After taking a quick shower and getting ready, I went downstairs to the delicious smell of bacons and toasts, only to meet everyone in the kitchen.
"Happy birthday, Lexi!" Mrs. Weasley said enthusiastically, and before I could process what was happening around me, she quickly brought me into a warm hug.
Ginny and Ron also came forward to give me a hug and wish me a happy birthday. But Fred stood in the distance, awkwardly avoiding my gaze.
"Now, I've made you a special birthday cake," said Mrs. Weasley, "but you'll just have to wait till tonight so Sirius and Remus and Tonks can join us as well."
"Thank you so much." I smiled up at her warmly.
"So when will you be moving?" Ginny asked as we all sat around the kitchen table for breakfast.
"Whenever." I shrugged. "I mean, it's not too hard for me to move. I only have a trunk of clothes. Wouldn't even take me five minutes to unpack, now that I'm allowed to use magic outside school."
Soon after breakfast, Sirius showed up with a disapproving look on his face as he glanced between Fred and I.
"Before you say anything," I started quickly the moment he opened his mouth to speak, "I want you to take into account that today's my birthday, so don't be too harsh on me."
Sirius cracked a little smile. "I was actually going to ask if you needed any help with the moving."
"I — oh — wow... thanks, I guess," I said, looking up at him in disbelief. "I was actually going to take my trunk up to Fred and George's now."
"How are you going to get there?" Sirius asked. "The Floo Network's not connected."
"I was going to Apparate, actually."
"But you haven't given your test yet."
"Yeah, I know." I nodded. "But I can do side-along Apparatition. I've done it along with Dumbledore once before."
"Okay, then... should we go now?" Sirius suggested. "Fred can get your trunk, and I can help you Apparate there."
"That would be great! Thanks!" I said and so Fred went upstairs to get my trunk as I left the house with Sirius.
Once we were out, I took his arm and so we Apparated to Diagon Alley, arriving right in front of the twins' joke shop. Moments later, Fred appeared next to us as well with my trunk in his hand.
"Oh hey, Snappy," said George when we walked inside, coming forward to hug me. "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks, Georgie." I smiled, pulling away.
"Ah, I see you're finally here to stay," he said with a grin, his glance falling upon my trunk.
"Yup." I chuckled.
"You sure this place is safe?" Sirius asked, looking around as we walked upstairs through their flat.
"Of course." Fred nodded reassuringly. "Besides, if the slightest problem occurs, we'll quickly go to a safe house that's already been set for us with all the protective enchantments."
"All right," said Sirius, clapping his hands together before turning to face Fred. "Which one is your bedroom?"
"Er... that one," said Fred unsurely, pointing at a door across their small living room.
"And which one is yours?" Sirius asked George.
"The one to its left." George pointed.
"I see, I see." Sirius nodded. "Which means that one is the guest room. Great!" With that, he caught us all off guard when he took a hold of the trunk and started carrying it toward the third room.
"Sirius? What are you doing?" I asked, following after him with Fred. "Is that why you suggested to help me? So you could make sure I'd stay in the guest room?"
"Finally caught up, have you?" he said with a grin, putting down the trunk. "Take it from me; moving days are dangerous."
"But —" I opened my mouth to retort, but Sirius cut me off, turning to face Fred and I.
"Now, listen here, you two," he started sternly. "There's one rule that I want you to follow while you stay under the same roof."
"Which is?" I raised a brow at him, folding my arms.
"The five-inches-rule."
"The what?" Fred questioned.
"It's exactly as it sounds," Sirius went on. "On your stay here, you two will have to keep five inches apart at all time — hey, don't look at me that way! I'm just gonna assume that father will murder me if he ever knew I let his daughter live with a guy."
"Ugh, fine!" I finally said in defeat. "I'll stay in the guest room."
Fred gave me a look of shock, but Sirius smiled, clapping his hands together. "Good. Now let's go back to the Burrow. The others will arrive soon and I'd kill for some cake right now."
So with that, he went back downstairs along with George, leaving Fred and I alone in the flat.
"Are you really planning on staying in the guest room?" Fred raised a brow at me.
"Of course I will. When my uncle says I shouldn't stay in your room, then I won't." I shrugged, but then gave a mischievous smile. "But he didn't say you couldn't sleep in the guest room."
***
That night, Remus, Tonks, Bill, and Fluer joined us for a small birthday party as Mrs. Weasley brought out her delicious home-made cake.
After dinner, I stood up to help Mrs. Weasley clear out the table, but she stopped me, insisting that I don't have to work on my birthday.
I was going to thank her again, but my attention was caught by Fred, who cleared his throat behind me.
"Can we talk? In private?" he asked and so I nodded, following him outside the house and toward the field ahead, the beautiful starry night above us.
I gulped as he finally came to a stop. I thought he was going to talk to me about the joke I had made that morning. Had I really made him that uncomfortable?
"Look, Fred, I'm sorry —"
"Do you know what this place is?" he said, cutting me off as if he hadn't even heard me.
I stared up at him. "What do you mean?"
"This place... three years ago," he said with a smile goofily. "Our first kiss, remember?"
I chuckled, going on tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. "How could I ever forget?"
"Well — um — I know I'm not a great boyfriend — I mean sure, I'm very handsome and all," I giggled at that, "but the point is — I might not show how much I care for you — but I want you to know that — that I love you so much, Lex."
I only smiled, being overwhelmed my emotions and feeling speechless as I looked up at him with a smile.
"Therefore," Fred went on before I could say anything, "I wanted to hereby thank your parents for doing the dirty nine months before this date in conclusion of bringing you to this world."
I roared with laughter, shaking my head at him in disbelief. "You can't keep it serious for once, can you?"
"Nope." Fred grinned. "Trust me. I tried. But being an idiot is now second nature to me."
"No arguing on that," I said with a smile and so Fred leaned down to bring me into another kiss, this time more passionately.
After what felt like long minutes, he finally pulled away, his ears slightly red as he smiled sheepishly down at me.
"Right... er..." he cleared his throat, taking a step away from me. "I — I actually wanted to give you something."
"Oooh, a gift?" I said cheerfully. "Hopefully this one wouldn't blow up in my face."
"It's not anything like that. Trust me."
"You've pranked me twice in these three years with your gifts. I think it's reasonable to say that I'm way past trusting you."
Fred smiled. "Well, then hopefully this will change your mind."
With that, he dug into his coat's inner pocket, taking out a small box. The moment he opened it up, I gasped, my eyes widening at what I saw inside.