A/N: This was one of my favorite chapters to write by far, I think it will become apparent why quite early on, regardless I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
The once vibrant and crisp hues of burnt amber and heated scarlett now simply lost in the harsh breeze that winter brings. The trees standing naked, desperate for the buds of spring to transform an otherwise blank canvas into a vivid explosion of muted fuchsia and harsh rose, something worth marveling in.
And although I somewhat expected the beauty of the autumn sun to fade into one of icy blue, it remained golden all the while, its rays still emitting a subtle warmth and displaying the promise of distant summer.
November was now in full swing, December resting on the horizon, more specifically December 3rd now settling nicely within view. Although I hadn't yet deciphered the emotion I felt regarding that date, instead I had pretended I felt nothing at all, it was evidently a lot easier that way. It always was. For a short while.
I hadn't allowed myself to even consider Sirius's arrival, what it mean, how I felt, how Remus felt, I didnt think about any of it, not even when I was alone, and I certainly wasn't about to start, as I stood in the centre of the quidditch pitch in the hammering and brutal rain.
Oliver had decided today would be the "best opportunity" to get some practice in before Christmas break, although he hadn't quite planned for the harsh conditions and violent downpour that started not long after we entered the pitch.
"Seriously Oliver? We couldn't have done this at a time when the heavens hadn't decided to open?" I shouted over the vicious rainfall.
"Quidditch knows no boundaries, we play regardless of the conditions" Oliver chuckled loudly as he began to reach over a brown box and retrieve a ball from inside.
"Is he always like this?" I asked the twins who were standing either side of me, brooms in hand.
"Yep" They replied in unison with a bitter chuckle and a look I could only translate as 'you have no idea what you've got yourself in for'.
The winds had picked up considerably, their sounds becoming increasingly louder, and the harsh rain and brutal winds were showing no mercy. The water whipped through the air, slashing at anything it could, like shards of icy glass that were numbing my fingers and turning them blue.
Then suddenly, a painfully loud clap of thunder, followed by a streak of violently harsh lightning cut the air in two.
"It's too dangerous to fly" Oliver began as he motioned for the team to huddle in a circle, Ginny, Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and myself now focusing all our attention on Oli's voice, the sound of which muffled and muted slightly by the rain.
"I thought quidditch knows no boundaries?" George teased jokingly, as Oliver began to pack away the variety of balls, with Ron's help.
"If you want to fly in this Weasley be my guest" Oliver retorted in a huff, picking up the box and making his way off the pitch and towards the locker rooms.
"You know how he gets with quidditch, don't take it to heart Georgie, he'll cool down soon" Fred attempted to reassure his brother, as he noticed the disheartened expression wiped across George's face.
George gave a gentle nod and followed Ginny, Harry and Ron out of the violent conditions.
And as they slowly disappeared from view, a strong pair of hands found my waist and spun me to face them, the brutal downpour still crashing down.
Fred's smile suddenly distracted from the all consuming surroundings, his face now the only thing I could see, the only thing I wanted to see. He ran his hand through his rain soaked hair before shaking his head slightly like a drenched dog, his cheeks were flushed a beautiful shade of pink that only intensified his innocent expression.
Fred's supple fingers tucked a loose strand of drenched hair, that hung in front of my face, behind my ear softly, the contact of his fingers on my neck enough to ignite a warmth within me, distracting from the numbingly painful cold that had taken over my body.
He dipped his head down slightly to my level, and I bit my lip coyly as he brought his face closer, Fred releasing a gentle moan at this small action, his eyes flickering between my mouth and eyes uncontrollably.
"You have no idea what you're doing to me Lupin" Fred whispered in a low husky tone, his mouth so close to my own I could feel his heated breath lingering on my lips.
"Oh yeah?" I questioned teasingly, "Then show me"
And with that, he harshly crashed his lips into my own, a desperate and hungry action that only seemed to grow rougher and more uncontrolled as time unfolded. His hands were in my hair, and around my neck, making their way down to my waist and not hesitating to grab the backs of my thighs, his fingers attempting to explore every inch of me.
My aching hands found warmth as they snuck their way up the front of his shirt to rest on his chest, and Fred unconsciously released a subtle whimper at the sudden contact before focusing all his attention back on the kiss.
Soon enough Fred's lips were no longer on my own, but instead littering burning hot kisses across my cheek and jaw before eventually trailing down to my neck, his lips connecting with that sweet spot just below my ear, earning him a gentle mewl I could not suppress and in response I felt him smile into my neck before pulling away completely.
"Let's get you in the warm" Fred spoke softly, his voice suddenly very apparent amongst the hammering thunder.
He took my hand and led me towards the locker room, his icy finger should have been stiff and achy although he still found a way to trace gentle shapes on my palm as we walked.
As we entered the changing room, it seemed as though we had been outside longer than we had realised, considering the room was now empty, and the heat of the once warm showers was the only thing filling the room.
Fred disappeared around a corner momentarily before re-emerging followed, by the sound of water hitting the shower floor, as the heated steam rose through the room.
Silently, Fred's hands found the bottom of my jumper, the rain having soaked it through, causing it to cling to my body slightly more than usual, and he ran his fingers along the hem gently before lifting his head to meet my eyes.
"Is this ok?" He whispered nervously, shattering the silence between us, his voice echoing slightly against the tiles of the room.
I couldn't only nod wordlessly, as Fred began lifting my jumper over my head, taking my t-shirt with it, and tossing both articles of clothing to the floor. Then he slowly reached for the waistband of my legging with one hand and used his other to support my arm as I stepped out of them and kicked them aside.
He eyed me hungrily, his gaze trailing every inch of me, a sudden wave of insecurity washing over me as I stood there in my exposed state.
Fred soon noticed the slight shift in my demeanour and immediately cupped my jaw and tilted my head up to face him, smiling down at me warmly.
"Don't. You look beautiful" He whispered as his fingers found my waist and he began tracing gentle shapes into my skin, his cool finger settling the burning sensation that was travelling across my body.
I smiled coyly as I turned my head away slightly, attempting to conceal that blush that had surly crept onto my cheeks, but Fred simply tilted my head back towards him and cupped my jaw before running the pad of his thumb across my lower lip.
"You're cute when you're nervous" He insisted before pulling at my lip once again, parting them with his fingers, before releasing my jaw entirely and allowing his hands to roam freely elsewhere.
Fred stripped himself down to his boxers wordlessly, not once disrupting our interlocked gaze, and he chuckled slightly as I released a soft whimper at the sight of his perfectly toned abdomen, littered with beautiful little scars and a constellation of freckles.
We both stood there, almost fully exposed, neither of us dared to break the silence as we eyed each other for a moment, before Fred reached out his hand and led my shivering body over to the shower.
Neither of us made eye contact as we slipped out of the last of our clothing, just simply tossing them aside and cautiously stepping in the shower.
I projected a gentle whimper as the steaming water made contact with my bitterly numb skin, and Fred chuckled roughly as I lost myself in the warmth of the showers embrace.
I heard the door close behind me and turned to face Fred, the water beating down on his glistening skin, gentle droplets falling down his cheeks and beads of water resting on his lashes momentarily before he blinked them away.
"Turn around beautiful" He whispered into my ear softly, and assisted me in turning to face the wall, as he reached down to retrieve a bottle of shampoo that he squeezed into his palms. His supple finger found my hair as he ran them through my locks, tenderly washing and massaging my head as he absentmindedly hummed a gentle tune.
His soft humming slowly progressed into the muttering of a song I didn't recognise until he increased his volume and I could faintly make out the words of "Yesterday" by The Beatles.
"Wow, I might as well be showering with Paul McCartey himself" I teased as I turned to face Fred, meeting his eyes as he momentarily halted his song so I could place a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Only the best for you" Fred whispered, before pulling me into him so my head rested comfortably on his chest and his hand held my waist, as he continued to sing, rocking us side to side as the water came down on us.
Briefly, everything melted away, for time most certaining stood still. And right there, in Fred's arms, I had never felt more at home.
Later that day I found myself embraced in the warmth of the common room, the subtle scent of firewood, and the gentle orange illumination from the fire submerging my senses.
I fought the urge to drift off, as a subtle sense of sleep began to wash over me and the book in my hands was now flat to my chest, soon after the words became too fuzzy to comprehend.
The feeling, however, was only momentary as the common room door swung open and a very disgruntled Ron came storming in and threw himself down, practically on top of me.
"And what do I owe the pleasure Ronald?" I giggled, as I watched the internal tantrum flash behind his eyes.
"This is no time for jokes!" He announced, shaking his head and wiggling around to find comfort on the armchair we were now attempting to share.
"And why is that?" I asked, gowing mildly concerned.
"I need your help" He whispered, suddenly very reserved and shy as a subtle blush took over his freckled cheeks.
"What's up?" I questioned, shifting my body to face him better and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"I was just talking to Harry and he said that he and Ginny are obviously going to the yule ball together, and that it's a given that Oliver and Geroge are going together too. Then there's Fred who will obviously get a date, I mean he practically has a line of girls waiting and then well there is Hermione and I uh..." Ron trailed off breathlessly.
"Ron what are you suggesting?" I asked, trying my best to not fixate on what Ron had just said about Fred, concealing my discomfort as best as I could.
"Everyone is getting dates, and I don't want to pass up the opportunity to ask the one girl I actually want to go with" He blurted out, the tips of his ears burning scarlett as his eyes trailing the floor.
"You want to ask Hermione?" I assumed with an uncontrollable grin.
Ron simply nodded shyly as he played with his finger in his lap, still unable to meet my eye, nonetheless I wasted no time in pulling him into a tight embrace, and jokingly littering his head with kisses.
"Ardelle. Ardelle. Can't breath. Suffocating me" Ron groaned in a raspy tone, and I quickly released him, smiling proudly and he gave me a shy although content grin.
"So wait, what's the problem?" I quired in confusion, as far as I was aware Ron had no issue, Hermione was almost guaranteed to say yes.
"I have no idea how to ask her" Ron confessed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "And it's not like the twins advice was any help" He scoffed.
I chuckled slightly at the prospect of the things Fred and George had no doubt said to mess with their little brother before focusing my attention back to the issue at hand.
"Ron you don't need to overthink this, trust me, Hermione will say yes regardless of if there's a hundred fireworks, or it simply just you and the question. She wants to go with you" I reassured him, although he didn't seem convinced.
"Are you sure?" He asked, looking rather apprehensive.
"Positive. Look, she is in the library now, you know that's her favorite place, it would be sweet to ask her in there" I stated, standing up and pulling Ron with me, dragging him towards the door.
"Wait, I'm doing this now?" He exclaimed as I continued to yank him out the common room,
despite his protests.
"No time like the present Ronald" I chuckled playfully, and I watched as Ron took a deep breath and dusted himself off absentmindedly.
"Right, I'm going to do this. Quick, before I lose my confidence" He croaked nervously and began walking towards the door.
"Wait!" I shrieked suddenly, halting Ron's movement as he turned to face me.
I grabbed a pencil from the drawing table on the far end of the common room and my wand from the armchair. Pointing my wand at the pencil I muttered a simple incantation beneath my breath, and watched as the pencil I once held was now a single red rose.
"Wicked" Ron muttered in amazement as I handed him the rose, and he thanked me profusely as he reached the portrait hole and cautiously slipped out of view.
A few quick minutes after Ron had left the common room, the door swung open once again and I shot my head over at the noise, halting my pacing, my heart in my throat, but it soon dropped as I saw Harry, Ginny, Fred and George walking into the common room, all looking rather perplexed.
"Any idea why Ron just walked past us with a rose, and refused to speak to us?" Ginny giggled questiongly, as the four of them got comfortable on the sofas and I walked over to join them.
"He is going to ask Hermione to the yule ball" I explained, a giddy grin plastered across my face.
Ginny released an excited yelp, whilst the boy cheered in support of their friend and brother. Although I noticed, briefly, at the mention of the yule ball, a strange and anxious look took over Fred's features as he struggled to meet my eyes for a moment.
"He should be back any minute, that's if he hasn't gone to cry in the toilets" I joked, and as if on cue, the door swung open and in walked Ron, hand in hand with Hermione.
They wordlessly walked over to the sofas and sat down beside one another, both of their faces plastered with uncontrolled, heartwarming smiles.
They both stared at us all for a moment, and the four of us stared back at them, the six of us sitting in confused silence, until Ron finally spoke up.
"Oh, she said yes by the way" He casually stated, in a nonchalant manner.
Happy and joyous cheers erupted from the group, Ginny and myself going over to Hermione immediately and the boys throwing themselves onto Ron and cheering for him.
We continued congratulating them, the entire group practically giddy until we settled back down and Geroge decided to speak up.
"You know what I've realized, if we include Oli, then each member of the group is going with another member of the group" He the glanced over at Fred and I, "Except Fred and Ardelle, you guys should go together"
Fuck you George Weasley.
I audibly scoffed at his remark but didn't dare turn to Fred to gage his response.
"That's a great idea, if you guys go as friends then we can stay as a group but still have individual dates" Ginny added, not exactly improving my feelings towards the Weasley's as a whole right now.
"Don't be stupid" I lauged trying to diffuse the awkard tension I felt building between Fred and myself, "I'm sure Fred has plenty of girls he actually wants to go with, I'm sure if he stood outside with a sign up sheet he would get about a hundred signatures"
"I don't mind" Fred interjected suddenly, looking down at me with a cheeky grin.
"Perfect then it's settled" George concluded with a knowing looking and shit eating grin, one I was prepared to smack clean off his face at any given moment.
"Jesus George, butt out would you" I scoffed before turning back over to Fred, "Are you sure? You know you don't have too" I tried to explain, suddenly not too sure why I was denying the opportunity to go with Fred.
"Honestly it will be fun and it's a good idea, keep the group together and what not. And it would only be as friends so what's the harm?" He reassured me innocently, although he was failing to mask the sinful glint in his eyes.
I took a deep elongated breath and scanned the room momentarily, narrowing my eyes as I reached George, before focusing my attention back on Fred.
"Ok sure, as friends" I confirmed, holding out my hand as though we had just made a business transaction.
And Fred nodded with a soft chuckled and took my hand, "Friends" he agreed with a cheeky smirk.
"Perfect" Hermione stated cheerfully, as the rest of the group resummed in general conversation, most of which regarding dresses and dress robes and other things I was unable to focus on.
Because I wasn't sure about the rest of the group, but I certainly didn't kiss my friend the way I kissed Fred. And I wanted nothing more than to do exactly that at that moment.