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XXXIII. TIME WITH FRED
Winnifred decided she'd surprise Fred instead of sending him an owl. Now able to apparate, she found herself outside of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She opened the door, feeling a blanket of calmness cover her. George was the one to greet her, who pulled her into a hug.
"Freddie, get down here!" George shouted. George hid Winifred behind his back; as she was very small and George was extremely tall. She could hear Fred groan.
"It's my day off! I'm resting!" He shouted. Winnie rolled her eyes, laughing.
"Whatever you say, Freddie. Sorry, Winnikins, I suppose you'll have to come back later." George said rather loudly. There was a crash, and then the sound of footsteps running down the stairs.
"Winnie?" Fred appeared in front of her, still in his pajamas. "Winnie!" He exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. He kissed her, and George pretended to gag.
"Did something happen? Why aren't you at Hogwarts?" Fred questioned, though beyond happy to see her.
"Dumbledore said I needed some time off. I suppose I should've have expected it after I broke Pansy's nose...anyway, he's sending my work here. I've got two weeks." She explained.
"You broke Parkinson's nose? Wicked." George smirked.
***
As George was running the shop that day, and it had just opened, Fred was taking his day off in the flat above the shop. Winnifred sat next to him on the couch. Winnifred stared at the ginger.
"What?"
"I just love you." She smiled. Fred leaned on top of her, giving her a big kiss. "Well, I love you, too." He smiled.
Winnifred never expected to end up with Fred Weasley, but he made her happier than she could possibly imagine. He'd been there for her to grieve over both Cedric and her father, and he didn't complain once. He was able to make her laugh, and was great at taking her mind off of things she wanted to forget.
"Oh, Mum is stopping by later. Says she has something to drop off. I suspect you'll see Sabrina, too."
"Has your mum finally come around to the joke shop?" Winnifred asked. She knew it had been touch and go with Molly for a while.
"She told us that she was proud of us." Fred smiled. Winnifred could tell that this meant the world to him.
"I'm glad. I'm proud of you, too, love. This place is...amazing. Like a dream." She told Fred.
***
Sure enough, Molly Weasley did stop by that day, pulling the nearly white-haired girl into a crushing hug. Bill and Fluer accompanied her.
"It's good to see you, dearie. I think some time off school will do you well." The mother said. Molly radiated love, and that was something Winnifred never had time to experience with her own mother.
"Fred, I brought it. Belonged to your Uncle Fabian, who was planning to-"
"Mum!" Fred shouted, causing George and Bill to laugh. Molly shrugged handing Fred a small box. Winnifred giggled, having a feeling she knew what was in the box.
"Fleur, how is Clara? Is her english getting as good as yours?"
"She is doing well! She hasn't had as many lessons as I have, but I try to help her out. As does Charlie."Fleur told Winnifred. Molly rolled her eyes. She really seemed to hate the Delacour sisters.
"How are things at Hogwarts this year?" Bill asked, defusing the tension.
"A bit odd. Snape is teaching Dark Arts now, and we have a new potions professor - Professor Slughorn. He's invited me to his clubs along with Harry and Hermione, but he can't seem to learn Ron's name. I think he calls him Weaslby. It's not saying much, though, he keeps mistaking me for my mother." Winnifred told them.
"Poor Ronikinns." Fred said, causing George to laugh.
***
Later that night, Fred and Winnifred lay in his bed. He had dozed off, but Winnifred was still awake. She could hear George snoring in the other room. Seeing that his girlfriend was still awake, Fred rubbed his eyes, and sat up.
"What's wrong, Wins?"
"I'm just thinking." She replied. She had many things on her mind. She still thought of her father daily, and how her mother's spirit had come to her aid in a time of need.
"I'm sure you're smart enough to realize what was in the box my mum brought. I hope it doesn't scare you. I wasn't planning on doing it soon, I just wanted to have it..." He said, talking about the ring that was in the small box. "I never asked if you even want marriage in the future." Fred said, feeling a bit guilty.
"It doesn't scare me at all. It honestly made me really happy. With Voldemort being back, there's no guarantee of tomorrow." Winnifred told him.
"I want it all, Fred. I want to marry you one day, I want to have kids, and hope that they can grow up in a safe environment; unlike the one we're living in now. I want my future to be with you. So, Fred, when you ask, I will unequivocally say yes."
Though it was dark in the room, she knew that Fred was smiling.
***
She was entering her last week off, but she felt considerably less stressed. She'd gotten to see Sabrina, who confessed to her that lately, she'd been liking boys and girls. Winnifred brought up Poppy, which made Sabrina blush. Clara stopped by, excited to see her friend from her time at Hogwarts. It seemed as if Molly liked Clara just a bit more than Fleur; perhaps it was because Clara was impossible to hate. She was full of love and happiness. Her French accent was still heavy, but was lighter than when she first met her. Though Clara still insisted on calling her 'Winniefred'.
She'd talked about Charlie, and how they were taking things slowly. Clara mentioned she didn't want to overwhelm Mrs. Weasley.
If all the people the Weasley children were dating, ended up marrying each other, it would be a huge family. Winnifred and Fred, Fleur and Bill, Clara and Charlie, and everyone knew George and Prim would end up together. It also wasn't a secret that Ginny fancied Harry.
When she finally left to go back to Hogwarts, she was glad Dumbledore had requested for her to take some time for herself.
okay hi if it seems like they're moving a little fast, it's because there's a war going on, and winnie doesn't want to take the chance of losing fred like she did with cedric. i hope that make sense and you don't think i'm rushing things :)
