"Thank you one and all for coming to the grand opening of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes! We know you've all been patiently waiting, and we know you'll all be pleased when we show you all what we have in store. And now, with no further ado, and maybe just a bit of fanfare, the store is officially…" Fred paused, allowing the excitement to build while staring out over the crowd of students, their eyes brimming with wonder before nodding at his brother to continue.
"OPEN!" George finished, both tearing away the ribbon that blocked the doorway. The roars of enthusiasm almost deafening, and the tremendous explosions of multi-coloured confetti and chocolate raining down from above only further served in riling up the crowds. The students began filing through the door, engulfing the store quickly as they began to tear down items from the shelf in preparation for the new year. Giggling and arguing featured almost as a soundtrack to the day; a cacophony of voices practically teeming with the beauty of youth and not quite innocence. Odile stood dutifully behind the counter, her smile never leaving her face as she greeted customer after customer. When 8 pm finally rolled around, the three were exhausted, but the smiles were still engraved on their faces. As the last few stragglers left, Fred closed and locked the door with a wave of his wand, too lazy to walk and close the door himself. He joined his partners where they sat in a heap on the foot of the stairs, aching backs and sore feet stretched out the floor.
"Oh Merlin, that was worse than when Wood made us do Quidditch drills for five hours straight." Fred moaned, making an impression of a starfish on the hardwood floor, face twisting at the throbbing pain in his lower back.
"Much worse." George agreed, following in his brother's example, rubbing his face to rid himself of the pain residing from smiling all day long.
"And we still have to count the drawer." Odile mentioned, causing a new round of groans to rise. She chuckled as she stepped over the lifeless bodies to pull the tills out to sort. It took her drowsy brain about an hour to sort everything out correctly and get the tips correct, but afterwards she locked everything up and trudged up the stairs to see the boys strewn on the couch, a place between them saved for her. A few of their family and friends had joined, namely Ron, Ginny, Lee, and Hermione. They sat around on various mismatched chairs and footstools, chatting about whoever Quidditch player of the month should really be, no one able to entirely agree with Ron's choice.
"So how'd we do?" George asked when he caught the eye of Odile standing in the doorway, Fred and himself suddenly perking up. The rest of the room looked over as well, bracing themselves for either good or bad news.
"I'm sorry everyone," she started in the most disappointed tone she could muster, letting the worry set in for just a moment before continuing with, "We made far more than expected. 300 galleons, 13 sickles, and 8 knuts to round it up. On just the first day. And that's not counting tips." The shock set in for a moment before the room exploded into shouts of congratulations and gleeful celebration. The bottle of champagne they'd been saving quickly popped, drinks all around as they cheersed to the new venture and its success. The night stretched on, games and conversations alight with excitement for the future. Fred made his way over to his girlfriend as she was chatting with Ginny, something about the upcoming year, what electives she should be focusing on. He snuck up behind her, before catching her around the waist, causing her to squeal in surprise. Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother's behaviour but gave them a smile as she wandered off to find someone else to talk to. Odile whirled around only to be met with a pair of warm lips on her own. She melted into the kiss, forearms against his chest before slowly moving up to wrap around his neck.
It was a simple one, not as passionate as their ones in private, but quiet and still. When they broke apart, Odile rested her forehead against his, a smile playing on her lips. She gazed into his baby blues, and the rest of the room fell away. This is how she wanted it to be forever. Staring into his eyes, and nothing else. Just the two of them. He grinned softly, and pulled away slightly, to grasp her hands in an informal waltz position. They simply swayed, in their own little corner of the room.
"This is all thanks to you, you know?" He murmured, his eyes never leaving hers, afraid that if he did, she would slip away from him. Perhaps he had been a bit clingy since Sirius' death as George had pointed out, but it had been a wakeup call from him. That there was a real danger, a danger that could get anyone. Nobody was invincible, and no one was completely safe. So yes, maybe he held her a bit too tight at times, but it was all for fear of losing her. He did, however, appreciate she needed her own space at times, and while reluctant, gave it to her without a second request. When the lights were low although, at the quiet moments they had, it was all he could do to keep his hands off her. He'd been falling deeper and deeper in love with her, whether it was listening to her quiet snoring coming from her bedroom when he was trying to fall asleep, or smiling at her soft humming of yet another Beatles song as she prepared breakfast. She never seemed to run out of music, and practically none of it from this decade. Even though it got on his last nerve that she never appreciated how beautiful her voice was. And how beautiful she was to him.
"I didn't do anything, Fred. Not really." She responded softly, knocking him out his thoughts, causing him to roll his eyes, an amused smile on his lips.
"You are going to fight me on everything, aren't you?" She laughed musically, her eyes crinkled with smile lines that had slowly appeared over the months they'd been together.
"Without question." He chuckled at that, pulling her ever so closer.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Their friends continued the party behind them. Every now and again someone caught sight of the absolutely loved up couple dancing by themselves to some imaginary tune. Even as the others stumbled back to their respective homes, drunk off happiness and perhaps one too many glasses of champagne; the two remained in their corner, hands clasped together, Odile's head on Fred's shoulder, their faces calm and content. They eventually returned to separate bedrooms, smiles taking up the entirety of their faces. They drifted through consciousness, the sight of the lips of one another and the touches filled their heads. They were dreaming of the future, the real peace they felt there, total harmony in each other's arms.
A/N: Sorry for such a short upload, I've been trying to figure out how condense the chapters a bit. A very big thank you to Amos-Rie, M-chanchen for your reviews, and to Edward Cullen's Girl, Amos-Rie, and Flowergirl1092 for following this story. You are all very appreciated.