Annabelle hurried up to the receptionists' desk, two pairs of footsteps behind her.
"Katie Bell?" Anna asked the witch behind the desk.
The witch looked down at the parchment on her desk before looking back up at them. "Fourth Floor, Spell Damage. Room 418."
Anna nodded once and hurried off, George managing to get ahead of her while her and Fred followed.
It was mid-October, and Anna and the twins had both received owls that morning about Katie being cursed while in Hogsmeade. Harry had written to Anna, while Ginny wrote to the twins. Anna didn't know many of the details, just that she'd been delivering something to the castle and must've somehow got cursed by it. It had happened the day before, Saturday, but Madam Pomfrey decided to move her to St. Mungo's on Sunday. Other than that, Anna and the twins had no idea what was going on or how she was doing.
They hurried up to the fourth floor and down the corridor until they found the room numbered 418. George knocked a couple times on the wooden door before pushing it open slowly.
Anna and Fred followed him into the room and the first thing Anna saw was Katie. She was laid out in a hospital bed, a white sheet over her waist and down. Her skin was pale, her brown hair spread over her pillow beneath her head, and her chest rose and fell as she breathed shallowly.
"Mrs. Bell." Anna dragged her eyes from her friend at the sound of Fred's voice. He'd moved around the bed to where a woman was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her face was almost as pale at Katie's, tear tracks trailing from her puffy eyes and staining her cheeks. She almost looked like an older version of Katie. She had the same facial structure and her eyes and nose were the same shape. The only differences were her eye and hair color. Katie's eyes and hair were brown, while Mrs. Bell's eyes were green and her hair blonde.
"My name's Fred." Fred continued when Katie's mother looked up at him. "This is my twin, George, and my girlfriend, Anna. We're friends of Katie's."
Mrs. Bell nodded slowly, sniffling slightly as she sat up straighter in her chair. "Yes, Katie's told me a lot about you all." she admitted quietly, her voice a little hoarse.
"How's she doing?" George asked her, dragging his eyes from Katie's still form to her mother.
"The Healers say she was lucky." Mrs. Bell whispered, looking again down at her daughter. "She was carrying a cursed necklace from Hogsmeade to the castle. No one knows where she got it, or why. Her friend she was walking with said Katie kept insisting she had to deliver it to Dumbledore. There was a tiny hole in her glove, that's how she touched it. If she'd touched it with much more skin than she did, she would've…" Katie's mother trailed off, her breath hitching in her throat. Her hand came up to her trembling lips as her eyes once again filled with tears.
Anna struggled to swallow as her throat tightened painfully. Katie's mother didn't need to finish her sentence. Katie would've died if she'd touched the necklace with her whole hand.
Anna and the twins stayed with Katie and her mother for a while. Eventually, Fred left to help Verity at the shop, knowing Anna and George wanted to stay.
They stayed until late afternoon and left a little while after Mr. Bell came to stay with his wife. If Katie looked like a mini clone of her mother, the few features they didn't share Katie clearly got from her father. His hair and eyes were the exact shades of brown that Katie's were.
Anna, the twins, and even Angelina and Alicia stopped in to visit Katie almost everyday, even for just a few minutes if they could. By Monday there were several cards, balloons, and flowers. The biggest, brightest bouquet of flowers came from George, and Anna was sure it would cheer the young Chaser up when she woke up and saw it.
Katie did finally wake up, near the end of her first week in St. Mungo's. Anna or one of the twins stopped by to visit her at least once a day.
Near the end of October, the last weekend of the month, Anna stopped by after work on Friday around the same time as George, who brought another bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Of course, Katie made George try one of the sweets to ensure he wasn't pranking her.
"So," Anna started after George left for the evening, "Ginny and Harry have been keeping me updated on Hogwarts stuff."
"Yeah?" Katie was sitting up in her bed, leaning back against her fluffy pillow. "Anything Quidditch related?"
Anna grimaced, knowing her news may come as a blow. "Well,…with the first match of the year coming up soon, and your condition still…up in the air…Harry made Dean Thomas a Chaser."
Katie nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed on Anna's. "To replace me." she stated simply, filling in what Anna hadn't said. Before Anna could respond, Katie continued, "It was really his best choice. There's no telling how long I'm going to be in here, and Dean was the next best Chaser to try out. And it's best to start training with him now so he can get in enough practice before the first match."
"I know." Anna agreed with a nod. "It's weird how much the team has changed since our first couple years on the team. I mean, just in the six years I was on the team, the Captain changed from Charlie, to Oliver, to Angelina, to Harry. Not to mention the Chasers and Beaters."
"I know." Katie sighed wistfully. "And don't get me wrong, I like the team we've got now, but I miss playing with you, Ang, Alicia, and the twins."
"Same here."
XXX
Fred appeared with a loud CRACK and glanced around. He was surrounded by trees on all sides and could see a circular pen made of beams of wood. He walked toward it and past it until he could see a familiar cottage-like house with a garden behind it. He walked around it until he reached the front door and gave a few raps on the polished wood.
"Who is it?" a familiar, though slightly unexpected, voice called through the door.
"Fred Weasley. Boyfriend of Annabelle Black and fourth son of Molly and Arthur Weasley. And you're Remus Lupin, family friend of the Blacks and one of the Marauders." Fred called back. It was a habit several of the Order had fallen into recently, identifying themselves to others with bits of information to prove their identity or asking questions only those close to them would know.
The door swung open, revealing the pale, worn-out werewolf. He had a fresh scratch across his cheek, a mark of his mission among the werewolf pack.
"Ah, Fred. Nice to see you. Anna's out tonight, I'm afraid. Having dinner with Tonks." Remus informed him even as he stepped aside to allow the ginger to enter the house.
"I know. I was actually hoping to see Sirius and Wren." Fred informed him, his hands in his pants pockets. "Are they home?"
"We're in the kitchen!" Sirius's voice called from said room. "And Aslan is asking for his godfather!" Sure enough, Fred and Remus could barely hear a toddler's voice babbling what sounded like "Moony".
Remus chuckled tiredly, though not at all fake, and lead Fred into the kitchen.
As soon as they entered the room, Aslan, who was seated on Sirius's lap at the kitchen table, lifted his little hands and shrieked, "Moony!"
Remus chuckled and picked his godson up. "I'll take him to his room to play and leave you all to talk."
"Thank you, Remus." Wren smiled at him from where she was supervising a pot on the stove, the spoon mixing on it's own. She looked exhausted, probably because her job at the Department of Security had been insanely busy since the announcement of You-Know-Who's return.
"What can we do for you, Fred?" Sirius asked, leaning his elbows on the tabletop and folding his hands together in front of him.
"Well, I was hoping I could talk to you two, if that's alright."
"Of course that's alright." Wren assured him. "Have a seat and tell us what's on your mind." she ordered, turning around and leaning back against the counter as her pot stirred itself.
Fred did as told, sitting in the chair across from Sirius. He looked between the couple for a moment, Wren's curious face visible over her husband's shoulder. Fred took a deep breath, leaning his elbows on the table and folding his hands, much like Sirius was.
"I'm here to ask for your blessing…to propose to Anna." he finally said.
Wren's smiled instantly stretched all the way across her cheeks, but she fruitlessly tried to smother it. Sirius's expression was harder to read. The only indication he even heard Fred was his shoulders lifting ever-so-slightly as he took a deep breath.
"Sirius?" Wren prompted when her husband remained silent for several moments.
"Why?" was Sirius's blunt response.
"I'm sorry?" Fred asked, unsure what the question meant.
"Why do you want to marry her? And why now?" Sirius expounded.
Fred thought for a second before answering, "Because I love her. I want to marry her someday, and she wants the same. We've talked about it. We both want the same thing. I'm not saying I'll propose tomorrow and we'll elope next week or anything. It could be a month or two before I actually ask her, and even then, we may decide to have a long engagement. It's all up to her, really. If she wants to have a ten year engagement, that's up to her."
"Aren't you a bit young to be thinking about marriage?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, please, Sirius." Wren rolled her eyes, leaning forward to smack her husband on the back of the head. "We got married right out of school. Fred's merely talking about proposing."
"Exactly." Sirius turned to glance back at his wife. "We got married that soon because you were pregnant." Turning to face forward again, Sirius narrowed his eyes at Fred. "You didn't get my daughter pregnant, did you?"
Fred shook his head quickly. "No, no, of course not. That's impossible. I mean-" Fred stopped talking, his ears going a bit red.
Sirius smirked slightly. Wren, once again, leaned forward and smacked the back of her husband's head. "Sirius! Quit antagonizing the poor boy!"
"Yes, love." Sirius sighed, rolling his eyes slightly where his wife couldn't see. He turned to Fred again and looked him in the eye. "How long have you and Anna been dating?"
"It'll be two years this New Years Eve." Fred answered.
"You've barely been together a couple years and you want to propose? Don't you think that's rushing it a bit?" Sirius asked.
"Maybe for some." Fred admitted. "But Anna and I have been best friends since our first year. I loved her as my best friend long before we started dating. She's been such a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, that I can't imagine my life without her in it. So I think that adds a couple years to the almost two years we've been an official couple."
Sirius smirked slightly. "Nice argument."
"I try."
Sirius's expression became serious once more, no pun intended. "I need you to answer me one question before I even think of giving you my blessing. And I want an honest, detailed answer."
Fred nodded once. "Shoot."
"Why do you love Annabelle?"
Fred thought for a moment. He didn't need to think about his answer, really, but he needed to think of how to word it. How to explain it. "Anna's been my friend for so long, she's…George sometimes says she's like another me to him. And because of that, we know each other better than anyone ever could, apart from George. She knows what drives me, what I care about, my favorite things and biggest fears. She knows me, and understands me. And it's true the other way around.
"I've been there with her through everything. I know what she's scared of, what she wants in life, her favorite pastimes, why she makes certain decisions. I would put my life down for her, even though I know she'd hate herself if I did. I just want to spend the rest of my life with her, making her happy and making sure she knows she's loved and protected. And honestly, she wouldn't even hardly have to do anything to make me happy, because she does it everyday, just being herself.
"That's why I love her."
Sirius stared at Fred silently for several long moments. Wren didn't interrupt this time, she just stared at the back of her husband's head, waiting for his response. Fred maintained eye contact with the man who may one day, hopefully, be his father-in-law, not flinching or even blinking for fear of making Sirius say no.
Finally, Sirius moved. He shifted and Fred held his breath as the dark-haired man held his hand out across the table, offering it to Fred.
"You have my blessing."
XXX
Anna shifted her hold on her brother, hiking him higher up on her waist in the crowded train station of Kings Cross. She was standing next to her parents in December, and they were all dressed in winter clothes, waiting with Molly for the school-aged kids to get off the train for Christmas holidays.
Ginny had still been keeping Anna in the loop from Hogwarts. Of course, Harry had to send Anna a non-biased letter about how the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match went, because Ginny would never admit that she scored nearly every Gryffindor goal. And Ron didn't let a single goal through on his end, either, something the twins didn't quite believe when Anna relayed the information to them.
Anna had still been busy lately. Work was still hectic, and the twins' shop was crazy busy on the weekends, especially with Christmas and New Years around the corner. They also guessed it would be doubly busy with Hogwarts students home for the holidays.
Anna had also been attending a few Order meetings, though Dumbledore hadn't given her another mission since her first one. The night of her first mission, she'd updated Dumbledore on what happened, mentioning the necklace she'd seen even though she didn't have a lot of information on it. Dumbledore had assured her that he knew which necklace she was talking about, and while it was an evil necklace, it wasn't quite what Voldemort would be looking for.
She also tried to drag Tonks out once in a while, even though her cousin seemed to be more and more depressed as time went on. Anna was half tempted to confront Remus on the subject, but she also didn't want to upset him before he was sent back to the werewolf pack, where he may be killed if his head's not in the game.
"There they are." Sirius's voice pulled Anna from her thoughts. Sure enough, she saw Ron's tall head of red hair before she also saw Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.
They greeted the school kids with hugs and hellos. Aslan, upon seeing Harry, wiggled in Anna's arms and reached his little hands for the messy-haired Sixth year. Harry laughed, but happily accepted the toddler into his own arms. Aslan, thrilled to be in the arms of one of his favorite people, leaned his head on Harry's shoulder and snuggled close to him.
"Now, are the plans for Christmas Eve still on?" Wren asked, directing the question at Molly.
"Of course." Molly insisted enthusiastically. When the school kids looked curious, she explained, "You're all invited to the Burrow on Christmas Eve, and everyone can spend the night and spend Christmas all together. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great." Harry admitted happily, which the other three kids agreed with.
"Wonderful. Now, we'll see you all Christmas Eve." Molly stated, moving among the Blacks and Harry to give them all a hug. Anna hugged Hermione and Ginny goodbye before offering to push Harry's trolley so they could head home.
XXX
Anna appeared with a loud crack just outside the protective enchantments surrounding the Burrow. She walked across the front yard and up to the front door, giving a few knocks and waiting patiently.
"Who is it?" Bill's voice called from the other side.
"Anna Black. Molly Weasley invited me and my family to spend the night for Christmas. My parents will be arriving with Harry Potter and my brother Aslan Alphard Black in a couple hours."
The door creaked as it swung open and Bill grinned at Anna.
"Merry Christmas." he greeted her, stepping back and waving her in with a sweep of his arm.
"Merry Christmas." she returned the greeting with a smile as she stepped over the threshold. She slipped her winter cloak off her shoulders and Bill took it, hanging it up by the door. He also took her bag from her and headed for the stairs.
"According to Mum, you're sleeping in Ginny's room, so I'll drop this off up there for you." he told her.
"Okay, thanks, Bill." Anna said with a smile before heading further into the house.
They'd clearly been having fun decorating. The whole living room was an explosion of paper chains. Several people called out greetings to her from around the room.
"Is Anna here?" Molly called from the kitchen, having heard everyone's greetings. She hurried into the room, wiping her hands on an apron tied around her waist. "Oh, Anna, you're here!" she cried cheerfully, hurrying across the room to wrap Anna in a tight hug.
"Hi, Molly. Merry Christmas." Anna smiled, hugging the warm motherly witch in return. "My parents will be coming in a little bit with Harry and Aslan. My mum had to stay a little bit longer at work today."
"Oh, and on Christmas Eve, too." Molly tutted. "Arthur's only just gotten home, as well. Anyway, Fred and George are out in the garden, if you wanted to see them. They're getting some vegetables and things for dinner."
"Okay. I'll go see if they need any help."
With that, Anna turned toward the kitchen and walked out the back door. It wasn't long before she found Fred in the garden. He was pulling carrots and other vegetables from the ground with a few simple waves of his wand, causing them to fly into a small basket on the ground by his feet.
"Hi." she called as she approached him, her feet crunching the thin layer of snow that had recently fallen.
Fred grinned over his shoulder at her. "Hi. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas. Where's George?" she asked, looking around curiously as she reached his side. "Molly said you were both out here."
"Oh, I see how it is." Fred teased, before answering, "He's gathering eggs from the chicken coop. Ron's out here somewhere, too. He's supposed to be chasing off any gnomes he finds around the yard."
As if his words were a summons, Anna saw a tiny gnome scurrying out of the bushes across the garden, surprisingly running straight toward Anna and Fred.
"Um, Fred-" Before Anna could finish, the little gnome, who was about a foot tall and brown with a large head, threw himself at Fred's ankle and bit down.
"Ow!" Fred yelled, jumping and looking down at his ankle. He held his bitten leg out and shook it, but the little creature clung on, his little teeth embedded in Fred's pants, and probably his skin. "Get off, you little ba-"
"What's going-?" George and Ron had appeared around the house, both stopping and staring at Fred's ankle in surprise.
"Stupefy!" Anna exclaimed, her wand aimed at the little pest. The gnome's body froze, but his teeth were still embedded in Fred's leg. Anna knelt in the snow by Fred's feet, grasping the little brown body with both hands and trying to pull.
"Ow." Fred deadpanned, making Anna stop and look up at him. "You don't have to stop, just…well, do whatever." Fred shrugged, glaring at the little creature with great dislike.
George knelt next to Anna and carefully pried the gnome's jaws open a bit. This helped greatly when Anna pulled a second time. The gnome's teeth caught in Fred's pant leg for a second, but it came free easily.
"Thanks." Fred grinned at Anna, setting his foot back on the ground. "Now, what are we going to do with you?" he added menacingly to the little creature in Anna's hands.
"I've got an idea!" George grinned. He waved his wand, and suddenly the little gnome was gold colored.
"Brilliant!" Fred beamed, obviously thinking along the same lines as his twin. "It's missing something, though." Fred thought for a moment before waving his own wand. This caused a tiny tutu to appear out of thin air. Anna rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from helping the twins and Ron squeeze the fat little gnome into the tiny tutu.
"Any last minute additions?" George asked Anna and Ron as he held the little gnome up for examination.
Anna bit her lip before sighing in defeat. She waved her wand, causing small wings to appear. She held them up against the gnome's back and waved her wand, muttering the incantation for the Sticking Charm to make the wings stick to the gnome's back.
"There." she nodded once, satisfied with their final product. "Now, dare I ask, what is this for?" she asked the twins.
"Well, we were just thinking earlier that the top of the Christmas tree in the living room was looking a bit bare-" George started.
"After all, how can you have a Christmas tree without an angel on top?" Fred added rhetorically.
"You two broke the last one, that's how." Ron retorted, though he was grinning.
"So we figured-"
"-this little guy would be the perfect angel." they finished, grinning smugly.
Anna laughed, shaking her head at them. "You two are nutters."
"Why, thank you!" they both exclaimed, bowing.
Anna picked up the basket of vegetables while George carried the eggs he'd gathered, and Fred carried in the gnome-angel.
Anna paused in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, still holding the basket, and watched as Fred passed the living room. The family members still gathered there watched curiously as he passed. Then, he waved his wand, sending the gnome up, up, up until the tip of the tree was stuck up the back of the tutu.
Anna shook her head, still laughing as Fred returned to her. He gently took the basket from her hands, leaning down over it to give her a short kiss on the lips.
"There. That's a much better greeting than being bitten by a gnome, wouldn't you agree?" he asked playfully.
"Oh, I suppose." she sighed. "Though it's not quite as entertaining." she added, smiling playfully up at him.
Anna's parents, Harry, and Aslan arrived shortly after that little fiasco and the whole lot of them mingled with the rest of the Weasleys and Fleur.
"I don't understand how your mum can stand this music." Anna whispered as Fred started a new round of Exploding Snap, the song "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" playing loudly. It was a Weasley Christmas tradition to listen to Celestina Warbeck on the wireless. It seemed no one but Molly actually liked the singer, but few people would dare challenge the Weasley matriarch. Of course, Anna heard her mum claiming she liked a couple of Warbeck's songs. Whether this was true or not remains to be seen. The music was playing quite loudly, making Anna's ears throb, because Fleur kept talking louder and louder in the far corner since she thought the singer was boring. Molly, of course, retaliated by turning the volume up whenever Fleur managed to talk louder than the music.
Sirius, Remus, and Harry were sitting with Arthur by the fire, talking about something while Molly and Wren sat nearby, Aslan dozing on Wren's lap.
"I know." Fred whispered back while Ginny took her turn with the cards. "But none of us have the guts to say anything. Well, expect Fleur over there." he added jokingly.
"Your mum's going to kill her if she keeps it up." Anna joked quietly in return.
"Better her than us." George whispered on Anna's other side. "We're keen to stay on Mum's good side, thank you very much."
Anna's shoulders shook as she managed to keep her laughter relatively silent.
"Hey, are you doing anything the Friday before New Years?" Fred suddenly asked at a more normal volume, glancing at Anna as George took his turn.
"Um, apart from working that day, probably not. Why?" Anna asked curiously after thinking about the question.
"I just figured since our anniversary is in the middle of the week, and we're both working adults now, we could celebrate it a little bit early. Friday night or something." Fred admitted casually.
"Good point. Any specific plans?" Anna asked.
"No details, really. I just wondered if you'd like to have dinner and maybe…" Fred glanced around and scooted closer to Anna, dropping his voice so no one would hear, even though Celestina was doing a smashing job of drowning out any sound anyway. "George isn't going to be home most of the night. So we'd have the flat to ourselves for the most part. If you're comfortable with it you could stay the night." he suggested, his brown eyes soft and fixed on her expression.
Anna chewed her lip slightly as she thought about it. She'd stayed over at the Burrow enough times, and she'd obviously shared a bed with Fred before, but being alone with him in his flat? Especially after a date?
"You know we won't do anything you're not ready for." Fred added softly when she didn't respond right away. His expression was knowing as he looked at her. "But if you're not comfortable with it, you don't have to stay over. You could leave after dinner or something. I just thought I'd put it out there."
Anna smiled, leaning over to press her shoulder against his, her head leaning against his cheek. "I'd like to stay over." she whispered.
Fred turned his head to kiss her forehead just as their deck exploded, almost burning Ginny's fingers as she jumped back. George gathered up the cards again and started shuffling the deck.
…and now you've torn it quite apart
I'll thank you to give back my heart!
Celestina Warbeck ended her song with a long, high-pitched note that made Anna's ears ring. Molly applauded enthusiastically with the people on the wireless.
"Eez eet over?" Fleur asked loudly. "Thank goodness, what an 'orrible-"
"Shall we have a nightcap, then?" Arthur interrupted loudly, jumping to his feet. "Who wants eggnog?"
Anna turned and buried her face in Fred's shoulder to hide her smile and muffle any escaped laughter at Arthur's attempt to stop a fight between Fleur and Molly.
George stretched his arms high over his head, leaning back against the couch behind them from their seat on the floor. "If Fleur keeps it up, she won't survive long enough to call Mum her mother-in-law."
"It'll either be Molly or Ginny that finally snaps." Anna joked quietly, smirking across the small coffee table at Ginny, who narrowed her eyes.
"You say that like it's a joke." Ginny stated in a mock-serious voice before smirking deviously. Anna laughed quietly again. "Bill's just lucky he's my favorite brother. If she was Ron's girlfriend, she'd have bats crawling out her nose by now."
Anna, Fred, and George all sniggered to themselves, trying not to draw too much attention to their conversation.
Arthur came around then, passing out glasses of eggnog. Anna thanked him as she took her glass and sipped from it.
"So, what about me?" Anna asked, directing her question at Ginny.
"What about you?" Ginny asked, leaning forward to cradle her glass of eggnog on the coffee table.
"If I were as…well, if I were like her," she said, tilting her head in the direction of Bill and Fleur curled up in the corner, "would I have bats crawling out my nose, or would your opinion of Fred be enough to keep me safe?"
Ginny tilted her head thoughtfully, glancing between Anna and Fred for a few moments of contemplative silence.
"Well," she started slowly, "that's hard to say. I like you a thousand times better than her. But I suppose…Well, put it this way," Ginny finally spoke firmly, leaning forward more to keep their conversation between the four of them, "if Fred were dating Phlegm right now, she'd be one good annoyance away from getting hit by my Bat-Bogey Hex."
Anna and the twins sniggered again, before Fred stopped and looked at his sister. "Wait a minute. You like Bill better than me?" he asked in a mockingly-heartbroken tone. "My own baby sister?"
Anna, George, and Ginny continued to sniggered at him before Fred also cracked a smile and laughed with them.
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I've got such good taste in women, isn't it?" Fred continued, wrapping an arm around Anna's shoulders and pulling her into his side. Anna shook her head at him, taking a long draw from her eggnog as she settled against his side.
Fleur chose that moment to imitate Celestina Warbeck singing "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love". Anna glanced at Fred, who glanced at George and then Anna before they all looked toward Molly. If looks could kill, Fleur would be six feet under.
Unanimously, everyone started getting to their feet, deciding it was time for bed. Anna put her glass in the sink before heading up the stairs toward Ginny's room on the first floor. From what she'd heard already, she was sharing with Ginny, the twins were sleeping in their own room, Remus was in Percy's old room, Anna's parents were in Charlie's room, and she assumed Aslan was with them so Bill could have his own room with Fleur, Molly and Arthur would have their own room, and Harry and Ron would sleep in Ron's room.
"Just so you know," Ginny paused in her bedroom doorway and turned back to Anna, "we have to share with Phlegm."
Anna managed to keep her expression neutral. "Oh. I thought her and Bill-"
"Yeah, Mum wasn't going to let that happen." Ginny stated, shaking her head with a grin before continuing into her room. "She says they're not married yet, therefore they're not sharing a room. Especially under her roof."
Anna chuckled. "That's a good point. I bet Fleur liked that." she added sarcastically.
"I may have heard her grumbling something in French under her breath when Mum told them." Ginny agreed with a smirk, heading for her dresser across the room. "Of course, I don't speak French. She may have been thanking Merlin."
Anna and Ginny both laughed quietly. "So, where's Bill sleeping then?"
"With Fred and George in their room." Ginny answered. "Mum figured that way Aslan could sleep in Bill's room, since it's on the same floor as Charlie's, where your parents are sleeping."
"That's a good point." Anna agreed.
Fleur entered the room a second later, already dressed in a silk nightgown and bathrobe. She brushed past Anna, heading toward the bed closest to the window.
Ginny's bed.
Anna caught Ginny's eye just as the redhead saw which bed the French girl was choosing. Anna expected a quick-witted response, but Ginny just rolled her eyes and began changing into her pajamas.
Anna closed the door and also changed into her simple pajamas. As Ginny's room was small, they could barely fit the three beds with some space for movement in the room, as well as everyone's bags, a desk, and Ginny's dresser.
Anna also noticed a couple posters around the room. She recognized the picture of Gwenog Jones from a couple years ago. She was the Captain of the all-witch Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies; Ginny's favorite team. But Ginny must've got the poster of the Weird Sisters more recently.
Anna sat on one of the camp beds, pushing her legs under the covers just as there was a few quick knocks on the bedroom door. Fleur paused in brushing her long, silver hair.
Ginny narrowed her eyes at the door. "What?"
"Are you ladies all decent?" Fred's voice called through the door.
"Yes." Ginny drew the word out, still narrowing her eyes at the door.
"Good." And with that, the door swung open and Fred marched in.
"That wasn't an invitation into my room, you know." Ginny informed him matter-of-factly.
"I'll just be a second." Fred assured her, already reaching Anna's bedside. Anna watched him curiously, but as she opened her mouth to ask him what he wanted, he ducked down and pressed his lips to hers. Anna blushed, but her eyes fell closed as he pressed his lips firmly against hers, his hand coming up to cradle the back of her head.
It was several seconds before Fred pulled away, though Anna doubted it was because of Ginny's obvious cough. Fred tilted his head so his lips brushed Anna's ear, his warm breath washing over her neck and making her shiver.
"Have a good night." he whispered, kissing her cheek.
Anna's lips tugged up slightly in a small smile. "Goodnight." she whispered in return.
Fred pulled away and gave her one last smile before straightening and heading for the door. He looked back to grin at the room's occupants one last time, saying, "Have a good night, ladies." before he closed the door behind him.
"Well." Ginny stated, smirking over at Anna. "That was certainly a good night for you."
Anna blushed, grabbing her pillow and smacking Ginny with it. "Shut up and go to sleep."
XXX
Anna blinked her eyes open the next morning to find bright sunshine streaming through the window on the far side of the room, glaring straight into Anna's eyes. Squinting, Anna realized that both beds in front of her were empty. She pushed herself up, turning off her side and onto her butt and rubbing her eyes with her other hand.
Ginny was sitting at the foot of her bed, opening the presents sitting there, but Fleur was nowhere to be seen.
"Merry Christmas." Anna mumbled, scooting around and sliding out from under her blanket to slip onto the floor. There was her own pile at the foot of her own bed.
"Merry Christmas to you, too." Ginny grinned over at her before turning back to her own pile.
Anna sat down and began opening her presents, starting with the familiarly-wrapped one that was labeled 'To: Anna Love: Molly and Arthur'.
Within fifteen minutes, Anna had a small pile of present surrounding her, including a black leather briefcase from her dad and Remus, a new navy blazer from her mum, and she was wearing her new jumper from Molly.
She saved Fred's present until last, but was surprised to open a small box and find only a folded up piece of parchment. Taking it out and setting the box aside, she unfolded it and read it.
'This is not your present.
If you want your real present, come see me.
Fred'
Anna's brows furrowed curiously, but she couldn't help shaking her head with a small smile.
She put her things into her bag before heading downstairs dressed in her pajama pants and her new jumper. She found several people already downstairs mingling and headed straight for where the twins were sitting by the fire. She walked up behind Fred's chair and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, kissing his cheek.
"Merry Christmas." she told him and George.
"Merry Christmas." they chorused, Fred's hand coming up to lightly grab her wrist. She noticed his thumb move across her leather bracelet, the one he gave her for Christmas the year before.
"So, what's with the cryptic note for a Christmas present?" she asked Fred curiously, resting her chin on his shoulder.
Fred tilted his head and grinned at her. "You'll just have to see." he teased before slowly standing up. Anna pulled away and stepped back to let him. "Want to go for a walk?" he asked randomly, taking her hand in his.
Anna eyed him curiously before looking down at herself. "Um, do I need warmer clothes?"
"Nah, just shoes. We won't go too far, and it's not that cold out." Fred assured her.
"Okay." Anna shrugged, heading for the front door where her shoes were. She slipped them both on her feet before glancing back. Instead of following her to the front door, Fred was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at her expectantly. Figuring he meant to go out the backdoor, Anna approached him, took his hand, and followed him through the kitchen where Molly and Wren were preparing lunch.
Fred held the door open for Anna to go out first. They stepped outside and the door made a click as Fred shut it behind them. Fred then took Anna's hand in his again and lead her around the corner of the house, probably to get away from any windows, especially the kitchen window where their parents would surely spy on them.
"So, what's this all about?" Anna asked curiously, leaning her shoulder on the side of the house as Fred turned to face her.
"Well, I just wanted to see your face when you get your Christmas present." Fred admitted, pulling a small, wrapped box from his pocket.
"Ah. I figured that's what it was." Anna nodded, glancing at the small box Fred was holding.
Fred grinned slightly as he held the box out to her. Anna slowly took it from him, noticing her hands were shaking slightly. Thankfully, Fred didn't comment, but his eyes were fixed on Anna's face as she looked down at it. A small part of her was wondering if he was-but no. No, he couldn't be proposing…would he?
Taking a deep breath, Anna ripped off the wrapping paper, revealing a small cardboard box. She doubted, if Fred was indeed proposing, he'd put an engagement ring in a cardboard box, but then again he always was unique.
Finally, she flipped open the box's lid and looked inside.
The box was empty apart from a small, silver charm. It was less then an inch tall, and the weasel was standing up on it's hind legs, the small hook coming out of the top of the weasel's head.
"I figured you could put it on your bracelet." Fred whispered, and Anna looked up at him, not realizing her lips had parted in amazement. "You know, weasel. I just thought of you when I saw it."
Anna's mouth closed and her lips pulled up into a smile. "I think it's perfect." she whispered.
Fred grinned before reaching into the box to take the charm. Anna held up her hand so he could see her bracelet. His fingers fumbled a bit with the tiny clasp on the charm's hook, but after a few seconds he succeeded in attaching the charm to the bracelet. Anna kept her hand where it was so she could examine the bracelet.
The top of her leather bracelet was about an inch wide and there were dates engraved on the smooth surface, reading '9-1-89' and below that '12-31-94'. The ends were woven until they could clip together, and now her new charm was dangling from where the ends connected.
"I love it." Anna stated simply, looking up at Fred and smiling. He grinned in return, but Anna winced when a snowflake landed in her eye. She looked up, unsure when it'd started snowing, only to realize it was only snowing over Anna and Fred…
And there was a mistletoe magically hovering over their heads.
Anna let her eyes drop back to Fred's pleased expression. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Should've seen that coming, shouldn't I?" she asked him rhetorically.
"Probably." Fred grinned, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. After several moments, he pulled back enough to whisper against her lips, "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." Anna whispered in return, shifting to snuggle into Fred's chest.
They stayed snuggled together for a few moments before Anna heard the scraping of a window being pushed open and Molly's voice calling outside, "Fred! Anna! Lunch is almost ready!"
Anna and Fred chuckled slightly as they pulled apart.
"That woman sure likes to ruin the moment." Fred joked, wrapping an arm around Anna's waist and leading her back around the house toward the backdoor.
"She doesn't like to." Anna argued playfully. "But I can see where Ron gets his horrible timing."
Fred let out a short laugh before opening the door for her and letting her enter ahead of him.
Anna sat between Fred and her dad as everyone took their seats at the table. Anna also noticed nearly everyone was wearing a new sweater, obviously knitted by Molly. The only one who wasn't wearing one was Fleur, and Anna suspected that wasn't accidental or due to Molly having no time.
"I love your hat, Molly." Wren commented as she set Aslan in Sirius's arms, the one year old wearing a new crimson sweater like everyone else. "And your necklace." Anna glanced at Molly to see what her mum was referring to. Indeed, Molly was wearing a brand new witches hat in midnight-blue that glittered with tiny starlike diamonds. She was also wearing a beautiful gold necklace around her neck.
"Fred and George gave them to me!" Molly exclaimed, "Aren't they beautiful?"
"Well, we find we appreciate you more and more, Mum, now we're washing our own socks." George informed her, waving his hand buoyantly. "Parsnips, Remus?"
Fred passed Anna the plate of turkey, which she scooped a couple slices of onto her plate before passing it to her father, who was serving both himself and Aslan.
Ginny, sitting across from Anna, narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. "Anna?" Said girl looked up at her. "What's that on your bracelet?"
Anna blushed as a few other people at the table glanced her way. She self-consciously brought her hand to her chest and fiddled with her bracelet and it's new charm.
"Oh, um,…just Fred's Christmas present." she admitted sheepishly, glancing around.
"Can I see?" Ginny asked curiously.
Anna slowly held her hand up, aware that a few other people were looking at it as well.
"A weasel, isn't it?" Remus noted from a couple seats from Ginny, across from George. "Fitting."
Anna blushed at his tiny smirk, which she noticed George was reflecting. "I've no idea what you mean." she stated casually, scooping some mashed parsnips onto her plate.
Their conversation was interrupted when Ron accidentally sent the gravy boat flying in his attempt to pass it to Fleur. Luckily, Bill saved it with a mere wave of his wand, sending the gravy back into the boat, which returned safely to the table.
"You are as bad as zat Tonks." Fleur told Ron after giving Bill a thank-you kiss, making Anna narrow her eyes slightly. "She is always knocking-"
"I invited dear Tonks to come along today." Molly interrupted, practically slamming the bowl of carrots down onto the table with a glare at Fleur. "But she wouldn't come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?"
"No, I haven't been in contact with anybody very much." Remus replied while Anna stared at him. "But Tonks has got her own family to go to, hasn't she?"
Anna narrowed her eyes at him slightly. He seemed relatively composed as always, but he was very interested in his plate, as well. As if he didn't want to look into anyone's eyes.
"Hmmm. Maybe." Molly conceded. "I got the impression she was planning to spend Christmas alone, actually."
Then, the annoyed look she sent Remus made it clear to Anna that she also knew what was going on between Dora and Remus.
Anna silently reminded herself to talk to Remus alone soon. She'd spoken with Dora plenty recently about her feelings for Remus, but she got the sense she should be speaking with him, since that's where most of the problems seemed to be coming from.
"Arthur!" Molly suddenly exclaimed, making several people jump. She had risen from her chair, her hand pressed over her heart as she stared out the kitchen window. "Arthur-it's Percy!"
"What?"
Everyone moved to look out the window, most simply looking over their shoulders, like Anna, or leaning over to get a good look. Ginny went as far as standing up to see better.
Sure enough, Anna saw Percy Weasley walking across the snowy yard, his horn-rimmed glasses glinting in the sun. Following along behind was a man in a snow-flecked black cloak, a messy mane of graying hair flowing behind him in the wind. He had a slight limp and Anna knew she'd seen him in the papers as well as a few glimpses at work.
"Arthur, he's-he's with the Minister!"
Anna shared a brief look with Fred before the backdoor swung open and Percy stood in the doorway.
There was a moment of painful silence. Anna glanced at Fred and George. Both of them had tense jaws, their eyes narrowed coldly upon their older brother.
There was a moment of silence before Percy, staring blankly as if through them, said in a stiff voice, "Merry Christmas, Mother."
"Oh, Percy!" Molly exclaimed, throwing herself into her son's arms.
Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic, stood in the doorway behind Percy, leaning on his walking stick. He was smiling at this seemingly-heartwarming scene between mother and son.
But to Anna, this scene was more sad than anything. Maybe even a little disgusting. Molly, of course, was overjoyed at the sight of her son. Percy, on the other hand, stood stiffly and with his arms at his side as his mother hugged him, his eyes fixed firmly on the far wall.
"You must forgive this intrusion." Scrimgeour told them when Molly finally pulled away, smiling widely and wiping her teary eyes. "Percy and I were in the vicinity-working, you know-and he couldn't resist dropping in and seeing you all."
Anna couldn't help thinking what a big, fat lie that was. Percy looked like he'd rather be standing butt naked in the Slytherin common room than in his childhood kitchen. He was standing awkwardly, his eyes fixed above everyone's heads. Anna glanced around the room, noticing Arthur and the twins wore stony expressions.
"Please, come in, sit down, Minister!" Molly insisted, straightening her hair. "Have a little purkey, or some tooding…I mean-"
"No, no, my dear Molly." Scrimgeour interrupted. "I don't want to intrude, wouldn't be here at all if Percy hadn't wanted to see you all so badly…"
"Oh, Perce!" Molly exclaimed tearfully, reaching up to kiss his cheek. He looked very much uncomfortable and Anna was almost tempted to feel bad for him.
Almost.
"…We've only looked in for five minutes, so I'll have a stroll around the yard while you catch up with Percy. No, no, I assure you I don't want to butt in! Well, if anybody cared to show me your charming garden…Ah, that young man's finished, why doesn't he take a stroll with me?"
Anna felt her father grow tense at her side, and she couldn't help narrowing her eyes and glancing between Scrimgeour and Harry, whom the Minister was referring to. It was highly unlikely Harry had been chosen at random, since Anna knew from Order meetings that Dumbledore had been preventing the Minister from meeting Harry at all costs. Plus, Fleur, Sirius, Ginny, and George also had empty plates besides Harry. It would've made more sense to chose a Weasley to give him a tour, since it was their home.
"Yeah, alright." Harry broke the silence.
Anna glanced nervously at her father, who began to stand up, as did Remus.
"It's fine." Harry told them as he moved around the table.
"Wonderful!" Scrimgeour beamed, stepping back to let Harry pass him out the door. "We'll just take a turn around the garden, and Percy and I'll be off. Carry on, everyone!"
The door clicked shut behind them and the kitchen was once again thrown into a tense silence.
"Well, Percy, why don't you sit down?" Molly insisted warmly. "We have some of your favorites!"
"No, thank you, Mother. I've already eaten." Percy declined stiffly, his eyes fixed on the floor.
"So, you were just in the area, huh?" George asked cynically. "'Working' on Christmas Day?"
Percy's blue eyes flickered slightly in George's direction behind his horn-rimmed glasses, but they otherwise continued to avoid his family. "Yes. We're quite busy at work."
"Yeah, the Ministry's just doing a smashing job, isn't it?" Fred agreed dryly. "Arresting innocent people to make it look like they're doing something while real Death Eaters run rampant."
Anna grabbed Fred's hand in hers atop the table and squeezed it a little harder than normal, silently telling him to shut up as Percy's ears turned red and his eyes narrowed.
"Fred, that's enough." Molly snapped. "We should just be happy Percy's here for Christmas."
"Yeah, happy he's here so his boss can have a private word with Harry." Ginny snipped, eyeing Percy with dislike.
"Ginevra!" Molly snapped.
"She's just stating the obvious, Mum." Ron argued, also glaring at Percy.
"Alright, how about we all calm down?" Remus suggested calmly.
"Yeah, Percy would never've come here on his own. His boss made him." George agreed, as if Remus hadn't spoken. "Probably offered him another promotion if he went along."
"But I guess that means Percy's definitely a Gryffindor." Fred added, his narrowed eyes still fixed on his tense older brother. "He's got at least some nerve to step foot in this house after everything he's said and done."
"I never said anything that wasn't true." Percy snapped. "And you can't judge me just for wanting a better life for myself, for actually having some ambition to get ahead in life-"
"Fred and George have ambition, and they didn't have to blow off the family to get it accomplished." Ginny pointed out sharply.
"Oh, yes, the joke shop. I'm sure you're so proud." Percy ranted sarcastically, his eyes cutting to his parents. "School dropouts, no NEWTs, and now running a stupid joke shop, selling rubbish so no one will take them seriously."
"Say that to our faces, you-" Fred and George both stood up, their chairs skidding back. Anna stood up quickly, pressing a hand to Fred's chest.
"How dare you come in here and start this!" Arthur roared, very unlike his usual calm self. "You made it very clear you want nothing to do with this family, yet you set foot here on Christmas Day!"
"Arthur, please, don't-" Molly pleaded, tears coming to her eyes for a completely different reason than before.
"No, Mum, Dad's right." Bill stood up, speaking quietly. His blue eyes were cold as he stared at his brother, his hand rested on Fleur's shoulder. "After some of the things Percy dared to say, he's got no right to be here, especially under false pretenses. He doesn't want to be here, the Minister made him so he could speak with Harry alone."
"No, Bill, I'm sure that's not-" Molly tried to argue.
"No, Bill's right. I don't want to be here." Percy snapped. "You've all sided with Dumbledore, who's made it clear he's against the Ministry. Even though he claims we're all on the same side, he's been fighting the Ministry at every turn, and I'll have no part of it, or anyone who's sided with Dumbledore."
"Then get out." Fred snapped, angrier than Anna had seen him. "If you don't want to be here, get out and don't come back."
"Gladly." Percy snapped, glaring at Fred. Anna wasn't even sure he'd noticed her standing practically in front of his brother. "At least I won't keep company with liars and manipulative-"
He was cut off by Fred snatching up a handful of the mashed parsnips and flinging it across the room, smacking Percy right in the face. George and Ginny quickly did the same, causing the lumpy white mash to cover his glasses and drip from his face.
Percy angrily stormed from the house, and Anna noticed Harry coming back inside, leaving the Minister to leave, as well.
Molly burst into tears, and Wren hurried around the table to pull the crying mother into a hug. Everyone else glanced among themselves, either looking awkward or still angry. Anna looked up at Fred again and noticed that, despite the lingering anger in his gaze, he was pointedly refusing to look at her. She wasn't sure why, because she'd seen him angry before.
"Fred?" she whispered, lifting a hand and resting it against his cheek. He still wouldn't look at her. "How about we go upstairs?"
Fred swallowed, causing his Adam's apple to bob slightly.
"Please, Fred." Anna whispered, not wanting to draw attention to their exchange.
"Fred." Finally, said twin looked over at George, who had spoken his name. George gave him a look that Anna couldn't quite read. Then, George nodded once tensely. Fred sighed through his nose before nodding and taking Anna's hand in his, leading her through the house and up the stairs.
Anna wasn't sure where they were going, but Fred took her to the second floor and pulled her into his and George's room, closing the door behind them. The room was mostly filled with cardboard boxes and a desk, but there were a few temporary beds from the twins and Bill sleeping there. Anna was mildly surprised that there was a lingering scent of gunpowder from all the twins' experiments, and it actually made her feel safe because it reminded her of Fred.
Heading toward the nearest bed, Anna sat down and patted the space next to her. Fred sighed and sat down heavily, resting his elbows on his knees. Anna scooted closer, resting a hand on his upper back between his shoulder blades. She stared at him for a few moments, noticing his troubled, sad expression. Leaning forward, she rested her lips against his temple, letting them just stay there for a moment. When she spoke, her lips moved against his skin.
"Talk to me. Please."
Fred sighed again, running a hand through his hair. Anna lifted her head, only for Fred to wrap his arms around her and place her on his lap sideways. He stared at her for a few moments, and Anna stared at him in return, trying to read the look in his eyes.
"Fred-"
"It's about what he said about you."
Anna's brows furrowed in confusion. "What? What are you talking about? He didn't say-"
"After You-Know-Who returned." Fred explained. "When Percy first disowned us all and moved out. He said things about you that I never wanted to tell you about."
Anna finally understood. At least somewhat. "Oh. But…why are you suddenly so angry about that now?"
"It's not sudden. I've always been angry about it."
"You know what I mean. You snapped back there."
Fred sighed again, lowering his head to rest it against Anna's shoulder. Anna shifted slightly so she could slip her hand under his arm to scratch his back lightly.
"He called you a liar." Fred mumbled. Anna paused. Fred didn't lift his head, but continued to talk into her shoulder. "He was talking about Harry, and how Harry was obviously lying about You-Know-Who returning. And then he started talking about how you probably lied…about Flint. Said you probably just wanted the attention and that we shouldn't jump to conclusions just because Flint was a Slytherin.
"That's why I was so angry and hurt by what he said. And that's why no one wanted to tell you about it. I didn't want to hurt you. Percy's an idiot, and I wasn't about to let him hurt you like that."
Anna sighed, her eyes falling closed. She turned her head and kissed the top of Fred's head. She used her free hand to gently urge his face off her shoulders, gently cupping his cheek and jaw in her palm. She tilted her head slightly when his head was straight, and she looked into his eyes.
"Fred, I don't care what Percy thinks about me. I mean, if he can think those things about his own father, than his opinion doesn't mean squat to me. I love you, and you believe me. That's what matters."
Fred smiled slightly, his eyes warm as he looked at her. "Good. I love you."
"Love you, too."
XXX
Merry Christmas!
Hope everyone liked this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!