Disclaimer; I unfortunately don't Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this. If i were, Fred would have never died ^^
Enjoy!
Not many people stayed at Hogwarts during the winter holidays this year. It was quite understandable; there was neither the Triwizard tournament, nor Yule Ball this year. But I couldn't help but feel lonely. This year, Stefanie's parents insisted that she join them for Christmas- without me. I always knew that her parents disliked me. It must have been the fact that Stefanie was never sorted into Slytherin like her parents were and they automatically hated all her Gryffindor friends. But it was still a pretty harsh slap in the face. She could tell that I was upset, but she promised me that she would hate it the whole time. So yesterday I accompanied my best friend to Hogsmeade and watched her leave. I had trudged through the snow miserably back to the castle and remained in the nearly empty common room for the rest of the day.
This morning, I woke up to an eerily quiet dorm. It reminded me of how boring my holidays were most likely going to be. As I got dressed in black jeans and a grey cardigan, I couldn't help but regret not going home for Christmas. Down in the common room, I passed Harry and Ron, my fellow Quidditch team mates who were playing a game of chess in pajamas and jumpers, and Fred and George, who were seated at a table surrounded with papers. As I passed their table, Fred looked up at me and flashed me a smile.
"Hey Beth" He said, knocking over a jar of ink with his elbow.
"Hey Fred, George," I said with a grin.
George waved at me and then rolled his eyes at Fred who siphoned the ink away with his wand while a light and rare blush covered his cheeks.
I made my way through the empty halls and down to the Great Hall where I sat alone and picked through a bowl of porridge and cup of coffee over today's issue of the Daily Prophet. I couldn't bear to look at the empty house tables. It would simply make my holidays even more miserable.
After my late breakfast, I took the longest route I knew back to the common room simply for something to do. When I reached the common room 20 minutes later, I decided to begin the homework that had been given earlier in the week and was due at the end of the holidays. So I picked a table away from the dully colored windows and I spread my textbooks across the entire table, preparing myself mentally for the day. I pulled forward a new roll of parchment and I was struggling with an old jar of black ink when a flash of red to my right caught my attention.
"Hey Fred," I said, still unsuccessfully trying to open the small pot.
"Need help with that?" He asked, holding a hand out.
I gave it one last try and handed over to Fred who popped it open as though it was nothing. He handed it back to me and proceeded to say something. I tried to listen, I really did, but I couldn't help but notice small things, like the way his hair stood up in the front like he had been running his calloused hands through it all morning or how his eyes crinkled when he grinned, or how his smile pulled further to the left when he laughed.
"… so what do you think?" He asked.
Crap.
"I'm afraid I didn't catch that last part," I said, pulling my eyes away from his lips that curved into a grin.
"My face is distracting, isn't it?" He joked.
"Nah," Oh Fred Weasley, you have no idea.
"So as I was saying, George, Lee, some girls and I are going to sneak out on Christmas Eve to go to that new Pub in Hogsmeade. Are you interested?"
"Tomorrow night? Yeah, sure." I replied with a nod.
"Great,"
For a moment, we sat there, staring at each other until Lee, Katie and George, who were huddled in the back howled with laughter.
"So, what's going on with you?" He asked, pushing a few of my textbooks further on the table and leaning his head into his hand.
"What do you mean?" I asked, shifting in my chair so that I was sitting in it sideways, facing him.
"Well, you never do your homework," He said, nodding his head at the books scattered across the table. "You're worse than George and I. So why are you doing it now?"
"I don't know. I haven't got anything better to do," I admitted, copying his posture, with my left elbow on the table and my head resting in my hand.
"Stefanie left, didn't she?" He asked. I nodded.
"Her parents don't like me, so they said no to her when she asked to invite me along. And this was all last minute, so I owled my mother to ask if it was too late to change my mind to leave school for the holidays, but she said that they already made the reservations to all the places they're going to and they can't change them. My family is going to Venice for the holidays," I explained.
"Well that's no fun," He said with a frown.
I pursed my lips at the carpet on the floor and nodded sourly.
"I'll keep you company if you'd like," He offered with a nudge to my bare foot and a suggestive grin.
I laughed and accepted his company. It certainly made me feel better. Plus, it meant that I could stare at his oh-so distracting face more. Not that I minded!
I thought about what Stefanie had told me the other night, about it being obvious that Fred liked me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to really believe it or not, simply because I didn't want to get my hopes up for no reason at all. Not that I liked Fred or anything, I thought with a sly grin.
Fred stayed true to his word and kept me company for the rest of the day, helping me with homework and occasionally throwing in a few funny comments. George joined us in the late afternoon and along with Lee and Katie, we made our way down to the Great Hall for dinner.
It was refreshing to be with new people every once and a while. I couldn't help but notice that the way Fred and George act together was very similar to Stefanie and I when we were together. There were fewer than 25 people scattered across the Hall and so it wasn't as loud as it normally was with the couple hundred students that inhabited the castle and so Fred, George and Lee took it upon them to make all that noise among the 3 of them. I contributed to my own little bit when Fred charmed my broccoli to life. I shrieked loudly when it hopped up on my shoulder and pushed away from the table so fast that I ended up on the floor. I wasn't so impressed afterwards, but even then, I had to admit that it was amusing. But at that moment, Professor Umbridge left the staff table to come and deduct 15 points from Gryffindor for disrupting the Hall. I bit the inside of my cheek sourly and glared at her retreating figure while Fred, George and Lee made rude gestures to her back. Katie helped me remove the bits of broccoli from my hair and after dessert, the 5 of us returned to the common room to claim the sofa in front of the crackling fire place. Katie, Lee, George and I reached the sofa first and scurried onto the cushions, leaving no room for Fred. He rolled his eyes but settled on the floor near my feet much to my pleasure.
"Elizabeth, there's a party tomorrow night," Katie said, leaning over Lee, "Do you want to come?"
"Oh, you mean the Christmas Eve party? Fred already invited me and I said I'd go, if you don't mind, of course" I added at the end.
George and Lee grinned, their eyes flashing to Fred who pretended not to notice.
"Of course not," George said, nudging Fred with his sock clad toe.
"What's so funny?" I asked, looking back and forth from Katie, Lee and George to Fred.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Katie reassured me with a knowing grin of her own as Fred swiped at George's foot.
We stayed up late, talking and joking loudly until the topic of Fred and George's joke shop came up.
"We've invented loads," George said excitedly, shifting so that his back was rested against the arm of the sofa, his legs sprawled over Katie and Lee and his feet resting on my lap. My own feet were propped up on the coffee table and Fred was facing sitting cross-legged so that his shoulder was against my leg inside leg.
"Where do you keep the lot?" Katie asked.
"There's a large trunk in the corner of our room that has an undetectable expansion charm on it," Lee said followed by a yawn.
"Have you got enough products to actually open up a joke shop? And what about a premises, do you have one?" I asked.
"Ahh, that's a secret, my dear" Fred said, grinning up at me.
"Oh, fine. I see how it is," I said as I turned away from him jokingly.
Over the next half hour, I listened as Fred, George and Lee answered all of Katie's questions. And at half past midnight, Lee gave a tremendous yawn and declared that he was retreating to bed. Katie lasted another 15 minutes before saying goodnight, and George left not long after, but not before nudging Fred one last time.
When George disappeared up the spiral staircase, Fred rose from the carpet with a grunt and stretched his arms above his head. I couldn't help but notice the line of hair that trailed from this belly button, down his abdomen and disappeared beneath the elastic of his boxers. I grinned and turned away.
He settled down on the couch next to me, kicked off his shoes and threw them on the table next to mine and gave my feet a nudge.
"Not tired yet?" He asked.
"Well, I suppose I am. After all, I have spent the entire day with you," I teased.
"Oi, I resent that!" He retorted with a poke to my side.
After a moment, I turned to him and with a sigh I asked him if he was serious about what he said earlier.
"What? About putting dungbombs in Filch's office?"
"No, about what you said about you and George leaving,"
"Oh,"
He was silent for a moment, staring into the embers of the drying fire.
"I don't know," He said finally, "Why?"
"I don't think it would be the same without you guys," I replied. He seemed pleased with my answer.
If Professor Umbridge weren't here, would you guys stay?" I asked, pulling a ginger cat hair off my jeans.
"I think so. Foul woman, isn't she?" he joked lightly.
"The worst of them all," I agreed.
"How much will you miss me?" He asked with a grin.
"I'd probably miss George more, but either way, it'll be nice without you two hooligans around," I teased.
"I'm hurt," He gasped, putting his right hand over his heart.
"I'm only joking,"
"Of course you are," he agreed, "Everyone knows I'm the better looking twin,"
I rolled my eyes and smiled at his cheeky grin.
"I'm tired," I stated.
"Well then, go to sleep," He laughed.
"Oh," I said slowly, "I see how it is,"
I began to stand up but Fred moved with speed, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me back onto the couch.
"Violent, aren't we?" I grinned.
The clock on the mantle announced that it was one in the morning and Christmas was only 23 hours away. I grinned, giddy with excitement. If the rest of the holidays continued as such, with the twins, Katie and Lee around, then it wouldn't be so bad in the end, would it?
"Give me a head massage," He ordered suddenly. I snorted.
"And why would I do that?" I said, glancing up at his disheveled ginger hair.
"George said you give wonderful head massages. I simply have to see for myself,"
"Ah, well in that case, you'd better take your pants off," I replied slyly.
He sat confused for a moment before he caught on and gasped in horror.
"You didn't!"
"No, you're right, I didn't, but I had you going there for a moment, didn't I?" I said, nudging his side playfully.
"You nearly have me a heart attack," He said, slumping into the couch a few inches closer to me.
"I suppose I could give you a head massage," I said slowly, "But only if you return the favor,"
He wasted no time spreading out along the couch, ankles crossed, fingers linked, head on my lap, staring up at me with batting eyelashes.
"Don't do that, you look awful," I teased.
I raised my right hand and combed through his hair lightly, marveling at how soft it was. I played with his hair, pushing it back off his forehead so that it stood on its ends. He sighed happily and closed his eyes. I slowly worked my fingers through his locks, massaging his scalp gently.
"Lovely, isn't it?" I said softly,
He mumbled something that sounded like 'magical fingers', causing me to snigger.
After a few minutes, his breathing closed considerably and I peered down at him. He had fallen asleep.
So much for my head massage, I thought dully.
I stared down at his face where all traces of emotion were gone. With a glance to the mantle above the fire place, the clock told me that it was nearing half past 1. I yawned widely and shifted carefully to not wake Fred so that I was in a more comfortable position. Then I resumed stroking his hair, but more for the purpose of me wanting to feel his hair than to actually continue the massage.
The last of the embers slowly died and I found myself becoming more and more tired as the minutes ticked by. The last thing I remembered before I fell asleep was Fred reaching up in his sleep and taking my hand in his, fingers linked.
A/N- So, random one shot. Whadaya think? Should I continue? I don't quite know where I would go with this, but it certainly would be interesting, seeing as I have never really written a story with either Fred and/or George as one of the main characters. hmm, accept challenge? You tell me ^^
Reviews are lovely. Kind of like a little slice of cyber chocolate cake that sadly, I will never enjoy, but its there nonetheless !
~Mishy (dont ask^^)
