The weekend at Ginny's was going very nicely. Hermione had arrived just in time for dinner. We were all seated at a very large table, enjoying ourselves. Fred met my glance and smiled at me. I smiled back and continued my conversation with Ginny despite her raised eyebrow and grin. After dinner, Ginny and Hermione and I sat by the fireplace and talked.
"Dierdre, You seem quieter than usual. Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"Well, something happened today." I began. "Fred and I went for a walk…"
Ginny cut in. "Did he upset you? If he did I'll take care of it!"
I laughed and hugged Ginny. "No, he… comforted me."
Ginny and Hermione looked equally puzzled. "You guys should really see your faces. I'll explain. As you know, my mother passed away." I paused, surprisingly choked up. "It's been really hard not having her here, and it just kind of got to me earlier."
Ginny's eyes met mine. "I'm sorry, D." She said. "Was it being around my family that made it harder?"
I got up and hugged Ginny. "No, well I don't think so anyways. That's not really what it was though. I used to talk to her about everything. I was just wishing I could go to her for motherly advice and.." I choked back a sob. "I just can't now."
Hermione started crying. "Oh, Dierdre! I wish I could help."
We all stood there in a big group hug. A quiet cough interrupted our moment of bonding. Ron stood in the doorway of the living room.
"Ginny, mum said to tell you she wanted us to get up a little earlier. I just thought maybe I'd tell you before you stayed up too late. Umm.. Sorry to interrupt."
Hermione and Ron's eyes met. They exchanged a brief smile and Ron went up to bed. The three of us girls headed upstairs as well. Once we were all in our sleeping bags, we talked for awhile, and one by one, we fell asleep.
I woke up in the morning to Mrs. Weasley yelling up the stairs. "Girls! Time to wake up! Come downstairs!"
I had barely slept because we stayed up late, so I just straightened my hair a little and stumbled downstairs half awake. Fred was sitting at the table wearing just pajama pants. I swear to you my heart stopped. He grinned at me and I noticed I was staring. I blushed and looked at Ginny who immediately started laughing. George stumbled into the kitchen, also is just bed pants and I turned even more red. I excused myself and went to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face. I looked in the mirror and noticed just how red I was. "Pull yourself together!" I quietly exclaimed to my reflection.
After breakfast Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went to run some errands. Ginny, Hermione, and Ron got caught up in a game and I went for a walk. I found myself at Fred's quiet spot. I understood why he came here. It was so peaceful. I was sitting on the tree branch, lost in thought when Fred walked over.
"I thought I might find you here."
I turned around to the smile I couldn't seem to get out of my head. The smile that lit up his eyes and melted my heart. He walked over to me.
"Hopefully you're not here crying?"
I smiled. "Nope. No tears today. What brings you out here?"
Fred laughed. Hermione and Ron are arguing about whatever stupid game they were playing and Ginny is straightening things up before mum gets back." We both fell silent for awhile. I tossed leaves in the watering hole and watched them float. I looked at Fred. He looked so serious. That was laughable. Fred was never serious about anything. He met my gaze and held it. After sitting like that a few minutes, he broke the silence.
"Dierdre, I want to talk to you about something."
I looked at the water, then back at him. "Should I be scared?" I asked gently, laughing a little.
"Since the other day when we were out here. There was so much pain in your eyes."
I looked at the water. This conversation was getting kind of serious. I was hoping that he would joke about something, lighten the mood..
"I didn't realize how much you meant to me. I know we've only known each other for a couple weeks. I'm not trying to make things weird. I just wanted to let you know that it kills me to see even an ounce of hurt in those soft greenish brown eyes of yours."
He met my eyes. He laughed. There was a short silence. "Wow, that took a lot of effort. Ha. Well, this is awkward." He looked at the ground. I reached over and lifted his chin until he met my gaze again.
"Thank you. Fred, you don't know how much I needed to hear that. You mean a lot to me, too. I'm so happy I met you."
Fred smiled at me. "And, you look adorable when you wake up in the morning."
I blushed and Fred laughed. I knew I would cherish this moment forever. These simple moments meant the world to me. I had friends, people who cared about me. I knew I was going to be alright.
Fred hugged me and we headed back to the house.
