((I'm not even going to bother you with my excuse for why this took so long to go up. I love you guys, you make my day when you review, follow, or fav. Sorry if this is terrible. I'm kind of waiting for Goblet of Fire time period so I can really get going.))
The three teenagers sat submerged in the sweet aroma of the pastry shop, Josie sipping on hot chocolate as they shared a custom box of her favorite sweets, made special for her and her guests. They had been sitting in the shop for a couple of hours, watching through the window as people passed by and making comments about them. George was finishing off a palmier as Fred described the distinguished life as a Pixie breeder of the bearded bachelor who walked past them, Josie sputtering into her drink. She left them moments later to get the three of them more to drink, handing the empty cups to Marius, one half of the wizard duo that owned the shop.
"Already finished? Those two eat more than your father, but that's not saying much." He muttered in French, refilling their cups. "Maybe it's just Fonteir's baking skills." She replied, watching as he shook fresh whipped cream before dispensing it over the drinks steaming surface. The deep brown eyes of the shop owner glanced at the slicked black hair of his partner peeking over the window into the bakery, a smile working its way onto his lips. Marius turned back to her, glancing at the two twins finishing off the box that once held friands, jesuites, crostades, macaroons, madelines, caneles, and many different éclairs. "If you need any more of those let me know, I'd be glad to give you whatever you'd like. He's been baking non-stop, the holidays make him so stressed." "No thank you, I'm not up to fight George for the hazelnut éclairs again." She smiled, tilting her head as he drizzled chocolate over the cream, making a decorative heart on all three.
The raise of Josie's brow was returned with a sly grin from Marius. "It's not that hard to tell, you're head over heels for the both of them. You're practically jumping into their lap every time they give you…" His eyes glanced at the table at which they sat, a smirk tugging up the left corner of his mouth. "…that look." Josie glanced over her shoulder at the two of them, finding both of them watching her, chins in their hands as their elbows rested on the table. They were grinning in that endearing way they usually did, both winking at her when she met their eyes. Josie turned back around, her face scarlet. With a glance up at Marius she picked up the three cups of hot chocolate on a tray, muttering a thank you. "They sure are cute though." She heard him mutter as she went back to the table, setting the tray down before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Any other interesting people pass by?" She asked after clearing her throat. "Well there was one beautiful girl at the counter a minute ago." Fred grinned, nodding his head towards the place she had been standing seconds ago. Ignoring her heart picking up speed in her chest, she sipped at the liquid chocolate and looked at him from over the rim of the cup. "Maybe you should get her address so you can send an owl." She said simply, setting her drink back on the table and setting her chin in her hands. "I would but I saw her walk over to two devilishly hansom boys. Shouldn't ruin a good thing." He added, chuckling at her response. Josie snorted, grinning at the two of them while she playfully rolled her eyes.
After another round of people watching, where Josie told a very extensive story of a pig nosed blonde woman who fell down the stairs chasing after her lover and disfigured her face forever, along with George who narrated a love story between the two witches that had run into each other in the street, the three of them went back up to the apartment. Jones met them at the door, mewing loudly as he clawed up Georges tan corduroys. The twins settled themselves into looking around the apartment, Fred running his fingers over the console piano and pressing a key experimentally. "Who plays?" he asked as she moved to stand next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder as he haphazardly pressed the keys. "My father. I can play, kind of, but mostly him." She answered, watching his fingers prod at the ivory. George appeared and stood next to her moments later, setting Jones on the piano seat as he wrapped an arm around her waist. The tabby jumped onto the keys, batting at Fred's fingers before jumping up to sit next to Georgettes favorite perch, the owl hooting softly with a flutter of wings.
"You should play something." George commented, turning his head to smile down at her with his brother. "I'm not that great, it would be a wa-""Let us judge, you're too critical of yourself." She sighed, sitting down on the small padded bench. "If I suck then tell me to stop." She said quietly, watching Jones's tail swing back and forth as she started to play. She played the first song her father had taught her, his favorite song for her when she was little. Hey Jude flowed from her finger tips, softly playing the melody coined by The Beatles as they watched her, their gaze burning into the back of her neck. She stopped not long after she started, placing her hands in her lap shyly. She only looked up when Fred sat next to her, straddling the bench and pulling her into him as George sat next to her on the opposite side. "Stop that." Fred said sternly, wrapping his arms around her. "Stop what?" she asked softly, laying her head against his chest. "Stop thinking that you're less than wonderful." A smile twitched at her lips as she wrapped an arm around his waist and held her hand out to George, who took it between warm fingers and squeezed it gently. She had begun to say something when the door opened and her mother walked in, carrying bags of groceries that George quickly got up to help with. Josie had to wriggle her way out of Fred's grasp, following her mother into the kitchen as she babbled about her adventures buying groceries for dinner.
After an eventful dinner during which her father talked about an elderly witch that had shown her rainbow shifting bloomers to a group of muggle boys and made teapots float around their heads, Fred told of all the weird happenings during Quidditch games at Hogwarts, Josie told about the first time they snuck into Honeydukes, and Jones stole pieces of cheese off Georges plate from his lap, the group took their desert into the living room. Andre lit the fire as her mother curled her legs under her by the fire and the teenagers squished together on the couch. The radio was turned on soon afterwards, the music playing in the background as they finished scraping the cream from their plates and continued talking about her father's job at Frances branch of the ministry. Josie was nested between the two redheaded houseguests, their arms slung across the couch behind her as they snuck glances when her father wasn't looking. He didn't need to know about the three of them just yet. Josie jumped quite violently when her father yelled about the time his coworker had obliterated the wrong persons memory, wiping the memories of the witch rather than the muggle. His loud roar of a voice surprised her so much she almost wound up in Georges lap, and she felt her face heat up when he chuckled, his body close enough that the action blew air across the back of her ear. Her father missed the shudder that rolled down her spine and the look she sent George's way, the melody playing from the radio catching his attention.
Andre and Delephine shared a look before the prior stood up and took the latter's hand, pulling her from her seat and twirling her as the song's first verse started. Josie felt confusion radiating from either side of her as she leaned back into them. "This is "their song"." She clarified, using her fingers in quotations appropriately. "What's it called?" Fred asked quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Uptown Girl, by Billy Joel." She replied, watching her father twirl her embarrassed, flushing mother with a grin. "It's a rule; they have to dance to it whenever it comes on." The three watched, Josie admiring her mother's hair and skirt as it flowed around her gracefully. "Your parents are cool." The twins said together, causing Josie to snort with laughter. "I guess, they've always been like this. I'm used to it."
After a moment of silence, the cushion beside her shifted as George stood, taking her hand and pulling her off the couch. His brother watched with a small smirk as George held out his other hand with a raised brow, and Josie understood what he was doing after a moment of blinking at him in confusion. "You've got to be kidding." She said through a laugh, looking up at him questioningly. "Nope." "Can you even dance?" "Why don't you find out?" Reluctantly, she took his other hand, blushing when he pulled her closer. "I'm terrible at these fast paced songs." Josie muttered. "You're probably a lot better than I am; I've only danced with Ginny and that git."
Josie giggled as he spun her around after gesturing towards his brother, and she swore she caught a glimpse of her mother watching them with a grin as they danced. She looked up at the red-headed boy in front of her, the one who looked back down at her with that devious grin that indented his freckled cheeks with dimples and made her stomach churn nervously. He wasn't half bad at dancing, maybe a little off tempo sometimes but he danced with her like he did it every day, no worry or apprehension appearing in his features when he tugged her closer. She could feel the moisture build up between their hands, but she couldn't tell whose hand was clamming up with nervousness. It had to be hers; George was far too sure of himself and outgoing for something like that. The notion was soon forgotten when he spun her around, perhaps one too many times, and she was stopped in front of Fred. The second Weasley twin bowed deeply and held his hand out to her with an over dramatic flourish, causing Josie to giggle as she took it. He yanked her to him, her chest bumping into his, a small squeak pushed into her throat by the impact.
Fred was obviously much less restrained than George. Anyone who knew them personally would warn you of this in hushed tones shortly after introducing him to you. Fred Weasley wasted no time in swinging her around to the rhythm, Josie almost tripping over her own feet due to his enthusiasm. She was trained to dance traditionally, the lessons paid for by her grandmother for the time she was 10 to the time she was 13. But traditional training only taught her traditional dancing. Josie was better prepared for ballroom dancing than for the swing her mother and father exhibited, or the playful casual dancing Fred knew. So, instead of keeping to the latest trend of breaking away from the mannerisms engraved into her brain, she fell into them once again and let him lead. She was picked up off her feet, his forearm tucking under her behind as he lifted her up, her weight supported against his chest as he spun her around.
The five people danced through a number of songs, Josie shuffled back and forth between the twins through each melody until the night had completely arrived and covered the town in pitch black. The twins had to leave as the fifth song came to its end, Andre turning the radio down and ushering them towards the door. Josie walked with them down to the alleyway while her father helped her mother clean up dinner quickly, a plot her mother surely made to allow them time alone. They stood at the bottom of the stairs; Josie's striped socks contrasting against the dark metal as they glanced between each other. In a moment of bravery, she leaned forward and kissed both of their cheeks, resting her head on their shoulders afterwards to hide her embarrassment and hugging them tightly.
Her chest tightened, anxiety crawling up her ribcage to choke her and prick tears into her eyes as the silence throbbed around them, the realization that she wasn't going to see them again until after the New Year hitting her like a rogue bludger. Josie's eyes were drawn from the cold floor when two hands, each belonging to a different twin, chased away the sadness creeping into her, cupping her cheeks and tilting her face upwards so they both could kiss her gently on each cheek. Their lips sparked fire under her skin, her cheeks flushing dark pink as they pulled away just as her father opened the door on the landing.
"See you at Kings Cross." She stuttered softly, smiling as her father shook the stairs with massive steps as he came down. "See you soon." They said in unison, winking at her as they turned and followed after her father. It wasn't until she was curled up under her comforter with damp hair and puffy eyes, Fred's scarf and George's sweater keeping her warm as Jones pawed at the pillow next to her that she realized the ritual the three had begun, never saying goodbye, always parting with "See you soon". The notion bounced around her mind as she drifted into sleep, replaying the day as she fell into dreams of misadventures at the castle. One thought echoed as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Soon, was not soon enough.