Seeing Fred

Christmas

Leah was sitting near the fireplace with a hot chocolate in her hands, next to her Hermione while the twins sat behind them on the couch. Leah smiled as she leaned her head against Fred's leg enjoying her first Christmas at the burrow. It was loud and crowded, but it felt like home. Molly just came back into the living room carrying a tray of cookies, her and Leah made that afternoon. It's when Molly put the plate down on the table, she noticed a shimmer on a few of the cookies and alerted Hermione not to take those as she nudged her head to the twins behind them. Neither boy had noticed the small exchange as their eyes were glued to everyone who took a cookie. All deeming it safe since their mum and Leah made them, not thinking the twins had their hands on them after they came out of the oven. It was Ron who started to change first, his nose and mouth started to transform into a beak. While Bill and Charlie were too late to notice it and already started to transform, Percy let his cookie fall and slapped the one in his girlfriend's hand away. He received a full glare from her, before he pointed at Ron, who had turned into a pinguin for a minute. Charlie had changed into a large white rabbit with fluffy ears, quite the opposite of what he had to work with. And Bill turned into an orangutan for a hot minute. When they all turned back, the room started to fill with laughter once again. Even Molly couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips, happy to have everyone back for Christmas.

Percy was the first one on his feet to hand out his presents. But he didn't pick a gift from under the tree, he took a small rectangular box from his coat, and all the girls gasped when their eyes fell on it.

"Odilia, you've been my ray of sunshine this past year. It has been hard, for all of us." He glanced to Fred for a second. "But now, I've never been happier. Odilia, will you marry me?" He asked with a trembling voice, clicking the box open. Odilia squealed in delight; her pitch-black hair danced around her as she flung herself to her new fiancé. Molly rushed over to congratulate the newly engaged pair, engulfing them in a hug.

"That's a bit fast, isn't it?" Leah asked with a low voice. "They've been together for just about a year." She didn't see the shocked faces of the twins behind her as they exchanged looks, nor did she feel Fred stiffen behind her.

"It's normal in the magical community." Hermione answered looking from the couple back to her. "They all marry young."

"Huh." Leah pondered over it for a few seconds before shrugging. "I'll just go congratulate them then." She smiled and pushed herself of the ground making her way to the others.

"Do you think it's weird, Hermione?" George asked as he stroked her hair, getting her attention. Hermione turned a bit so she could look at the two confused faces above her.

"I'm used to it by now, since I've seen how this world works since I was eleven. But in the muggle world, especially nowadays, you date for a few years before getting married. Or not, I mean there are a lot of people I knew, and Leah stills knows that live together for years without getting married, even having children outside of marriage."

"Huh." George said looking from the couple to his twin, who shifted uncomfortable in his seat, clutching his pocket. Hermione didn't notice Fred's behaviour as she had stood up and walked to Percy. Leah made her way back to the twins, getting a safe cookie from the platter and hopped back down between Fred's legs. She leaned her head back to smile up at her boyfriend, but when she saw his look, she started to get worried, she went to open her mouth to ask what was wrong when Molly called out.

"Who's next?"

The rest of the morning was filled with the ripping of paper and opening boxes. Leah had giving Arthur tickets for the science museum in London and the Cambridge science centre, while she gifted Molly with her own personal cookbook where she could write in all of her own recipes. The two were over the moon with her present and hugged her tight. Hermione's eyes turned even larger than normal when she unwrapped her present, revealing a new leather briefcase.