**A/N** hey ya'll so I know I said I'll be back this weekend however I wrote a bunch instead of going to any of my zoom classes so here's another chapter! I was just going to wait for the weekend but I think I like reading your comments as much as you like reading the chapter! Okay, love you lots, enjoy! xx
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"James, Fred, Louis I need chairs at tables! Theseus darling can you go help them? Cassie where are those napkins you were doing last night?"
Nan is standing in the kitchen barking orders at us all as each of us scramble to get last-minute things done for Molly and Bridgit's wedding. I've been put on parking duty, so all I have to do is stand on the edge of the property and guide the cars in the right direction.
"Theo sit still if you want this done properly," Mum says turning my head so I look straight ahead of me and not at Cassie and Theseus who are laughing at the fact that Theseus has to carry chairs.
I've been letting my hair grow pretty long so it's a little past my shoulders. Mums adding little braids throughout my hair, mostly so it stays out of my face. Yeah, Mum sucks at braiding other people's hair but Dad is busy getting the tents outside taken down and putting up the big wedding one. And I can't braid my own hair for the life of me.
"Did you put your dress in the bathroom so it can get steamed when we do everyone else's?" Mum asks me.
"I was supposed to do that?"
Mum sighs, she finishes the last braid and kisses my head, "Go, get your dress."
I hop off the chair and Mum shouts for Ophelia so that she can try to tame Ophelia's curls in time for the wedding. She's never really been great at keeping her hair in a presentable way and Mum hates it.
Ophelia nearly crashes into me on her way down the stairs. Her hair is in the same bun that it's been in for the past three days and she's sprinting around the house in her Slytherin sweatpants and a sports bra.
"Wotcher Theo," She says I duck and just miss being elbowed in the face.
All of our trunks have been moved up into Uncle Ron's old room so I make my way up the hundreds of stairs, dodging flying hairbrushes and god knows what else as everyone tries desperately to get ready for the wedding in four hours.
The top floor is quiet though, it doesn't look like anyone has been up here all day. I open the door to Uncle Ron's old room and sigh.
Lucy is sitting in the middle of the floor, her face is painted with makeup and her hair is in big curlers on the top of her head.
"Aren't you supposed to be down with Molly telling her not to freak out or whatever?"
Lucy sighs, "I was, then she started screaming at us all cause no one is going to be ready in time so I needed a minute."
I go over to my trunk and sort through the stuff that I brought to find the flowy yellow dress that I'm wearing tonight, "At least you look nice." I say turning around to look at her.
"You're saying that I didn't look nice before all this gunk on my face?" Lucy says narrowing her eyes.
"I'm saying that if Oscar was here to see you looking like that he would make a very inappropriate comment that I wouldn't like."
Lucy blushes, "You think so?"
"Oh Godric, you don't fancy him do you?"
"You're not the only one that can have a partner Theo." She says crossing her arms over her chest, "Not that it's any of your business..."
"My best friend and my cousin aren't any of my business?" I say looking at her.
Lucy huffs, "I do fancy him. But I refuse to date anyone till at least sixth year."
"And why's that?" I head for the door and Lucy gets up off the floor to walk with me.
"Well by sixth year I'll really know who I am and I'll be able to find someone to date that matches my personality."
"Ophelia's in seventh and she still hasn't got a clue who she is... But you didn't hear it from me." I say, bumping my shoulder into Lucy's as we walk back downstairs and into the wedding chaos.
"Dad! Dad, tell Mum I don't have to wear that dress she picked out for me!" Ophelia says as she and Dad walk into the room that Mum is getting ready in.
"I never said you had to, just that it would be nice... Hi darling, you're not really going to walk around with your hair in that state are you?" Mum pecks Dad's cheek and tries to touch his hair but he playfully slaps her hand away.
"Godric Theo there you are, give me that." Rose says snatching my dress out of my hands, "Mum said that you had one that needed to be steamed but that was five minutes ago and we're running late... Here Lily! I've got it!" She heads back into the washroom waving my dress in the air like a flag.
"Hey, Theo? We need you outside helping with the plates!" Scorpius calls from downstairs.
Lucy shrugs and goes back into the designated Molly room, closing it quickly behind her in case Bridgit was in the hallway, which she isn't.
"I want Auntie Dommy!" Dora screams on the ground floor, "Gimme Auntie DOMMY!"
Teddy sighs as he wrestles his toddler into her tights, "Aunt Dommy is getting dressed so you have to get dressed."
"Molly sweetheart have you seen my tie?" Pops walks right past me and into the kitchen where Nan is complaining to Laurie and Annie about the state of the house.
"Lils! Lily! You have to get your makeup done! At least just a little!" Aunt Ginny calls throughout the house coming inside from the yard.
I slip by Albus and Victoire, Vic is helping him with his tie and telling him off for the scuffs on his shoes, grab my coat from the rack and go outside.
Outside isn't any calmer than inside I'll tell you that one for free. Uncle Charlie and Uncle Bill are trying to see which one of them can put tablecloths on all the tables faster, Uncle Draco is bickering with Scorpius about what side the cutlery should be on. Freddie and Evie are setting up the stage but they're not getting much done cause every five seconds Evie will conjure a snowball and pelt Freddie in the face with it.
Scorpius looks past Uncle Draco and smiles, "Great, can you get the rest of the boxes with the plates in them from the shed?"
"I –" I look towards the shed at the very back of the house, "You do it, I can't do magic outside of school yet!" I say back to him.
"Thanks!" Scorpius says before he swats Uncle Draco's hand away, "I don't bloody care if you're right-handed Dad no everyone is!"
I go over to the shed and throw the door open in annoyance. But very quickly that annoyance turns into horror and disgust as I see Cassie, sitting on the boxes that I'm supposed to be bringing out to Scorpius, as Theseus fucks her.
"OH MY GOD!" I cover my eyes with my hand and try desperately to find the door now that I can't see, "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME!? I'M BLINDED OH MY GOD I'VE BEEN BLINDED!" I finally find the door handle and I slam the door closed.
I throw myself into a nearby snowbank and just lie there looking up into the sky, forcing myself to block that image out of my head.
The shed doesn't open for a little. I assume that because I can't hear anything that they cast muffalito. But muffalito doesn't lock doors, and that's really something that they have to learn how to do.
The door creaks open and Cassie sticks out her head. I tilt my head so I can see her and instantly let it fall back into the snowbank, "You're paying for my therapy."
The door opens more and Cass and Theseus both step outside, "Don't tell Mum and Dad eh?" Cassie says. Theseus stifles a laugh and Cassie hits him in the gut.
I sit up all the way and look at the two of them, "Why on EARTH would I ever want to talk about what I just had to be witness to with anyone, let alone Mum and Dad?"
"I guess we should have locked the door," Theseus kisses Cassie's cheek.
"You – you think!? Might have been a good idea to lock the door before you decided to have sex with my sister at a FAMILY GATHERING! Oh god, I can't unsee it, I'm traumatized."
"You're being dramatic is what you are." Cassie huffs, "Why were you even over here?"
"Scorpius needs plates, but I'm never touching those boxes ever again so you're going to have to bring them to him."
Theseus kisses Cassie's cheek again, "I'll get them... Scorpius is the..."
"Blonde one," Cassie says with a smile.
Theseus takes out his wand and levitates the boxes out of the shed and he walks them over to the big tent that we are having dinner in.
Cassie looks at me, her cheeks are tinted pink, "Sorry."
"Sorry? All I get is a sorry? I'm going to have nightmares."
"Yeah well, I'll remember this when I eventually walk in on you and Josie. It's bound to happen with a family as big as ours."
I frown and Cassie laughs, "Does this mean that you and Theseus are dating?"
Cassie shrugs, "He broke up with his girlfriend."
"Okay? But are you now his girlfriend?"
"Dunno, I mean probably? With the things we've said to each other."
"You're going to sit there and tell me that you're in love with him or something and make this whole thing justifiable aren't you?"
"Well, I mean..."
I put my hand up and close my eyes, "I don't wanna hear it."
"Oi! You two! Get your arses up here and get dressed! Mum's having a fit!" Ophelia shouts at us from an open window on the second floor of the house.
Cassie looks at me again but I shake my head and look down at the ground as I walk past her. I don't think I can ever look at her in the eye ever again.
"Ophelia you better put a shirt on underneath that suit jacket or I swear to Merlin..." Mum says as Cassie and I walk into the room that Mum told us to come into.
"Oh no Mum I was gonna go tits out at a family function," Ophelia says, her back turned to us. She spins around dramatically and does jazz hands. Her hair is up in a better bun than it was before with a few curly bits hanging around her face. Her suit is baggy and a baby blue colour, and she's got a white tube top on underneath. "See? Tits secured."
"That's not what you want to hear coming out of your daughter's mouth," Dad says walking into the room with Annie on his back.
Annie slides off of Dad and goes over to Mum who promptly puts her dress in her hands and sends her into the little closet in the room to get changed.
"Remember when it was us getting married?" Dad says going over to Mum and kissing her neck.
"George darling, I love you with my entire being, but I really can't remember a thing," Mum says back. Mum looks through the mirror she's facing and at me, "Theo my love, why are you sopping wet?"
"They had a fit and tossed themselves into the snow," Cassie says coming back into the room wearing her dress. It's black obviously, floor-length with black lace sleeves. She also seems to have fixed her hair and makeup that was all messed up after... I'm getting PTSD flashbacks, I'm not even going to finish that sentence.
"You're telling me that you don't remember our wedding?" Dad says, "I'm offended!"
Mum sighs, "I remember telling you that I was pregnant with Freddie and you crying for like ten minutes during our first dance. Then it's all a bit of a blur... I think I got on a table with Emma at some point singing Come On Eileen while you were fussing cause you were scared I was going to fall over. But that's it.... Theo get dressed, you and Gilbert have to go to the top of the driveway in a moment."
I get dressed as Dad pretends to be insulted by Mum's memory going on and on about how love isn't real all while peppering kisses all over Mum's face.
"What's going on in here?" Freddie says walking through the door. He's in a basic black suit but I saw Evie earlier and his tie matches her dress exactly, pattern and everything.
"Godric, the day we got married you were just a clump of cells in my belly," Mum says wiggling out of Dad's arms and going over to Freddie, "Now look at you darling, taller than me and all grown up, ready to start a family of your own."
"You're not going to cry are you?" Freddie laughs.
"God if she's like this now, just bloody wait till you're the one getting married." Ophelia says patting Freddie on the shoulder and slipping out of the room, "Oi Dom! Let's take a shot!" She shouts as she heads downstairs.
"Speaking of me getting married, Theo, you wanna be one of my groom's people?" Freddie says, "Okay Mum I love you but please leave my hair alone."
Mum licks her thumb and wipes it on Freddie's cheek, "You've got food on your face. How'd you have food on your face when we haven't eaten yet?" Mum goes to wipe it again but Freddie side steps and goes to look in the mirror.
"Mum it's a bloody freckle," he says prodding his face, "Anyways, Theo? Be a grooms person?"
"Uh, yeah. Suppose I can stand beside you and whisper how much of a failure that your marriage is going to be."
Dad laughs so hard he has to leave the room, Cassie has Mum do up the back of her dress and make sure that the tag is tucked inside. Freddie comes over to me and claps his hand on my shoulder, "Thanks bruv, Evie's gonna be thrilled that you said yes." Freddie heads out of the room leaving just me, Annie, Mum, and Cass.
"I really think you should wear your hair up tonight Cass," Mum says, pulling Cassie's hair away from her neck.
"No wait Mum, I like it down," Cass says pulling away from Mum but it's too late. Whatever she was trying to hide from Mum has been spotted.
"A hickey? Now, how'd you go and get yourself a hickey when you and Theseus can't be behind locked doors?" Mum says crossing her arms over her chest.
"Annie," I whisper, "Let's go."
Annie and I sneak out of the room and close the door right as Cass and Mum get into a row.
"Theo?" Annie asks me as we walk down the stairs. She's wearing a really poofy dark purple dress and ballet flats. I've genuinely never seen her in anything but Ophelia's old jeans and patterned blouses so this is new.
"Yeah?" I respond. I look over my shoulder a little and see Ophelia and Dom, who is in her maid of honours dress pass a bottle of tequila between each other.
"What's a hickey?"
"What?" I say my attention being brought back to my little sister.
"I mean I kinda get what it is... sort of. What is it?"
"Uhhh..."
We get to the bottom floor and Annie looks at me, "Freddie'll laugh and tell Dad that I asked. Cassie'll get mad at me. Ophelia'll laugh then tell Freddie who'll tell Dad and Mum'll give me that talk that she gave you over the summer and I don't think my brain is ready for that so why don't you just tell me."
"Oi Theo? Let's go! Nan's having a fit that we aren't already out there and people are starting to arrive!" Gilbert says poking his head into the hallway that Annie and I are in.
"A hickey is when someone is kissing you and the person sucks on your skin in one spot for a long time and it leaves a mark. Don't tell Mum I told you." I say all in one breath before giving her a peck on the top of her head and rushing out of the house with Gilbert.
Gilbert and I walk down the driveway in silence for the most part. He's been my best friend since forever but recently we haven't been as close and I'm not too sure why. He's always off having conversations with Oscar instead of me and I'm not saying that he's not allowed to have other friends or anything cause of course he can, I'm not that sort of person. But for a long time, Gilbert always came to me with his stuff, not other people.
"Hullo! Are you here for Molly and Bridgit's wedding? Just down this path!" I say to a car pulling into the driveway.
"Can I tell you something?" Gilbert says as he waves to a car driving past us and down to the Burrow.
"Course you can."
Gilbert takes a second to get his thoughts in order, "If I tell you then you've got to promise that we're still going to be friends after."
I wave and smile at another car before fully turning in Gilbert's direction, "What'd you mean I have to promise we're still going to be friends after? Course we're going to be friends after. We're gonna be friends after anything you tell me ever."
Gilbert nods, "Alright, well recently uhm, okay not recently, for a while now I guess...."
"Is this the Weasley residence?" A driver of a car says to us as they roll down their window.
"Yes! Are you Bridgit's family?" I ask, when they nod I smile, "Right down this way for a bit, we have a make-shift car park set up."
The driver thanks me and rolls up their window, pulling down the driveway, "What were you on about?" I say to Gilbert.
"Uhm..." he clears his throat, "I've fancied you for a while. Still do."
I do my very best not to show any emotion at all, I just nod and let him continue to speak.
"I know that you're not attracted to people with masculine features so don't worry about that or anything. I just, it was getting to the point where I couldn't talk to you and I felt like I was keeping a secret from my best friend, and I don't like keeping secrets from my best friend. But now that you know, there aren't any secrets between us and I'm alright, genuinely, I'll get over it all."
I think for a second, trying to get my thoughts in order. Not only did my best friend just say that they have a crush on me but they came out all in one shot.
"Thank you for telling me."
"You're welcome."
"This doesn't change anything."
"Nothing?"
I shake my head, "Course it doesn't change anything. Do you really think I was gonna tell you off and never speak to you again?"
Gilbert kicks a rock across the driveway, "Well no..."
"If anything I'm sorry."
He looks up at me, "Sorry for what?"
"For not liking you like that. I wish I could reciprocate those feelings."
Gilbert scrunches up his nose, "Don't apologize for not being attracted to me. You can't control who you're attracted to cause if that was the case do you really think I would have picked my best friend?"
"Yeah," I laugh, "Fair enough."
The wedding itself was boring as sin. Lots of speeches from Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, as well as Bridgit's parents, which I'm sorry, but I wasn't paying enough attention to learn their names. But after everyone ate and the tent was turned from a dining hall to a dancefloor is when things got exciting.
Okay, exciting for everyone else, I on the other hand sat at a table in the back of the tent utterly knackered from the day I had.
"Get up," Ophelia says walking over to me with her hand out. Her pants are way too long for her so she's wearing heels. Making her pretty much one of the tallest people here, and that's saying a lot in my family of literal giants.
"Why?" I yawn.
"Cause your girlfriend isn't here to dance with you and my... the person that I wish was here to dance with isn't here so get up. I need a partner." Ophelia stands in front of me like a literal giant and holds her hand out, "Let's go, Theodore."
I yawn again but I get up from my seat and follow my sister out to the dancefloor. A slower song starts playing and everyone partners up with someone. Molly and Bridget obviously, Annie and Uncle Charlie, Mum and Dad, Freddie and Evie, Theseus and Cassie...
"What's that face for?" Ophelia asks me as we sway back and forth to the music.
I look away from Cass and Theseus who are doing their very best not to make it look like they aren't a thing. It's not working, "This is just my face today."
"No, it's not. You have a thing."
"A thing?"
"Yeah. You know a thing."
"No, I don't."
"Tell me."
"What?"
"It's eating you up inside I can see it. Just tell me. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."
I look up at my sister, literally, look up at her so I can see her eyes. I'm taller than Cassie but she's like five foot two so it's not hard to be taller than Cassie, but I sure as Godric's beard am not taller than Ophelia.
"You go first," I say. The two of us have graduated to swaying in time with the music and are now just randomly moving around together bumping into other dancers.
"Rose, Lily, and I beat the shit out of James's girlfriend last night." She shrugs.
I blink, "I'm sorry you what?"
"You don't see her around do you?"
I take a look around the tent and sure enough, James is dancing with Lily instead of his girlfriend whatever her name was. And with everything that happened today, I didn't really notice that she wasn't here.
"Why?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows together.
"She heard through the grapevine that fucker over there was getting married and she drugged James with Dad's love potions to get an invite to Christmas and try and I dunno, get under Freddie's skin or something. Anyways, Freddie had me Rose, and Lily take care of it last night."
"Rose too? Like our Rose?"
"No the roses that Nan grows in the garden, yes our Rose you idiot. She was the one that threw the first punch actually."
I take a minute, "Wait so you like physically fought her? Not just using magic?"
"Lily wanted to use the Cruciatus curse. I told her that one, she's not legal and would get kicked out of Hogwarts for underage magic, and two, it's an unforgivable."
"Damn."
"Yeah. So we broke her nose and sent her on her merry way. Your turn."
"My turn for what?"
The song changes to something a bit faster paced but Ophelia and I still dance together.
"To share! My god, I did not just tell you that story for nothing in return!"
"I walked in on Cassie and Theseus this morning."
Ophelia stares blankly at me, "Like how'd you mean walked in?"
"Like Theseus was..." I can't really think of the right way to word it, "He was... uh... inside? Cassie?"
"Oh my fucking god! You're taking the piss out of me."
"Am not, cross my heart."
"Well fuck me."
"Can we not use that string of words, bad enough I had to see Cass in the act, rather not picture you like that."
Ophelia laughs, "I can't bloody believe it. They're actually together?"
"She said that he broke up with the other girl."
"So they're dating and not just fucking?"
I shrug, "Dunno, Cass said that she doesn't know if they're dating but after the things that they said to each other..."
Ophelia's face lights up, "What'd they say to each other?"
"Christ, you're like a bad drama tabloid in the Daily Prophet aren't you?" When Ophelia doesn't laugh I say, "She didn't say what they said but I think they said that they love each other. In the context of our conversation."
"You positive she meant that she said that they love each other?"
"Pretty sure."
"Fuck."
"What?"
"Means I just lost ten galleons to Freddie, I thought it would take them till the end of the holidays to admit that. He said by the wedding."
"You bet on our sister's love life?"
"Uh, yeah? You didn't?"