A/N: This chapter is dedicated to our reader/reviewer, EmeraldStorm7, who has become near and dear to our hearts. Here's a Joss chapter, Emerald, just for you!
-C
It happened over toast, which if you think about it, is really the worst way for it to have happened.
Sirius and I had been sparring all morning because my classes were cancelled. Apparently dragon pox were contagious or something. For three days, anyway.
When we finished up, I was in a toast sort of mood.
Actually, it was a firewhiskey mood, but as Molly Weasley was over checking out the situation of the pantry for Order meetings, Sirius and I agreed that toast was the most suitable alternative.
I'd buttered my first piece of toast, sitting across from Sirius, trying to ignore Molly as she muttered to herself from the pantry, when the doorbell rang.
The shrieks of Sirius's mother were horrendous, but he'd gotten good at handling it himself, so I didn't bother getting up. There was a reason I didn't go see my own mother, especially since Emma had gotten in the world's biggest of fights with her and didn't seem to be making up any time soon.
I was shoving toast in my mouth when Sirius returned, followed by a pair of nervous-looking gingers.
I dropped my toast.
"What the fuck are you two doing here?" I growled through a mouthful of toast at the twins. Not that I wasn't glad to see them, but unless my sense of date and time was totally off, they still had school to finish. A fair amount of it, actually.
"Language, Joss," Molly said sternly from the pantry, poking her head out to see who I was talking to, and both twins went crazy pale.
I almost pitied them, except I was too hungry in that exact moment to do so. I did pity them later, though, except the moment had passed.
"Hey, Mum," Fred said nervously.
It was funny, watching Fred with failing bravado. It really only happened around his mother and in bed. I personally preferred in bed for selfish reasons, but I'd always been a take-what-you-can-get sort of girl.
"What are you two doing here?" Molly said in a voice so cold, calm, and soft that I knew she was absolutely furious.
Molly Weasley was the shouting sort, to put it mildly, so if she was like this she was about six seconds from ripping off their heads, give or take a second or five.
Sirius looked about to sneak out of the kitchen, the sneaky arse, but Molly halted him with a glare.
Somehow, she thought he was in on this.
And then I looked at his gray eyes and saw fear and guilt and realized he actually was.
"Sit," Molly snapped at the three males. "Now."
They complied hastily, looking properly chastened.
I would have to learn that particular tone. It worked wonders. Maybe I could arrange lessons, I mused, licking a bit of butter off my finger.
"Why aren't you at school?" Molly said, folding her hands together, addressing the twins.
"Well, Harry needed a distraction," George said slowly.
"Needed to talk to Sirius," Fred clarified.
So that explained Sirius's little break, Remus telling him to get into the kitchen quickly. There I was, thinking one of Molly's casseroles had sprouted legs and was doing the tango with a block of cheese.
I couldn't decide which was more interesting, actually.
"So we provided it, and Umbridge decided she was going to whip us," George said, face absolutely serious.
"Excuse me?" I choked. "Like, whips? Like, torture device whips? Where the hell is my sister and why didn't you tie her to the back of your broom, Weasley?"
Fred looked mildly terrified, although that could have been mostly because of his mother, but George's face got very, very sad.
"I tried, Joss," he said softly. "She didn't want to leave before N.E.W.T.s. She's smart. She'll keep her head down."
I wasn't sure if I believed him, knowing my sister and her moods, and it seemed he wasn't sure if he believed it either. But it was all we had. And I should have known that even the twins couldn't make her leave before her stupid N.E.W.T.s.
"And what about your N.E.W.T.s?" Molly said, despairing, probably only moments from exploding at this point. "How are you going to get jobs?"
"We have a job, Mum," George said softly. "We've saved up enough to buy a shop in Diagon Alley, with a flat and everything. We've got a customer base. We've got capital, products, research. We're going to be fine."
"You gave them money, didn't you?" Molly said accusingly at a stunned Sirius.
"Trust, me, Molly," Sirius said, "I tried. They wouldn't take it. Said they had all they needed, that if I wanted to invest I could buy products or give them development ideas."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway," Fred said smoothly. "It's done now, Mum. It's not like we can go back."
Sirius had helped them, I realized. Maybe he didn't give them money, but he must have planted certain ideas in their heads, perhaps even this grand escape. I would have to remember to get it out of Fred later.
"Yeah," George said, a bit sheepishly. "Anyway, Mum, we've got to go get moved in to our flat, but we'll come over tomorrow and talk, okay?"
To my distinct surprise, Molly just nodded, perhaps too tired to argue at this point, perhaps finally coming to terms with the fact that her sons were going to do what they were going to do, that they weren't children anymore.
Somehow I doubted that last bit, but Fred asked me to come help them move in, and as I had no real commitments and plenty of questions, I unattractively shoved the last of my toast in my mouth, grabbed my coat, and made them wait to Disapparate until I'd swallowed.
I didn't quite think that the two acts of eating and Disapparating would go well together.
"So," I said when we landed in Diagon Alley, Fred lacing his fingers in mine and leading me toward a shop at the end of the street, "what exactly was the distraction?"
"Portable swamp," George said proudly. "It was brilliant. Jo... The look on her face was brilliant."
I grinned.
Those two were such love puppies, it was a miracle they'd not started making more love puppies ages ago.
A miracle doubly because Emma probably would have castrated George had that been the case.
The shop was impressive in size.
"How are you going to fill all this?" I asked, looking around at the empty shelf space.
"Oh, ye of little faith," Fred teased, tapping my nose. I glared at him, but he went on, undaunted. "We've already got enough merchandise to fill about two thirds, and when we open the doors next month we'll have more than enough to fill the shelves and the back room."
"How big's the back room?"
"Massive," George said happily.
They ushered me upstairs to the flat, which I was surprised to find had two bedrooms. There were already boxes all over the place, including in both bedrooms, so they'd had the place for a while.
"What is all this?" I asked, bewildered.
Surely they couldn't all be joke sweets. I began poking a box experimentally, but Fred pulled me away, waving at George, who was smirking as Fred closed the door to what I assumed was his bedroom behind us. I raised my eyebrows.
"If you expect to shag before you answer questions, Fred Weasley, you're sadly mistaken."
He just laughed, falling back onto his bed, motioning for me to sit beside him, which I did, basking in the feel and scent of him as he wrapped me up in a hug.
"I've missed you, you lout," I sighed. "So, exactly how did Sirius aid your escape and/or shop?"
"I never said-"
"You didn't have to," I snorted. "He's got a guilty face like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar where Molly's concerned. And Emma. I swear, she's learning your mother's ways almost too quickly." I sat up a bit, frowning. "D'you think they're doing lessons?"
"Doubtful," Fred laughed. "Bill tells me Emma's a fast learner."
I groaned, lying down on the bed, letting Fred lie beside me, pulling me closer and kissing my forehead.
The only really uncomfortable thing (because it wasn't exactly bad) about all four of us dating Weasleys was the fact that both clans seemed to tell each other nearly everything. That meant that while I got to hear the wonderful, delightful things about Val and Charlie and all their cuteness, Fred was hearing about how Emma was in bed, and I was willing to be George knew everything Fred and I had done since day one. Maybe it was the sort of thing that would get easier to stomach after a while, but thus far it was just a tad creepy.
"Are you mad?" he finally asked.
I actually had to think about that one. Was I mad that they'd dropped a portable swamp on the toad? Not so much. Was I mad they'd left my sister there? A little bit.
But having him close to me was certainly alleviating any anger I'd harbored when I found out they'd left Jo behind.
Finally I just sighed and said, "Not really. Maybe a little bit, but there wasn't much you could do about Jo."
He winced.
"We did try," he said softly. "I even talked to her because George was a bit upset she wouldn't agree to come with us."
I was both pleased with Fred's considerate attempts and surprised that George was taking it as hard as me, or harder. I frowned slightly.
"How close have those two been getting?" I asked, trying to add more than just curiosity to my voice.
Fred chuckled.
"Oh, from what I can tell they were shagging like bunnies every night before-"
"Excuse me?" I squeaked, sitting up. It was one thing for me to joke about Jo having sex, losing her virginity, etc. It was a whole different picture when it actually happened. I was torn between being proud and horrified. "But they just started going out!"
"I seem to remember us having a fairly healthy sex life from the outset," he teased with a wink, but I scowled back at him.
"And I seem to recall that you have continued to stubbornly insist that the outset was long before the Yule Ball, despite my protestations," I countered, but he didn't seem to care, or be listening. Fred pulled out his wand, locked the door, and I assumed put some sort of charm on it for sound purposes before he pulled me flush against him, pressing his lips hungrily to mine.
He was far too good at that.
I allowed Fred to roll me over as he kissed me, enjoying his taste, enjoying his strength, enjoying the eagerness of his tongue.
Oh, how I had missed this.
A few hours and several nail wounds later, Fred and I collapsed together in his bed, still on top of the sheets, tangled up in each other.
What had this boy done to me that I was cuddling after sex and not seeing anything...off about that?
His fingers traced through my hair and I found myself adjusting the way I buried my face against his neck so that he had better access.
"I love you," he whispered, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
I started to think about the size of our families, the fact that we'd become so codependent. I mean, I'd always known that Val needed Charlie even for the very breath she breathed. But seeing Emma so attached to Bill was strange, since Emma had always been such an independent pillar of strength.
And Jo was Jo, stubbornly insisting on not forming attachments because she didn't want to lose them, probably something to do with being the baby when our father died. If she'd let George in, she was never, ever letting him go.
And me, what about me? I knew how strangely dependent on Fred I was becoming, and while I liked him, I didn't like how it felt to need someone that much. What if I lost him? It wasn't like he could just die, either. There were dozens of ways I could lose him in a war in the wizarding world. Sirius had told me the stories, and that was just the stuff he thought I could handle.
But I would have to be okay, because there wasn't any going back.
Getting back into the swing of things with the boys in town was strange and took a bit.
For starters, Fred all but insisted that I move in with him. Not that I minded the idea of having sex with him every night after my long days at training, but I really didn't appreciate that he'd basically assumed I'd move in without asking me.
After a fight in which I threw a shoe at his head (and missed on purpose) and Fred threatened to Stun me if I didn't listen to reason, we had sex and I agreed to move in if he asked nicely.
Teaching Fred what asking nicely meant took another hour or so, and then we had more sex and the twins helped me move my stuff into their flat in exchange for my cautiously helping them unpack some of their many, many boxes of merchandise.
That but was definitely fun and scary all at once.
"George?" Fred called. "Which box has the fireworks? I've got an order from Hogwarts, but I can't fill it if I can't find them."
I rolled my eyes, groaning as I used my wand to cut the Spellotape on the box in front of me. They'd lost fireworks, things that could explode and burn things down and even kill people. Of course. How did I ever think those two would be capable of actually running a shop without injuring people?
And then I really should have seen it coming, but I was too busy thinking about how stupid my boyfriend was to notice that there were crackling sounds coming from the box I'd just opened. I lifted a flap of the box and out came a jut of sparks.
I confess, I screamed.
The boys rushed over to me and put out the rouge firework before we had proper chaos on our hands, but then Fred actually had the nerve to laugh.
Laugh! For nearly giving me a heart attack!
"You miserable moron!" I shrieked, smacking him, and he just kept laughing. "First you turn my sister into a creature of flight and now you nearly kill me with explosives-"
"Now, Joss, dear," Fred said, a tiny bit nervous now. "I thought we'd gotten over that whole mishap. And the fireworks are harmless, they're just a bit annoying if you don't know how to get rid of them and are trying to."
George was just sitting down beside the box, carefully going through it, putting things in boxes they'd disguised in order to fill Hogwarts orders. He was snickering to himself, probably amused at the fact that I was pummeling my boyfriend right in front of him.
Pummeling Fred never stayed pummeling Fred, though, and it wasn't too long before he kissed me to distract me and moments later we were stumbling into our bedroom (ugh, we were actually sharing things like one of those couples), locking the door behind us.
When we finished, collapsing together and laughing, Fred muttered, "You are going to be a severe hindrance to unpacking."
"How so?" I teased, running my fingers along his collarbone. He groaned.
"Because everything you do is so distractingly sexy," he hissed.
"Even when I'm beating you up?" I laughed.
"Especially when you beat me up," he purred, kissing the fingertips on my other hand, which he was grasping.
I smirked, thinking of dozens of things I could say to that.
"Well, that explains all the detentions from Potions," I settled on. "I suppose I could invest in some chains and whips if that's your thing."
He stiffened beneath me before shuddering slightly, his pupils dilating. My nails ran along his collarbone as I celebrated my mini-victory.
"No need for that," he whispered, running his free hand through my hair. "But I wouldn't mind calling you Mistress every now and again."
Hmm, interesting.
"As long as you don't slip up and call me Mum," I teased, and his face got incredibly red as he spluttered at me that I knew I'd struck a chord.
Not that I thought he had Mommy issues, but the desire to be dominated had to come from something to do with how his mother ordered people around.
"I suppose I could put you through your paces if you like," I said with mock thoughtfulness. "Exercise some sort of...domination." He shivered again and it was all I could do not to laugh. "I could have you, do the dishes."
He moaned as I ran my nail in a circle around his hard nipple.
"Anything you want," he sighed as I nipped lightly at the taut flesh.
"Maybe I could have you clean the toilet," I hissed, kissing down his torso.
"Whatever you say, dear," he choked out as I licked his re-hardening erection.
"You two know I can still hear you, right?" George cried from the other side of the door, and I didn't miss a beat.
"No wanking on the sofa, George!" I snapped. "And no, I'm not unlocking the door!"
Before he could splutter out some sort of horrified response I grabbed my wand from the bedside to make the room temporarily soundproof before returning to what I was doing, making the count of spluttering twins go up one, enjoying the way his hands gripped at my hair when he cried my names loud enough for the whole street to hear.
