The next morning, I found myself in the kitchen again, sitting at the table with Ginny, Hermione and Fleur while Mrs. Weasley made breakfast. We all had mugs of tea and were enjoying the morning that was quiet now but would soon be loud and chaotic again.
Ginny, Hermione and I had opened our gifts in Ginny's room about an hour prior. Ginny had woken us up early in her excitement. I'd rolled over and tried pulling my covers over my head, not particularly enjoying being woken up so early, but Ginny hadn't been having it. She'd ripped the covers right back off of me.
Opening the gifts stacked at the foot of my bed did make getting up so early worth it, though. The excitement of actually having people to exchange gifts with was just as strong as it had been the night before.
I'd mostly gotten some new clothes-including a new winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves from Tom and Martha-which was great because I'd mostly been using whatever I'd bought quickly when I first arrived. Those items hadn't been much-just enough to get by. But the new items were ten times better.
I'd saved Fred's gifts for last. Besides the photo album that I'd opened last night, he'd gotten me a framed photo of the two of us in Salem-the one he'd taken of us at the park, which was also in the photo album. To my surprise, he'd also gotten me a dress. It was purple with a skirt made of soft chiffon-like fabric, while the top section was made of lacy fabric. It was definitely more appropriate for spring or summer. But the biggest thing I noticed was that it was an open backed dress. The fabric would reach up to my collar bone and my upper back, as well as my sides and lower back. But the area in the exact center was open. It would frame my scars almost perfectly, leaving them the only thing exposed. I'd blinked in surprise and almost confusion for a moment until I noticed the note Fred had wrapped in with the gift.
For the day you decide to stretch your angel wings and let the world see them.
I smiled slightly. His confidence in me was astounding. He was so sure I'd be at that point one day. And maybe I would be. The thing was that even I could entertain the possibility of one day being able to completely be at ease showing off my back. It didn't seem so crazy anymore.
"I think you should wear that dress to my wedding," Ginny said now as she drummed her fingers against her mug of tea. "I bet that's what Fred had in mind too. There are more open back dress options for the spring and summer seasons—not that Fred would know that off the top of his head. He just looked for a dress that exposed your back. That's what he wants. But I just so happen to be getting married in the spring so you have a reason to wear it. And it gives you time to get used to the idea."
"It's a lovely dress," I sighed. "And I'd hate to let it sit there unworn for the rest of my life. Especially if I actually like it."
"Then wear it," Ginny insisted.
"It's not that simple," I said.
"As the bride, I am specifically requesting it," Ginny argued. When I opened my mouth to respond, she cut me off. "Most of the people who will be at my wedding know you have those scars. They just haven't seen them. And quite frankly, do you honestly think any of us care?"
"No, I know you don't. But-"
"Most of us have our own scars, as you very well know," Ginny went on. "We've told you this. Hermione has a derogatory word carved into her arm! And she's not ashamed of it."
I turned red and looked down at the table. When Ginny put it that way, it did almost make my embarrassment seem insignificant.
"Ginny, that's not entirely true," Hermione sighed. "I've already told her that I was ashamed at first."
"But you're not anymore," Ginny said. "That's the point."
"There's nothing wrong with hating those scars," Hermione said gently, looking at me. "I still hate mine every day."
"But you just said-" I began, looking at Hermione in surprise.
She interrupted me with a shake of her head. "I may not be ashamed of it, but that doesn't mean I don't hate it. It's ugly-both the scar and the word. But I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of it." She let out a dry snort and rolled her eyes slightly as she took another sip of her tea. "I mean, I didn't give it to myself. It's more embarrassing for the person who gave it to me. It demonstrates more of her personality than mine."
"Exactly," Ginny said. "She got that scar at the hand of someone else and she came out alive-and stronger at that. I think people are also smart enough to figure out you didn't get your own scars for the fun of it. They'll know you have been through something tough and that you overcame it. So no one will be judging you for them. I can promise you that. If they do judge you, they'll have to judge all of us, because like I said, almost all of us have scars. George is missing an entire ear. There are plenty of other bodily imperfections to look at around here."
"Speak for yourself," Fleur joked, flipping her hair dramatically off her shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding Victoire.
"If you didn't have a baby in your arms, I'd throw something at you," Ginny said with a scowl.
"You would not," Mrs. Weasley chimed in from the other side of the room.
I let out a quiet laugh and shook my head as I looked down into my mug. "Well, in any case, thanks, Ginny. You make a lot of good points. I'll consider it. I really will." I looked back up at her. "And like you said, I have time. Your wedding is still five months away."
"That's hardly any time at all, though," Ginny groaned. "It'll go by so quickly!"
"I wish I could tell you you're wrong," Fleur sighed. "But you really should try to enjoy it, though."
"She's right," Mrs. Weasley said, beginning to set the food down on the table. "If you think the months leading up to the wedding go by fast, the actual day of the wedding goes by even faster. Don't spend all your time stressing over it."
"You're one to talk," Ginny snorted. "You're just as stressed!"
"I worry so you don't have to," Mrs. Weasley said, leaning over to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Fleur is right. Enjoy planning your special day. And most of all, take time to enjoy the day when it comes."
"I'll enjoy it if I see Sophie wearing that open backed dress," Ginny said.
I groaned. We were back on the subject of me and that dress.
Before I could object any further, there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs and a moment later, Fred and George barreled into the room.
"That effectively puts an end to our quiet morning," Fleur muttered with a shake of her head.
"Did we smell breakfast?" George asked, reaching towards the plate of bacon on the table.
Mrs. Weasley swatted his hand away. "Can't you wait for everyone else to come downstairs?" she asked. "Where are the rest of your brothers and Harry?"
I didn't hear George's reply because I was gaping at Fred, who was coming around the table towards me. Around his neck, he had one of the two other gifts I'd gotten him besides Percy's old Head Boy badge. It was the scarf I'd finally finished knitting.
"You're wearing it?" I asked as Fred leaned in to kiss me. "Now? Or should I really be asking: you're wearing it at all?"
"You gave it to me, didn't you?" Fred laughed as he sat down.
"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd wear it. I gave it to you as sort of a joke. Didn't you pick up on the sarcasm in the note I that was with it?"
"Of course I did," Fred answered.
"You told me it was hideous," I went on. "And even I have to admit that it kind of is hideous. It's lumpy and uneven in spots..." I reached out and trailed my fingers along one particularly lumpy section.
"But it's your first one," Fred said. "It's supposed to be lumpy and hideous. You'll get better. But until then, I'm going to wear your very first lumpy and uneven scarf with pride." He grinned and adjusted the scarf around his neck.
Just then, Bill and Charlie appeared in the kitchen-loudly, too, considering that they seemed to be chasing and playfully shoving each other. Over what, I had no idea. They only stopped when Mrs. Weasley yelled for them to settle down. And they then made a beeline for their chairs, reaching for the food before they were even fully sitting down.
"Honestly! Can't we wait until everyone's here?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "We're still waiting for your father. And Ron and Harry."
"Ron and Harry are still opening gifts," Charlie said. "And I'm starving." His eyes suddenly fell on Fred's scarf and he broke into a mirthful smile. "What is that? What in Merlin's name is that?"
"Sophie made it," Mrs. Weasley said, her tone holding a warning note in it as she gave Charlie a hard stare. "Isn't it lovely?"
"It's...something, that's for sure," Charlie said, eyeing the wooden spoon in his mother's hand warily. The moment she finally turned her back, he looked back at Fred. "You look ridiculous," he said, instantly jumping out of the way as his mother whirled back around and tried to swat at him.
"You know, Charlie," Fred said casually, leaning back in his chair and smiling, unfazed by Charlie's remark, "I still look better than you on a good day. So laugh all you want."
"I'm the best looking person in this family," Charlie argued, finally taking a seat as Harry and Ron finally came into the kitchen.
"That's debatable," Ron snorted in response to Charlie's argument. He noticed Fred's scarf and wrinkled his nose. "What are you wearing?"
Charlie began to practically roar with laughter and even I had to laugh slightly. "Come on, Fred," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Just take the thing off. It's terrible, we all agree."
"No," Fred refused. "Your first completed scarf is a big deal. When you've taken over knitting sweaters for the family like a pro, I want to have a memento of when you first started."
"Fred," I laughed. I shook my head before staring at him in slight amusement. "I didn't expect you to be this fond of it, much less wear it. Like I said, it was kind of a joke. I did it to mess with you since you were the one who first told me how ugly it was."
"Well, I'm fond of you," Fred said, "so therefore, I'm fond of the scarf." He reached over and brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Also, thanks for that framed sign-George and I are going to hang it in the shop. On the wall behind the register."
I grinned. "That's a great spot for it." Fred's third gift from me was a framed purple sign that said, in bold, orange letters, If you are too busy to laugh, then you are too busy. "I saw it and thought of you immediately."
"I love it," Fred said quietly. "Thank you."
I nodded. "And thank you. For the picture frame. And for the dress. It's lovely."
"Do you think you'll wear it?" Fred asked as Mr. Weasley finally joined us and we were finally allowed to start eating.
"I'm thinking about it," I said. "Ginny wants me to wear it to her wedding."
"That was my thought too," Fred answered, cutting into a sausage link. "It's a while away, but-"
"It's only five months," Ginny argued.
Fred rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored Ginny's comment. "It's enough time for you to get used to the idea." He hesitated. "There's no pressure, though. If youre not ready by May, then it can wait."
I nodded. "I know."
Breakfast went by quickly and chaotically, which I expected. It was no different than any other meal at the Burrow, but at the same time, it almost felt a little different. Or maybe it was just me that felt different. Happier. Lighter, even. Like I could actually start to fully enjoy myself now. On top of it all, it was Christmas, which normally would put someone in a good mood by default.
"By the way, Sophie," Charlie said towards the end of the meal, "you didn't have to get me a gift. Thank you."
"You got Charlie a Christmas gift?" Fred asked in surprise.
I turned a light shade of pink. "I got everyone a gift. I didn't want to leave anyone out."
"It was very sweet of you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Very considerate."
I smiled and looked at Charlie. "I realize I hadn't even met you until yesterday, but like I said, I didn't want to leave anyone out. I thought getting you something from Honeyduke's was a good idea where I couldn't go wrong. But I didn't know what types of things you liked so I got a variety..." I trailed off and chewed slightly on the inside of my cheek. I was rambling. "Oh, there were those cinnamon flavored ones that are supposed to make smoke come out of your mouth and ears. Since you work with dragons, I thought they were definitely fitting."
Charlie smiled. "They're perfect. You did great," he assured me. "And lucky for you, I like everything from Honeyduke's. None of us Weasleys are picky eaters, as I'm sure you know by now."
I giggled slightly and nodded. "I do." When I glanced at Fred, I noticed him looking at me with an odd expression on his face. A mix of amusement, surprise, and admiration. "What?" I asked.
Fred shook his head and smiled. "I just can't believe you bought everyone a gift. Even Charlie."
"Leave her alone," Ginny scoffed. "It was a nice gesture."
"I certainly thought so," Charlie said. "I may or may not have gotten started on the sweets already."
"And you still practically inhaled your breakfast," Bill said, leaning over and shoving Charlie lightly. Charlie responded by trying to smack Bill upside the head. He dodged it and leaned over to do the same in return, but his hand actually managed to make contact with Charlie's head.
Fred turned back to me and smiled again as he leaned in and whispered, "For the record, I think it's amazing that you thought of everyone. Honestly. I was just a little surprised."
"I just have never had to buy gifts for people before," I said. "And I honestly didn't want to leave anyone out. I thought that might have been rude."
Fred let out a quiet laugh and pressed a lingering kiss to my temple. "I don't think anyone in my family would have cared. We're just glad to have you here."
"Speak for yourself," Charlie chimed in. "I just met the girl yesterday. I had no opinion on her whatsoever until less than twenty-four hours ago."
"Shut up," Fred said, tossing a lone bite of sausage sitting on his plate at Charlie, who ducked.
"All right, enough," Mrs. Weasley said, standing up and shooing us away. "Go on, get out of here. Go get dressed."
The room was filled with noise again as everyone stood up, scraping their chairs back and heading for the stairs. Fred gestured for me to climb onto his back, which I did. He moved his hands beneath my thighs to support me as he jogged after his brothers towards the stairs, moving as if I weighed nothing.
"Careful with her on those stairs, Fred!" Mrs. Weasley called after us, gazing upwards nervously as we disappeared up to the next floor.
"Don't worry, I plan to drop her down from the top!" Fred called back. "Catch her, Mum, will you?"
"Fred Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, but her voice was drowned out by Fred's laughter and my quiet giggle.
Fred stopped in front of Ginny's room and I slid down from his back. "By the way," he began, his voice only coming out slightly breathless, "how good are you at snowball fights?"
"Erm..." I began. "Not sure. Never thrown a snowball before. Why do you ask?"
"Because we'll be having a snowball fight within a few hours. It's a Weasley Christmas tradition."
I smiled. "Really?"
He nodded. "Although, I may not want you on my team for the snowball fight anymore..." He sighed dramatically. "If you're not even sure how good you are..."
"Not fair," I scoffed. "If we're on the same team, you can give me pointers. Otherwise, I'll have to ask George." I shrugged and gave him a wry smile. "What's more important to you? Winning or helping me throw a proper snowball?"
"Can I get back to you on that?" Fred asked, tapping his chin in thought as I playfully shoved him. He laughed before gently nudging me towards Ginny's room. "Go on, go get dressed. I'll see you in a little bit."
I nodded and gave him one last look before disappearing into Ginny's room.
It turned out to be Ginny that gave me a lesson on how to throw a proper snowball. Once I'd left Fred and gone back into Ginny's room, I'd mentioned to her what Fred had told me. She then got a devious glint in her eyes and the corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk.
"What's that look for?" I asked. "You know, I always thought you had a strong resemblance to your mother, but I'm suddenly seeing an uncanny resemblance to Fred and George."
"Fred thinks you aren't good at snowball fights," she said.
"I'm not," I said. "How can I be? I've never participated in one before."
"Right, well what if you were to...become good at them? Within, I don't know, the span of an hour? Without Fred knowing?"
I looked at her thoughtfully for a moment as I put together the pieces of what she was saying. "And then, what, make sure Fred and I are on opposite teams and dazzle him with my newfound skills?"
Ginny shrugged. "Sure, if you think he'll be dazzled by you throwing a well aimed snowball directly at his stupid face, because that's the idea I was going for."
I laughed. "Okay, I'm in. Let's do it."
A few hours later, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and I were standing in the yard behind the Burrow. We were all bundled up in coats hats and scarves. To my amusement-and to everyone else's as well-Fred was still wearing the scarf I'd knitted him.
"Okay, time to pick teams," Bill announced. "Five to a team. Ginny and I will do the picking, as the oldest and youngest siblings."
"That's a ridiculous rule," Fred muttered. "Middle siblings never get to do anything."
"Don't be so dramatic," Charlie said with a roll of his eyes.
"Ginny...ladies first," Bill said, gesturing to his sister.
She turned and grinned at me. "Sophie."
"Oh, come on," Fred groaned.
"I'm sorry," Ginny gasped, feigning surprise. "Did you want her on your team?"
"Actually, no," Fred said, winking at me. "She told me this morning she's never participated in a snowball fight. Good luck, Gin."
I narrowed my eyes at Fred as I went to stand beside Ginny. "You're the one who's going to need all the luck."
"Doubtful," Fred said in a sing-song voice as Ginny and I shared a look.
Bill ended up picking Fred, Harry, Fleur and Charlie, while Ginny picked George, Ron and Hermione. And just like that, we had our teams.
"I'm calling a team meeting before we start," Fred announced.
"A team meeting?" Bill asked, looking at his brother with a raised eyebrow. "For what?"
"I'm not going to announce it in front of them," Fred said, rolling his eyes and tilting his head towards me, Ginny, George, Ron and Hermione.
"Well, if you're calling a team meeting, then so are we," Ginny said loftily. She turned to face us. "Huddle up, team!"
"But-" Ron started.
"I said, huddle up!" Ginny commanded.
I shared a look with George, who was trying to hold back a laugh at Ginny's bossiness. He shrugged and we all formed a tight circle. Ginny glanced at the others, who were a few yards away, huddled in a circle as well and whispering.
"They're going to all aim for Sophie," Ginny said, her tone matter-of-fact. "They think she's the weakest."
"Isn't she, though?" Ron asked. He glanced at me. "No offense."
"None taken," I answered with a shrug. "It's true."
Ginny scoffed. "Sophie may still be the weakest, but she's nowhere near as bad as they're expecting her to be. Not anymore, at least. Thanks to me."
George let out a laugh. "Are you saying that you took her out for some last minute training this morning? Without anyone knowing?" He narrowed his eyes. "Just in preparation for this very moment in order to kick Fred's ass?"
"Essentially," Ginny said airily, shrugging her shoulders.
George laughed. "I love it."
"Anyway," Ginny went on, "since they're going to aim for Sophie, that means that we have to guard her. And I do mean guard. So here's what we're going to do..."
A moment later, both teams were ready to go and we lined up facing each other. Bill counted to three and Ginny, George, Ron and Hermione immediately surrounded me as we all crouched to the ground, piling snow into our hands as fast as possible.
"You know, it's a nice idea, hiding your weakest player from view," Bill yelled over to us as he threw a snowball at George, who darted out of the way.
"Weakest?" Ginny asked. "You mean Sophie?"
"Yeah," Bill chuckled.
"Interesting that you say that," Ginny said. She was directly in front of me and she quickly squatted down for only a second, giving me clear aim at Fred. The second Ginny was out of my way, I hurled the snowball at Fred's face as Ginny shot back up to cover me. I laughed as the snowball I'd thrown collided with the side of Fred's neck and he let out a yelp.
"Shit, that's cold!" he cried, his voice breathless as he adjusted his scarf.
"Well, yeah, it's snow," I taunted.
Fred turned to me and sent me a devious smirk. "You're going to pay for that. Both the snowball and the sarcasm."
"No I'm not!" I answered, moving and ducking behind Ron. "You're going to have to hit Ron."
Fred scoffed. "Please. You think I have a problem with that?" Fred asked.
I quickly shifted back to the right and stood behind Hermione. "What about Hermione? Do you have a problem hitting her?"
"He'd better have a problem with it," Ron muttered as I quickly darted away, trying to avoid Fred, who was trying his best to hit me with a snowball. I darted back and forth between Ginny, George, Ron and Hermione as they continued to guard me from the others. Every so often one of them would duck down and allow me to hurl a snowball at someone on the other team. I had quite a few misses and terrible throws, but some hit the intended target with surprising accuracy.
"Fred, I thought you said Sophie's never thrown a snowball before?" Bill asked, scowling over at his younger brother.
"She hadn't!" Fred yelled back.
"He told you the truth," Ginny said breathlessly, flinging a snowball directly at Bill, who ducked. "She hadn't ever thrown one before today." She shot me a quick grin. "This morning to be exact."
"You planned this!" Fred shouted, hurling a snowball at Ginny and pelting her in the arm. "You got her practicing, then picked her for your team, knowing we'd think she was terrible!"
"So what if I did?" Ginny practically cackled, throwing a snowball back at Fred and hitting him in the side of the head.
"You know, Fred, you only have yourself to blame," Charlie said, flinging two snowballs at once at Ron, who yelped when they both hit his face and neck.
"What?" Fred asked, stopping in his tracks and gaping at Charlie. George, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and I all took the opportunity to each pelt him with a snowball. He let out a yelp and shielded his face as they hit him.
"You and George have rubbed off on Ginny," Charlie said, turning to look at Fred as he took a moment to catch his breath. "She's only like this because she takes after you."
"And what about you?" Fred asked. "Ask anyone if you're much better."
"My tally of how many grey hairs and near heart failures you've given Mum should answer that," Charlie said.
"Your-your tally?" Fred asked in disbelief.
"Oh, yeah," Charlie said. "It's quite lengthy. I started it when you and George were two and got into the flour in the kitchen. Remember that mess? That added about twelve grey hairs to Mum's head right there."
"And yet her hair is still as vibrant red as ever!" George shouted as Charlie tossed a snowball at him.
"You know," Fred went on, "if you're counting George and I together, then of course there would be more to add to your dumb tally," he argued. "Plus how can that be accurate if you've been in Romania. You can't possibly know everything we've done while you're not here."
"Maybe not everything," Charlie shrugged. "But I find out about the big things. And even then, the tally is impressive."
"Okay, who's been the snitch, then?" Fred asked, looking around at his siblings. His eyes fell on Ginny. "I'd bet anything it's you."
"Funny," Ginny said airily, "I'd think you'd stay away from betting after it went so well for you last time." She smirked and tossed a snowball up and down a few times in her hand.
"You're in for it," Fred said. He quickly darted for her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She shrieked and hit his back with a few punches, but he didn't even flinch as he carried her over to a large snowdrift and dropped her into it. He dusted off his hands as Ginny scowled at him. "That should teach you," he said.
Ginny let out a frustrated cry and swiped two large armfuls of snow from the snowdrift into the air towards Fred, who turned away to shield himself from it.
"That's cheating, Gin," Bill said teasingly. "Looks like that's an immediate loss for your team."
"That's never been a rule," Ginny said. "Making up rules on the spot is cheating as well. Maybe it's an immediate loss for your team."
"Making up rules on the spot is not cheating," Bill scoffed.
Ginny opened her mouth to retaliate, but Mrs. Weasley's voice suddenly came from the back door.
"Sophie, your mother's here!"
I turned towards the door before looking back at the others.
"Go on," Fred told me. "We'll be right behind you. We're finished out here for now anyway."
I nodded before turning and heading for the back door. When I entered the kitchen, I saw my mother sitting at the table with a mug of tea already in her hands. Mrs. Weasley was sitting across from her, also with a mug of tea.
"Hi," I said, shrugging out of my coat.
My mother looked up and smiled softly at me. "Hi," she said. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," I answered.
There was a short pause before my mother seemed to remember something. She reached for the chair beside her that had something sitting on it. A present, wrapped in shiny green paper. "This is for you," she said, handing it to me.
"Thanks," I said, taking it. "Hang on-I got you something, too. It's upstairs. I'll just go grab it."
I quickly darted up the stairs to Ginny's room, where I grabbed the gift I'd bought for my mother. A moment later, I was re-entering the kitchen, which was now filled with everyone who had come in from outside and were all removing coats, hats, scarves and gloves as their voices filled up the room.
I sat down across from my mother and slid her gift across the table to her. "I hope you like it," I said, clearing my throat.
She smiled. "I'm sure whatever it is, I'll love it."
"I wasn't, um, sure what you-what you'd like..." I trailed off and looked away as my mother looked away awkwardly as well.
"Yeah, I get it," she said. "I felt the same way." She gave me a sympathetic smile. "It's not a good feeling, I know. But by next year, we'll know exactly what to get for each other." Her smile widened into a reassuring one as she nodded towards the gift she'd given me. "Go on, you go first."
I ripped the wrapping paper off of the gift and my breath caught in my throat as I recognized the box beneath it. I ran my hand over the top, knowing what was inside. It was the box from the Proctor house. The one I'd found in the basement with the photos inside.
"What'd you get?" Fred asked, dropping himself into the seat beside me and resting and arm across the back of my chair as he leaned into me and peered over at my gift.
I didn't respond. Instead, I lifted the lid and looked inside the box. I was surprised to see more inside than just the photos that I had been expecting. There were several other objects inside that I realized commemorated my childhood. To name a few, there was a Christmas ornament in the shape of a star that said Baby's First Christmas in silver writing, a small, folded up baby blanket, and a few dried out, pressed flowers.
"What are these from?" I asked, pulling out the flowers.
"Flowers that my own mother gave to me the day you were born. Grandma Eleanor, do you remember her?"
"Vaguely," I murmured, tracing a finger over the edge of one of the flowers. "She died not long before...well, you know. Before you left."
My mother nodded. "That's right. It was unfortunate, too. She was our only family left at the time, and you could've perhaps-"
"Stayed with her?" I asked, looking up at my mother. "Instead of going into the foster system?"
My mother nodded. "Although, maybe it wouldn't have made a difference. Just because you had gone to live with her doesn't mean that Eric wouldn't have interfered. He did so enough as it was."
"Exactly," I said. "And it would've been just another tragic casualty at his hand." I shrugged. "And depending on when he'd acted and what he did, I could've ended up in the foster system anyway."
Fred pointed to the pile of photos inside the box. "These are you when you were younger?" he asked.
I nodded. "This box was the one in the secret room of the Proctor House," I said. "The one I told you about, remember? It had just the pictures inside at the time."
"May I?" Fred asked quietly, reaching for the photos. When I nodded, he picked them up and began examining them.
"I added some additional photos as well," my mother added. "And there's also some of my old jewelry...some items you loved as a child. I don't know if you remember, but every one you would say you liked, I promised to you when you grew up. They're all in there."
"You remembered which ones I said I liked?"
She nodded. "Of course. Every single one."
I gave her a smile. "Thank you. I appreciate this. All of it." I glanced over at Fred who had paused on a photo of me when I had been living with Eric. A photo from my seventeenth birthday, to be exact. I was sitting at the kitchen table with cake in front of me. A few lit candles was stuck inside and I was smiling just slightly up at the camera as the flame flickered across my face.
The day of a witch or wizard's seventeenth birthday was a day that they looked forward to. It was the day they finally were considered an adult. The day they could finally do legal magic outside of school. But for me, it was another miserable day in foster care. And I hadn't even had my wand to be able to do any legal magic, thanks to Eric.
I still remembered the day I turned seventeen, however. It had been a Saturday. Eric had gone out that night, as he usually did on the weekends. And Andrea-well, I guess my mother, actually-had taken advantage of him being gone and used the kitchen to make me an actual cake and a special birthday dinner. I'd sat at the counter and watched, at her insistence that I not lift a finger. We'd spent the time talking and acting almost like a real mother and daughter. But unbeknownst to me, we were really mother and daughter. Even still, at the time, things had actually felt fairly normal. I managed to forget just for a bit what the reality of my life was like and that things were otherwise not very hopeful for me.
"That was actually a pretty good night," I said quietly, jutting my chin towards the photo.
"Your seventeenth birthday?" My mother asked, leaning forward to look over at it as well. "I did my best that night, but I always wished that I could have done more."
"You did what you could," I answered. "And honestly, that was the happiest I'd been in a while."
"You were happy here?" Fred asked, holding up the photo.
"Barely," I said with a shrug. "But when expectations are at rock bottom..." I trailed off and shrugged again.
"You don't look happy," Fred said. "I mean, you're smiling, but only slightly. It's not a real smile. And your eyes just look...dead."
"What an absolute gentleman," Ginny snorted as she approached the table with a stack of plates. She started setting them down at each setting and I pulled the box from my mother onto my lap to give Ginny some room.
"Well, it's the truth," Fred said. He hesitated and glanced at me. "I don't like seeing you like that. Especially because I know how it feels. I expect I looked similar at times over the past year and a half."
"Yeah," I said quietly, gazing over at him as he studied the picture some more before lightly tossing it back into the box. He was right. What he was describing was almost exactly how I had viewed him when I first met him. Although, he had been better than me at making his smile more convincing. I had barely even tried. When I told him this, he snorted.
"I tried because I needed to."
"You told me that you never felt pressured to make people laugh all the time," I said. "You told me that if anything, you tried harder to find humor in difficult times because it was a distraction for you and for them."
Fred smiled slightly as he reached over and took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. "I did say that, didn't I? I meant it, too. But I also did admit the pressure exists. I just said that I didn't always feel it because I do always want to make people laugh. It's who I am, even when I personally am not in the mood. I thrive off of other people's laughter, even when I'm at my lowest."
"But isn't that exhausting?"
"Maybe sometimes," Fred shrugged. "Maybe that's part of why I kept cracking in private. Doing crazy shit like jumping into the pond."
"But you kept getting up in the morning and going to work and doing what you do best."
"Most days," Fred murmured. "Not always."
"Most days is better than no days," I whispered.
Fred didn't say anything, but he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before looking up, the usual smile returning to his face. He leaned over and kissed my temple before turning to my mother. "You know, I think you should be made aware that your daughter just cheated at snowball fighting."
"I did not!" I said indignantly as I gaped at him. "I played by all the rules."
"You practiced beforehand," Fred argued.
"Isn't that what people are supposed to do?" I asked. "I assume when you were on the Hogwarts Quidditch team, you attended practices, did you not?"
"I think she's got you there, Fred," my mother said with a shrug and a small smile. "Sorry."
"He may have attended practices," Ginny said, returning to the table with silverware as she started to place them at each place setting, "but he didn't always take them seriously."
"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, gaping at his sister in confusion. "George and I always took them seriously. We even took them extra seriously during Wood's last year when we knew how much winning the house cup meant to him. He was so pleased that he stole my girlfriend to thank me."
"Was that a joke?" Ginny asked, narrowing her eyes at him as she crossed her arms. "Or are you still bitter?"
"You can't even tell?" Fred asked in amusement. When Ginny didn't answer, he sighed. "It was a joke. Honestly, first you people want me to talk about my feelings and joke about serious situations the way I used to, but when I do, you don't even recognize that I'm doing it!"
"I just didn't think the day would ever come when you'd joke about this," Ginny said loftily.
"Well, the day is finally here," Fred answered with a smile. "If I had a firewhiskey on me, I'd drink to that."
"I think I can arrange that," Ginny said, with a grin. "Down by the pond in ten. I'll spread the word." And with that, she had hurried away.
"What is she talking about?" I asked Fred. "Is this another Weasley family Christmas tradition?"
Fred shook his head and shrugged. "No. I think Ginny's rallying us all up to drink for the fun of it." He glanced at my mother and smiled wryly. "Unfortunately, I don't think parents are invited. Besides Bill and Fleur, I'm guessing. No offense."
"None taken," my mother said, smiling back. "I can't drink like I used to anyway."
Fred laughed and even I had to giggle. "How well exactly did you used to drink?"
My mother shrugged. "Hey, I was young once too. I used to have fun. And you should too, so go on, get out of here."
I smiled at her. "Thanks again for the gift," I said. "It really means a lot."
"You're welcome," my mother said. She grinned. "Now go enjoy yourself."
Fred took my hand and pulled me to my feet. We bundled up in our coats, hats, mittens and scarves-Fred still using the lumpy one I'd made him, which led to an eye roll from me-and then the two of us headed back outside and down to the now frozen pond.
"I actually have one more thing for you," Fred said, dropping my hand and heading over to one of the nearby trees that had a fairly large knothole in the side. He reached into the hole and extracted a square box. He waved his wand over it and the box grew slightly in size. It now looked like a large, square shoebox. "I had to magically shrink it a bit to fit it inside the hole," Fred explained. "I was going to take you out here after dinner so that I could give it to you, but since we're out here now, it's a good a time as any."
"Why here?" I asked as he handed me the box.
Fred smiled slightly. "Open it. You'll see."
I continued to stare at him curiously for a moment before I lowered my gaze to the box and pulled off the lid. Once I did so, I froze as my breath caught in my throat. "Fred," I whispered. Inside the box was a pair of beautiful, brand new ice skates, the leather such a bright white, they could have blended in with the snow if it wasn't for the light brown soles and shiny silver blades.
"I thought you might like to give ice skating a try again," Fred said. "I talked to your mother about it and she thought it was a good idea...I realize what she thinks you might like may not mean much, and that what you liked as a child may not be what you like now. You may not want anything to do with ice skating ever again. But I thought that since you're willing to give your mother a second chance, you might like to do the same with ice skating."
"You discussed this with my mother?" I asked, glancing up at him. "Meaning you sat down with her and had a conversation?" A small, amused smile lifted up my lips. "I thought you weren't all that fond of her."
Fred rubbed the back of his neck. "I told you I'd try," he said. "Besides, the conversation involved you, which made it easier." He swallowed and nodded towards the ice skates. "Do you like them?"
"Fred, I love them," I said earnestly. I looked back down at the skates and ran my finger along the pristine white leather. "Although...it's been years since I've skated. I imagine I'm quite rusty. Extremely rusty actually. I'd barely even learned to skate at all by the time I went into foster care."
"Well, you've got the space to practice now," Fred replied, gesturing towards the frozen pond.
I gazed past him at the pond. He had a point. The pond was spacious with a lot of room to skate. The only thing was the ice rink I'd learned to skate at in Salem was indoors with a wall to hold onto for dear life. This pond had nothing. I shifted my gaze over to Fred and smirked slightly. "Will you promise to hold my hand until I get the hang of things?"
Fred laughed. "Sophie, I've never skated. I wouldn't be much support. Besides, I don't have any skates myself."
My eyebrows shot up. "You mean to tell me that you expected me to skate on this pond all by myself?"
"Yeah, you could learn just fine on your own," Fred answered.
"But even still, where's the fun in that?" I asked. "You also mean to tell me that you have this wonderful pond behind your house and none of you ever skated on it?"
"We didn't have the money for skates," Fred told me, turning to look out over the pond himself. "Besides, we're a family of mainly boys who all thought ice skating was far too girly."
I snorted. "If you expect me to go out there, you're going with me." I looked up at him seriously. "You're going to need some skates Fred."
Fred laughed again. "Duly noted. But in the meantime why don't you try the skates on and give them a go?"
"What did I just tell you?" I asked. "You need to come with me."
"Don't you want to try the skates out right away?" Fred asked. He took the box from me and pulled the skates out before unlacing them and handing them to me. Then, he led me over to the snowy dock and cleared a spot for me to sit down. "Go on," he instructed.
Sighing, I did as he said and sat down. I took off my shoes and pulled the skates on, lacing them up one by one. They fit perfectly. Once I was done, I twisted around and looked up at Fred, who nodded in encouragement. So I turned back to the pond and took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. I clutched onto the post of the dock with both hands as I pulled myself upright. My feet began to slide back and forth and I clutched tighter to the wooden post and let out a squeak as Fred let out a loud laugh.
"Fred, shut up!" I cried, steadying myself as best I could against the post. Once I was steady, I took in another slow breath and removed first one hand and then the other from the post until I was standing completely on my own. I shuffled one foot forward slowly and then brought my other foot forward to meet it. And then I let out the breath I had been holding.
"Look at you go!" Fred said from the dock as I moved forward another few shaky paces, wobbling a bit, but then righting myself. "You'll be flying around the pond in no time."
I smiled as I suddenly remembered what my mother had told me when I was young and she was teaching me to skate. Whenever you're struggling with anything-it'll be hard for a while, but before you know it, you'll be flying. She had been right back then and I'd learned to skate once before. It was only a matter of time before I did it again.
I glided forward again, further this time, even though I was still holding my body stiffly and hadn't quiet relaxed yet. I wobbled a second time before gliding forward again. I glanced over my shoulder at Fred, a gleeful smile on my face. "I'm doing it, Fred!"
He smiled at me from the dock, where he was leaning sideways against one of the posts, his arms crossed over his chest. "You're doing great," he said.
I turned back around and moved forward again. But at the same time, there was a commotion from the yard behind me. A burst of voices and footsteps crunching through the snow. Laughter, a loud whoop that sounded like Charlie, and Ginny's voice shouting, "Who's ready for a Christmas toast?"
"The sudden noises startled me and I instinctively began to turn around, but I moved too quickly. My feet slid out from under me and I tried to catch myself to no avail. I let out a yelp as I crashed down onto the ice, landing hard on my tailbone. I let out a groan of pain and a quiet sigh. So much for flying.
"What is going on out here?" I heard Charlie asking with a laugh from somewhere behind me.
"Soph, you okay?" Fred had climbed down from the dock and shuffled his way over to me in his shoes. He knelt beside me and looked me over. "That was quite a fall," he said, stifling a laugh. "You looked like a windmill the way you were waving your arms about."
"Shut up," I said with a laugh as I nudged his side. "I'm fine, though, just bruised my tailbone and possibly my ego."
"Ah, well, that's expected," Fred said. "You were going to fall sometime. Now you've gotten it out of the way."
"I expect I have a lot more falls to come," I said.
"And you'll keep getting back up," Fred said, getting to his feet and holding his hands out to me. He helped me up and tugged me forward until we were back at the dock, where the others were now waiting. Fred helped pull me up onto the dock and I immediately began putting my regular shoes back on.
"That was some performance, Sophie," Charlie commented, passing me a firewhiskey once I was finished with my shoes. "I didn't realize you were providing us with comedy entertainment now."
"Shut it, you prat," Fred said, playfully shoving Charlie towards the edge of the dock. "I'll push you onto the ice."
Charlie whacked Fred upside the head. "I'll pull you down with me, you nutter."
"Asshole."
"Git."
"Prat."
"You've used that one already, Fred. Come on, now, step up your game."
"Merlin, I hate boys," Ginny said with a sigh, as she, Katie, Hermione and Fleur all sat beside me on the dock.
"Agreed," Katie said, holding out her firewhiskey bottle. We all clinked our drinks together and each took a long sip. "Although," Katie went on, "we are all either married, engaged or in a relationship with one, so they must be doing something right."
"Not sure what it is," Ginny retaliated with a shrug.
Charlie suddenly nudged Ginny's back with his knee. "Hey, what are you already drinking for? I thought we were doing a Weasley family Christmas toast?"
"We already toasted to what a bunch of complete misfits you all are," Ginny told him.
"Ooh, who do you think is the biggest misfit?" Charlie asked. "I'd say Ron."
Ron scoffed. "Says the biggest misfit of us all."
"Ooh, good one," Charlie said sarcastically, pulling a face and sticking out his tongue.
Ron started to retaliate, but Ginny stood up, stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle, causing Charlie and Ron to stop bickering.
"Merlin, Ginny," Hermione muttered, flinching at Ginny's whistle. "You know I hate when you do that."
"How else do you expect anyone to quiet down?" Ginny shrugged as the rest of us stood up from the dock and joined the others, standing in a small circle. I went to stand beside Fred and smiled as he slid an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him.
"Alright, then, Gin," Bill said, "this was your idea. You make the toast."
Ginny nodded and cleared her throat as she thought for a moment. And then she raised her firewhiskey in the air, high above her head. "To Christmas, and to the biggest bunch of misfits I've ever met."
"Charming, Gin," Bill said as we all drank from our firewhiskey bottles.
"Yes, speak for yourself, Geeny," Fleur said quietly, a teasing smile on her face.
"Speaking for all of us," Ginny argued. "You're a misfit, too, Fleur, even if you do a good job of hiding it. We're family now, so I know all your secrets."
"I, for one, love being a misfit," Charlie said, throwing one arm around Bill's shoulder and one around Fleur's. "You two need to learn to embrace it!" He playfully gave their shoulders a shake before letting them go. Fleur rolled her eyes.
"Ron eez right," she muttered. "Charlie eez the biggest misfit of us all."
"Heard that!" Charlie cried as Fred and George practically howled with laughter.
"In all seriousness," Bill spoke up, "I think we should toast to Christmas, as Ginny said, but also to family-old and new-" he smiled at Fleur and then nodded at Harry. "And to friends-old and new." He looked from Katie and then to me as I blushed. "Merry Christmas, everyone," Bill finished.
"Merry Christmas," we chorused back as we all drank.
"Merlin, that was sappy, Bill," Ginny said.
"Agreed," Charlie said, raising his drink again and taking a sip.
"Well, I couldn't leave it off on you toasting to misfits," Bill told Ginny.
"It's the truth!" she argued.
Fred suddenly cleared his throat from beside me. "I also think we should toast to Percy." He paused. "Because it's Christmas. And I miss him-we all miss him."
It was quiet for a moment as everyone stared at Fred. And then Harry smiled and raised his drink. "To Percy."
"For being an insufferable know it all," Charlie added.
"For being a Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power hungry moron," George said.
"But for coming to his senses in the end," Bill went on.
"For saving Fred's life," I added, my voice a whisper as I looked up at Fred. He looked down at me with a soft smile before kissing my temple.
"For being a great brother," Ginny said, her voice quiet, but earnest.
"To Percy," everyone chorused.
"Damnit, Fred," Ginny whispered, her voice slightly shaky as she lowered her drink from her lips and swiped the back of her hand across them. "You just had to go and make things even sappier. I'm surprised. I didn't expect that from you."
Fred laughed and reached out to ruffle Ginny's hair. "Gotta keep people on their toes, Gin."
"Can we toast to misfits again to lighten the mood?" Charlie asked.
"No," Bill insisted, breaking away from the group and beginning the trek back to the house. The others began to follow suit, except for Ginny, Charlie, Fred, George, Katie and I, who trailed behind.
"Yes!" Ginny cried, in response to Bill's disagreement. She turned to Charlie and they clinked bottles.
"To misfits!" they cried.
Ginny immediately turned to George as Charlie turned to me. "To misfits!" they said, clinking their bottles against ours and taking a sip.
I giggled as they both turned to clink their bottles against Katie's. "To misfits!" they chorused again.
"Will you two shut up?" Bill yelled from ahead of us.
"Not until this bottle is empty!" Charlie yelled back.
Fred laughed from beside me and I turned to look up at him. He had a wide smile on his face-one that reached his eyes. And his eyes-they were a clear, deep blue. They were happy, truly happy, and it was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen.
Fred sensed me looking at him and turned to look down at me. "What?" He asked with a chuckle. "Admiring my dashing good looks?"
"Something like that," I said with a smile. I tilted my firewhiskey bottle towards him. "To misfits," I said quietly.
Fred laughed again and clinked his bottle against mine. "To misfits," he answered.