The Girl who Survived (Fred Weasley)

CH 14. First Holiday Away

~Elodie's POV~

Christmas was tomorrow. And after that I'd be leaving to spend the New Year's holiday with the Diggory's. They had invited me to spend the entirety of the Winter holidays with them, but I had enjoyed mine and Harry's new tradition of spending Christmas in the common room. Almost everyone had left. It was just Hermione, Ron, and me. The rest of the Weasley's had returned home to the Burrow. And all the other Gryffindor had gone to their respective families.
Harry had told me the truth. That Sirius Black was our Godfather. And he'd heard it directly from Minerva's mouth. I didn't want to believe it at first, not because I thought Harry was lying, but because I didn't understand. I didn't understand how someone so vile could be their friend and betray them.
I hadn't spoken to Minerva about it yet. I didn't know how to face her. When she called me into her office, I would make excuses about how busy I was, so I didn't have to talk to her longer than necessary. It almost slipped out when I told her my plan to spend the New Year with the Diggory's, but I was able to control myself.

*** 1 week before Christmas ***

"Professor Flitwick is arranging a beautiful show for the New Year, it sounds quite marvelous. I'm sure you'll enjoy it dear," Minerva said as she was scribbling something with her quill. I had been turning my spoon in my cup of tea for about 10 minutes.
"Actually," I began setting my tea down on the table next to me. "Annie and Amos Diggory invited me to spend the holidays with them," I told her, but she seemed unphased by this.
"Is that so?" She said and dipped her quill back into her vile of tint.
"I told them Harry and I already had arrangements for Christmas, but I would enjoy some time away for the New Year," I told her. I made sure to sound set in my words. I wasn't asking her, simply informing her of my plans.
She put her quill down and looked up and me from the top of her glasses. "And do I need to be worried about you staying overnight with your male companion?"
This actually made me snicker. As angry as I was with her, sometimes she could really crack me up. "You can say the word Minerva, boyfriend. And no, Mrs. Diggory told me she would have the guest room made up for me," I informed her.
"Sometimes I wonder if I've been too lenient with the amount of freedom you have been given," She told me, returning back to her scribbling. The idea that she had given me my freedom. As if it was always to be like this. I wondered if I'd be having this conversation with my godfather, were he not a murder. Better yet, would I be having this conversation with my parents, were they alive to talk to.
"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" I told her as I raised my glass of tea to my face.
She let out a sigh and gave me a long look. Like if she was really trying to find a time when I hadn't been completely transparent with her. She knew literally everything about me. Even things I didn't want her to know, I'd always end up confiding in her. This was the first time that I felt there wasn't 100% trust between us, but now it was I that couldn't trust her.
I mirrored her facial expression raising my eyebrows a bit until she finally gave in and spoke.
"Oh, alright! You may leave the day after Christmas. Understand I am putting an enormous amount of trust in you." She told me.
"Always," I said. I finished my tea and waked to stand behind her in her chair to place a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm going to go to bed," I said.
"Very well, pleasant dreams my dear," She told me, and I made my way to the door.
"You can trust me Minerva. I'm stronger than you think," I told her. She didn't say anything. Nor did I linger long enough to give her a chance. I just made my way back to my house.

***2 days before Christmas***

Cedric had returned home about two days ago. Him and his father instructed me to meet them in Hogsmeade so we could all apparate back to theirs. The last two days were spent mostly in the Gryffindor common room. Today however I was in the boy's dorm sitting on George's bed. Watching them pack.
"You could always come with us if you wanted, you and Harry," Fred offered.
I was sitting on George's bed playing with a stuffed bunny I had pulled off of Lee's bedside table. I mulled over the thought but quickly decided against it.
"No, we've grown fond of our holiday here in the castle," I told them.
"No way you'll change your mind?" George asked me, shutting his trunk, and propping his elbows on the top so he could cutely rest his head in his palms.
I threw the bunny at his face and said, "Not likely."
"That's a shame," Fred said, and he came up behind me to give me a hug that allowed him to rest his face on my shoulder. I realized just how close his face was to my face. How easy it would be for me to turn my head and press my lips to him. I quickly shoved the thought out of my mind and stood up to grab Lee's stuffed animal from the floor.
"Right, well I'm going to take this down," Fred said. I had left him alone. There wasn't really anything to say about it. He grabbed his trunk and began making his way down the stairs.
"So, is it decided then?" George asked me. "You're spending the holiday with him, does that mean your choice has been made?"
"Why do we always talk about me and who I'm dating or not dating? What about you George? Why do I never see you with a pretty girl on your arm?" I asked him to deflect the situation. I moved back so I was sitting up and leaning on the headboard of Georges bed.
He came and mimicked my position, then crossed his arm across his chest. "Let's just say, there's never been a girl I've liked that my dear brother hasn't liked more," He told me.
I rolled my eyes and turned to look at him. "Is this the part where you tell me that you had a crush on me too?" he looked at me in a less intense way then Fred did.
"No, not that. I'm not sure really, no one's been able to hold my attention in that way, I guess. It's one thing to have a fling, but the girls I find myself wanting beyond that, are always just out of reach." He told me and got up from the bed.
"Why should I have to choose anyone? I'm not a toy for people to try and win over. I want to be with someone who loves me, someone who earns me," I told him and got up to return Lee's toy.
He grabbed his trunk and began making his way out of the room. "Well dearie, take it from someone who knows," He said and looked at me for a long moment. "It's not hard to fall in love with you," He said and closed the door behind him.
I laid back in his bed this time on my stomach, so my face was in his pillow. I let out a scream of frustration. What the hell was happening.

***Christmas Day***

​ "Alright, open mine next," I told Harry and handed him the small box containing his gift.
​We all woke up about 9 in the morning on Christmas day. The four of us gathered near the fireplace in the common room. We'd all exchanged gifts with each other, and the ones Molly had sent over. We were surrounded by open boxes of candy and cups of tea. Hermione and I had brought down about a dozen blankets and formed a little nest.
​ Harry opened the box and looked at me puzzled. To him it was just an ordinary trinket. It didn't explain the excited look on my face.
​ "It's a silver tie clip. The little part on the end there, that was dads. It's a stag," I told him and watched his expression light up.
​ "Thank you," He said and engulfed me in the biggest hug I'd ever received from him. "Where did you get this?" he asked me.
​ "It was in my belongings back at Minerva's house. I came across it in the summer and thought it would be better for you," I told him.
​ "I don't think I'll ever get used to her being called anything other than McGonagall," Ron said as he was chewing over a big bite of marshmallow.
​ "It's perfect," Harry said. "I got you something similar, it wasn't theirs, but it reminded me of them...and you," He told me, handing me a small box. I opened the box delicately and saw a copper coin necklace with two lilies connected at the stem imprinted into it.
​ "Harry it's beautiful," Hermione said looking at it.
​ I looked up to look at Harry, at a loss of words. This was perfect. "Thank you," I said to him just above a whisper.
We stayed like this for the majority of the day. I tried to teach the three how to light a fire with wandless magic. Not even a spark was produced. They were used to me doing things like this all the time, but they couldn't understand how.
"I'm telling you, no one ever taught me. I had a dream back when I was eleven and since then whatever I learn with my wand I can do with my hands. And I actually prefer it without the wand. I feel like, I can feel the actual magic, if that makes sense," I explained to Hermione.
"And you never asked McGonagall about it? From what I've read it usually takes wizards a great deal of practice," She pressed.
"She told me the same but said that some wizards it comes easy to them. Like Dumbledore," I told her. "It only took him what like a hundred years?" I said and we all started laughing.
We dropped the subject when they realized I didn't really have much of an explanation behind it. We went to the great hall for dinner, and when no one was looking I slipped extra items of food into my bag. When we were finished, I excused myself and told everyone I was going to meet with McGonagall.
Really, I was heading to The Whomping Willow to visit the dog again. I got through easy enough like last time. I did however hit the bottom of the tunnel a bit harder. I stood up and started walking forward making a kissing noise as I walked.
"Here doggy, doggy," I called out. I heard a loud thud and shuffling coming from upstairs and figured the dog was still in the same room.
"Mr. Dog? If you're in here it's me," I called as I reached the top of the stairs. I heard a clunk like if someone had thrown a metal object at the wall. I pushed the door open and saw the black dog in the middle of the room.
"Now you're not going to give me any trouble, are you?" I asked him with a stern expression.
He barked once and started running in circles.
"Well that's good to know," I said and stepped into the room. I gestured over to his little cot where my coat still laid. "I see you've created yourself a bed. After you," I said.
It went and sat on my coat and covered my face in kisses when I crouched down next to it.
"There, there. I see you're excited to see me," I chuckled. "I brought you something," I told it and began reaching into my bag. I grabbed three blankets out which I wanted to use for a bed. When I reached for my coat it began crying a bit.
"These will be much more comfortable," I explained but it just cried again. I thought maybe it liked the way my it smelled or the warming charm I had placed on it. "Alright, you can keep it, but only as a cover! Let me lay these down for you," I said, and it gave me what I believed to be a happy bark. "Alright climb in," I ordered once I was done, to which he listened. I covered it with my coat once more and cast another warming charm so it wouldn't freeze.
"There you go darling," I said as I stroked its head. "I brought you something else," I said and returned to my bag and began pulling out all the food and water I had packed.
"Now I wouldn't scarf it down all at once, save a bit for later on." I said and stood from where I was crouched over. I went to the fireplace and found the etching I had made was covered in a layer of dust, so I wrote it over again. LE + JP "I love you," I said to my little writing.
"Look at us Mr. Dog. A couple of orphans alone on Christmas," I said then turned back to face it. I was watching me. "Can you understand me?" I asked. And was met with silence. I huffed out a breath and said "Huh, I really am as wonky as they say." I was literally in the Shrieking Shack, talking to a big black dog.
"Right, well I'm sorry to say, this is the last you'll be seeing of me for a bit," I announced to which he cried. "Hush now darling, it'll only be a few days. Just while I go spend the holiday with my boyfriend's family," I said and was met with a few loud barks "Ahh, do I detect a hit of dislike?" I said laughing.
"I'll let you in on a secret," I said and went sit with it. "I think I love him, I just haven't told him yet," I said. The words felt foreign leaving my mouth, hollow almost. Like it's something that you say just to say. "I haven't told him, because I think I'm also in love with my best friend," and much was true. "And I don't know what to do, or if I even want to love," Again, true. The dog laid its head in my lap and let out a little cry. "I gotta tell you Mr. Dog, I really wish I had parents to tell me what to do," I said in a whisper.
I sat there for a moment longer, stroking the dogs head. He would occasionally sniff my hair and then return to laying next to me.

***New Year's Eve***

"Well let's have an early toast!" Amos said.
He rushed from the table and into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of champagne and a few extra glasses. Placing them in front of Cedric, myself, and his cousin Walter.
"Now it's only for the Holiday," Annie said sternly looking at the three of us.
"Yes, yes. Let's not make this a habit," Amos said.
He graciously overfilled our glasses with his high enthusiasm. Cedric and I looked at each other a bit surprised but not questioning anything. Little did his father know how much of a complete lush we both could be after a good quidditch match.
This was the fullest the house had been the entire time I had been here. It was the Diggory's turn to host the new year celebration for all their friends. Mostly people from the ministry, but also an aunt and some cousins.
"Now, before we clear dinner out of the way, I would just like to dedicate this new year to Friends, family, and loved ones. Cheers," Amos said bubbling with excitement.
Both Cedric and I took modest sips from our glasses, knowing as soon as his parents weren't looking, we would race to see who could finish it first. Him of course, I always managed to spill a little. Tragic tonight though, I really loved the dress Annie had gotten for me. A beautiful dark floral print dress that I wore over an ivory lace shirt.