Odile couldn't stop the tears cascading down her face as the memories rushed to her mind and she valiantly fought to keep from fully sobbing.
"I'm sorry." She finally choked out, fleeing the room with her Grandmother hot on her heels. Silence filled the room in her wake, and Fred put his head in his steepled hands. He took a deep inhale, closing his eyes tightly. He was startled back to reality when a calloused hand clasped his shoulder, Joe Fuller looking down at him with an unreadable expression.
"Come on kid, let's go take a walk."
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Odile stared down at the crumpled tissue in her fist, her Grandmother rubbing slow circles against her back. She hiccuped slightly, letting out a slow exhale as she tried to regain control of her breathing.
"I'm sorry Gran, I jus-"
"Oh hush darling, you don't need to apologise to me. You don't ever need apologise for your feelings, you know that." Odile nodded, taking several more slow breaths.
"It's just… well, after Bellatrix did whatever she did to me, all these memories have come rushing back. Memories I cut myself off from, and it's like I'm 13 all over again." Her Grandmother nodded sagely, and her grip on Odile tightened ever so slightly.
"Legilimency is a nasty business honey. It's after effects on the memory range wide, there's no telling just who or what will appear next. Luckily," she placated, helping the girl stand and leading her towards the window, "I think you have someone who can help you through it." Odile peered out through the paned glass to see the distant figures of her boyfriend and Grandfather, obviously in the midst of a serious discussion. Odile's heart jumped into her throat as her Grandfather grasped Fred's shoulder tightly, before pulling him into a bear hug. She chuckled in relief as the two patted each other's backs as men always tended to.
"What do you think they're talking about?" She murmured as her Grandmother stroked her hair, pulling the tension from her shoulders with every pass.
"Who knows?" Recognising the mirth in her voice, Odile turned to a Grandma to see a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Well obviously you do." She replied pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest. And while any other day her Grandmother would've made sure she'd have checked Odile's tone, she just chuckled instead.
"Not all secrets are bad ones Ode, just keep that in mind."
"But I don't want any more secrets."
"Alas, what is done is done." She replied, swiftly grabbing the girl's laundry basket and hurried towards the door.
"Grandma!"
"Sorry darling, no time. Gotta get this laundry going!" Odile stared at her Grandmother's retreating back with a cocktail of frustration and endearance. She shook her head before looking back out at her Grandfather and boyfriend, now laughing over something that she couldn't hear.
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"Now you're sure about this son?" The older man asked the younger, eyes searching for any sign of hesitation.
"More sure than I've ever been in my life." He nodded in approval, before shaking the boys hand once more.
"Then you have my blessing. When do you plan to leave for the trip?"
"Well, if I did everything right, the flight leaves next week." John whistled lowly and folded his arms.
"Cutting it close kid. What would you have done if I disagreed with your little plan?"
"All due respect sir, it wouldn't have changed my decision." The older man chuckled, throwing his arm around Fred's shoulders as he led him back towards the house.
"Good, we don't like quitters in this household." Fred snickered, eyes falling upon the silhouette of his girlfriend standing at her former bedroom window.
"Don't I know it." He joked, fluttering his fingers in her direction, grinning widely as he received the same motion in return.
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"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Odile shot awake at the cry, Fred groaning as she jerked away from him. She rubbed her eyes, opening them blurrily to see the Fuller household at the foot of her bed, grinning faces eyeing the two occupants. Odile chuckled in relief, before nudging her boyfriend.
"Fred."
"No Georgie, I don fink Harry will mind if we put ishing powder in his shocks, even if he ish the Chosen won." Odile cackled at his slurred speech, snapping him awake from whatever dream he was having.
"Whazz happenin?" He mumbled, blinking heavily as he became aware of the others in the room.
"It's Christmas morning Fred, they're here to do the annual wakeup call." She explained, and he nodded slowly, lifting his head up to address the group.
"Happy Chrissmas!" He finally said, before dropping his head back to the pillow. Odile shook her head in amusement before turning back to her family.
"Maybe give us a couple minutes?" Her grandparents exchanged looks before laughing and conceding, filing out the room with reminders of the presents sitting under the tree. Odile flopped down against the pillows once more, before shifting over to face her boyfriend.
"Merry Christmas Mr Weasley." His lips crooked up at that, and he squinted his eyes at her, giving her a quick peck on the nose.
"Happy Christmas Black Swan."
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Fred, by the end of dinner, could fully attest that his mother's feasts had finally been matched. Glazed ham, casseroles of every kind, jacket potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, butter soaked veg, and the most incredible thing he'd ever tasted…fried okra.
He was glad he'd stuck in his pyjamas, knowing he would have to unbutton his pants in anything else. Odile grinned over at him, digging into a slice of apple pie. Presents had been rather uneventful, exactly how she'd wanted it.
Her grandmother and grandfather had bought a charm for the pendant they'd given her last year, a little ballet dancer in a tutu. Rather on the nose, but she was grateful for it all the same. Her cousins had all pitched together to get her a rather lavish travel-friendly voice to text typewriter. Apparently the future of wizard tech according to Wizards, Witches, and Beyond magazine. Fred had outdone himself from last year's present, a gorgeous delicate silver bracelet. Made by goblins with the finest silver strands carefully woven together. She couldn't help but gasp when she opened the box, causing the rest of the room to crane their necks to see what he'd gotten.
"Oh you just had to outdo us, huh Fred?" Her cousin John moaned, causing the room to explode in giggles.
"Sorry mate, but I'd be in the doghouse, not you." She slapped his arm in mock outrage, but giggled all the same.
"I'm not a gold digger Fred, I would have been happy with anything."
"Of course you would, my love." He replied soothingly, before shooting the other members of the room a sarcastic look. That earned him an actual snack, much to the amusement of her family members. They watched with soft smiles as the bickered like an old married couple, ending with a roll of Odile's eyes and a quick peck.
(A/N) Aw, my babies are so in love. Some of you may be wondering about the attack on the Burrow, and it's a pretty simple explanation. I have always used both the book verse and movie verse, drawing much inspiration by using each. The scene was not included in the books and for the purpose of storytelling I decided to exclude in the story. Hope that makes sense!
(Brief Summary of Chapter 20: Bellatrix messing with Odile's mind caused some very upsetting consequences. All the most painful memories of her life were pulled to the surface, including the death of her mother. Odile's mother passed of cancer, and Odile was there for her final moments.)
Special thanks to The true Hero of Skill, , Mvdjhope14, Natsuko26 for favouriting, and to The true Hero of Skill, , , forevernessa94, and GraceTheFanGirl06 for following!
Soooooo, it's been what, 4 months... haha? Oops, my bad y'all, life is just a mess rn and I completely forgot I hadn't finished updating this. Only a couple chapters left now, so hwfg.