Days between Aurora and Fred went on just as that first day they reunited had.
The both of them had returned to work, since the absence of George and Angelina left the shop busier than usual. They spent their free time with each other, whether it was reading novels or tangled between the sheets.
Aurora could tell that the absence of George was taking a toll on Fred, and it physically pained her knowing that there was nothing she could do at the moment. The holiday's were quickly approaching, and Fred has never spent a single holiday without his twin, and it was upsetting him.
The couple was on the way to his parents' house, planning to meet up before heading to pick up Hermione and Ginny, who decided to return home for the holiday's. His hand was plastered to her upper knee, and the two of them sang familiar songs with no music, their voices being enough.
The two of them shared a car that was rarely used, since apparating and floo powder were far more effective methods of transportation, but since they would be staying at the Weasley household for the holiday's, they thought it would be easier to have a car to carry any gifts they may receive.
Aurora watched as Fred shouted the lyrics at the top of his lungs, the rolled down windows blowing his hair in different directions, and she fell for him. He had a look of pure joy on his face as they drove down the road, and if she had the Polaroid camera on her, she would take a picture. Instead, she let out a happy sigh, adoring his features and singing along with him.
She always loved the way he sang, it was genuine around her. At countless parties, he would always have a great time with his friends, singing to miscellaneous songs, but it was never genuine unless he was around her. With her, he would use his talents, his true capabilities, and she loved how open he was with her.
Unbeknownst to Aurora, Fred felt the exact same way. At all those countless parties, he would always cut glances at Aurora, watching her let loose around her own friends, but he only saw her true self when they were together. All his life, they had been the best of friends, and he had silently loved everything about her for years.
Only now, their feelings were completely out on the table.
When they finally arrived at the burrow, there were other cars already parked around the front, meaning most everyone had arrived. Fred pulled up next to the old flying car, parking it and looking over at Aurora with a goofy grin.
He took her face in his hands and pulled her into a sloppy kiss, making Aurora groan as his saliva went around her mouth. He pulls away and wipes his mouth off, before looking up at his childhood home with stars in his eyes.
As much as they had promised to visit home after they moved out, Fred and Aurora hadn't been able to keep up with that promise very well, and it was obvious that they missed it. He smiled up at the tall house, getting out of the car and running to Aurora's side to open the door for her.
"What a gentleman." She said, and he chuckled a bit, reaching out his hand to help her out. The two walked with their fingers interlocked to the front door, knocking loudly. The sound of the lock clicking made Fred smile, and he whipped out his wand, unlocking it with ease and throwing the door open, where a very happy looking Charlie stood.
The two brothers engulfed into a hug, clapping each other on the back. Charlie spends nearly all of his time away in Romania, and it's always a good time when he returns, especially for the holiday's.
"Aurora McGonagall, do you still have that kiss waiting for me?" He jokes, pulling away from his brother and tapping his cheek with a stupid grin plastered on his face. Aurora laughed at his remark, rolling her eyes and pulling him into a tight hug.
"I was five, are you ever going to stop holding it over my head?" She asks, pulling away and crossing her arms, and Charlie just scrunches his nose, bending down to her level and shaking his head with a smirk.
"Never. Most romantic comment I've ever heard." He jokes, and Fred playfully shoves his shoulder away, wrapping a firm arm around her waist.
"Sorry mate, she's all mine now," He says, kissing her on the cheek, "You missed your chance." He says, and Charlie's eyes switch between Fred and Aurora, before a smile forms on his face, pulling the two of them in for a hug.
"It's about time the two of you started shagging." He says loudly, and Aurora's face flushes red, but Fred only laughs at his brothers' comment.
Charlie's loud voice called attention to the fact that Aurora and Fred had arrived, and Fleur and Molly hustled out from the kitchen, big smiles on their faces.
"Oh, my babies!" Molly exclaimed, running over to plant a kiss on Fred's cheek.
"Mum, please, I'm a man now." He groans, rubbing away her kiss as if it left a mark.
She only laughed in response, before turning to Aurora and pulling her into a tight hug. Molly hummed as she rubbed her back, before pulling away and squeezed her shoulders gently.
"It's great to see you both," She says with a smile, before she frowns at the two of them, "But so help me if you take this long to visit me next time, I'll have your heads for it!" She shouts a bit, and the couple only raises their hands in defense, chuckling a bit.
"Yes, ma'am." They say in unison, and her and Charlie head back to the kitchen.
"Aurora, dearest." Says Fleur with a soft voice, and Aurora smiles, kissing each side of her face, before pulling her into a hug.
"It's been so long since I've seen you!" Aurora exclaims as they pull away, and Fleur lets out an exasperated sigh in response, nodding her head with widened eyes.
"I've missed you both a great deal." She replies as she pulls Fred into a tight hug.
"We'll have to be sure to see each other more than just holiday's." Fred says as he pulls away, and Fleur smiles at the two of them, wrapping her arms around her torso.
"Where's Bill?" Aurora asks, and Fleur tilts her head to the kitchen, sighing and shaking her head a bit.
"Out back with Harry and Ron, flying around on brooms and dousing each other in water." She retorted, and Fred seems to perk up a bit, switching his gaze from Aurora to the back door, leading out to the boys.
"Oh, go join them already." Aurora chuckles, and he plants a kiss on her forehead before running to the kitchen, earning a scolding from Molly for running in the house. Fleur and Aurora share a glance before shaking their heads, chuckling a bit as they walked to the kitchen.
"Boys." She says, and Fleur laughs a bit. The two of them walk into the kitchen to see Molly preparing a light meal, presumably for them to eat when they get back from picking up Ginny and Hermione.
Charlie was sitting on the island, watching Molly do all the work, so Aurora and Fleur decided to jump in, helping her clean her area and making things easier for her. The three of them conversed among themselves, with Charlie occasionally butting in, until the boys came in from outside, soaking wet and boasting about their triumphs.
Bill acted as if he was a proud father over the other three, and Fleur just smiled at him, rubbing her stomach soothingly, which caught Aurora's eye, but she decided not to say anything for the time being. Fred reached over Molly and picked up a piece of fresh bread she had just made, getting his hand swatted away.
"Aurora!" Exclaimed Harry when his eyes landed on her, crossing the kitchen to give her a hug. She smiled at him and hugged him back, ruffling his hair as they pulled away, earning a groan from the boy.
As time passed before they had to leave, the family spent time catching up, telling extravagant stories that were overly exaggerated for dramatic effect. Arthur eventually returned home from work, and the reunion seemed to jolt back to life once more. Percy wasn't due home until the night before Christmas, so he was absent for the time being, but they were expecting him shortly. As upsetting as it is to everyone, there was no word from George or if he would be attending the annual Christmas celebration.
Aurora absolutely adored the entire Weasley family, and times like these were some of her favorites; taking the time to speak to people she loved made her as happy as ever. Though, the whole original household wasn't completely together at the moment, the knowledge that at least most of them would be around for the most wonderful time of the year kept her spirits up.
Once the meal was finished and put away, and the boys had gotten themselves cleaned up, it was about time for everyone to head to the station. Bringing the entire family to pick up the girls wasn't necessary, but if anyone knew anything about the Weasley family, they'd know that the family is a unit, and they're together as much as possible.
Since everyone came in their own cars, it was easy to transport everyone at once. Arthur and Molly disguised and took the flying car, Bill and Fleur went on their own, Charlie let Harry and Ron come with him, and Aurora and Fred went with each other.
"I miss George." Fred confesses once they left the burrow, and he was in private with Aurora.
"I miss him, too, darling," She replies, placing a gentle hand on his thigh, "I'm hoping he'll pop up around here soon. You know he can't spend a holiday without his best friend." She reassures him as much as possible, and the hint of a soft smile formed on his face, but ultimately he kept his eyes glued on the road in front of him.
The ride was quiet for the most part, and Aurora knew that Fred was upset about the absence of his twin, and about the absence of knowledge on whether or not he'll be around for the holiday's, so she kept her hand on his leg, stroking it with her thumb. The small form of affection let's him know that even with the lack of a conversation, she was there for him, and that was all he needed at the moment.
The two arrived to the train station after everyone else, and when they finally crossed over to the platform, it was filled with wizarding families, waiting to see their children after so much time. The Weasley family's loud personality and bright red hair caught Aurora's eyes, and the two of the joined the crowd, listening for the Hogwarts Express.
To pass the time, stories from old Hogwarts days were told, reminiscing on their younger selves. Fleur got to explain how it was at the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and even though Bill had heard her stories countless times, he smiled down at her with a pure look of adoration, wrapping an arm around her waist.
The Hogwarts Express whistle drew everyone's attention, and the front of the platform flooded with excited parents, young witches and wizards who are too young to attend Hogwarts yet, and as the train pulled into sight, students were seen sticking their heads out the windows, large smiles on their faces.
Aurora let out a happy sigh, remembering her first holiday returning from Hogwarts, and how she was so excited to tell Arthur and Molly about all her adventures, alongside Fred and George. She naturally inched closer to Fred as she reminisced of their past memories together, and he grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers as the train screeched to a stop.
The Weasley family scanned their eyes across the countless number of children returning home, looking for Ginny and Hermione. Aurora's eyes landed on a rather small looking boy, one who was searching frantically through the crowd to find someone, and she recognized him immediately.
"I'll be right back." She turned to Fred, planting a kiss on his cheek, before turning away and heading for the little boy.
"Well if it isn't James Tuckett." She said, tapping the boy on his shoulder, and he looked up at her with confused eyes, before a small smile grew on his face.
"Aurora." He stated back, giving her a quick side hug before turning his gaze back to the crowd of wizarding parents.
"Looking for your family?" She asks, and he doesn't look up at her, nodding to himself.
"I don't see them yet." He said quietly, going up on his toes to get a better look.
"I'll help you find them," She said, looking around for anyone who looks similar to the small boy, "How was Hogwarts after I left?" She asked, trying to calm his nerves a bit by letting him tell his adventures to someone.
"Just as it was before." He said quickly, and Aurora turned her head to see his cheeks flush red, a small smile on his face.
"That sounds rather suspicious, Tuckett," She said, and he met her eyes as his smile grew, "Did something happen?" She asked, and he looked away again, the smile evident.
"I made a friend," He said, and a smile formed on Aurora's face as well, "Well, more than a friend."
"Well, don't leave me hanging! What's her name?" She asks, and he scratches the back of his neck hesitantly.
"His name is Bellamy." He replied nervously, and Aurora's heart melted at the short but sweet sentence.
"I'm very happy for you, James. Is he cute?" She asks, and he nods his head, still scanning the crowd, before a large grin takes over.
"Dad!" He exclaimed, and Aurora looked to see a man who was a spitting image of James, just older, approaching him.
"James! I was looking for you!" The man says, before looking to Aurora, "And you are?" He asks, and Aurora sticks out her hand for him to shake.
"Aurora McGonagall, I'll be the Astronomy professor next year, and I met your son while I was shadowing Professor Sinistra." She explains, and he smiles warmly, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.
"Thank you for looking out for him, and congratulations on the new job." He says, and she nods at him, before looking back down at James.
"It was good to see you, kiddo. Have a great holiday, the both of you." She says, and he thanks her, before him and his father walk off, talking to each other about how Hogwarts has been.
She smiled at the pair as they walked away, before heading back to her own crowd. She was glad James was finding his happy ending at Hogwarts, because to her, Hogwarts was a magical experience, and half of it didn't even have to do with the actual magic.
As she neared the Weasley family, she saw that Ginny and Hermione had already met up with them, and when the two saw Aurora approaching, smiles took over their faces, and they ran to engulf her in a tight hug.
"I missed you both." She chuckled, hugging them back, and Ginny pulled away slightly, looking back at Fred.
"I've been dying to know what's happened since you left." She said, and Hermione nodded, agreeing with what she said.
Aurora looked over Ginny's shoulder at Fred, and he was already looking at her, smiling. He waved at her, and Aurora waved back slightly, before looking back at the two girls.
"There's so much I have to tell you both. We'll talk when we get you two settled back at home, alright?" She said, and the three girls returned to the group.
The countdown to Christmas was nearing it's end, and the Weasley family was nearly whole again. It's the most wonderful time of the year, and with the burrow filled to the brim with loved ones, it was only natural for the energy to be through the roof.