𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 | 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲

Graduation

She caught her boyfriend's eye and blew a kiss, which made him smile. It was Percy's turn to speak next, and his valedictory was even more dull than Dumbledore's. How that boy was related to the twins, Elodie had no idea.

"Farewell to my fellow classmates, and farewell Hogwarts." Percy ended to a load of applause. The graduates all walked to the stage to receive their certificates, and the ceremony was over. It was much shorter than Elodie had expected, but that was a great relief: it was sweltering outside.

She had struck up a conversation with the mother next to her, who was surprised to learn that Elodie "knew a thing or two about raising twins".

The two women talked for a while-Mary, the mother, had gratefully accepted Elodie's help in holding one of the boys, who was clutching one of her fingers with his tiny hands.

"Els! Who have we here?" Fred came up behind her, grinning down at the babies. Their names were Sage and Basil, because Mary worked on a medical herbology farm.

"Mary, this is Fred, who I was telling you about. Best not let him near your children." Elodie introduced her friend jokingly.

"Wotcher, Mary. Don't listen to Els, I happen to be great with kids." Fred said, looking adoringly at Basil.

"And you must be George." Mary smiled at Fred's twin.

"Wow, am I that famous?" George grinned. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

"Macdonald." Mary replied. "Elodie was just telling me about her own experience dealing with twins. I just had these two not half a year ago." She gestured to Sage and Basil.

"Dealing." Fred shook his head. "We're ages older than Els."

"By a week." Elodie rolled her eyes. She shifted Basil on her hip while he played with a strand of her hair.

"And a half!" George added.

"Anyways, don't worry about these two. Twins are easy." Fred reassured Mary, pulling a face at Sage to make him giggle.

"I have a feeling I'm being lied to." Mary laughed. She had a pretty laugh; unrestrained and throaty. "But I'll take it."

"We'd better get back to our brother. Y'know, the prat who made the speech." Fred sighed. "Who are you here for, Mary?"

"My cousin's daughter. She's over there, I'd expect she would rather be with her friends." Mary lowered her voice. "But I'm really here to see an old friend. Do you know where I might find Remus Lupin?"

"Oh." Elodie glanced down at Basil to avoid Mary's eye. "He left today, actually. I think he might be in England?"

That was a very broad and unhelpful statement, but it was all Elodie knew.

"Oh, he'll be in Chinatown, then. Thank you, darling. I've been meaning to pay a visit for a while now, actually." Mary mulled, bouncing Sage absentmindedly.

"I'd better get to my boyfriend as well, but it was wonderful to meet you, Ms. Macdonald." Elodie smiled, kissing Basil gently on the head.

Mary grinned. "The handsome one? With the brown hair? Ah, some birds really do have all the luck."

Elodie blushed, and Fred scowled. She could see him trying to keep his composure in front of Mary and the little boys. They said their final goodbyes to her, and set out to where the graduates were all chatting amongst themselves.

"You're going to make an excellent mother one day." Fred remarked fondly once they were out of earshot from Mary. "Think of all the little kids... like our own personal army."

Elodie pulled a face. "Fat chance you're going to get me to have kids with you, Weasley. Our child would be like the devil raised from hell."

"A little, adorable, ginger, devil." George added, grinning.

"It's definitely going to happen." Fred nodded firmly. "We're going to create a Weasley-Florence family mafia."

"You could already create a Weasley mafia, you don't need me for that." Elodie reasoned, although she rather adored the idea of a large family, being an only child.

Fred was ignoring her. "We have to do original names, not like the whole "naming it after your father" guff."

"Kiwi..."

"Mick Jagger."

"Absolutely not." Elodie shook her head, trying not to laugh. "And stop trying to name my children!"

"Who's children are we naming?" Forrest came up behind them, putting his arms around Elodie.

"Definitely not mine." She said. "And congratulations, darling, you did wonderfully."

"Mine." Fred replied proudly. "And yeah, kudos, mate."

That was the most civil Elodie had ever seen Fred be towards Forrest. She was impressed.

"Thanks," Forrest said warily.

The twins wandered off to find Percy, presumably to give him some kind of cursed gift. Elodie smiled at Forrest, searching his face for a new kind of maturity. He wasn't a student anymore. Merlin, did that mean she was dating an adult? Gosh, that was scary to think about. Elodie couldn't picture herself anywhere but Hogwarts.

"What now?" She asked, frowning slightly, putting her arms around his neck.

"We have a summer." Forrest reasoned. "And the post."

It didn't seem like enough, but Elodie didn't say anything.

"Okay."