A/N: Well, I'm on a roll. Here's another chapter. I'm a little disappointed with the lack of reviews.

Leah apperated to her living room after work two Mondays later to find Audrey and Percy engaged in a heated debate about flying carpets. She greeted both of them and poured herself a glass of wine as she started to make herself dinner. She hadn't eaten all day, still full from her second Weasley dinner the previous night. She'd gone on two more dates with Charlie the previous week; on Wednesday, he took her out for lunch, and on Friday they went out for dessert and then to a bar after.

As she prepared herself a Greek salad and a grilled sandwich with cheese, mushrooms, cucumber, tomatoes and mangos, she thought back to the flowers he had brought her yesterday when he had come to pick her up to go to the burrow for dinner. She was contemplating asking him to be her date to the St. Mungo's ball on Saturday, although she usually went solo. She was hoping he would end up staying over after the ball. Sure, at the club they had danced and snogged a whole lot, but Leah remembered how great their first night together had been, and, well, she wouldn't mind making that magic happen again. It really was a pity she was working so much this week; it was all eight-to-eight shifts, Monday to Friday before her vacation started on Saturday. Once she got home from such a long day all she wanted to do was eat, curl up with a book, and sleep early.

While she was eating dinner, a quick rap came on the door and Audrey got up to open it up.

"Charlie!" Leah exclaimed happily. "Come in, come in."

He looked a bit sheepish. "Hey, Leah. I know you said that you were working tons this week, but I wanted to come see you for a bit. If you're tired, I can go –"

"Don't you dare! I'm glad you came." She told him honestly. "Come, sit down, do you want anything to eat?"

"No, I ate already. You sit and finish your dinner. You look tired. Gorgeous, but tired."

"Stop showering me with compliments, my head will grow nig." She replied cheekily, laughing.

"How was your day?"

"Good, but really busy. Right now I'm working in the emergencies department, and there are a lot of bad cases so there's never a moment of peace. You're always standing, running around."

"I read about that Death Eater attack last night."

She nodded. "The worst of it cam in last night for the night shift to deal with, but this morning I was dealing with some of the patients. Thankfully, we're a lot better prepared to deal with cases now then we were during the war because we know what to expect and we know what potions and spells to administer immediately so as little lasting damage remains."

"The attack was milder then some of the others, right?"

"Yeah, well, most of the senior death eaters have been caught, and they were the ones with the really nasty ideas." Leah shuddered, setting down her fork. With a flick of her wand, she sent her dishes zooming to the sink, and with another wave the sponge soaped up and started washing the dishes. They watched as they were cleaned and rinsed, and then zoomed away to their appropriate spots in the cabinets. "How was your day, then?"

"I went Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley. Nothing too exciting. I hate Christmas shopping but I really should finish it, considering Christmas is coming up quickly."

"I'm almost done. Usually n my lunch hour I go out and try to buy a few things."

"Speaking of Christmas, what are you doing?"

She shrugged. "Nothing special. Maybe a movie, some wine and sushi."

"Well, then, it's decided. You're coming over for Christmas. You'll love it; if you've never had a Weasley Christmas you've never truly experienced Christmas."

"But –"

"No buts. Mum said I should invite you if you weren't doing anything special, and being alone on Christmas qualifies as nothing special."

"Alright, I'll come. How many people do I need to buy gifts for?" she wrinkled brow. "I got something for your parents, and Fred and Angelina and Percy and you, but who else should I?"

He laughed. "There are too many people to get a gift for everyone."

"I insist. I'm getting everyone a gift. Tell me who else is coming!"

"I don't know. I'll get mum to write out a list and send it to you. But promise me that you won't blow all your money on gifts for strangers. You work so hard for it."

"Shush, you. I'll be expecting that list tomorrow. How about you come with me to the St. Mungo's ball on Saturday with me, then?"

"Uh oh. A ball? So it means… dancing?" he winced theatrically.

"Yes, it does, and it means nice dress robes for you and a fancy gown for me." She replied.

"Let's make a deal. If I come with you to your ball, then you're coming over for our Christmas Eve tea, and dinner and you're spending the night, and staying for Christmas breakfast and dinner."

"Oh boy, that's a lot of food." She bit her lip. "But you've got yourself a deal." She turned to give him a kiss. "Lets go join in whatever argument Percy and Audrey are having."

Audrey and Percy were now together almost constantly, and all they did was bicker. They both loved it. They pretended to be pissed off with each other, but everyone who knew them saw right through it. Audrey had insisted to Leah that they were just friends.

This time, the topic for argument was televisions.

"I don't like this spell they invented to be able use muggle devices around magic." Percy exclaimed, motioning to the pretty flat screen TV. "I've read a lot of about these so-called 'couch potatoes' and how obesity is a problem in the muggle world."

"We're smarter then that! Besides, look at me and Leah. Are you calling us fat? Because we have a TV in our flat, but that's not all we do. It's simply relaxing. And also, there are a lot of educational channels."

Leah turned to Charlie, laughing. "Come on; let's go watch the TV in my room. It's much more peaceful."

He swung her up and picked her up easily. She shrieked with laughter, beating her fists against him and telling him to let her down. He dropped her on her bed and kissed her hard. They snogged comfortably for a while, and when they broke apart Leah rested her head comfortably on his chest. She flicked the TV on and picked some channel with a movie playing, and seconds later her eyes were closed.

Charlie smiled to himself when h heard the deep breathing that meant Leah was fast asleep. "Leah?" he whispered, checking. There was no reply. He was far to comfortable to move and he didn't want to wake up his sleeping beauty, so he watched the movie until it was over, and then he too fell asleep.

***

Leah quickly turned off her alarm clock when it woke her up at quarter to seven and got out of bed, making sure not to wake Charlie up. She showered and got ready for her day, putting on some make-up and changing into her ugly Healer robes. She usually took the Floo to work, just because it was easier. It was impossible to apperate into St. Mungo's, a precaution since the war. She leaned over the bed to give Charlie a kiss. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled up at her.

"Good morning."

"Morning. Listen, I've got to go to work, but you stay here and sleep, it's still really early." She whispered.

"You look all pretty and made up." He muttered sleepily, lifting his body up a bit. "Give me another kiss, please."

She laughed and complied, and he deepened their kiss more then necessary. She broke it off. "Sorry, Charlie, I'm going to be late for work unless I leave a few minutes ago." She kissed him quickly, and then she was gone. Charlie groaned and tried to get back to sleep, but there was really no use. The sheets smelled like her, and he decided a cold shower was what he needed most.

After his shower and after sharing a slightly awkward but normal breakfast with Audrey, he decided to tackle what he had been dreading; finishing his Christmas shopping. He still had to buy a gift for Leah and for his youngest sister, Ginny.

"What are you doing today?" Audrey asked him.

"Christmas shopping. You wouldn't happen to know what your best friends wants for Christmas from me, do you?"

She grinned. "It sounds like I need to join you for a little shopping trip today." She clapped excitedly and ran to grab her coat. Charlie rolled his eyes, but felt relived. Audrey would definitely help him pick out the perfect present. And while they were at it, it would probably be nice if she helped him pick out some nice dress robes for the Mt. Mungo's ball.

"So, tell me, how much are you willing to spend on Leah?" she asked once they were in Diagon Alley.

"I dunno, what's appropriate? We've only been dating a few weeks. It feels like longer, though."

"She's already met your family and everything, and she is taking you to the ball and she is spending all of Christmas with you." Audrey pondered it seriously. "well, we'll start by looking around. Come on, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Charlie just groaned. He hated shopping. Audrey, on the other hand, loved it. They visited nearly every store in Diagon alley. He bought a pretty jewelry boy for Ginny, found himself a nice, expensive pair of dress robes for the ball, but still no luck with a gift. They went out into muggle London, and after about fifteen jewelry stores, he found a pair of pretty amber drop earring with tiny diamonds on them. They went to get coffee and to rest their feet after, Audrey babbling on about everything. The girl really did talk a lot.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Charlie asked.

Audrey launched into a story about spending all of Christmas day with her family.

"For Christmas eve, you should come with Leah to the family tea. I know Percy would like that."

"Yeah, sure, that would be fun." Audrey checked her watch. "Oh my, it's already five and I haven't done a single piece of work today. I should get home and finish that article I'm supposed to send it in tomorrow… I'm glad we found you everything you need, make sure you look amazing on Saturday and don't be late picking Leah up, she likes punctuality. Complement her on her eyes, she likes that because usually it's all about her body so she'll like that her body is not the only thing you notice. Your surprise last night was really sweet, do it maybe Thursday night again? It will leave enough time for you guys to miss each other and also I need my time with my best friend. You know, she works like crazy so I really don't see her that much. The gift you picked for her is gorgeous, she'll love it, and alright, I'll see you!" Audrey smiled and ran out of the coffee shop into the cold.

Charlie shook his head at the amount of energy in the girl. He collected all his bags and decided to go pay a visit to his brother in the joke shop.

***

Leah finished her Christmas shopping after work on Thursday. She'd bought him a watch but then decided it was too expensive for how short their relationship was, so she returned it and ended up buying him some nice cologne and a hilarious dragon game set. She stopped in a café in Diagon Alley to eat some dinner and then apperated home, wiped out. She dumped her shopping bags on the floor and was about to pass out on the couch when an owl started tapping at the window. She got up and took the letter from Charlie's owl, excited for the letter.

Dear Leah,

I came by to surprise you again but you were out, Audrey said Christmas shopping. I miss you, and I can't wait to see you on Saturday. I have my dress robes, and I will be at your door at 7:30 sharp. I hope they're treating you well at work and not tiring you out too much, I'm glad tomorrow is your last day because hopefully I will be able to see you a lot more over your holidays and before I start work on the first.

Sleep well and I miss you,

Charlie

She smiled and tucked the letter in one of her drawers. She quickly changed into her most comfortable sweatpants and sweater and climbed into bed, ready for some serious sleep.

After work the next day, as much as she felt like celebrating that she was now on vacation, she really didn't have energy to go clubbing or partying. Instead, she and Audrey ordered a pizza and spent the night catching up and painting each others nails.

"Please come shopping for a gown with me tomorrow?"

"I can't believe you left it for the last minute. You have to find the right accessories, the right clutch, the right coat and shoes… seriously, where is your brain?" Audrey shook her head. She was a great believer in spending hours planning outfits. Leah, on the other hand, loved looking good but she usually picked the first outfit she saw and liked. They went to bed early so they would have energy for their full day of shopping the following day, but Leah couldn't fall asleep. For once she wished she was a muggle so she could pick up the phone and call Charlie, just to talk.

"Wakey wakey, Leah, we've got a long day ahead of us!" Audrey twirled into her room while she was getting dressed.

"I know, I'm almost ready." Leah replied, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. She was dressed comfortably for the day, in loose-fitting boyfriend jeans and a white t-shirt. "Why are you so perky this morning?"

"I'm in a good mood." She sang. "And I'm excited, because on Sunday I'm going to the ministry ball! I'm going with Percy, as friends, so I get to buy a dress today too."

"Sure, as friends." Leah grabbed her coat and the friends' apperated to Diagon Alley.

"No, seriously, we aren't anything more. He's not attractive, he's nerdy, he's so not my type." Audrey said as they entered one of their favorite high-end boutiques in London. "But he's funny, and he can keep up with me, you know, conversation wise. He's really smart, too."

Leah rolled her eyes but let it rest. It was for the two of them to figure out; it wasn't her business. She picked out a few gowns and went to go try them on. As soon as she stepped into a deep red, thick-strapped floor length gown with a plunging neckline and an empire waist, she knew she had decided on her gown. So she paid for it while Audrey spent about three hours contemplating which one she should buy.

"You need to wear diamonds with that dress." Audrey told her when they stopped for lunch. "It's a diamond-esque dress."

"It is, I know. We'll continue our accessory trip after lunch, but for now, lets celebrate the fact that I'm on holiday!" she raised her glass of lemonade. "Cheers!"

"I'll drink to that, sister." She grinned. "So, you missed Charlie last night."

"I know, he sent me a letter." Leah smiled at the thought of it. "I've missed him, I can't wait to see him tonight."

"It sounds like you two are getting pretty serious pretty fast."

"I don't know, I'm just taking it as it goes. I'm trying not to over-analyze anything."

"Trust me, every girl sucks at that when she likes a guy a lot. It's in our blood to be crazy. We just can't show them it, that's all."

"So true… for you." She teased. "It's hard because I work so much, and when he starts work its going to be hard to see each other."

"Have fun with him over Christmas, get to know him better, and then it will be easier to still be together even when you don't see each other all the time."

"I know, that's my plan. That's why I accepted his invitation to spend Christmas with his family, even though I absolutely hate Christmas." She looked down. "You almost done? We should get going."

Audrey looked at Leah with understanding in her eyes, but didn't say anything. They paid and left, and Leah found herself white gloves that went above her elbows and a furry little white shrug to warm her arms outside. Back at home, she did her hair in an elegant bun with a few side pieces loose and curled, framing her face nicely. She kept her make-up simple with just black eyeliner and mascara around her eyes and subtle pink lipstick. The dress fit her perfectly, and her mother's drop rubellite earrings and matching chunky necklace added the finishing touch. She was just slipping her shoes into her most comfortable black heels and Audrey was helping her squeeze her valuables into a matching black clutch when there was a knock on the door.

"I do believe your date is here." Audrey smiled. "You look great, Leah."