Miss Mayhem ▶ George Weasley

Chapter Two

Since moving into the new home, Emerson found that her favorite place to spend time in was up in tree that stood all alone in the field. She had never climbed a tree before, due to living in a flat in London, and it was a challenge that she wanted to beat. So on this sunny day, Emerson spent the entire morning working her way up to the highest limb that would support her weight. And she decided that she never wanted to come down.

Of course she would have to though, as today was the say that Fred and George would be coming to visit. Originally, it was planned that Emerson would go to the Burrow, but the twins stated in their most recent letter that they would much rather come to Emerson.

As she leaned against the tree, legs dangling on either side of the limb, Emerson gazed out at the horizon. It was a very surreal moment, just like everything else that had been happening in her life.

In only a couple of short months, Emerson would return to school. She would be making her way towards her goal of becoming a healer and planning the rest of her life. But of course, right now Emerson could only focus on today.

Today, the day she would finally get to see George.

As if on cue, Emerson heard her name being called from the direction of the house. She turned  where she was sitting, and saw her mother waving to her from the front door. Standing next to Coralie were Fred and George, and their mother, Molly.

Emerson grinned to herself as she shifted on the tree limb to begin climbing down. It was meant to be quick and graceful, that way she could run to where her best friends stood. She had practiced climbing down the tree, to ensure she knew exactly what branches to stand on. But instead, as if the world knew that her boyfriend was watching, Emerson's foot slipped.

It was a horrific moment of deja vu, falling towards the ground with a yelp caught in her throat. But the fall was much shorter than the one she endured two years ago during the stormy Quidditch match. And this time, she fell onto the soft grass instead of the hard sand of the Quidditch Pitch.

Emerson laid on her back for a moment, winded from the landing, before a light laugh escaped her. She could hear the sound of Fred and George running towards her, shouting her name in worry. And when their identical faces were right above hers, Emerson's laughter increased. Their frightened expressions changed to ones of exasperation.

"Merlin's beard, Emery," Fred huffed before he sat on the ground next to her. "You can't hop down a from a tree like a normal person?"

"Well, excuse me, Weasley," Emerson pushed herself up into a sitting position. "But some of us didn't have the ability to climb trees whenever we pleased."

George sat down on the other side of Emerson and grinned. "You practiced climbing down all day, but this time it wasn't in your favor?"

Emerson laughed again. "The universe knew that you were watching."

The three of them smiled at each other, silent joy among them for just being in each other's presence. Then Emerson stood, and the twins looked up at her confused.

"Aren't you gits going to hug me?"

George and Fred jumped up and wrapped their arms around her, squeezing so tightly that Emerson thought her lungs would deflate.

"I've missed you two so much," Emerson mumbled. "Now come on, I'll show you around."

Emerson took off running towards the house, where Molly and Coralie were already sitting on the porch each holding cups of tea. As Emerson bounded up the porch stairs, she heard her mother say to Molly, "She fell from that tree about four times today. I knew she was fine."

Fred and George trailed behind Emerson as she entered the house. She spread her arms out and spun in a circle as they stood in the sitting room. "Welcome to the new home of Emerson Diors," she said and watched as Fred and George looked around, investigating from where the stood.

As George looked at the pictures on the wall and gingerly touched the furniture, Emerson watched him closely. Just like every summer, his skin was much more tan and his hair seemed much more red.

The fleeting thought of telling Fred to scram crossed Emerson's mind, that way she could have a moment alone with George.

"It looks very —" as Fred began to speak, there was the sound of something skidding on the floorboards and the faint jingle of a bell. Fred crinkled his nose, and turned towards the sound.

Instantly, Bandit came flying into few and jumped onto the side table next to Fred. She mewled at him and Fred scowled as he picked her up. "Hello, Devil Cat."

Emerson laughed. "I think she's excited to see you."

"Obviously," Fred rolled his eyes as he began wandering the sitting room. "What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted—" he cradled Bandit in his arms and stroked her head "—was that it looks very nice and cozy here."

The house was decorated in a way that made Emerson imagine a cabin in the middle of the woods. Dark brown paneling covered the walls and the sofa was a deep, mossy green. The walls were adorned of framed articles Coralie had written, photos of Emerson and her mother, and beautiful photos of different nature-scapes.

"Come on," Emerson began walking towards the staircase. "I'll show you upstairs."

On the second floor, Emerson took a quick scan to ensure that Sirius was in his bedroom. Coralie decided that she did not want anyone knowing that he was living here, out of fear of it getting back to the Ministry of Magic. The hallway was empty, and Sirius's bedroom door was shut tight.

Emerson lead the twins to the direction of her bedroom, and opened the door for them.

Her bedroom was almost opposite from the rest of the house; the walls were painted light blue, and the bedspread was white with little green flowers. The furniture was light brown, covered in random items.

Fred and George investigated once more, and Bandit hopped from Fred's arms and made herself comfortable on Emerson's pillow.

"It's a lot neater than I expected," George said, then winked at Emerson.

She rolled her eyes in response. "I'll have you know that I am a very organized person."

"Yeah, sure," Fred took one final look around. "Where is the toilet?"

"Straight down the hall."

The fleeting thought of having George alone returned.

Fred disappeared, and after a moment, George and Emerson made eye contact.

They clearly had the same thought, as they quickly moved towards each other and met in a crushing kiss. Emerson nearly melted at the feeling of being in George's arms and feeling his lips on hers. She forgot how amazing it was.

"I've missed you so much," George whispered against Emerson's mouth.

"I've missed you more," Emerson told him. "I'm so happy to be able to see you more now."

"It's going to be an amazing summer," George said as he pulled away.