Secret Admirer: A Fred Weasley Love Story

Chapter 23: Forever A Champion

Wow I am so stupid. I just realized that chapter 22 was titled chapter 23 for like a month. *Facepalms*

So anyway, I apologize for not updating since forever :-/ *Dodges hexes* But I love you so here is another chapter! :-D Enjoy!

The clump of wet snow shot across the backyard of the Burrow at Ginny. I shook with laughter as my snowball squared her in the face.

She fumed, her fists clenched, and bent down scooping up snow and hurtling it at me. I dodged the snowball by mere inches and grinned from ear to ear.

"You can't beat Rose!" I taunted. "I'm the best!"

So apparently there was this other Christmas tradition at the Burrow. Snowball fights for the kids. Little did the Weasley's know, in their humble home they were harboring the queen of snowball fights.

With my small height, I could dodge easily and was less of a target and usually thought of as a small threat. I was also surprisingly fast and flexible.

I was going to win this war if it was the last thing I did.

Snow was flying, Harry was falling, Percy was complaining, Hermione and Ron were failing, and the Weasley twins along with Ginny and I, were breaking our backs to try and beat each other.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Fred were all on one team, and George, Hermione, Percy, and I were on the other.

Needless to say, my team wasn't exactly in the lead. I called a time out and dragged the brooding Percy to the group huddle.

"Ok you guys I have a plan. Hermione, you start building a fort. We need protection, and you have the best strategies. George, cover Harry and Ginny. Percy, make and stock as much ammo as you can and store it in Hermione's fort. I'll cover Ron and Fred. Got it?"

My team nodded and we headed back out, my scarf whipping in the sharp wind and my glasses fogging slightly.

The cold cut through my coat and my stockings, but the energy that was coursing through me numbed the pain.

About 15 minutes passed, and the fort was finished so Hermione was now covering Ron, leaving me with just Fred. George had already hit Harry with a snowball, and he was left with Ginny to track down.

I weaved between the trees that lay on the outskirts of the property, looking for Fred, my footprints soft and light and covered up quickly by the falling snow.

I watched my breath become visible as I exhaled into the cold, crisp air. A rustle sounded in the trees and I spun to face a brush behind me.

I peered closer at the shrubbery, waiting to see if someone was going to jump out at me.

Someone did jump out at me eventually, but from behind. I screamed like a mandrake and they grabbed my waist, my feet leaving the ground, and I was tackled to the snow.

I seethed at Fred who was on top of me, his smirk as wide as the horizon. His arms were planted on either side of me, his legs over my skirt as I lay trapped on the ground.

"Fred! You toerag! Get off of me!" I spat.

He chuckled lightly, his beautiful, freckled, cheeks rosy from the cold.

"Fine," he replied, rolling his amber eyes and standing up. I scrambled to my feet and gathered snow in my hands, already forming a killer snowball.

I aimed for the back of his head as he walked out of the trees, his knitted cap fitting him perfectly, the puffball on top bouncing as he stepped.

I aimed and fired, my snowball hitting its target.

I whooped and cheered. "I got Fred! Did we win yet?"

I sprinted through the trees and shrubs to see George pelting Ginny with snowballs from the impressive pile that Percy had accumulated over the past few minutes.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all conversing in a little group behind Ginny, their jumpers and pants covered with remains of what looked like a hundred snowball impacts on their bodies.

George finally stopped throwing snowballs at Ginny who tumbled backward into Harry's arms and almost passed out.

Harry looked smitten and very uncomfortable. I went through possible wedding themes in my head.

Ginny finally spoke up, snapping me from my trance of Harry and Ginny's possible future baby names.

"George tagged me out about FIVE BLOODY MINUTES AGO and wouldn't stop attacking me with snow!" She retreated from Harry's awkward hold and brushed off her pants and crossed her arms.

George defended himself, "Well Percy made such a plethora of ammo, and I couldn't just let it go to waste! And yeah, Rose, we won by a long shot."

I cheered and jumped in the air, my skirt swirling around my stockings.

I turned to face Fred, but he was no longer next to me. I caught sight of his retreating figure into the trees.

I hurried after him and pounced on his back, my arms around his shoulders.

"Haha we won, loser! Rose will always succeed!"

Fred laughed and looped his arms around my legs, securing my piggy-back position.

I rested my chin on his shoulder and giggled softly in his ear. "How's Christmas so far, Freddie?" I teased, my cheek brushing his.

"Pretty great, honest. Besides waking up to you jumping on my bed, the incredible shrinking jumpers, freezing my butt off, and losing the annual snowball fight... It's been brilliant."

I laughed, my breath disturbing the still air, and I dropped to the snow, falling in step with Fred.

"Yeah, it has been pretty great hasn't it?" I said, my smile reflecting the warm and fuzzy feeling that built up inside of me from the giddiness of the moment, and how I was walking next to the most amazing boy I would ever meet.

Fred suddenly stopped and adjusted my scarf, his gloved hands brushing my face every so often, and on his face a concentrated expression crossing it.

"Sorry, I just don't want you to catch a cold," he murmured. His cheeks reddened as he started walking again and I let myself wonder if it was the wind or me that caused the color in his face.

I shivered slightly. "What about some hot chocolate?" I proposed, glancing up at his adorable features.

He looked down at me, his eyes lighting up, "Sounds great!"

I giggled at his reaction, and grabbed his hand as we sprinted to the Burrow, our faces turning pink from what I think was the cold.