Holly: I updated as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others.

Miss Pixie: I love your name. And a story needs charm. I'm glad mine has it.

Film-chickie101: Hopefully this chappy is just as human.

LMTran: Wow, I think that was the longest review I ever received. Those were great suggestions and I tried to keep them in mind as I wrote this installment. This chapter is definitely longer. Hopefully it's coherent because the only time I have left for writing is in the early am and late pm. Thank god for revision.

Disclaimer: Wow, Potter doesn't belong to me. Whoever could have guessed?

A Good Valentine's Day Gone Bad

Valentine's Day was the ideal day to go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. The only people in the place were a few singles who had nothing better to do than get drunk. It was the best place to meet someone on that day. It was this place that Parvati suggested for them to meet for lunch when Padma received an owl from her early that morning begging to see her.

Padma had already ordered a butterbeer and was sipping on it while reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. She was so engrossed in an article about removing Cornish Pixies humanely from one's cupboards, that she did not even see her sister enter.

"I'm late," Parvati groaned, sinking into the chair across from her sister.

Padma looked up from the article and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"No you aren't," she told her, "If anything, you're five minutes early."

"Not that kind of late," Parvati hissed.

"Then what on earth are you talking about?" Padma asked, frustrated with her sister's cryptic speech, "Late to return something, late to work, what?"

Parvati rubbed her temples. "For a Ravenclaw, you can be really dense sometimes. I'm talking clean out the spare room and paint it late."

The Daily Prophet slipped from Padma's hands and fell to the floor, forgotten, and all of her anger at her twin from the past few months melted away into joy.

"Parvati, that's great! I always wanted to be an aunt!"

"Well that's all well and good," Parvati replied, taking a sip of a glass of water that had been set in front of her by a waitress, "but I'm more worried about how Ernie is going to feel about this. We wanted to wait at least two years after we got married to start a family. It hasn't even been one year."

It looked as though Parvati expected her whole marriage to fall apart simply because she was going to have a baby earlier than planned. Padma, however, knew better.

She squeezed her twin's hand reassuringly. "Ernie will be thrilled. You both wanted a family; you're just getting an earlier start than you planned."

Parvati seemed very hopeful at the thought.

"You really think he'll be happy?"

"Yes, and if he isn't, I'm sure George would love to have a new test subject…"

Parvati let out a short giggle. "Thanks Padma. You always know how to make me feel better."

"What else are twins for?"

It was George's personal opinion that Valentine's Day was the slowest day of the year. Of course, any guy that wanted to get something from their significant other was not going to give he/she a chocolate that turned his/her hair a very neon shade of green. In the spirit of the day, Fred had taken the day off to spend with Angelina, leaving George bored out of his mind in a nearly empty store.

He alphabetized and re-alphabetized their stock of ingredients in the back. Then, he checked the aisles to make sure everything was in its rightful place. After that, he willingly tested all of their products for effectiveness.

It was while his hair was a shocking shade of periwinkle and his freckles an electric lime green that Fred popped in, a broad smile on his face.

"She said yes!"

George looked up from the mirror he was inspecting his reflection in.

"Said yes to what?"

"I proposed," Fred said, his frustration evident in his voice, "like I told you I was going to."

"Ah, putting on the old ball and chain then."

"Ha ha, very funny."

George chuckled, "I thought so. Do Mum and Dad know?"

"Not yet," Fred picked up one of the half-eaten Coloring Candy Canes and tossed it in the bin, "We decided to tell them at Sunday brunch. Take care of the whole family in one sitting and all."

"Good plan. That way someone will be around to catch Mum when she faints," George joked, referring to the incident when Ron had told her that he had proposed to Hermione just after Bill and Fleur had announced that they were expecting a little bundle of joy. It had been nearly half an hour before they managed to rouse her.

It fell silent for a brief moment before Fred decided to change the subject.

"Have you found a date for the Jokes, Pranks, and Practicals dinner in two weeks?"

George slapped his forehead. With all that had been going on around him for the past few months, he had completely forgotten about the annual dinner and ball. The year before he had taken a friend of Penelope's from St. Mungo's, but the evening had been a disaster and Penelope refused to speak to him for almost a week. This year he would have to take someone with at least a vague idea of what to expect.

"Completely forgot," he grimaced, "Think Oliver would let me borrow Katie for an evening?"

"Nope, he knows us too well. And let's not forget what we did at his birthday party," Fred grabbed a few Skivving. "Anyways, I need to get back to Angelina. I promised her I'd only be a few minutes."

"Fine," George grumbled, "leave me to die of boredom and loneliness in an empty joke shop."

"I knew you'd understand."

With those last words, Fred disappeared with a pop and George was once again by himself. He grabbed another Candy Cane and stuck it in his mouth. When he removed it, his freckles began changing colors from an electric lime green to a fascinating fuchsia to a brilliant bright blue. It was really quite stunning.

There was a squawk from the door, and George looked up half expecting Fred to have come back in with a list of stock that needed to be refilled, but instead he saw Padma, her robes pulled tightly around her body. She looked every bit as happy as Fred had when he apparated in.

"For a single girl on Valentine's Day, you look happy," he teased.

She smiled broadly and leaned against the counter. Her eyes fell on his rather interesting appearance.

"If you weren't a Weasley, that look would worry me."

"I'm testing our products, but that's beside the point," he said, "I want to know what has put you in such a wonderful mood."

"If you absolutely must know," she feigned exasperation, "I have the day off and Parvati thinks she's pregnant."

"Today must be a lucky day because Fred finally asked Angelina to marry him, and she actually said yes."

"That's fantastic!" She picked up a Candy Cane and began to unwrap it, but immediately remembered where she was and who had probably made it and put it back down on the counter. "I honestly don't think today could get any better."

"Really?" George raised his eyebrows, "Well, I know the Yule Ball with Ron all those years ago wasn't exactly the best time of your life, but I swear this will be different. What would you say if I asked you to the annual Jokes, Pranks, and Practicals dinner?"

That evening, Padma found herself digging through her tiny closet for her good dress robes. She had nearly told George no. After all, it was a dinner devoted to practical jokes. But, he was a good friend and had promised nothing permanently life scarring would happen.

Robe after robe was tossed onto her bed. George might have been just a friend, but she still wanted to look smashing when she went out. Finally, she gave up and went to fix herself a drink.

The fire in the fireplace suddenly roared up as she walked past, and Parvati tumbled out.

"I hate traveling by floo," she grumbled, dusting the ashes from her clothes.

"Then apparate," Padma replied and helped her to her feet.

"I can't. Apparating is dangerous to unborn children."

Padma squealed with joy.

"So it's official! How far along? Have you told Ernie?"

"Two months, yes, and," she lowered her voice for effect, "he's thrilled beyond words."

Padma squealed again and hugged her carefully.

"This is so great, you're pregnant, I get to go to a fancy ministry sponsored dinner…"

"What?" Parvati interrupted her, curiosity peeked "What ball? Who are you going with? And most importantly, is he hot?"

"The Jokes, Pranks, and Practicals dinner with George."

Parvati's jaw dropped and she looked at her sister carefully for any sign that Padma was toying with her mind.

"Weasley? You have to be joking."

"No."

"A fancy dinner with a Weasley after the Yule Ball incident with Ron," she rubbed her temples, "I know I suggested that you get out more, but I didn't mean for you to commit dating suicide."

Her voice was overflowing with disappointment and disapproval. It was then that Padma finally snapped. All the anger that had built up over the months, the anger that she thought had dissipated earlier that day, came flowing out of her.

"For the love of Merlin!" she yelled, nearly knocking over a vase, "I am an adult! This means I can make decisions for myself! And if I want to go somewhere with a friend, I have every right to!"

Parvati stepped back, looking as though she had been slapped across the face, but she quickly recovered.

"A friend, and Ernie is just a pet!" she screamed back, "This is severe masochism, Padma!"

"Just because you're married and pregnant doesn't mean you know what's best for me!" Padma responded, "I'm sick of you and Ernie's fucking charity!"

"We're just trying to help you!"

"Well I don't need your help!"

Parvati turned on her heels and grabbed a fistful of floo powder from the canister by the fireplace. In a whoosh of green flames she was gone. Padma was left standing there, panting furiously with anger. She kicked the dilapidated oak coffee table and stalked off to her bedroom, tears pricking her eyes.