Annabelle stretched up on her tiptoes, straining to place a fairy high on the Christmas tree. Mundungus had brought it by and they placed it in the drawing room in front of the Black family tree, blocking it from sight. Anna was humming along with a Christmas song that was playing on a nearby radio, not realizing she wasn't alone in the room.
Just as her heels returned to the ground, someone grabbed her hand and spun her around. She gasped, bumping into someone's chest. Looking up into Fred's smiling face, Anna smiled as one of his hands rested on her waist, his other holding her hand.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping decorate the banisters?" Anna laughed as Fred danced her around the room.
"I'll get back to it when the song's over." Fred told her, slowly twirling her under his arm before pulling her close again. Anna laughed quietly, resting her head on his chest. "Do we have any specific plans for New Years?" he asked quietly, resting his chin on her head.
"Hm. Don't think so." she answered. "Why?"
"'Why?'" he repeated incredulously. "'Whyyyy?'" Anna laughed and tried to wiggle away when he started poking and prodding at her ribs, hitting nearly every ticklish spot he could. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close so she couldn't escape. "Did you honestly forget what December 31 is, Ms. Black? I'm insulted." he joked.
Anna laughed, her sides aching as she fell against his chest, which was shaking with suppressed laughter. "No, I didn't forget!" she exclaimed through her laughter. "I just didn't know if you wanted to do something specifically."
"Well, I don't have much planned out. And we can't really leave this house." Fred admitted. "But I'd like to think of something, if you're up for it? It won't be fancy like our first date, but…"
"I'm sure I'll love it just the same." Anna whispered, leaning up and kissing his cheek.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." a familiar voice spoke from the door. Anna quickly pulled away, standing up straight and fixing her shirt, which was rumpled. She tried not to look guilty as she looked at her father standing in the doorway with Aslan on his hip.
"Um, no, nothing." Fred chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were just dancing."
"I can see that." Sirius said, though to Anna's relief, he was smiling and looked amused. "Anyway, I need to help the under-aged kids downstairs with some work that requires magic, so I was hoping Anna could watch Aslan."
Hermione had arrived the evening before, like Ginny said she would, and by some miracle her, Ron, and Ginny managed to talk some sense into Harry and he'd stopped hiding from everyone. Since then, he'd been helping everyone else cleaning and decorating 12 Grimmauld Place. And since Anna's Mum still had to work during the day, she would drop Aslan off in the morning, arrive at Grimmauld Place for dinner, and then leave for the night since no one wanted Aslan sleeping in the gloomy house.
"Yeah, sure." Anna agreed easily. Sirius approached her and passed the infant into her arms. The baby was tangled in his favorite blanket and Sirius passed her a couple small toys for him to play with.
"Now, you be good for your big sister." Sirius told his son, ducking his head slightly to look into Aslan's eyes. "And you make sure you make a really smelly diaper if they start kissing, you hear?"
"Dad!" Anna exclaimed, blushing while her brother laughed his adorable baby laugh. Fred was also chuckling at her expense, but his cheeks were slightly pink.
"I'm just giving him something to do." Sirius insisted with a smirk before kissing the top of Anna's head and leaving the room.
Anna groaned, shaking her head. "He's so…" she trailed off.
"Funny?" Fred suggested, smirking in amusement.
"Annoying." Anna deadpanned, crossing the room and laying out Aslan's blanket on the floor. Then, she gently laid him down on the blanket and placed his toys around him. Aslan smiled up at her, a bit of drool dribbling down his chin as he wiggled and kicked his legs.
When she stood and turned back to Fred, she noticed he was staring out the door of the drawing room, his head tilted slightly to the side. That's when Anna realized she could hear her dad singing a Christmas carol.
"Your dad sure is cheerful." Fred noted, turning back to her.
"I think he's determined to make this the best Christmas ever." Anna admitted. "I mean, think about it. We have to spend Christmas in this dump, which I know he hates. Add that to the fact that last year was supposed to be mine and Harry's first Christmas with him being a free man, but we had the Yule Ball, so this is our first Christmas with him. And it's Aslan's first Christmas in general."
Fred nodded slowly. "Plus with You-Know-Who being back and a war on the horizon. And our dad being attacked." he added.
Anna smiled sadly, approaching him and wrapping her arms around his middle. "Yeah, I think we could all use a happy Christmas, huh?"
"Definitely." Fred agreed, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"You should probably get back to the stairs to finish decorating the banisters." Anna whispered after a few moments.
"Do I have to?" Fred whined, burying his face in the top of her head. "They're probably done with it by now."
"Possibly, but I'm sure there're other things for you to do. Do you want to risk your mother's wrath?" Anna asked with a small smirk.
"You…have a point." he admitted reluctantly.
"As always."
"Watch it." Fred warned playfully, tickling her ribs. Anna squeaked and tried to wiggle away from him. A loud giggle made them look back at Aslan, who had rolled onto his tummy and pushed his head up to laugh at them.
Fred chuckled. "Well, I'll let you get back to decorating in here. See you in a bit. And remember: New Years."
"I'll remember." Anna assured him with a smile.
XXX
On the evening of Christmas Eve, Anna was once again in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. She was curled up on the couch, humming quietly to a Christmas song playing on a nearby radio while her eyes danced over the decorated Christmas tree.
The wooden floor by the doorway creaked, causing Anna to look over her shoulder. Her father smiled at her as he entered the room, a cup of eggnog in each hand.
"Hey." he whispered in greeting.
Anna sat up and accepted the cup he offered her. Sirius then sat next to her on the couch. He rested his arm on the back of the sofa and Anna snuggled into his side before taking a sip of her drink.
"What'd you get Mum for Christmas?" Anna asked quietly.
"A necklace." Sirius answered quietly. Anna smiled softly.
"I'm sure she'll love it." she whispered. "Can you tell me about Christmas before you were arrested?"
Sirius kissed the top of her head. "Well, you were about…five months old your first Christmas. And you got spoiled." he laughed. "I swear, you got more presents than everyone else combined. Between your mum and me, Wren's parents and Kendra, Remus, James and Lily, James' parents…much as I hate to admit it, even Peter got you something." Sirius grimaced briefly, and Anna couldn't help mirroring it at the mention of the man who'd betrayed her family. "But enough about him. We invited everyone over to the house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Of course, Lily had to spend Christmas Day with her parents that year. Anyway, that first Christmas was crazy. You were practically sitting up on your own by that point. And I think you liked the wrapping paper more than your actual toys. You loved it when James and I buried you under the wrapping paper, couldn't stop laughing."
Anna laughed along with her dad, imagining herself as a baby peaking out from under a pile of ripped wrapping paper with a big, toothless smile and chubby cheeks, probably colorful hair.
"Wren whacked James over the head because he bought you a toy broomstick. I learned from his mistake and waited until Harry's first birthday to do the same." Sirius admitted, making Anna laugh again, tossing her head back against his shoulder.
"Your second Christmas was a bit quieter." Sirius continued. "But still a lot of fun. I took you out to play in the snow a lot that year. Of course, we had a lot of protective charms around the cottage that year, what with the war. And we weren't exactly Voldemort's favorite people. But I pulled you around in a sled in the woods a lot, and we made a couple snowmen. You helped me decorate the Christmas tree. Lily was a few months pregnant that Christmas, so she was even more enamored with you than usual since she knew she would be having one of her own."
"Was she worried at all?" Anna asked quietly. "Knowing that she was having a baby with a war and everything? Especially being a member of the Order?"
"She worried all the time." Sirius admitted quietly, the laughter briefly gone from their conversation. "Just like Wren did. Me and James tried not to worry so much, but deep down, we did. James and Lily were even more despised by Voldemort than Wren and I, so they actually considered going into hiding long before Dumbledore found out Voldemort was going to target Harry."
Anna turned and looked up at her dad, seeing he was lost in his thoughts.
"Mum told me they only got to bring Harry to Christmas once." she whispered, hoping to move back to happier memories.
Sirius smiled slightly, light flickering back into his gray eyes. "Yeah. His first Christmas was in 1980. He was about five months old. By then the Potters had gone into hiding, so a few of us snuck over to their house Christmas morning. Just us and Remus. The day before, while we were still home, you helped me make cookies for Santa. Of course, while you were asleep, Remus and I ate them, and we took some to the Potters' house the next morning. It was a simple, family event, really." Sirius admitted. "We got Harry a bunch of presents. You loved playing with Harry, and begged Lily to let you hold and feed him." Sirius suddenly swallowed thickly. "That night, after seeing how you were with Harry, Wren and I seriously talked about having another baby. Giving you a baby brother or sister."
A lump formed in Anna's throat and she snuggled closer into his side. She suddenly realized that less than a year from that night, her dad had been arrested and the Potters killed.
"We decided to wait until after the war was over." Sirius continued after a few moments. "Having one child during a war is scary enough."
Anna nodded in agreement. After a moment, she cleared her throat.
"So, what'd you get me for Christmas?" she asked playfully, tilting her head against his shoulder and batting her eyes innocently.
Sirius laughed, shifting his arm so he could ruffle her hair with his hand. "Nice try, Belle."
XXX
Anna was woken up by a loud rustling and excited whispers. She squinted her eyes, which were still heavy with sleep, and pushed herself up onto her elbow. Looking over, she saw Ginny and Hermione sitting at the foot of their beds, ripping things open and making red and green paper fly everywhere.
Anna's eyes snapped open when she realized it was Christmas morning. Throwing her blanket off, she ignored the chill in the air as she jumped from her bed and knelt on the ground by the pile of presents at the foot of her bed.
"Well, good morning." Ginny greeted her with a smirk.
"Morning." Anna returned with a grin, shifting through her gifts. She quickly found a familiar gift from Molly and ripped it open, revealing a new jumper the same as her others, red with a gold number four on the front.
Before she could open another one, there was a loud CRACK and suddenly the twins were on either side of her. Hermione squeaked in surprise, but Anna just looked between them.
"Merry Christmas." she told them with a smile.
"You too." they chorused.
"Not necessary." George added alone, pointing his finger in her face.
"What?" she asked knowingly, smirking at him.
"Getting us new potion ingredients and new cauldrons." George explained though he didn't need to.
"Well, you won't let me help pay for any shop stuff, this was the only way I could help financially. And you don't owe me and can't return it, 'cause it's a Christmas gift." Anna pointed out proudly.
George eyed her for a moment before turning to his twin. "She's a tricky one, Freddie."
"Oh, I know." Fred agreed, staring at her with a smile. Anna blushed and looked back at her presents. "Thanks for the blanket." he added quietly. Anna had bought George a new cauldron full of ingredients they needed the most for their products. For Fred, she bought him a thick, knitted blanket of varying shades of blue.
"You like it then?" she checked, picking up a random present as she glanced back at him.
"Love it." Fred answered promptly, leaning back on his hands. "Perfect size for cuddling with someone, wouldn't you agree?" he asked, smirking playfully.
"Maybe that's why I bought it." Anna answered easily, turning back to her present to hide the slight blush she could feel spreading over her cheeks.
There was a moment where the only sound was the ripping and rustling of wrapping paper. Anna ripped open the present in her hand, which was from Remus. It was a new set of quills, all different kinds.
"You can breathe, mate. She obviously hasn't opened your gift yet." George's teasing voice whispered loudly.
Anna looked back at them, seeing Fred glaring at his twin. Curious, Anna turned back to her pile of presents and shifted through them until she found a small wrapped box about the size of her hand. She picked it up and saw her boyfriend's name scrawled on it. Glancing at Fred, she saw him watching her closely. Hiding a smile, Anna ripped off the wrapping paper to reveal a small, black box.
Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes flew to Fred's face. This couldn't be what she though it was. He couldn't be…
George burst out laughing. "Anna, it's probably not what you think it is." he told her, still laughing. Fred even chuckled, though he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.
Blushing, Anna turned back to the box and slowly flipped it open. Inside was a leather bracelet. Mouth open in awe, Anna gently took it out and looked it over. It was about an inch wide, and there was an engraving on the smooth part of it, while the ends were woven until they clipped together. The engraving had two dates. The one on the top read '9-1-89' Just below that was '12-31-94'. However, Anna noticed there was just enough space between the second date and the bottom of the bracelet to add more writing.
Looking back at Fred, Anna wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you." she finally whispered. "It's beautiful."
"You know what the dates are?" he asked quietly, scooting closer so they were side-by-side.
Anna looked down at the engravings thoughtfully. "Well, the second one is our first date. The other one…Nine is September…September 1st of our first year?"
"Basically the first time we met. Kinda." Fred agreed.
"There's room for another date at the bottom…" Anna pointed out quietly, her thumb tracing the space below the day of their first date.
"I left that there for any specific, special occasion that may pop up in the future." Fred explained secretively.
Anna had a fairly good idea what he was referring to, and it made her blush. Obviously they were only seventeen, so they wouldn't be getting married for a while, but she was pretty certain it was something she wanted in the future.
"Thank you." she finally whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I love it."
"Good." Fred laughed quietly, sounding relieved. "Can I put it on you?"
Anna wordlessly held her hand out. Fred took the bracelet and fastened it around her left wrist. When he finished, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
"Isn't my twin such a gentleman?" George asked teasingly.
"More than you." Anna joked.
"I beg your pardon!" George exclaimed, his hand flying to his chest. "I simply don't bring out my charm on you because you're my brother's girlfriend. But I'll have you know, girls fall all over themselves for me."
"I'm sure they do." Anna agreed sarcastically while Ginny snorted from across the room.
The twins let Anna finish opening presents before dragging her downstairs for breakfast. The house looked very different with all the decorations. The chandeliers were covered in garlands of holly and streamers, magical snow was piled on the floor throughout the house, and all the elf heads on the wall were wearing Father Christmas hats and beards.
They reached the kitchen to find Molly just getting pots and pans out of the cupboards.
"Merry Christmas." they chorused.
"Merry Christmas, you three. Good presents?" Molly asked warmly.
They all confirmed this. "Thank you for the jumper. I love it." Anna told her, hugging the motherly witch.
"You're very welcome, sweetie." Molly told her, kissing her cheek before releasing her. "And what's this?" she asked, lifting Anna's left hand to see the bracelet on her wrist. Anna instantly blushed.
"It's-um-Fred gave it to me." she admitted quietly.
"Hmm." Molly hummed knowingly, smiling at the bracelet. "Well, at least he's doing something right." she stated lightly, glancing at her son before going back to getting things out. Anna glanced awkwardly at Fred, hoping his mother's comment hadn't offended or hurt him. But he appeared unaffected, just brushing it off as he gave Anna a smile.
A tapping on the kitchen window drew everyone's attention. A gray Screech Owl was perched on the outside ledge of the window. Molly hurried over and pushed the window open. The owl merely swooped in, dropped a present on the table, and flew right back out the window.
"Well, that was quick." George commented. Anna, however, was watching Molly. The older woman had approached the present slowly, her face falling into the saddest expression Anna had seen in ages. Her hand slowly reached out and gently touched the present as if afraid it would vanish or attack her.
"Mum?" Fred asked quietly.
"Percy." she breathed, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks.
Fred snatched the present off the table, looking at the nametag on the wrapping paper. He quickly dropped it back on the table as if it'd burned him, his nose scrunched up in disgust.
George glanced between his twin and his mother, looking worried, before looking down at the present.
"It's Percy's jumper. He returned it." George explained to Anna quietly. Her face fell, realizing how much this must hurt Molly. Add in the fact that Percy hadn't visited Arthur or asked how he was doing, as far as she knew, and Molly must be in so much emotional agony.
"Don't cry, Mum." George begged her, seeing her eyes turning red around the edges.
"Yeah. Percy's just a huge pile of rat droppings." Fred added.
A loud sob tore from Molly's throat just as Remus entered the room. He paused, looking between Molly and the kids with wide, worried eyes. Anna hurried to his side and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Percy sent back his Christmas present."
Remus nodded once before approaching Molly and gently leading her into a chair. Anna, wanting to help somehow, waved her wand to start the tea kettle.
Fred grabbed Anna's hand suddenly and, with a twist in her gut, they Apparated to the foot of Harry's bed.
"Merry Christmas." George greeted Harry and Ron. "Don't go downstairs for a bit."
"Why not?" Ron asked curiously.
"Mum's crying again." Fred explained heavily, squeezing Anna's hand in his. "Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."
"Without a note." George added. "Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything…"
"We tried to comfort her." Fred explained, releasing Anna's hand to move around Harry's bed. Anna followed him and both of them looked at the painting Harry was holding, which was from Dobby. "Told her Percy's nothing more than a humungous pile of rat droppings-"
"-didn't work." George admitted, grabbing a chocolate frog off Harry's pile of Christmas presents. "So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast, I reckon."
"What's that supposed to be, anyway?" Fred asked, squinting at Harry's painting. Anna, also, tilted her head thoughtfully. It looked like a two year old drew a monkey or something, but that made it a little endearing. "Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes." Fred continued. Anna smacked his shoulder.
"It's Harry!" George exclaimed, pointing at the back of the picture. "Says so on the back!"
"Good likeness." Fred joked with a grin. Harry threw a journal at him, but it missed and hit the far wall, making the others laugh.
"Leave it alone." Anna told him, trying not to laugh. "I think it's sweet."
They waited a good half hour before heading downstairs. Thankfully, it was safe from any crying. Molly had the very obvious look of someone who'd had a good cry. Her eyes were red and puffy and her voice was stuffy when she greeted them, but she was at the stove making breakfast. Wren was helping her while Remus was holding Aslan on his lap. The baby was wearing a red and green onesie that Anna had never seen before. Probably a Christmas present.
Hermione left Kreacher a present, but he wasn't in his little bedroom under the boiler. Sirius just waved it off, saying he'd search for him later. Anna briefly found it concerning that no one had seen Kreacher since they arrived from Hogwarts, but Fred easily distracted her, and then Molly and Wren set the table for breakfast.
Bill stopped by after breakfast, and everyone hung around until lunch. They all ate lunch together before their visit to St. Mungo's. Anna had planned on staying at home with her parents, but Fred, George, and Molly insisted she come. Anna's parents decided to visit their own home for a few hours before returning to Grimmauld Place to start making dinner. Anna, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, with Remus and Mad-Eye as escorts, got in a car that Mundungus found and drove to St. Mungo's. Due to a simple Enlarging Charm, they were all able to fit inside comfortably, though Molly hesitated in getting inside. Her kids all begged and insisted until she finally got in, sitting in the backseat between Fred and Bill.
"They outdid themselves." Anna commented lightly when they stepped through the glass into the hospital.
The reception area of St. Mungo's was more festive than their last visit. Red and gold crystal balls lit the room, looking like giant, glowing ornaments, and Christmas trees covered in glittering, magical snow and icicles stood in every corner, a gold star topping all of them.
"Yeah," Fred agreed as they crossed the room toward the stairs, "but they don't have my favorite Christmas decoration."
"Oh? And what's that?" Anna asked curiously, turning her smile towards him.
Fred smirked. "Mistletoe."
Anna rolled her eyes, shoving his shoulder while him and George laughed at her expense.
When they reached Arthur's hospital room, they found him propped up in bed with a tray of turkey dinner on his lap. Anna noticed, however, he seemed slightly sheepish for some reason.
"Merry Christmas, Dad!" the Weasley kids all shouted, each handing him a wrapped gift. Molly waited for them to move back before she greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Everything alright, Arthur?"
"Fine, fine." Arthur insisted heartily. Anna's first thought was that he answered a little too quickly. She exchanged a glance with Fred and George, who seemed to think the same. "You-er-haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"
"No." Molly answered suspiciously. "Why?"
"Nothing, nothing." Arthur answered quickly, opening a gift on his lap. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, Harry-this is absolutely wonderful-" he exclaimed, having opened Harry's gift of wires and screwdrivers. Anna watched Molly, who was still looking at her husband suspiciously. When Arthur leaned forward to shake Harry's hand, Molly peered under his nightshirt at his bandages.
"Arthur," she snapped, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow."
Anna hesitantly took a step back, knowing Molly was on the verge of exploding.
"What?" Arthur asked shakily, looking like a terrified child as he pulled his covers up to his chest. "No, no-it's nothing-it's-I-" he trailed off, his shoulders dropping in defeat under his wife's glare. "Well-now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea…He's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in…um…complementary medicine…I mean, some of these old Muggle remedies…well, they're called stitches, Molly, and they work very well on-on Muggle wounds-"
Molly let out a sound between a hiss and a snarl, which seemed to be everyone's signal. Remus went over to the werewolf in the other bed who had no visitors and looked very lonely.
"I'm going to get myself a cup of tea." Bill muttered, turning to leave.
"We'll go with you." Fred agreed quickly. Anna hurried after the twins and Bill, leaving the room as Molly erupted angrily behind them.
"Dad's in for it." George laughed as they walked down the corridor.
"Mum's going to tear him a new one." Bill agreed.
They had to go all the way up to the fifth floor to get to the tearoom, and they spent the walk filling Bill in on everything at school. When they reached the tearoom, Bill told them to pick a table and he'd get the tea for everyone, but George decided to help his older brother get the tea, leaving Anna and Fred to find a table in the corner.
Anna sighed contently, gazing around the room, yet not seeing anything. She was just lost in her own thoughts.
"What?" Fred asked curiously, sitting across from her.
Anna blushed slightly, giving him a small smile. "Just thinking."
"What about?" Fred asked, giving her a smile because he knew her thoughts were the cause of her blush.
Anna smiled, lifting her eyes to meet his. "Just…wondering if we'll be like your parents one day. I hope we will." she admitted quietly.
Fred's brows furrowed curiously, though he continued to smile at her. "So you want to yell at me while I cower in fear for the rest of our lives?"
Anna laughed, reaching forward and shoving his shoulder. "Not that, you git! I just…Despite your mum yelling at him so much, and your dad's quirkiness, they make it work and you can tell they're completely in love."
"And we're not?" Fred asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow at her. "Is there something you'd like to tell me? Is this a one-way street now?" he joked.
"That's not what I meant." she scolded, emphasizing 'not' by swatting his shoulder. She couldn't help smiling, though. "Your parents have been married for-what, almost 30 years or something? They've been together that long, and had seven children, two of which are the biggest troublemakers around," she added with a pointed look at Fred, who smirked proudly, "plus going through the last war, and every other struggle they've encountered,…and they're still happily in love. I want that." she ended in a quiet voice.
Fred's grin softened into a sweet smile before he reached across the table and held her hand in his. "Me, too." he admitted quietly. "And there's no reason we can't have that. I don't know about you, but I already feel 'completely in love with you'." he told her, quoting her words from earlier.
"Same here." Anna whispered. "Just don't expect me to have seven kids." she added sternly, partially joking.
Fred burst out laughing just as George and Bill arrived with two mugs of tea each.
"What are you two laughing about?" George asked teasingly.
"Probably an inappropriate joke." Bill guessed with a smirk, handing a mug of tea to Anna as he sat next to her.
"Ha. Ha." Anna laughed dryly before blowing the steam floating from her tea.
"Just talking about Mum and Dad." Fred answered honestly.
George laughed. "Mum's going to tan his hide for that one. What are 'stitches' anyway?"
"My grandpa had stitches when he was younger." Anna answered after swallowing her first sip. "He's a Muggle." she explained for Bill's benefit, since the twins already knew. "He'd been playing with some friends outside and smacked his head on the sidewalk. He was fine, from what he told me, but he had a nasty gash on his head that needed stitches. They basically sew your skin back together."
Fred and George scrunched up their noses in disgust. "That's messed up!" they exclaimed.
Anna rolled her eyes while Bill chuckled at them.
XXX
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?"
Anna looked over her shoulder to see Ginny and Hermione entering the kitchen.
"I am. I'm making this." she informed them, gesturing to the chocolate cake she'd just finished frosting. Her mother had supervised Anna's baking, but other than that, Anna was proud to say she'd made it all by herself.
"Ooh. Fred's going to love that." Ginny noted. "There'll be leftovers, right?"
Anna snorted. "Hard to say. You know how Fred is with his chocolate." she joked.
Ginny sighed. "True." Then, before Anna could stop her, Ginny's finger shot out and swiped some of the chocolate frosting from the bottom of the cake. She stuck it in her mouth and hummed. "It's good." she assured Anna, who laughed at her.
"Gee, thanks. Now get your grubby fingers away from it." she ordered, shooing her hands at the younger redhead.
She hid the cake in her room before changing. Fred had told her to dress warm, because they were apparently going out somewhere, so she pulled on her new jumper and old jeans and grabbed her winter cloak and Gryffindor scarf in case she needed them. She headed down the stairs and waited in the front hallway that lead to the front door. She was only waiting for a minute before Fred came down the stairs at the same time Anna's mother came up from the kitchen.
"Now, when will you two be coming back?" she asked.
Anna glanced at Fred, since she didn't know what they were doing.
"We probably won't be more than a few hours, so we'll be back no later than nine." he assured her.
"Alright. Just remember to be careful. Don't let anyone see you come back here, and don't let any Muggles see you use magic." Wren told them sternly.
"We know, Mum." Anna told her, trying not to roll her eyes.
"Alright, well, have fun. Be safe." Wren told them, giving them both a hug. "And try to remember to knock when you get back. No one will be pleased if the doorbell wakes your grandmother's portrait."
"Okay, Mum. Love you."
"Love you, too. Have fun."
Fred opened the door and let Anna walk out first. She slipped her cloak on and wrapped her scarf around her neck. Fred closed the door as he stepped out onto the front steps. He took Anna's hand and lead her quickly across the street.
"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.
"You'll see." Fred told her with a smirk. "Hold on." he told her, tightening his grip on her hand. Then, with a twist, they disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. Anna looked around and found a park with a playground in the distance and a large garden.
"Wow." she breathed, looking around. There was a light flurry of snowflakes falling from the sky. The sun had set a couple hours ago, so it was relatively dark out, the only sources of light were the many lampposts, which reflected light off the snow.
"I found out about this park, it's only about a mile away from Grimmauld Place. There's a couple markets around that we can buy some food, and we can walk around, sit on some of the benches, or even play on the playground if you want. Then I was thinking we could head back to the house and drink cocoa in front of a fireplace." Fred explained, looking around before looking down at Anna thoughtfully.
She smiled softly and nodded. "I'd like that."
"Great. Sooo…hotdogs?" Fred asked with a laugh. Anna laughed.
"Hotdogs sound great. Do you have Muggle money to pay for them?"
"Yeah. Bill helped me exchange a few Galleons for Muggle money, so I've got enough to buy us each a couple hotdogs."
They went to a hotdog vendor and bought a couple each, eating them as they walked along the sidewalk through the park. When they came to a wooden bench, Fred stealthily waved his wand, making the snow on the bench vanish so they could sit on it without getting their bums wet. They sat side-by-side, Fred's arm draped over the back and around Anna's shoulders so she could lean into his side while she finished her last hotdog.
"So, what made you think of going to a park for our date?" she asked curiously before putting what was left of her hotdog in her mouth.
"Well, I heard about it near the end of summer, and I wanted to check it out for a while. Unfortunately, seeing as we're normally not allowed out so we don't risk exposing headquarters, there weren't many opportunities to come here." Fred explained. "But when I was thinking about what I wanted to do for our anniversary, I really wanted to bring you here, just to see what the place was like. Plus, after everything that's happened this month, I think we could both use the fresh air and freedom. Not to mention alone time." he added suggestively with a wink. Anna laughed, bumping her shoulder into his side.
"So, you managed to convince our parents that it was safe?" she guessed, mildly surprised.
"Well, I talked about it with both our mums. I figured your mum would be more…accommodating than your dad, seeing as it would be our date."
"Good point." Anna conceded.
"Yep. And I mentioned if we went in the evening it would be darker, so it's unlikely anyone would see us leave or return to the house."
"Also a good point." Anna agreed, impressed he'd thought about it this much. "Well, I'm impressed. It was a good idea, and you thought about safety precautions enough to convince our parents. Are you sure you're Fred Weasley?" she asked jokingly.
Fred didn't answer, just smirked at her before tickling her ribs. Anna squealed in laughter, trying to lean as far away from him as possible. Unfortunately, this lead to her toppling right off the bench and into the snow. Fred fell after her, but she scrambled to her feet before his body could pin hers to the ground. Tossing a playful grin over her shoulder, she stood and ran through the snow toward the playground.
She could hear his footsteps crunching through the snow as he ran after her, but she bolted up to the playground and climbed up the nearest ladder. She glanced back at him as she reached the top, and he was nearing the ladder, too. So she ran across a rickety rope bridge to the other side of the playground. Fred was soon right behind her as she went down a long slide. Before she could get up and run away again, Fred slid right into her from behind, knocking her down into the snow.
They were both breathless and laughing. Anna was on her stomach in the snow, Fred on top of her back. She carefully rolled over so she could look up at him, their breath coming out in little, white clouds from the cold air.
Fred had a wide smile on his face as he looked down at her. His cheeks and nose were rosy red and his eyes glistened.
"We sure seem to end up in this position a lot when we play in the snow." Fred whispered, his big grin softening into an endearing smile. He was obviously remembering the day after him and George got banned from Quidditch. It had snowed overnight and they went out to play, leading to Anna and Fred being in this very same position.
"Hm. You must like this position, seeing as it's always you who puts us in it." Anna teased quietly.
"What's not to like?" he joked, leaning his head down slightly so his warm breath tickled her cheeks. Anna blushed, her eyes lowering to avoid his, only for them to land on his lips. She watched them move when he started talking again, "You know, we didn't get to kiss properly last time we were in this position. Probably because someone decided to start tickling me instead. Not that I'm naming any names." he added sarcastically.
"Hm, now there's an idea." Anna murmured, smirking slightly as her eyes moved up to meet his again. He smirked back.
"Don't even think about it." With that, Fred leaned the rest of the way down and firmly planted his lips on hers. Anna sighed through her nose, her hands moving up to gently grip his hair.
It was hard to say how long they laid out there, testing the boundaries of their relationship. Surprisingly, it wasn't Anna's memories that ended their little snogging session. The snow under them had started melting and was soon very slushy, cold, and wet, making it easy for water to soak through Anna's cloak and into her jumper. When she pulled away and pointed this out to Fred, she half-expected him to just roll them over so he'd be on the bottom and they could continue. But he just smiled and got off her, offering his hand to help her up.
When they were both standing, Fred waved his wand, which blew warm air at Anna's cloak. She sighed at how wonderful it felt. When it was mostly dry, Fred put his wand away, took Anna's hand, and they started walking toward the path.
"It's hard to believe we've been together a year." Anna murmured thoughtfully, her eyes on the sprinkling of stars in the dark sky.
"Yeah." Fred murmured in agreement, shifting his arm to wrap it around her shoulders to keep her warm. "On the one hand, it doesn't feel like it's been that long yet. But on the other hand, it feels like we've been together for years."
"Well, we technically have. Just not as a couple." Anna pointed out with a smile, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah, that's probably why it feels like that." Fred admitted, kissing the top of her head. "I didn't scare you earlier, right? You seemed fine when we were kissing, but…well, I just want to make sure I didn't…you know…"
Anna smiled gently up at him before leaning up and kissing his cheek. "I was fine, Fred. Better than fine, actually." she told him brazenly, hoping she wasn't blushing at her blunt admission.
Fred grinned widely, squeezing her closer to his side as they reached the path.
After a few moments, he spoke again. "Hey,…can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Anna answered, looking up at him.
Fred sighed, his foggy breath swirling in front of him. "Well,…okay, it's not really a question, but…it's more of a thought? Anyway, I've been thinking about something for a while, and I just wanted to throw it out there."
"Ooookay." Anna responded, dragging the word out slightly.
"I know that I want to get married someday in the future. I don't know if that's what you want, but…"
"Yeah, I want that." Anna admitted quietly. "But this isn't you proposing, is it?"
"Oh, Merlin, no!" Fred exclaimed, shaking his head frantically. "Your dad would kill me."
Anna laughed. "Then where's this conversation going?"
"Well,…you know how you sometimes…tense up or whatever when we're doing…certain things? Like snogging and stuff?"
Anna blushed, looking down at the snowy ground as they walked. "Yeah."
"Don't feel bad about it." Fred told her. "I just…I had this idea…What if we agreed to wait until after we're married?"
Anna blinked before looking up at him. "Wait, like…wait to have…sex?" she asked slowly.
"Yeah." Fred breathed, his eyes searching her face to get an idea of what she was thinking. "I just thought…for one, that would give you a little extra assurance. I mean, if we're snogging on my bed or something, you have that knowledge that I'm not going to push you to have sex. You don't have to worry about that, I mean, you don't have to worry anyway, but-"
"No, I get what you mean." Anna assured him.
"Good." Fred sighed. "And, I mean, even if I propose within the next year or whatever, that doesn't mean we have to get married right away. We could have a long engagement. And even when we get married, if you still don't feel ready, I wouldn't care. I just want you to feel comfortable."
Anna smiled softly up at him. "You're really considerate, you know that?"
"I know." Fred agreed, giving her a smug grin before it softened back into a small smile. "But if you, I mean, if you one day decide you feel ready, we don't necessarily have to wait, if you really feel ready."
"No." Anna answered at once. Fred paused in walking and looked curiously down at her. "If we make this agreement, it goes both ways. I don't get special treatment. If we agree to wait, we both agree to wait. Okay?"
Fred grinned. "Okay." he chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Stepping away from her, Fred held out a hand to her. "So, we wait until we're married to have sex."
Anna shook her head in amusement, her cheeks blushing as she took his hand and shook it. "Agreed."
Fred tugged on her hand, making her step forward so he could kiss her on the lips. He pulled away after a few moments. "Wanna head back? We can make some hot chocolate and warm up by the fire." he suggested.
"Sounds wonderful." Anna murmured, a soft smile on her lips.
So, Fred tightly gripped her other hand in his. With a twist, they reappeared behind some trees across the street from Grimmauld Place. With a quick glance around to ensure no one saw them, the couple hurried across the street and up the steps. Fred reached toward the doorbell, but Anna quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him. With a teasingly-exasperated look, she pointedly knocked three times on the front door.
It was a few moments before the door peaked open and Remus looked out at them. He smiled and opened the door the rest of the way, letting them into the warmth of the house.
"Back already? I thought Wren said you wouldn't be back till nine."
"I said that just in case, but I wasn't expecting us to be out that long. I don't want to piss off Wren or Sirius." Fred explained as they pulled off their wet cloaks.
"Good point." Remus nodded. "Here. I'll take your cloaks to hang up. Did you jump in a river or something?" he teased when they handed him the wet cloaks.
"No. We played in the snow." Fred answered with a slight smirk.
Remus raised both eyebrows at them. "Don't let Sirius hear you say that." he suggested quietly, though a grin was playing at the corners of his lips. He turned to head upstairs, though he had to pause as Kreacher ambled by in his path. Sirius found Kreacher in the attic a few days ago, and Anna had noticed a very slight change in the house-elf's demeanor. He seemed to be in a better mood lately, and actually submitted to orders as if he didn't completely hate everyone.
Fred turned and looked down at Anna. "Everyone's probably in the drawing room. If you want, we can light the fireplace in mine and George's room so we can be alone. I'm just going to quick make up some hot chocolate and I'll meet you up there in a bit. That okay?"
Anna nodded with a smile. "Yeah, that's fine." She stretched up to kiss his cheek before heading up the stairs. She stopped in her room quick to grab the chocolate cake she'd hidden with a Disillusionment Charm. When she passed the drawing room, she saw that Fred was correct. Nearly everyone else was in the drawing room, talking, laughing, and goofing off. Anna almost wished her and Fred were joining them, but she'd spent time with all of them all break. Her and Fred hardly got any alone time. Besides, she still had a couple more days to spend with the others before they went back to school.
Anna went up a couple more floors before she entered Fred and George's room. She kept the cake in her one hand because she had a feeling if she put it down she wouldn't be able to find it again, since it was Disillusioned. With her free hand, she pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed it at the fireplace on the nearest wall.
"Incendio." she said, causing a jet of fire to shoot from her wand and into the fireplace. With that done, she kicked off her shoes and sat on the end of Fred's bed. She waited for a few minutes before Fred entered the room, a tray hovering behind him. On the tray was a teapot, two steaming mugs, and a small bowl of marshmallows.
"This doesn't look quite cozy enough." Fred noted. He pointed his wand at the floor around the fireplace, causing several big, fluffy pillows to appear. Then, he pointed his wand at the light in the ceiling, causing it to slowly dim until Anna considered the lighting very romantic, especially with the light from the fire flickering across the pillows.
"I think that's good. Now, Ms. Black, would you like to move to the pillows?" Fred suggested formally, bowing and waving his hand to said pillows. Anna giggled at him.
"I suppose. But I have something I think you'll like." she told him before waving her wand over her lap, removing the Disillusionment Charm and revealing the chocolate cake she was holding.
Fred's mouth fell open as he stared at it for a second. "Did you make that?" he asked in amazement, dragging his eyes from the cake up to her face.
"Yep. All by myself." Anna told him proudly.
Fred blinked at her before finally closing his mouth. "I don't think I've ever been more in love with you than in this moment."
Anna laughed, looking down in embarrassment.
"You can put the cake on the tray by the fire and have a seat." Fred suggested as he grabbed his blanket off his bed. It was the blue knitted one Anna had got him for Christmas.
Anna set the cake on the tray, which had floated to the ground by the pillows. She then plopped down on the pillows and grabbed one of the mugs. She put a marshmallow in her cocoa just as Fred sat next to her, draping his blanket over both their shoulders. As Fred had stated on Christmas Day, it was the perfect size for cuddling with someone.
Fred grabbed his own mug of cocoa before snuggling down into the pillows and pulling Anna into his side. They were quiet for a few moments, both staring at the small, dancing flame in the fireplace. "I can't believe you baked a whole cake." Fred finally murmured, smiling slightly before taking another sip of his drink.
"Yeah, well you did everything else." Anna pointed out with a laugh, gesturing to their little setup.
"That's besides the point." Fred laughed.
They spent the next couple hours drinking their way through the teapot full of cocoa and they ate over half of the chocolate cake between them.
"Ginny'll be happy." Anna murmured sleepily. After her second slice of cake and third cup of cocoa, she was full, warm, and drowsy. Fred had about the same amount of cocoa and three slices of cake, so he was almost as full, warm, and drowsy. Now, they were both snuggled down into the pile of pillows, still wrapped in the blanket. Fred had his arms wrapped around Anna's body, and she was cuddled into his chest with her head on his collarbone.
"Oh yeah?" Fred mumbled, his voice muffled by Anna's hair. "And why's that?"
"There's leftover cake." Anna mumbled, a small smile tugging at her lips even though she couldn't seem to open her eyes.
Fred chuckled. "Who says she gets any of it?"
Anna didn't answer, just sighed contently as she burrowed her face more into his chest.
Fred's eyes remained open, tiredly watching the dying fire in front of them. Then, from a couple floors down, he could hear the others counting down to midnight. "10...9...8..."
Fred whispered the numbers along with them, his eyes drifting down to the girl on his chest. He reached a hand up and ran his fingers through her hair. His fingers then brushed down her cheek to her chin, gently urging Anna's face up to face him. She hummed tiredly, but didn't open her eyes.
Fred studied her face, eyes tracing her relaxed brows and soft cheeks. "I love you, Anna." he whispered.
Anna hummed again, but a soft, sleepy smile appeared, making her look adorable. "Love you, too." she mumbled, making Fred smile.
"…3...2...1..."
Instead of saying 'Happy New Year' like everyone in the drawing room was shouting below, Fred kissed Anna's forehead and whispered, "Happy anniversary, Anna."
"'appy anniver'sy." she mumbled, half-asleep.
Fred placed a gentle kiss on her lips before letting his head rest back on the pillows and letting the heavy tiredness pull him under.
XXX
It was almost one in the morning when George tiredly dragged his feet up the stairs to him and Fred's room. He yawned widely, stretching his arms over his head as he reached the landing. He quietly pushed the door open, which had been open a crack, and stepped inside.
He paused and blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to what he was seeing. The light was dim and there were burning embers in the fireplace, all that remained of a cozy fire. And right in front of the fireplace was a large pile of pillows. George carefully stepped closer to the pillows and peaked over it, causing a smile to appear on his face.
Fred and Anna were curled up together, asleep on the pile of pillows. Anna's head was on Fred's chest with his arms wrapped around her. Fred's blanket was wrapped around them, though it wasn't completely covering them since it was mostly under their bodies.
George smiled warmly at them, not having it in him to wake them up or tell someone they were up there. Instead, he took the other blanket off Fred's bed and carefully draped it over the two of them, ensuring they'd both stay warm through the night.
With that done, George changed into his pajamas and literally fell into bed, falling asleep once his head hit the pillow.
XXX
Aw, aren't they sweet?
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