Two days later, when August rolled over the next morning, she looked over Fred's shoulder before closing her eyes to go back to sleep. When she did so, she saw a familiar owl perched on the window sill, its head tilted at her. She rolled her eyes, proceeding to lean against Fred. She sighed, burying her face in his neck for a moment.
In his sleep, his arms tightened around her. She waited a few moments before slowly sliding out of his hold. She reached for her short, silk robe, which was hanging from the corner of the chair at the desk, and pulled it on over her tank top and the pair of Fred's boxer shorts that she'd pulled on before falling asleep.
The owl hooted at her quietly, nipping her finger very gently as she untied the letter from its outstretched leg. She apologized to it for not having anything to give it and it scowled, before flying away.
She returned to the bed, letter in hand. Still in her robe, she sat cross-legged on bed. Beside her, Fred mumbled something in his sleep. She looked down at him, running a hand through his sleep tousled hair, brushing it off of his forehead. She enjoyed waking up before him, so she'd have a bit of time to herself before he started wreaking havoc.
She licked her dry lips, opening the envelope. She pulled out the sheet of parchment, unfolding it before starting to read.
August,
It's been far too long since I've seen you. I've got to make sure that you're still alive. Come for lunch today, at one. Neville's wanted to see you for a while now.
Don't forget,
Gran
August folded the parchment, setting it down on the table beside the bed. She sighed, glancing over at Fred again. He hadn't stirred at all. She looked out the window, at the early morning sun, and guessed that it was barely eight o'clock. She stayed where she was for a bit longer, not wanting to leave the bed, even though she was now wide awake.
She left the bed as quietly as she could, tiptoeing across the floor towards the door. The wood of the stairs was cool under her feet as she made her way to the kitchen in search of food. Her arms wrapped tightly around her, she entered the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was kissing her husband goodbye before he Apparated from the property. Ginny was seated at the table, as was Fleur, Bill, and Hermione, all of them still in their pajamas.
"Good morning!" Ginny said cheerfully, beaming up at August as she took the open seat across from Hermione. August responded with only a grumble, reaching for a sausage link from the platter in front of her, biting into it.
"Ah! Good morning, darling!" Mrs. Weasley greeted her just as brightly as her only daughter had. "Help yourself, as always." She paused. "You wouldn't know what Fred and you are planning today, would you?"
August took a gulp of tea before responding. "Actually, I woke to find an owl from my gran and she'd like for me to come to lunch today. After that, I hadn't really planned anything, why?"
"Oh, never mind then, dear. I was hoping that you and Fred would be able to help degnome the garden today."
"I'm sorry! I could owl Gran back and tell her that I can't make it, if you really need me."
"Merlin, no!" Mrs. Weasley said with a wave of her hand. "You do more work for me than half of my children put together, so you go and have a nice time with your grandmother and Neville." August smiled, nodding timidly.
Breakfast went on quietly and the rest of the family (besides Fred and George) filtered through the kitchen slowly. August helped clear the kitchen, leaving just enough food on the table for Fred and George when they finally pulled themselves from bed.
"Have you been sleeping alright, August?" Mrs. Weasley asked as the she and August did a few of the dishes by hand.
"I suppose so," August said, drying the plate which Mrs. Weasley had handed to her. "I hadn't been sleeping well at the flat, so that's why we've been staying here; I hope we're not imposing."
"Of course not!" She sounded appalled. "You know that you are more than welcome here at any time! Though, dear, I wish you'd tell Fred to just start sleeping in the guest room with you. It wakes me up every night when he tries to sneak in there every night."
August's cheeks flared and she dropped the plate. She jumped back as it shattered at her feet. She swore under her breathe, grabbing her wand from the table to repair the plate. Still red in the face, she returned to the sink where Mrs. Weasley was giving her an amused smile.
Still slightly embarrassed, August spent the next hour doing work around the house with Mrs. Weasley, who time after time told her that she didn't need any help. Finally, she excused herself and returned to the guest bedroom.
Fred was still sound asleep, rolled onto her side of the bed. He was lying on his stomach, his face pressed against her pillow. She smiled softly, slipping out of her robe. She joined him on the bed, lying halfway on top of him. She ran a hand through his hair, kissing the back of his neck. He turned his head and she laughed quietly. She kissed him again before pulling away.
She gathered her things for a shower and locked herself in the bathroom. She took her time in the shower, not even minding that the water had gone a bit cold. She wrapped in a towel and sneaked off back to the bedroom without anyone seeing. Back in the bedroom, stepped into her knickers and fastened her bra with her back to Fred. When she sighed, and turned around to retrieve the rest of her clothes and jumped when she saw that Fred was awake and watching her.
"Merlin, Fred," she said quietly, running a hand through her damp hair.
"Good morning, love," he responded with a wink and a smirk. He was looking her over with that look in his eye that made her cheeks flush pink.
Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for the sundress that she'd laid out before her shower. She pulled it over her head, pushing her hair from out of her face. She bent in front of the trunk to dispose of her dirty clothes and when she stood again, she sat on the edge of the bed. It took no time at all for Fred to grab her by the waist and pull her to him.
She laughed as he settled her in his lap, his arms encircling her midsection as his face pressed into her hair, laughing himself. He inhaled, the flowery scent of her shampoo filling his nose as he kissed her shoulder. August sighed, relaxing into him.
"You hate dresses; why are you wearing one?" Fred asked after a moment, toying with the fabric of the sundress that brushed the tops of her knees.
"Gran's invited me to lunch today," she told him, yawning once. His fingertips brushed over the skin of her bare shoulder and Goosebumps arose along her skin. She looked over her shoulder and scowled at him, much to his amusement.
"So I take it you're going?" August only nodded. "What time is it?"
"Nearly ten thirty," she told him, slipping from his lap, to his protest. "I was planning on doing something with my hair, or at least ask Ginny to help me with it, and putting on a bit of make-up, so Gran doesn't tell me I don't look well."
"Well, whatever she says, don't listen to her; you always look lovely," Fred assured her as she adjusted the dress on her frame. She smiled at him, leaning to kiss him quickly. As she walked back to the trunk to retrieve her make-up bag, Fred watched her.
The dress hung from her frame sweetly, defining her curves. The band under her bust accentuated the slender curve of her waist. The neutral, peachy color of the dress stood out against the sun kissed color of her skin. The v-neck line was just enough to drive him mad as she knelt beside the open trunk, sifting through it for a pair of suitable shoes. Her hair had fallen over one shoulder, and the extended view of her bare skin made his heart start to beat a bit faster. When she stood a few seconds later, his train of thought was broken and he cleared his throat.
"You really ought to shower soon, and I'm pretty sure your mum's going to enlist you to deal with the garden gnomes. I'm going to leave soon, so I probably won't see you again before I go."
"Oh, alright," Fred said, over exaggerating his words. She smiled, slipping back into his lap, this time, straddling him. He smirked, a hand traveling up her thigh as the other toyed with her hair. She smiled down at him, brushing her nose against his.
"I love you," she told him, her lips moving over his slowly. He repeated the words back to her before kissing her a final time. She stood from the bed and he watched her leave the room.
August walked to Ginny's room and knocked on the door. Ginny opened the door and smiled when she saw August outside. She let her in, and August asked quickly if Ginny would be able to do something with her hair for her. Ginny agreed, telling August to sit on the floor.
As Ginny brushed August's hair, August looked around the room with a smile on her face. She thought back to the first summer that she and Fred had been dating. She'd come to the burrow for a few weeks, for a change of scenery. One afternoon, August had been coming down the stairs to the kitchen, when Fred had grabbed her and pulled her into Ginny's room. The couple had emerged from the room ten minutes later, after nearly one hundred stolen kisses, both with swollen lips and messy hair. With everyone still in the house, that was one of only a few times they had ever been alone during her time there that summer.
When Ginny was done French braiding her hair, August stood, straightening her dress.
"You're going to see Neville?" Ginny asked, starting to make her bed.
"Yes and my gran."
"Tell Neville I said hello," she said pleasantly.
"I will," August said with a smile, showing herself out of the room. When she walked past the bathroom, she could hear the shower water running, leading her to assume that Fred had finally gotten in the shower. She returned to the guest room and put her shoes on before throwing a few things into her purse.
She went down to the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was starting to make lunch. George had finally greeted the day, but was still in his pajamas, sitting in the den. Random Weasleys were running around the house and August said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley before stepping outside and Apparating from the property with a pop.
She appeared outside her grandmother's house and looked up at it with a sigh. She opened the door, not even bothering to knock. The foyer was deserted and completely clean, as always. As she walked along the tile floor, the heels of her sandals clicked against the floor.
"Gran?" she called out. The house, from what she could see was completely dark. She reached for her wand, whispering "Lumos," under her breath. She looked to her left, her chest tightening. She cursed; she had told Gran a dozen times to remove that photo. She sighed quietly, looking at the photo again.
She hadn't seen it in a while, but nothing about it had changed. The photo was five years old. Her mother was smiling back at her, laughing at something. Her father was waving, smiling as widely as her mother was. Her little sister was holding a flower, her hair tied into pig tails. August herself wasn't smiling. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her face partially covered by her hair. She could remember that day perfectly. She'd fought with her parents over something only moments before the photo had been taken. She had been fifteen, and she regretted that photo.
"Augs?" Neville asked, peeking out of the dining room. The sudden sound startled her and she jumped, looking over at him.
"Neville, hi!" she said, clearing her throat. Tears were stinging in her eyes, the image of the photo burned into her mind.
"Lunch is almost ready. We're in the dining room," Neville told her, stumbling over his words a bit. August nodded, walking towards him. He offered a hand to her, knowing that she always tripped over the step into the dining room, and she took it, stepping into the well-lit space.
"Why the bloody hell is it so dark out there?" she asked with a laugh, putting her arms around Neville. She hadn't seen her younger cousin since Christmas, over six months ago. He hugged her back tightly.
"Gran's going through a phase of some sort," he explained with a shrug. He had gotten taller since she'd last seen him, and he looked a lot more grown up. His hair was shorter and the look in his eyes was intimidating. "How are you?"
She didn't answer right away. She shifted her weight to her other side and licked her lips. "I'm alright, I suppose." She paused. "I'm anxious for what's to come."
Neville nodded in understanding. "Everyone is, Augs," he reminded her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Soon, their grandmother entered the dining room, a pot of tea in hand. She set the pot down on the table. She looked the same, and dressed the same as she always did. She raised her eyebrows when she saw August standing there.
"Why, hello," she said, trying to sound cheerful.
"Hi, Gran," August said with a sincere smile.
"Good to see you. Lunch will be done in ten minutes," she informed the pair of them before walking back to the kitchen.
Lunch was just as awkward as she had expected. Gran asked her usual questions, such as when will she and Fred be married, and when will she get great-grandchildren. Neville found all of this to be rather amusing, since, for once Gran was pointing her attention and prodding questions at someone else.
After they ate, August helped Gran clear the table. She rinsed their soup bowls, and looked up to find Gran watching her.
"You are so like your mother," Gran said quietly with a sad smile on her face. August only nodded, looking down at the sink. "She liked Fred. She knew that he was the one for you."
"She did?"
Gran nodded. "She would be proud of you."
August's heart swelled and tears filled her eyes.
August's mother, Irina, had been born into a pure-blood family, the Longbottoms, but turned out to be a Squib. In the time that Irina was growing up, most Squibs were disowned, or treated very poorly. Irina, however, was treated the same as her older brother. Her parents had arranged for her to go to the best Muggle school in the area.
Irina had never resented her family for her lack of magical abilities, and rather enjoyed the simplicity of Muggle life. She'd gone onto university and she became a nurse. To her parents' delight, she married a wizard, August's father, Maxion Hysan, who was also from a pure-blood family.
When August was growing up, they family lived in a Muggle neighborhood, so Irina wouldn't feel so secluded as a Squib in a Wizarding world. When August was seven, her younger sister, Leah, had been born. Despite the age difference, the pair had always been close.
When August started Hogwarts at age eleven, her mother had been ecstatic. When she received her Hogwarts letter, her mother had confided in her that her biggest fear had always been that her children wouldn't have magical abilities.
August was sorted into Gryffindor upon her arrival at Hogwarts and kept to herself for the first few years of school. She was continually homesick and felt out of place amongst her outgoing and courageous housemates. It wasn't until her fourth year, when she became friends with Fred and George that she actually started open up, away from home.
After two years of being great friends with the Weasley twins, she and Fred started dating in the middle of their sixth year. It was strange at first, moving from being best friends to dating. Their relationship was only easy-going for a few months, until Voldemort returned and many people went on high alert.
August spent part of her summer that year with the Weasley family at 12 Grimmauld Place and began working with the Order of the Phoenix. Fred and August had fallen in love in the dusty, secluded rooms of the old house, and it was then that they knew their relationship was meant to last. Her parents had been completely unaware of her involvement with the Order.
During her seventh year of Hogwarts, she stayed close to Fred. She was part of Dumbledore's Army, although combat had never been her strong suit. Inspired by her mother, August intended on becoming a Healer.
When August returned home from Hogwarts for Christmas, she entered her home, in its suburban Muggle cul-de-sac, she found her family dead; Her father right inside the door, obviously trying to fight off the attackers, her mother in the kitchen, and Leah, then eleven, still asleep in her bed.
The Order did a private investigation and concluded that Death Eaters were behind the family's death. Her father had received plenty of threats from different groups that didn't like that a pure-blood was married to a Squib.
August had spent the rest of the Christmas holiday locked in a room at 12 Grimmauld Place with the Weasleys. The only person she'd allow into the room was Fred. He brought her food every now and then but she didn't eat any of it. Finally, Fred convinced his mother to brew a sleeping potion for her, since she hadn't slept at all in the four days since she'd found her family. He nearly had to force her to drink it. After she drank, she turned her wet eyes to him his heart broke in two. As she fought the effects of the sleeping potion, he slid into the bed with her. His arms hadn't even closed around her before she was asleep.
After the death of her family, August became nearly dependent on Fred. He was one of only a few things that she had left. She was quiet for a while after their deaths. The spark in her eyes was gone, but Fred only loved her more.
By the time Fred and George left Hogwarts, however, August was back to being herself. She thought about abandoning her schooling as well and running away with Fred, but she knew that her parents wouldn't have wanted that. The last six weeks of school, without her best friends, was near torture. Immediately after graduation, she moved into the flat over their shop with them.
Everything had been smooth sailing since then, despite her anxiety. She was with Fred, which was what mattered most. She was a Weasley in all sense except name, as the family had accepted her as one of their own immediately.
Nearly three years later, the pain had hardly subsided; she had simply learned to deal with it. Even thinking about it made her want to spend the rest of the day in bed with Fred, wearing his clothes or none at all.
August stayed at the house for a bit longer, deciding to leave right before afternoon tea. She hugged bother Gran and Neville, promising to come back soon. As she walked to the door, she paused in the hall to look again at the photo. She looked away, tears burning in her eyes before walking to the front door. She closed the door behind her and Apparated back to the Burrow.
When she arrived, Fred, George, Ginny, and Bill were all sitting on the lawn. They were playing with a few of the goods that Bill and Fred had brought from the shop the day before. As she sat down beside Ginny, Fred gave her a smile and she waved back. She could hear Hermione, Fleur, and Mrs. Weasley just inside the house, in the kitchen, chatting.
She and Fred kept their distance for a bit, playing a game that they played often. They'd steal glances at each other, offer mischievous smiles, and then go back to acting as though the other wasn't there.
It was the end of July, in the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was beating down on them. If August had been wearing more than her sundress, sweat would be pouring from her body. Finally, around three, she stood, pushing back the few pieces of hair that had fallen from the braid. As she walked to the house, she could feel Fred watching her and she couldn't help but smile.
She stayed in the kitchen for a while, talking to Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the girls. Soon after, she offered a polite smile and started up the stairs. In the guest room, she made sure to open all of the windows, allowing a breeze to blow through the space. She dropped onto the bed, lying on top of the blankets with a sigh.
She'd been there for only a few moments before Fred came into the room. He didn't say a word as he lay down beside her. He looked over at her, lacing his fingers through hers. If it hadn't been so hot, she would have cuddled against him.
"How was lunch?" Fred asked with a quiet sigh, after laying in silence for several minutes.
"Good. Neville and Gran are well," she paused. "Gran put that photo back up."
"Which photo?"
"The one where I'd fought with Mum and Dad right before it was taken," she explained, disregarding the heat and rolling towards him. He put his arm around her shoulders, non-verbally offering comfort. He knew that the photo bothered her. He kissed the top of her head.
Quickly, she fell asleep. Her nap didn't last long and ended when Fred woke her as he left the bed. She rolled onto her back with a yawn, looking around the room. When she opened her eyes, he was already halfway to the door. He was looking back at her, obviously feeling guilty for waking her.
"Freddie," she grumbled, closing her eyes again.
"Mum just knocked and said that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. I was going to help set the table," he said, pointing his thumb to the door.
"Come back. George will help set the table," August said as she sighed quietly, nestling further under the blankets. Fred pursed his lips, looking at her as he weighed his options. She smiled softly, knowing that he wouldn't refuse.
Finally, he made a sound of defeat and walked towards the bed. He climbed on, lying on top of her. She scoffed, moving under him as well as she could. He kissed the skin of her neck softly and she raked a hand through his hair.
"You're heavy," she told him, frowning a bit. All of his weight was resting on her, his face pressed into her throat.
"You're the one who bloody made me come back to bed," he joked. August didn't think it was very funny.
"I never said to lay on me!" She giggled quietly, pressing a hand against her mouth to stifle the sounds.
"Yet you never said not to. Funny how things work out, isn't it, love?" She only grumbled something in response about him being a cheeky git.