Golden Boy

30. The Eavesdroppers

There was no single word to describe how happy Camellia felt as she walked back up to the cabin, hand-in-hand with Fred.

Giddy, maybe? Thrilled? Ecstatic? Elated? All of the above? She was on cloud nine, and by the smile on his face, so was her boyfriend.

The cabin on the top of the hill looked more inviting than ever- smoke billowed from the chimneys, and the smell of a home-cooked meal reached their noses, making them inhale the brisk winter air.

Just before they stepped through the back door, Fred suddenly pulled her in and kissed her deeply, one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her waist. Camellia kissed back, and she felt him smile against her lips. They broke apart, both red-faced and beaming as they murmured "i love you"s, and they entered the house.

They didn't even get to fully take off their coats and boots before Ron's head poked around the corner from the kitchen. He grinned at them, yelled, "They're back!" into the kitchen before coming up to them, followed by Hermione, Harry, Ginny, George... and Zina.

"So?" Ron asked, "Did he give it to you?"
Camellia impulsively decided to have a bit of fun with him. "Give me what?" she asked, feigning confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Ron's eyes went impossibly wide, and his mouth fell open. Behind him, Ginny slowly brought a hand to her mouth, while Hermione and Harry were glaring at Ron like he was the stupidest person they'd ever seen.

"I- I mean, nothing!" Ron chuckled nervously.
"Give you- g-give you what? You know what... I'm probably just drunk! Don't mind me..." He gave Fred a look of extreme regret before backing away into the kitchen.

Fred, who up until this point was playing along, burst into laughter. "Ron! Ron, come back, mate, she was only joking."

A collective sigh of relief coursed through the group, and Ron came back, still blushing furiously. "Scared the bloody hell out of me, Cam," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ron," she said, not fully containing her laughter. "But to answer your question, yes he did."

She showed her friends the ring, and the girls gasped. "Fred, it's gorgeous!" Ginny said in disbelief. "And you made that, all on your own?"

Fred nodded, and he looked down at the ring proudly. Hermione was also gaping at it, gingerly holding Cam's hand as if the ring might break if she touched it. The boys were less interested in the ring than the girls, but they looked really happy about the news.

"So you all knew about this?" asked Camellia, looking around at her friends, who nodded.

"Of course we did," George said. "He's only been asking us for advice for weeks- nervous as I've ever seen him, as if you wouldn't take it."

Camellia looked back at Fred, who was giving his brother a "shut-up-or-I'll-shut-you-up" kind of look, but Cam thought what George had said was simply adorable.

The only person not admiring the ring or talking about it was Zina. She was standing next to George, messy-haired and still in her skimpy pajamas like she'd only just gotten out of bed, and she was giving Camellia a death glare.

It was wonderful.

Ginny glanced over at Harry and said, "We've been dating for ages, how come you never gave me a promise ring?" she asked, and Harry simply frowned at her.

"You don't even wear rings," he said with a smirk.

"Well, I know that..." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"But it's really romantic, I mean it would've been nice..."