Can We Stay?

!Real World-moments after the two had gone into the book!

"Why aren't they answering the phone?" Nicole's mom asked herself. "I guess they are online or something. Oh, well I'll just call back. I know I just got done talking to Niki five minutes ago, butI just remembered something Amber wanted me to tell her." She sighed and hung up the phone. "I'll just try back in an hour or so.

!HW-still in the sitting room, just hours later!

"Do you think your parents will start missing you soon. I mean you've been here for a day and a half." Lupin was asking as he sipped his tea. Niki was adding the finishing touches to a different sweater, Shony was making Charlie sit still while she started to draw him out, and everyone else was doing their own thing really. Lupin looked over and caught Harry's eye, he seemed to be watching Niki closely, and so was Fred for that matter. George seemed fascinated by Shona, Ginny was talking with her mother, Arthur had gone to work, and Ron was finishing his summer work with Hermione's help.

"Well, if my guess is right, not much time has passed in our world. I mean it maybe a day and half here but it is most likely has only been a few minutes up there." Niki was explaining as she finished her next sweater and showed it to Lupin. It was of a wolf howling at a full moon. "Here you go Moony." She smiled handing it over.

Lupin took it and looked it over. "Funny." He half smiled.

"What? Hey in the Native American beliefs the wolf is a very powerful being, it symbolizes strength, unity, and all that. You should be honored, I mean it isn't the best thing in the world to be a werewolf but hey it could be worse." Niki explained with a grin.

"How is that?" Lupin asked laying the sweater in his lap.

"You could be a Vampire or hey a Werefish!" Niki laughed.

Lupin couldn't help but laugh, he nodded and slipped the sweater over his head. "Well, at least it fits. Tonks what do you think?" He turned to face Tonks.

"Looks great Remus, what about mine?" She smiled; her sweater had The Weird Sisters written across it in really neat writing, it was also sort of a tye-dye.

"Nice, brings out the pink in your hair." Lupin smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

Niki smiled and got up and walked over to Harry, who was leaning up against the wall. "It's nice to see him smile isn't it? He looks healthier also." Niki asked watching Tonks come over and sit next to Lupin taking hold of one of his hands. Something shinned on her left hand. "What's that? Are those two?" Niki asked.

Harry looked closely. "Seems like a wedding ring doesn't it. Maybe they are." Harry was shocked but happy for Lupin.

"Yeah, well good for them, I wonder when they plan on telling everyone. I mean it looks like an engagement ring to me, so I guess they aren't married yet." Niki giggled leaning against Harry. "What about you Harry? Going to go back out with Ginny yet? My opinion is you should, that is just me though." Niki grinned.

Harry flushed, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. "No, me and Ginny are just friends now, and it is gonna stay that way."

"Well okay then, it is probably for the best anyway, but hey when you do find a girl you like let me know! I can see if she likes you back!" Niki bumped her hip up against his as she walked over to Fred who had waved her to come over.

Harry could feel himself blushing so he looked away from everyone. "I already like someone." He mumbled to himself.

"What's up Fred?" Niki asked as Fred, George, Charlie, and Shona were leading her to one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"What is up with you and Harry?" Shona asked flat out, she wasn't about to beat around the bush.

"Nothing, just friends, what is up with you and Charlie?" Niki asked casting a look at Charlie who grew pink in the cheeks.

"Nothin' at all." Shona said getting pink in the face too. "I was just drawing his picture."

"Right, for the last day and a half you have been drawing? I thought you just stared an hour ago?" Niki grinned evilly as Charlie and Shona got even pinker in the cheeks.

"Anyway, what was with the wolf sweater thing?" Charlie coughed trying to change the subject.

"Just a nice sweater is all." Niki laughed as Fred began to laugh too.

Fred leaned over to Nik and whispered to her. "What about George, he seems to stare an awful lot at Shona too doesn't he?" Fred snickered.

Niki felt a shiver go up her spine as she felt Fred's breath on her neck, she quickly shook it off. "Who knows, Shona is a big flirt." Niki whispered back, not meaning to lean so close.

Fred turned around and was nose to nose with Niki. "Yeah I noticed." He grinned as Niki took a step back. "She is kind of cute, sexy eye too." He thought to himself. He realized that George, Charlie, and Shona were so busy trying to change the subject they hadn't noticed that he and Nik were not listening. He stepped closer to Niki grinning.

"You're just as bad Fred." Niki said trying to lean back but not make it so noticeable. She could feel her face grow hot. "Damned redheads!" She cursed silently.

Fred grinned in mock innocence. "Whatever do you mean? I am no flirt."

Niki snorted a laugh. "Ha, what a lie. You are too, and don't even try to play the innocent look, I know better." Niki poked Fred in the cheek with one finger. "Just a book, just a book. Not real, right? He feels so real, he looks so real. He smells so good, er, real." She was at war with herself, she knew better, she knew she did, didn't she? While she was having a war inside herself she hadn't noticed how close Fred had really gotten. When she looked up she was so close to him she could almost count his eyelashes. "What?" She asked nervously as she stepped back.

"Nothing." He replied with an evil grin. "Come on lets go for a walk." He said with a singsong voice, catching Niki completely off guard. He took her hand and led her away from the others.

"What are you playing at Fred?" Niki asked when he finally let her hand go. "What is going on inside that twisted little head of yours?" Niki had her hands on her hips now. "God bless Molly." She thought; Molly had helped the girls get some money to buy new cloths so they didn't have to wear the same stuff over. She was now wearing a pale blue tank top, faded denim jeans, and her sneakers, just with fresh socks. Shony, it seemed, could fit into Hermione's cloths so Hermione lent her some.

Fred blushed but quickly calmed himself down. "Come on man, you are right here. Kiss her already!" He kept telling himself, but another little voice inside his head was telling him other wise. "No, don't. It isn't right; if she wanted to kiss you she would let you know. Wouldn't she? Be the gentleman, no matter how hard it is for you not to pull a prank you can be a gentleman." The since able voice kept saying. "Nothing, honest. Just thought you might want to be spared having to watch my brothers act like they aren't both crushing on your friend." Fred said with seriousness in his voice.

Niki laughed out loud. "True, it was getting pretty sad.

"So, any way I think that cloud looks like a bunny with wings, don't you George?" Shony was saying then she turned around to see what Niki and Fred thought. They had started to stare out one of the windows. "Hey where did those two run off to?" She looked around for a moment then shrugged.

Charlie looked at his watch. "Oh dear, I have to get going. I have to get back to work." He moaned as he began to head into the sitting room and grab his cloak.

"Oh, well see you around then." Shony said with a smile.

"Yeah, later Charlie." George replied watching his brother run down the steps. "So, you thirsty?" He asked with a grin.

"Actually yeah I am." She replied and playfully took George's arm into hers. "Lead the way!" She grinned.

George smiled and led the way down stairs, with a lifting feeling in his stomach he just knew would start to make him float.

"What! Fred, you can not be serious." Niki was sitting on the side of the bed in shock; she couldn't believe what Fred had just asked of her.

"Come on, would it be so bad? Please?" He begged sitting next to her taking one of her hands.

"Fred, we can't stay, not forever. We will have to go back sooner or later." Niki said looking down at her hands.

"I know, but remember you said, a day here is like 1 minutes there right? So you could stay here for a long time and they wouldn't even notice you missing before you got back."

He had a valid point, once she stopped to really think about it. "True, but what if I stayed months here, or even years. When I go back will I look the same way I did when I left, or will I have aged?" She had to think of all angles, not just for her but for Shona as well.

"I don't know, maybe. Come on, at least stay for a little while. Until we can figure this out at the least." Fred had a wanting look on his face, he wanted her to stay, he wanted them both to stay. He couldn't really make them, of course.

"Alright Fred, we will stay for a little longer. I'll give you two weeks, that shouldn't be to long up there." Niki sighed but couldn't help but smile when she saw the look on his face. That sweet smile he got when he was happy, the way his eyes would light up. Damn her weakness for Redheads!

AN: How did you like it? Not bad huh? Well I hope I can work on Chap. 6! Wow, so many chapters done in so little time, my life must really be boring!