Christmas was Arabelle's favourite time of year to be at the burrow. The decorations were put up by all the family, meaning it looked like the box of decorations had exploded covering every inch of the room in tinsel and baubles and lights. There was red and gold eveywhere, which reminded her of the Gryffindor common room, it also reminded Mr and Mrs weasley of there too, the place they had met. The open fire was lit and 10 stockings were crammed on to the mantle piece for each member of the family. As the rain pounded against the small Windows the scene inside was something off of a Christmas card.

Molly had just brought in a big tray of mugs filled with hot chocolate and everyone was sitting around the fire listening to stories that Arthur was telling of their time at Hogwarts. Arabelle was sitting at the opposite end of the room to Charlie, she had Ginny on her lap and was brushing her hair, ginny was very glad to see Arabelle back after nearly 3 months with only her brothers to play with.

Arabelle felt awkward. Everything was as it had always been at the burrow, but now her feelings felt out of place. At school it was easy to be with Charlie, but the burrow was where they had spent their childhood together becoming best friends. Where Molly and Arthur had treated her as if she was their own daughter. She felt as if her feelings for Charlie were all wrong here. She should see Charlie as a brother figure, like she did with Bill and Percy and the other weasley children. But Charlie was different to her, he was closer. She worried mostly that Ginny and Ron wouldn't understand if Charlie and her began acting like a couple around them and that they would treat her differently. She knew Charlie was trying to get her attention but she was deep in thought and she kept her focus on Ginny. By the time everyone began climbing the stairs to bed it was late. Arabelle was about to close the door to her room when Charlie rammed his foot in front of it to stop it closing.

"Hey" he whispered "you okay?" He looked concerned. "You seemed out of it tonight we've barely spoken since we got here."

"I'm okay" she said slightly too defensively "I've just been busy with seeing everyone again."

"Okay well I thought I'd just check"

"Well you really don't need to Charlie everything is fine"

"If you say so" he replied, moving his foot and pulling her door closed behind him.

Arabelle sunk down to the floor listening to his footsteps climbing the stairs. She looked around the room where they used to spend their nights whispering to each other. The white iron bed frame slowly rusting to a silver metal. The Sun faded blue floral bed sheets, the wooden white dressing table with the paint peeling off and the stool that rocked every time you sat down. This place seemed like a whole different world to Arabelle, she felt like a different person here. For some time she sat there thinking, the draught under the door sending chills through her body as house grew quiet.

She slowly got up and was just about to climb into bed when there was a knock on her door, she tiptoed over the creaky floorboards and pulled it open "Charlie I said I'm fi...oh" she cut herself short as it wasn't Charlie standing there but molly. She looked Arabelle in the eyes with that sympathetic look on her face, the look that made a lump form in Arabelle's throat and her eyes sting eveytime.

"I've been speaking to Charlie" Molly told her.

Arabelle swallowed hard and turned away leaving the door open for Molly to come in. She climbed into bed as Molly closed the door behind her and perched by her feet on the end of the bed.

"What did he tell you?" Arabelle asked feeling awkward.

"Everything" she replied smiling. "You know Arabelle this was the reason I was so careful to make sure the children didn't see you as their sister. I knew you and Charlie would fall in love one day and I didn't want anything to stop that happening. I don't want you to feel as though your not allowed to feel the way you do, no one can tell you that what you feel is wrong." She was quiet for a moment. "When you were young it was a difficult time, there was suffering everywhere you turned, the war was destroying everything and no one knew for sure it would ever end" Molly whispered her eyes brimming with tears. It was rare for anyone to talk about the war as it brought back terrible memories for most. Arabelle remained silent as Molly spoke not wanting to interrupt her. "When your mother would visit and you and Charlie would run around playing together without a care in the world, we just knew you two would grow up to love and look after each other. Mothers' intuition." She smiled sadly. "It gave us a glimmer of hope that if anything happened to either of us you two would be okay. Because you would have each other." Arabelle felt tears stinging her eyes as Molly spoke of her mother. "Then when she died" Molly began to sob quietly while Arabelle's tears rolled silently down her cheeks. "Your father changed, he loved her so much, maybe that's what...turned him. He was away so often sometimes I felt he wouldn't come back for you. You reminded him of her too much. I knew I had to look after you after she died. I had to make sure you were okay." She smiled as she pulled Arabelle into a tight hug. "You have made me so proud, and I know she would be proud too. You fit into this family so well and I know no one will take better care of you than Charlie will. Your mother and I are sure of it."

Arabelle spoke for the first time. Her voice was shaking but she held it together. "What about Ginny and Ron, they won't understand." She began to cry again.

"They will know that nothing will change. The only thing that will change is the fact that you will belong as a part of this family more than you ever have before" she laughed.

They both hugged each other tightly. Both of them reminding each other of the woman they'd lost five years ago and holding on to those things in the darkness of that winter's night.

"Umm you mind if I come in? A voice at the door pulled them back into reality. They both turned, bleary eyed to see Charlie standing at the door. His hair messy and his t-shirt and pyjama bottoms askew. "Sorry" he said.

"It's okay dear I was just about to leave for bed" Molly smiled. She turned back and wiped her eyes dry as Arabelle did the same. Molly squeezed her leg in a comforting way and stood up flattening her dress down then turned to leave, kissing Charlie on the head as she passed "goodnight" she smiled as she pulled the door closed behind her.

Charlie stood there awkwardly looking at Arabelle. She smiled shyly at him then pulled back her duvet making room for him to climb in next to her. He did so kissing her on the end of her nose and wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks. "I couldn't sleep" he told her.

"Me either" she replied, and like they had so many times before they lay there in the darkness talking to each other until they fell asleep. Both knowing, like their mothers did, that they would be there for each other for the rest of their lives.