Ember to Ember DVD Extra for November 23, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Go and have some green beer!
And happy Day Before hp10k_showcase Starts Posting, too! I'm totally stoked about this, even though my own contribution, due frighteningly soon, resembles a brain fart more than an actual, you know, postable fic. ::sigh:: In part because I decided to make it H/R, but H/D keeps taunting me and reminding me that it's been a long time since I wrote it, and I really really miss doing so.
However, speaking of postable fics, here's one of the last Ember to Ember DVD Extras. This one sat like a quivering pile of jelly for many moons, until I got into a Fredless George kick and Fred eventually politely asked to be written not-dead for once. Not sure he'd appreciate the treatment he gets in this ficbit, but still. Undead Not-Dead Fred. This DVD Extra is for Lisa3353, who said, "I would love to read the scene between Fred and Anne (you have me on a Fred kick now) when he confronts her about sending Draco's picture to the paper." It takes place post- November, immediately after the incident where Harry confronts Fred about the same picture, believing Fred took it.
Thank you so much, maya231, for great beta, a long, long time ago ;)
November 23, 2008
Fred emerged from the Floo to the sound of children shouting and Anne's voice raised, and he blew out his breath in irritation. Right. He had just sent Michelle home for turning one of Wheezes' Silly Spiders into a gigantic hulking blood-drenched teddy bear, scaring the pants off her little brother. It seemed like a long time ago.
"What is the matter with you?" Anne was yelling, and Michelle's answer couldn't be heard. "You will apologize now!" Anne shouted.
"He's a stupid little shit!" Michelle shouted back, and Fred could feel his blood pressure rising, anger at both of them threatening to boil over fairly spectacularly. He put his wand down on the counter, not particularly wanting to destroy anything if his magic went a little wild. Acting like an adult might not be one of his top priorities most days, but he preferred to show a little more control over his temper and magic than a petulant teenager.
Pity Harry was still unable to do the same. Well, that was Harry. Wallowing in immaturity. Didn't mean Fred had to do the same. He absently rubbed his jaw where Harry had just punched him.
Tea. Tea might be a good idea, a good way to rein in his almost overwhelming desire to go upstairs right now, send the kids away, and have it out with Anne over the picture in The Prophet. He was far too angry to think clearly, and didn't particularly want to deliberately pick a fight; his fights with Anne sometimes left all four of them scared for days.
He started to search for tea. Nothing. Bugger. Now he remembered; Michelle had Transfigured it all into tiny yodeling frogs. Anne had not been amused.
Robbie wandered into the kitchen, still red-eyed and sniffling from the fright he'd suffered, and Fred made himself give his son a comforting smile. "Come here, Robbie," he said, and sat down, taking his son onto his lap. Robbie hugged him close, and Fred smiled and tickled him, making him giggle and drowning out the sound of Anne and Michelle still fighting - and settling his own turbulent emotions as well.
Different as night and day, his kids. Michelle reminded him a lot of himself and George; weird to see all of that energy and mischief in one body. And Robbie was so sweet and devoid of any hint of toughness or hostility - a bit like Alec, actually - that Fred sometimes feared for him. It was a good thing he and Michelle were far enough apart in age that they seldom played together. Which was also weird. It was like they were raising two only children. Having grown up smack in the middle of a litter of kids, it was disorienting.
Robbie's giggling died down fairly quickly. He was evidently still worn out from crying over the prank Michelle had played on him, and it was far past his naptime. Fred smiled down at him as he fell asleep in Fred's arms.
He was a lot like Alec, actually. Gentle, and sweet, and needing so much more protection than Fred could possibly give him. Although at least all Robbie had to be protected from so far was his older sister, and occasionally his parent's fights. Not bloody Death Eaters.
Dismissing that thought, he got up and carried Robbie to his bed.
He came back into the kitchen and there was Anne, sitting at the kitchen table with her hand covering her eyes. The fragile peace Fred had found in Robbie's sleepy weight on his lap disappeared.
"Oh thank God. I've got a headache," said Anne, Fred's normal cue to bring her her headache potion. He tossed The Prophet onto the table instead.
"What's this?" asked Anne, taking the paper. Her eyebrows shot up. "Good Lord. That's Harry," she said, looking closer. "Bloody hell. When did this come out?"
"This morning," said Fred evenly.
"Has Harry seen it?"
"Yeah. He showed it to me. Thought I'd taken it."
Anne blinked. "Good Lord. That's... a little paranoid," she said, amused.
"Is it?"
She blinked again. "Did you?" She peered at him a little closer, frowning, then lifted a hand to his face. "What happened to your--"
"You bloody well know I didn't take it," Fred said evenly, moving his head back and ignoring her half-spoken question.
"What?"
"Anne."
She narrowed her eyes. "You think I did this?" she asked incredulously, looking back at the picture of Harry and Draco embracing on the cover of the Prophet. "How dare you--"
"He was wearing a NewFace amulet," Fred interrupted.
"The Aurors have the countercharm for that, Fred," Anne said scornfully. "You gave it to them yourself."
"Not the ones for the new line."
Anne blinked. "What?"
"He was wearing the amulets we haven't put on the market yet. And all our counter-charms in the lab are for the new versions. Not for the ones Aurors already have."
Anne's mouth dropped open.
"You bitch," said Fred softly. "You were going to lie to me."
Anne's eyes flashed with anger, and she raised in chin defiantly. "Oh don't act so surprised," she sneered. "Would you have told me the truth? If you'd done it?"
"Why?" Fred asked, striving to keep his cool.
Anne glared at him. "Ginny was the first person in your entire family other than George who was actually decent to me," she said grimly. "And I am not going to let her son be brought up around the kind of filth I had to grow up with."
Fred pressed his lips together. "Look, I know it was rough for you but--"
"You have no fucking clue," she interrupted with a bitter laugh. "You were surrounded by people who were all working on the side of the precious Light, and you have no idea what it's like, being around that kind of poison. I won't allow it, not for Ginny's son!"
"It's not up to you - or me! I don't want him brought up around Malfoy either but-"
"I have had just about enough of you and your little clan's insufferable nobility," Anne said through gritted teeth. "Oh, we all care so much about Alec! We all want what's best for Alec--"
"We do!"
"And poor, dear Harry, he's one of the family - well he's shown exactly how much he thinks of the all-important family, hasn't he?"
"Anne--"
"And don't you dare argue with me! You hypocrite, you know I'm right!"
Fred pressed his lips together. Yes, he knew. He knew very well.
"You know I'm right and you're completely incapable of doing anything about it!" Anne said angrily.
"This wasn't the right thing to do!"
"And what are you doing? What have any of you done? Your own brother's had Malfoy in his home, with his own kids. Had Malfoy's son playing with his own boys. D'you want that?"
"That kid is not to blame for--"
"That kid! Is that kid more important to you than Alec? Than Ginny? Do you even remember what you swore to him the day he was born?"
Fred's jaw clenched as he glared at Anne, trying to push away the nightmare memories of that night. The shock of realizing their sister was dying; the desperation with which Hermione and the Healers tried to save her; the first sight of Alec paling before the ache of knowing that Ginny was really gone. The way it felt like there wasn't enough air in the room, wasn't any way to come to terms with the fact that Ginny would never see the tiny baby nursing at Fleur's breast.
"You fucking hypocrite," said Anne, her voice low. "You and George both, you say you loved her, you promised to be there for her son, and now you're betraying her memory. You might as well piss on her grave. She was a fighter, she hated Malfoy and all he stood for! She can't defend her son, so it's up to you! To us!"
"Anne, for fuck's sake, it's not that simple!"
"It is very simple. The only problem is, you don't want to get your hands dirty, and you want to make nice. I take it our precious Widdle Hawwy got upset?"
"Fucking furious is more like it. Can't say I blame him - you know how he feels about publicity--"
"And he gave you that, didn't he?" Anne said, gesturing at Fred's jaw and laughing derisively. "Well let him try that shit on me!"
Fred shook his head angrily even as he admired her fire and spirit. Anne was beautiful when she got like this; like fireworks, but far more dangerous and unpredictable. Not for the first time, he briefly wondered what life would've been like if he'd chosen a wife like George's, someone who could be counted on to bring serenity and reason into difficult situations, instead of Anne, who continually forced him into the role of rational peacemaker. Not exactly his forte.
"In fact, let him try right now!" Anne headed for the Floo. "I'll tell him--"
"You are not going to tell him anything!" Fred said, grabbing Anne's arm.
"Fuck you!!" Anne spat, wrenching herself away, and started for the Floo again.
"Don't you dare, you bitch!" She stopped short and gaped at him. "You are not going to tell anybody. George knows, and Demelza will soon, but nobody else will know that it was you and not me. Nobody."
"I don't need your noble Gryffindor chivalry--"
"Fuck chivalry!" Fred snapped. "I won't put up with my mother shunning you; I'm not putting the kids through that."
"Your dear sainted mother can go fuck herself! Self-righteous old cow! If she's going to hold it against me that I'm trying to protect her grandson when the rest of you won't raise a finger, she can--"
"Mum?" Michelle's voice was frightened as she spoke from outside the kitchen door.
"Don't, we're not doing this," Fred said, anger and fear warring for dominance now.
Anne tossed her head back. "You bloody coward. Not doing what? Not going to face a few hard truths? Not going to--"
"Not going to leave our kids crying again!" Fred snapped.
"Dad, what--"
"Michelle, go to your room!"
"Protecting the kiddies, are you?" Anne sneered. "You'll protect ours from hearing their parents disagree, but it's all right to leave Ginny's son alone and not protect him from a Death Eater? From being taught all sorts of--"
"Mum--"
"Shut up, Michelle!" they both shouted, and Anne went on grimly, "Your Dad's being a bit of a prick right now--"
Fred quickly grabbed his wand and flicked it, taking Anne's wand away, casting a Mufliato spell on them and a Cheering Charm at Michelle, then Banishing both wands to a locked cupboard.
Anne spluttered, livid fury making her colour rise even higher. "You have no right!" she shrieked at him. "No bloody right!"
"D'you want her to have nightmares again? Do you remember the last time we had a fight?!"
Briefly he saw uncertainty on Anne's face, but she was too far gone to stop now, and Fred braced himself for the onslaught, thanking Merlin he'd thought to send their wands out of the room as Anne tore into him and dredged up every single fucking problem they'd ever had in their entire marriage and he had no idea if it was a Slytherin thing or a woman thing, but it was bloody unbelievable how she could remember and throw into his face everything, everything he'd ever done wrong. Not just his failure to protect Alec, but his long hours at the shop, his overwhelming, loud, self-righteous family, his refusal to take on defence magic contracts that would make more money for the shop, insisting instead on concentrating mainly on the joke stuff he and George loved, and while she was at it she took a few swipes at his constantly putting his twin ahead of his wife--
"Oh for fuck's sake, Anne," he snapped, tired of biting his lip till it bled. "Don't bloody well start that shit again!"
"You wouldn't know loyalty to our family if it flew up and bit you in the arse--"
"I fucking well would," he retorted. "I said as much to George, while I was busy defending what you did to him--"
"Why thank you, my most noble protector," she sneered and he had had enough.
This didn't even have anything to do with Harry or Malfoy any more, he was able to think in the brief space between one savage verbal attack and another, both of them holding little back as Anne ripped in to him over his mixed signals to their daughter - the unmistakable admiration he felt for her spirit making it difficult to discipline her - as well as his supposed neglect of their son, and he flung back at her his disgust at her amazing ability to hold on to every grudge and grievance, and her charming Slytherin dishonesty, and her constant whining about missing her Charms work, despite the fact that she'd agreed she'd leave her career on hold while the kids were little, and--
"Just because I'm not the home-loving saint your mother is," she sneered, "not a devoted little housewitch like the rest of your brothers' wives, they fucking well make me sick, the lot of them--"
"Well if my family's too much for you, why don't you go back to yours then, Anne? Oh I forgot - they're almost all still in Azkaban, aren't they?"
Anne's eyes widened slightly in real pain, and as she opened her mouth for a furious retort Fred brought himself up short.
Fuck, that had been over the line.
"All right, that's enough," he said tightly. "Going now."
Anne's eyes narrowed again. "Fine, get out, you fucking coward," she sneered. "And stay out!" she shouted as he moved to the Floo. He bit his lip to keep from lashing back, and stepped into the flames, calling out George's Floo address.
George looked up from the small aqua-blue boy wriggling on his lap and sighed as Fred stepped out of the Floo. He nodded at Demelza, who got up from the couch and picked up the little boy - Graham? Frank? Fred could never tell, and the blue colour didn't help - and started to head off with a small smile at Fred. She paused, frowning, and flicked her wand at him. Fred felt warmth on his face - healing charm, no doubt - as she headed off to her sons' nursery.
"D-didn't go well?" George said dryly.
"Went smashingly."
"Literally?"
"Didn't break anything this time," said Fred tightly, struggling to clear the anger coursing through him.
"Staying the n-night?"
"Surprised?" said Fred.
George simply clapped him on the back comfortingly. "Demelza'll s-send an owl t-to Anne," he said.
Fred nodded. Business as usual; whether she agreed with Anne or not, "Wives of twins need to stick together," Demelza always said, and maybe it was true. Fred even knew what she'd likely write, having seen her notes before:
He's here, don't worry. We'll send him home in the morning. Hope you're doing all right. Love, D.
Funny how Anne had never had to send one of these owls to Demelza. For all he knew, Demelza might even wholly agree with Anne right now; she'd had more than a few things to say to George when this whole mess with Malfoy started, so many months ago. And yet somehow George never ended up sleeping on Fred's couch.
Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was just not on. Not any more. Their kids couldn't keep being exposed to this kind of shit. It wasn't healthy. It had been different, before kids - it had even been a bit exciting, in a way; for one thing, the make-up sex was incredible. But now...
There had to be some way through this. Some way to balance the needs of his marriage with the need to not push Alec and Harry away, while still protecting Alec from Malfoy...
Fucking Malfoys, he thought bitterly. Hurting Fred's family, business as usual. It wasn't enough that Lucius Fucking Malfoy had almost killed Ginny as a kid and almost destroyed George. It wasn't enough that the junior version had wrecked Bill's face, now he had to come in and hurt not just Harry's kid, but Fred's kids as well. Azkaban was too good for him, he thought grimly as he followed George into the kitchen.
And bloody hell, right now? Fred wished with all his heart that he had taken the bloody picture.
And happy Day Before hp10k_showcase Starts Posting, too! I'm totally stoked about this, even though my own contribution, due frighteningly soon, resembles a brain fart more than an actual, you know, postable fic. ::sigh:: In part because I decided to make it H/R, but H/D keeps taunting me and reminding me that it's been a long time since I wrote it, and I really really miss doing so.
However, speaking of postable fics, here's one of the last Ember to Ember DVD Extras. This one sat like a quivering pile of jelly for many moons, until I got into a Fredless George kick and Fred eventually politely asked to be written not-dead for once. Not sure he'd appreciate the treatment he gets in this ficbit, but still. Undead Not-Dead Fred. This DVD Extra is for Lisa3353, who said, "I would love to read the scene between Fred and Anne (you have me on a Fred kick now) when he confronts her about sending Draco's picture to the paper." It takes place post- November, immediately after the incident where Harry confronts Fred about the same picture, believing Fred took it.
Thank you so much, maya231, for great beta, a long, long time ago ;)
November 23, 2008
Fred emerged from the Floo to the sound of children shouting and Anne's voice raised, and he blew out his breath in irritation. Right. He had just sent Michelle home for turning one of Wheezes' Silly Spiders into a gigantic hulking blood-drenched teddy bear, scaring the pants off her little brother. It seemed like a long time ago.
"What is the matter with you?" Anne was yelling, and Michelle's answer couldn't be heard. "You will apologize now!" Anne shouted.
"He's a stupid little shit!" Michelle shouted back, and Fred could feel his blood pressure rising, anger at both of them threatening to boil over fairly spectacularly. He put his wand down on the counter, not particularly wanting to destroy anything if his magic went a little wild. Acting like an adult might not be one of his top priorities most days, but he preferred to show a little more control over his temper and magic than a petulant teenager.
Pity Harry was still unable to do the same. Well, that was Harry. Wallowing in immaturity. Didn't mean Fred had to do the same. He absently rubbed his jaw where Harry had just punched him.
Tea. Tea might be a good idea, a good way to rein in his almost overwhelming desire to go upstairs right now, send the kids away, and have it out with Anne over the picture in The Prophet. He was far too angry to think clearly, and didn't particularly want to deliberately pick a fight; his fights with Anne sometimes left all four of them scared for days.
He started to search for tea. Nothing. Bugger. Now he remembered; Michelle had Transfigured it all into tiny yodeling frogs. Anne had not been amused.
Robbie wandered into the kitchen, still red-eyed and sniffling from the fright he'd suffered, and Fred made himself give his son a comforting smile. "Come here, Robbie," he said, and sat down, taking his son onto his lap. Robbie hugged him close, and Fred smiled and tickled him, making him giggle and drowning out the sound of Anne and Michelle still fighting - and settling his own turbulent emotions as well.
Different as night and day, his kids. Michelle reminded him a lot of himself and George; weird to see all of that energy and mischief in one body. And Robbie was so sweet and devoid of any hint of toughness or hostility - a bit like Alec, actually - that Fred sometimes feared for him. It was a good thing he and Michelle were far enough apart in age that they seldom played together. Which was also weird. It was like they were raising two only children. Having grown up smack in the middle of a litter of kids, it was disorienting.
Robbie's giggling died down fairly quickly. He was evidently still worn out from crying over the prank Michelle had played on him, and it was far past his naptime. Fred smiled down at him as he fell asleep in Fred's arms.
He was a lot like Alec, actually. Gentle, and sweet, and needing so much more protection than Fred could possibly give him. Although at least all Robbie had to be protected from so far was his older sister, and occasionally his parent's fights. Not bloody Death Eaters.
Dismissing that thought, he got up and carried Robbie to his bed.
He came back into the kitchen and there was Anne, sitting at the kitchen table with her hand covering her eyes. The fragile peace Fred had found in Robbie's sleepy weight on his lap disappeared.
"Oh thank God. I've got a headache," said Anne, Fred's normal cue to bring her her headache potion. He tossed The Prophet onto the table instead.
"What's this?" asked Anne, taking the paper. Her eyebrows shot up. "Good Lord. That's Harry," she said, looking closer. "Bloody hell. When did this come out?"
"This morning," said Fred evenly.
"Has Harry seen it?"
"Yeah. He showed it to me. Thought I'd taken it."
Anne blinked. "Good Lord. That's... a little paranoid," she said, amused.
"Is it?"
She blinked again. "Did you?" She peered at him a little closer, frowning, then lifted a hand to his face. "What happened to your--"
"You bloody well know I didn't take it," Fred said evenly, moving his head back and ignoring her half-spoken question.
"What?"
"Anne."
She narrowed her eyes. "You think I did this?" she asked incredulously, looking back at the picture of Harry and Draco embracing on the cover of the Prophet. "How dare you--"
"He was wearing a NewFace amulet," Fred interrupted.
"The Aurors have the countercharm for that, Fred," Anne said scornfully. "You gave it to them yourself."
"Not the ones for the new line."
Anne blinked. "What?"
"He was wearing the amulets we haven't put on the market yet. And all our counter-charms in the lab are for the new versions. Not for the ones Aurors already have."
Anne's mouth dropped open.
"You bitch," said Fred softly. "You were going to lie to me."
Anne's eyes flashed with anger, and she raised in chin defiantly. "Oh don't act so surprised," she sneered. "Would you have told me the truth? If you'd done it?"
"Why?" Fred asked, striving to keep his cool.
Anne glared at him. "Ginny was the first person in your entire family other than George who was actually decent to me," she said grimly. "And I am not going to let her son be brought up around the kind of filth I had to grow up with."
Fred pressed his lips together. "Look, I know it was rough for you but--"
"You have no fucking clue," she interrupted with a bitter laugh. "You were surrounded by people who were all working on the side of the precious Light, and you have no idea what it's like, being around that kind of poison. I won't allow it, not for Ginny's son!"
"It's not up to you - or me! I don't want him brought up around Malfoy either but-"
"I have had just about enough of you and your little clan's insufferable nobility," Anne said through gritted teeth. "Oh, we all care so much about Alec! We all want what's best for Alec--"
"We do!"
"And poor, dear Harry, he's one of the family - well he's shown exactly how much he thinks of the all-important family, hasn't he?"
"Anne--"
"And don't you dare argue with me! You hypocrite, you know I'm right!"
Fred pressed his lips together. Yes, he knew. He knew very well.
"You know I'm right and you're completely incapable of doing anything about it!" Anne said angrily.
"This wasn't the right thing to do!"
"And what are you doing? What have any of you done? Your own brother's had Malfoy in his home, with his own kids. Had Malfoy's son playing with his own boys. D'you want that?"
"That kid is not to blame for--"
"That kid! Is that kid more important to you than Alec? Than Ginny? Do you even remember what you swore to him the day he was born?"
Fred's jaw clenched as he glared at Anne, trying to push away the nightmare memories of that night. The shock of realizing their sister was dying; the desperation with which Hermione and the Healers tried to save her; the first sight of Alec paling before the ache of knowing that Ginny was really gone. The way it felt like there wasn't enough air in the room, wasn't any way to come to terms with the fact that Ginny would never see the tiny baby nursing at Fleur's breast.
"You fucking hypocrite," said Anne, her voice low. "You and George both, you say you loved her, you promised to be there for her son, and now you're betraying her memory. You might as well piss on her grave. She was a fighter, she hated Malfoy and all he stood for! She can't defend her son, so it's up to you! To us!"
"Anne, for fuck's sake, it's not that simple!"
"It is very simple. The only problem is, you don't want to get your hands dirty, and you want to make nice. I take it our precious Widdle Hawwy got upset?"
"Fucking furious is more like it. Can't say I blame him - you know how he feels about publicity--"
"And he gave you that, didn't he?" Anne said, gesturing at Fred's jaw and laughing derisively. "Well let him try that shit on me!"
Fred shook his head angrily even as he admired her fire and spirit. Anne was beautiful when she got like this; like fireworks, but far more dangerous and unpredictable. Not for the first time, he briefly wondered what life would've been like if he'd chosen a wife like George's, someone who could be counted on to bring serenity and reason into difficult situations, instead of Anne, who continually forced him into the role of rational peacemaker. Not exactly his forte.
"In fact, let him try right now!" Anne headed for the Floo. "I'll tell him--"
"You are not going to tell him anything!" Fred said, grabbing Anne's arm.
"Fuck you!!" Anne spat, wrenching herself away, and started for the Floo again.
"Don't you dare, you bitch!" She stopped short and gaped at him. "You are not going to tell anybody. George knows, and Demelza will soon, but nobody else will know that it was you and not me. Nobody."
"I don't need your noble Gryffindor chivalry--"
"Fuck chivalry!" Fred snapped. "I won't put up with my mother shunning you; I'm not putting the kids through that."
"Your dear sainted mother can go fuck herself! Self-righteous old cow! If she's going to hold it against me that I'm trying to protect her grandson when the rest of you won't raise a finger, she can--"
"Mum?" Michelle's voice was frightened as she spoke from outside the kitchen door.
"Don't, we're not doing this," Fred said, anger and fear warring for dominance now.
Anne tossed her head back. "You bloody coward. Not doing what? Not going to face a few hard truths? Not going to--"
"Not going to leave our kids crying again!" Fred snapped.
"Dad, what--"
"Michelle, go to your room!"
"Protecting the kiddies, are you?" Anne sneered. "You'll protect ours from hearing their parents disagree, but it's all right to leave Ginny's son alone and not protect him from a Death Eater? From being taught all sorts of--"
"Mum--"
"Shut up, Michelle!" they both shouted, and Anne went on grimly, "Your Dad's being a bit of a prick right now--"
Fred quickly grabbed his wand and flicked it, taking Anne's wand away, casting a Mufliato spell on them and a Cheering Charm at Michelle, then Banishing both wands to a locked cupboard.
Anne spluttered, livid fury making her colour rise even higher. "You have no right!" she shrieked at him. "No bloody right!"
"D'you want her to have nightmares again? Do you remember the last time we had a fight?!"
Briefly he saw uncertainty on Anne's face, but she was too far gone to stop now, and Fred braced himself for the onslaught, thanking Merlin he'd thought to send their wands out of the room as Anne tore into him and dredged up every single fucking problem they'd ever had in their entire marriage and he had no idea if it was a Slytherin thing or a woman thing, but it was bloody unbelievable how she could remember and throw into his face everything, everything he'd ever done wrong. Not just his failure to protect Alec, but his long hours at the shop, his overwhelming, loud, self-righteous family, his refusal to take on defence magic contracts that would make more money for the shop, insisting instead on concentrating mainly on the joke stuff he and George loved, and while she was at it she took a few swipes at his constantly putting his twin ahead of his wife--
"Oh for fuck's sake, Anne," he snapped, tired of biting his lip till it bled. "Don't bloody well start that shit again!"
"You wouldn't know loyalty to our family if it flew up and bit you in the arse--"
"I fucking well would," he retorted. "I said as much to George, while I was busy defending what you did to him--"
"Why thank you, my most noble protector," she sneered and he had had enough.
This didn't even have anything to do with Harry or Malfoy any more, he was able to think in the brief space between one savage verbal attack and another, both of them holding little back as Anne ripped in to him over his mixed signals to their daughter - the unmistakable admiration he felt for her spirit making it difficult to discipline her - as well as his supposed neglect of their son, and he flung back at her his disgust at her amazing ability to hold on to every grudge and grievance, and her charming Slytherin dishonesty, and her constant whining about missing her Charms work, despite the fact that she'd agreed she'd leave her career on hold while the kids were little, and--
"Just because I'm not the home-loving saint your mother is," she sneered, "not a devoted little housewitch like the rest of your brothers' wives, they fucking well make me sick, the lot of them--"
"Well if my family's too much for you, why don't you go back to yours then, Anne? Oh I forgot - they're almost all still in Azkaban, aren't they?"
Anne's eyes widened slightly in real pain, and as she opened her mouth for a furious retort Fred brought himself up short.
Fuck, that had been over the line.
"All right, that's enough," he said tightly. "Going now."
Anne's eyes narrowed again. "Fine, get out, you fucking coward," she sneered. "And stay out!" she shouted as he moved to the Floo. He bit his lip to keep from lashing back, and stepped into the flames, calling out George's Floo address.
George looked up from the small aqua-blue boy wriggling on his lap and sighed as Fred stepped out of the Floo. He nodded at Demelza, who got up from the couch and picked up the little boy - Graham? Frank? Fred could never tell, and the blue colour didn't help - and started to head off with a small smile at Fred. She paused, frowning, and flicked her wand at him. Fred felt warmth on his face - healing charm, no doubt - as she headed off to her sons' nursery.
"D-didn't go well?" George said dryly.
"Went smashingly."
"Literally?"
"Didn't break anything this time," said Fred tightly, struggling to clear the anger coursing through him.
"Staying the n-night?"
"Surprised?" said Fred.
George simply clapped him on the back comfortingly. "Demelza'll s-send an owl t-to Anne," he said.
Fred nodded. Business as usual; whether she agreed with Anne or not, "Wives of twins need to stick together," Demelza always said, and maybe it was true. Fred even knew what she'd likely write, having seen her notes before:
He's here, don't worry. We'll send him home in the morning. Hope you're doing all right. Love, D.
Funny how Anne had never had to send one of these owls to Demelza. For all he knew, Demelza might even wholly agree with Anne right now; she'd had more than a few things to say to George when this whole mess with Malfoy started, so many months ago. And yet somehow George never ended up sleeping on Fred's couch.
Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was just not on. Not any more. Their kids couldn't keep being exposed to this kind of shit. It wasn't healthy. It had been different, before kids - it had even been a bit exciting, in a way; for one thing, the make-up sex was incredible. But now...
There had to be some way through this. Some way to balance the needs of his marriage with the need to not push Alec and Harry away, while still protecting Alec from Malfoy...
Fucking Malfoys, he thought bitterly. Hurting Fred's family, business as usual. It wasn't enough that Lucius Fucking Malfoy had almost killed Ginny as a kid and almost destroyed George. It wasn't enough that the junior version had wrecked Bill's face, now he had to come in and hurt not just Harry's kid, but Fred's kids as well. Azkaban was too good for him, he thought grimly as he followed George into the kitchen.
And bloody hell, right now? Fred wished with all his heart that he had taken the bloody picture.