Happy Thanksgiving to all of you lovely readers out there!
You know what I'm thankful for? J.K. Rowling's brilliant writing skills that invented Fred and George. Not to mention, James and Oliver Phelps' mother for giving birth to such brilliant actors. xD
I am also thankful for JoannaAtHogwarts, marin93, iBelonginoz, and BigTimeRushGleek. Thank you (and any others) for reading this fanfiction!
This is my Thanksgiving gift to you all! :D
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Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Harry Potter, Fred, George, or Hogwarts. Vanessa and the plot line are completely my own.
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Vanessa pushed her way through the ring of students, figuring Fred and George had pulled their prank and had gotten caught. "Lemme through," she grumbled, pushing past a few Hufflepuffs. Finally, she arrive at the front and saw Fred and George chatting nonchalantly with Umbridge about the swamp in the corridor.
"One last thing," Fred muttered, his eyes landing on Vanessa in the crowd. The Inquisitorial Squad had begun closing in on the two, George was already in the air on his broom. He pushed his way through the Squad and stopped in front of Vanessa. He pressed his lips to hers for a moment, taking her hand. "I love you, so much," he breathed for the first time, a few peopled wolf-whistling. "You coming with us?" he whispered.
Grinning, Vanessa returned his kiss enthusiastically. "I love you too." She knew her parents would be quite angry to find out she dropped out, but when Dumbledore was back as Headmaster, she would returned. "Of course I'll go," she replied, climbing on the back of his broomstick. Tightening her arms around his waist, she squeezed her eyes shut as he kicked off. It was the first time she had been on a broom, let alone with a second person.
Cheering followed the three out as they sped towards the mountains. Fred slowed slightly once the castle was out of sight. "You don't have to hold on so tight, love," he murmured, glancing behind him. He rested one hand on hers, extremely happy she decided to tag along.
Vanessa kissed his neck softly, loosening her grip ever so slightly. "Are we going to Grimmauld Place or the Burrow?" she asked, resting her chin on his shoulder. It was going to be a long flight to either of those places, but at least they had each other as company.
"The Burrow. Might as well listen to Mum now instead of later. Then we'll probably go to the flat above the store after a few days and get things up and running," Fred informed her, flying ahead of George. "I didn't think you were going to come along. I thought you would stay behind because of school," he confessed, leaning forward to regain speed.
"That isn't a proper education, plus I'd get rather lonesome without you," Vanessa responded, her grip tightening around his waist once more.
They didn't arrive at the Burrow until almost two in the morning. Fred sighed in relief when they landed in the garden. As suspected, Mrs. Weasley was waiting up for them in the kitchen. Fred dragged himself in the house, Vanessa and George following just as slugishly.
"Oh, you three! Get up to bed immediately, we'll talk about this in the morning. Vanessa, darling, you can sleep in Ginny's room tonight," Mrs. Weasley stated, fussing over the three to make sure they were perfectly alright. "You can borrow bed clothes, as well," she added, ushering the three upstairs.
Vanessa dragged herself up the stairs and into Ginny's room. It was bare, minus a few knick-knacks and furniture. A warm looking quilt was spread out on the bed, as well as bed clothes for her. Ignoring the bed clothes, she sat on the bed tiredly. It took her a bit to start pulling off her shoes and Hogwarts uniform. She was in the process of unbuttoning her shirt when a soft knock was heard and Fred entered.
Fred ran his fingers through his hair, already changed into his maroon bed pants and white tshirt. "I figured you could use some company. I know you probably feel weird sleeping in here so..." he trailed off and shrugged slightly. He turned away so she could change into the bed clothes.
"You figured right," Vanessa replied, the smile obvious in her voice. She pulled on the bed shorts and shrugged off the white button up. Crossing the room, she tugged at the hem of Fred's white shirt. "Ginny's shirt is too small," she murmured as he let her pull his shirt off slowly, her fingers trailing over his warm skin.
"We both know you just want to see me shirtless," he teased, turning around. He leaned down and kissed her softly, letting this one last longer then their most recent ones. After the Room of Requirement and Dumbledore's Army had been discovered, they had found it increasingly harder to steal kisses without Umbridge, Filch, or Filch's cat seeing.
Returning the kiss, Vanessa wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to reach his lips. "I love you," she whispered against his lips, feeling slightly deprived of his warm and loving kisses. They no longer risked going into the Room of Requirement for their usual evening escapades, in fact they had hardly broken a rule until Fred and George had decided to leave the school, except for the fireworks.
"I love you too, 'Nessa, I really do," Fred whispered in response, pulling away to look down at her. He pushed her curly hair out of her eyes, smiling. The only light in the room was coming from the cracked drapery over the window. He obliged when she pulled him towards the bed.
"Only to sleep," Vanessa told him seriously, sliding under the warm covers. She slid her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest comfortably. The last thing she heard before drifting off into a dreamless sleep was Fred chuckling quietly. After what seemed like only an hour of sleep, loud banging on the door and bright lights woke her. "Wha-?" she mumbled, squinting.
George stood at the foot of the bed, fully dressed with a tray of eggs and bacon for both of them. "It's well past noon, lovebirds. Honestly, Fred, I hope you didn't deflower little Vanessa in Ginny's bed. That's rather tacky," he stated loudly, munching on a piece of Fred's bacon.
Vanessa groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. "I could kill you, George," she grumbled, her voice muffled. She let out another groan when George pulled the blanket off of them.
"Rise and shine. We have a busy day working on the shop, and that includes you Vanessa. You decided to come with us, you get to help," George stated cheerily, setting the tray on the nightstand. "I'll get Mum up here. I wonder what she'd think seeing her son half-naked in bed with his girlfr-"
Fred had tossed his pillow at George's face, cutting him off. "We're up, we're up. Now, can you go?" he grumbled, sitting up slightly. He would prefer not to have his mother find them, knowing she'd immediately think the worst. He couldn't wait to get the flat above the store set up so they could move in there and not worry about such things.
When Vanessa sat up as well, George left the room satisfied. "I really could kill him right now," she mumbled, searching around for Ginny's bed shirt. She figured Mrs. Weasley would still come up in a bit to check on them, and it would be much better if Fred wasn't shirtless.
"I thought you said Ginny's shirt didn't fit?" Fred asked, catching his own white shirt before it hit his face. He chuckled when she climbed over him to reach their breakfast. "Honestly, I'm still going with the theory you just wanted to see me shirtless," he teased, plucking a slice of crunchy bacon from his plate.
"Possibly," Vanessa replied winking. She stabbed the scrambled eggs with her fork and lifted them to her mouth. "I just wanted to wear your shirt. Is that just so horrible?" she teased, relishing the taste of Mrs. Weasley's home-cooked breakfast. She desperately hoped they would have enough time for her to take a shower before they headed over the the shop.
Rolling his eyes, Fred grinned fondly at Vanessa. "Yes, because my shirts happen to be so comfortable," he stated after swallowing a mouthful of eggs. He wished they had gotten a bit more to eat at the Muggle cafe they stopped at for dinner, but it had been close to closing to closing time, resulting in a loud rumbling stomach. Finishing the breakfast, he stretched out on the bed, contemplating going back to sleep.
Raising her eyebrows, Vanessa laughed. She set their plates back on the nightstand, her last piece of bacon in her hand. "Freddie, you're quite the lazy man today," she informed him, stretching out next to him with half of her torso resting on his. "We can't have that at all. You have to move some rather heavy boxes today, love," she added.
"Darling, that's what magic is for," Fred responded, taking the last bit of bacon in his mouth from her hand. "Poor you, underaged and all. Looks like you'll be the one working the most," he joked, running his fingers along the side of her thigh.
Vanessa rolled her eyes, fiddling with his fiery hair. "You hardly let me carry a paper bag out of Zonko's, I doubt you'll let me lift oh-so heavy boxes," she said, leaning down to kiss him.
As if on cue, the door opened once more and George poked his head in. "I figured as much," he muttered when the two jumped apart. "Your trunks are downstairs, McGonagall sent them over. Mum wants you two to get them out of the way," he informed them, leaning against the door.
Yawning, Fred stood up and pulled his shirt on. "I'll be back with the trunks," he told Vanessa, bending down to give her his good-morning kiss. He soon disappeared down the hallway with George, giving Vanessa a few moments to herself.
She headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and de-tangle her hair. By the time Fred appeared in the doorway, Vanessa was half-way through brushing her hair. "Can I help you?" she teased when he wrapped his arms around her from behind her. She would never quite get used to the warmth of his arms or the way it seemed they molded together perfectly.
"Oh, I just need to brush my teeth, but it seems as someone is hogging the sink," Fred teased, planting tiny kisses along her neck and shoulder. He adored poking fun at her because she never once got annoyed or over-reacted to the teasing. In his opinion, they were simply the perfect match.
Vanessa laughed, setting her brush off to the side. "Hogging?" she scoffed, turning around in his arms. "I've been here for only six minutes," she added, tapping his nose with her index finger. "Now, hurry it up. I want to get a shower before you and George drag me off to do all of the manual labor," she teased.
"That is two minutes too many," Fred replied, trying to fake a serious face. He retracted his arms so he could brush his teeth.
After kissing his cheek, Vanessa made her way back to Ginny's room to grab some fresh clothes.
"Sirius is dead?" George asked, glancing around the quiet room. The Weasley family (Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Bill), Vanessa, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and a few other Order members sat in the Burrow's living room solemnly. "Is everybody else...?"
Mrs. Weasley nodded, sniffing. "All fine, minus a few cuts and bruises. I'll go whip up some tea," she muttered, standing up stiffly. She soon disappeared into the kitchen and they heard dishes rattling around.
Vanessa slid onto the floor next to Fred by the fire, which was slowly dying out. Her hair was tied up out of her face, her eyes darting between the group. Tonks and Ginny were mopping their eyes, and Lupin was staring unseeingly into the fire. The realization finally hit her. Voldemort was back. She had always believed Harry, but now it seemed more real.
A few members of the Order murmured their goodbyes and disapparated. Tonks went to help Mrs. Weasley and Lupin made his way outside to be on his own. Mr. Weasley eventually went into the kitchen as well.
"We should get back to the flat," Fred stated, standing. He helped Vanessa up and began their goodbyes.
"We'll stop by for dinner sometime," Vanessa promised, hugging both Ron and Ginny. She headed into the kitchen, receiving bone-crushing hugs from Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks. Mrs. Weasley gave them a container of leftovers, before shooing them out.
Vanessa gave Lupin a tight hug, unable to imagine what he was going through. He had just been reunited with his best friend and just as soon got the friendship ripped away. The final goodbyes had finally been said and the three disapparated back to the flat. "G'night, George," she and Fred stated, heading towards their shared room.
Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Hayes quite reluctant, had let Vanessa stay with the Weasley boys on a few conditions. She would return to Hogwarts when the term started to do her seventh year, they would have two dinners together a week, and she kept her job at Flourish and Blotts. Vanessa had quickly accepted, figuring keeping her job would give her something to do while Fred and George were quite busy in the shop.
Fred collapsed on their bed, still in his maroon work suit. He glanced over at Vanessa who began pulling her pajamas and his out of their dresser drawers. "'Nessa," he whined childishly. "I don't want you to go back to Hogwarts," he added, this time serious.
Crossing over to the bed, Vanessa sat by his side. "You know I have to, Freddie," she replied, pushing stray hair out of his eyes. "On the days you have off, you always can visit. Then there's the Holidays," she continued thoughtfully. Not only had she promised her parents, she actually wanted to finish school. Umbridge was clearly gone and she was sure things would be much better.
Sitting up, Fred took her hand in both of his. "It's going to be dangerous now that You-Know-Who has revealed himself. Even at Hogwarts," he murmured, the worry clear in his eyes. If anything happened to Vanessa, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for not being there to protect her. "Dumbledore seemed extraordinarily weaker after the fight at the Ministry... I'm not sure how safe it's going to be there," he added, fiddling with her fingers.
"Oh, Fred. We both know I can take care of myself perfectly fine. I'll be extra careful so you don't have to worry too much," Vanessa promised, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Don't think I won't be worrying about you as well. You're going to be out here in Diagon Alley with no protective shields like Hogwarts," she added, frowning at the thought.
Fred kissed the top of her head, sighing. "Any day I get off, I'll be there visiting. When you send an owl with the dates of your Hogsmead trips, I'll be waiting right at the gate," he promised. "No need to worry about me, love. I've been taught by some of the best teachers how to defend myself," he added, referring to Lupin and Harry. He reached across the bed to pick up their discarded pajamas.
Vanessa frowned slightly, but gave in. She fiddled with the buttons on his suit jacket, then the ones on the vest underneath. "I honestly don't know why you wear all these wretched button-ups," she grumbled, undoing each button on the crisp, white dress shirt next.
"They make me look older, more mature," Fred teased, shrugging off the three layers lazily. He pulled at Vanessa's sweater and grinned boyishly. They did that each night, memorizing each other's body. Every curve, every muscle... He pulled on his pajama bottoms and joined her under the covers. "Love you," he told her seriously, trailing his fingers along the thin material of her shirt.
"Love you too," Vanessa replied, snuggling up to his chest. She briefly pressed her lips to his before closing her eyes and tightening the blanket around her. Before long, she heard Fred's slow breathing and sighed. Of course he could sleep calmly, whilst she worried about her friends and family.
According to Lila, her mother had escaped the Ministry before she got sent to Azkaban like the others. If it was anything like last time, Vanessa was sure Lila's mother would come for her parents soon enough. Fred was now endangered of being attacked the longer they stayed together.
Sighing, Vanessa kissed Fred's shoulder. "You have no idea how much I truly love you," she mumbled quietly. Soon afterwards, she had finally been able to fall into restless sleep. Everywhere she turned in the dream, she saw one of her friends of family members dead. Soon she saw Fred's broken and bloody body, her aunt's laughter filling her ears.
"'Nessa, wake up," Fred whispered, hovering over her. It was still late and her tossing and turning had disturbed his peaceful rest. "Vanessa, wake up. It was just a dream," he added, shaking her slightly. He was surprised when she shot up and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
She buried her face in his shoulder, trying to control her breathing. "Bad dream, just a bad dream," she explained quietly, though it was quite obvious she had been having a nightmare. "I'm alright," she assured Fred, pulling away to examine is face in the faint moon light. "I promise."
Fred kissed her forehead, searching her eyes for any sign of a break down. "You know you can always talk to me," he told her. He adjusted the covers around them, both snuggling back up together in the warm pillows.
Vanessa yawned and rested her head next to his on the soft pillow. "I know that. If something really was bugging me, you'd be the first to know," she promised, pressing her lips to his as a reassurance.
"Merlin's beard!" George groaned, waiting for his twin so they could go down and open up the shop. He groaned again when he heard Vanessa's laughter filtering from the bathroom soon followed by Fred's. He finished his glass of orange juice, fully dressed and ready to get going. The worst part about Vanessa joining them was that Fred was always reluctant to leave in the morning, the best part being she was great at organizing the technical parts of the business and could cook better then either of them.
The bathroom door opened and Fred backed out, his hair still slightly damp from his shower. He was fully dressed, in the same suit as George, but missing his shoes. Sticking his head back into the steam-filled bathroom, he gave Vanessa a long 'goodbye' kiss, for what seemed like the fifth time that morning.
Laughing, Vanessa clutched the towel to her chest, her hair still filled with suds. "Go, go, before George comes back here," she told him, but returned the kiss. She was trying her hardest not to get his suit wet. "I'll be down in a bit," she promised, shoving him out of the bathroom and shutting the door.
"Relax, George, we still have a bit before Mum and everyone comes. Don't think I didn't hear you and some girl up until all hours of the night last night. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't tell her to stay," Fred stated, smirking at his brother's annoyed look. He slid his shoes on and grabbed a cup of orange juice.
Rolling his eyes, George stowed his wand and opened the door. "Shove off," he muttered, heading out of the flat and down to the large shop. At the moment all was calm and quiet, but soon enough the store would be filled with Hogwarts students and their families that were shopping for supplies, but needed a break.
An hour after opening the shop, it was already crammed with people. Vanessa finally made her way down, dressed in her Muggle clothes. She had taken the day off, with much pleading, since the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were all visiting that day. She would, of course, head over to Flourish and Blotts to visit her Grandmother and Lila, but that was because they were going to have supper with her parents back at the flat.
"About time, you're such a girl when it comes to getting ready," Fred teased, joining her at the top of the steps. "Mum's seen you pretty disheveled, I don't understand why you think you need to dress like you're trying to impress her," he added, leaning against the railing.
"Have you already forgotten? My parents are coming 'round for dinner," Vanessa pointed out, looping her arm through his. "Plus, you can't deny you like it when I get all prettied up," she added teasingly, grinning up at the much taller boy.
Smirking, Fred tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "I dunno, I believe I like the view I got this morning," he teased, leaning down to kiss her. He groaned slightly when he heard George call his name before his lips could touch hers.
Playfully smacking his shoulder, Vanessa laughed. "Come one, you'll have much time later to do that. Right now, work comes first," she stated, tugging him down the winding stairs. She ducked from a Fanged Frisbee and caught a run-away Pygmy Puff on the way down, shaking her head slightly.
"About time you got down here. Vanessa, if you don't mind putting the Pygmy Puff back in it's cage and going to the back room to deal with the order of Shield Cloaks the Ministry ordered?" George asked, a slightly pleading look in his eyes. "And before you offer to help her, Fred, we need to restock the shelf of Nosebleed Nougat and the shelf of the Daydream Charms," he added quickly as Fred opened his mouth. "Once we get that finished, I suppose you can run off and pretend to help 'Nessa."
Vanessa headed back to the back room after returning the bright pink Pygmy Puff to its cage. She began to box up the Shield Cloaks, ten per box. The Ministry had ordered one hundred the week before, and they were requesting another two hundred this time around. She sealed the boxes by hand, her seventeenth birthday not for a week. It wasn't long before the door opened and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.
"Just one week before you no longer have to do manual labor," Fred teased, resting his chin on her shoulder. He planted a few kisses along her shoulder, traveling up to the sensitive spot on her neck.
"Freddie, not here," she whined, pausing with the taping the boxes shut. She honestly didn't want him to stop, but if George or Verity were to walk in, they'd never be left alone during work. When he reached the sensitive spot, she gave in and leaned back against his chest. "If George or Verity..." she began weakly, trying to feebly attempt to stop him.
Fred grinned against the soft skin of her neck. "If Verity walks in, she'll learn to stop flirting with me. If George walks in, he'll get over it," he pointed out, turning her in his arms so he could kiss her lips. It was clear she had finally given in because she slid one hand into his hair, the other fiddled with the buttons on his jacket.
She gasped in surprise when he pushed her back against the wall, but welcomed the support it gave her. At the moment, his fingers worked at the tiny buttons on her white shirt. She groaned when Verity's feeble cough floated from the doorway. "Every time," she grumbled fumbling with the three buttons he managed to get undone.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Hayes..." Verity started, her face practically as red as a strawberry. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are here with the others..."
"We'll be right out, Verity," Fred muttered, glancing back at the slightly disheveled Vanessa. He shrugged apologetically and smoothed her hair down. "Later," he promised, kissing her forehead.
Vanessa laughed quietly and fixed his hair, glancing at the retreating form of Verity. "Think she'll finally get the picture to leave you alone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as they headed out after her.
Fred snickered and slipped his arm around her shoulders. "If not, I suppose we could give her yet another show," he teased, before being enveloped in his mother's large hugs. Next he shook hands with his father and hugged Ginny.
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Oh, aren't these two so adorable? c:
So, if you please, hit that lovely little review button and tell me your thoughts on these two?
Until next time!
~AllieWeasleyxx
