Imagine your poster of Fred coming alive.

Ugh….. revision. Your least favourite thing. With exams looming you seem to do nothing else at the moment. Rubbing your eyes you stare blankly down at your books. vision swimming in and out of focus as you try to concentrate. You’ll be lucky to write your name correctly at this rate! You exhale loudly and spin round on your chair, your gaze resting on a poster above the bed of the Weasley twins.That’s what I need you think to yourself, someone to come flying though the exam hall throwing fireworks and raising hell. “Oh Fred…” you sigh at the character you love above all others, “I wish you were real.” For a split second you could swear his picture winked at you but that would be ridiculous. You must just be tired from too much revising. Time for a break.

You turn back to your desk and start tidying away your textbooks but then a hefty thump from behind you makes you jump. “Ow!” says a disgruntled voice and you whip round again to be confronted with Fred Weasley, large as life and spreadeagled unflatteringly on your bed. The space he used to inhabit on the poster behind him is empty - George stands frozen and alone. It’s as if Fred has simply tumbled out of the poster and onto your bed. He doesn’t look too happy about it either!

"That hurt!" he moans, rubbing his elbow vigorously. It suddenly dawns on him that he is not somewhere he is used to and he looks up sharply, eyes darting left to right surveying the surroundings before finally resting on you. "What’s going on? Where am I?" he demands as you gape back at him like a goldfish. Fred Weasley in your bedroom. Perhaps you’re dreaming? You pinch yourself hard on the arm and yelp in pain. Fred gives you a funny look and slowly reaches inside a pocket for his wand. “Mind telling me who you are and what I’m doing here in what seems to be your bedroom.” He glances behind him and does a double take when he sees the poster. Reaching up, he touches the photograph of his brother as if he can’t quite believe what he is seeing then turns back to face you, wand raised that little bit higher now. He looks pretty cheesed off. “You better start explaining what the hell is going on!”

"Please, lower your wand!" you beg him with outstretched hands to show you are unarmed. "I can’t do magic…. I’m a muggle. As to what’s going on, well….." you shrug "your guess is as good as mine." Fred looks at you warily for a moment then decides you’re harmless enough. His wand lowers but stays in his hand just in case. "Are you real?" you ask him, eyes still wide with disbelief. "Well, I was last time I checked." he quips which makes you giggle. This seems to diffuse the tension and Fred grins at you and puts his wand away at last. "You don’t seem the dangerous type." he explains jovially. "So come on then, who are ya and why would I not be real?"

The next half hour is spent by trying to explain to Fred who you are, the fact that this is not the world he is used to living in and that he and his friends and family are actually characters in a popular series of books and films. You then explain about your revision and wishing he would come to life and cause havoc in your exams. Unsurprisingly, he stares at you as if you have a screw loose. “It’s all here if you don’t believe me.” you tell him as you show him your collection of Harry Potter books and DVDs. “Woah!” he utters in surprise as he picks up one of the DVDs and studies the cover. “There’s Hogwarts, and Harry…. and look at old Ron, gurning like an idiot!” He picks up the first Harry Potter book. “So you’re telling me these books here are all about what happened at Hogwarts?” He sounds fascinated by it all. Perhaps coming from a magical upbringing has made him more tolerant of strange goings on. “That’s right.” you answer, picking up the final book. “One for each of Harry’s seven years of school.” Fred regards the book in your hand with much interest. “Oh really?” he says with a smirk. “So you can read the future then? Harry’s only in his sixth year.” It dawns on you that Fred has no idea about what will happen to him at the Battle of Hogwarts and you hide the book behind your back nervously whilst you consider what to do. “Erm…. well, maybe. It depends if the books are accurate or not.” you stammer. “For instance, if Harry is in his sixth year then according to this” you pick up The Half Blood Prince in an effort to distract Fred from the Deathly Hallows “you and George have just opened your shop.”

The diversion appears to have worked. Fred takes the book and gives a low whistle. “We have!” he confirms excitedly. “Weasleys Wizard Wheezes is doing very well I’ll have you know.” You laugh at this. “Well actually I do know!” you joke, tapping the book’s cover. “It’s all in here. Although you might argue that finding out what will happen might change the future.” you say, trying to buy a bit more time. Luckily at that moment you hear your mum calling you for dinner. “I better go.” you apologise, not really wanting to leave him in case he is gone by the time you return. “I’ll sneak up some food for you. Will you be ok?” Fred flashes you a devious smile. “I’ll be just fine.” he grins, gathering up the books and flopping onto your bed. “Got plenty here to keep me out of trouble.” He winks at you and begins to read.

Taking Book 7 with you, you head downstairs and race through your dinner, anxious to get back to Fred. By the time you get back to him, he is fully engrossed. Raising his head and smiling at you, he takes the food you have smuggled up for him and starts stuffing it enthusiastically into his mouth. “Thanks.” he mumbles between mouthfuls. “These are amazing.” He waves a book at you. “Everything exactly as it happened! Bit freaky if I’m honest.” You smile weakly at this. If everything is true then it means Fred will die if he goes back to his world. You have to warn him. There’s no way you would forgive yourself if you didn’t. “Fred…..” Your voice sounds strange, strained by the emotion of the terrible secret you have to share with him. You flick through the pages, finding the part about his death as you try and find the right words. “there’s something you need to know, about what happens.” Your voice is high and unnatural as you struggle to keep it together. He stops eating and tilts his head to look at you. “Sounds serious.” he comments. You nod slowly “It is…… I don’t know how to tell you…..” Your voice trails off and you hold the book out to him forlornly. “Then don’t.” he replies firmly, taking the book from you and placing it face down but still open on the bedside table . “You were right earlier. Best not to meddle with the future. It’d be boring if I knew what was going to happen.” You smile wanly. Maybe he’s right but still you wish you could tell him, stop it from happening.

"Cheer up!" he chides you, throwing an arm casually around your shoulders and giving you a friendly squeeze. It feels nice and you’re secretly pleased when he leaves it there. "So can you use your magic here?" you ask him, trying to take your mind off things. Fred gives a knowing smirk and whips his wand out with a flourish. "Yep. Watch this!" he replies gleefully and with an intricate wave, he sets off a series of coloured sparks, almost like an indoor fireworks display. "Wow!" you gape, entranced by it. "That’s so cool!" Fred smiles smugly at you then starts moving the books off your bed. "You realise….." he casually tells you "that we’re going to have to share this?" He points at your bed with his wand and raises an eyebrow at you. Blushing slightly at the thought of snuggling up to him all night, you nod shyly. "I don’t mind if you don’t." you answer. "Not at all." says Fred eagerly. "Hope you don’t snore though!" You snort at this and playfully hit him on the arm which makes him groan theatrically and roll around as if you’d really belted him, causing the two of you to dissolve into a fit of hysterics.

And so the night is spent cuddled up to Fred Weasley, who is a surprisingly affectionate bedfellow. He lies behind you spooning your back, one arm around your waist, holding you close. It should feel strange, sharing your bed with a boy you’ve only just met but actually it feels like the most natural thing in the world. As the two of you drift off you murmur “I wish you’d let me tell you what happens to you…..” Fred wriggles against you sleepily, his voice soft in your ear as he replies “Shhh. Go to sleep.” Despite it all seeming like a dream, he is still beside you when you wake. You smile groggily at each other and almost without thinking you both lean in for a lazy kiss. “Morning!” he greets you cheekily as the kiss ends. “That’s what I call the perfect way to start the day.” You smile and give his cheek a quick kiss before getting out of bed, telling him “I’ll bring you some breakfast up in a bit.” Once again, you race through your meal so you can get back to Fred as quickly as possible.

When you go back up however the room is empty. Fred is back where he belongs next to George in the poster above your bed. Even though you knew it would happen at some point your heart sinks. You didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye. You feel crushed knowing that you didn’t warn him about the final battle, almost as if you have sent him to his doom. Sadly you reach up to touch his image but something stops your hand midway. There’s something different about his picture, something that definitely wasn’t there before. Poking out of his pocket is what looks like pages from a book. You stare at it dumbfounded, then scramble to grab your copy of Deathly Hallows which is still open on the bedside table.

Sure enough, the pages you’d flicked to detailing Fred’s untimely end are all missing - ripped neatly from the book. The rest is undisturbed and you riffle through the end of the book for information of what has happened to him. It seems the ending has changed slightly. Instead of being killed in the battle, Fred appears to be alive and well. You can’t believe your eyes. He must have changed his mind and checked the book whilst you were downstairs. Fred’s alive and it’s all because of you! As you place the book back on the table, a piece of paper slips out and flutters to the floor. At first you assume it’s a loose page but as you pick it up, you realise it’s a handwritten note.

"Thanks for putting up with me last night. Seems a shame to leave really. I’d have taken you with me but reckon your folks wouldn’t be best pleased about that!

Anyway, you might notice I changed my mind about finding out what happens to me. Good job too! What was that Rowling woman thinking? Mauled by dragons or tortured by Deatheaters I could cope with but crushed to death by a bloomin’ piece of falling masonry? I’m not having that!

So thanks again - without you I’d be squashed flat as a pancake. I owe you big time - will make it up to you next time I fall out your poster. Until then, there’s a little something for you under the bed. Use it wisely. It may look small but it certainly packs a punch. Those teachers won’t know what hit them!

love, Fred xx”
Putting the note down shakily, you look underneath your bed and pull out a small firework. ‘Weasleys patented Pocket Rocket' is emblazoned on the side in neon letters. 'size isn’t everything - use with caution’. You look from the firework in your hand to the poster and back again and laugh long and hard. “I love you Fred Weasley!” you announce to no-one in particular but when you glance back at his picture, you notice his smile seems even bigger than before.