𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞┃𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

Chapter 49: Books and Dadfoot

Straightening up a while later, Hagrid said loudly, "Nice ter see yeh, Hermione an' Rubi." He winked, and departed. Moody followed him.

"Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?" Harry said, very surprised.

"Does he?" said Hermione, looking startled. "I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Harry..." She looked nervously around and hissed, "It might make you late for Sirius."

"But I don't think he would have asked you to visit him unless it was important." Rubi voiced out, "Maybe you should make a quick trip down there, and come back in time for dad."

And with that, the three found themselves in the common room later that evening. Rubi and Hermione were working on their homework while Harry had gone up, pretending to go to bed, at eleven-thirty.

Rubi's eyelids were becoming heavier and kept drooping. She yawned, rubbing at her eyes. Hermione had gone to the outside of the portrait hole to let Harry out as he would be under his invisibility cloak.

"So, I see you still doing homework?"

Rubi frowned at Fred, who grinned at her.

"Well, Weasley, I'd rather not be in detention and instead have some free time doing something I enjoy, henceforth this." Rubi gestured at the various parchments littered on her lap and some of the space beside her on each side.

Fred chuckled, "What would you rather do instead?"

Rubi brightened, "Oh, I want to finish my current book! I'm a sucker for romantic love stories."

Fred merely smiled, "Well," He snatched the quill from her hand, "why don't you do this later and go grab that book, so you can read it to me?" He asked, watching as Rubi's eyes twinkled.

"You... You want to read the book?" She asked softly in surprise.

Fred leaned forth, smirking, leaving only a few inches between the two, "No. I want to hear you read it to me." He whispered. Rubi felt the breath hitch in her chest, and she smiled so widely, she wrapped her arms around Fred, feeling over the moon.

She pulled away with a sheepish smile, "I'll be right back with it." Gathering her school things and putting them into her bag, Rubi dashed up the girl's stairs, only to come back rather quickly, practically bouncing with excitement.

She dropped into the space beside Fred, "OK, so I'll just fill you in on the stuff you missed before I begin reading from where I left off. So, basically the two main characters always hated one another before they sort of became friends, and now both fancy one another but are too oblivious to see it. I'm just dying for them to get together. This part is them at a Christmas party at a friend's house and yeah." Rubi had rambled on and Fred had been watching her fondly, but as Rubi looked at the redhead only to find him staring at her already, she blushed under his gaze.

"Anyways, can I start?" Rubi tentatively asked.

"Of course, love." Fred replied with a warm smile, and he kicked his legs onto the other side of the couch, placing his head on Rubi's lap. "I'm all comfortable, you may begin, my dearest Rubi." He said, winking at her, making Rubi's lips turn upward as she opened her book.

"Chapter twenty-two: A Christmas like no other..."

Rubi began reading the words on the page, her voice displaying a soft but powerful, emotion filled voice. She spoke each word carefully, her voice making it sound all the more sweeter to Fred, who gazed softly at her. He smiled even more when Rubi's hand absentmindedly would find itself in his hair, every once in a while.