Chapter Five- Life at Christmas

"That was life... then, and then it was prefect." - Angelina Johnson

Luna felt unbelievable comfortable on the Weasley's couch even if her current situtaltion wasn't to the same degree. George had barely spoken to her in the past couple of days instead turned bright red and muttered nonsense. She had just moved into Ginny's bedroom, and already gained an enemy known as Hermione Granger.

Hermione believed Luna had a crush on Ron. Luna didn't have a crush on Ron, but it was to her own amusment she kept up the act. Ginny thought it was all rather amusing too, and the two had spent a majority of the holidays coming up with new ways to annoy Hermione, between Ginny's endless gossip about what Luna had missed in her brief time off from school. Luna listened, but when the gossip came to her Luna dogged Ginny's endless questions about the boy Luna fancied before break.

She still felt like an outside in the Weasley house despite Ginny's best efforts. She never spoke up during the usually fights, and preferred to watch from the sidelines. Even the smallest fights were interesting.

"Is their a reason you insist on annoying my girlfriend?!" Ron puffed out his stomach during a sibling battle.

Ginny shrugged, "It is not my fault she is easily annoyed."

Ron turned to Harry who gave his best mate a week smile. "Ron, there is no winning when your up against Ginny."

Ron stomped off.

After giving Harry a quick kiss Ginny grabbed Luna's hand, "Come on lets introduce Freddie to the snow."

"I miss Angelina. She was quite funny." Luna muttered as the snow fell like a curtian over her hair. Ginny was next to her catching snow flakes on her tounge. "She loved winter and couldn't wait to see Freddie's first." At the metion of his name the little bundle in her arms shifted. She remembered the conversion as if it was yesterday.

"I can't imagine life after the baby," Angelina muttered during one of the boring days at the shop, "I'm excited, but scared as hell. Merlin, I miss Fred."

The sadness was still evident in her eyes, but she was getting better. "I'm sure Fred would have been trilled."

"Trilled?" Angelina snorted, "Trilled is an understatement. He only had known for a few days the last time I saw him and he was already planning the little runts future. 'Angie, Fred Jr is going to be bloody famous... more famous then me and mates.' As if he was going to be famous..."

They both knew that was a lie. Fred had everything going for him. Business was booming, he had deals in process to expand far beyond a dingy little shop in London. George, his twin and his best mate would have been able to live without limits, but now. Now they were all limited to barely making it by. Luna didn't know ow to tell a woman that the father of her child, and the man who was planning on taking care of her for the rest of her life was compete gone.

"I'm looking forward to the snow," Angelina sniffed back tears, "Freddie will at least know how his mum met his father... Oh Fred and his stupid fourth year ego... I wouldn't be his valentine so he threw a snow ball at me and ran off. It was that moment I hated him... but I guess it's how I fell for him too." The last of the words were barely there, "That was life... then, and then it was prefect."

Ginny spoke breaking her memory.

"I wish I knew her more. Fred shouldn't have kept her a secret," the Weasley girl was quiet for a moment, "I'm scared though. I'm afraid George will never be the same again. He so scared of his own shell now. He was never like this when he was younger."

"He's not the same person anymore," Luna whispered, "With Fred he had an identity, he knew who he was... now he doesn't really know he is."

The silent tears of the girls froze midway done their faces.

"Merlin, I hate this," Ginny spoke up, "Why us? Why so much lost for one family? This is going to be the worse Christmas ever. Percy's finally back but George sent him off to America. Charlie barely talks to us since..." She didn't finish her sentence but Luna knew what she meant to say. "George... he's lost."

There was nothing Luna could say, she could only listen as Ginny let out her anger.

"I know the rest of the family is still weird with this situation... but I'm kind of glad," The redhead smiled, "I'm glad your here this Christmas, Luna." She ticked her nephew's stomach, "I'm glad your here too, Freddie."

"Thank you," Luna whispered.

"I hate this -effing world right now... how screwed everyone's life is." Ginny muttered, "And I know I've been taking my anger out on Hermione, for some stupid reason." She changed the subject. "Do you want to visit your daddy, Freddie?"

The three hiked to where Fred had been laid to rest. Ginny colapsed on the ground while Luna hugged Freddie closer as the wind grew bitter. There was nothing she could for Ginny who still refused to accept things on her own level. Luna saw how much she was like Ron, stubborn to the point of pure abandonment.

"Merlin, George is acting like a child! He has barely left his room since we got back from the St. Mungos. He can't just act like the problem doesn't exist." Ginny muttered on the way back.

Luna couldn't say anything about George. She didn't feel like he was avoiding the problem: he was avoiding her. Sure they had conversions but they had been brief, George asking her to watch Freddie when he went off to work. She realized that she had never had a long conversion with George in the whole time she knew him. It didn't help that every time he came near her he would get red and tried to rush off. Did she really appall him that much?

"I believe he's accepted Freddie. He was joking with Ronald about teaching him Quidditch once the spring comes."

Ginny snorted, "It was probably Ron who wanted to teach him Quidditch. Ron's all about the Qudditch."

"Isn't Ron joining the Cannons?"

"He did, but then they fired him. He got into a stupid fight. Oh, I wish I saw that fight with Hermione. Harry told him it was amusing." Ginny was already feeling better.

"We better get in," Luna muttered, "It's going to get bad."

The family members visiting got snowed in after dinner, not that Mrs. Weasley would have let them leave otherwise.

"I bet Percy didn't even want to come to dinner," Ron muttered, "George just gave him an excuse."

"He wanted to come but there was some stuff he had to do," George spoke up for the first time the entire night.

"Yes, but did he need to do them during Christmas?" Mrs. Weasley watched his hand on the clock that had been on travel the whole night, "I worry about him."

"He had to go." George look guilty and Luna could tell that Percy's trip had nothing to do with the shop.

"I just wished we had the family together for Christmas," Mrs. Weasley went on, "I wonder if Charlie got my gift, I so wish he was here."

"I do too," Bill muttered, "It would be nice if he'd say something. He's barely owled since the end of the war."

George shifted nervously in his chair, and Luna knew that didn't have to do with Charlie and wondered if that had to do with her, as he would shot glares at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

The family opened their gifts and Luna was surprised with the amount for her. Mrs. Weasley had even knitted her a sweater, which she wore the rest of the night. George had even gotten her something, and even though she didn't understand what it meant she was thankful.

The fire had died down Christmas Night. George had sat down next to her with Freddie asleep in his arms.

"It's the werfs." Luna muttered glancing over at Ginny and Harry at the misletoe. "They love hidding in misltoe. They are very sneaky."

George shifted next to her, his dragon hide coat crinking. His voice was soft near her ear, "Really?"

"Oh yes. It is one of the first things Daddy taught me."

"I don't think it's the werfs." His eyes met her and she was shocked to see so much emotion reflected in them, and was afraid of keeping them too long and scaring him off. But he didn't move, and instead moved forward, his lips brushing against hers.