'Wishes' continues directly from 'Mischief Managed' so if you haven't read that I recommend you do so else this will make absolutely no sense to you. Unlike Mischief Managed, however, this isn't a story I have completed already and gone back to edit so there may be plot holes or mistakes in the story. Sorry it took so long to start, but next week mean the start of the summer so if the first few chapters go well, I'll hopefully update through the holidays (fingers crossed). I have the plot set out in my head so know where it's going but so far have only written two chapters so they're nothing exciting just yet. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing from the HP universe it all belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling

Chapter 1

"Mum!" a young voice shouted up the staircase of 17 Foxclove Avenue, "Mum! Dad packed Willow in one of the boxes!"

The house was considerably emptier than it had been a few weeks ago, with boxes piled up in every room and bin bags full of unwanted or unused items stuffed in the corners. Only a few essentials were left around the house; a few sets of clothes, toiletries, food and crockery. One thing, however, Katherine Weasley had not planned to pack with the furniture, was her pet dog. Taking the stairs two at a time, she rushed to the living room and burst through the door to see her only child, Molly, digging around in a cardboard box and her husband, Fred, laughing loudly next to the fireplace.

"What were you thinking?" Kat demanded angrily, glaring at her husband, "The poor thing."

As Molly finally uncovered Willow and lifted her gently out of the box, Fred gasped, "I thought it would save some space," between his laughter. But when his wife didn't even smile, he added seriously, "It was only a joke, honey. I would never have kept her in there for long."

Kat took the puppy from her daughter and, after stroking her head in comfort, she handed Fred both the dog and her lead. "Take her out for a walk. Molly and I can finish packing up without your messing around. Try not to cause any trouble."

Somewhere deep inside her, Kat loved Fred's constant jokes and sense of humour, but she had been through a lot in the last year. From finding out that both her husband and her daughter possessed magical abilities, to them almost dying at least three times, Kat's life was certainly different to how it had been a few years previous and she wasn't sure she liked it. Being married to a wizard from an all magic family meant that Kat was the only 'Muggle' and was often left out of the loop. She constantly felt excluded around the Weasleys, despite being one herself. Conversations at dinner would often turn to magic, meaning Kat had to listen in silence as her family discussed a life she could never be part of.

To top it all off, the three of them were moving house. Fred had felt that he needed to make up the past twenty years to his family, so the three of them were moving to the nearest village to the Burrow- Ottery St. Catchpole. They would be living in a large cottage on the outskirts of the town, only about a minute's walk from George's house.

Kat understood her husband's feelings. After twenty years being completely isolated from his family, it was only natural for Fred to want to be close to them once more. The twins especially had an unbreakable bind between them- they were both brothers and best friends. But something inside Kat made her want to strangle her brother-in-law every time he was talking to Fred. Of course, the boys had a lot to catch up on, but they worked with each other all day, every day; wasn't that enough? Kat had been pulled through Hell over the past year, forced to go to work every single day without even knowing that her husband was risking his life to save their daughter. As if she wasn't worried about them enough!

Kat had received no letters- or owls- about either of the people she loved most, waking up each morning with no idea whether or not they were alive or not and going to sleep that night, just as clueless and concerned. She didn't want to let them go again, she needed to know that they were safe.

Fred looked at his wife guiltily as she repeated, "Take Willow, Fred. Please."

Holding the puppy tightly to his chest and scooping up her lead, Fred sheepishly dragged his feet towards the front door and left. He took a deep breath in of the fresh air before placing Willow on the front step and attaching her lead to her collar.

"Come on Willow," he muttered quietly, "Let's go."

The young Labrador bounded down the steps where she stood happily, tongue lolling out her mouth and tail wagging. Fred smirked and jumped down after Willow, pulling her lead gently towards the park.

He hadn't missed the jealous, almost murderous looks that Kat often sent George, but that didn't mean he understood them. Of course, after everything they'd all been through, he did feel bad for his wife, but what did she have against George? Fred had promised himself that he'd make everything up to her- she deserved that much- but first, he had to spend time with his family as he owed them so much more.

There hadn't been a single day when Fred hadn't seen George since they were reunited properly and the more time he spent with his brother, the less guilt seemed to be thriving inside Fred's heart. The twins were very much back to the people everyone knew and loved; as though they were still Hogwarts students themselves. The new products in the joke shop had boosted its popularity even more and Fred's supposed death was seemingly forgotten. The Weasleys had insisted on paying for the funeral of Lucius Malfoy and had all attended politely yet ashamedly. The Malfoys had had no issue with accepting the Weasleys offer and had not contacted them since, not that anyone particularly minded.

That evening, as he did every Sunday, Fred would be joining his mother, father and siblings at the Burrow for dinner. This was a tradition which had begun after the battle, almost as reassurance that they were all alive. Of course now, the mood was a lot more cheerful at these meals.

Bending down to remove Willow's lead and let her run freely around in the park, Fred thought desperately of ways to cheer up Kat. He was getting sick of her jumping down his neck at things she used to find hilarious. Surely she should be happy that Fred felt complete again, not annoyed that she had 'competition'. Besides, Fred had grown up with his brother, battling the world together. The two of them had so many unforgettable memories, good and bad. They had endless stories of how the two of them had ended up in the hospital wing at least twice a month, stories which had now become weekly entertainment for the family at dinner. Fred and George had a bond that no one else could understand. Naturally, they had their moments of wanting to strangle one another, but underneath, their hearts were linked to each other, beating in synchronicity. Only Fred could see when George was upset and only George knew when Fred was feeling slightly down. They were each other's medicine, a simple smile or laugh from the twins was enough to lighten the entire school.

Fred desperately wished there was a way to get the last twenty years back. Deep down, he knew he couldn't but constantly knowing that he had disappointed his family for so long made him more annoyed than he could say. So much could have been done in the two decades when he was gone- so many more jokes, pranks and special moments meant for a family. Every spare minute he had, Fred spent thinking about this, imagining his family's weddings, meeting his nieces and nephews as newborns, not teenagers. It was as though a dementor hovered over him whenever he was alone, reminding him of what he should have done and sucking out every cheerful memory he had with Molly and Kat.

Kicking up a storm of leaves, Fred chased after Willow, laughing as the puppy danced and bounded through the park. After a few minutes, Willow jumped up, placing her front paws on Fred's legs with her tongue lolling out. Chuckling, Fred reached down to tickle her behind the ears before taking off at a run toward the lake. Willow bounced along behind him, yapping at birds and spinning in circles.