Chapter Thirty-Seven

Fun and Games

The smells of pizza intoxicated Lenore as and Lily opened the closet door, which was filled with number games. Fred and Lily had been preparing a large pizza when they arrived and there was no hiding their surprise at seeing her. Thankfully, though, they eased into the idea of her being their very quickly. The guys ended up taking over the cooking of the pizza and told the girls to find a game to play. Lily's eyes widened with a grin.

"You'd think these guys liked to play board games?"

Lenore giggled. "There has got to be every type of board game I've ever played in here…hey!" she exclaimed spotting one of her favorite games. Reaching on her tiptoes she pulled the tin container from its high shelf. "I love this game."

"Clue," Lily read the title. "Never heard of it, is it a big Muggle game?"

"In America it is," she said with a wild grin. "Can we play it?"

She shrugged. "Sure, I don't care." Setting the game down on the floor in the middle of the room, Lily waved her wand and muttered a spell and the couch turned into a bunch of bean-bags. "I saw these once in a magazine when I was living with my parents. They said it wasn't proper but Fred let me try it and ever since then when we have our game nights we sit in them," Lily said proudly, as if a bean-bag chair was an amazing accomplishment. Lenore giggled flouncing into a blue one. "Shall we set up the game?" Lily called to the kitchen.

"Go ahead," Fred called back.

Lenore pulled the cover off the game and gasped as she saw the little metal figure for Miss Scarlet stretch, yawn, and then sit up. "Why are they moving?" she asked as the other characters sat up.

"Oh…I forgot to tell you, Fred and George gathered all their Muggle games up and enchanted them." Lily said holding out her hand to for the characters to climb onto her palm. "I haven't played this one though. I think George did the most charming on this game, you'll have to ask him."

Lenore grinned pulling the cards out. "This is going to be fun," she said happily.

"What game do you guys have out?" Fred asked carrying two drinks in his hand.

The raven-haired girl's eyes lit up as she saw that they were bottles of Cherry Coke. "Ooooo….are one of those for me?" she asked hopefully.

Fred snorted and handed Lily a bottle of Coke and then gave Lenore the second one. "You two have the weirdest obsession with fizzy Muggle drinks."

George let out a full out laugh as he came into the room, two cups in his hand. "You should have seen her when I took her home,"

Lenore stuck her tongue out. "No fair tormenting the Americans,"

"Take all our fun away," pouted Fred.

"I call Miss Scarlet!" she exclaimed grabbing the red piece (who objected and said that Lenore was going to mess up her hair.)

"Peacock is my gal," Lily said offering her hand and the figure eased onto her palm.

"I shall be Professor Plum," Fred said as the piece too its place on the board.

Lenore tilted her head to the side studying it. "Kinda reminds me of Percy…"

Fred groaned. "I'll be Mr. Green instead."

"And I'll be the Mustard Man," George picked the figure up and then set it down. "Everyone know how to—"

There was a beeping and Fred and George looked up. "Not it!" they shouted in unison. Lily grumbled and got up.

"What was that all about?" Lenore asked as the brunette went down the stairs.

George smiled getting ready to take a sip of his drink. "That beep tells us someone wants to contact us by floo. Lils is going to go see who it—"

"GEORGE WEASLEY! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" there was a familiar screaming voice which caused George to spit the liquid in his mouth out…all over Fred.

"HEY!"

"Bloody hell! We didn't tell my mum did we?" George as swallowing hard. In an instant the two were on their feet and racing downstairs where Lily was staring at the fireplace in both shock and amusement. "Sorry, mum I—"

The red-haired woman in the fireplace looked spitting mad. "Don't you try to sweet talk me! How dare you take Lenore without my permission!"

"But mum—"

"We're in the middle of a war for Merlin's sake!"

"Mrs. Weasley we—"

"You can't just waltz her out without permission! You and your brother may be legal but she isn't! Not to mention the fact that she has classes and you made her skip two of them!"

"I never made—"

"I don't want to hear another word, George. Lenore get ready to come by floo. George you are forbidden to come to the Burrow until Harry is here."

George looked hurt and flabbergasted all in one. Mrs. Weasley had finally stopped ranting which gave Lenore time to speak her mind.

"Mrs. Weasley," she said in an even but deadly voice. "I have no intention of returning to the Burrow tonight," The red-head in the fireplace opened her mouth to object but Lenore continued. "No offense to you and your family, you all have been wonderful, but I can't stand my tutors. The Elves have been on my nerves since my first lesson and I'm not meeting their expectations. I'm busy morning, noon, and night. I have no time anymore to sort through anything. In fact I barely have time to sleep let alone do things for personal hygiene. I refuse, understand, I refuse to return tonight just to get chewed out by people who have no legal say over how I run my life. In fact there are only two people in their entire world who have a say in it and one is my bastard of a father and the other is my Almost Human teacher who needs special permission to see me! I respect you a great deal, Mrs. Weasley, but enough is enough. I'm taking a break from that crap tonight, whether you and my tutors like it or not." Her voice dripped into a venomous tone before she turned on her heel and went back upstairs.

Lily had backed into a corner but was staring in awe after Lenore as was George and Mrs. Weasley's head. The brunette cleared her voice. "I'll just go check on the pizzas," the girl left the room as quick as she could which left mother and son alone.

They both were silent for a good long moment before George spoke slowly. "Mum, when I found Leo tonight she was hiding in the shadows against our house in tears because she kept getting told she wasn't good enough." He had never felt so vehement in defending someone to his mother before. "I understand why you are upset and apologize in regards to not informing you that I was taking her from the ground but she begged me to get her away from her tutors. I refuse to see those tutors of hers tear her apart when she genuinely wants to control her magic. Lenore will be sleeping on the couch tonight and will be returned in time for her morning class but I won't let her leave. Not without reassuring her that it's not as hopeless as it may seem." He nodded to his mother. "Goodnight mum,"

When he entered his living space he noticed two things: Fred was in the kitchen attempting not to burn his fingers on the pizza and Lily was hugging Lenore, who had her knees pulled to her chest. With a sigh he went over to her. "When is she coming to take me back?" mumbled the raven-haired girl.

"She's not. You're staying here tonight." George said pulling her legs down.

Lenore stared at him as he began to rub circles on her wrists. "But she said that….I don't understand."

"Leo, any red-blooded teenager needs a break—" as he said this Fred dropped a plate in the kitchen. Lenore snorted. "I said teenager not for you to break the plates!" shouted George. "Gred and I are going to give you a night off."

A smile spread across her lips and she threw her arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She exclaimed.

The pizza was a little crunchy but other than that it was delicious food. The Clue game was hysterical especially when Scarlet and Plum (who ended up being the murder) got into a fight that turned into a tango dance in the Ballroom. They played Life (which Fred and George enchanted to have it seem like the cars were moving on their own and there were mini people inside), Star Wars Monopoly (Lenore and Lily tied in winning and had to duel it out saying Star Wars lines—Lily won), and they ended the night by playing Sorry, no enchantments.

By the time they stopped Lily was falling asleep on Fred's shoulder and Lenore felt freer than she ever had before. "Lets get to bed then, you still have classes tomorrow," Fred said helping Lily to her feet.

Lenore stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Yuck." She mumbled, knowing full well that she was exhausted, happy, but exhausted. With a wave of George's wand the games were packed away. "If only every game could be packed away the quickly…" she thought, unaware that her thoughts had been verbalized.

George snorted. "Luck of being magic, no messy clean-ups except as Hogwarts punishments," Another wave of his wand the couch turned into a couch-bed.

Lenore giggled. "And no long set ups,"

"Get to bed girl," he said poking her causing her to squeal.

"Snot."

"Meanie,"

"Idiot,"

"Moran,"

"Pea-brain,"

"Nit-wit,"

"Evil-Mind-Reading-Genius-Who-Wets-Himself,"

"Nasty-Maid-Who-Cleans-It-Up," She blew a raspberry at him before collapsing on the bed. George laughed. "Night Leo,"

"Night George," she murmured, pulling the covers up. "And George,"

The red head looked back. "Thanks."