Chapter 23 :
I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I'll explain at the end in my usual rambling note!
Everyone landed rather ungracefully except for Mr Weasley, Mr Diggory and Cedric.
"Who's falling for who now?" Cedric teased as he helped Nora up. Nora laughed and shook her head as she caught a glimpse of a rather unhappy Fred who got up quickly and moved away. Aveline noticed Fred's reaction and took over talking to Cedric as Nora caught up to her boyfriend.
"What's got your wand in a knot?" Nora asked finally catching up with him as they all made their way to the campsite.
Fred sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Nora rolled her eyes and took his hand in hers.
"Fred. It was a joke. You know the kind of thing people say when they aren't serious? You do it quite often." She said with a slight grin.
"That isn't the same." He said looking at her seriously but he smiled seeing her grin.
"See you can never stay mad at me." Nora grinned kissing his cheek.
"I'm not mad at you." He said putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Well don't be mad at him either. I started it this morning. And I chose you remember. So stop worrying even though you're quite adorable when you get jealous." She said with a smile.
"I'll do my best. I guess I'm a slight bit overprotective."
"I know that but he's still my friend. And I know there's a history but we're just friends now. I'm quite happy with you in case you haven't noticed." Nora smiled.
"I thought you were absolutely miserable." He teased. "And I know, it's just a whole lot of history. And I'm not sure the 'just friend' feeling is mutual."
"Fred..." Nora sighed.
"I know... I'll let it go." He said. "I can still wish you didn't have a perfect ex-boyfriend. Or any ex-boyfriend for the matter."
"Well for that you'd have to go for either Hermione or Megg. Take your pick." Nora said making Fred laugh.
"Yes?" Megg asked as she and Hermione turned around.
"Oh we were just listing dating possibilities that would be easier on Fred's ego." Nora grinned as Megg rolled her eyes and Hermione blushed before turning around.
"You're horrible." Fred whispered in her ear.
"I am not! And she would have known if I'd lied." Nora laughed as Fred shook his head while suppressing a smile.
A few minutes later they parted ways with the Diggorys. After paying the camping manager, they made their way to their campsite near the woods. Nora, Meggan, Hermione and Harry took care of putting the tents together while Mr Weasley tried to help without much success.
"Alright. The five girls in the first tent and boys in the other. Let's get our things in order and then we'll get lunch ready." Mr Weasley said happily.
"Please tell me there an extension charm on these." Nora told Aveline as Ginny went in first. The four other girls followed and quickly found out that the tent was quite spacious. There was a small living area and a large room with two bunk beds and a lone bed.
"Alright. Who gets which bed?" Ginny asked.
"I really don't mind." Aveline said.
"Neither do I." Hermione said.
"I don't mind a bunk bed." Nora said.
"I'll bunk with you, it's been a while." Ginny smiled.
"Great! Two down three to go." Nora laughed.
"Well we can share." Megg and Hermione said looking at each other.
"So I get the bed alone?" Aveline said.
"Yep! You got the best one." Ginny laughed as they all went to put their bags on their beds.
A few minutes later they went to meet up with the boys.
"Well we're going to need some water." Arthur said.
"There's a tap on the map." Hermione said.
"Alright then. How about the young ones get water and the old ones get wood for the fire?" He proposed.
"Why are we making a fire? We have a stove." Ron asked
"Because that's what muggles do when they camp Ron!" Mr Weasley said.
"Alright then we'll meet up later, us old people need to get wood." George said.
"Where do we get wood?" Aveline asked.
"In the woods. Or they probably have logs at the shop." Nora said.
"Where's the fun in that?" Fred asked.
"Just get some wood so we can make a fire." Mr Weasley said as they all exited the tent.
"See you later young ones!" George called to them.
"See you later old ones!" Ginny called back.
After walking around in the woods for about twenty minutes and quite a few missteps, they had gathered enough wood to make fires for a few days.
"Who knew Freckles was such a camping person?" George asked as they walked back to the campsite.
"When she isn't tripping over branches." Fred teased.
"Hey! Aveline was worst than I was!" Nora laughed.
"I was not. You tripped twice as much. I simply dislike being in the woods. They freak me out. I'm a city girl." Aveline said.
"We noticed." George teased as they dropped the wood off next to the tent.
Mr Weasley quickly attempted to make a fire while the four teenagers sat a little further.
"Shouldn't we help him?" Nora asked after watching Arthur try to light his fifth match.
"Let him have fun." Fred laughed as he pulled her closer to him.
"He loves his muggle stuff." George told Aveline who was looking at Mr Weasley with a mix of concern and amusement.
"I can see that." She laughed as the younger ones returned.
"You've been ages!" George told them.
"We met some people on the way." Harry said.
"Many people." Ron said seeming in some sort of trance.
"What's wrong with Ronnikins?" Fred asked looking at his brother curiously.
"We saw Fleur." Megg said rolling her eyes as they put the buckets down.
"Bless you." George said with a grin.
"She's our cousin from France." Nora laughed. "How is she?"
"She sounded good. Kind of traumatised by camping twice in the same summer but that's Fleur for you. And she probably thinks Ron has some sort of mental illness." Megg grinned making Ron blushed a dark shade of red as Harry, Hermione and Ginny burst out laughing.
"Was it that bad?" Nora laughed.
"It was not!" Ron muttered.
"He mumbled a lot... Something that sounded like English but it wasn't really clear." Hermione said.
"It was pretty hilarious." Harry said.
"And quite pathetic." Ginny smirked.
"Oh shove off. You couldn't speak to Nora before last year." Ron told Harry who blushed and went to help mister Weasley with the fire.
"Don't worry Ronnikins." George said with a large grin.
"One day, you will be able to actually form a sentence in front of a woman." Fred continued.
"And that day will be a glorious day. Far from here." George said as everyone laughed making Ron furious.
"But it will happen eventually. You are our brother after all." Fred finished as Ron made a rude gesture and went to see how the fire was going with Harry and Hermione.
As they started cooking their lunch, Percy, Charlie and Bill came strolling out of the woods.
"We've just arrived Dad." Percy said loudly.
"Oh really? We thought you'd been here a week." Fred said making Percy glare at him.
They ate lunch while debating the outcome of the match. Hermione and Aveline were having a conversation of their own getting bored after five minutes of Quidditch talk.
"Ireland has a better team." Charlie said.
"But no one is better than Krum!" Bill intervened.
"But one player doesn't make a team!" George said.
"Krum is not just a player! He's the best!" Ron said heatedly.
"We all know you have a crush on Krum Ronnikins. It doesn't mean he's a superhero." Fred teased as Ron rolled his eyes.
"How about Ireland wins but Krum catches the snitch then?" Nora proposed.
"As if that would ever happen." Charlie said.
"Who knows? It is a world cup final." Ginny said.
"I still think Bulgaria has it." Harry said.
They were halfway through their lunch when Mr Weasley stood up and waved to a man who was walking towards them.
"Ah! Ludo! The man of the hour!" Arthur said.
"Ahoy there! What a day isn't it Arthur? Perfect weather and barely a hiccough in planning!" He said happily. Percy pushed through the others rapidly to introduce himself.
"Oh right, this is my son Percy who's just started at the ministry. This is George...wait that's Nora so that would be Fred. Sorry. That's George. Bill, Charlie, Ron and my daughter Ginny. That would be Fred's girlfriend Nora and her sister Megg DeBordeaux."
"Cecilius' children?" Bagman asked looking slightly taken aback.
"Yes." Megg answered quickly.
There was a short silence before Mr Weasley spoke again.
"That's George's girlfriend Aveline Carter and Ron's friends Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. Everyone this is Ludo Bagman and he's the reason we got such good tickets."
Bagman smiled and waved saying it was nothing. "Fancy a flutter on the match Arthur?"
"Oh well, a Galleon on Ireland." He said.
Bagman laughed but quickly recovered. "Any other takers?"
"Well they're quite young and Molly wouldn't..."
"We'll bet thirty seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three nuts," Fred said as he and George pooled all their money. "that Ireland win but Krum gets the snitch. And we'll throw in a fake wand."
"You don't want to show Mr Bagman rubbish like that." Percy hissed but Bagman seemed to find it quite amusing.
"Excellent! I'd pay five Galleons for that!" He said.
"Boys I don't think you should be betting all of your savings." Arthur said under his breath.
"Don't be a spoilsport!" Bagman beamed. "Krum gets the snitch? Not a chance. I'll give you excellent odds and I'll add five Galleons for the wand." He said writting down the twins names in his notebook while Mr Weasley looked helpless.
"Are you bloody joking?" Nora said pulling the twins appart.
"What?" Fred said not daring to look at her.
"We're old enough..." George started.
"You're both bloody insane! All of your savings? And I was bloody kidding when I said Ireland would win and Krum would get the snitch why would you bet on that? It'll never freaking happen!" She shouted at the twins.
"Well looks like Dad doesn't need to say anything." Bill laughed as Arthur smiled and the others laughed.
"You haven't seen Crouch around have you? I'm in need of some translation with the Bulgarians. He has to speak about a hundred languages." Bagman said.
"Mr Crouch speaks over two hundred languages!" Percy intervened excitedly. "Mermish, Gobbledegook, Troll..."
"Anyone can speak Troll, you point at something and grunt." Fred said earning him a glare from Percy as they continued a conversation about languages and Bertha Jorkins.
"It is actually true." George grinned.
"Just leave Percy alone he's excited about his new job." Nora said.
"Yes Mum." Fred said ruffling her hair.
"She is right at some point it's nice to see him excited about something other than school." Charlie said.
"Yeah great. Now he's obsessed with his boss. It's so much healthier." Ron said making everyone laugh.
"At least he won't be there to give out detentions anymore." Ginny said.
"He gave you detention?" Bill asked.
"Once in my first year." She answered.
"Seriously?" Charlie asked.
"Trust me we've had our fare share of detentions handed out by Percy." George laughed.
"Well you kind of deserved most of them." Nora said.
"Oh we know you're a prefect Freckles, we haven't forgotten." Fred teased.
"And you will probably be headgirl next year." George continued.
"I will not." She said shaking her head.
"Of course you will! Who else could it be? It's you and Cedric for sure! You're perfect and teachers love you both." Aveline said. "Sorry Freddy."
"Why sorry Freddy?" Charlie asked.
"He doesn't like when we mention Cedric and Nora." Aveline grinned earning herself a glare from Fred.
"Aww our little brother is jealous?" Bill smirked.
"Oh how I love it when one of the twins is the victim." Ron grinned.
"Shove off." Fred said rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wait...Talking about Hogwarts. Who is going to be the new Wood?" Aveline asked.
"Will there even be Quidditch this year?" Charlie asked.
"I'm not sure." Nora answered. "The pitch could be used for..."
"You know?" Fred asked.
"Of course I know!" Nora laughed. "Megg know too."
"Why does she get to know what's going on and not us?" Ron asked.
"Because I can tell when people are lying and you can't." Megg grinned. "And I've told Hermione."
"What?" Harry said. "Why haven't you told us?"
"Because it's supposed to be top secret." Bill said.
"Well half of the people here know so it isn't so secret!" George said.
"You'll find out soon enough." Charlie said as they went back to talking about Quidditch.
Nora kept a slight cold shoulder towards Fred and George for the rest of the afternoon. As they walked towards the stadium Nora was taking with Megg and Hermione about her fourth year.
"Sorry ladies. Can I borrow you for a second?" George asked Nora.
"Sure. What do you want?" Nora asked.
"Well hello to you too Freckles." He grinned.
She shook her head and looked up at him while rolling her eyes.
"Fine. Don't stay mad at Fred, he's moping." George said. "And it wasn't his idea it was mine."
"We both know that isn't true. Fred's always been the impulsive one. You're way too rational to make a bet like that and throw away all of your savings on a stupid Quidditch match." She sighed.
"You know us too well. But he's Fred, that's what he does. He's impulsive and he makes stupid decisions sometimes. But you know that more than anyone." George said with a smile.
"I know. Why aren't you mad? It's your money too."
"Because I trust Fred. He might be insane but he's right most times. Don't tell him I said that." He laughed.
"I wouldn't, it would go to his head." Nora said finally smiling.
"Just don't stay mad at him too long." George pleaded.
"On one condition." Nora said seriously.
"What?" George asked.
"If you lose the bet you let me give you the money."
"What? No, Fred would never..." George started.
"Which is why I'm talking about it with you. I'll let it go but if you lose the money, I'll give you the amount."
"But..."
"Not buts! You know it won't affect me! And as impulsive as Fred is I'm stubborn. So this is my condition." She said crossing her arms.
"Fine. But Fred is going to be pissed off when he finds out." George said shaking his head.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of Freddykins." Nora smiled.
"Oh I'm sure you will Freckles. I hear you have creative ways." George grinned.
"What?!" Nora asked half embarrassed half laughing.
"You heard me." George laughed.
"Wait...How much do you actually know?" Nora asked.
"Well, we're twins..." George said trying to contain his laughter.
"So? I'm a triplet! I don't go sharing my sex life with Niko and Nat!" Nora sighed.
"Don't worry, you've got a good reputation." George smirked as she hit his shoulder.
"Thanks...I guess." She laughed. "I swear I will make Ava spill all your dirty secrets whenever you two finally sleep together!"
"Good luck with that." George said winking at her.
"I've got to talk with your brother." Nora said shaking her head.
"I would not want to be him right now." He laughed.
"Why? You couldn't handle it?" Nora teased winking at him as she went to find Fred who was further back with Bill and Charlie.
"Are you still mad at him?" Bill asked making Fred roll his eyes.
"Not really. He's kind of forgiven." Nora smiled as she took Fred's hand in hers.
"Really?" Fred asked.
"Yep. I talked things over with George." She said before whispering in his ear. "And I hear you've been quite keen on sharing."
Fred chuckled uncomfortably and rubbed his neck with his free hand.
"Don't worry, I still like you." She teased kissing him on the cheek. "You're too adorable when you get embarrassed."
"Thanks Freckles, you're quite adorable yourself." He grinned.
"So I've been told." Nora grinned as they followed the rest of the group to their seats.
The match went by at an incredible pace. Before they knew it, Krum had caught the snitch ending the match but leaving Ireland with the victory. They made their way back to the tents through the intense cheering of the Irish.
"Well not to say I told you so but..." Fred said grinning from ear to ear as he pulled Nora closer to him.
"Oh shut it." She laughed as they arrived near their tents.
"Just admit it, for once, I was right and you were wrong." He grinned.
"I neither deny nor confirm your accusation." She grinned back at him.
"Well there goes the lawyer talk which means that I'm right." He said winking at her.
"That is your personnal interpretation of these events." She teased.
"Oi lovebirds! Catch up!" Bill called after them as he entered the tent.
Everyone joked around and teased Ron about his obsession with Viktor Krum for quite a while. The girls sat in the living area chatting while the boys kept teasing Ron. A loud sound was heard making everyone turn to see what it was.
"The Irish seem to have their pride on!" Fred said as Arthur went out to see what was going on. He came back with a grave expression.
"It's not the Irish. We have to get out of here now!" He said as everyone hurried out the tent. They were all shocked by what they saw and barely heard Arthur speak.
"Bill, Charlie and Percy, help the ministry. Fred, George, Nora and Aveline, Ginny and Megg are your responsibility. Head for the woods and don't come back until things are safe. Whatever you do everybody stick together!"
Nora quickly grabbed Meggs hand and they all headed towards the woods. Ministry wizards were sprinting towards the muggles who were levitating over the tents and people were running in every direction. As they entered the woods Nora was pulled down by Megg.
"What happened?" Nora asked as she got up and helped her sister up to avoid being trampled.
"I fell over a bloody root." Megg said trying to maintain her balance. "Where are the others?"
"I'll help you." Nora said trying to support most of her sister's weight. "They must've been pulled forward. We'll find them later, it's alright."
"What do you think happened?" Megg asked as they made their way to a less crowded part of the woods.
"From what I saw, it seems like deatheaters but I have no idea what they're doing here." Nora said.
"Well, well." Said a voice from behind them. Both girls turned around to see a familiar blond boy.
"What in the world do you want Draco?" Megg spat.
"Now, now, why so bitter Megg" He asked.
"Would you stop with your childlike bantering? Shouldn't you be with your father? Or is he out there terrorising muggles?" Nora asked.
"You mean with yours?" Draco said making both girls glare at him.
"Come on Megg, he isn't worth it." Nora said as they walked away from him.
They walked for a few minutes before they stopped by a large rock and sat down.
"Let me look at your ankle. Are you alright?" Nora asked with a smile.
"Careful! It hurts like hell." She squinted at the pain.
"It looks like a pretty bad sprain. We'll ask Mum or Molly to fix it when we get back. Things seem to have quieted down." She said spotting a couple walking back towards the camping. "Are you alright to walk?"
"I'm not sure." Megg said looking a slight bit guilty.
"Fine then, hope on." Nora said turning her back to her sister.
"You're really going to carry me back?" Megg laughed.
"Well I'm not leaving you here and you're pretty tiny so yes!" Nora said laughing as well.
They made their way back to their tents pretty quickly.
"Thanks Nora. I don't know what I would have done without you." Megg smiled as Fred rushed out of the tent.
"Oh Merlin you're alright! What happened to Megg?" He asked making his way towards them.
"Sprained ankle." Megg answered as Fred took her from Nora and carried her into the tent.
"I could have walked!" She insisted.
"Well you're here now." Fred grinned putting her down on the couch next to George and Ginny.
"You're alright!"Aveline said rushing to Nora and squeezing her in a hug. "I'm so sorry we lost you guys I freaked out and then we lost Harry, Ron and Hermione and they're not back yet and I'm still kind of freaking out!" She rambled.
"I'm sure they're fine. Calm down." She chuckled as Aveline went to talk to Bill.
Nora looked over at Fred who pulled her into a tight hug. They stayed there in silence for a while.
"I'm alright." Nora smiled at him.
"I know. But you still gave me quite a scare." He said kissing her on the forehead.
"You gave me a scare too." She smiled as they went to sit down on an empty couch across from the others.
A/N : This is getting ridiculous. I AM SO SORRY! I haven't uploaded anything in months! Long story short, my boyfriend decided we'd take in a four month old baby who has cystic fibrosis in september to give a hand because they couldn't find a home for her. It was only supposed to be for a few weeks, but as of last week we officially adopted her so we now have a ten month old daughter. So you can imagine that I've been insanely busy.
Anyways, the good news is that now things are starting to get more normal so I've had time to write a lot. I started a marauders era story, mosty about Brooke and Sirius, a Megg/Draco story. I also started a Hunger Games story about Clove and Cato because I simply loved them in the books and that story will probably be the first one up. Anyways, tell me what you think and which story you want to read the most. I hope you all still love Nora and Fred, I still do! And I'll try to upload on a more regular basis! Reviews really do help and motivate me alot so if you have anything to say, positive, negative, question, I'll be thrilled to answer! Thanks to everyone who's still following this story! I'm really grateful! Xoxo
To Dalonega Noquisi : Thank you! I hope you still enjoy the story! I should update soon this time :S
To Lalina92 : Sorry for the wait! I hope you'll like this chapter!
To TheOneAndOnlyBellaRiddle : Thanks! I love them too!
To imjaypaw : It's very late but it's finally here! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
To Middy's. : Thank you so much! Your review actually got me to finish this chapter and upload it! I'm glad you like the current couples though some are not making it in the end for different reasons. I hope you keep enjoying the story!