Friendless » Fred Weasley

lxxx. christmas & a workload

Tori nearly choked on her butterbeer. "WHAT?" She exclaimed and quickly lowered her voice. "A muggle? What— what happened to him?"

Nana sighed sadly, "Life. My parents couldn't know about him, but they found out. My father, your great grandfather, was furious. The things he said..." She sniffed, all the memories flooding back. "I was to end it, immediately. So, I said goodbye. Told him I was moving to America. I was introduced to your grandfather, had your mother. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him. He was, different. And there was nothing wrong with that. Oh honey, when I found out about your sorting and you were no longer spending time at home, I was infuriated.

"I don't think I've ever been so stern with your mother. Victoria,"

"Tori. I— uh, go by Tori now."

"Tori... it's cute. Let me guess, give to you by one of those redheads?"

"What? Merlin's beard, Nana. Already?"

"I've missed so much! I mean, V— Tori! Look how much you've grown. You're turning into a gorgeous young woman. I want to be apart of everything! So, if you will, who's the redhead boy who was leaning?"

✧ ✦ ✧

"You're serious?" Fred looked at Tori skeptically. Tori nodded, leaning against the red chair in the common room. "So, why did she marry your grandpa if she didn't like him?"

"What? You think my parents just happened to fall in love as well?" She chuckled to herself, catching the paper wade George threw at her. "Trust me, I'm as shocked as you. But... it all makes sense."

"It... does?"

"Of course."

Fred shifted uncertainly. "And your Nana? You're going to let her back in? Just like that?"

Tori thought about it for a moment before nodding. She continued scribbling down in her notebook, not meeting his eyes. "She's family. And despite everything, I still believe family deserves a second chance."

Christmas was quite fun. Tori went to the Weasley with the twins and spent the holiday there. It was nice to be back at the burrow, though Molly was clearly still upset about Tori's summer plans.

She was given the usual Weasley sweater with fudge, but that didn't stop her from loving it any less. A dark brown owl brought her a package from her Nana.

Tori had written to her Nana that the only thing she wanted for Christmas was a picture of David. In the package, there was a nonmoving black and white picture of him. He was tall, with wild dark hair that sprang ever which direction. He was laughing, with his hands shoved into his jean pockets.

Tori wrote back, thanking her Nana and wishing her a good Christmas. She tucked the photo into one of her many unused journals and left it in her trunk to think about another time. When they arrived back to Hogwarts Tori was, like Oliver, very upset to hear about Harry's firebolt. "A real firebolt. That can get us a win!" Tori told the boy when she first heard about it. "I'd get one myself, but I have a fine Comet Two Hundred Sixty."

"Don't get too excited," Harry mumbled. "I already had to tell Wood, McGonagall took it. She thinks it was a sent from Sirius Black."

"Sirius Black? Why would he send you a broom? Let alone a super expensive one?"

"I dunno."

Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He, therefore, increased the number of team practices to five a week. This meant with all of the homework for their O.W.L.S. Tori only had one day a week to be able a study and do any of said homework.

On one of those fateful Sundays, Tori was in tears over the workload they were faced with. "I can't. I can't. Alicia, I can't do this. Essays every day, I hardly have any time especially with practice— I can't sleep, I can't—"

Alicia patted Tori on the shoulder as the girl slumped into her arms, letting her tears stain her sleeves. "I don't even know what I want to do with my life, and all of this dictates this... I can't do this, I'm going to be a failure. I might as well give up now."

"Oh, cheer up, Tori," Lee told her, skimming through his Care of Magical Creatures book, which he had strapped down so it couldn't bite him.

George glanced up at her from a journal he had shared with Fred. It was Tori's Christmas gift to them. It was filled with their new inventions and ideas on how to make them. "Lee's right." He pointed to the charm Fred had gotten her from Egypt. "A long life, right?"

"It doesn't mean a successful one." She muttered, writing over her star chart for the third time. Alicia chuckled, patting her on the back once more.

Tori grumbled to herself under her breath, continuing her work. The group sat in a silence that was filled with the sounds of quills hitting the papers and the rocking of heels against the chairs. While everyone laughed at Tori's worries about their O.W.L.S. they themselves were all nervous about it.

The night dragged on slower than a nasty potions class with Snape. Tori didn't finish all of her work until around midnight. She had just finished her Muggle Studies assignment on transportation when she realized she and Lee were the only ones still awake from their friend group.

"You practicing your pick up lines, Lee?" Tori snickered to herself, cracking her back. Lee smirked, "You know it. How's this, 'While Angelina Johnson might be a fantastic chaser, she could be an excellent keeper. Besides, she's the keeper of my heart.'"

"Brilliant." Tori grinned at the boy. "How long are you going to do that for?" Lee shrugged, glancing around the room. "Until she agrees to go out with me." Tori tried her best to hold back a laugh, but genuinely couldn't.

"Good luck."

"Maybe one day! Maybe then Fred will work up the nerve himself to ask you. Then I can get some gallons from George."

Tori looked at her friend oddly, trying to stop her laughter. "What are you talking about?" Lee scoffed. "Merlin's beard, you're oblivious. It's only been since our first year. Fred fancies you, Tori. George and I have a bet going, so if you could really hurry it up on the whole feelings thing and confess by next year, that'd be great."

"What?" Tori leaned forward, watching Lee with wide eyes. She quickly shook her head. "You're mental. Fred and I are just friends."

"And I'm going to pass my Potions O.W.L."

fred: *breathes near tori*
lee and you guys: oMG SHIPPP

cedric: *breathes near tori*
you guys: BEGONE DIGGOTHOT

i'm just kidding. ily you guys and thanks for 50,000 reads!!