"Don't think and don't worry. If the time comes, you'll know what to do."
-Mrs. Incredible (The Incredibles)
The following day was Christmas Eve and sometime around mid-morning, Scarlett found herself in the living room helping Ginny with some last minute decorating.
"So how are things on the Fred front?" Ginny asked.
"Same as always," Scarlett replied, shrugging.
"What does that mean?" Ginny asked, wrinkling her nose.
"Nothing has changed between me and Fred since summer," Scarlett answered, standing on her tiptoes to hang up some tinsel on the large tree in the corner of the room.
"Couldn't you at least try to fall in love with him?" Ginny asked.
"What good would that do?" Scarlett asked. "Trying, I mean. I can't force it to happen and besides, even if it did, it would only be one sided. Fred would still like Angelina. I can't make him like me. And how horrible would it be if I ended up in love with him and he didn't return the feelings or vice versa? If I were him, I'd feel terribly guilty."
"But can't you-,"
"We're spending time together," Scarlett sighed. "There's not much more we can do."
Ginny was silent for a minute. "I think you like him. You just don't want to admit it because it would complicate your life so much more."
"Well, it would," Scarlett answered, fluffing the tinsel on the tree with almost a little too much vigor.
Suddenly, the door opened and Fred and George entered the room, whooping.
"Is mum back from St. Mungo's yet?" Ginny asked, climbing down from the stepstool she was on and dusting off her hands. Mrs. Weasley had come back late from St. Mungo's the night before and had left early to return to the hospital that morning.
"Yeah," Fred grinned. "She said that dad's fine, he's healed, and he can come home tomorrow afternoon! We're all going to go visit him before we bring him back here."
Ginny let out a yell of joy and George picked her up and spun her around happily.
"Fred, that's really great news," Scarlett said, grinning.
"I know!" Fred cried, grabbing Scarlett in an unexpected hug and spinning her around, resulting in her giggling. When he put her down, they stood smiling at each other until Scarlett blushed and looked away while Fred did the same and cleared his throat.
"Here, catch." Ginny suddenly tossed a garland at Fred from across the room. Scarlett hadn't even noticed that she and George had left their side.
"What do you want me to do with this?" Fred asked, catching part of the garland against his chest. He looked up at Ginny as he began pulling the ends up off the floor.
"Go with Scarlett and hang it on the banister of the kitchen stairs. It's the only one not done yet. George and I will finish up in here."
Scarlett didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but she could have sworn that Ginny sent a smirk her way and Scarlett could only take that to mean one thing. Ginny was sending Scarlett and Fred out to decorate alone so they would have time together. They only problem was that Scarlett still felt that she couldn't be forced into liking Fred. She had to fall for him on her own and so far, she still really liked Justin and Fred still really liked Angelina. It was so simple, and yet, Scarlett still felt so confused.
"This is torture, isn't it?" Fred groaned, sitting down next to Scarlett on the living room floor that night. She had been rolling a tiny ball back and forth with Binky, Fred's pygmy puff. He and George were working on breeding them and they were planning to sell them in their joke shop once they got it open. Just before the holidays, they had adopted two for themselves. Ginny had taken the liberty of naming Fred's for him after he had complained about not being able to come up with a name. After Ginny chose Binky, the furry creature wouldn't answer to anything else, leading to Fred grumbling about how Ginny chose the worst names and how sorry he felt for her future children.
"It's better than Pigwidgeon, though, isn't it?" George had asked, earning a shrug from Fred in response. At the current moment, George's pygmy puff, Marmaduke, was sleeping on his shoulder, which was nothing new.
"What's torture?" Scarlett asked, glancing at Fred.
"This rubbish my mum calls music," Fred replied, gesturing to the radio in the corner. "Celestina Warbeck. You've heard of her."
"No, can't say that I have," Scarlett said, scrunching up her face in thought.
"You have. Mum's listened to her every Christmas Eve and Christmas day since, well, as long as I can remember. You spent a few Christmases at the Burrow when we were younger, if I'm not mistaken. In fact, didn't we make the vow on Christmas?"
"I don't know, Fred, I don't remember."
"I think that's what Mum said," Fred shrugged. "She also said we were playing hide and seek which suddenly makes so much more sense considering Celestina was on. Anyway, my point is that you definitely have heard of Celestina Warbeck."
"Must have completely blocked her from my mind, then."
"Lucky you."
"I wasn't really listening to her now, anyway. I was thinking."
"You must've been pretty deep in thought if you could tune out Celestina. What were you thinking about? The Finch?"
Scarlett nodded and trapped the ball under her hand as Binky nudged it back to her with his nose. "You really shouldn't call him that."
"Why not? It's his name, isn't it?"
"Partly," Scarlett answered, looking into the fire.
"You miss him," Fred stated, taking the ball out from under Scarlett's hand. Binky, upset that the game had unexpectedly ended, had taken to trying to bite Scarlett's fingers. Upon seeing that Fred now had the ball, he scurried back to his previous post and waited patiently.
"Yeah," Scarlett answered, watching as Fred rolled the ball back towards Binky, who immediately nudged it back. She did miss Justin, but what she had really been thinking about was that she really did have to tell him the truth. It was nagging at her, but at the same time, there was something stopping her from going through with it. None of what she was going through was easy and she had no idea where to begin explaining it to Justin. "You must miss Angelina a lot," she added.
Fred nodded. "She's been a very good friend. Ever since we were eleven we've been close."
"She was my replacement, wasn't she?" Scarlett joked, smiling.
Fred smiled back. "No one could ever replace you, Scar."
Scarlett snorted in response.
"I was being serious," Fred laughed.
"She is your girlfriend, you know," Scarlett said.
"Yeah," Fred said slowly.
"Yet all you have to say about her is that she's a good friend?"
Fred shrugged before smirking at her. "What, you want the other kind of details?" he asked.
"No," Scarlett said quickly.
"That's what I thought," Fred laughed. He leaned forward and extended his arm across the floor, the palm of his hand facing upwards. Binky crawled into his hand and Fred placed the fluffy creature on his shoulder.
"You know, you were right. This really is awful." Scarlett jerked her head towards the radio.
"I know," Fred grinned. Suddenly, he perked up even more. "I have an idea. It'll get us out of listening to Celestina."
"I'm eager to hear it, then," Scarlett answered, reaching out to stroke Binky's fur. The pygmy puff made a squeak of happiness and nuzzled into Scarlett's hand.
"He likes you," Fred said with a smile.
"And I like him," Scarlett cooed, scratching Binky's tiny ears. She looked back up at Fred. "So, what's your idea?"
"Do you happen to know any stories about wizards? I've been curious to find out if Muggles had any stories about us."
"I told you one," she said.
"That one about witches doesn't count. There were no wizards at all. Just witches. And it was completely inaccurate."
"Well," Scarlett said slowly, "there is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I wouldn't say this one is all that accurate, either, but-,"
"It doesn't matter. It still sounds perfect," Fred said, waving his hand.
"Don't you want to know what it's about first?"
"I'll be finding out in a minute," Fred answered.
"I thought you liked it better when the stories were between just me and you," Scarlett said.
"I do, but this is important. I'm willing to sacrifice so that we can stop listening to this rubbish music." Before Scarlett could say another word, he turned and addressed the room. "Oi, everyone, listen up! Scarlett's going to tell us a Muggle story about a wonderful wizard from Oz!"
"Where's Oz?" Ron asked. "I've never heard of it."
"It doesn't exist," Scarlett explained. "It's a fictional place the author made up. The whole story was supposed to be made up."
"Turn off Celestina," Fred ordered, looking at Ginny, who was sitting closest to the radio. "Nobody was really listening to her anyway, right?"
Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat.
"Except Mum, of course," Fred finished.
"She'll be back on tomorrow, so I suppose it's all right," Mrs. Weasley shrugged.
"Yeah, and besides, Scarlett knows the best stories."
"Oh, please, no I don't," Scarlett argued.
"You do. Please? Tell us the story?" Fred pleaded.
"Fine, I'll tell it," Scarlett sighed with a smile.
Fred grinned back and scooted over to sit next to George on the floor in front of the couch.
Scarlett leaned against a nearby armchair and looked around the room at all of the eager faces. She almost laughed. They all looked so incredibly interested. "Okay," Scarlett said, taking a deep breath. "So, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz." She looked around the room once more before beginning to tell the story.
"Alright, everyone outside!" Mrs. Weasley ordered. "We'll be taking the Knight Bus to St. Mungo's. Tonks and Mad-Eye will be accompanying us."
Scarlett stood at the bottom of the kitchen stairs as Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Fred and George began clambering up to the ground floor, bundled up in warm clothing and chatting excitedly. They were all more than ready to go visit their father and help bring him back to Grimmauld Place in time for Christmas dinner.
"Aren't you coming, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking at Scarlett.
"No," she said, smiling slightly and shaking her head.
"What?" Fred's voice cried from above. Footsteps hurriedly dashed back down the stairs and Scarlett smirked as Fred and George stuck their faces around the corner and looked at her.
"I'll stay behind with my mum and help her get dinner ready," Scarlett said. "It's nearly impossible for just one person to do it alone."
"Rubbish," her mother said. "You should go. Besides, I won't be alone. Sirius will be helping me."
Scarlett looked over her shoulder at Sirius, who was leaning against the counter, drinking a butterbeer.
"What?" he asked, freezing with his drink halfway to his mouth and wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"You'll be helping me cook dinner," Scarlett's mother said, thrusting a spoon into his hand.
Scarlett looked at Sirius and smiled as he rolled his eyes. He looked at her and mouthed "Your mother's gone mad."
"What was that?" Scarlett's mother asked.
"What was what?" Sirius replied innocently.
"I saw you mouthing something to my daughter." Scarlett's mother smirked over her shoulder at Sirius.
"I was just saying that of course she should go with the others and that we'll be fine here."
Scarlett's mother rolled her eyes and smiled. "We will be fine, Sirius. Scarlett, if you want to go to St. Mungo's, then you should go."
"I think it should be just the Weasleys. It's their dad. It should be just family."
"Harry and Hermione are going," George said.
"Yeah, but they practically are family and Harry saved your dad's life. I don't think I should-,"
"What do you think you are?" Fred asked.
Scarlett shrugged. "I don't think I'm considered family."
"Of course you are, dear," Mrs. Weasley assured her. "Just because we didn't keep in contact for a while doesn't mean the way we felt about you changed."
Scarlett smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."
"Besides, in a little under two and a half years, you will be family," George added.
Scarlett blushed and looked at the ground.
"You have to come, Scar," Fred pleaded. "You deserve to come just as much as any of us."
Scarlett shook her head and smiled up at him. "I appreciate it, but I'm going to stay here. I'll see your dad when he gets back. There are enough people going as it is. You don't need one more. I wouldn't really feel right about going."
"You're sure?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, you guys go. Take your time, too, because Christmas dinner might be a while considering we can safely say Sirius won't be helping." She grinned over her shoulder at him.
"I will be helping! I'll be helping taste test everything to make sure it's up to standard."
"Yeah, so with no help from Sirius..." Scarlett continued, laughing and turning back to Mrs. Weasley and the twins. "Honestly, go."
"If you're sure…." Mrs. Weasley began.
"I'm sure," Scarlett giggled. "Really, I am."
"Okay," Mrs. Weasley said. She turned to the twins. "Come on, everyone's probably waiting for us outside." She headed up the stairs and the twins began to follow. Fred took one last look at Scarlett over his shoulder and gave her a tiny wave.
She waved back and gave him a smile.
"Please come?" Fred mouthed, pouting slightly.
Scarlett shook her head. "Go," she urged.
Fred rolled his eyes and shrugged before hurrying up the rest of the stairs. Scarlett smiled and turned to help her mother with Christmas dinner.
"Okay!" Sirius said excitedly. "Let's get started!"
"I have started, Sirius," Scarlett's mother said absentmindedly from where she was prepping the turkey.
Scarlett giggled. "I'm guessing you didn't do much cooking in your lifetime," she said, raising an eyebrow at Sirius.
"I didn't do any," Sirius snorted.
"Here, take these." Scarlett's mother thrust a bowl of carrots at Scarlett. "You and Sirius can wash and peel them."
Scarlett took a spot at the counter with the peeler as Sirius stood at the sink. He ran one of the carrots under the faucet once before handing it to Scarlett.
"You didn't do a very good job," she said, passing it back to him.
"It's going to be peeled anyway, isn't it?" he asked, running the carrot under the faucet a second time.
Scarlett smiled. "My mother likes things done thoroughly."
"Your mother's not paying attention to us, is she?" Sirius asked with a wink as he glanced at Scarlett's mother, who was still working on the turkey.
Scarlett smiled wider. "You just love to cut corners don't you?" she asked as Sirius passed her the carrot a second time. She took it and began to peel it over the scrap bowl her mother had given her.
"Always have," Sirius grinned, taking a second carrot. They worked in silence for a moment until Sirius spoke again. "So, things seem to be going well between you and Fred."
"We're doing fine, yeah," Scarlett nodded. "We're talking more at school now. It was so easy to fall back into our old friendship. I never knew it would be that easy or else I would have rekindled it ages ago."
Sirius smiled. "He seems to like you."
Scarlett froze and looked at up at him. "Define 'like'," she said, her voice low.
"Hostile thing, aren't you?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Did you see the way he was practically begging you to go to St. Mungo's? That should define it enough for you."
"No, it doesn't. He just thought I should go with them. It meant nothing."
"I didn't see anyone else begging you like that. And what about the night before last?"
"What about it?" Scarlett asked, finishing up with the first carrot and taking the second one from Sirius.
"When Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Harry first got here that night," Sirius said in a whisper, "they were naturally all pretty torn up about it. Fred only lasted down here for a few minutes before he said he couldn't take it anymore and went upstairs."
"Couldn't take what?" Scarlett asked.
Sirius shrugged. "Being around people, I guess. That's why I warned you not to go talk to him. I thought he wanted to be alone. He did want to be alone. At least he sincerely thought he did. He didn't even want to be in George's company. And yet he talked to you. He talked to you for a while. He didn't tell you to leave and he didn't try to walk away."
"He did say he didn't really want to talk," Scarlett shrugged, "but I didn't listen. I wouldn't have listened no matter what, to be honest," Scarlett sighed. "I would have given him space for a little while, but eventually I would have tried to make him talk. I know from experience that sometimes company is the best thing. I couldn't let him sit up there thinking he had to be alone."
"Exactly," Sirius said. "You went up there after him. You were there to talk even when he thought he didn't want it. You knew it was the best thing for him and even if you didn't talk about his dad, you still talked. You helped him and I think he realizes that."
"Sirius-,"
"No, listen. I know it probably isn't my place to be making these kinds of observations and assumptions. Luckily, thanks to Harry, Fred has his real father around for that, but Fred must feel something for you if he let you keep him company after he already removed himself from the company of his siblings. And I think you helping him out brought you two that much closer."
"You heard what they just said before they left, though. They think of me as family."
"Fred didn't say that."
"He basically did."
"If you two made this vow, you don't see each other as family."
"We were nine! We didn't know anything back then!" Scarlett hesitated, then let out a sigh. "Although, Fred did say the same thing you just did the other night."
"Aha, see? He doesn't think of you as family."
"Sirius, maybe that's not how we used to think of each other, but now…things are different now."
"Maybe not so much," Sirius shrugged.
"So you're saying he does like me," Scarlett sighed.
Sirius shrugged again. "I told you what I think. Make of it what you will."
"I don't see why everyone believes Fred and I like each other and I don't understand why they're trying to convince me of it either. I think I'd know what I felt."
"Not always," Sirius said. "Things like this are complicated. Besides, I'm not saying you two do like each other and I'm not trying to convince you that you do. All I did was state a few facts and like I said, you should make of it what you will."
"Fred is dating Angelina. If he liked me, he would have broken up with her by now."
"Just because one person likes another," Sirius said, "doesn't mean they have to realize it right away. Besides, as I've said, this kind of stuff is complicated. Always has been."
"Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I a completely terrible human being for not telling Justin about the vow?"
"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You'll tell him when you feel ready. That's all that matters."
"Yes, but I can't just think solely of myself. I have to think about him and also Fred and Angelina and how unfair it would be if Justin knew, but Fred hadn't told Angelina, and-,"
"No," Sirius interrupted. "Don't worry about Fred and Angelina. Let Fred worry about himself and let him worry about Angelina. You worry about yourself and Justin. Tell him when you're ready and when you feel that he can handle it. Obviously don't be inconsiderate-,"
"That's the issue. I feel that every time is an inconsiderate time. And how much time can go by before it's considered absurd that I haven't gotten around to telling him?"
"Tell him when you feel ready," Sirius said.
"But it can't go on forever."
"No, you do have a time limit," Sirius said. "But what I'm saying is that you shouldn't let anybody make you feel terribly for how you choose to deal with this. They don't know what you're going through."
"Once I do tell Justin, his parents will find out and I doubt they'll be too happy," Scarlett said.
"They don't even know you, so don't let them get to you. Like I said, don't let anyone get to you. Worry about you and do things how you see fit."
"Okay," Scarlett said, finishing up the last carrot. "Thanks for the advice, Sirius."
"Anytime," he grinned.
Just as Scarlett, her mother, and Sirius were arranging the last few dishes on the table, there was the sound of the front door opening and closing mixed with footsteps from up above.
"Sounds like they're back," Sirius grinned.
"Just in time," Scarlett sighed, stepping back to admire their handiwork. "Good job, team," she grinned.
Sirius held up both of his hands for high fives and Scarlett laughed as she slapped her hands against his.
Footsteps thundered down the kitchen stairs and the twins appeared in the doorway followed by Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny.
"It smells so good in here!" Ginny exclaimed.
"We literally just finished," Scarlett said. "Like I suspected, Sirius didn't help at all." She rolled her eyes and grinned.
"Hey, without me, you'd still be sitting at the counter peeling carrots," Sirius said.
"So," Fred said, coming to stand next to Scarlett and resting his arm on her shoulder, "I'm expecting to hear that you cooked that entire turkey by yourself. Since you weren't able to come visit my dad with us, I want to hear about all the hard work you put into this dinner."
"Oh, please," Scarlett smirked, "you're still going to bother me about not coming?"
"Mhm," Fred grinned.
"Well, then I'm afraid all I can tell you is that holding grudges is never healthy, Freddie." She stepped out from under the weight of his arm and headed over to the bottom of the stairs to greet Mr. Weasley who had just entered the room, Mrs. Weasley standing at his elbow.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, giving him a hug.
"Excellent," he said. "I was actually a bit disappointed that you didn't come to St. Mungo's today. I was really looking forward to asking you if you knew anything about stitches."
"I do," Scarlett answered. "Why?"
"Arthur was experimenting with that Muggle remedy," Mrs. Weasley sniffed. "They tried to use them to sew up his wound."
"It's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Weasley." Scarlett smiled slightly. "I had to get stitches. After the accident."
"Did you?" Mr. Weasley asked eagerly.
"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley gasped.
"It's fine," Scarlett said. She pointed to a spot on the right of her chin where there was a barely noticeable, diagonal scar. "Right here. It was one of the deeper cuts. I went to a Muggle hospital after the accident so everything was fixed the Muggle way. Stitches are a very common healing method in the Muggle world. They're generally really safe and nothing to worry about."
"See? Nothing to worry about, Molly," Mr. Weasley said.
"Yes, but they didn't work on you anyway. The snake venom dissolved the stitches completely. Isn't that what the Healer said?"
"Yes," Mr. Weasley muttered.
"How about we sit down and eat before the food gets cold?" Mrs. Weasley suggested.
Everyone agreed and hurried to find a spot at the table. "I never noticed that scar before," Fred said as he sat down across from Scarlett.
"It's barely noticeable," Scarlett shrugged, "and it's faded over time. Usually it's only noticeable if you know it's there."
Fred smirked. "Scar has a scar."
"Good one," Scarlett replied, her voice full of sarcasm. She looked up and smirked. "Don't tell me you've lost your touch."
"Never," Fred answered.
"Good," Scarlett replied. "I wouldn't like that very much."
Fred laughed. "Neither would I."
By the time dinner was over, Scarlett was almost too full to eat another bite. "I can't eat any more," she declared, leaning back in her chair and pushing her plate away.
"Ah, what a pity," George said, from across the table, "because rumor has it that there's some amazing dessert around here somewhere."
"Yeah, I helped make it," Scarlett replied, rolling her eyes.
"No worries, though, Scar," Fred said. "If you're too full, George and I will gladly eat your share for you."
"Where do you even put it all?" Scarlett asked, looking at the twins with raised eyebrows.
Fred and George simply grinned and shrugged. "Don't know," George said.
"But we're glad we have the ability to devour delicious food," Fred continued.
"And still look as dashing as we do," George finished.
Scarlett just rolled her eyes. Fred leaned over and stole some of her leftover food right off her dish, causing Scarlett to aim a playful kick at him under the table.
"You said you were done!"
"I am done," she giggled, "but that wasn't an invitation to steal my food. Manners, Freddie."
Fred made a face at her and Scarlett made one back before Fred laughed and looked away.
"At least they've started to get the old married couple thing down," Ron muttered. His remark was followed by both Fred and Scarlett's leftover potatoes coming into contact with his face.
A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter! Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing what people think :)