god, this was torture. Elodie could picture his chest rising and falling unsteadily, she could see the way his eyes rolled back in his head.
"Fuck..."
Elodie clamped her hands over her ears. Otherwise, they might've gone other places, and that would have been humiliating.
Or perhaps, reliving.
Come on, love, you know you want to... A sick voice said in her head.
No, don't. I thought you loved me? Forrest's voice echoed.
It's not a crime to want them both.
I thought you were loyal to me.
It's like Freddie said. Its natural... chemical...
It's not natural. You're a freak. You've always been a freak.
The real Forrest wasn't this mean. Elodie rolled over, forcing the voices to be quiet. Fred's moans echoed in her ears, causing her heart to beat rapidly.
Elodie stood up again, wishing more than anything to either punch Fred or push him against a wall.
"I'm going to kill him." She muttered.
Elodie was prepared this time, and walked into the boy's dormitories with her hand shielding her eyes.
"Shut the hell up, Weasley!" She whispered, thinking about waking up George to see if he could get Fred to be quiet.
"Make me." He panted.
Elodie almost did. Her impulse control was going haywire, but Forrest's voice rang out in her head once more.
Don't do this, doll. Shut the door and leave.
Don't call me doll, Elodie wanted to growl. She dropped her hands to her sides, and looked Fred squarely in the eye. He wanted her. She wanted him.
Elodie shut the door and left.
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
It was a Monday, but Elodie skivved off breakfast and first period, mostly for extra sleep, but also to avoid Fred. She wasn't quite sure she would be able to look at him without bursting into nervous giggles.
Years previous, Maura would've woken her up and lectured her on it being absolutely essential to attend classes. Now, Maura wasn't even in the room when Elodie awoke. She had been gone all night.
It was George who came and found her. But instead of shaking her shoulder gently, like Maura would've, he set off fireworks in her bed.
Elodie shrieked, the tiny sparks tickling her skin. "Agh! Fuck you, Georgie."
"Good morning to you too, Els. I noticed my brother also slept in this morning. Have you got anything to do with that?" George raised an eyebrow.
"No," Elodie said firmly.
"Right." George snorted. "Anyways, Snape's mad at you lot for skipping, told me to tell you that you both have detention tonight at 7."
Elodie sat up, groaning. "It's not my fault I was tired! It was the full moon last night, and Fred was-"
"Fred was..." George gestured eagerly for her to finish her sentence.
"...Breathing too loud."
George burst out laughing. "Breathing too loud?"
Elodie gave him a pained look. George definitely knew. He sat on the edge of her bed, still laughing to himself.
"He's such a knob, bloody hell." George snickered.
"I, like... made eye contact with him, and everything." Said Elodie, disgusted with herself.
At this point George was practically crying from mirth. "Jesus fuck, I'm never going to let either of you forget this."
Elodie knocked her head against the bed post. "I hate both of you."
They walked to charms together, George still cackling about the events of last night. "It's embarrassing to be related to him, honestly. He really said 'Make me'?!"
"Make me." Elodie confirmed.
"I'm impressed at you, Els. Thought you might've given in by now."
"Absolutely not." Elodie shook her head. "That would count as losing, and you know I never lose."
"Both of you are mental. Think of all that pent-up sexual energy..." George shuddered. Elodie punched his arm.
"I have nothing pent up." She declared.
"So you and Forrest have... y'know?" George raised an eyebrow.
Elodie glared at him, blushing. "Not yet, no."
"Christ, Florence. You have two attractive men who want to shag you, and you're still holding out?!" George looked like he was struggling between being impressed or amused.
"Eurgh, Georgie, don't call Fred attractive." Elodie gagged.
"Well I'm the sexiest person to walk the earth, I suppose that makes Fred attractive by association, doesn't it?" George reasoned.
"Mm. True." Elodie grinned. "I think I know someone else who thinks you're attractive..."
"Who?" George asked.
Elodie motioned her head to where Lee was sitting with his feet up on the desk, chewing a quill between his teeth.
"Els." George said seriously. "I thought we were dropping this."
"No thank you."
"You don't get to no thank you me!"
Elodie looked at him innocently. "No, but I do get to choose my partner for the day, and it's sure not you. And it's sure not Lee."
"Katie, partners?" She tapped the blonde girl on the shoulder, who nodded and grinned at her.
"Damn you." George muttered under his breath. They were the only four Gryffindors in that period, and Elodie knew George wasn't going to pair up with a Slytherin.
"Jordan, you're with me today." George said, taking a seat next to Lee.
Elodie grinned at them from across the room. Lee had switched to using his quill to draw on George's hand, dreadlocks falling in his eyes as he focused. George looked like he was about to spontaneously combust.
Elodie hid her head in her arms to keep from giggling. "What are you on about?" Katie laughed.
"Oh, nothing." Elodie replied.
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
Later that day
"You'll be working around the castle, cleaning out broom cupboards." Snape informed them, when Elodie and Fred reported for their detention at seven.
Elodie glared at her father. She still hadn't forgiven him for exposing Lupin-she probably never would.
"Cosy." Fred smirked, when they got to the first closet. His head almost brushed the ceiling.
Elodie flicked his arm. She crouched down to sort through the boxes of cleaning supplies, brushing her hair back into a ponytail.
"Going to the World Cup?" Fred asked conversationally. He was stooped down right beside her, so Elodie could feel his breath down her back.
"Yes, Forrest's family got us tickets." Elodie nodded.
Fred scowled. "You're going with that toff? He'll have graduated by then!"
"People don't break up just because one of them graduates, Freddie." Elodie chided, sorting the doxycide bottles from the flesh-eating slug repellent.
Fred reached down to grab one of the bottles. His hair brushed her neck, and Elodie shivered.
"Why do they, then?"
Elodie swallowed. She could hear his heartbeat. "I don't know what you mean."
"Why do they break up? These people you speak of."
She chanced a look into his eyes. "Maybe because they don't love each other."
"You love him?"
"I don't know."
"You should figure that out."
Their faces were inches apart now. Elodie was aware of every freckle on his nose, every fleck of honey in his eyes. She could feel the way he exhaled out of his perfect, perfect lips.
"I should," Elodie agreed quietly.
Fred ran his tongue across the inside of his lip. Elodie could feel herself melt.
"Let me know when you do." He pulled away, going back to sorting the bottles. Elodie felt a tension she had been holding release, and she shook her head, hating herself.
This wasn't fair to Forrest. That was always what she thought, when she found herself drawn to Fred. He had been loyal to her; she needed to do the same. For the sake of summer, too. She didn't want to ruin the Quidditch Cup for him.
They sorted in silence for a few moments, but Fred broke it impatiently. "Do you think we'd get more detentions if we just left to go play quidditch?"
"Yep." Elodie said flatly.
"Do you want to do that anyway?"
"Yep."