ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ • ʙɪʟʟ ᴡᴇᴀꜱʟᴇʏ

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

Freya was sat in the very empty Great Hall, reading for an upcoming Potions test when Bill slid on the seat next to hers, grinning toothily. She frowned, closing her book before looking at him.

"What's got you in such a hippy-happy mood? We have a Potions test soon and I heard it's tough." she asked him. She'd never seen him smile this broadly. He laughed. "What're you smiling so creepily about?"

"Well, you know how you cannot go home for Christmas break?" he said. She rolled my eyes. Did he really have to remind her of the lovely letter her mother had sent her? It simply read:

Freya, the family will be spending Christmas in the Alps. The house will be empty. Sirius will be travelling to the Highlands for holidays.

And that was it: no 'happy holidays' or 'season's greetings'. She didn't even bother signing the letter. Her brother Sirius, on the other hand, sent her a very sweet letter along with a small gift: a beautiful amethyst necklace, handcrafted by a tribe in Minas Gerais, Brazil. She vowed never to take it off.

"Yes... and...?"

"I kind of... invited you to come over to the Burrow for Christmas. My mother simply could not tolerate you spending Christmas alone at school. So, what do you say?"

"I'd like that very much, Bill." she smiled softly, giving him a tight hug. "Your family is too kind to offer."

"As if I'd let you stay here alone!" he scoffed. They pulled apart. "My mother had your present ready before I even offered.

"That is so nice of her, but she really shouldn't have..." Freya paused. Nobody had been so nice to her in her life, except for her brother Sirius, but he was away most of the time.

"She insisted, and wouldn't take no for an answer."

Freya packed up her trunk, rushed down and waited for Bill by the Great Hall entrance. She did not have to wait long before he came walking up to her.

"Ready to meet my crazy family?" he asked her, a twinkle in his eye.

"You really have never met my family for you to say that." Freya smirked. On the train, they sat next to each other in a cabin shared with another student she was partners in Potions with. They all shared Bertie Botts. At one point, she took a small nap, only to be woken by the sound of thunder. When she woke up, she saw that she slept against Bill's chest. Upon realising this, she jolted up and blushed.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you up, Freya?" Bill asked with concern. Freya smiled and shook her head.

"Thunder." she simply replied, and stretched. The other student had left the cabin. "Where's Alfie?"

"He went to find his older sister at the front of the train a few minutes ago." He replied. "We should soon be there... I can only imagine what The Burrow must be like at the moment."

Freya looked out the window. It was very stormy outside; she loved this winter weather. Bill had told her the house was super old, but nothing a charm couldn't fix in this weather. But Freya didn't mind: anywhere that wasn't Black Manor was home for her. She shook the thought out of her head with a small smile. As Kings' Cross station got closer and closer, the weather improved more until the rain completely stopped, yet the weather still grey and bleak.

"I see them!" Bill exclaimed happily, looking pointedly at a group of people. Freya chuckled. She didn't realise how large his family was. He mentioned 'several siblings', but not four! "Oh yeah..." He chuckled when he saw her widened eyes. "Did I not mention I come from a big family?"

"Bill, how exactly am I going to fit into your place with... with... that many children?"

He laughed. "The house has a charm to it... literally and figuratively. Trust me, everyone fits in The Burrow." The train came to a halt and Bill helped Freya drop her trunk from the top of the carriers and onto the ground, before seeing a nearby trolley, putting them on it.

"BILL!!" They turned round to see four boys running up him, hugging him altogether. Freya grinned, finding this adorable to witness. Mrs Weasley must be driven up the wall with all these boys, she thought.

"Hey, guys!" Bill greeted them back by trying to wrap both arms around the little boys. "Whoa, I've only been gone a couple of months, calm down! George, quit pulling on my leg!"

"I'm not George! He is!" the boy laughed, pointing at his lookalike. Freya blinked. Wow, she'd never seen twins before. When the boy noticed the girl staring back at him with astonishment, he smirked. "Ooh, who's your girlfriend, Billy?"

"I'm not his... I'm--" Before she could introduce herself, two adults running towards them. Freya assumed they were Mr and Mrs Weasley. Mr Weasley was holding a baby boy wrapped in a blanket, and Mrs Weasley a baby girl. Ah, so there was a girl in the clan, Freya observed.

"Boys! I thought I told you to wait right next to us, hm?" Mrs Weasley scolded them.

"I told them, Ma." The boy a few years younger than Bill answered. Freya giggled. He seemed the bossy type. "They just really wanted to meet the girl."

As if for the first time, Mr and Mrs Weasley noticed the shy girl. Mr Weasley smiled. "And you must be Freya Black. Nice to meet you, I'm Arthur." He extended his free hand and she shook it. "And this is--"

"Oh! You dear child!" Mrs Weasley enveloped her in a big, motherly hug, giving the baby she was holding to Arthur. She smelled like soap and dust, a combination which surprised the girl. "When Bill told us about you staying alone for the holidays, I just could not bear it!"

"You're too kind, Mrs Weasley." She smiled when they pulled away.

"None of the Mrs Weasley nonsense, love! Call me Molly."

"Let me introduce you to the troublemakers." Bill told her, earning an opposing 'Hey!' from the bossy child. "This here is Charlie." He pointed down to the boy who was closer to their age. "He'll be attending Hogwarts next year." He then patted the bossy boy's head, earning a slap to the chest in return. "This is Percy. He's a plum."

Freya laughed. "A plum?" It was the most random and ridiculous nickname! She loved it!

"He's a dorky plum." The twins said in unison. The slightly taller one stepped forward. "I'm George. This is Fred."

"Nice to meet you, George, Fred." The two twins sniggered.

"Quit messing around." Percy rolled his eyes and then to Freya, he explained in a very monotone voice, "The taller one's Fred, other one's George."

"Thank you, Percy." She smiled nicely at him. He blushed and stepped slightly behind his mother's leg.

"Oh, and these are the babies!" Bill exclaimed happily. "This is Ron and this pretty ladybug..." He poked her tiny nose. "Ginny."

Freya peered down at them. They were both sound asleep, and couldn't help but giggle when she heard the boy snore. She looked at Arthur and Molly, smiling politely. "You have such a beautiful family." Much more than mine, she thought inwardly.

"You're too kind, dear." Molly chuckled. "Come on boys! Let's go home!"

Mr Weasley pushed the trolley with Bill and Freya's trunks. She expected to see a van, one like she saw once when she was at a Muggle market in London. But to her surprise, Arthur made his way to a light blue Ford Anglia.

"Um, Bill..." she whispered to him. "How exactly are we all going to fit in the car...?"

Bill looked at her concerned face and laughed. Freya thought Bill's laugh was the most amazing thing she'd ever heard in her life. "Dad cast an undetectable extension charm to it. It can fit all of us and more!" While Arthur was loading the booth, Bill opened the back passenger door and gestured her to step in. "After you, Freya."

"Oh! Thank you!" Freya hid her blushing cheeks with her long hair before stepping inside the car. It was really big, almost like a van or a bus even. "Wow." she whispered to herself. Bill sat down next to her and grinned.

"Everyone all buckled up?" Molly called to the rest of the car. She could barely turn around while holding little Ron and Ginny in her arms.

"Yes, Mum!" Bill replied after glancing at each one of them. Once Bill answered, Arthur stepped inside, started the car and they drove off.