Chapter 10
~Fred's POV~
Yes! She does like me! I couldn't take it anymore and kissed her, and she kissed me back! Hermione Granger, my girlfriend. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. When we got off the train we saw Mum and we all made our way over there. Hermione and I tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible.
"Come on, take a hold of the port key it goes off in five minutes, make sure you are holding all your stuff." Mum said. I grabbed onto the port key and soon enough I felt the tug at the back of my navel. We landed in the living room and we turned to see Sirius rush into the room but as he rushed in he knocked open the curtain hiding his Mums portrait.
"FILTHY MUDBLOODS IN MY HOUSE! HOW DARE YOU! GET OUT. OUT! BLOOD TRAITORS ARE JUST AS DISGUSTING!" He ignored the painting and went straight for Harry and gave him a big hug. I saw Hermione run over to the painting to pull the curtain back around it. "YOU! MUDBLOOD. DON'T TOUCH MY PAINTING!" Hermione ignored it, if I could have I would have punched that painting and finally she got it closed. Mum sent all our stuff into our rooms.
"Yay! People!" Sirius said happily. We all laughed at this. "Come I will show you all to your rooms first, you can relax a little bit then you can all come back downstairs for food." We followed him up stairs toward the second floor. The second floor was entirely made up of guest rooms and study rooms just for us, Sirius had said. Most of the house was decorated in dark colors but was now well kept. The third floor was for the Order, Sirius and Mum and Dad. Each room even had a name tag on the door with a person or two's name. "There are enough room in this house for everyone to have their own room and more." He turned to look at me and George.
"You and George have one of the biggest rooms because its two conjoined bedrooms so you can share yet still have your own space. I knew you guys would probably be more comfortable together." He said. I looked at George and we both high fived at the same time. "The rooms you guys have here will always be yours so you can decorate it anyway you want. There's furniture in it already but you can do with it what you want. Each room has a study and bathroom attached to it." From the outside the rooms looked very small. The doors were close to each other which gave the appearance that there wasn't much room inside.
"Did you use enlargement spells on the rooms?" Hermione asked.
"Not me, the rooms have always been that way for as long as I can remember." His face got a little bit sad at that. We continued walking down the hall until we reached the first doors on our left. They were two doors next to each other. The names said Misters George and Fred Weasley, Master Pranksters Extraordinaire in an arc around the doors. Sparkles and confetti burst out through the doors but dissolved before it hit the ground or anyone. Everyone all laughed at this and we high fived again.
"I enchanted them to all do the same or different things." The door across from it said Percy Weasley really big and next to it was his face, looking very sad. We looked at it and back at Sirius.
"This one is enchanted to shows his emotions." We all nodded at this but none of us understood why he was sad. The one next to ours said Charlie Weasley and had dragons flying all over the door, occasionally throwing fire. If you looked close you could see someone on the back of one of the dragons that looked suspiciously like Charlie. As it got closer and closer we realized it WAS Charlie and soon he was close up and looking directly at us. Right at that moment the door opened.
"Charlie!" We all screamed. "How did you do that?"
"How did I do what?" He said as he leaned against the door. We then explained the dragons and the picture and he shrugged and pointed at Sirius.
"The spell senses Charlie coming closer and makes his picture self move closer to the door as the real Charlie does."
"That's genius!" Hermione said happily. We walked onto the room across from Charlie's and it said Ginny Weasley on it. There was a picture on the door of two quidditch brooms criss-crossed together and a snitch in the center. At first we waited and then turned to Sirius.
"Knock on the door Mione. Then after try opening it." He said. She walked towards the door and knocked, a quiet lullaby that all of us Weasleys recognized started playing when her skin touched the door. Then when she touched the door knob it did the same thing. Soon Sirius had all of us do that, each of us having our own soft tune. Last was Harry, when he knocked no sound could be heard, his knock included, but when he grabbed the door knob a loud siren pierced the air. We all put our hands over our ears to block the sound out. Sirius was on the floor laughing.
"HAH. Try sneaking into each other's rooms now! Yes the same thing is on your door." He said looking at Harry. "Oh Arthur will love this." Harry and Ginny looked a bit sad.
"That's bloody brilliant!" George and I said at the same time. I was glad that wasn't on my room. Next to Ginny's room was Ron's. When Hermione and Harry saw it they started laughing.
~Hermione's POV~
"What's this?" Ron asked.
"I know how much you like snacks Ron so here you go." Sirius said, trying to hold back his laughter.
"I don't know what it is…" He said sadly.
"Ronald. It is a muggle thing called a Vending Machine. You put money in here and then type in the number of the snack you want and it will come out." I explained.
"And since you need to pay to get your snack it will always magically refill it's self. It is only a knut per snack and after you've gotten your snack it will open up to your room. If you don't want to buy a snack to get in you can create your own code and just type it in." Ron looked elated and immediately started looking at the snacks.
We skipped Harry's door laughing; we already knew what that door did. Knowing Ginny, she'd find a way around it. Next to Harry's room was my room. I stood there excitedly, waiting to see what it would do.
"Now Hermione, you have two surprises, it's like a two in one. Only because I had the painting up in my attic for some reason, she was being attacked in her portrait by painted in dementors. She's fine, her portrait can't die and her soul can't be sucked away but they are still terrifying. She's inside your room." My door had a golden frame around it and inside it looked all cloudy. "Go up to it and put your hand anywhere on the door. Now you can say it out loud or in your mind. Ask it a question and it will give you the best advice it can come up with." I walked up to the door and did what he asked. Will dinner be good tonight? I thought.
"Well that depends. Who is cooking?" A voice said. It sounded like a woman.
Molly Weasley. I thought back.
"Has she ever made an unsatisfactory meal before?" She asked.
No.
"Well then you've found your answer." I had a feeling she was smiling. I turned around with a wide eyed look.
"You'll figure it out once you've had a chance to go inside your room. It works for everyone by the way." Sirius said. The last room, across from mine was Bill and the one next to his was temporarily Fluers. It had a painting of them in between the rooms with their names written elegantly on top of the door. "Come on, let's go eat."
After dinner we all went into the living room to talk and relax. As I walked to the couch I heard a tap at the window. I walked over to see my owl, Star. I had sent her over to my mom with a letter a little while ago. I wonder why she's just come back now. I opened up the letter.
Dear Hermione.
How are you? I'm good here at Aunt Phoebes' as you already know. You should really stop sending your poor owl all the way here. The trip tires her out. Surely you should have known that. Honey, I want you to stay with your friends for the whole holiday this break. I have some bad news. We are moving to America. I just can't be in England anymore. You can understand why? It won't be that bad. And you will still go to your last year at Hogwarts but afterwards you will be here in America with me. I'm sorry honey, but I know you understand. I love you and Happy Christmas, or as they say it over here, Merry Christmas. Your gift is attached.
Love, Mum.
I dropped the letter and gift. Tears had started forming in my eyes. Move, to America after Hogwarts. I'll never see Harry, Or Ginny or Ron again. Or Fred… I ran up to my room as fast as I could. I heard several people call my name but I kept going. I got to my room and slammed the door.
"Ow! Excuse me." I turned around to see a portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw hanging on my door. My second surprise!
"Oh I'm so sorry." I said. I straightened her portrait and turned to look at my room. Next to the door was a dresser that matched the tables, vanity and bookcases that where in the room as well. The whole left wall was covered in book cases and had two doors on either side. The back wall had the vanity pressed up against it and the corner, back and right wall was covered in windows with a seat area that had a few white and lilac pillows. The floor was covered in a plush white carpet that looked brand new. To my right was a queen size bed. It had four posts going up and had a flimsy see through black curtains.
The bed spread was a mixture of black, white and lilac pillows. The comforter being the same purple and the bed frame itself being white. It had two tables next to it, one with some flowers on it and the other with an alarm clock. On the left side of the bed there was another door. I went through it too see my empty luggage inside. It was a closet. The doors by the book cases led to a beautiful blue and white bathroom and a study. In the middle of the room there was a table and two couches. I walked over to my bed and flopped down on it. I grabbed a pillow and tears started flowing down my face.
"What's wrong?" I heard a voice coming from my door. Thinking it was one of the Weasleys I shouted, "Go away!"
"Well, there aren't many places for a door to go, miss." She said. I looked up and realized it was Rowena Ravenclaw speaking to me through her portrait.
"Why are you crying, dove?" She asked. I explained all about my father's death and my mother's departure to America.
"Is there any advice you can give me?" I pleaded.
"Honey, all I can say is you must learn to accept things the way that they are. I'd be able to give you a bit more wise advice but my diadem is gone. My poor daughter stole it from me in the dead of the night and from there I haven't a clue where she is or what happened to my poor crown. Merlin forbids it should fall into the wrong hands! It's a priceless Ravenclaw heirloom!"At that there was a knock at my door.
"I'm sorry about your crown, miss. Excuse me." I said, hurrying to get the door. It was Fred. I quickly wiped my eyes to rid myself of any evidence of my crying. He walked in and quickly wrapped his arms around me.
"America?" He whispered. I nodded and cried quietly into his chest. "It's ok, Mione. You will still be here for your last year. And you have to come to the Burrow over the summer, like you always do. So we will see each other. Knowing you, we will definitely see you all the time. After Hogwarts you'll come work as an Auror or healer. You won't lose any of us." I nodded my head and he moved us to go sit by the windows.
"America. That's so far away though." He nodded his head and we sat there for a few minutes, both lost in our thoughts.
"Everyone's read the letter Mione. So let's go downstairs so you can see just how much everyone loves you." We walked out of the room and made sure to stay far apart. My plan wasn't ready.
"Hey, no one was suspicious of you coming to help me?"
"Nope, they all know I like you and they all know you like me. They just think we don't know that we know that we like each other and know that the feelings are the same from each other." The baffling sentence made sense and I laughed.
"Ok then." We entered the living room at that point.
"Hermione!" "Mione!' I heard from several people. I was engulfed in hugs and we all sat down.
"There is no way you are going to America." Harry said, "The Golden Trio sticks together!" We all laughed at this and it made me feel a little bit better.
"Well, I'll be staying at Hogwarts so it's okay, I suppose." I was a little bit sad. I won't be away from everyone for very long. We still have the war…
"Dinner's ready." Mrs. Weasley said.
~HG HG HG~
The first couple of days passed with all of us hanging out, going present and tree shopping.
"Everyone, downstairs now. It's time to decorate the treeeeeee!" Sirius said, using a Sonorus spell to magnify his voice. A thunder of footsteps could be heard while we all made our way down. There in the middle of the living room was a HUGE tree. We all gathered by the boxes of ornaments and with a flick of my wand Christmas music started playing and we all got to work. It was a lot of fun. Butterbeers where passed around and laughs were shared. As we put up the lights no one noticed that Harry was stepping on one.
"I. Can't. Get. This. One." Each word followed by a tug as Ron tried to get the lights. Finally with one humongous pull he managed to get the lights, while tripping Harry at the same time. Harry went flying back and I, being the unfortunate one that was behind Harry, was pushed into the box of ornaments with Harry. We came back out of the box covered in bows and pouts on our faces. Everyone was laughing at us and soon we all had bows on our heads.
"Sirius, why is that box so bloody deep?" Harry asked as he tried to get out. I waited patiently for my turn to get out.
"I have a lot of lights in there! I like those lights." He said smiling.
"Need some help?" George asked, while he held his hand out. He had a suspicious look in his eyes so I declined politely. I wish I could say the rest of the decorating went smoothly but it didn't. At one point Fred and George accidently pushed Sirius into one of the boxes and when he came back out he was in an entirely different outfit. He was now wearing the same green outfit Rita Skeeter always had on. I don't think the prank had the effect the twins wanted because Sirius jumped with joy back into the box to see which outfit he would have on next. He came back out in the deep purple robes Dumbledore favored. Now content with his outfit, he transfigured a cup into a long white beard and put it on. We finally finished decorating the tree and the house and we all sat down exhausted.
"Hermione, there are some snacks in the kitchen can you grab them?" I nodded and as I walked into the kitchen Fred was coming out. Fred looked up at that moment.
"Mistletoe!" He said. I looked up and remembered that we were keeping it quite, so I gave Fred a look and then pretended to be embarrassed. I looked around and then gave Fred a quick peck on the lips
"Awww! That was rubbish!" George whined from his seat.
"Too bad" I said with a smile.
I looked at everyone else and Ginny gave me a smile that said mmmhm; Mrs. Weasley looked pleasantly content, while Ron… He looked angry. Harry noticed I was looking at Ron and turned to look back at him. I saw Harry ask Ron something and they left the room together.