The Boy I Wrote About, part. I
Pairing: Fred Weasley x fem!reader
Summary: For months, Y/N had been writing to her French pen pal about a boyfriend who didn't exist.
Now her pen pal is coming to Hogwarts.
And Fred Weasley has somehow become part of the problem.
Warnings: Slow burn / FakeDating / Friends to lovers / Romantic Comedy / Flirting / Banter
The familiar blue ink caught your eye the moment you entered the Gryffindor common room, and you couldn't help but smile. Only one person ever wrote to you in blue.
Years ago, what started as a correspondence programme between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons had become something much more. Through complaints about professors, embarrassing stories, and endless gossip, a girl from France had somehow become one of your closest friends.
You settled into the armchair and broke the seal.
As always, Camille had written several pages. She had never been good at keeping things short.
You smiled as you read through the usual stories.
Until you reached the bottom of the page.
Y/N,
I have wonderful news.
I was selected to travel to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament.
I can't tell you how excited I am.
After all this time, I'm finally going to see the castle, meet your friends and spend time with you again.
And before you ask, yes, I expect you to introduce me to that wonderful boyfriend of yours. After hearing about him for so long, I feel as though I already know him.
If he's even half as charming as your letters suggest, I expect great things.
Write back soon.
Love,
Camille
The smile disappeared from your face.
Because while Camille had spent years writing about disastrous dates and complicated romances, you had made one small mistake. You had invented a boyfriend.
At first, it had been harmless â just a little detail to avoid explaining why every story about your life somehow ended with you alone in the library.
What was he like? How long had you been together? Was he handsome? Did he make you laugh?
And somehow, you had answered every single one.
Now Camille believed you were dating the most charming boy Hogwarts had ever produced.
You stared into the fire.
"Well..." you whispered. "That's a problem."
Angelina's voice made you look up. She stood beside you, balancing a stack of books against her hip. Her eyes moved from your face to the letter in your hands, and without a word, you handed it to her.
She read through the parchment, and by the time she reached the last paragraph, one eyebrow had slowly risen.
You groaned, which was apparently enough of an answer. Angelina sat beside you.
So you told her everything â Camille, the letters, the lie, and how a harmless little story had somehow turned into an entire relationship with someone who existed only in your imagination.
By the time you finished, Angelina was quiet for a moment before simply shrugging.
She glanced back at the letter.
"We just need to find you a boyfriend."
"That really isn't helping."
"Y/N, it's simple," she said. "Camille comes here, you introduce her to him, he plays the part for a few days, and then she goes back to France none the wiser."
"What? Do you have a better idea?"
You opened your mouth, then closed it. Because, unfortunately, you didn't.
The two of you started going through names, but every possibility came with a problem. Someone was too awkward, someone else couldn't keep a secret, someone was too obvious, and every single one of them was someone Camille would see through immediately.
After several minutes, even Angelina started running out of ideas. Then she went quiet, and you noticed immediately. That expression never meant anything good.
"How did we not think of this sooner?"
The name hit you like a Bludger.
Angelina looked far too pleased with herself.
Unfortunately... you already were.
You had known Fred Weasley for years â long enough to know exactly why he would be perfect for this. And long enough to know exactly why he was a terrible idea.
Angelina started counting on her fingers.
"He can charm almost anyone."
She leaned closer, a knowing smile appearing on her face.
"And when he wants to be, Fred can be ridiculously convincing."
Angelina stood up, gathering her books.
"Well, there's only one thing left to do."
You already knew what she was going to say.
She pointed towards the boys' staircase.
The boys' staircase had never seemed this long before.
By the time you reached the dormitory door, you were already regretting everything.
You took a deep breath and knocked. Something crashed loudly inside, followed by a few seconds of silence before the door opened.
Fred Weasley appeared on the other side.
His hair was a mess, his shirt slightly undone, and the amused look on his face suggested you had interrupted something much more interesting.
"Well," he said, leaning against the doorframe. "This is unexpected."
His eyes moved over your face, immediately catching the nervousness you were trying very hard to hide.
"You didn't come all the way up here this late just to say hello, did you?"
Heat rushed to your face. You opened your mouth, but nothing came out.
For once, Fred didn't make another joke. He just watched you for a moment before his expression softened slightly.
"Alright," he said. "What's happened?"
You looked down at the letter in your hands.
"My friend Camille from Beauxbatons is coming here tomorrow."
"And she thinks I have a boyfriend."
There was a short silence.
"It's not what it sounds like."
"I don't think I've decided what it sounds like yet."
Despite everything, you almost smiled.
"Just..." You tightened your grip on the letter. "Let me explain."
And so you did. By the time you finished telling him everything, Fred was quiet for a moment.
Then, slowly, a small smile started to appear on his face.
You immediately pointed at him.
Fred raised his hands innocently.
"I'm just trying to figure out how we went from 'my friend is visiting' to 'Fred Weasley, congratulations, you're apparently in a relationship."
"Please don't make it sound worse than it already is."
"I'm not making it worse."
"I'm appreciating the dedication."
Despite yourself, you almost smiled. Fred noticed, but thankfully didn't comment on it. Instead, he seemed to think for a moment, his expression turning thoughtful.
Fred shrugged, as if the answer was obvious.
"Maybe this is easier than you think. We pretend to break up."
"Simple. I play the tragic ex-boyfriend, Camille feels sorry for you..."
He paused, clearly enjoying his own idea.
You already knew where this was going.
"Because the boyfriend from my letters would never do that."
Fred went quiet for a moment, and then a slow grin appeared on his face.
"The boyfriend from your letters?"
You immediately regretted saying it.
"No, no." Fred's smile widened. "I just find it interesting that this imaginary version of me already has standards."
The look on Fred's face made it clear he was enjoying this far too much before his eyes dropped to the letter in your hand.
"Because apparently I'm supposed to pretend to be your boyfriend, and I know absolutely nothing about the person I'm replacing."
You pulled the letter closer.
He looked at you for a moment before slowly nodding.
Fred gave you an innocent smile.
But he was already stepping back, clearly satisfied with himself.
"Good luck with your imaginary boyfriend, Y/N."
Before you could argue, the door closed, leaving you standing there for a moment, staring at it in disbelief.
Tomorrow Camille was arriving, and you were officially doomed.
The next morning, while everyone else waited excitedly for Beauxbatons to arrive, you were busy trying not to faint.
The moment Camille spotted you, she threw her arms around you.
"Y/N! I can't believe I'm finally here."
You managed a weak smile.
Camille looked around excitedly, taking everything in.
"I can't wait to meet everyone."
"So," Camille said, smiling. "Where is he?"
There it was. The moment you had been dreading.
"Camille, I should probably explain something aboutâ"
"Are you trying to escape without me noticing?"
Your heart stopped, because that voice was behind you.
You turned around, and there he was.
Perfectly calm, perfectly composed, and completely different from the boy who had closed the door in your face the night before.
"There you are," he said warmly, slipping an arm around your shoulders before you could even react. It was a simple gesture, nothing too much, but somehow enough to make your brain completely stop working.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
Camille looked between the two of you and smiled.
Fred turned to her, holding out his hand politely.
His smile was so effortless, charming. The exact smile you had spent years describing.
"I've heard a lot about you."
Camille's eyes widened slightly.
"All good things, I hope."
Fred glanced at you, and the tiny smirk that appeared on his face immediately told you he was enjoying this far too much.
You stared at him, mentally calling him every possible name: Traitor, Genius, Impossible.
Camille only laughed, completely unaware of the silent argument happening between the two of you.
As the three of you made your way towards the castle, you waited until Camille was a few steps ahead, completely distracted by Angelina and the other Gryffindors. Only then did you lean closer to Fred.
"Why did you change your mind?"
"Because you really looked terrified."
Before you could answer, he added with a small grin, "And because, apparently, I couldn't let you face a disaster this entertaining alone."
You rolled your eyes, unable to stop yourself from smiling slightly.
"You owe me, by the way."
The rest of the afternoon passed surprisingly well.
Camille loved Hogwarts, and with so much to see, she barely had time to ask questions.
You were starting to relax.
Unfortunately, once the castle stopped distracting her, her attention turned to you and Fred.
"You know," she said, studying Fred thoughtfully, "you're much taller than I imagined."
"Of course." She pointed at you. "Y/N wrote about you constantly."
A slow grin spread across Fred's face.
Camille only giggled, completely unaware that she had just given Fred another reason to tease you.
Then, as casually as if she hadn't just made things much worse, she added: "So... how is your aunt in Poland?"
"My aunt in Poland?" he repeated slowly
Camille looked between the two of you, suddenly unsure.
"Did I get something wrong?"
Fred recovered instantly, his usual charming smile slipping back into place.
"No, no. You remembered perfectly. I just have a very large family, and sometimes even I need a moment to keep track of everyone."
"But yes, my aunt in Poland is doing very well, thank you for asking."
Camille smiled, satisfied.
Meanwhile, Fred leaned slightly closer to you.
"Should I know anything else?"
His expression turned serious.
"A tragic childhood pet?"
"An embarrassing nickname?"
You gave him a look that made the corner of his mouth twitch.
"I'm just trying to do this properly, Y/N. How am I supposed to pretend to be your boyfriend if I don't even know the story?"
He paused for a moment, then added with a small grin:
"I need to read those letters."
You immediately lowered your voice.
"I am never letting you read those letters."
Fred placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be hurt. Before he could continue his performance, Camille tilted her head.
"What are you two whispering about?"
You and Fred immediately turned towards her, but Fred didn't miss a beat.
"Y/N was just reminding me how important she is to me."
You opened your mouth searching for something to say, but he was already putting an arm around your shoulders and pulling you closer with a completely innocent smile.
"That's actually very sweet." Camille's expression softened immediately. "I have a feeling you two are always like this."
You opened your mouth, but Fred answered first.
For some reason, you had completely forgotten what you were about to say.
And, unfortunately, that was only the beginning.
At first, you tried answering the questions yourself, but Fred soon started joining in as well. Sometimes, he was surprisingly convincing. Other times, he came up with answers so creative that you had no idea where he got them from.
The questions continued until the evening finally began to settle in.
You and Fred walked Camille back to the Beauxbatons carriage and said your goodbyes before heading back towards the castle.
By the time you entered the common room, you were both exhausted.
Thankfully, the room was quiet. Only a few students remained, scattered around the room, while the fire crackled softly in the fireplace and filled the room with a comfortable warmth.
You and Fred dropped onto the sofa beside each other.
Both of you let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Well," Fred said after a moment. "We survived day one."
"That didn't look very convincing."
"That's never a good sign."
You ignored him, staring into the fire.
"Camille is going to be here for several more days... We need some sort of plan for the rest of the week."
You started counting on your fingers.
"We could meet after classes, sit together between lessons, have meals together..."
Fred watched you for a moment before shifting closer and draping an arm around your shoulders.
When you frowned, he gently tapped your forehead.
"Camille already believes us. Today worked out, didn't it?"
You hesitated, then nodded.
"Then tomorrow will too."
You slowly relaxed against the sofa.
For a moment, you both sat quietly, listening to the fire crackle.
You could feel the warmth of the fire against your skin, the silence between you oddly comfortable.
Then Fred shifted beside you.
"There is one thing we haven't thought about."
âWhat if your friend wants to see us kiss?â
Fred's grin slowly widened.
âWe should probably practise.â
