Sorry this is so late. I just got into town and I've had no internet access for four days!! Yes, it has been very traumatic. This chapter is extra long to make up for it. Enjoy! And please leave some

feedback.

Chapter 61
Fleur and Angelina

Cassie didn't awake until morning and only reluctantly got out of bed then. However, she knew today was going to be a busy day and she felt bad having a lie-in when Molly would be scurrying about down in the kitchen trying to get breakfast. So, Cassie stumbled out of bed, put on her bathrobe and quietly gathered her things for the bathroom. The other two girls were still sleeping soundly when Cassie exited the room. She was not surprised to find someone waiting to get into what was proving to be one of the most popular rooms in the house. Charlie smiled.

"Well, there're several of us who get up early. Of course, I have an excuse. I'm still on Romanian time."

"When are you going back?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her. "Anxious to get rid of me after just one day?"

She laughed. "Not at all. I just wondered if you were going to be here long enough to adjust back to British time."

The door to the bathroom opened and Bill came out, nodding hello to both Charlie and Cassie. That reminded her about Fleur's eminent arrival and she opened her mouth to ask Charlie about her. He seemed like a nice man and he certainly would know what a Veela was. But Charlie wasn't in the mood to visit obviously because he headed for the open door. "I'm not leaving until next week." And then he shut the door behind himself and Cassie was left standing in the hallway. By the time she showered and dressed to go downstairs, both Ginny and Hermione were awake. Hermione had promised Tonks she would help get the room straightened up this morning for Fleur because Tonks said she was dismal at housekeeping charms. Hermione didn't look very pleased about this, though, and after she left Cassie asked Ginny why.

"She doesn't like Fleur at all, as you may have heard. So helping Tonks get ready for her is a great sacrifice."

"That doesn't really sound like her - what's the story?"

"All right. I'll tell you, but please don't ever bring this up in front of either Fleur or Hermione. I don't think Fleur even . . . well, it all has to do with Ron, you see. A Veela is a magical creature that looks like a really beautiful woman most of the time, kind of like a Siren, you know. But they are very attractive to men - anything male almost goes into a trance around them. It's really strange. Of course, if they get mad, they turn into snarling, angry, terrible monsters, but I don't think Fleur does that. She's only part Veela, I think on her grandmother's side if I remember correctly what Harry told me. Anyway, she is really beautiful, I mean really beautiful. I at least feel like an ugly goat when she's around."

"So that's why Hermione-"

"No. That's not it. At least that's not the main thing. The main thing is that Ron had a major crush on Fleur when he first met her. He swears it's just the Veela charm, that he was caught up in it and couldn't help himself, but Hermione doesn't really believe him."

"But-"

"Yes, she is a lot older than Ron, and believe me when I say that she never had any interest in him at all. She turned him down cold when he actually was insane enough to ask her to go to the Yule Ball with him. But, despite that, Hermione doesn't like her. And like I said, I think Fleur is so used to having men and boys fall all over her, that she hardly even remembers Ron asking her. But he does, of course, and it took him a long time to even dare be in the same room with her. And I doubt Hermione will ever like her."

"So, she went to Hogwarts? I'm sort of confused about that part of this story."

"Oh, no. She's French. Not that you couldn't go to Hogwarts if you're French, but why would you? I mean they've got a pretty good school there, I guess." Ginny looked a little put out, like she hated to admit that the school was decent in any way.

"They have their own magic school in France?"

"Yeah, and they sent this delegation for the Tri-Wizard Tournament - remember that's when Harry had to fight the dragon? - and she came and she was their champion and that's where Bill met her."

"So, I guess she doesn't have six heads." Ginny laughed.

"No. Although Hermione might disagree." Cassie laughed this time and both girls headed down to see if Molly needed help getting breakfast on the table. Much to Cassie's chagrin, Molly was glad for the help but told them that the twins had already gone into the shop.

"They are opening early today because they are closing after lunch and won't open again until after Boxing Day." Cassie felt particularly bad because she had been able to kiss George goodbye every morning and after last night she had especially wanted to see him off today. She hadn't known they were closing the store early today, though, so that was good news. Molly put both girls to work immediately and when Hermione came down a little later after helping Tonks she got recruited as well.

Molly was quite distressed because she had so much to do today to get ready for Christmas. Cassie also suspected that it had something to do with all of the various arrivals over the next couple of days although she was not really brave enough to ask. Bill came down looking really handsome in a set of dark blue robes that Cassie thought looked pretty dressy and informed his mother that his fiancee was due any moment. There was a hush in the room as they all stared at him and then a bit of a panic as they hurried to get breakfast on so that she could sit down and eat with them if she really did apparate in soon enough.

Cassie was just putting the last of the bacon on the table when the requisite pop sounded through the small room and a young witch appeared in the middle of the kitchen floor. She was, as Ginny had led her to expect, stunning. Bill hugged her immediately, lifting her off her feet and spinning her quickly as they kissed. When she was set back down on her feet, she nodded at Molly, Ginny, and Hermione. "Eet ees so good to see each of you again. Thank you for allowing me to veezeet." The accent was faint, but Cassie could definitely tell she was French. She stared at the girl for a minute. She was tall and slender, her hands and arms graceful as they fluttered to emphasize her point. Her skin was pale white, not unhealthy looking or anything, but just making her look like a living porcelain doll. Cassie hadn't really had a chance to see her face but knew it wouldn't make any difference. Her robes were elegant, the pale-blue material looked soft and smooth and hung on her frame like a designer gown. She had delicate white slippers on her feet and Cassie wondered if she only apparated to get from one place to another, because they were totally unsuitable for a British winter. She had some type of cloak on over her robes, an expensive-looking pale fur that again seemed more for show than actual practical use. But the most amazing thing about her was her hair. She had a sheet of perfectly straight silvery-blonde hair that shimmered in the sunlight of the room and swung in unison as she moved her head to greet each of the kitchen's occupants in turn. Then, as if she sensed Cassie's study of her, the girl turned to look at her and Ginny's description of feeling like an ugly goat in her presence slammed home right to Cassie's stomach.

She wasn't vain, she really wasn't. But she was used to being told that she was pretty and never felt like she had anything to be embarrassed about in the looks department. But this girl was absolutely the most beautiful thing Cassie had ever seen and she felt like a gauche awkward lump as she faced her. Her face was as delicate as the rest of her had looked, the features refined, blending into a whole so pleasing that it was as though she had been computer-generated as the world's ideal of loveliness. "'Ello. I do not believe I know you."

"No, I-" Bill stepped up next to his fiancee and Cassie gulped and didn't finish her sentence. The two of them together improved on the two separate individuals, each complementing the other in a way so incredibly amazing that Cassie just stared. His height and breadth, the simple solidness of him, made her look even more willowy and delicate in turn. Her coloring, a study in pastel hues of blue and silver, made his dark reds and browns stand out even more. They were both tall, and she could tell that were they to embrace again, she would fit exactly under his chin. She closed her mouth because she suddenly realized it had been hanging open.

"This is a good friend of Ginny's. She's staying with us this Christmas. Cassie, this is Fleur, my fiancee. Fleur, Cassie."

"I am pleeezed to meet you, Cassie. Did I meet you at 'Ogwartz?"

"No, I-"

"Cassie is being taught at home, Fleur. She doesn't attend Hogwarts."

"I see." Cassie gulped. She felt as though she had been judged and found somehow inadequate and she wanted to run upstairs and make herself look somehow more presentable. She really wished she had put on makeup and maybe something more elegant than this jumper and her jeans. The girl smiled and it was a friendly one but then she turned away to speak with Molly again and Cassie felt herself sag as if released from an interrogation.

The rest of the household drifted down in the next few minutes for breakfast and Cassie watched as Fleur greeted each person cordially and they all returned the favor. Tonks was by far the most agitated and Cassie felt a spurt of sympathy for her. She was going to be in the same bedroom, for heaven's sake. Tonks was naturally pretty (Cassie thought, although it dawned on her that she may never have seen her in her natural state) and could make herself look as beautiful as Fleur if she wanted. The thing that would set them apart, no matter how lovely Tonks looked, was that - despite how hard she tried - she was a klutz. And when compared to the innate grace of the French girl, it was sort of like comparing a penguin to a swan. Cassie felt sort of disloyal saying this because she thought Tonks was wonderful. But it was true. And as Tonks tripped over the table leg making her way to her chair and then spilled pumpkin juice all over her lap, she obviously knew it to be true as well.

Fleur was a picky eater, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the eggs and bacon and picking instead at fruit and toast. Cassie glanced at Harry once and he mouthed something at her. She looked questioningly at him, but Ginny, who was sitting next to her, translated. "Thees food, it eez all so 'eavy!" she whispered in her ear and Cassie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She remembered now that Harry had told her about the French girl who had done nothing but complain about Hogwarts's food. She hadn't connected the two, but now that she did, it made perfect sense. Hermione made no acknowledgment of the French girl's presence and Ron studiously avoided looking in Fleur's direction. The older men, Arthur, Remus, and Charlie, seemed to be the most friendly to her and after what Ginny said about her Veela blood, Cassie wasn't surprised. Not that they were fawning all over her or staring at her with glazed eyes, but they seemed the least threatened by her "appeal" and so seemed to be able to relax around her. There was no question that Fleur was very polite and friendly, she just had a sort of aloof air about her that explained a lot about what Molly had said about her since Cassie arrived at the Burrow. She really couldn't imagine this spun-sugar vision scrubbing dishes or washing a kitchen floor, even with magic. She wondered how she and Bill were going to manage a household. Of course, maybe she wasn't always this . . . elegant. Maybe she was nervous about being on show, too, and so was projecting this sort of fancy persona to compensate. Either way, though, it was obvious that she and Bill were desperately in love with each other.

It wasn't any sort of hero worship or anything. Bill looked at her with stars in his eyes, but he didn't pander to her pickiness. In fact, he insisted that she eat at least one piece of bacon and some eggs so that she didn't offend his mother. She pursed her lips in displeasure, but she did as he said and as a reward he kissed her. She giggled and seemed pleased with her prize. She called him "Beel" with a sort of lilt in her voice that actually made Cassie a little jealous. She had found a man she loved and they were perfectly comfortable together. Cassie revised her earlier opinion. Maybe they could afford to hire a house-elf and then she wouldn't have to worry about the dishes or the mopping. Then she could sit and just be admired 24 hours a day.

Halfway through the breakfast, Charlie stood up rather abruptly and walked out of the room. Cassie didn't think that much about it as he returned a few moments later. But then, Arthur got out of his chair and left the room only to return smiling himself. Remus smiled knowingly at them but they both smirked at him when a while later he repeated the action. "Fleur, turn it off. When Remus is affected, it's a bit too strong." Fleur scowled and Cassie had the fleeting thought that she even looked pretty when she did that.

"I don't do eet on purpose, Beel. Am I not allowed to be attractive to you?"

"You're always beautiful to me, darling." Cassie chanced a glance over at Ron and Harry who were both staring at the girl with a certain sort of trance-like awe that almost made Cassie laugh. Ginny prodded Harry with her fork and he blinked, flushed, and started eating again. Hermione kicked Ron under the table (maybe harder than she really needed to as he let out an involuntary yelp of pain) and he flushed bright red and finished chewing the food he already had in his mouth. Cassie was tempted to smirk and laugh at the boys' predicament, but remembered that George was going to be around this vision of perfection starting at lunch today until she left and she may not deign to give the time of day to Ron, but certainly George and Fred were closer to her age. Cassie stopped smiling now and suddenly could empathize a lot more with Hermione's opinion of the newcomer. She also vowed that she would be looking much more presentable by the time George arrived home at lunch. After all, even if she felt like a shapeless lump next to the Veela, she didn't need to look completely like one.

Well, that had been the plan. Of course, it didn't work out that way. The morning, even with its early start, seemed to just fly by. Molly needed help cooking several dishes for the next day and Cassie, Ginny, and Hermione all got recruited for that duty. Cassie didn't know what Fleur was doing, but she certainly wasn't helping with any of the cooking or cleaning duties. Maybe she and Bill were just off snogging somewhere. Cassie needed to get all of her presents wrapped today and by the time 11:00 rolled around, she was starting to feel fairly worried that this would never happen. She did commit to at least get George's things wrapped before he got home. That way, he couldn't pester her about helping her wrap or sneak in on her while she was wrapping his presents. She knew full well that a locked door would not keep him out if he really wanted to see what she was doing. So while lunch was being prepared, she left Hermione and Ginny setting the table (still no sign of Fleur anywhere) and ran up to her room. She smiled as she withdrew the packages for George out of her trunk as well as the wrapping paper and something called spello tape, which Hermione told her should work just as well as regular tape.

She wrapped the chocolate Quidditch set first, carefully cutting the wrapping paper Molly had given her and using the tape as Hermione had instructed. The paper was obviously wizarding paper because the gingerbread men on it decorated and undecorated themselves over and over again. Molly had warned her not to actually cut through one of the little men or the affronted one would cause an uproar amongst the others until none of them were doing what they were supposed to. Cassie had laughed at first but Molly had assured her that she was completely serious. The tape worked really well, too, sealing all the edges tightly and even making her wrapping look professional. Then Cassie drew the other bag out of her trunk and looked at it for a few minutes. She was still unsure about this gift. She thought it would be useful for him and had been planning on it for a while. But it was so obviously Muggle that she thought he might not like it. She had asked Hermione to have her parents get one and send it to her and it had only arrived two days ago. Hermione was more than happy to send her parents an owl with some of Cassie's stash of Muggle money and Cassie had been grateful. Corresponding with her parents was so difficult now that she had abandoned all hope of having them pick it up which had been her original idea. Well, she had no option now. It was much too late to shop for another present.

She cut another piece of wrapping paper and was thinking so hard about whether George would like her present or not that she forgot about being careful to cut around the gingerbread men and accidentally cut off a little foot. By the time she noticed, half the paper was in rebellion and several of the little men were making very obscene gestures at her. So, she wound up having to cut a whole new piece and re-wrapping the present. She thought that if she were in charge of buying wrapping paper, she would never buy it with figures on it of any sort - no Father Christmases, no little elves, no teddy bears, no caroling children, nothing. It might be boring to just have plain paper with maybe candies or something on it, but at least you wouldn't have to worry about cutting around the designs. What a pain. She laughed as she imagined having Father Christmas making obscene gestures at whomever was opening the presents and made a promise to herself that she'd be more careful the rest of the day. She didn't want her mother or father to be offended by the wrapping paper. There would be plenty of other things to worry about.

She stashed everything back in her trunk, deciding that she needed to get downstairs to help finish lunch now and then maybe she could come back up and finish wrapping the rest of her presents later. She was particularly worried about the ones for her family as she would obviously be giving them their presents tomorrow as opposed to Thursday. She was so excited to see them that she wished they were actually coming today. She was nervous, too, of course, because she hoped that her little brothers behaved themselves and she really really hoped that her parents liked George If they didn't, she didn't know what she would do. She stood up and stretched, just as a tentative knock sounded on the door. She opened it, expecting Molly or possibly Remus or Arthur telling her it was time for lunch. Instead, George was standing out there, looking rather sheepishly at her. She grinned widely and he smiled back.

"Hello, George. I'm sorry I missed you this morning. I didn't know you were going in early today or I would have hurried faster."

"I missed you, too. The whole morning I kept thinking that you were mad at me and would be even madder that we hadn't had a chance to say goodbye." He took her hand. "Are you done in there?"

"Yeah, for the moment." He tugged her gently out of the room.

"I'm sorry about getting mad at you yesterday. I shouldn't have . . . I don't know, taken it out on you or something." Cassie smiled, remembering Ginny's words to her. They would definitely have to talk about her being able to take care of herself later, but right now . . . . She wound her arms up around his neck.

"I'm not mad anymore." He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. "Of course, I may have to be convinced to completely forgive you." She kissed his jaw and cheek, liking the slight rasp of his skin under her lips. He stroked her hair with one hand and spread his other over her back, holding her close to him.

"I see. You need more roses then?" He was smiling as she kept kissing his face. She shook her head slightly.

"No more roses. Mine are still beautiful." He laughed then and kissed her back. He stepped forward and she felt the hard door behind her. His hands slipped out from behind her and cupped her face. She closed her eyes as his mouth settled more firmly over hers. He felt solid against her and she moved her hands from his hair down to his shoulders, where she could feel his muscles bunching under the smooth material of his shirt. His mouth left hers and trailed over her jaw. "You're doing a good job convincing me." His low chuckle sent shivers over her skin.

His hands moved up into her hair, holding her face still as he returned to her mouth. "I actually came up here to tell you lunch is ready . . . but I think I've decided I don't want lunch."

Cassie felt a sudden stab of embarrassment. "Your mum sent you up here?"

"Mm." He made a nondescript answer that confirmed her concerns. She pushed gently on his shoulders.

"We've got to go downstairs then. They'll all know what we're doing."

"Don't care." He mumbled again and shut her up quite effectively by kissing her hard.

"George," she mumbled as he lifted his face to come at her mouth from a different angle . He smiled and kissed her again.

"Just another second, then we'll go down. Promise." She opened her mouth to protest and he gently closed his teeth on her lower lip. Her eyes, which had been half closed in enjoyment of the kissing, flew open and she froze. He drew back and looked down at her. She instinctively soothed the slight sore spot with her tongue, staring up into his flashing eyes. "Did I hurt you?" She didn't even know how to answer him. It hadn't hurt much. It had just surprised her. She shook her head faintly. He growled as his eyes fastened onto her tongue, again testing the spot on her lip. "I probably shouldn't have done that. You just . . . I just . . ." His breathing was heavy and fast.

"It's all right. We . . . better go downstairs." She was surprised to hear how breathless she was. They both stared at each other for a minute.

"Yeah. We better. For one thing, you need to meet Angelina. And, of course, Fleur's here, too."

Suddenly Cassie remembered. She had wanted to dress up a bit, do something with her hair, get on some nice clothes, something. Now if anything, she actually looked worse than she had this morning.

"I can't go down there. Not like this. Is Angelina pretty, too? Oh, I just . . . I can't believe I forgot. Tell everyone I'm not hungry. I'll be down in a few minutes." She turned to push the door open but George caught her arm.

"What are you talking about?"

"I . . . I was so busy today that I . . . well, okay. Seeing her . . I just felt like a complete slob. And I realized that I had just thrown on an old comfortable jumper and my jeans and just my plain old trainers and my hair was straight . . "

George put his hand over her mouth. "Quiet. You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing. Come on, you look fine." She scowled and pushed his hand away.

"Fine is not what I was going for. I wanted something more like stunning."

"Well . . ." He appraised her with a small smile. She pushed on his shirt, knowing he was kidding. "What's made you worry about that? You never have before."

"I have so . . . really. But you should have seen her this morning. I felt like a disgusting mess."

"Since Angelina just apparated here with us, you must mean Fleur."

"Of course, Fleur. Is she still wearing that blue chiffon thing?"

"I didn't notice what she was wearing."

"You didn't?" Cassie, despite herself, felt a small bit of pleasure at his words.

"No. I was just looking for you."

"I'm still a mess."

He brought his hand up to cup the side of her face. "I think you look lovely. And that jumper is . . . fantastic." His eyes roved over it and she felt heat rush up into her face. "Yeah. You could just wear that every day and I wouldn't complain."

"George! I want to look nice for you."

"I've known Fleur for four years. I know what she looks like. If I wanted to date someone that looked like her, I would. I don't. She's a little bit . . .much."

"She's pretty."

"Well, I can't disagree with you because I'd be lying, and you'd know it. But you're pretty, too. Now come on down or Mum will seriously be sending a search party up after us. Either that, or coming up herself." Cassie flushed, knowing what Molly would be thinking if she went to all the trouble to come up here to get them.

"Okay." They linked fingers and descended the steps. Everyone was sitting at the table and everyone's eyes turned up to look at them. Cassie wanted to turn around and run back upstairs when she saw that, but George gripped her fingers tighter and she forced a smile. She looked around for the strange face, wanting to know what Fred's girlfriend looked like. She saw her and tried not to stare. She was pretty, in a Tomboyish way. Her hair was smooth and her dark eyes were flashing with laughter. She looked fun and like someone that Cassie would really enjoy getting to know. The thing that completely surprised her is that she was black, her skin the color of coffee with milk. She was quite sure that no one had told her this.

George led her over to the two empty seats at the table which was now, Cassie noted with some sense of foreboding, filling the entire kitchen to seat 15. She had no idea what they were going to do tomorrow when they had at least six extra people here. They sat down and Harry passed the tureen of soup over to George, who served Cassie and then himself. Angelina smiled at her broadly, her teeth flashing white against her dark skin. "Hi. You must be Cassie. I have heard a tonne about you."

"Thanks. You must be Angelina. I've heard a lot about you, too." They both smiled at each other and Cassie felt a sudden sense of bonding with this girl, just by virtue of the fact that she was dating Fred and knew what Cassie had to put up with in the way of practical jokes and his sense of humor. Lunch passed quickly with Angelina keeping the entire table laughing with stories of her internship at someplace called St. Mungo's. It took Cassie a while to figure out that St. Mungo's was a hospital and Angelina eventually told her that she was studying to be a sports healer, a Medi-Wizard, and work for a Quidditch team.

"I wanted to play professionally. Thought I might have a chance, but I realized that I wasn't really cut out for it."

"You play Quidditch?"

"Yeah. I'm a Chaser. Well, I was at Hogwarts." Fred squeezed her hand.

"You were one of the best, Ange. I mean - we won the Cup, didn't we?"

"And we'll win it again this year, trust me!" Harry announced to muted groans around the table. "No, seriously! It's in the bag!"

"We'll believe it when we see it. I seem to remember having the same conversation last year!" A friendly debate ensued over whether this year's team had a chance against Ravenclaw. .

"Do you play, Cassie?" Cassie looked with some surprise at Angelina.

"Uh, no. I don't. I do like to watch, though."

"Well, good." Fred banged his hand on the table "After lunch, we need to have a scrimmage! We have almost enough people here to field two entire teams." There was applause and cheering around the table. Cassie felt a surge of excitement. She was going to get to watch Quidditch again! Everyone ate quickly and even though everyone offered to help with the dishes, Molly shoo'd them outside, saying they needed to take advantage of what little light and warmth was available at the end of December and she would deal with them herself. Everyone went out onto the field, even the rest of the adults, and Fleur ran upstairs and changed from her pale blue robes into jeans and a jumper, which Cassie thought was a lot more practical. She still looked beautiful, but not quite as ethereal as she had before.

Cassie didn't understand what method they used to pick teams, but when the debate ended, the teams were such: The Dragons, with Charlie as Seeker and captain, were playing against the Hippogriffs with Harry as captain. They had tried and tried to convince Hermione to play but she had refused, saying that she needed to keep Cassie company. Angelina had even tried to convince Cassie to take the last chaser spot, but Cassie had laughingly declined saying that the teams were more even without her. George had told her after lunch that as a precaution they were telling Fleur, Angelina, Percy, and the Grangers that Casisie was a Muggle-born witch who was getting trained by a private tutor at home. So Cassie had run up and dug her wand out of her trunk and it was now tucked securely into her back pocket where everyone else had theirs. Ron was playing Keeper for Harry's team with Arthur and Bill as the two Beaters and Ginny and Angelina playing the Chasers. They said they could play fine with just two, and Charlie's team had Tonks and Fleur. George and Fred were playing the Beater positions for Charlie with Remus as the Keeper. Everyone put on some protective gear although there wasn't enough for everyone to have a full set. Brooms were dusted off that hadn't been played with for a long time and Hermione and Cassie laughed as some of the older people launched into the air, barely holding on in some cases. After a few minutes' warm-up though, everyone was looking pretty decent and Charlie brought out the case of balls.

Now that this was Cassie's second Quidditch game, she had an idea of what to expect and even though there wasn't any commentary this time around, it was very enjoyable to watch. She mainly focused on what George was doing although she also tried to keep an eye on Harry and Ginny. She didn't need to worry about keeping an eye on Ron because Hermione was doing that and Cassie got enough commentary from her. She also watched Angelina, who was very good. Ginny was a really good Chaser, also, so between the two of them, they were flying rings around the other two. Although the weather was definitely cold, Hermione had set up quite a nice little warming charm around the two of them and the sun felt good on her face.

"This is fun. Thanks for staying down here with me. How come you don't like to fly?"

"I don't know. I just don't like being up there in the air. I don't like the feeling of being at the mercy of that little stick of wood. I know how to fly. Ron and I sometimes go up. But, it's not enjoyable for me, not like for Ron or Harry or even Ginny for that matter."

"I hope you didn't stay behind just for me."

"No. If I had wanted to go up, I would have. I really am not a big Quidditch player either. Trust me, Angelina and Ginny are better up there without me."

"I'd love to play. I love being on a broom. It's the greatest thing ever." They fell into a long period of silence, then, because the yells and calls from the air drew their attention to a dramatic series of plays. George flew down once close enough to wave and yell hello and she waved back, smiling broadly. "I could watch this forever."

Hermione cleared her throat and Cassie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She knew Hermione enough to know that this meant she was about to launch into a lecture and she really wasn't in the mood to hear one right now. She was about to tell Hermione that, but it was too late. Hermione spoke up first. "Cassie, I actually wanted to talk to you privately for a little bit."

"What about?" Cassie hoped it wasn't what she expected.

"You and George." Cassie nodded. Just as she suspected.

"I really think you're making a mistake; I don't think you've really thought this through. I know this isn't easy for you to hear and you probably don't want to listen to me, but I think you should." Cassie closed her eyes for a second. She was right. She really didn't want to hear it, but she also knew that Hermione was pretty smart. And as a Muggle-born witch, she certainly knew what she was talking about. So, she could at least do her the courtesy of hearing her out.

"I'll listen, Hermione."

"Are you ready to completely give up your other life?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just have to understand that if you were to have a serious relationship with George, you would have to give up everything from your Muggle life."

"Why? Why does it have to be that way?"

"I don't know. Maybe because while we are perfectly aware of Muggles and their lives, they are not aware of us. So, wizards can accept Muggle-borns into our culture okay and teach them the differences and accept that they don't know things and be patient with them as they learn. But it is really difficult for wizards to go over to the Muggles to live, not as wizards. They can pretend to be Muggles and it sometimes happens, but they have to practically give up their magic completely. So it wouldn't be fair, it really wouldn't, for you to ask George to do that. And yes, he could go visit your parents, who know about him, but no one else." Cassie thought for a few minutes as she watched George fly above her. "You couldn't introduce him to your friends or other family members. They would want to ask about what he did for a living, what sort of education he had, about his family, etc. You'd either have to make up a whole story about him, or just never introduce him. He'd never be able to fit in."

"But, I still don't understand why not."

"You remember Ron at Harry's place last summer?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that should answer all your questions. It might be different if he was Muggle-born himself. But he wasn't. He doesn't know what it's like. It's really hard for us to adjust, even when we know we're supposed to fit in. Because it's not just a matter of not doing magic where anyone can see. It's a whole different world. I even have a hard time when I go home for brief visits. He could go for a few days, maybe, but not much longer. You'll see what I mean when my parents are here tomorrow. We just don't have much in common anymore."

They both looked upward and watched the players wheel around in the blue sky. After a few moments, Hermione started speaking again. "Please don't get me wrong. I love my mum and dad and I know they love me. It's just that our lives are so different. We really don't have much in common. And let's face it, Cassie. It would end up being the same for you. You wouldn't ever fit in there again. But you really wouldn't fit in here, either. Because no matter how hard you try, you can't ever do magic."

"I know." Cassie stared hard at the frozen grass around her, wishing she could just pretend that Hermione was completely wrong. "I don't know that he wants to get that serious with me."

"I think he would if you allowed him to think you had some future together. He as much as told Ginny that yesterday."

"Ginny told me that Muggles and wizards get married all the time."

"It happens. But it's not really easy. And usually the Muggle is the one who has to make all the sacrifices. I just want you to know what you're getting into. Because George isn't ever going to give up this world. He may say he would for you, but he wouldn't be happy."

Cassie felt the tears in her throat. She knew that Hermione was right. It was fun to imagine all sorts of possible ways that she and George could be together, but it wasn't realistic to think of planning a whole life around those imagined schemes. But her determination to tell George this was forgotten a few minutes later when he flew down and stopped right by her. "Hop on. I'll take you up."

"No. I couldn't."

"Come on. I won't let the Bludgers hurt you."

"Are you sure?" At his nod, she stepped over to the broom. "Should I be in the back or the front?"

"The back. I've still got to do the Beating."

"Who's winning?" She yelled as they climbed back up into the air. It had been almost a week since they were last on the broom, but as she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist, she realized that she never wanted to go that long again without flying.

"Harry's team is, actually. But I think Charlie will get the Snitch. And yes, I know Harry is great, but you've never seen Charlie play." They had reached the altitude now where almost everyone else was playing. They were all laughing and teasing, cheeks pink in the wind and cold, yelling catcalls at each other as the Quaffle was tossed back and forth. It was a very different experience being up here with so many other people. Ginny passed by and then stopped in mid-air to say hello. Fleur flew by, too, and started to say hello, but then had to peel off as Bill sent a Bludger hurtling toward George, trying to make Fleur miss the Quaffle Tonks had just sent her direction. The Bludger did its job and Angelina stole the Quaffle in mid-air just as George hit the Bludger toward her. She stuck her tongue out at him and flew off toward the goal, easily getting it past Remus.

Cassie had the greatest time of her life for the next half-hour. George made the Beating look easy, although she felt the strength behind his wielding of the bat. She got to call out to Ginny and Harry every once in a while when they got close enough to each other and she even saw the Snitch once, although she didn't get to see either Harry or Charlie try to catch it because it was gone just a split-second later. She laughed along with George when Tonks tried a tricky maneuver to get the Quaffle and missed completely. She missed the drama completely when Charlie finally caught the Snitch and ended the game. Harry's team took the loss with good grace and all of them landed on the grass laughing a few moments later, gathering up all the balls and other equipment. Angelina was standing next to her as she took off her equipment and handed it to Fred.

"You looked like you were having a great time up there."

"Yeah, I was! I love flying!"

"You should play, then. In a game like this, it wouldn't have mattered if you weren't very good."
"You're probably right. But I wasn't sure."

"You and George are cute together." Cassie blushed slightly.

"Thanks." They started walking back toward the house as they saw the twins heading over to them.

"So, how did you two meet?"

"She came into the store one day with Ginny and it was love at first sight for me. I think it took her a little longer." George grabbed her hand and pulled her close. "In fact, I'm still trying to convince her I'm worth the effort." Angelina laughed at the look on Cassie's face.

"Well, I think Fred's worth it, although there are times . . . "

"Hey!" Fred grabbed her and kissed her firmly. "You know you love me."

"Yeah! I do, but I could still talk myself out of the insanity."

"Never! I'm an addiction. So's George! Right, Cassie?"

"I'm with Angelina. There's still hope for me." Angelina looked at her and smiled.

"I think it might be too late for you, actually. I think you're a lost cause now."

"I hope she is!" said George and Cassie laughed as he spun her around into his arms. "I hope you're right, Ange! I hope she's completely lost." Cassie gently disentangled herself, knowing that his hopes were realized, because she was completely lost and never wanted to be found again.
"You really fell in love with me at first sight?" she asked shyly as they entered the Burrow, stepping over a pile of stuff where everyone had left their wet cloaks and scarves and hats piled by the door.

"Yes. I didn't want to admit it for a while, but I did. What about you? No, don't answer that. I don't want to know about then. I want to know about now." Despite the light tone of his voice, Cassie could sense the anxiety behind his question. She reached up and brushed some hair out of his eyes. She hesitated for a moment as she wasn't sure what to say. She was mercifully saved when Molly came into the kitchen and yelled up the stairs.

"Come down here and get this stuff picked up! Severus will be here in a half hour and he doesn't need any more excuses to disparage us!" George looked over at his mother.

"Snape is coming here?"

"Yes. He's supposed to be bringing something for Arthur. And I want you and Fred to behave yourselves. I do not want a repeat of his last visit!"

"Don't worry." Molly apparently took this as an assurance of good behavior but Cassie knew that he actually just meant they wouldn't do the same trick again. If she had been Molly, she would have made the twins promise to stay in their room until Professor Snape left, but maybe she had learned the futility of that as well. George glanced at the pile by the door. "Is any of that yours?" Cassie shook her head. "Good. Let's go find Fred."

"George! You heard what your mother said!"

"I heard. Come on!" They climbed the steps quickly and found Fred and Angelina in the twins' room, snogging without embarrassment. It was nice to be able to interrupt them for once. Cassie and Angelina both smiled as the boys outlined the plan for playing another prank on the Potion Master.

"I'll be you, again. Let's switch shirts," said Fred, immediately pulling his over his head. George nodded and pulled his own off. Cassie tried not to blush when she saw that Angelina didn't even blink at the sight of the two bare chests.

"Okay. You go down and wait at the kitchen table. I'll wait up here."

"I'm going to bow out of this one, boys. I'll go unpack my stuff and have a bit of a rest. Come and get me, Fred, when you're done."

"All right, Angelina. Are you sure? We can put you to use."

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

"Anything I can do?"

"Sure!" George and Fred outlined their plan and Cassie couldn't help but smile at its deviousness. Twenty minutes later, Fred was sitting down in the kitchen waiting for Professor Snape to apparate, wearing George's shirt, and George and Cassie were sitting up at the top of the first flight of stairs, waiting for their signal to descend. They could see everything, but no one could see them unless they actually started up the steps.

"How much longer, George?"

"I don't know. Are you nervous?"

"A little bit."

"Don't be. You'll be brilliant. Oh, no. What does Ron want?" They both watched as Ron came into the kitchen, saw Fred sitting there, and sat down next to him at the table. If Ron was there when the professor came, it could mess up the whole thing. Ron looked around the kitchen a little as if looking for someone.

"Where's Cassie?"

"He thinks Fred's you!" George held up his hand to her mouth.

"Shhh. Let's see what he says. Fred will get rid of him."

"Upstairs. I think the Quidditch kind of wore her out."

"Oh." He fiddled a bit with the salt shaker. "I didn't know Cassie was your girlfriend." Fred guffawed loudly.

"Let's face it, Ron. You didn't know Hermione was your girlfriend for two whole years."

Ron grunted in reply. "Well, I mean, I knew you liked her a bit, but . . .it's more serious than that, isn't it?"

"Uh, Ron . . . I should probably tell you . . . "

"I don't need gory details or anything . . . but Hermione's afraid you're maybe getting a bit . . . carried away . . ." Ron's ears turned bright red.

"Are you spying for Hermione now, Ron?"

"No! She didn't ask me to find out! Girls talk about that stuff enough. I just . . . well, I was just sort of . . . curious."

"About what exactly?"

"How much she lets you kiss her."

"That, Ron, is absolutely none of your business."

"Well, like I said I don't want details . . . it's just that her parents are pretty strict, I guess. That's what Harry said. He likes them a lot. And you know how much Dad likes them. He'd be really mad if you were, um, pushing her further than you really should. I just hope you're not trying to go too far with Cassie, because . . . well, she's a nice girl. Really nice."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! This is another of those stupid lectures. . . " Just then, a pop announced the arrival of Professor Snape who nodded at Fred and Ron and stepped through the door into the living room. Fred, George, and Cassie all watched him go with identical expressions of disappointment. Their chance for the prank was gone. "Oh, Ron. You are such a prat!" grumbled Fred as he stood up from his chair. "You made me mess it up."

"What? What'd I do?"

"I'm Fred, not George. We were trying to play a joke on Snape. But I've blown it now. Or you have." George and Cassie stood up and came halfway down the stairs.

"But that was certainly an interesting conversation. I'm glad I had a chance to hear it." George said, glaring down at his younger brother. "I appreciate your concern. But I can assure you that Cassie and I are just fine."

"He's right, Ron. You don't need to worry. But thank you for worrying about me." Cassie smiled down at him. Ron stared up at them with a bright red face. He didn't even have time to stammer out an apology before Cassie and George headed up the stairs where he had promised to help her wrap the rest of her presents.