inertia || a Fred Weasley love story

thirty eight.

"No." She said simply. The answer made my chest constrict a little, and so I didn't push it. Instead I turned to help Alice.

Soon we were opening presents. Most of them were simply labeled with a 'to' and 'from'. When we were little, our dad used to write all sorts of silly cards on each gift, and we'd read them out. Every single one, before opening the gift. Alice had still done it- small notes in her round and neat handwriting. She'd gotten both of us pairs of earrings- simple pearls for mom, little mushrooms for me. I wrangled her in for a wet kiss on her cheek while our mom laughed and told her what a sweet daughter she was.

I'd gotten my mom a new pair of gloves, in Ravenclaw blue. I'd also managed to knit a matching scarf, but I'd done it by hand, and she and Alice spent time giggling at the holes and mistakes in the middle until I was throwing things at them and telling them I had no use for a family anyway. And then my mom had grabbed me around the neck and pulled me to her chest and was cooing about how darling it was and that she'd wear it forever. And then I leaned into her side and opened my present from Ron, which was a box of chocolate frogs, and Ginny, who'd given me some sugar quills and a box of lavender cookies that would help me sleep. Alice had gotten the same cookies, but Ron had given her a book on magic philosophers, which I demanded she let me look at because damn, good one Ron.

Mrs. Weasley had made us all sweaters. Alice's was a Ravenclaw blue, same as my mom's gloves, and she pulled it on eagerly. Mine was a mustard yellow, and I rejoiced in my mom's scowl as I tugged it over my head. Her's was green, and they made her eyes- the eyes she'd given to Alice and I both- pop spectacularly.

"You have to wear it, mom. It'll look so pretty on you." I was telling her as Alice continued to open the rest of her gifts. A box of assorted candies from Bill, which I got the same, and some enchanted hair clips from Fleur. I pressed mom to tell us what she'd gotten all the kids, since it'd been her job to get presents from the both of us, and she told me about how she'd gotten little boxes of makeup for Ginny, and a book on Quidditch for Ron, and a pair of silver earrings for Bill.

"But you didn't even know that Bill would have pierced ears." I cried, overwhelmed by how brilliant my mother's gift giving skills really were. But she just shrugged, and insisted we open her presents next.

There were a lot from mom, but there always were. Alice called it gift guilt- anytime something bad happened, mom tried to make up for it in a surplus of presents the next gift giving holiday. And for mom, everything was a gift giving holiday. So there were new sweaters for us each, and a beautiful set of pink robes for me that I wasn't sure I would ever actually wear but thanked her anyway, and a couple of books for Alice and a new sketchbook with pencils for me.

"Diana- there's nothing from Fred or George." Alice pointed out after a while, patting down the wrapping paper so as to make sure. I turned around on my knees, mimicking her actions, crumpling the pieces in a futile attempt to search and clean at the same time.

"Yeah- I guess not." I said, trying my best not to seem disappointed. It wasn't like I'd anticipated they would actually get me anything. Hell, at the beginning of all of this, I wasn't even sure if they actually liked me at all.

My mom was frowning though, sitting up a little, peering over us. "Are you sure? That's odd, considering how that Fred boy was hanging off you last night."

I rolled my eyes. "'That Fred boy'" I deadpanned to Alice, who snickered.

Turned out 'that Fred boy' had been planning to give me his gift in person. He cornered me just after breakfast, when we kids had been dismissed to the livingroom to discuss our new gifts and drink the mimosas our parents were pouring for us because it was Christmas and they were too hungover to pretend they cared anymore.