Vanessa arrived at the Burrow moments later. She wiped the dust off her shoulders and hair and stepped out of the fireplace and into the kitchen. She pulled her things out of the fireplace just as she heard footsteps approaching behind her. Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley were all entering the kitchen, all with smiles on their faces.
"If it isn't our favorite Slytherin," George said, pushing Fred out of the way to hug her first.
"I was going to say that," Fred said, pushing George out of the way and hugging her.
"Both of you take her things up to Ginny's room," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging her as well. She pulled away, still smiling. "You'll be staying with Ginny as both Bill and Charlie are here still. I know you normally take Charlie's room but seeing as he's currently using it. Plus, Hermione and Harry are here, so we've got a bit of a full house."
"No worries Mrs. Weasley. I appreciate you having me again."
She waved her hand. "Please, you know you're always welcome. I've known you since you were a little girl and your mother and I have been best friends for a long time. You're practically family. Now, can I get you anything, or would you like to go upstairs and see everyone?"
"I'll come down for some tea later. But I'll go say hello to everyone. Thank you again, Mrs. Weasley."
She left the kitchen and made her way up the stairs to the youngest Weasley's room. Even though Ginny was three years younger than her, she had always enjoyed spending time with her. She and Hermione were both like the little sisters she never had.
When she opened the door, both girls stood up from their spots on the floor and hugged her. "Nessa you're here!" Ginny shrieked with excitement.
"Yeah, thankfully my Mum let me come. After everything that happened at the World Cup, she had half a mind to have me stay home with her."
"Well, we're glad you're here," Hermione said.
"Yeah, so are we." She could feel the twins behind her.
"Once you're done with the girl talk or whatever this is, come see us. We've got some new products we're working on that we want you to see," Fred said, before walking off with George to their room.
Hermione and Ginny pulled her into the room and closed the door behind them. "You spend enough time with them as it is. No need to rush off."
"So Gin, heard your boyfriend is here. Have you told him how you feel yet?" It was a known fact, to everyone except Harry and Ron apparently, that Ginny had had a crush on Harry since the first time she saw him. He was almost all she talked about when they were together.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't fancy Harry." The younger girl started blushing. She was a bad liar.
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "What about you Mione? Any boys you have an eye on?"
"Not at all."
"Harry or Ron?"
"Shut it, Nessa. They're my best friends. You don't see me interrogating you about having feelings for the twins. And you've known them a lot longer than I've known Harry or Ron."
She laughed. She was annoying both of them, even if they knew she was right about their feelings. They sat and talked about everything that had happened in the short time that had passed since the World Cup. It seemed like the event was a lifetime ago. After a while, she decided she should go see the twins before they came to look for her again.
Standing up, Vanessa opened the door and started making her way down to stairs to the level the twin's room was located. Lost in thought and not paying attention, she ran into something, or someone, very solid. Nearly falling over, she felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her up. She looked up to see Charlie holding her, and she could feel her cheeks heating up. He was shirtless, his tan chest and face speckled with freckles.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."
He continued to hold her, as he smiled down at her. "Nice to see you, Diggory."
"Oi, what's going on here?" The twins had appeared, obviously hearing the commotion outside their room. Charlie stepped aside and let her go. The twins had stunned looks on their faces and were glaring at their older brother.
Charlie leaned down and whispered in her ear. "See you around, Nessa." A slight shiver ran down her spine as he walked by her and down the hall to his room.
The twins pulled Vanessa into their room, snapping her out of whatever trance she was temporarily in.
"What was that," George asked, the annoyance clear in his voice.
"I ran into him. It was nothing. I don't know why you two are looking at me like that." She sat down in a chair they had in the corner of their room and looked at them both. "So what did you want to show me?"
They proceeded to show her at least five new products they had come up with over the summer holiday, two of which she let them test out on her, but later regretted. Mrs. Weasley had to make quick work of removing multiple warts that had appeared on Vanessa's face, as well as change her hair back to its natural color, as it had turned a horrible shade of yellow. The twins laughed the whole time, even when she threatened to hex them.
Once everything had settled down, Mrs. Weasley told her she would make her a cup of tea and leave it in the living room for her.
Going back upstairs, she changed into her pajamas and told Hermione and Ginny what happened. Well, part of what happened anyway. She wasn't about to tell them about running into Charlie.
She slipped into a pair of shorts and a tank top and threw her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed her book out of her bag and headed downstairs, where she settled into her favorite armchair, a cup of tea sitting on the side table next to it. She took the cozy blanket from the back of the chair and threw it over her legs. She sipped her tea for a moment, before starting on her book.
Why am I reading this? It's so unrealistic, she thought to herself. She originally purchased the book, thinking it was going to be about a wizard and his magical adventures, and it was to an extent. It was also about his sexual conquests. She hadn't realized that until she was a few chapters in. For some reason though, she couldn't stop reading it.
"I can hear you both." She set her book down in her lap, watching her two best friends come into the room and sit on the sofa next to the chair she was in. "Come to apologize for what you did to my face and hair again?" She took a sip of her tea and eyed them suspiciously.
"Ness, we've already apologized a million times. How many more times do we have to say it?" George practically whined.
Fred however, reached out and grabbed the book she was reading, looking at it curiously before reading the description.
"Our little bookworm." But his eyes widened when he opened to the page she had marked off. "Georgie, our little Nessa here is reading a dirty book."
"Give it back Fred." She got up from her chair and went to grab it from him, forgetting how little she was wearing. George had grabbed her and pulled her down onto the couch.
"Dirty books Nessa? Didn't know that was your thing." He took her right arm and looked at her wrist. She knew exactly what he was looking for.
Pulling her arm away, she snatched her book from Fred and went to sit back in the chair, wrapping the blanket around her once again, and hiding her book.
She saw the twins exchange a look and George shook his head slightly to Fred.
"What the bloody hell has gotten into the two of you?" She was glaring at them now.
"Oh come on, we're just messing with you. Having a little fun. Since when did you become so uptight?" Fred laughed, but George stayed silent. He saw the look in her eyes and he wasn't about to say anything that might set her off.
Standing up from the chair, she folded the blanket and set it back in the basket she had pulled it from. She grabbed her book and cup of tea and headed back upstairs, not answering them.
"Feisty that one."
"You pissed her off Freddie."
"I wasn't the one who looked at her mark though."
"But at least it hasn't changed yet."
"You might still have a shot, Georgie."
George looked at Fred, a somewhat worried expression on his face. "We've known her since we were kids. What if this changes things. What if it messes up this great thing I already have with her? She's our best friend."
"Some of the best relationships start as friendships though. You never know, she could feel the same way about you."