My mind whirled with all possible worst case scenarios as my feet creaked up the wooden staircase from the cellar. Adrenaline coursed through me as I prepared myself for whatever was coming next. I stepped out into the grand entrance to the house and there he was. George. Looking dishevelled and outright terrible.
"George?" I said quietly, moving towards him.
His face was pale and had a glossy sheen to it, as though he'd been crying, tear stains cutting through the dirt on his cheeks. His eyes met mine and my heart dropped. He certainly didn't look like someone who had good news.
"He's dead" George spluttered out, looking down at his hands, "Percy's dead"
The words rang in my ears. I could only imagine how devastated Molly and the rest of the family would be. George collapsed into my arms and buried his head into my hair. His breathing was ragged and I felt him whimper as he began to cry again.
All of a sudden a violent gust of wind rattled around us and I felt somebody else wrap their arms over my shoulders, joining our embrace. They smelt heavily of ash and rubble, making my nose twinge.
"I'm home, Celeste. I'm home" Fred whispered, tightening his grip on us both.
I was caught in the middle of the twins as they eased on to me. It was clear they had gone through hell as they let themselves drop the weight of the day.
The morning sun filled the house and disoriented my perception of time. I'd fallen asleep while it was still dark and the twins had only just gotten home. They hadn't slept a wink, the battle going on until the early hours of the morning.
George pulled away first, mumbling something about writing to Daphne, leaving me alone with Fred in foyer. Words escaped me. I didn't know what I could possibly say that would make things better. As devastated as I was for the family, I was overjoyed that Fred had returned to me safely.
I move cautiously, wrapping my arms around Fred's torso and looking up into his weary eyes. It was hard, when really all I wanted to do was grab him and show him how happy I was to see him. I had to be careful, he was fragile.
"Let's clean you up, okay?" I whispered, grazing my hand across his face covered in grime and soot. He nodded slowly, before taking ahold of my hand and planting a kiss on my palm. It was a small gesture, but it showed me that he was still there.
Keeping his hand in mine, I lead him upstairs to the main bathroom. It had been rebuilt almost exactly as it had been before the fire, a claw foot bath stood in the centre of the room. I turned one of the gold taps, letting the bath fill with steaming hot water. With a flick of my wand, I cast a bubbling charm and the water began to foam as the soft smell of lavender wafted through the room.
Fred stared in a daze as the water cascaded across the porcelain, unsure what to do with himself. His eyes were glassy, as though he were on the brink of tears at any moment. I knew the feeling far too well.
Guiding him close to the bath, I began to help him undress, taking off his jacket and jumper, before his shoes and trousers until finally he was standing in only his boxers. He folded his arms nervously against his chest and I moved them apart to pull his body into mine.
"Will you get in with me?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. There was nothing wanted more in this world.
"Of course" I reassured him. I turned off the tap as the bubbles reached the top and Fred slipped off his boxers, stepping carefully into the warm water.
"Come on then" he smiled softly, beckoning me in to join him.
I removed my clothes and slipped below the bubbles with him. It helped that it was a rather large bath as sharing that small a space with somebody as tall as Fred would have been a hard task otherwise.
We sat at opposite ends and his freckled face was framed by the bubbles. Leaning forwards, I took a cloth and gently dabbed away the dust and blood from his face. I hadn't noticed until now that there was a large gash running from the tip of his eyebrow to his hairline and I cleaned it up, careful not to hurt him too much.
Though we stayed in silence, it wasn't an uncomfortable one. He let me wash his hair and any sign that he'd been engaged in deathly combat at all. His cheeks became flushed from the temperature of the bath and he was beginning to look more like himself than he had when he'd first arrived home.
When he was squeaky clean, we laid back, soaking in the delicate scent of the bath and the comforting temperature of the water. Though being this close to him completely naked made my stomach flutter, nothing felt overtly sexual. We simply stayed there, enjoying each other's company. I wanted to ask what had happened but I had to respect how he was feeling. Eventually, with enough waiting, he cleared his throat.
"It was my fault" he choked out, tears pooling in his eyes. I moved forwards, rubbing his shoulders back and forth so he knew I was there to listen.
"Freddie, it wasn't" I whispered.
"It was. It should have been me" he mumbled, looking down at the water.
"Don't say that" I pleaded, cupping his face in my hands and forcing him to look at me.
"You're the only reason I'm still here. What you said, it just kept replaying in my mind, not to get distracted, no joking around" he explained, "Percy, he came to reconcile. All he wanted was to have a laugh with me but I just wanted to stay safe"
"That isn't your fault" I insisted, stroking my thumbs across his flushed cheeks.
"The wall, it just exploded. I heard it rumbling and I knew I had to move. I just jumped out of the way without thinking and he got caught" Fred's voice trembled as he explained. I had never seen him so broken.
"And I'm so happy you're home, Freddie" I gushed, "I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of him. Percy fought for what he believed and so did you. It's over now"
Fred bit down nervously on his bottom lip, looking thoughtful about what I'd said. He stayed quiet until the water went cold and we eased ourselves out. I wrapped us both in big fluffy towels and we retreated to my bedroom.
The only thing that would ease this would be sleep. Even though it was nearing the afternoon, we nestled under the duvet together, still in our towels and fell asleep, our wet hair soaking the pillows.
My eyes fluttered open again and I could hear the rhythmic sound of Fred's breathing next to me. Night had fallen outside and though the day had been short it had felt like a lifetime. I was thankful that he had been able to get some sleep and I pulled myself out of bed to see if anybody else had come home. Putting on any clothing I could find, I padded along the landing, straining through the silence for any sign of life.
As I entered the living room my heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw George, sitting in a trance-like state on one of the sofas, staring into the flames in the fireplace.
"Georgie, are you okay?" I asked, sitting down beside him.
"I don't know" he breathed out, a deep sigh escaping from his chest.
"Have you heard from anybody yet?" I asked gently.
"Mum, dad and Gin have gone back to the Burrow, Ron stayed at the school to help" George replied wearily.
"Did Daph write back?"
"Yes, they're safe, she's home now. She'll be arriving tomorrow" he explained. He could barely keep his head up, so rested it on my shoulder instead.
"What's going to happen, George? With Percy I mean" I whispered, trying to be careful with how I'd phrased it.
"He'll be buried at the Church in the village" George answered flatly, not even lifting his head. I assumed it was the shock that had left them behaving so strangely.
Not wanting to pry anymore, I stayed quiet until I heard the light purr of George's snores. When I knew he was comfortable I let myself drift off too.
When I awoke there was another red haired boy propped at the end of the sofa. George's head was now in my lap and Fred was nestled next to me. They both groaned as I dragged myself up from the sofa to try and make sense of everything that happened yesterday.
Before I could make my way to the kitchen, I heard a thud in the fireplace behind me. I turned sharply on my heel to see soot billow from the chimney breast and Daphne appeared from the ash, spluttering and coughing.
"Morning" she said sombrely, stepping into the living room. Immediately George lifted his head from the sofa and stood, she ran into his arms melting into him instantly. They stayed that way for a moment, taking in how grateful they were to be together again, until they pulled apart and sat quietly together on the sofa. Fred also stirred, sitting up properly and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Celeste, can you come and sit down?" Daphne asked, nodding to the empty armchair beside them.
It was so formal, why was she asking like that? I'd only been spoken to like this when there was bad news. My stomach knotted and I ran through everybody I cared about in my mind, mentally ticking them off when I knew they were safe. So, what did she need to tell me? I sat down in the squishy armchair and motioned for her to go on.
"Well, before we left the Manor, they returned, the Malfoys. They were furious at Draco, he'd done something" Daphne said sheepishly.
"Quite heroic actually, we saw it for ourselves" George interrupted.
"Hardly heroic" Fred muttered on his breath, crossing his arms angrily over his chest.
"When we thought it was all over, that Voldemort had won. Draco's parents called him to join them and he refused, choosing to stay with us" George explained. A little glow of pride spread through me, though I did a good job of hiding it for Fred's sake. I hoped that this was the beginning of something positive for Draco, that maybe one day his outlook would change.
"Anyway," Daphne started again, "that wasn't the only reason they were furious. Celeste, I want you to stay calm, I know this may be upsetting or possibly not, I really wasn't sure how you would react to be honest"
"Spit it out Daphne" I snapped. She was fumbling through her words, I could tell something was the matter and I just needed to know
"Colin...he passed, during the battle" Daphne whispered. She was right, I didn't even know how to react myself. On one hand he'd been awful, he'd killed our parents and even threatened to kill me, but there was still a pang in my chest. He was my brother, until his third year at Hogwarts we'd been so close. He'd been best friends with the twins, we'd grown up together and now he was gone. I had no family left.
"Passed? As in..." I trailed off, looking down at my hands to try and avoid eye contact with anybody.
"Yes, he attacked members of the Order and naturally, they defended themselves" Daphne explained. The twins hung their heads looking down at their hands too, seemingly taken aback by the news just as I was. Almost as though we'd all had the same thought, our eyes flicked to the arrangement of photographs on the mantle. Nestled between them, was an image of us all outside The Burrow when we were younger, Colin stood between the twins with a large grin on his face and waving back at us from the image.
"That's how we'll remember him" I announced, getting to my feet and picking up the frame in my hands. The twins gave each other a concerned glance before letting me finish.
"I know who he became, I know more than any of us how awful he was and we can't forget that, but we have to remember this too" I said, tapping the glass over his face.
For the remainder of the day I struggled with my own internal battle whether to tell Fred and the others how close I had been to death at the hands of my brother, but ultimately I decided against it. He was dead, there was no need to worry them with what could have happened. Colin wasn't here to hurt anybody anymore, it didn't feel necessary to spoil their view of him any further. I would never forgive him for what he did to our family and he died knowing that. That was all the closure I needed.
As another day came to an end, the sun began to set over the meadows. I had arranged for butter beers and dinner to arrive by owl, as none of us had eaten a single thing since the battle and nobody was in any mood to cook.
The meadows filled with the brilliant orange glow, as we sat on the steps up to the house, sipping our butter beers. Despite the panic we had al felt over the past few days, there was a strange calm that was settling in the air. I noticed as everything moved around us as though at peace and in harmony with one another. The days had seemed dark for goodness knows how long but I was thankful for this moment of rest.
"I want us all to live here" I said suddenly, breaking the quiet moment.
"What?" George asked, leaning down the row to look at me.
"All four of us, I think we should live here" I repeated, shrugging my shoulders.
"What about our house?" Fred asked, furrowing his brow at me.
"Do whatever you like with it! But could you imagine us all living here?" I gushed, looking over the meadows in front of us.
"Well that's would be perfect" Daphne said quietly, looking over at George for his approval.
"I think so too" he grinned back at her, "as long as you're both sure, Celeste"
"It'll be mine, officially, in a few days, of course I'm sure"
"Celeste, that's right it's your birthday in a couple of days!"Daphne gasped, almost dropping her glass on the marble steps. The months we'd spent at Hogwarts had droned on so monotonously that I hadn't even kept track. It was as though they had done it purposely to keep us disoriented and docile, but I had worked it out for myself on the other day and decided to keep it quiet for as long as I could.
"It is" I mumbled, taking another gulp of the frothy liquid.
"What do you want to do for it, gorgeous?" Fred asked, resting his elbow on my shoulder and looking down at me intently.
"This is hardly the time to celebrating a birthday...with everything that's happened" I said, choking on my beer a little with surprise.
"I think that makes it the perfect time" Fred grinned. I could tell by the look on his face that he had already started to make plans in his head.
Over the next few days I could tell they were all up to something. Atherol would deliver packages that were snatched immediately from his talons to be hidden away somewhere. Plenty of letters had been sent out, I'd seen them stacked neatly on a desk in the study with Daphne's elegant swirled handwriting on their envelopes. I was excited, for the first time in forever I had something to look forward to.
On the morning of my birthday, I awoke to the sound of pans clattering downstairs. My hand fumbled under the sheets to reach out for Fred but he wasn't there. Swinging my legs over the end of the bed, I pulled on my silk dressing gown over my pyjamas and ventured down to see what the commotion was.
The dining room ceiling was raining with tiny sparkles and the table was already set for breakfast. I strained to hear voices, bickering quietly past the door to the kitchen.
"But you said-" Fred protested loudly.
"I haven't made them before!" George cut him off.
"Give it here" sighed Daphne, and I heard the clatter of another pan.
"Now look what you've done!" Fred bellowed.
I edged closer to the door, creaking it open slightly to peer at them all, huddled round the stove. As far I was aware none of them were any good at cooking, not even aided with magic let alone muggle cooking like this. I continued to watch silently by the door, fighting back the urge to laugh loudly at them as they continued to struggle.
"Oh I give up, I'm owling mum! She'll know what to do" Fred huffed, turning and stopping dead in his tracks at I grinned at him from the door. "Damn it"
"Morning everyone!" I called cheerily, as Fred came over to wrap his arms around me. George and Daphne jumped round, looking embarrassed at the mess they'd made in the kitchen.
"Happy birthday!" They called in unison, giving me an apologetic look.
"Shall I do this?" I laughed, motioned to the stove. They nodded their heads eagerly and darted out of the room, saying they had some other surprises they needed to get started with.
"It's your birthday! I wanted to cook you something so you could eat in bed, you can't cook your own breakfast" Fred groaned, as I slipped out of his hold to start frying eggs and bacon for everyone.
"I really don't mind, it'll taste far better than anything you'd have cooked anyway" I teased.
"Oi!" Fred exclaimed, giving my arse a gentle slap for the comment. His hand smoothed over the sensitive skin he'd just made contact with, rubbing in careful circles.
"It is your birthday after all, would you like your present now?" Fred whispered, his words fanning across my ear. My skin prickled along my neck and I felt him apply pressure from behind as I continued to turn sizzling eggs in the pan. Oh Merlin, I really did want it. But it was the morning and I knew the other Weasleys would be joining us shortly.
"Fred," I groaned, letting him continue for another moment, "your parents will be here soon"
He sighed deeply, knowing that I was right. We both felt incredibly frustrated but here and now in the kitchen? It would be too dangerous. He removed his hand from my behind and grazed my cheek with it instead before planting a soft kiss.
"Happy birthday, love" he said quietly, before leaving the room to help the others.
I had been right to turn Fred down, as much as it had pained me, we surely would have been caught. Not even ten minutes later there was excited knocking at our door. George answered it and I heard four chirpy voice echo from the hallway. It was just in time as I began to plate up everybody's breakfast. Arthur, Molly, Ginny and Ron had arrived, walking all the way from The Burrow as the weather had been so nice this morning.
Molly and Ginny flung the door to the kitchen open, both of them wrapping their arms around me, nearly knocking a pan of finished sausages out of my hands. Molly looked down aghast at the saucepan.
"They made you cook your own birthday breakfast!" she said, angrily, leaving the room at once on a war path.
"Ignore her!" Ginny laughed, "We all know we'd only be eating slices of burnt toast if the twins had cooked"
Ginny helped me carry out plates and Molly began hassling the twins to get off their chairs and put out juices and make everybody teas and coffees. We all gathered around the dining table and if this had been all my birthday was I would have been perfectly happy, but I knew there was more to come.
When everybody was finished, Molly insisted I stayed seated and that she would take care of the clear up, with a flick of her wand the dishes had glided into the kitchen on thin air. I really must ask her how she does it.
We really had been lucky with the weather and it was a brilliant Spring day, so everybody dragged tables and chairs outside. I sat lazily on a chair with my feet propped up on Daphne, while the others played a small game of Quidditch. Even in my birthday I knew this competitive lot wouldn't let me win so I opted out and decided to read a book instead, perfectly happy just to watch Fred as he zoomed about in front of me.
"Stop staring! You're making me nervous" he bellowed down to me from his broom. I giggled quietly to myself and flicked my eyes back down to the pages of my book.
It neared late afternoon and slowly the Quidditch players grew tired and dropped down one by one to the ground. Before I could even say hello, Fred scooped me up from my chair and flipped me over his shoulder, carrying me off back into the house.
"What are you doing?" I cried, half laughing and half panting for air.
"They've got a lot to sort out down here and you need to get ready" he chuckled, carrying me all the way upstairs until we were outside my bedroom.
"Get ready? What am I getting ready for?" I asked, completely clueless to what this occasion called for.
"Just put on a nice dress or something" he shrugged. I rolled my eyes at him and opened the door to my bedroom. I didn't think I had any nice dresses here, but as I made my way to the bathroom to shower, I saw a garment bag hanging on the back of the door.
"What is this?" I squealed, unzipping the black bag. Inside was a magnificent white summer dress, with careful embroidered details, I knew instantly Molly had something to do with this.
"It's mum's present, she wanted you to have something new for your birthday" he grinned mischievously, "Go on have a shower and then put it on"
I was so excited to try on the dress, I hurried in the shower, washing my hair and body faster than I ever had before. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I swaddled myself up in a large towel and tiptoed out of the bathroom to get a better look at the dress. It was perfect and tailored exactly to my measurements. I slipped back into the bathroom, dress in hand and picked up my want to cast a drying spell over myself. Letting the dress fall over my body, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.
When I was all finished getting ready, I stepped back out into the bedroom, to see Fred waiting for me splayed out across the bed. He was flicking through the book I'd been reading and looked lovely as ever. He'd changed into a smart shirt and trousers with a complimenting suit jacket. I assumed George would be wearing something somewhat matching too.
He looked wonderful and the feelings I'd had for him this morning in the kitchen resurfaced, causing a warmth to grow in my core. I stepped slowly, careful not to trip over in the heels I'd just put on and made my way to the bed. He flicked his head up when he heard my shoes tap against the floorboards and his face practically lit up.
"Hello beautiful" he exclaimed, sitting up at the edge of the bed and skimming his hand along my thigh. It sent shivers through my body and I knew I needed him now.
Waving my hand to get him to part his legs, I placed myself on one of his knees and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was taken aback as he stared up at my face, as though he were studying it in great detail. I couldn't help but lower my face away, feeling embarrassed, but with his hand he turned me back to look at him.
"All I thought about was you, and- all the awful things that could have happened" he bit down on his lip as though he were stopping his voice from shaking, "But this is everything- everything I could have hoped for"
My eyes stung horribly and I lifted my head, trying to force the tears back in so I didn't cause mascara to run down my face. He grazed his hand across my cheek and I felt my skin warm beneath.
"I can't make you cry on your birthday!" He chuckled, rummaging around his pocket, "Will your birthday present cheer you up?"
"Yes please" I grinned, dipping my head into the crook of his neck and trailing soft kisses along his jugular.
"No, I really mean your present" he laughed, pulling himself away from my mouth and opening his hand to show me a little velvet box. My eyes grew wide as I looked down at it.
"Oh Fred" I gushed, taking the box and holding it in my hand. Popping it open, I saw nestled inside were small delicate earrings with swirling green stones.
"They're Emeralds, your birth stone" he grinned, looking very pleased with himself. My eyes began to well again, this time with joy. It was such a thoughtful gift. I tucked my hair gently behind my ears and let him help me put them on.
"They look lovely" he whispered slowly, running a long slender finger from behind my ear and down my neck. Shivers ran down my spine, he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Fred, have we got time?" I breathed, as he began to plant gentle kisses along where his finger had just been. I had no idea what they were up to downstairs but I didn't want to make anybody wait for us, or worse have somebody banging on the door to come join.
"I don't care" he said, his voice sounding low and gravelly. I ran my hands through his hair and pressed myself deeper against him, earning a groan from his throat.
All at once, he lifted me and placed me back down on top of him so I was straddling his lap. Trying to steady my breathing, I took deep inhales, the comforting scent of wool and firework powder filling my lungs with each one. Though it didn't help, it only made me more excited.
Carefully, I rocked back and forth against him. It had been so long and I hadn't quite realised how much I'd missed his touch, but my body had become overly sensitive. The last time we had been together was the night before I'd gone off to Hogwarts to start my seventh year and that was far too long to have been without him. The past few days we had been so preoccupied with the aftermath of the battle that it hadn't even crossed my mind, but now there wasn't anything else I could possibly think about.
"Get up" he whispered between pecks and I obeyed. Hovering over him, I got up and let him walk me back to my desk. My behind knocked against the hollow wood and clattered against the wall. Fred huffed quietly to himself and whispered the silencing charm, along with another flick of his wand that caused the lock to click loudly as it closed.
Now we were sure we couldn't be interrupted, he turned back to me, his hungry and desperate. He place his lips on to mine and they moved together in frenzy. I lent back, sitting down on the desk to make myself more comfortable and he ducked lower to meet my level.
"It's your birthday, tell me what you want" Fred grinned wickedly against my mouth. My mind raced, there were so many things I wanted but nothing in particular came to mind for now.
"I just want you" I crooned, trying to kiss him again, but he restrained me, making me look him in the eye.
"There must be something you want" he repeated. The smirk on his face was pure gold and it melted my chest. He brought out a side to me I'd never in knew existed before him.
Suddenly, something did come to mind. He'd only done it once before and surprisingly, I'd rather liked it. I bit down nervously on my lip, unsure how to ask for what I wanted.
"Go on, I can tell you've thought of something" Fred teased, gliding his hand down my arm reassuringly.
"Well..." I started, I could already feel my body temperature increase, "we've done it before and I don't even know if you meant for it to be nice necessary but I did enjoy it and-"
"You're rambling" Fred cut me off, "Come on, it's me. Just tell me"
"Okay, okay! Well do you remember that time we um- at the shop?" I mumbled, staring down idly at my hand.
"Yes, of course" Fred chuckled.
"You held my hands behind my back, and well- I liked it" I stammered out. I don't know why I was so nervous, it wasn't like I was asking for anything too much but for some reason it was a struggle to string a sentence together when he made me feel this way.
"I see" Fred smirked to himself again and nodded his head thoughtfully, "I'll do you one better"
Unsure what he meant, I quickly found out. Fred span me around so my behind was brought to his front. He pressed against skirt of my dress and tipped me over, just as I had been on the counter at the shop. Slowly, he brought my hands behind my back, making sure I was in a comfortable position along the way. The ache between my thighs persisted as I anticipated his movements.
"Incarcerous!" he called, and from thin air my hands were bound with coarse rope. I strained against them, in utter shock that he'd done this again but quietly satisfied with how it felt.
"Fred!" I yelped. From behind me, I heard his throaty laugh and he leant over me, so his crotch was pushed right against me.
"Now, you know if it becomes painful at any point just say so and they'll be gone" he reassured me. I nodded to let him know I understood.
The sound of Fred's belt clinking broke the weighted silence and I took a sharp inhale as I tried to calm myself down. It was too much to bare. The rustle of his trousers falling to his ankles made my heart beat faster and I felt him gather my dress around my middle and align himself with my entrance.
Fred eased into me and I whimpered out into the quiet room. If I hadn't been so ready the amount of time that had passed since our last encounter could have made this painful but instead he was able to thrust into me with no hesitation. I'd missed it so much I couldn't keep my mouth shut, letting my delirious moans tumble freely.
"That's it" he grunted, pushing into me. He had one hand on my waist and the other rested on the wood beside me to steady himself. Every time I rocked backwards I was sneak a look at his heavily veined hand, straining against the desk and I would feel another electric shock sensation to my system.
The ropes dug into my skin but the pleasure of the restraint overpowered the pain. I was completely at his will, I moved with him in a rhythmic pattern and it felt as though my brain was rattling around in my skull.
Fred repositioned himself, resting one knee on the edge of the desk, so he was able to push deeper into me. I writhed against the ropes unable to control the actions my body made. He leant further against me, his hand snaked around my front, teasing my sensitive spot with two fingers. I cried out again from the shock and without warning my walls tightened around him.
My climax erupted through me and my legs trembled violently against Fred's body. He chuckled softly behind me and sped up his pace, knowing exactly what was happening.
"Come for me, Celeste" he groaned, "good girl"
My insides fluttered as I came down from my high and I sighed deeply. He continued to push into me and I was completely overstimulated, whining out and wriggling against the ropes more than ever before.
"Fred, the ropes" I whined and almost as soon as I'd uttered the words they were gone. My hand fell flatly to my side and pulled myself up. Fred retreated from my body to make sure I was alright but I was more than alright.
I span round, so I could get a good look at him and sat myself down on the desk, pulling him back into me. I wrapped my legs around his middle as he began to thrust into me again. The close proximity of our faces made the experience all the more intense and I could practically feel the heat of Fred's skin radiate on to me.
"Oh fuck, Celeste you look so good" Fred groaned, his mouth gaping open as he watched himself push into me. He halted and his whole body tensed from a moment as he reached his end.
We panted over each other until we finally began to laugh quietly at how ridiculous we looked. Fred's hair was wildly standing up on end and I attempted to smooth it down with my hands.
"We better get downstairs, everyone will be wondering where I've been keeping you" Fred raised his eyebrows at me. He pulled away from me and began straightening myself up while I did the same, letting my dress drop down my legs effortlessly.
As I eased open the door, I jumped back, met by a disgruntled looking Ginny with her fist held up mid-knock.
"I've been knocking for 5 minutes! The door was locked" Ginny fumed, looking round angrily at Fred. Her eyes immediately widened as she saw him tucking in his shirt and flattening his hair. A quiet but knowing "Oh" stammered out of her and she lowered her fist to her side.
"What did you expect it's her birthday?" Fred grinned, passing both me and Ginny to leave the room first. She caught him by the back of his shirt and slapped the back of his head lightly. "Oi!"
The three of us made our way downstairs and I was surprised to see the patio outside filled with smiling faces around the table. The usual Weasley crowd sat beside each other, now joined by Bill, Charlie & Fleur, then at the other end was Hermione and Harry chatting excitedly with Daphne and Astoria. My eyes fixed on another familiar face and I thought my heart completely stopped beating.
"You invited Draco?" I whispered.
"Daphne invited him. If I'd had it my way..." Fred trailed off, abandoning whatever he was about to say to remain composed. He smiled down at me instead and slipped his hand into mine, walking me out to the table.
Calls of "There she is!" and "Birthday Girl!" erupted across the table and I felt my cheeks turn an undeniable shade of red. Draco grinned at me uncomfortably, his eyes flicking down to mine and Fred's hands intertwined. A pained look flashed across his face for a moment before he quickly regained himself.
I sat myself down at the head of the table with Fred one side and Daphne on the other. Something in me kept checking Draco wasn't uncomfortable but I was pleased to see that he had Astoria beside him to talk to.
I couldn't believe that so many people had gathered together for my birthday. The sun slowly began to set over the meadow and once again bathed us in a soft orange glow. The food Molly had prepared for us so began to deplete but cocktails were brought out in their place.
The drunker I got the more I became overwhelmed with how grateful I was to have these people in my life. I sipped down a sparkling elderflower concoction that Bill had prepared and rested my head on Fred's shoulder. Automatically, he planted a kiss on my forehead and I looked at him in a happy daze.
Ginny had dragged a gramophone out on to the patio and put on some of my parents' muggle records that had been salvaged from the fire. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond began to crackle over the speaker and the twins immediately jumped to their feet and began loudly singing along, the words and melody becoming muddled with their intoxication. Ron and Charlie quickly joined in, knowing the words a little less than Fred and George, making the harmony even worse. For a moment I thought I had been transported back to being 10 years old, when they would sing along to this song whenever my parents played their records to everyone. It was quite impressive that they could even remember the words.
Fred and George got everybody up off their seats to join. We all danced together, giddy from the drinks. Fred twirled me exuberantly under his arm while Daphne and George danced closely together. Arthur and Molly shuffled in time with each other, looking like the perfect pair. Bill and Fleur, the latter far more drunk than her partner, swayed coolly, as Ginny and Harry whirled each other around, almost fighting for who was leading the other. It was Ron and Hermione I was most surprised by, openly showing their affection for one another for the first time ever. Even Draco was forced to dance by Astoria, who took his hands and guided him sweetly.
"I love you" Fred whispered, wrapping his arms around from behind me to sway us from side to side.
"I love you too" I whispered back, resting my head on his chest and looking up at him longingly.
My heart was completely full and there was no other place I would rather be than here.
A.N. I wanted to give you both finishing chapters at the same time so please go to the next chapter <3