Fred groaned deeply, stretching his arms and legs out, and nearly pushing Aurora off of the bed in the process. She felt her hips slide over the edge, and grabbed onto his torso, pulling herself back up with a huff.
She looked up at the boy as he just smiled at her, probably laughing to himself. Aurora took her turn to stretch, a high pitch sigh leaving her lips at the sense of relief it brought her.
"Good morning, sunshine." Rasped Fred, and the voice alone gave her butterflies. She wondered if she would ever get used to the voice he had after sleeping for a bit of time.
"Good morning, handsome." She coos back, and she could have sworn she saw a blush spread through his cheeks; it was adorable.
There was chatter heard from downstairs, but they were too high up to hear exactly whose lips it was coming from, so Aurora decided to get up. She left her sweatpants and jumper on, and motioned for him to join her. Fred reluctantly got out of bed, groaning in the process, and a smirk came to his lips as he ran for Aurora. In one swift motion, he had lifted Aurora over his shoulder, his hand placed on her backside in order to hold her in place.
"Fred Weasley, you put me down right now!" She exclaimed, jokingly beating her fists into his back. She seemed to have no effect on Fred, and he chuckled as he walked down the stairs.
For a moment, Aurora was afraid that he'd drop her, or her head would hit a wall, but Fred was very careful. He made sure to take turns slowly, and didn't go too fast as to where he'd lose control, and even though he was holding her upside down, Aurora appreciated it.
She saw his feet as they came into the den, and she heard Molly laugh at the two before she was put down. Getting rid of the dizziness she obtained from the trip down the stairs, she looked to see Fred hugging George, and smiled to herself. Her eyes drifted to the side, only to land on Angelina, and her stomach twisted.
Angelina was already glaring at Aurora, and she would be lying if she said she didn't want to glare back, but that would be childish. Aurora was going to be the bigger person, knowing it would get under Angelina's skin more.
"Ang, good to see you, babes!" She exclaimed, walking over to her and pulling her in for a tight hug. Her back was to Molly and Arthur, so she knew that Angelina wouldn't be able to grimace or say rude things to her without them knowing.
She felt Angelina's arms hesitantly go around her waist as she hugged her back, patting her back lightly. Aurora looked over in Fred's direction, and he had a look of confusion on his face. She pulled away from Angelina, and sent her a wink before walking over to George, pulling him into a hug.
"McGonagall, I missed you!" He exclaimed, picking her up slightly. The two of them laughed as he set her back down, pulling away and smiling at each other. She walked back over to Fred's side, and looked over to see Angelina fuming, but trying to keep her composure for the sake of the Weasley parents.
Aurora would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy seeing Angelina so bothered.
"Tell us about the trip!" She exclaimed, taking a seat on the couch, followed by Fred. Molly clasps her hands and sits in the lounge chair, while Arthur runs to the kitchen, making himself busy so he doesn't have to listen.
"It was brilliant, we-" Started George, but Angelina soon cut him off.
"We went skiing, messed about in the snow, traveled to some shops, ate at extravagant restaurants, watched movies in the warmth of my cabin, and had a ball." She said, mustering up as much happy energy as she could, which clearly was just enough, since Molly didn't seem fazed.
"That sounds lovely, you two, I'm so glad you had a nice time, and back in time for Ginny and Hermione's departure at that! Perfect!" She said happily, getting up to join her husband in the kitchen.
"Back in time, of course." Angelina muttered under her breath, taking a seat on the loveseat, and George sits next to her.
"George, now that you're back, I think we can get the shop opened in the next week with your help." Says Fred, and George smiles at him, nodding his head.
"Of course, Ang and I can get back into it tomorrow morning!" He exclaims happily, and Fred's smile falters a bit. Aurora's eyes drift over to Angelina, who just sits there stroking George's arm affectionately.
"You and Angelina?" Asks Fred, not bothering to hide the discomfort in his voice.
"Well, of course." George responds, and Angelina winks at Fred, making Aurora's blood boil.
"Fine, then Aurora works with us, as well." He spits back, making Aurora widen her eyes. Angelina clenches her jaw, narrowing her eyes at Aurora.
"That sounds brilliant! We'll have so much help!" Exclaims George, not noticing the tension in the room. Fred rolls his eyes at his clueless twin, before getting off the couch, trotting up the stairs.
"It's so nice to see you, Georgie." Aurora says one last time before getting off of the couch and following Fred upstairs. She watched him go into his own room, the one he shared with George, and knocked on the door quietly, not getting a response.
"Freddie?" She whispers, knocking once again. She hears shuffling from inside the room, and then the door opened in front of her. Fred stood in the doorway with a straight face, but his eyes told her that he was angry and stressed.
He motioned for her to come in, and he walked over to sit on his bed. Fred and George's room was much messier than Aurora's, but it seemed to be an organized mess, where everything had a specific spot on the floor.
"I didn't mean to pull you into that, I don't know what I was thinking. You don't have to work at the shop." He blurts out, running a hand through his hair. Using one of Fred's own methods, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips, shutting him up. When she pulled away, Fred's mouth hung open slightly, and his eyes widened a bit.
"Freddie, I'd love to work with you at the shop, but it's completely up to you. I'm out of work until next school year, when I can become a professor, and working with you in the meantime would be lovely," She says, her hand coming to stroke his cheek, "If you want me there with you, then I'm perfectly alright with that, but if you don't want me there, that's okay, too. Don't worry about this, Fred, you're in control of this situation, and I'm alright with either outcome." She reassures, and he softens at her words.
"Thank you, Aurora." He mumbles, kissing the hand that was on his face. She smiles at him, leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. The two sit in a comfortable silence, Aurora waiting for Fred to speak up.
"I want you there with me, at least until you go to Hogwarts. I couldn't stand being there alone with George and Angelina." He says, and Aurora chuckles, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle it either.
"I'd love to work with you, Freddie. We'll talk about the logistics later, alright?" Aurora says, leaning up and looking at the boy in front of her, and he just nods with a small smile on his face.
She knew they would have to talk more about fitting her into the job, and get everything settled, but she didn't want to push Fred to make it all happen so quickly. They would probably travel to the shop tomorrow and finalize things with her and Angelina, and for now she didn't want Fred to worry.
He didn't want anyone working for them, and hearing George rope in Angelina hurt him in a way. Having Aurora work with him would help his situation, since he enjoyed Aurora's presence quite a bit. The shop was getting wildly popular, and maybe it was about time for them to hire some coworkers to help out, since it was getting hard to manage with just the two of them. This would be a positive change.
"We'll be moving out soon, me and George." Says Fred, and Aurora furrows her brows at him.
"Where to?" She asks, and Fred looks around at the messy room in front of them.
"An apartment somewhere, near the shop. Easier to be close to the shop once business spikes." He says, and Aurora nods her head, ignoring the wave of sadness that crashes against her chest.
The twins had already been staying at the Leaky Cauldron when the shop got busy, so them moving out shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Still, it brought Aurora sadness. She grew up with those two boys, and she was closer to them than she was Charlie or Bill, so the reality of them finally being grown and ready to live on their own was hard to hear.
"That sounds lovely." She says, masking her sadness. Her voice naturally lowers in volume when her mood shifts to the negative side of the spectrum, and that's a tell that Fred has picked up on over the years.
"Aura, what's wrong?" He asks, lifting her chin with his finger and thumb. She frowns slightly, her bottom lip pushed out.
"You're leaving." She says quietly, and Fred melts at her pitiful gaze.
"Darling, I'm not going far, I'll still be around." He says with a smile, trying to make her feel better.
"You aren't going far, but you won't be here anymore." She mumbles, dropping her gaze to her hands, where she fiddles with her nail beds.
"Sweetheart, George and I? We've outgrown this home, and it's time we find a new one." He says, and those words alone make her eyes water. She didn't like thinking about her two best friends in the world growing up.
"I don't want you to grow up." She says, tears filling her eyes. She wasn't looking at Fred, but she could tell seeing her upset made him sad.
"Come with me." He blurts out, and Aurora sniffles, looking up at him in confusion.
"Pardon?" She asked, wiping her eyes. A big grin formed on his face and he grabbed her hands, stroking her soft skin with his thumb.
"When George and I move out, come with me, Aurora." He repeats, and Aurora can't even comprehend what he's saying.
"You don't have to say that just because I'm sad, Freddie, I'll get over myself eventually." She said, managing a small smile.
"Aura, with the most respect possible, shut the hell up." He says through a chuckle and Aurora's mouth falls open, laughing herself. She went to speak, but Fred brought a finger to her lips, keeping her quiet while he spoke.
"You're right. I don't want to leave you, or here really, but I have to leave here. I don't have to leave you. I want you to come with me." He says, and that same goofy grin comes to Aurora's face.
"Ask me properly, Freddie, I think I deserve at least that." She jokes, wiping her eyes. She sniffles as she straightens her back, awaiting Fred's response. He smiles at her and squeezes her hands gently, clearing his throat.
"Aurora McGonagall, will you do me the honor of moving in with me?"