It was New Years Eve and I knew Fred had something planned for us, but I just didn't know what it was.

I realized that was the point-it was a surprise after all. But I was curious. And a little apprehensive. Despite my curiosity, I wasn't totally fond of surprises, especially ones that I knew-or at least suspected-would be big.

I couldn't quite figure it out, either. Fred had told me we'd have time to go to the Three Broomsticks with Rachel, Kayla and Allie (and the other usual bunch of people), and we'd shown up at nine, the agreed upon time, but it was currently almost midnight and we were still there. I didn't see how we'd make it anywhere else on time, unless Fred's plans involved going somewhere after midnight. I thought about asking, but in the end decided against it. I was enjoying myself and I knew Fred wouldn't give me any answers anyway.

An area in the middle of the room had been cleared of tables and people were dancing to the music playing throughout the pub. But despite the fact that this caused less tables to be used for guests, and the fact that the pub was more crowded than usual, it didn't feel more crowded. I suspected some kind of undetectable enlargement charm had been put on the building for the night.

Fred and George had invited Lee and we'd officially introduced him and Allie, just like we had planned. Lee hadn't been able to make it the last time we'd all gone out, so the plan to set him up with Allie had been delayed, but Fred had assured me it was better late than never.

Allie glanced at me suspiciously for a moment after Fred had exuberantly asked if she and Lee knew each other. Clearly, Allie had correctly guessed I'd had something to do with this. I simply shrugged and gestured for her to say yes when Lee offered to buy her a drink. She'd gone off with him, looking back at me with a roll of her eyes before turning back to Lee as he began asking her questions about her interests and she responded.

Fred and I had watched them go, smiling proudly. Once they were gone, Fred held out his hand for a high five and I'd slapped my hand against his with a laugh. He immediately closed his fingers around my hand, preventing me from moving away. And then, with a grin, he lifted my hand above my head and twirled me around once before pulling me towards the dance floor.

"I don't think Rachel ever stops," I said breathlessly to Fred over my shoulder as we headed back to our table. I was in desperate need of some water before I passed out from dehydration. I let out a laugh and shook my head. "How much longer do you think she'll go until she takes a break?"

"The rest of the night," Fred said as the two of us grabbed our glasses of water from the table. Fred took a long sip of his and then looked down at me with a smile. "Like you said, she never stops."

I smiled as I sipped my own water and looked up at Fred wordlessly. Despite having decided against asking what his plans were for us tonight, I couldn't help but keep wanting to ask. He hadn't really mentioned it since Christmas when he checked to make sure we were still on for tonight.

"What are you staring at?" Fred asked with a smile as he swiped a hand over his forehead and down to the side of his neck. "I realize I'm a little sweaty..."

"It's alright, I am too," I said.

"Then what is it?" Fred asked, stepping closer and sliding a hand down my arm until he could thread his fingers through mine. "You look like you want to say something."

I looked from our intertwined hands up to his face. He was smiling slightly with an eyebrow raised in expectation, waiting for me to answer.

I opened my mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Rachel practically crashing into us. "It's almost midnight!" she sing-songed. "I got us noisemakers." She handed one to me and one to Fred before rushing away to pass out more.

Fred let out a breath of laughter as he looked down at his noisemaker. And then with a grin he brought it to his lips and blew it directly into my face. I squealed and flinched before turning and blowing mine directly into his face as he laughed.

Someone across the pub suddenly yelled that there were three more minutes until midnight and a loud cheer rose up from the crowd as Rachel, Allie and Kayla appeared at my side again. Kayla also had her boyfriend, Chris, with her.

"Three more minutes!" Rachel cried, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "I'm only slightly disappointed that I found no suitable single boys here to kiss at midnight."

"Well, at least you're maintaining your standards," I said. "And not just kissing anyone."

"This time," she snorted.

"You could always go for the bartender, Rach," Fred said with a wry smile, setting his water down and exchanging it for his firewhiskey, which he brought to his lips for a long sip as he raised his eyebrows at Rachel.

Rachel scowled at him. "Not funny," she said as I nudged Fred with my elbow.

"Sorry, too soon?" Fred asked casually as Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Two minutes!" someone suddenly yelled, eliciting an even louder cheer than last time.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to start a new year," Rachel said with a sigh as she leaned backwards against the table, resting her palms on the edge of it.

"Why? This past year wasn't all that horrible," Allie said.

"Let's see," Rachel began, "It started out last New Years Eve when the guy I kissed at midnight also tried to feel me up. I also woke up with the worst hangover of my life the next morning. The second being that night after Sophie's foster father tried to drug me in Salem. Then Noah was murdered and so was his mother by Sophie's creepy foster father, who also tried to feel her up while disguised as Noah. Not to mention, he tried to kill her and her mother after locking them in a basement. Oh, and did I mention that he tried to drug me and hit on me while disguised as Nick? He also had Ginny attacked. Oh, and also let me reiterate that he killed Noah. So there was all of that."

"Welcome to my whole life," I sighed as Fred snaked a comforting arm around my waist. I knew Rachel hadn't meant anything by it, but I didn't like being reminded that so many crappy things had happened this year because of me.

"Soph, I didn't mean-" Rachel began.

"No, I get it," I said, shaking my head. "It was a rotten year in a lot of ways. And a lot of it was-"

"If you say it was your fault, Allie, Kayla, Fred and I will all hex you," Rachel said, holding up a hand to stop me.

"There were a lot of good points to this year because of you, Sophie," Allie pointed out. "We met you this year, for one thing."

"True," Rachel said, clinking her drink against mine as I smiled.

"And you found a real family," Allie went on. "You found Fred. And your foster father is gone for good now."

"True again," I sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Al," Rachel said. "I guess maybe I wouldn't change any of it in the end, if it all led up to us being this happy. Except what happened to Noah." She paused and looked at me sadly. "I really miss him, Soph."

"Me too," I whispered, leaning over to give her a one armed hug. She put her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"And one more good thing," Allie went on, gazing across the pub, "I finally may have a reason to be over Oliver for real."

I turned to follow her gaze and saw Lee coming towards us, smiling at Allie and carrying two drinks in his hands. "Hang on," I said, turning back to Allie. "Al...seriously?"

"Yeah," Allie said with a shrug and a wistful smile. "I mean, I'm not confessing my love tonight or anything, but...Lee's cool. I never realized how funny he was, actually."

Fred and I turned to each other and both laughed in excitement. "Yes!" We both cried, high fiving both of our hands together in glee. "We knew it!"

"I told you!" Fred cried, nudging my shoulder as I laughed.

"Yes, isn't it just wonderful?" Rachel asked dryly. She rested her head on my shoulder again. "I'm so lonely, Soph," she sighed dramatically as Lee reached Allie and passed her one of the drinks with a smile. I even saw her blush and push a piece of hair behind her ear as Kayla pretended to gag from over her shoulder.

I laughed. "Come on, Rach, you have friends and other people who care about you. Besides, who needs boys?"

Fred cleared his throat from beside me and Rachel and I both giggled.

The crowd of people gathered in the middle of the pub suddenly started counting down from ten. Rachel perked up instantly and joined in. Fred and I did too and I reached out to grab his hand as we did so.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!"

The pub erupted in a burst of noise as people began cheering, clapping and blowing their noisemakers. Fred blew his into my face again and I repeatedly did the same back to him as I tried not to laugh. And then Fred reached out and lowered the noisemaker from my lips before taking my face in his hands and leaning in to kiss me. My hands went to his hips and my fingers closed around his shirt as Fred pulled me even closer to him and rocked us back and forth playfully. I pulled away and laughed before leaning in and kissing him again. "Happy new year," I whispered.

"Happy new year," Fred answered, leaning in for one more quick kiss.

Just then, I heard Rachel let out a gasp from beside me and I even heard Kayla say, "Merlin's fucking beard."

I pulled away from Fred and we both turned to look at them. They were looking over our shoulders towards the middle of the pub.

"What are you two gaping at?" Allie asked, turning away from Lee, who I'm pretty sure had just kissed her as well.

"Don't look now," Rachel told her, leaning in closer to Allie and lowering her voice slightly, "but I hope you meant what you said about Oliver."

"Why?" Allie asked, following Rachel's gaze.

Fred and I did the same, whirling around to look behind us. My mouth fell open when I saw Oliver down on one knee in front of Angelina, holding out an open ring box to her. I could see the ring inside glittering in the lights from where I was. Instantly, I turned to look up at Fred, my eyes wide. He was watching the scene play out expressionless. I couldn't tell what he was feeling or thinking as he watched them blankly. I turned back to Oliver and Angelina just in time to see her nod her head yes, tears coming to her eyes as she did so.

Oliver stood up and slid the ring on her finger, the action met with cheers and yells from the people around them. And then Fred turned away from them, back to the table as he reached for his firewhiskey.

"Fred," I murmured.

"I'm fine," he said quietly, shaking his head slightly to dismiss my concern.

I looked up at his face, studying him intently. He didn't look as terrible as he used to when Angelina and Oliver were hanging around. He'd told me he'd moved on and I believed him. I could see that he'd moved on. But I expected this was still strange for him. I just suddenly feared that something as huge as an engagement would put all his progress in reverse.

While I was still watching Fred, Angelina and Oliver emerged from the crowd and made it over to our table, where Rachel, Allie and Kayla immediately gushed over Angelina's ring. Even Katie and Alicia appeared out of nowhere and hugged Angelina as they squealed in excitement and congratulated Oliver as well. Finally, Fred turned around and his eyes met Oliver's. They stared at each other for a moment and I saw Oliver swallow. Angelina turned to see who he was looking at and when she saw Fred, she looked at him hesitantly.

"Fred?" she asked quietly.

I looked up at him expectantly and felt him squeeze my hand before he let go, stepped forward and broke into a smile.

"Congratulations," he said, pulling Angelina into a tight hug.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding and I could have sworn Angelina and Oliver did the same.

"I mean it, I wish you the best," Fred said, pulling away from Angelina and shaking Oliver's hand.

"Thanks, that means a lot," Oliver answered earnestly.

"Really, it does, Fred," Angelina said, her eyes filling with tears again. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that."

Fred gave her a small smile. "Don't cry," he said quietly, nudging her shoulder playfully. "Come on, enough of that."

His words didn't seem to help much. With a loud sniffle, Angelina lurched forward and threw her arms around him. "I want the best for you, too," she whispered. "It's good to see you happy."

He nodded into her shoulder, and then she had pulled away and to my surprise, thrown her arms around me. I blinked and staggered back a few steps. I knew she was not only elated from being engaged, but she was also slightly drunk. Even still, the sudden hug surprised me.

Over Angelina's shoulder, I saw Fred grab his firewhiskey from the table and began weaving his way through the pub, away from us. Since I was still being hugged by Angelina, I made desperate eye contact with Rachel. "Go find George," I mouthed to her. She nodded and hurried away.

Angelina finally let out a happy sigh and let me go. "I owe you a thank you as well," she said.

"For what?" I asked, glancing over her shoulder again to see if I could find Fred, George or even Rachel in the crowd. But I couldn't.

"For helping him. Honestly, I was worried about him. I wanted him to find closure. For Percy, for me...for all of it. And I was worried that he wouldn't. And that he wouldn't fall in love again and just move on. Until he met you."

"Angelina," I began, but she shook her head and cut me off.

"Part of me hated knowing that while I'd moved on and found happiness, Fred was miserable. I never wanted that for him. And I didn't plan for what happened. I couldn't control it. But even so, part of me felt guilty, even though I also knew I shouldn't feel guilty for how I felt. I'd feel even guiltier if I stayed with Fred and my heart wasn't in it anymore. It was hard on him, but now he's found you and he loves you. He's been through a lot. I know I don't have to ask you, but be patient with him, won't you? And as long as being with him makes you as happy as I think it does, then don't give up on him."

I nodded, feeling unsure if I'd be able to speak through the tight feeling in my chest. "Of course."

"I know you've only heard about how things were after he and I broke up," Angelina continued, "and I'm not saying you don't understand the severity, but it wasn't good, Sophie. Even if he's not perfect now, the change in him is extremely noticeable. And none of us are perfect, are we? We've all got stuff that haunts us, even if it doesn't control us anymore."

I thought that over. She had a point. Just because Fred was processing Angelina and Oliver's sudden engagement didn't mean he was going to fall over the edge again. And it didn't mean he loved me any less. It was just the final chapter of his ghost story. The bandage had finally been completely ripped off.

"Well, it doesn't feel like I did much," I said. "Most of the time I was worrying about being haunted myself." I shrugged. "I didn't plan for this either, you know? I didn't plan to fall for Fred and I definitely didn't plan on him falling for me. If anything, I wanted to be left alone when I first got here. But I'm glad Fred's doing better, too. And I'm happy for you, Angelina." I smiled. "Seriously, congratulations."

"Thanks," Angelina said brightly.

We were interrupted just then by Katie and Alicia bringing over new drinks and handing one to Angelina, all of them talking loudly. I, on the other hand, used the distraction to go look for Fred.

I found him and George across the pub, leaning against the wall and snickering to themselves as they each took turns surreptitiously pointing their wands at some burly, dark haired guy standing not too far away. Every time the guy went to take a sip from his drink, some of the liquid would shoot up into his face. Each time the guy would frown, wipe his face and then try again, making Fred and George laugh harder. It wasn't until I had almost reached them when I recognized the dark haired guy. It was Marcus Flint, one of the guys who'd given me so much trouble the day I first met Fred and George.

"Has any of that made it straight up his nose yet?" I asked, leaning against the wall next to Fred and crossing my arms over my chest. "I expect that would hurt. It is firewhiskey after all."

"That's what George and I are hoping will happen," Fred said. "That a steady stream of it will either go right into his nose or his eye. But no luck yet. The oaf won't stay still enough for us to aim well."

I looked at him in amusement and slight exasperation. "Didn't any of your professors at Hogwarts cover the Immobulus Charm?"

"We could use Immobulus," Fred said, "but if he can't move at all, he won't be able to react much to the firewhiskey shooting up his nose. And that's the whole point, isn't it?"

"True," I said, gazing back over at Marcus, who was now soaking wet with alcohol.

"He's going to have a hard time getting any girls to talk to him like that," George snorted.

"Does he normally have an easy time talking to girls?" I asked. "From what I remember, he doesn't exactly have a way with words."

"Slytherin girls like him," Fred said with a shrug, tucking his wand away. "And maybe unsuspecting girls too, until he opens his mouth." He shrugged and looked down at me. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

I nodded. "Sure. Where are we going, by the way? I was under the impression you had something planned."

"I do," Fred answered, holding out his hand to me. I took it and we said goodbye to George.

"Have fun," he called after us as we walked away.

"Where are we going, Fred?" I asked as he led us outside.

"Back to the Leaky Cauldron," Fred said. "You need to pack a bag."

"A bag?" I asked. "What-"

"Stop asking questions," Fred said with a laugh. "Just trust me, okay?"

I stared up at him for a moment before simply nodding my head. Fred smiled and Apparated us back to the Leaky Cauldron, where we went upstairs to the flat and down the hall to my room. When we went inside, I immediately noticed a knapsack that belonged to Fred sitting on the floor by my desk as well as another smaller bag, also belonging to Fred.

"How did those get here?" I asked.

"I gave them to Martha earlier and she brought them up for me," he said, dropping himself down into my desk chair. He stretched his legs out and smiled up at me. "I thought I told you to stop asking questions. Now, come on, get packing."

I sighed and went to my closet to pull out an overnight bag. "How many days do I need to pack for?"

"That sounds like a question to me," Fred teased, shaking his head at me.

"Answer it, Fred," I said, turning to shoot him a look.

"Just two," he responded.

"What sort of clothes do I need?"

"Warm ones. It's winter."

I snorted. "So I guess you're not taking me to some tropical island, then."

Fred smiled and shook his head. "I think you'll like where we are going better than an island. But we can do that another time if you want. We've got time."

I laughed quietly. He was right. We did have time. Nothing but time, actually. I wasn't used to the feeling and it felt odd. Before, I had felt like I never had enough. As if each new day I made it to was a blessing.

I set my bag down on my bed and started to pick out some clothes. "I wish you'd just tell me what we were doing," I sighed, busying myself with folding a sweater into my bag.

"Absolutely not. It would ruin the surprise."

"I don't like surprises." I glanced up at Fred before going back to packing. That was the truth, too. I'd had enough surprises to last a lifetime and not very many of them had been good. Fred, on the other hand, loved them.

"You'll like this one," Fred assured me. "I know you will."

"How?"

"Will you please be quiet and pack?"

I let out a huff and continued to grab everything I'd need for two days in some place that was cold. I hoped it would be enough and that I wouldn't forget anything. Once I was fairly sure I was done, I stood in the center of my room, chewing on my thumbnail and lost in thought.

"You're complicating things more than you need to," Fred said. He stood up and walked over to my bed, where he peered down into my bag. He shifted a few things around and examined what I'd packed. "You did perfectly," he said, zipping up the bag and hoisting it onto his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded as he crossed the room again before pausing and turning to me. "I'm going to make a request that may sound a bit odd," he said.

"Of course you are," I sighed, sitting heavily down on my bed and bouncing slightly on the mattress. "Go on, then. What is it?"

Fred grinned. "I'm going to bring our bags on ahead to the place where we're staying so I can get us settled in. And then I'll come back and get you."

"And bring me where?" I asked coyly.

Fred grinned wider. "Somewhere in the place we're going, but separate from the place we're staying at for the night."

"That's not vague or anything," I snorted, rolling my eyes and leaning back on my hands in exasperation.

Fred laughed and stepped forward to lean down and kiss my forehead. "The sooner you stop talking and let me leave, the sooner it'll all make sense."

"Okay, okay, fine," I said, shooing him away in exasperation. "Go, get out of here."

Fred walked over to my desk and picked up his own backpack and slung that over the shoulder that wasn't holding my own bag.

"What about that one?" I asked, pointing to the second bag that was sitting on my floor.

"Don't need that one just yet," he said wryly. He smiled at me over his shoulder. "See you in a few minutes."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," I sighed.

Fred laughed and let himself out of my room and after a minute, I could faintly hear him going down the stairs towards the pub so that he could, I assumed, Apparate.

With a sigh, I flopped back onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Now that I was alone in the silence, the adrenaline from the night's events was starting to fade and I suddenly felt tired. But I also knew I couldn't stay tired for long. There was no such thing as being tired when you were around Fred. He was constantly on the move, constantly seeming energized. It was impressive in a way. His constant movement was at least usually fun or entertaining, even if it could be chaotic. The only kind of constant moving I had done had been exhausting as I moved from place to place trying to keep myself alive.

It only felt like a few seconds of me lying on my bed before a pillow was being tossed at my face and I spluttered awake with a gasp. I hadn't even realized I'd actually fallen asleep.

"Sorry," Fred's voice said from my right as I rubbed my hands over my eyes. "But you can't be falling asleep now. We've got a whole night ahead of us."

"Hardly," I muttered, looking at my watch. "It's nearly one in the morning. In a few hours, the sun will be coming up. Do you plan on sleeping at all tonight?"

"Eventually," Fred said. "You see, we're going to be doing a little bit of time traveling."

I peered up at him wearily. "What in the name of Merlin's beard are you talking about?"

Fred looked at me, a rush of excitement etched in his face, but also a hint of apprehension as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a maroon and gold tie. "Don't hate me, but I have to blindfold you."

I stared at the tie in his hand for a few seconds before looking up at him. "No, Fred, why can't you just-"

"Please, Soph," he pleaded, kneeling down in front of me and putting his hands over mine. "I know the idea doesn't make you comfortable-more so than most people-"

"It doesn't," I said. "After all Eric put me through-"

"I know," Fred interrupted, reaching forward and putting a hand on the side of my head, comfortingly threading his fingers through my hair. "I know. But I'm asking you to please trust me. I'm not him."

"I know you aren't," I whispered.

"Then trust me on this," Fred said. "I just don't want you to guess where exactly I'm taking you until we're standing in front of it. But I really think you're going to like it."

I swallowed before nodding. "Okay," I whispered.

Fred stood up again, leaning in to gently kiss my forehead as he did so and cradling the back of my head in his hand. "Come on, stand up and turn around."

I did as he said and let him blindfold me with the tie. I heard rustling as he picked up the bag he'd left by my desk. I adjusted my coat and scarf just to have something to do with my hands.

A moment later, I heard Fred lightly tapping something with his wand. Before I could ask what he was doing, he had taken my hand and was guiding me across the room.

"We, uh, have to use a Portkey," he said. "I used an old shoe from from a pair that was getting worn out. It's gross, I know, but it's all I could find."

"Fred, a Portkey?" I asked. "How far are we traveling?"

"Far enough to have to use a Portkey," he answered. I felt him squeeze my hand and lightly kiss my cheek. "Forgive me for this, okay?" he whispered in my ear.

"For what?"

The words were barely out of my mouth before Fred had taken my other hand and placed it on the Portkey. I felt the unsettling jerking feeling of us leaving my bedroom and being whisked away to a place I didn't know. What I did know was that a shriek of surprise left my mouth and I gripped Fred's hand even tighter.

Seconds later, the two of us were being slammed into the ground-a ground that felt like concrete.

"Fred Weasley!" I cried from where I was sprawled on the cold cement. I reached up to pull off the blindfold, but Fred stopped me, rolling over from beside me and putting a hand on my wrist.

"No, don't," he said. "Not yet."

"You couldn't have given me a little more warning?" I cried.

"I'm sorry," he said breathlessly. "I asked you to forgive me, didn't I?"

I let out a huff of air but didn't answer. He knew full well that something like this would irritate me. I hoped whatever he had planned was as great as he was assuring me it was.

"Are you alright?" Fred asked, standing up and helping me to my feet. "I know that was a rough landing." I felt him brushing off my clothes and straightening out my coat.

I snorted. "Rough might've been an understatement," I told him. "But I'm fine."

"I love you," Fred said, leaning in and giving me a quick kiss.

I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips as I crossed my arms. But finally, I sighed. "I love you too. Even though I'm afraid you may end up killing me prematurely."

"No, never," Fred chuckled. "I can't promise that you won't get a little roughed up now and again, but don't forget-I've already saved your life, haven't I?" When I didn't answer, choosing instead to let out another frustrated puff of air, he laughed again and I heard him moving in front of me. "Hop up on my back," he instructed. "We've got a few minutes of walking to do."

"I can't see you," I reminded him, gesturing at my blindfold covered face.

"Just reach out and find my shoulders and hop on," Fred said. "I'm crouching down slightly right in front of you-it's not that hard."

"Asshole," I muttered, blindly reaching out for Fred as he laughed. My hands came into contact with the middle of his back first and I kept moving them upwards until they were on his shoulders.

"Now you're feeling me up, are you?" Fred asked cheekily.

"Be quiet or I'll push you over," I threatened. "Are you ready for me to jump?"

"Yeah, go for it."

I gripped his shoulders and jumped, wrapping my legs around his waist and he immediately slipped his hands under my thighs and caught me. And then he started to walk.

I was quiet as we moved, using my senses that were left unobstructed to try and figure out where we were. There was cold air whipping at my face, but I had already known it would be cold. It was loud, though, and that was unexpected. I could hear a jumble of voices moving past us fairly regularly. A constant stream of people and voices and laughter. I heard cars and other vehicles moving to our left, the sounds of the rolling tires punctuated every so often with the honk of a horn. We were definitely somewhere busy and public with a lot of traffic. It sounded too busy to be Salem. Not that I thought Fred would bring me there tonight. We had just been there a few months ago and had both thought it was best to let the sting of what had happened wear off before venturing back. And Fred had seemed so excited about bringing me wherever we were. I didn't think he'd be that excited about bringing me to Salem.

I thought about where he would be excited to bring me. Places he knew-or at least thought-would make me happy. There wasn't a very long list of places I'd mentioned. I ran through them in my head and used what I'd heard as clues until a thought dawned on me.

"Fred," I began breathlessly, "are we in-?"

"Shh, we're here," he said quietly. He came to a stop and let me slide down from his back where he then put his hands on my shoulders and adjusted where I stood. "Okay," he said. "You can take that blindfold off now."

Immediately, I reached up and yanked it off. I blinked and let my eyes adjust to the lights, because even though it was nighttime, it was bright. And then I inhaled sharply as I realized where we were.

The Rockefeller Center ice rink in New York. The one from my postcard. It looked just as it did in that postcard too, with the big golden statue across from us, the bright lights of the plaza, the crowd of people surrounding the rink and also actually skating on it. And the tree. The giant Christmas tree was still up and brightly lit. I craned my neck to look up at it in wonder. It was beautiful.

"Fred," I gasped, shaking my head in almost disbelief. I turned to look at him and saw him admiring the ice rink and the Christmas tree as well. He saw me looking at him and smiled as he turned towards me and reached into the bag he'd brought with him, pulling out my new ice skates.

"Are you serious?" I asked, gaping at him.

"Well, you didn't think I'd bring you all the way out here to just watch, did you?" Fred laughed.

"Fred, I could barely skate on the pond behind your house! And it was just us there, too." I looked at the ice rink in front of me. "Look at all those people!"

"There are plenty of them who can't skate for shit either," Fred said. "I can tell from here." He paused and looked at me. "Come on, you mean to tell me you're finally here and you don't want to skate?"

I looked down at the ice rink. I did want to skate. I did. Fred was right. I was finally here; I couldn't say no. Especially after Fred had gone through all this planning to get me here. "I do want to do it," I whispered. "I'm just a little nervous. It feels like a big deal, you know?"

Fred nodded. "I guess it's a good thing I'll be there to hold your hand this time." He reached into his bag again and pulled out another pair of skates. This pair was a pair of men's hockey skates.

I smiled and looked up at him. "You bought yourself skates?" I said quietly.

Fred nodded. "Just for the occasion."

"You didn't want a cute pair like mine?"

Fred wrinkled his nose. "I had to draw the line somewhere, Soph."

I let out a laugh as my gaze drifted to the crowd of people lined up around the outside of the rink. "Look at that line of people waiting to get tickets, though. We'll be standing here all night."

"Already handled it," Fred said. "When I brought our bags to the hotel, I stopped by and booked a reservation for us so we don't have to wait in line."

"They let you make a reservation this last minute?" I asked.

"I may have had to work a little magic," Fred admitted with a smile. "But regardless, we're good to go and you, Sophie, are fresh out of excuses." He held out his hand to me. "Let's get a move on."

I smiled and took his hand, allowing him to lead me down to the entrance of the rink. Fred talked to one of the employees, who let us into an enclosed and heated area with places to sit so we could put on our skates. They even were selling food and drinks at a counter towards the back.

"This is amazing," I said as we sat down. "Truly, Fred, this means a lot. Thank you for bringing me here."

"Were you surprised?" Fred grinned up at me from where he was tugging on one of his skates.

"Pleasantly," I said.

Once we were ready, the two of us stood up shakily and wobbled to the entrance of the ice rink. We waited a few minutes before we were finally allowed to go in and skate.

"Ladies first," Fred said apprehensively as we both looked out at the ice.

"And they say chivalry is dead," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I clutched onto the wall of the rink and hesitantly stepped out onto the ice. I clumsily moved about a foot or two along the wall before turning back towards Fred. "Come on, your turn."

Fred looked down at the ice almost in slight distaste. "I don't know about this," he said.

"It was your idea!" I said. "Now get over here, you're holding up other people who want to get on the ice."

Fred let out a tiny groan and grabbed onto the wall. "Move down a bit, you're hogging the safety mechanism."

I snorted and did as he said, wobbling slightly as I did so. I turned and watched Fred step onto the ice and wobble along the wall just as I had.

"Merlin, we look ridiculous," I snorted.

"Speak for yourself," Fred muttered through gritted teeth as he wobbled forward again. Suddenly, and without warning, his feet flew out from beneath him and he crashed to the ground, a bundle of lanky arms and legs.

I let out a loud laugh and gripped the wall tightly to steady myself so that I didn't fall.

"Now I know what you meant about that bruised ego," Fred groaned. "Help me up, will you? I want out."

"No!" I said through my laughter. "Weren't you the one just telling me how we came all this way and that it would be a shame to not skate?"

Fred grumbled something under his breath as he pushed himself up to a sitting position and reached for the wall for help. I heard him mutter something that sounded like "might've ruptured a kidney."

"Fred," I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Don't be a baby."

"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black!" Fred exclaimed. "Why don't you go for a spin around the rink without clinging to the wall for dear life?"

"Not unless you want me to break every bone in my body," I snorted.

"That's what I thought," Fred muttered. He started pulling himself to his feet again, but he didn't get far when his feet slipped again and he crashed to the ice for a second time. I started laughing harder and was practically keeled over at this point. I even forgot about holding onto the wall and let go of it so that I could clutch my stomach. But that was a mistake because not long after that, my laughter caused my own feet to fly out from under me and I ended up in a heap on the ice beside Fred, who was now laughing at me.

"That's what you get!" he said as I sat up and rubbed my shoulder.

"Come on," I said breathlessly, pulling myself up to my feet using the wall for help. "We are making one complete lap around this ice rink if it's the last thing we do."

"That's the determination I like to see," Fred said. "I just don't know if I'm completely on board with you."

"Get up or I'll leave you behind in the dust," I said.

Fred snorted. "You won't get far by the time I finally manage to get up. In fact, it may take you the whole hour long tine slot we have just to get around the rink once."

With a huff, I smoothed out the front of my coat and turned around. I rested my right hand on the edge of the wall and began sliding forward the best I could. I closed my eyes for a second and concentrated. I tried to relax instead of holding myself so stiffly. And I just kept going. Slowly at first-extremely slowly. But after a moment, I lifted my hand so that it was just hovering above the wall. And then I pushed off with one foot and glided smoothly a few feet forward. Until I began to wobble and had to grab the wall again. I clung to it and turned to look for Fred. He was back where I'd left him, but he'd at least gotten to his feet.

"That wasn't bad," he called over to me.

"Your turn," I prodded with a smile.

"Bloody hell, I was afraid you'd say that," he sighed. He stood up straight and gripped the wall like I had.

"Try not to move so stiffly," I said. "I know it's hard, but it helps."

I watched as Fred attempted to relax, and almost immediately he started to slip, but managed to right himself quickly. He kept going and finally he'd made it to my side-a bit clumsier than I had been, but then again, I was far from being a good skater myself.

"Are you regretting this?" I teased, looking up at Fred's face. His cheeks were flushed pink and so was the tip of his nose.

He shook his head. "Not at all."

"You can say it," I said. "I won't be offended."

"I may not see it now," Fred said, "but later I'll be able to say it was worth it. Once all my bruises are gone, of course."

I laughed and swatted him before taking his hand. "Come on, let's keep going."

We did end up making it around the rink one full time, resulting in Fred and I high fiving.

"It didn't even take us an hour," Fred said. "What a miracle."

"Let's go again," I said, tugging him forward.

After a bit, we started to get the hang of things. We never ventured far from the wall, but we did manage to let go of it for longer and longer periods of time. We had a few more falls, but even those became fewer and more far between.

"Our hour's just about up," Fred finally told me, pulling his hat a bit farther down on his head as we came to a stop just under the Christmas tree.

I gazed up at the tree as I leaned forward against the wall of the rink. "I almost wish we didn't have to leave," I whispered.

"Well, the night's not over yet," Fred said.

I turned to gape at him. "It's not? What more could you have planned?"

Fred laughed. "Have you forgotten that New York is five hours behind London? We may have celebrated the New Year back in England already, but here in New York, it hasn't arrived yet. We've still got a few hours to go and then we can welcome the new year a second time." He grinned. "I did mention we were doing a bit of time traveling, didn't I?"

I stared up at him in disbelief. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to how utterly unpredictable you are."

"I doubt it," Fred said matter-of-factly. "Even my own mother isn't used to it."

I laughed and turned back to look up at the Christmas tree with a sigh. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Why don't you take a picture?" Fred suggested. "It'll last longer."

"I don't have my-"

But I was interrupted by Fred reaching into his bag for the third time that night and pulling out my camera. "You didn't think I'd let you come here without this, did you?" he asked. When he saw my surprised expression, he smiled. "Undetectable enlargement charm on the bag. I really did think of everything tonight. Believe me, I've got everything covered."

I took the camera from his hands and examined it. "You didn't fall on it and break it, did you?"

Fred groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Sure, be concerned about the camera, but not my throbbing tailbone and possibly ruptured kidney."

"You didn't rupture your kidney, Fred," I told him, "but I'll rupture it for you if you've broken my camera."

"I didn't," he said, "and I know that for a fact because I put a protective charm over it for exactly that reason. Like I said, I thought of everything."

I let out a breath of laughter and looked up at him. "You did," I said. "I may have underestimated you."

"That's right," Fred answered, puffing his chest out with pride.

"Can I take a photo of you in your skates?" I asked. "Please? For the memories?"

Fred sighed. "If you must."

I moved away from him another few feet, held up the camera and instructed him to smile. He did as I said and even struck a pose, which caused him to slip and fall again. I laughed and snapped a picture of that too, much to his annoyance.

"For memories, Fred!" I insisted as he dragged himself to his feet.

"I don't need a photo to remember how much pain my backside is in right now," he answered. "Promise me that picture will be tucked away and be for our eyes only. No one can see it."

"I can't promise that," I chirped.

Fred opened his mouth to retaliate, but he was interrupted by a woman appearing at our sides and asking if we wanted her to take a photo of the two of us together. We agreed and I handed her the camera before leaning into Fred's side. He wrapped an arm around me and we both smiled as the woman took our picture, the giant Christmas tree looming brightly behind us. The woman even took a second photo of Fred pulling me to him and leaning in to kiss my cheek as I laughed.

"That one was great," the woman said with a smile before handing me back my camera.

"Thanks for taking them," I said. As she skated away, I turned and took a photo of the Christmas tree, and then one of the rink as a whole before turning back to Fred with a small smile. "You ready to go, then?"

"I've been ready," Fred assured me, leading the way off the ice as I rolled my eyes behind his back.

We hobbled back to where we'd left our shoes and changed out of our skates. I handed mine to Fred and he stuck everything back into his bag before stretching his legs out in front of him.

"It feels so good to be back on regular ground again," he said appreciatively.

I smiled as I turned towards him and looked at him earnestly. "Thank you," I said quietly. "I mean it. I can't thank you enough for this. I realize it isn't something you're interested in, and that neither of us were very good at skating, but I had a lot of fun."

Fred turned to me and his face melted into a soft smile. "I'm glad," he said. We looked at each other for a moment more before he stretched his arms above his head and stood up, holding his hand out to me. "But like I said, the night isn't over yet."

We left the ice rink and began making our way through the streets of the city. Despite the cold, I found myself staring at everything in wonder. There was just so much to look at. And everything was so big! I'd spent time in different cities when I was on the run, but I'd never enjoyed them like this. And even though I'd spent time in London and loved it there, I'd wanted to visit New York for so long. Things were different now from when I was on the run and things were even different from when I'd first arrived in London.

I shivered slightly and pulled my scarf up to my nose as a gust of wind blew over us. As much as I was enjoying the city so far, I couldn't say the same for the cold.

"I know, it's freezing," Fred said sympathetically, noticing what I'd done. "But I promise we won't be outside for much longer."

"I'm almost enjoying myself too much to care," I replied. But my teeth still chattered slightly, causing Fred to chuckle.

We finally made it to one of the most crowded areas of the city. And one of the brightest and loudest. Lights lit up the area ahead of us so brightly that it seemed like it was daytime. Music loudly blasted through speakers, filling the air with noise. And while we were already surrounded by a lot of people, the area further ahead of us was absolutely packed with people.

"Maybe we should turn around," I suggested as we came to a stop. "You know, go a different way." I looked up at Fred and pointed above us to where a giant, shining ball was waiting at the top of a pole standing at the top of a building. "We're in Time's Square. They drop that ball down every year to celebrate the new year. It's a huge event. And I didn't even think of it or realize we were close by. Otherwise, I would have warned you."

Fred looked at me in amusement, a sly smile lifting up the corner of his lips. "I know all about it already, Soph. That's where we're going."

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open, as he started walking again, tugging me forward as he did so because I'd remained rooted to where I was standing. "What?" I asked.

"That's where we're going," Fred repeated. He shrugged and smiled again. "Sort of."

"Not that I'm not surprised or grateful for everything you've done," I said as I hurried to keep up with his pace. "But it's really crowded. If we wanted a good spot, we're arriving a little late for that. People camp out for hours for this. And don't suggest using magic, either. It really wouldn't be fair-"

"Sophie, just shut up for a minute and trust me," Fred said, continuing to tug me along. We weaved through the crowd, eventually fighting out way through one of the thickest parts of it. Finally, we arrived at a building-tall and brightly lit just like every other building in the city. Fred turned to me and gestured at the building with a wide sweep of his arm. "Welcome to our home for the next two nights."

"Are you kidding?" I asked, my eyes widening as I looked up at the building.

Fred shook his head. "Not at all. Right in the center of the action without having to camp out all day for a spot or fight people for one. It'll be just us-no crowds, no pushing or shoving or feeling claustrophobic." He paused. "I didn't think that would be something you'd enjoy, but I did think you'd enjoy being here on New Years Eve."

I looked up at him in awe for a few seconds. "You're amazing," I finally breathed. I moved forward and stretched up on my tiptoes to pull him in for a kiss. "How did you ever plan all of this?" I asked, pulling away slightly. "How did you even go about doing it? Finding us a perfect place to stay, booking all of it, navigating the city..."

"I'm not completely incompetent," Fred laughed. "Give me some credit, Soph. I'm actually fairly intelligent, as you've even been so kind to point out yourself."

"Of course," I replied. "But-"

"Can't you just be happy without knowing everything?" Fred asked. "Let me keep some kind of air of mystery, for Merlin's sake." He smiled and kissed me again before leading me into the hotel. "I've already checked us in and the bags are already in our room, so we just have to go up."

I continued to look around and take everything in as Fred led us to the set of lifts and we rode them up to the correct floor. The whole way up, I leaned against the wall and stared straight ahead as I tried to process all that had happened. I noticed Fred glancing at me every so often, but he didn't say anything.

We reached our room and Fred let us inside with a key he pulled from his pocket. He pushed open the door and let me in first. The room was a pretty standard hotel room, but it was lovely all the same. There was a desk, a dresser, a small glass topped table with two chairs on either side, a grey armchair in the far corner. I noticed our things resting on an upholstered bench at the end of the bed. And then I saw there was a balcony. I all but ran to the sliding door and pulled it open. I stepped out and a whoosh of air escaped my lungs. We had the most perfect view of Times Square.

"Oh my goodness, Fred," I gasped as he followed me outside. "It's beautiful."

Fred smiled, but didn't answer as he moved closer and slid one hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him as he did so. "You're not still tired, are you?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"I'm exhausted," I answered. "I'm just not feeling it anymore. Give it a little bit, though, and I'll probably crash."

"I'd better kiss you before that happens," Fred said.

"Yes, you'd better."

Fred pressed his fingers into my back slightly and leaned in to kiss me as he tugged me as close to him as possible. His other hand was at the side of my neck, tangling in the hair that was spilling out from underneath my hat. The cold winter air was blowing around us, but I barely felt it. It was the first time all night that I hadn't felt cold. Even when we were skating, we hadn't moved enough to be all that warm-and if we did, it wasn't for long. Considering how terrible we were at it, we spent most of our time at a near standstill, and therefore, freezing.

"How are you feeling now?" Fred asked, pulling away slightly. "Ready to crash yet?"

"Not yet," I murmured.

"Good," he said, tugging me closer for another quick kiss before pulling away and gesturing to an outdoor loveseat behind me on the balcony with a small table in front of it. "Why don't you have a seat? I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" I asked, doing as he said and taking a seat.

"I won't be long. Just give me a minute," he replied. He tilted his head towards Times Square. "Enjoy the second best view you'll have tonight."

I snorted. "Someone sure thinks highly of themselves."

Fred smiled before disappearing back into the room. I made myself comfortable on the loveseat, pulling my feet up underneath me and leaning back into the cushions as I stared out at the lights of the city. I could hear the noise of the crowd below us as well as the loud music that was being played. I glanced at my watch. We still had just under two hours until midnight. I let out a quiet breath of laughter and smiled to myself as I shook my head, remembering that, as Fred had mentioned, we were getting the chance to celebrate the new year twice in the same night.

"What are you smiling at?" Fred asked, stepping back outside and shutting the sliding glass door to the room. He had a blanket in his arms and two bottles of firewhiskey. "These are for later," he said, setting the drinks on the table. "At midnight. Something else will be here in a minute. We have to listen for a knock at the door to the room."

"And how will we hear that from out here?" I asked.

Fred sat down beside me and passed me the blanket. I took it and began spreading it over us as Fred pulled something from his pocket. I recognized it as an Extendable Ear from his shop. "You really need to stop underestimating me," he said.

"Yeah, I probably should," I whispered, gazing at the Extendable Ear.

Fred unraveled the ear and used his wand to open the sliding door again before tossing the ear end back into the room and shutting the door again, closing it over the string and keeping the other end of it firmly in his hand. "Didn't feel like standing up again to do that," he commented lightly when he saw my amused expression.

"I see," I giggled.

"You didn't answer my question, by the way." Fred nudged me lightly with his shoulder as he made himself comfortable.

I leaned into him and he raised his arm, allowing me to snuggle into his side before dropping his arm down over me. "What question?" I asked.

"What were you smiling about when I came out here?"

"Our circus act," I said, glancing up at him.

"You mean when we made complete clowns of ourselves on that ice rink?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

I laughed. "No. Although that was pretty entertaining, too. But what I was thinking about was the part where we traveled across time and across continents to experience the arrival of the new year twice."

Fred grinned. "Not many people can say they've done that, can they? It's near impossible for Muggles."

"I think it is impossible for Muggles," I said. "Their transportation is fast but not that fast. They also don't have the advantage of being able to travel almost directly to their destination. There's always some sort of minor second leg of travel."

"I don't envy them," Fred said. "I'm way too impatient for that."

"Clearly," I responded, adjusting the position of my head on his shoulder as I stared out at the city again. "But I don't envy them either. They'll never get to have a night like this. And they don't have you."

Fred let out a short, quiet chuckle. "They don't," he agreed. "I'm all yours." His eyes wandered over my face for a moment before he leaned in and kissed me. He kept one arm around me while using his free arm to pull my legs onto his lap as he leaned into me, pressing my upper body into the loveseat cushions. I trailed my fingertips along his cheek, over his ear and down his neck, stopping when I could feel his pulse. I gently rubbed my thumb over the spot as Fred's hand on my leg wandered up to my hip and then my waist. His fingers pressed into my skin through the fabric of my coat and for a moment, I actually wished I wasn't wearing the coat, which surprised me. I'd been so used to being torn between enjoying the way it felt when Fred touched me, but always being reminded of the way I'd been pushed, shoved, stabbed and hurt by Eric. But for now, my mind was quiet and I was glad for it.

When Fred began trailing kisses along my jaw and down to the side of my neck, I smiled. "Planning on leaving another mark?" I asked.

"Maybe," he muttered against my skin, the movement of his lips causing me to shiver as Fred pressed his lips to my neck again. I whimpered and let out a breath of air as I tilted my head to the side.

Just then, I heard a noise coming from the end of the Extendable Ear, which was now lying discarded on the ground.

"Fred, someone's at the door to the room," I whispered.

"Hm?" he asked, now moving on to kissing me just below my ear.

"The Extendable Ear," I said. "It's making noise."

Fred groaned and rested his forehead against mine as he closed his eyes and caught his breath. "How dare they interrupt us," he chuckled.

"It was another one of your ideas," I pointed out. "You asked them to come here, not me."

Fred groaned again and pressed a firm kiss to my lips before pulling away and standing up. I did the same and stopped at the sliding door as Fred went into the hotel room and crossed over to the door. He opened it and I saw him talking to someone wearing a hotel uniform. He took something from the man before smiling, saying something else and shutting the door. When he turned back around, he was holding a tray with two mugs of hot chocolate on them, complete with whipped cream.

"That looks delicious," I said, eying the hot chocolate.

"It smells even more delicious," Fred replied, setting the tray down on the table. He picked up both mugs by the handles and passed me one, keeping the other for himself. The two of us went back out to the balcony and sat back down on the loveseat. Fred adjusted the blanket over us again and we went back to sitting the way we'd been before, with me snuggled into his side and his arm around me. The two of us were silent for a while as we drank our hot chocolates and looked out at the lights of Times Square.

My mind wandered back to the events of the night, and I realized the topic of Angelina and Oliver getting engaged hadn't come up between us since it had happened. There had been a lot going on, and Fred had seemed okay. More than okay, actually. But part of me wanted to talk about it and hear an honest version of his thoughts directly from him. He'd said he was happy for them, and I suspected that was the truth. I suspected he actually was doing okay, even if he might feel a little odd-understandably. But I also worried it would be inappropriate to bring up now. Why did it matter? I was happy, Fred was happy, and that was that.

Ultimately, I decided to save the Angelina discussion for another time and keep this night about just me and Fred. But he knew me too well.

"You have that look on your face," he said, finishing off his hot chocolate and leaning forward to set his now empty mug on the table.

"What look?" I asked quietly, staring down into my drink.

"That look you get when you want to say something," Fred said, leaning back and looking down at me. "You had it on your face back at the Three Broomsticks and I know you were dying to ask me about what else I'd had planned for tonight."

I swallowed and chewed on my lip as I hesitated to answer him.

"Soph, what is it?" he asked quietly, trailing his thumb gently back and forth over my shoulder.

I sighed and leaned forward to set my own mug on the table before leaning back and looking at Fred. "It can wait," I said. "I don't think it's something you want to talk about right now and I don't even want to bring it up."

Fred's face hardened slightly. "You wanted to check up on me after Angelina and Oliver got engaged right in front of us, didn't you?" he asked.

"I just wanted to know where you stood," I said. "But I thought it would be better to wait and not bring it up tonight. I wasn't going to say anything. Ultimately, I know you're as okay as you can be, but I also know it still can't be easy." I looked up at him sadly. "Wounds that deep don't heal right away. It takes a while. I know more than anyone."

Fred's expression softened. "I appreciate it," he said. "I really do. But I'm fine. I don't-"

"You don't what?" I asked, looking up at him fiercely. "You don't need someone babying you and constantly checking up on you? That's what you told me you didn't like your family doing after Percy died. You didn't like them constantly jumping down your throat. And to an extent I can understand that. Sometimes people need their space, and I felt the same way when I first came here. I sure as hell wasn't letting anyone in, either. But it was never a matter of babying, or in my case, prying. Your family just wanted to remind you that you weren't alone and that they love you. And now I'm doing the same because I've become one of those people, Fred. Before, I was content to give you your space because you were practically a stranger. But then you became an acquaintance, then a friend and now you're-you're-" I broke off and shook my head. "I'm not trying to suffocate you or treat you like a child. I'm checking in on you because I love you. And I don't want to see you hurting." I paused. "You've shown you feel the same as far as I'm concerned."

"I do," Fred said quietly, his voice slightly strained with emotion.

"If you don't want to talk about Angelina tonight, I can understand that," I said. "We can wait. We don't even have to go into detail. I don't want a big heart to heart discussion about your ex girlfriend. I just wanted to know if you were okay. And I don't want you to think you have to hide your feelings, either. I think being so afraid to talk and share your burden played a big part in how you ended up the way you were-because you bottled it all in until you snapped because you thought it was your weight to bear and yours alone."

"It was," Fred whispered.

"It wasn't!" I exclaimed. "I know you were directly affected in a few ways by the things you went through, but you weren't the only one hurt by them. And by seeing you hurting so much, everyone else hurt, too. That's the thing about having people love you so much. They end up taking on some of your own pain without even realizing it, and even adding it to their own sometimes. Look at Elizabeth Proctor. She was experiencing the pain of the witch trials, but she cared for Sarah and Dorothy and fought to help Dorothy as much as she could, taking in Dorothy's own pain and fear and using that to try to help. Your family and even Angelina just want you to happy-and seeing you so unhappy was hard for them. That's the price you pay when you love someone."

Fred was quiet for a moment as he stared straight ahead, looking out at the lights of the city without looking like he was really seeing them. I saw the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench. Finally, he spoke. "For a split second after I saw Oliver propose," he began, "I felt like I'd been punched in the gut." He shook his head. "It was just this strange jarring feeling. But then it passed. As quickly as it had come, it was gone. For a moment, it did feel odd. And it scared me for a moment that I felt that way. I got scared that maybe I wasn't as okay as I thought I'd been. But like I said, a moment later, the feeling was gone. And I realized it's because the engagement didn't matter to me like it would have before."

I was quiet as I processed that. "That's pretty much what I thought," I whispered. "I just wanted to be sure."

Fred turned to me, looking at me just as fiercely as I'd been looking at him moments ago. "I love you-completely. You know that, right? When I told you I was over Angelina, I meant it."

"Of course," I said. "I know you don't love me any less and I know you don't want a relationship with her anymore, even if it were possible. But I didn't expect you to see Angelina get engaged and feel nothing. That's why I asked." When Fred didn't answer, choosing instead to just stare out at the lights of the city, I let out a half-laugh, half-groan and buried my head in Fred's shoulder. "I knew we shouldn't have talked about this tonight, but you had to go and pry."

Fred snorted. "It's not my fault that you look like you're smelling something rancid every time you have something to say, but are trying to hold back. I know it must be tempting to slip back into your mute, hermit-like tendencies, but you can't. You've come so far."

"I'm not a mute! I was never a mute!" I exclaimed with a laugh.

Fred scoffed. "You were close enough. Sophie, I stepped on your foot and you didn't react."

"Shut up," I muttered, shoving his shoulder.

"In all seriousness, if you've got something to say, you should just say it. Let it out. Weren't you the one just lecturing me on the dangers of keeping things bottled inside?"

I gaped at him. "You're using my own advice against me!"

"I sure as hell am," Fred said indignantly. "Practice what you preach, darling."

I let out a cry of frustration and tugged the blanket up to my chin, tilting my head downwards against Fred's shoulder as I covered the lower half of my face with the blanket. "You're impossible."

Fred laughed and rested his head on top of mine. We sat in silence for a moment as I felt myself growing drowsier and drowsier. I wanted to make it until midnight, but my eyes felt heavy and I was so incredibly comfortable that I wasn't sure if I would.

"Remember when I said I was going to crash at some point?" I asked, stifling an oncoming yawn. "I think that time is now."

"Sophie, we've got an hour left until midnight," Fred said, but his voice was quiet as well.

"I just need to close my eyes for a minute," I said. "Just a minute. Set a timer or something."

Fred snorted with laughter. "I'll charm my watch to heat up...where's my wand?"

I felt him shift around slightly and pull out his wand. Even though my eyes were closed, I sensed him tapping his wand against his watch. "It'll go off in a minute?" I asked groggily. "That's all I need is one minute."

"Sure, Soph, one minute," Fred said with a laugh. He rested his head back on top of mine and shortly after, I drifted off to sleep.