When you're hanging out with your family and genuinely having a good time, what's the one thing that you'd rather not see?
If you asked me a few minutes ago I would have said someone dying, or the house setting on fire. Something crazy.
If you asked me now, I would say Hannah Torres.
"Sorry, I'm late!" A horribly familiar voice says as the front door opens. James gets up from his spot on the sofa to go meet her.
I look across the table at Louis and Amar, both of them looking at the front door. Louis looks at me and nods, confirming that it is in fact who I thought it was.
"Everyone, this is my girlfriend Hannah," James says to the room. Everyone says a polite hello and Happy Christmas as James leads her into the kitchen to get a plate of food.
Hannah fucking Torres. The girl I thought I was in love with years ago, the girl that dated James and snogged me. The girl that got me beat up by my own cousin in front of my own family. The girl that couldn't seem to take no for an answer.
Me? Bitter? I dunno what you're talking about.
"Did you know that he was dating her again?" Amar says in a relatively hushed tone. He doesn't really have to speak so softly given this house is so loud I'm sure the entire village can hear it.
"Not a fucking clue," I say back.
Evie turns around to look at Hannah and turns back around to look at all of us, "Is that that girl that you told me about?" She whispers.
"The one that tried to get in every Weasley's pants? Yeah, that's the one." I say before downing my near full cup of spiked butterbeer.
"Never tried to get into my pants," Louis says. His boyfriend Evan is sitting quietly beside him. I've only met him a few times over facetime and he seems like an okay person but he's really shy in social situations. Why Louis thought it would be smart to bring him to the most dysfunctional family's Christmas dinner and in turn wedding I'll never know.
"That's because you're gay as shit my guy," Evie says.
"Never stopped you from flirting with me darling," Louis says with an over-dramatic wink.
"And despite all my best efforts you still rejected me. I'm still hurt by it you know."
I'm not paying much attention to anything that they're saying. I push my half-eaten turkey around my plate in silence.
Hannah Torres. He brought Hannah Torres here.
James and I never got along, but recently we've been I don't know what'd you call it, civil maybe? We stopped trying to kill each other after we both left Hogwarts but we still aren't the best of friends that Mum and Aunt Ginny want us to be. But bringing Hannah here, after what happened between us? Like sure it was a long time ago since she really tried anything with me, especially since Evie and I started dating shortly after that incident but she never fully stopped trying to get my attention.
I haven't told anyone that. Not even Evie. But after fifth year she kept trying to get me to look at her, to touch her. Not sexually or anything but brushing up against me, asking me for quills and things when she was in my class. She would always make sure that she would touch my hand when I gave her it. At first, I thought that it was a mistake; like people touch people all the time, we're human. But when she did it she would always make eye contact with me, slow her movements down, trying to seduce me in the middle of Potions class.
Course it didn't work I mean are you mad? There's not a chance that I'd go back to that ever. I' still not even sure if I can say that I ever went there in the first place.
"Ricky?" Evie touches my arm, "Darling are you alright?"
I look into my darling Evie's eyes and everything feels a little bit better, "Yeah," I say, "Yeah I'm alright love."
Evie goes back to the conversation she was having with Amar and Louis, but she keeps her hand on my arm the whole time, grounding me in this moment rather than letting my mind run a mile a minute.
"I'm going to go get another drink," I say to my friends, "Anyone want anything?"
"White wine if there's any," Evan says.
Louis kisses Evan's temple, Amar gets distracted by it and his words waver as he tries to explain something to Evie, "I'll have a white wine too eh Freddie Bear?"
"Only Nan drinks white wine, you two are messed up. I say picking my cup up off the table and walking into the kitchen.
Uncle Fred, Auntie Em, Uncle Harry, and Aunt Ginny are sitting at the dining table as I pour the drinks.
"All I'm saying is you named your kid after fucking Snape and I didn't even get an honourable mention. I love Albus don't get me wrong, but I'd love him more if his name was Fred." Uncle Fred says.
"By the time Al was born Vi and George already had Freddie." Aunt Ginny explains.
"Okay and? Could have named him Wilfred, Fredrickson, Alfred... or even Lily, Winifred, Fredricka... I'm just saying it was a little insensitive." Uncle Fred says.
Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny look at each other, "Albus Alfred Potter. Catchy." Uncle Harry says causing everyone to laugh.
"Oh, and Albus Severus is any better!" Uncle Fred shouts.
Al, who has been standing by the kitchen sink with Scorpius this whole time shouts, "Oi! Leave me and my shitty name out of your conversations!"
Aunt Ginny spins around in her chair, "You love your name!"
"Do I Mum?" Albus frowns, "Do I really?"
Scorpius whispers something in Al's ear and he goes bright red. Aunt Ginny decides it best that she doesn't ask what that was all about and I silently thank her for that.
"I'm not just mad at you two. Out of all of my siblings, only one of them thought to honour my life with a child named after me. Bloody maddening if you ask me." Uncle Fred continues. He notices me standing not too far away and he smiles, 'There he is! My namesake! Off to get married to his Hogwarts sweetheart oh I'm so proud."
Hannah, who just walked into the kitchen hears everything and looks at me, "You're getting married to your Hogwarts sweetheart? What was her name again Freddie?"
I go to answer but she cuts me off,
"Poppy! Wasn't it? You and Poppy were together for a while weren't you."
Uncle Fred whistles and hands me his cup, "You're gonna need this." He says.
Aunt Em laughs and scolds Uncle Fred all at the same time. Once I've taken the cup from Uncle Fred he turns around and kisses Auntie Em. Darcy, who's been sitting silently beside Auntie Em this whole time gets up and leaves, not looking very happy with the whole thing.
I look at Hannah who has a sick, twisted smile on her face, "Evie, Evie West, soon to be Weasley." I say taking a drink from Uncle Fred's cup. I nearly spit it all out, Godric that's strong.
Hannah makes an 'o' shape with her mouth, "Right, Evie. You didn't cheat on her like you did Poppy did you?"
Uncle Fred coughs trying to hide the fact that he just said, 'well god damn.'
"Are you still cheating on James? Which one of us are you snogging this time?" I say, narrowing my eyes just a little.
Aunt Ginny clears her throat, Uncle Harry is suddenly very interested in cleaning his glasses.
"If you'll excuse me," I say brushing past Hannah and going back over to my friends.
"You good?" Louis says taking his glass of wine from me.
"Peachy."
As I sit back down, Nan starts handing out our Christmas jumpers. Mine is the same as it always is, dark red with a grey 'F' in the middle. Evie's matches mine except hers has an 'E.'
"Okay picture time!" Ophelia says loudly, "We're trying something different this year so I need you to stand where I put you! Everyone outside!"
When we were younger we could fit in the kitchen to do the annual Christmas picture but as we got bigger, our partners coming to dinners, we've had to move the gang outside.
"Okay Uncle Wally right here, then we're gonna take Auntie Em, right beside Uncle Walter... perfect! Uncle Lee! Where is the bastard..." Ophelia says as she moves everyone into her positions.
"And then Pia! And Theseus, here, take my old jumper, right beside Cassie, yup...."
I didn't really know how I felt about Theseus being around Cassie recently. But over the past week he has been staying with us; staying on a cot in my room to be precise, he's starting to grow on me. Especially after our talk last night when we got to the Burrow. He told me about protecting Cass from her ex not boyfriend, more snog partner and that really changed my perspective I think.
Ophelia puts Molly beside Theseus then comes over to me and Evie and grabs Evie's hand, "I know you're in love and ick but come here and stand pretty." Ophelia says dragging my fiancé off.
As Ophelia works, with the help of Dad, the rest of us, also known as the ones that they don't need gather in front of them. Till Dad shouts at us all to get on our knees or crouch so that we don't block the back row.
Once Ophelia is satisfied she takes her spot between Theo and Aunt Hermione while Dad sets up the camera to take the picture.
"Wait Vi darling how do you..." Dad says fumbling with the camera. Mum steps from her place in the line up to help and as soon as she gets there Dad says, "No I got it, I got it. Thank you, darling." He kisses Mum and the two of them go back into their spots.
It's only when the picture is taken and everyone goes back to their own little things is when I realize that Amar and Louis are nowhere to be seen.
"They were in the picture, weren't they? Cause I don't want to have to take that again." I say to Evie as she snakes her arms around my torso for a hug.
"Yeah, as soon as the picture was taken they went into the house." She says softly.
Evie and I didn't really plan on going back inside. We were supposed to help Mum, Dad, and Uncle Freddie set up the firework show. But a loud crash and some shouting from inside drew our attention away.
"What in the world!" Nan says as she and a bunch of others rush into the house.
Evan, Louis's boyfriend storms down the stairs, tears flowing down his face, "Sorry to ruin your Christmas Missus Weasley. Thank you for your hospitality. However, your grandson can't seem to keep it in his pants." He says walking past Nan.
Louis stumbles down the stairs doing up his belt, "Wait! Evan wait!" He shouts calling after his... probably ex-boyfriend at this point.
Nan goes to sit down so she misses Amar coming down the stairs wiping his mouth with his sleeve, "So uhm." He says hitting the ground floor.
Evie and I stare at him. Dominique and Kate break out into a fit of laughter and follow Louis outside, Albus and Scorpius look at each other before slowly walking away, not wanting to get involved with it all.
"You and... Woah, hold on." Evie says looking at Amar.
Amar laughs, "Uhh – well. That was fun while it lasted."
"You and Lou?" I say.
Amar shrugs, "Can's tell me you didn't see it coming Freddie." Amar smiles and looks down at the floor, "I could really make a joke here right now..."
"You're drunk," Evie says.
Amar looks up at her and points into her chest, "Correct. But I've also been in love with Lou for two years now so..." he pats Evie's shoulder as he walks past her, "I should go find him."
I didn't notice Hannah was sitting at the table till she sighs, Evie and I look over at her, "I guess cheating runs in the family." She gets up from the table and comes over to Evie, "Hope you know what you're getting yourself into darling."
"Why are you here? Like seriously why are you here?" Evie says turning around to look at Hannah, "You come into my family on Christmas of all times and you sit at my Nans table and talk shit?"
Okay, so I know that now is very much not the time to get all mushy and shit but I'm pretty tipsy right now and hearing Evie call my family her family does something to me that I can't describe.
Hannah smiles, "I just couldn't let little Eric..."
"Evan," I say.
Hannah shoots me a look. "Evan... walk around here thinking that Louis loved him."
"You're a hateful bitch." Evie says stating the obvious.
"What're you going to do? Tell James? He wouldn't believe a word that comes out of your mouth." Hannah pulls a little bottle out of her pocket. I recognize it almost immediately as one of the bottles full of love potion that Dad sells at the shop, "He's infatuated with me."
Evie and I both pull out our wands, ready to hex the smile off of Hannah's face when the front door bursts open. Annie and Gilbert are standing there panting, "Have you seen Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill?" They ask.
Hanna uses this as a way to excuse herself from the situation and heads back outside with the rest of our family.
"No..." I say glaring at the back of Hannah's head as she makes her way across the yard, "Why?"
"Cause Victoire and Dom got in a fight and now they're off to duel each other in the woods," Gilbert says.
Annie looks at us,
"You coming or what?"