Fred appeared in the kitchen as Mikayla was making lunch for her visit to see Harry, Ron and Hermione, with an opened envelope in hand. "Look, what I got." Fred smiles wide as he hands Mikayla the envelope, swiftly dropping a kiss on her forehead before peering into the pot she was cooking with to see what she was making. "It's called Cawl Cymreig, it's a welsh lamb and vegetable broth." Mikayla informed him, offering him a ladle to serve himself a bowl while she investigated what was inside the envelope. It's a wedding invitation, "King and Pen, don't waste any time do they?" Mikayla rhetorically asked Fred, whose mouth was stuffed, he grunted and shook his head in agreement to Mikayla's words.
Together with our families
Kingsley Amaris Shacklebolt
&
Penelope Louise Marshbanks
Would like to invite you:
Mikayla Alina Black & Fred Fabian Weasley
To join us in the ceremony & celebration of our marriage at 12 o'clock
On February 14th, 1998
The Ceremony will take place by the Carra Estate Lake and the Reception will follow shortly after in the Carra Manor Ballroom
This event is Formal/Black-Tie Optional
Please R.S.V.P by January 24th, 1998 via a Communication Patronus or by telephone; 01815391402
We look forward to hearing from you
"Awe, they decided on Valentine's Day, that's great news. The other date they had in mind was going to be busy day for the Order." Mikayla couldn't help but smile, she was excited to not only attend another wedding of her close friends, but to host it. Penelope came to Carra Manor on New Year's Day and asked Mikayla and Fred if the young couple would be okay if they had their wedding on the Carra Estate, the place they got engaged. Fred and Mikayla immediately accepted her request, under the single condition that they wouldn't receive payment for the wedding to take place there.
Mikayla invited Kingsley and Penelope to explore the surrounding grounds, to decide where they wanted the ceremony to take place. The Carra Estate offered many options; the vast gardens, the ground's forest, the lakeside, the orchard or in the Manor's ballroom. They decided the ceremony would take place by the lake, using the rippling water as a backdrop to their vows, and the reception in the small ballroom next to the library. Fred told the couple they had full creative freedom with how they decorated their two venues, and offered his and Mikayla's assistance to make their dream wedding a reality. Mikayla did have to do a quick check of each person on their guest list, any non-Order guests that would have to be given her safe house's location.
It was agreed that as soon as the wedding was finished Mikayla and Fred would recast the Fidelius Charm, as well as any other enchantments, on the Carra Estate to keep them safe. The young couple would then reshare its location with a handful of their closest friends and family. The wedding guests would also not be given the location of the Manor until an hour before the wedding via Mikayla's Patronus. This is to give the smallest window to disaster, should someone turn out to be someone their not, or under the control of someone much more dangerous to the Order.
"This is absolutely delicious, love." Fred proclaims, using his spoon to point down at the bowl of Cawl in front of him. "You can have some more if you'd like? I was about to have a small bowl myself in the sunroom if you want to join me." A soft smile etched itself on Fred's face as he told Mikayla that he'd love to have lunch in the sunroom with her. It's something they've done since Fred moved in, eat lunch in the sunroom because it was the closest thing to eating outside without having to face the bitter cold of the winter air. Mikayla cherished those moments in the sunroom, and she didn't want to break her consistent lunchtime ritual with Fred.
The plan was to have a small bowl of Cawl in Fred's company, and then have a proper bowl when she sees her friends. Her appetite has grown considerably since last summer, she struggles a little less with her new eating habits every day. Her eating disorder was not cured, Mikayla didn't believe it could ever be completely cured, but it got easier to live with each passing day. Having a supportive boyfriend definitely helped the process, when he first moved in, Fred would only eat when Mikayla did. Her serving sizes may fluctuate depending on her mood, but she never skipped a meal, and soon they found a mealtime routine that worked for both of them.
Mikayla served herself some Cawl, adding more into Fred's half empty bowl, before Fred led the way to the sunroom. Mikayla could see the joyful aura that surrounded him as he grabbed a soft thin blanket to throw over them while vacating the slightly chilly room. Mikayla took her place on the left side of the sofa, closest to the window, holding her bowl out of the way for when Fred joined her. Fred sat on the left side with his body turned towards Mikayla, stretching his long legs across the sofa, and resting his feet on Mikayla's thighs. Mikayla accepted one end of the blanket off of him, covering both of their legs with it completely before resting her warm bowl on top of Fred's covered feet.
The couple discussed their plans for the day, Fred was meeting up with George to package and post WWW's owl orders for this week. Mikayla planned to just catch up with her friends, fill them in on what is happening on her end before discussing what they are up to, and perhaps help if she can. "Also by tonight, I should be well on my way to closing a deal with someone who can supply us with Phoenix tears. And before you worry, I won't be meeting them alone, George and Dad are coming with me." Mikayla let out a sigh of relief knowing that Fred was being careful, and that he was close to acquiring the last piece of the potion they needed to break Avery's blood vow.
She looked over at him with a gentle smile on her face, thanking Fred for all his hard work in tracking down a cruelty-free phoenix tears collector/tradesperson. Fred assured the blonde that she did not need to thank him because it didn't feel like work when it came to helping her or Avery. Mikayla still thanked him, but without Fred's involvement in finding a way to break a Blood Vow, Mikayla wasn't sure she'd ever find a way to save her sister. Fred blushed at her praise, at her reiteration that without him Mikayla would've never solved all the missing potion ingredients. Fred's intuitive potion making skills, acquired by his extensive research and resilience for wanting to create entirely new and original joke products, lead the way to them solving what exactly the incomplete potion recipe was missing.
Mikayla knew that Fred is quite insecure about his intelligence, how it was compared to his peers, his siblings and sometimes to hers. Mikayla knew that feeling, she often doubted her own intelligence, was she actually smart or did her inherited abilities lead to her academic success? But Fred, his intellect truly shone when he was being creative. He had a knack to solve the toughest of problems, and in surpassing any obstacle that got in the way of what he set out to do. He focused and thrived in subjects that he knew would help him in achieving the career he dreamed of, one full of harmless mischief and controlled chaos, opening a joke shop with his twin brother.
Mikayla often found herself in awe of Fred's creative mind; she knew that he could've figured out the potions he suggested for her to invent with Avery years ago, probably a good bit faster than they did. He instead pushed Mikayla to discover her own creative side, to allow her to explore a more freeing side of magic, specifically potion making, outside the confines of a Ministry approved curriculum. He showed Mikayla the difference between being intelligent and being academic, despite the words being synonymous they couldn't be more different.
No one could deny the Weasley twins' genius, as a duo but also as individuals. And it isn't just a joke products they supply, they could've ignored the current climate and focused on what gave them joy and creative fulfilment, but instead they worked on means of protecting their customers. In the last week of WWW being open to the public, each customer was given a bag of the products the shop supplied. Cloaks, hats, gloves, and a vial of each Carra Creation potions that were protection based, a starter kit on facing the world they would soon be wrapped in.
They brought kindness, brightness and laughter into a dark, miserable world, and they inspired Mikayla into wanting to build a world that matched the atmosphere of their shop. Fred took the blonde's empty bowl from her hands, placing all of her dirty dishes onto the coffee table in front of them. "Come 'ere for a second, love." Fred whispered quietly, breaking her out of the spiral of thoughtful admiration she had for her partner. Mikayla did as requested, ignoring the ten minute warning for her departure as she wanted to revel in the closeness she was sharing with Fred.
The blanket laid forgotten on the floor as Fred gently positioned Mikayla on top of his thighs, her legs straddling his hips. Mikayla instinctively rests her forehead against Fred's, the young couple synchronously inhale the mixture of their breaths while staring deeply into one another's eyes. Fred closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the calmness that comes from their intimate proximity. Mikayla's hand reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb softly caressing his face as she watched his eyes flicker open with the silent wish that time would freeze them like this for just a little longer.
"I love you, Freddie." Mikayla whispered, her thumb swiftly passing over Fred's slightly parted lips. "And I love you, Mia." Fred responded, closing the gap between their lips. The kiss began slowly, a question of what they were trying to express to each other through it, but as it began to heat up there was a perfect blend of love, passion and desire. There was also a hint of hopelessness, wanting their kiss to never end and to lead to other things, but both of them knew that wouldn't be the case. They both had places to be, commitments that were agreed upon a long time ago, but for this split second they could allow their racing minds to unravel and just be in the moment.
It was Mikayla who broke the connection, she had to grab both the Cawl and the groceries she was bringing with her to see her friends. "Make no plans for tonight, okay? We're having a long overdue night-in, just the two of us." Fred promised Mikayla that he wouldn't make any plans for the evening, and that a night with just the two of them sounded perfect to him. Mikayla smiled, dropping a quick peck on his lips, before getting to her feet. "Will you be home in time for dinner?" Fred nods, telling her that his meeting with the Phoenix tears supplier should be finished by 4. Mikayla planned for their night to begin as soon as Kreacher leaves after dinner as she had no intention of blowing him off.
"And we'll have no Order missions tonight?" Fred asked, Mikayla shook her head no, informing that the Death Eaters were gonna take today to mourn Selwyn and to focus on planning attacks. "That funnily enough doesn't ease my mind at all." Mikayla frowned in agreement, "I know, love, but at least we have a night off. Might as well make the most of them while we can." Fred hums, dismisses the discomfort they both felt when they're reminded of just how close either of them was to dying, and that Selwyn had accidentally sacrificed herself for them. "I better be off now anyways, George gets antsy whenever I'm late." "I don't blame him, go, I'll see you later."