Annabelle arrived in Diagon Alley with a loud crack of Apparation signaling her arrival. She glanced around nervously, the silent, eerie lane making every sound seem ten times louder. Her hand tightened around the handle of her small, overnight bag as she hurried down the lane toward number 93.
Nothing much had happened in the few days since Christmas, apart from Anna going to work and doing a little overtime. She was relieved it was finally the weekend and the only things work-like she needed to worry about was helping the twins at the shop.
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes finally came into sight and Anna almost headed for the backdoor, a force of habit, before she remembered Fred telling her to use the front door. Something about the backdoor being broken somehow.
Heading for the front door, Anna pulled out her key and stuck it in the lock, the charmed key being one of the only ways to unlock the door. That way people couldn't just get in using Alohamora. The lock clicked and Anna stepped inside, closing and locking the door again behind her.
She paused, her eyes scanning the main floor of the shop warily as she noticed a few things off. For one, the lights were off like they should be, but there were dozens of lit candles floating near the ceiling, giving a dim-lighted appearance to the shop. The second thing she noticed…
Was the trail of flower petals starting at her feet.
Anna's eyes quickly followed the path, noticing it lead to one of the shelves before disappearing from sight, then reappearing a couple rows down. The petals were white, almost glowing the darkness, the candlelight highlighting them.
Taking a slow breath, Anna let her eyes return to the flower petals at her feet. Looking closer, she realized there were two different sizes of petals. Crouching down, she recognized the petals of oriental lilies and tulips.
A soft smile graced Anna's face, and she shook her head slightly in amazement. This had 'Fred' written all over it.
Standing up straight, Anna carefully stepped over the path and followed it slowly into the shop, hesitant to step on the delicate petals.
She followed the petals around a shelf and down one of the isles. The petals lead first to one of the shelves, and Anna saw a couple petals on each shelf, leading her eyes up to eyelevel. There were a few petals circling the Ton-Tongue Toffees, and a single Dungbomb sat in the middle of the circle.
Anna's smile stretched a little wider. She easily remembered that the first prank she'd ever pulled with the twins their first year was throwing Dungbombs into the Slytherin common room. And if she remember correctly, the Ton-Tongue Toffee was the first product they perfected.
Her heart warmed as she looked back at the trail of petals. Continuing on the trail, she soon found herself staring at the Canary Creams on the shelf. Hers and the twins' second product. Sitting up next to them, partially open so it could stand upright, was the book 'Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more). This was one of the first Christmas presents she'd gotten the twins. And judging by how worn it was, the binding battered and torn in some places, this was the actual copy she'd given them.
Shaking her head with a smile, Anna continued on after the trail to see what else Fred had in mind for her.
The next product was the Extendable Ears, and with them was some of their Quidditch equipment, including Fred's broom, Beater's Bat, and a Quaffle. After that, the flower petals lead her to the Nosebleed Nougats. With them was a snowball. At first, Anna wasn't sure what the deal was with the snowball, until she realized Fred left a short note with it. Picking it up, she read it over:
'Did Harry ever tell you that we actually hit You-Know-Who
in the face when we hit Quirrell in the back of the head?'
Anna laughed slightly, shaking her head. She remembered hitting Quirrell in the back of the head with snowballs, but she'd never realized they hit Voldemort's face, even though she remembered hearing his face was on the back of Quirrell's head.
The next stop was right next to the Nosebleed Nougats; the Fainting Fancies. Sitting next to them was a crystal vial and another small note. Anna picked up the note and read it:
'Take a whiff.
I smell autumn leaves, gunpowder, and my broomstick handle.
What do you smell?'
Anna's brows furrowed curiously, but her smile never left her face. She set the note back on the shelf and picked up the vial. Setting her bag on the ground, Anna used her now-free hand to pluck the lid off the vial. She raised it to her nose and took a slow, deep sniff.
A smile stretched even wider across her cheeks. She smelled a summer breeze, honeysuckle, hot chocolate,…and Fred.
It was Amortentia.
Shaking her head slightly, Anna couldn't wipe off her smile even if she tried. She set the vial back on the shelf and looked back down to see where the petals would lead next.
Picking up her bag again, Anna followed the trail of petals toward the backroom. The petals lead under the closed door. Anna slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
A sudden breeze blew from behind her, sweeping her hair forward and slightly into her face. All the petals seemed to fly from their places in the shop into the back room. They swirled together in a small tornado. When they settled again, they were in a beautiful white bouquet of oriental lilies and tulips leaning against the Pygmy Puff pen.
Anna approached the bouquet and picked it up, pressing the flowers to her face to take a long sniff. She noticed a small note sitting in the flowers and tilted her head slightly to see it properly in the candlelight.
'If you're done with your little trip down memory lane,
come on up for dinner.
Fred'
Anna chuckled, shaking her head again before heading for the stairs that lead up to the twins' flat. When she reached the door she knocked on it. After a few moments, she slowly pushed the door open.
Like the shop below, the flat was lit only by floating candles, and it appeared to be empty of life.
"Fred?" she called, closing the door behind her and setting her bag down by the door. When there was no response, she slowly took a few steps into the living room. "Fred, I'm here!"
Her eyes swept the room, and she startled when she realized there was yet another note floating in the air in front of her face. Stepping closer to look at it, she read it quickly:
'Turn around'
Slowly, Anna did just that, turning to face the way she'd come. But there was nothing new there. Just the door, her bag, and a few floating candles above her head.
Then, the bouquet cradled in the crook of her arm vanished and the petals flew around her. Turning back around, her hand flew up to cover her mouth, which had fallen open in shock.
The petals had formed a large heart on the living room floor, the white glowing against the candlelight. In the very center of the heart, was Fred on one knee, holding a small, black box in his hands. He was dressed in a simple, blue button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, simple slacks, and his warm, always-contagious grin.
"Annabelle Esme Black." Fred spoke in a clear, loving voice, and Anna took in a shaky breath. "My best friend, partner in crime, and the love of my life. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, as I've stated many times before. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
With that, Fred easily flicked open the small box. Inside was a beautiful ring with a rose gold infinity band and a small, round cut diamond on top.
Anna dragged her eyes from the ring to Fred's face, her lips parted in amazement. He was watching her, his eyes warm and smile easygoing, silently telling her there was no pressure.
Not that that would've changed her answer anyway.
"Yes." she whispered, her eyes stinging and throat tightening as she quickly nodded her head. She whispered the word a few more times as Fred beamed at her. He pulled the ring from the box and took her left hand in his, slipping the ring onto her ring finger.
Once it was in place, Fred carelessly tossed the box aside, stood up, and scooped Anna off her feet. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun her around, their lips meeting feverishly.
They kissed for several seconds before Fred let Anna slide back to the ground. They pulled away to breathe, but kept their foreheads pressed together. Anna's hands cupped Fred's neck until she opened her eyes. She held up her left hand to examine the ring now resting on her finger. She'd never been one for jewelry before, but she already loved this ring.
"You didn't have to get one this nice." she breathed just as Fred tilted his head to kiss her neck. "I would've been happy with a cheap, 1 Galleon ring."
"How do you know that's not what this cost?" Fred asked, grinning as he pulled back to look down at her.
"Is it?" Anna asked knowingly.
"No, but I'm not telling you how much it cost." Fred told her simply, his hands resting on her waist, thumbs stroking her hipbones.
"Why not?"
"Because you don't need to know." Fred told her, shaking his head. "Just accept it, love. You can repay me by marrying me one day and we can live happily ever after."
Anna couldn't help smiling. Pushing up onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his once more, which he eagerly returned.
The kiss ended too soon for Anna's liking, but Fred insisted it was time to eat dinner. He helped her out of her winter traveling cloak, which he sent to the coat rack with a wave of his wand. Then, he lead her into the kitchen, where there were two plates of spaghetti sitting at the table, candles still floating above their heads to give the room a romantic lighting.
"So, who'd you talk into cooking this?" Anna asked, partially teasing as Fred pulled her chair out for her. He helped her slide it back in after she sat down.
"Very funny." Fred told her, sitting down across from her. "For your information, Mum taught me how to cook spaghetti. It's not that hard."
"Really." Anna was surprised. "Did she know why you wanted to learn to cook?"
"She may have suspected, but all I really told her was I wanted to have a romantic dinner with you for our anniversary." Fred admitted.
"Well, she is the ultimate romantic." Anna noted, before taking her first bite of spaghetti twirled around her fork. "This is really good!" Anna told him, her mouth full and hand slightly covering her mouth.
"Why, thank you! I'm glad you like it." Fred beamed, taking a bite from his own plate.
"So, how many people knew you were going to propose?" Anna asked curiously, glancing down at her engagement ring again. She couldn't help it.
"George knew, obviously." Fred smirked.
"I figured." Anna returned, rolling her eyes slightly.
"And your parents knew."
"Really?" Anna asked in shock.
"Yep. I asked for their blessing." Fred admitted honestly.
Anna's eyes softened. "My dad gave you his blessing?" she asked quietly, almost not believing it.
"Yeah, I was kinda surprised, too, to be honest." Fred admitted with a slight chuckle. "I expected your mum to have to convince him, but she hardly said anything. I managed it on my own."
Anna smiled over at him. "Well, you can be very persuasive when you want to be." she informed him, partially teasing.
"Well, it worked in my favor, didn't it?" he returned.
They finished eating their dinner before Fred told Anna to wait for him on the couch. He set the dishes to clean themselves in the sink and when he joined Anna in the living room, he was carrying two steaming mugs that smelled heavenly to Anna.
"Now, this wouldn't be a proper date…without hot chocolate." Fred stated, passing one mug to Anna before sitting down next to her on the soft, comfy, brown couch.
"Very true." Anna agreed, blowing briefly on the hot beverage before taking a small sip. Fred rested his arm on the back of the sofa, holding his mug in his other hand so Anna could snuggle into his side.
"I don't know if it's hit me yet." Anna stated after several moments of silence. She looked down at her hands cupping the mug, her eyes gravitating toward the diamond glinting in the candlelight.
"What do you mean?" Fred asked quietly, looking down at her.
"This." she said, wiggling the fingers on her left hand. "We're engaged…I'm your fiancé." she said in amazement. It was as if her brain couldn't wrap around it. It was just so amazing.
"Is that good or bad?" Fred asked lightly, his fingers grazing over her shoulder.
"Good." Anna stated firmly, turning and kissing him briefly on the lips. "It's very good. I want to be your fiancé. I want to get married to you…It just feels so…I don't know." she shook her head, unsure how to explain what she was feeling. "It just hasn't hit me yet, I guess. But it will." she assured him, snuggling even closer and resting her head on his chest.
"I sure hope so." Fred chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "And like I've said before, just because we're engaged doesn't mean we have to get married right away. Whatever you want, whatever you're comfortable with."
Anna nodded, sighing slightly through her nose. "Well, Bill and Fleur are already getting married this coming summer. We should probably wait until after that, don't you think? I'm sure having two weddings to plan right after the other would stress your mum out too much, not to mention everyone else involved."
"Well, to be fair, if Mum had her choice she'd have nothing to do with any wedding involving Fleur, but I can see your point." Fred agreed.
"And just because you want to do whatever I want, doesn't mean you have no say." Anna stated firmly, looking up at Fred and meeting his eyes. "I will not be some bridezilla, and if I start to become one, glue my mouth shut or something. You have just as much say in everything as I do."
Fred chuckled, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "Deal. I'll make sure you don't go too crazy."
"Good."
They stayed like that for an undetermined amount of time. They eventually finished their drinks, and Fred vanished all the candles and flower petals with a wave of his wand, then lit the fireplace a few feet in front of them, warming the room easily.
Anna knew they could go to bed at any time. She wasn't planning on leaving for the night, but she also wasn't in a hurry to get up, either. She was comfy, warm, and just wanted the night to last forever.
She was on the verge of dozing off when she felt Fred shift slightly, his body turning in her direction. Blinking open her eyes, she glanced up at him. Following his eyes, she looked over the back of the couch to see the front door of the flat peaking open.
George slowly peaked his head in, and seeing them there, he smiled widely and quietly stepped into the flat, closing the door behind him.
"Hi. How's your night been?" George asked lightly, stopping behind the couch and looking down at them both.
"Good. What did you do all evening?" Anna asked casually. She could tell he was itching to know about the proposal, but she wanted to torture him a bit. Luckily, while her right arm was draped over Fred's stomach, her left hand was slightly hidden under both their bodies.
"Visited Katie at St. Mungo's, then went out to dinner and drinks with Lee, Angelina, and Alicia." George answered, glancing between his twin and Anna, but neither seemed to be giving him the announcement he was searching for. "So? Anything interesting happen?" he finally asked.
"Whatever do you mean?" Anna asked, trying desperately at act genuinely confused, but it was hard to smother her smile.
George narrowed his eyes at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You need to brush up on your acting." he told her. "So? Come on, out with it. I wanna hear it confirmed." he stated, looking between them both expectantly.
Fred chuckled, kissing the top of Anna's head. "She said yes, obviously, you prat. Did you honestly think she'd say no?"
"'Course not." George shrugged with a grin. "No girl in her right mind would say no to a Weasley twin."
Anna rolled her eyes slightly. "You're too arrogant for your own good."
"Not arrogant. Confident." George corrected her with a smirk. He moved around the couch and sat on the space between Anna and the arm of the couch. Despite Anna being tired and leaning heavily on Fred's side, George snaked an arm around her middle and pulled her up into him. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and Anna smiled, snuggling into his chest and wrapping her arms around him in return.
"I'm happy for you both." George spoke quietly, as if he were speaking more to Anna even though Fred could easily hear them. "Now you'll officially be a Weasley twin." he added, partially joking.
Anna smiled, burying her face in George's shoulder. Even though he was joking around, that phrase meant more to her than he could understand.
"Good." she whispered.
George pulled back and kissed the top of Anna's head in a brotherly gesture. He grinned at her before standing up, clapping Fred on the shoulder.
"You guys have a good night. Remember I'm across the hall, so please, if you decide to celebrate, keep it down." George told them, smirking teasingly as he rounded the corner.
Anna's face flamed up instantly.
"George!" she shouted.
Fred chuckled, shaking his head after his twin. "On that note, how about we get some sleep?" he suggested, standing up and offering a hand to Anna. Anna smiled, taking it and following him down the hall to his bedroom.
After changing into her pajamas, Anna snuggled down under the covers, Fred joining her a moment later. He pulled her close and spooned in behind her, his arm draped over her waist.
"I love you, Anna. Goodnight." he whispered, kissing her neck.
"I love you, too, Fred."
XXX
Anna didn't go home until after the shop closed the next evening, having helped the twins in the backroom making more products. When she did go home, her mother about squealed like a preteen girl when she saw the engagement ring. Harry had no idea what was going on until Anna explained it to him, but he was thrilled either way.
Luckily, Anna was able to visit the Burrow once before the school kids returned to Hogwarts, because she wasn't able to see them off when they returned to school. Molly and Ginny had about the same reaction as Anna's mother. Fleur only commented that Anna's engagement ring wasn't as nice as hers, which Anna ignored.
And of course, Anna owled Charlie the day after Fred proposed to update him. He was thrilled, of course.
Anna was able to say goodbye to Harry before she went to work for the day, but she wasn't there to see him off. They had to take the Floo network back to Hogwarts instead of the train.
"So, do you and Fred have any Valentine's Day plans?" Katie asked curiously, sitting up against the pillows in her hospital bed.
"I haven't heard anything, but that's a couple weeks from now, anyway. I've told him he doesn't need to go overboard, but whether he actually listens is another story." Anna told her, curled up in one of the chairs next to her friend's bedside.
"Ah, yes, you're still grumpy about how much he spent on you in December." Katie noted teasingly.
"I'm not grumpy." Anna argued, her eyes falling on her left hand, which was in her lap with her other hand. Her bracelet was on her wrist, her weasel charm still visible, and of course her engagement ring easily caught the light of the hospital room. "I just don't want him spending so much on me. I realize him and George are now doing extraordinarily well financially, and I also know Fred well enough to know he wants to make up for not being able to spend that much on me before. But I just wish he'd realize I don't need all that expensive stuff. I liked all our simple dates when we were still in school. Just lounging in front of a fire, or in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate or eating ice cream or something. Or our last anniversary, we just went to a park and ate hot dogs for the first part of our date. I like stuff like that."
"I'm sure he also knows all that, to an extent." Katie pointed out easily. "He knows you. And you could always talk to him if he starts to go overboard with the spending."
"Yeah, I know." Anna sighed, smiling.
"And I better be invited to your wedding." Katie added teasingly.
"Obviously." Anna laughed, tucking some of her nearly-black hair behind her ear. "But it'll be a little while. We haven't really set anything in stone yet, well apart from the fact that George is obviously going to be the best man-"
"Well, that was a given."
"Yeah. But we figured we'd wait until after his brother's wedding."
"Which brother? Not Charlie?" Katie asked, sounding both curious and confused.
"No, Bill. He's the oldest. He's engaged to Fleur Delacour."
"Seriously?" Katie's eyes widened slightly. "Wow. Small world. He must be good-looking if he managed to snag her."
Anna laughed. "Well, obviously Fred's the most handsome of the bunch-" Katie snorted, "-but Bill's fairly good-looking. And he has longish hair and dresses a bit like a punk rocker. And he's really cool, to be honest. Of course," Anna chuckled, "Molly and Ginny aren't too thrilled with him being with Fleur, to be honest."
"And why's that?" Katie asked curiously.
Anna shrugged slightly. "Well,…Fleur can be a bit rude…and she's always talking about how much better France is than here. And she's convinced she's better than everyone else. But that's just a guess."
Katie laughed. "Well,…I can also imagine some of the women being a tiny bit jealous of her. She is fairly pretty."
Anna shrugged. "That might be a tiny part of it." she admitted sheepishly. "But I don't have to worry about Fred on that front. He's made it clear he's thinks I'm more beautiful than she is-obviously he's delusional-"
Katie snorted.
"-and he practically ignores her when she's around."
"Well, that's good, then."
"Yeah, I suppose. It's better than Ron, tripping over himself just to get her to look at him."
XXX
Valentine's Day was on a Saturday, so Anna spent most of it helping the twins at the shop. She tried getting Fred to spill what their plans were for Valentine's Day, but he would only say that they were eating dinner. No clues as to where or what they were eating, just that they would be eating dinner after they helped George close the shop.
Anna tried getting George to spill, because if anyone would know what Fred was planning, it was him, but he was too smart to talk. So instead, while the two of them were in the back working on products, George told Anna what he was doing for Katie for Valentine's. Which was just visiting her in the hospital, and he was bringing her white roses and dinner from the Leaky Cauldron.
"Okay, I'm done. I'm gonna stop at the Leaky to pick up my order. It should be ready by now." George called, closing the till that he just finished counting. Anna and Fred were stocking up the shelves, which were all close to half empty after a fairly busy day. The WonderWitch section was especially bare. A couple charmed brooms were sweeping up the store.
"Sure thing." Fred called. "And can you pick up that other thing while you're out?"
Anna glanced up curiously, noting the look the twins exchanged.
"No problem. I have to stop there anyway." George called before heading out the front door of the shop.
"What was that about?" Anna called curiously.
"No idea what you mean!" Fred called before disappearing down an isle to continue stocking up the other shelves. Anna rolled her eyes and continued what she was doing.
George returned ten minutes later, just as Fred and Anna were finishing up closing the shop for the evening.
"Hey, Anna, you can head up to the flat now if you want." Fred called as he met George by the door.
Anna tilted her head slightly, trying to see what George was holding, but Fred's back was blocking her view. "Are you sure I can't help carry something?"
"No, I've got it." Fred called back, glancing over his shoulder and grinning at her. Anna narrowed her eyes, but smiled and headed up to the flat.
"Alright."
Anna reached the flat and kicked her shoes off, plopping down on the couch. Fred joined her a few moments later, hurrying into the kitchen like he was hiding something.
"What are you doing?" Anna asked, looking into the kitchen even though she couldn't see what he was doing.
"Getting dinner ready." Fred called. "Stay there."
Anna rolled her eyes, slouching on the couch. She grimaced slightly, sitting up and stretching her back, which was a bit sore from hunching over the worktable most of the day.
"Alright." Fred finally entered the room. He had his hands behind his back, and Anna could see two plates of food and two glasses floating along behind him. He rounded the couch and the plates and glasses landed lightly on the coffee table in front of them. Then, with a flourish, Fred whipped his arms from behind his back. In one hand was a single lavender-colored tulip.
Anna smiled, accepting the simple flower and holding it to her nose to sniff it. "Thank you. It's beautiful."
"I figured I've given you a lot of bouquets recently, so I thought one simple flower would be more appreciated." Fred told her, sitting on the couch next to her.
"Well, you were right." Anna admitted, putting the flower in a vase that was already sitting on the coffee table. It was empty but already had some water in it, making her think that was what Fred intended it for. "You don't have to give me flowers for every little occasion."
"Ah, yes, like Valentine's Day, our anniversary, and you being in the hospital." Fred agreed sarcastically, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.
"Oh, shush." Anna scolded, reaching over to shove his shoulder.
Fred laughed at her before picking up his plate to begin eating. Anna grabbed hers to eat, too. Having had a very small lunch, they didn't talk much while wolfing down their dinner, as they were both famished.
When Anna had scraped the last of her delicious meal from her plate, she set the empty dish back on the coffee table before leaning back on the couch. She stretched her arms high over her head, arching her back against the couch. Her back popped and she sighed.
"Back hurt?" Fred asked, setting his own empty plate next to hers.
"A bit." Anna laughed lightly. "Being hunched over a cauldron or whatever all day makes for a stiff back."
Fred grimaced slightly. "Sorry-"
"Don't be. I like helping you guys. It's fun. I should probably try to stretch more often." Anna admitted.
Fred looked over at her, eyeing her silently for a few moments. Finally, he turned to face her, pulling one leg up onto the couch in front of him. "Turn around."
Anna furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"
Fred twirled his index finger in the air. "Turn around so your back is facing me."
"Why?" Anna asked even as she did as asked. She pulled both her legs onto the couch, sitting cross-legged on the couch cushion with her knees touching the arm of the couch.
"Always asking questions." Fred mumbled lightly as he swept her hair over her shoulders, just loud enough for Anna to hear him. Before she could retort, she felt his hands pressing into her back just under her neck, between her shoulders.
"Ooooh." she sighed, her eyes falling closed and her shoulders slumping. "That feels wonderful."
Fred chuckled lowly, but didn't speak as he pressed his thumbs into her muscles, dragging them up and down her spine to work out any knots he found.
They were silent for a few minutes, Anna feeling almost sleepy as Fred worked the soreness from her muscles.
"So, are you doing anything on March first?" Fred finally asked, ending the silence.
Anna hummed, forcing her eyes open to think. "Not sure. What day of the week is it?"
"Saturday." Fred answered promptly.
"Well, then I'll probably be downstairs working on different joke products." Anna answered, wondering where he was going with this.
"Would you be interested in making a little trip with me and George that day instead?"
"A trip to where?" Anna asked warily.
Fred chuckled. "Hogsmeade. Business has been going so well that George and I are considering opening a second location."
"Seriously?" Anna turned around and stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm telling you now." Fred smirked. "But really, it was just an idea we've thrown around. Didn't seriously start thinking about it until recently, but then March first popped up on our calendars."
"And March first is so great because…?" Anna urged curiously.
"Well, we were thinking of stopping at Hogsmeade to look into buying out Zonko's. He was always talking about wanting to retire, but business was so great he didn't think it'd be a good idea. But George and I think we can convince him to sell to us. He was always fond of us. And March first and second is a Hogsmeade weekend, and, let's see, what else?" Fred asked himself quietly, though Anna could tell by his tone he was joking. "Oh, yeah! It's also Ron's birthday."
Anna laughed, shaking her head. "You're a prat."
Fred's hands left her back only to tickle her ribs. Anna shrieked, lurching forward only for his arms to wrap around her stomach and pull her back against his chest.
"So, will you come with us?" Fred asked, nuzzling his nose against her jaw.
Anna grinned, tilting her head a bit to look back at him. "I would love to."
XXX
I debated updating today, since I'm thinking of updating again on New Years, since that's the day of Fred and Anna's first date, but I figured, why not?
And for those of you who've been asking for more action, considering how boring/uneventful the last couple chapters have been, there will be more action in the next couple chapters, depending on your definition of action.