"Veronica, if you don't hurry you're going to be late!" my mother called from the living room.
"Be right down mum!" I called. I went over to my pet owl, Axel and opened his cage. He hopped onto my arm gracefully and gave me a small 'whooo'. I opened the window and gave him a few soft strokes on his head.
"I'll see you at the Burrow. Be safe." I said. He opened his wings and took off out the window, disappearing into the sky. I grabbed my trunk and wand before going downstairs. My mother was waiting for me by the fireplace.
"Alrigh sweetheart, do you have everything you need? Robes, wand?" she asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, mum, I have everything. Axel's already on his way to the Burrow." I said, smiling. She always worried about me before I went to school. "I'll be fine. I'll see you at Christmas. I love you." I kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.
"I love you too sweetheart. Have a good time. Say hello to Molly and Arthur for me." I smiled and pulled my trunk into the fireplace with me. I grabbed a handfull of floo powder and cleared my throat.
"The Burrow!" I said as I threw the powder to my feet. My mothers house disappeared in a blur of colors and within seconds I was standing in the Weasleys fireplace. I stepped out and looked around but there was no one around. I could hear voices coming from upstairs and outside so I grabbed my trunk and dragged it up the insane number of stairs to the room that I always stayed in with Ginny and Hermione. Neither of them were there so I began to dig through my trunk for a change of clothes since mine were covered in soot. I pulled out my favorite pair of jeans, a white tank top and a thin plaid button up shirt. I quickly changed and ran a brush through my long black hair. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed. I had changed quite a bit since the end of my fifth year at Hogwarts. I had grown at least two inches and I had filled out in all the right places. My acne was also gone and I had put blue highlights in my hair. Normally, I wouldn't care. I wasn't a very high maintenance girl. Until I had realized that I was in love with my best friend, Fred Weasley. I had known the Weasley's since my first year at Hogwarts. They were the biggest pranksters in the school and we hit it off immediately. We've been inseperable ever since. I spent the last month of every summer at the Burrow. They were like my second family. Plus, Arthur loved having my mother around. She's a muggle so he's always asking her questions about basically everything to do with the Muggle world. I took one last look in the mirror before heading back downstairs. Molly was in the kitchen preparing lunch. She turned when she heard me and a smile spread across her face.
"Veronica! How wonderful to see you dear!" she said, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back, smiling.
"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Weasley. Do you need help with anything?" I asked as she pulled away. She patted my cheek affectionately.
"Oh, no dear I'm alright. The kids are at the pitch. Why don't you go round them up for lunch?" she asked as she went back to preparing the food. I nodded and headed towards the makeshift Quidditch pitch that they had on their property. I could hear laughing before I even saw the pitch. I came up over the small hill and saw Hermione sitting on the edge of the field with a book in hand as she watched the others zoom past on their brooms. I approached and sat down next to her. She looked up and beamed.
"Ronnie! When did you get here?" she asked.
"Only a few minutes ago. Who's winning?" I asked, motioning to the game. She shrugged.
"I think Harry's team is winning but they've been playing for so long I stopped paying attention." she said laughing, turning back to her book. I looked up when someone started cheering. Harry was throwing his hands up in the air in celebration and I saw he had the Snitch firmly in his grasp.
"Bloody hell! Harry, you're not allowed to play anymore!" George said. I could see even from where I was sitting that he was pouting. I rolled my eyes. They were such sore losers. They all landed, Harry's team giving him pats on the back and George's team pouting. Ron spotted me first.
"Ronnie!" he called with a smile. I stood and brushed my pants off before he enveloped me in a tight hug.
"Hey Ron." I hadn't realized how much I missed everyone until now. Ron let me go and I was immediately scooped up into a hug by George. He picked me up and spun me around once.
"It's about time you got here. We could have used you to kick Harry's butt!" he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"Oh don't put that on me! It's not my fault you guys are terrible." I teased. George rolled his eyes and gave me a light push. I said hello to Harry and Ginny before I finally saw Fred. He was giving me his small, crooked smile that made my heart race.
"Hey" I said quietly. He pulled me into a hug and I closed my eyes. I inhaled and smiled, loving how he smelled. It was hard to describe because it was uniquely him. His cologne mixed with maybe cinnamon. He pulled away and looked down at me. I had to crane my neck to look at him. He was a good six inches taller than me and his long red hair fell around his face.
"You look..." he paused as he studied my face. I blushed and looked at my feet.
"That bad, huh?" he chuckled and took my chin lightly in his hand, tilting my face up to look at him.
"Different...but in a good way." My heart jumped and I had to look away from his heated gaze.
"Oy, lovebirds! Let's go, I'm starving!" Ron called. I blushed and walked away from Fred without looking back, afraid that my red face would give me away. I fell into step beside Hermione who was watching me with an amused look.
"So, I'm assuming the total makeover is for a certain red headed twin." she whispered. I glared at her but didn't say anything. I had never told anyone how I felt about Fred, but Hermione was a pretty intuitive individual. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me. But just so you know, I think you guys would be cute together and everyone knows you two were made for each other." she said before jogging ahead to catch up with Ron. I rolled my eyes. She was one to talk. Everyone knew she was crushing on Ron who was also crushing on her. It was obvious to everyone but them, apparently. Maybe that was what was happening to me. Did Fred feel the same about me? Was it completely obvious that I was in love with him? I hope not. How embarassing! I lengthened my strides, lost in thought, wondering if it were even possible for Fred to feel the same about me.