"Ms. Y/L/N, I'm glad you still managed to grace us with your presence today. However, I wish that you didn't interrupt my lesson so disrespectfully", Professor Snape reprimands you and looks down on you, arms crossed in front of his body. "Sit down."

Immediately doing as he says, you almost trip over your own feet on the way to your empty seat and sink into your chair next to Angelina Johnson as quietly as possible. The looks that have followed you this far still remain on you and Snape also seems to have something more to add, given the expression on his face. Waiting for him to deduct double-digit points from Slytherin, you do not move and stubbornly stare back at him.

"Besides, I didn't know you switched houses", Snape remarks, an eyebrow raised as his, and everyone else's, gaze slowly moves down to your neck. Frantically, you look down at yourself and are shocked to find that the tie around your neck does not match your usual house colors - silver and green. The tie you are wearing today is a Gryffindor one, and that can only mean..

"Sir-"

"As I already told Mr. Weasley", Snape spits out his name, gaze quickly shifting to Fred, who is sitting right behind you, making you feel even smaller. "I would much prefer you in your actual house colors", he continues, embarrassing not only you but also Fred in front of the entire class. Whispers erupt around you. Mortified, you loosen Fred's tie and feel the heat rise to your cheeks, thinking back to how you even ended up accidentally swapping your ties in the first place.

Last night you sneaked into his room illegally, staying there until the early hours of the morning before making your way back to your common room, and nobody was supposed to ever know anything about you or what was going on between the two of you. Well, at least that was the plan until today but the situation right now no longer leaves any room for speculation.

Clearing your throat quietly and trying to hide your heated cheeks, you turn to your boyfriend, who, unlike you, seems to find the situation quite amusing and holds out your tie to you with a playful grin on his lips. Hesitantly, you snatch it out of his hand while he pulls his out of yours, not breaking eye contact.

"Uh uh uh, you got it, Weasley!", comes a voice from the back corner, presumably one of Fred's friends who clearly enjoys the situation way too much as well. You shyly turn to face the front again after receiving a playful wink from your boyfriend, avoiding Professor Snape's blank stare as you wrap your own tie around your neck.

"Now that we have sorted that out, I don't want to hear any more about it. Turn to page 394", Snape instructs and thunderous rustling follows. You absently open your own book, but the words on the pages make no sense to you, your head is overflowing with thoughts about what will happen next, especially concerning your relationship with Fred.

As Snape writes something on the board using magic, your attention is caught when a small dragon made of paper lands on your book in front of you. Looking around carefully and making sure Snape is not looking at you, you open the message inside. Written on it in scraggly writing, that you can immediately identify as Fred's, is:

Don't worry about it too much, love. I can't wait to kiss you in front of everyone later ;)

Your cheeks immediately turn a deep shade of red again, but your heart also beats faster because Fred knows you so well that he immediately knew what was happening in your mind. And suddenly it does not feel too bad anymore that your secret is out. You no longer have to hide, even if you are still a bit worried about other people's reactions. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? That is indeed a pretty unusual couple.

With your heart racing, you clutch the piece of paper to your chest and turn to your boyfriend, who seems to have been looking at you the whole time already. The smile on Fred's lips transfers to yours and when he stretches his hand across his table, you do not even hesitate for a second and place your hand in his.

"Mr. Weasley, Ms. Y/L/N!", Snape's voice suddenly destroys your moment and you sit up straight again, facing forward. "All right, which of your houses should I deduct points from now?"

“Stop it, Fred!”, you giggle softly as he begins to scatter soft kisses across your face while continuing to give you all the compliments that come to his mind, which his twin brother does not approve of either as his face kind of turns into a shade of green.

“Gross, get a room”, George chokes out, while you are not sure how much of it he is faking and what is actually real, but at least he manages to stop his brother with his words.

“Just don’t pay attention to him, he is just an annoying ringing in the ear and pretty jealous that his last date did not go as well”, Fred winks at you, causing you to laugh out loud. “How about we sneak out to the lake tonight? Just the two of us?”

“Sounds great”, you smile and gently kiss him, which George comments on with another gag. Running your hands over your boyfriend’s broad shoulders, you adjust his Quidditch uniform while grinning to yourself. “I think your brother wants to go and unfortunately, I have to go to Potions now.”

“Alright, see you tonight, my love”, Fred smiles, kissing you one last goodbye before the two of them wave you goodbye and disappear into the castle. Absorbed in your dreamy thoughts, you look after them and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, but when you suddenly hear footsteps behind you, your posture stiffens and the voices you now hear make you shiver. These voices never mean anything good.

“Oh, how adorable! But what would Mommy and Daddy Y/L/N say if they knew their only daughter and heiress to their empire is dating a Weasley?”, Pansy Parkinson’s annoying voice says behind you, her words making your heart beat faster. You and Fred do not hide the fact that you are in a relationship, but you have always kept it low, especially in front of the Slytherins. Because each of them knows your family, and your family happens to be unaware of their daughters’ dishonorable actions, or, well, love interests.

“They always talk about you in such high tones, and they don’t even know that their daughter lies to their face every time, so cold and unscrupulous. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? My parents would kick me out of Hogwarts in a heartbeat and never let me leave the house again”, Daphne Greengrass adds, a wicked grin on her lips that is only made worse by the fact that you do not have a counter.

Because they are right. It is the truth.

As the only child of the Y/L/N family, you have always been in the spotlight, but not in a good way. You have never been allowed to make mistakes or make your own decisions or live the way you want or hang out with the people you want. Business dinners and balls are all you knew for a long time, events where they could present their flagship daughter to the world. They never realized the pressure they put on you. Or they did but did not care about it.

“Leave me alone”, are the only puny words you can manage to get out before rushing to the safety of the building. Their judgmental looks burn into the back of your head and their words entice you to take a detour, not to your next lesson but to your common room in the Slytherin dungeon, where you lie down on your bed and do not get up until the next morning. While doing so, you completely forgot that you actually had plans with Fred in the evening and instead spent your time trying to avoid your parents’ looks from the family photo next to your bed. Without success, because you can clearly feel their disappointment and the consequences of your actions incredibly scare you, which is why you make a decision for your own sake.

Even if it means you have to break the heart of the boy who was always there for you when your family was not.

════════════

The numerous voices swirling around you just echo to you through a tunnel as you sit listlessly in front of your breakfast, your stomach heavy. You do not dare to raise your eyes for fear you might make eye contact with someone. Lonely, you sit at the end of the table, the other Slytherins paying little attention to the fact that one of them separates themselves from the group.

When a plate falls to the ground with a loud crash at a table next to you, shattering into many pieces, you startle and reflexively look in that direction. Which turns out to be a huge mistake, because your eyes meet Fred’s in a second, who is smiling at you from across the hall. He does not look the tiniest bit disappointed that you dumped him, he just seems happy that you are sitting here this morning. With the first of the day approaching, the first few students rise and scurry to the exit of the Great Hall, trying to make it to their classrooms in time.

Fred, who has not taken his eyes off you, gets up at the exact same moment you do. Noticing this, you quicken your steps and duck among the crowd of students that are gathering in the hallways. You ignore the fact that he calls after you before you fully disappear into the crowd and go straight to your lesson.

Relieved that you could manage to avoid him all day, you leave the room after class, your backpack over your shoulder and a book under your right arm. However, you do not expect Fred to be waiting for you in the hallway with his back against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Your eyes meet for a brief moment, and you immediately turn away, going in the other direction, but it is too late. If he did not notice before that you are avoiding him, he definitely noticed now when he runs after you, standing in front of you to block your way.

“Fred, I am in a hurry”, you say with your head down and walk past him, but he grabs your arms, lifting you off the ground briefly before placing you directly in front of him again. No more escape.

“Why are you avoiding me?”, he asks directly, which only makes you more insecure. Your trembling hands grip the book tighter, as if it could give you strength to get through what is about to come.

“I am not avoiding you, I just really don’t have time to-”

“Did I do something wrong?”, Fred asks worried and sad, making your heart ache even more. The fact that he immediately related all of it to himself does not make it any easier for you to say the next few words, but you know you have to.

“I don’t think this works, Fred”, you say emotionlessly, but your shaky voices gives your true feelings away. Still, the shock creeping up on his face is unbearable.

“Wait, wait.. What? What are you even talking about?”, he prompts, as if he did not quite understand what you were saying, even though you both know perfectly what you just hinted at.

“I am just saying.. We are too different. You are a Gryffindor, I am Slytherin. It just doesn’t fit”, you explain and as soon as the words leave your lips realize that this will not be the point that ultimately convinces him. Because it sounds stupid. Because it is stupid.

“Who put such nonsense in your head?”, Fred laughs, but there is no humor in it. “Was it that Pansy Parkinson again? What did she say this time-”

“No, Fred. It’s my decision, no one told me anything and if you will excuse me now, I have classes that require my presence”, you brush him off and due to the complete state of shock Fred is in right now, he lets you pass him. He does not notice the tear that runs down your cheek as you do.

“So I am supposed to just accept that you are breaking up with me, leaving me without any proper explanation?”, he finally calls after you in a loud voice. But what makes you stop are not his words, but the sadness that resonates with them. Your heart breaks a bit more at the sound.

“Fred..”

“You dumped me yesterday without telling me. I didn’t know where you were, I didn’t know what happened or if you were okay. I was worried sick just for you to ignore me the whole day and then tell me it is over between us?”, he says, hurt and confused by what is happening at the moment, unable to understand why you are suddenly feeling this way. “I am sorry, but I don’t think what you are saying is true.”

“How so? Because I always lie?”

“No, that is not-”

“Alright, Fred, I got it. Everything always has to be up to you”, you claim, getting too involved in this arising argument. If he had just accepted your decision, it would have been less painful for both of you.

“It is not fair, Y/N. If you really want to end this between us, then I also deserve to know why”, Fred replies and takes another step towards you so that you can see the pain in his eyes even better now. His gaze holds yours and when you think you see tears forming in his eyes, all damns in you break all of a sudden.

“You want to know why?! Because I am no good for you, Fred. I am a bad person. We should not even exist as a couple because it is doomed to fail anyway! I am not allowed to associate with the people I like and choose myself. I am and always have been the pride of my family and I will not let them down just because I am with someone like you-”

You cannot finish your emotional outburst as Fred pulls you into the bone-crushing hug you so desperately needed, wrapping his arms around your waist tightly. He runs his hand over your hair, the back of your head, and your back in an attempt to calm you down and stop your tears.

“Who your parents are doesn’t define who you are, Y/N”, he whispers softly in your ear as you violently sob in his strong arms, that hold you upright to not let you sink on the cold floor. “You are the most incredible witch I have ever met, and your parents must be so incredibly proud of you, there is no other way. You have always done what they asked of you, but it is finally time for you to be selfish. I won’t lose you over this. I won’t allow it.”

Fred’s words patch your heart back together in seconds and make it pound faster than ever. You know he is right and you do not have to bow to your parents’ demands anymore. But there is still a long way to go before you can fully accept yourself as you are and be proud of yourself at the same time. Fred will be with you every step on this journey.

Literally everyone can see that you are extremely embarrassed and feel very uncomfortable about this situation, but Fred seems to be even more amused now than when he teased you about your supposedly wrong homework only minutes before. When McGonagall finally approaches, he gives you a wink before turning to her.

“You know, professor.. I just can’t resist Y/N. She is so adorable”, Fred enthuses like a little boy in love, but the sarcasm is clearly evident in his voice. You hate being called adorable, and he knows it. That is why he even says it in the first place. To annoy you. As always.

“I am really happy for you, Mr. Weasley. But let us not ignore the fact that your flirting disturbs everyone else while studying”, Professor McGonagall rebukes him and since he knows that he can only lose this conversation, he finally gives in and goes back to his seat to high-five his twin brother. As is they had another success. Rolling your eyes, you turn back to your parchment, but your heartbeat is still beating hard against your chest.

════════════

The wind strongly blows through your hair, blocking your view for a brief moment as it flies in front of your eyes. The spring-like weather takes some getting used to and you would actually much rather sit in your warm common room by the fireplace, with a cup of tea, a fluffy blanket and maybe a good book. But since you are a good best friend – the best of all, to be honest – you could not say no when Draco asked if you would like to watch his Quidditch practice today. You love watching him, you really do, but you prefer watching him when it is warm outside, and you are not stuck in the thick layers of clothing.

Unfortunately for you, the Gryffindor team decided to do their weekly training session today as well, which means you have to look around for possibly incoming danger every two seconds. Fred Weasley could be lurking around every corner.

Concentrating on your best friend as best you can, you find your gaze switching towards the red-colored team across the field, your view particularly getting caught on a red-haired boy who catches and returns your gaze at that precise moment. Your pulse immediately increases, out of embarrassment at being caught and also because he gives you his brightest smile, accompanied by a wave of his hand.

Shaking your head, you turn your eyes back to your house team, which is racing across the field at this moment, chasing and dodging the balls. It never ceases to amaze you how good you team has become in recent years. Of course you believed in them from the very start, you are a Slytherin after all, yet every year you become even more enthusiastic about the sport. You would never fly that fast with your broom, even if you do not like to admit it. Your grades are perfect in every subject, but there is a lot of room for improvement in Broom Flight Class.

“Hey Y/N!”

Violently jumping from shock, you look directly into the eyes of Fred Weasley, who is now hovering in front of the grandstand with his broomstick, only a few centimeters away from you. Again, there is that smirk on his lips when he looks at you. Sometimes you think he is making fun of you, but sometimes, very occasionally, you fancy you see something else, something more, in it.

“Fred Weasley, when are you going to learn that it is rude to startle people like that?”, you roll your eyes in annoyance, crossing your arms over your chest while holding his gaze. Although you cannot exactly explain how you manage to hold his piercing gaze right now.

“Your team has just challenged us to a training game. If I were you, I would rather switch houses quickly”, Fred recommends, a victorious expression on his face.

“If I were you, I would rather be careful not to accidentally get hit by a bludger”, you counter, raising an eyebrow, letting your mind wander for a second to how good he actually looks in his Quidditch uniform.

“You do not have to worry about me, my love. I am already grown up”, Fred winks at you, then pats himself on the shoulder before twisting his head in different directions to crack his joints. As if he were preparing for a bitter fight.

“Well then you should win the game with ease”, you reply, you ambition gaining the upper hand. Slytherin needs to win this practice match just so you can tease Fred about it. “Good luck, Weasley. You will need it.”

In fact, team Slytherin is more likely to be the team that needs that luck right now. They are already far behind, and Draco and Harry are in a fast race, chasing the golden snitch. Just when you think Draco is going to get hold of it, there is a scream that makes you look around.

However, all you can see is a large brown ball directly coming your way at breakneck speed and you have no choice but to protect yourself with your arms crossed over your head. You wait for the painful blow, but it does not come. Instead, there is loud cheering.

Puzzled and a little scared, you look up to see Fred flying right in front of you, apparently batting the bludger away from you with his bat in order to save you from getting hit.

“Are you alright?”, Fred asks you, suddenly not at all interested in winning when Slytherin scores a goal due to his momentary absence on the field, concern in his voice. Not quite knowing what is happening, you just nod slightly, the shock still coursing through your body. Fred seems to interpret your cold answer in such a way that he should not have asked, which is why his facial expression immediately petrifies.

“This is how a good training should go! The bludger would never have hit you anyway. After all, the best Quidditch player in the world is flying right in front of you”, Fred finally tried to cover up his sudden insecurity with jokes and only now do you realize that your sparse answer must have seemed wrong to him. And even if he is annoying you again with these kinds of statements, he just saved you from getting brutally hit.

“Thank you”, you say a little louder, a small smile on your lips, which is why he widens his eyes for a moment. Whenever you talk to him, you rarely show him your genuine and beautiful smile. In fact, you try to never show any emotion when he is around. Which is good, because otherwise Fred would not have been able to hold himself back months ago.

“O-Of course”, Fred stutters out, which seems to shock you both a bit. Fred Weasley suddenly feeling insecure? Maybe you were indeed hit by a bludger.

“Fred! When you are finally done flirting with your girlfriend, how about you give us a helping hand here?”, Oliver Wood, the team captain of Gryffindor, suddenly yells loudly across the pitch, obviously annoyed that he has to play with one player less.

“She is not- Oh. Nevermind, doesn’t matter”, Fred wants to explain, but quickly interrupts himself for the best. Already about to set off on his way back, he turns to you one last time, the typical grin on his lips. “See you later!”

════════════

„You were absolutely amazing out there, Draco!”, you cheer as you wait for your best friend by the changing rooms before he finally appears, jumping into your arms as soon as he sees you. Slytherin only won because Draco managed to catch the snitch after all.

“I know, we are all in great shape. We will win the game at the weekend with ease”, Draco smiles happily, but also exhausted from the strenuous training session.

“Thh, yes, of course. Because you are playing unfair, not because you are good”, Fred suddenly joins your conversation, who just came to the changing rooms as well, now standing right in front to you with a look of disappointment on his face. Draco takes a step forward towards him, hiding you a little behind him, going into full attack mode within seconds.

“Oh yes? Do you want to say that again, Weasley?”

“Draco, let it go”, you try to hold your best friend back by trying to pull him back on his shoulder, but without success.

“Slytherin is playing unfair. Or how are you going to explain to me that Potter has a broken arm, Wood almost suffered a concussion, and I am bruised all over my body?”, Fred spits out, clearly and visibly angry at how the game went for his team. You have never seen him like this before, so down, and angry and hurt.

You can already feel how Draco is more than ready to attack, but Fred decides to be the wiser one this time and gives in, simply turning away with a shake of his head and disappearing into the changing room.

“What an idiot”, Draco murmurs angrily, but lets it rest for now. However, you feel the desperate urge to follow Fred, especially after seeing the numerous bruises on his arms. Carefully, you sneak away from Draco as he is busy talking to his team captain and step into the cabin where Fred disappeared into before, now sitting on one of the benches with his head hanging low.

“Fred? Are you alright?”, you ask hesitantly, your voice barely louder than the wind outside, which has died down in the meantime. When he hears your voice, he immediately raises his head in shock, but lowers it again right away as if he does not want to talk to you.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Was just a stupid game.”

“That is not why I asked. I ask if you are okay. The bruises-”

“Not that bad. They will be gone again soon enough.”

“O-Oh. Good. Then- Uhm, well- I think you played very well today”, you stutter our and inwardly slap yourself across the face because you seem to have forgotten how to speak like a normal person all of a sudden. A brief silence spreads between you at your words, until he lifts his head, looks straight at you, and then smiles without saying a word. This small gesture immediately triggers sheer chaos in you, and you do not even know what your words just triggered inside of him.

“Thank you, Y/N. That means a lot to me”, Fred finally answers you, visibly in a better mood now than he was a few minutes ago. “You know how to cheer someone up.”

“Well, I am doing my best”, you giggle sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear while looking anywhere but him.

“I know.”

“So- I, uhm-”, you clear your throat, having absolutely no idea what else to say. With your thumb you point toward the door over your shoulder as you already take a step back. “I will go and leave you alone-”

“Whoa, folks. You guys are so incredibly awkward, I can hardly stand it”, George’s voice suddenly sounds behind you after you had to interrupt yourself when you accidentally bumped into him while going backwards as he came in at exactly that moment. You do not know how much he overheard, but definitely the last words, if not more.

“Could you guys finally, I dunno, make out or something so I do not have to watch this tragedy any longer?”, George suggests bluntly, but his statement makes you even more nervous now. How can he just say something like that out loud?

“George!”, Fred and you say at the same time, both deeply outraged by his twin brother’s silly suggestion. Even though you have to admit the idea does not sound as wrong in your head as you initially thought. With his hands up in fake surrender, George quickly backs out of the danger zone, disappearing out of the door as fast as he entered.

“I really have to leave now-”

“Were you seriously worried about me?”, Fred interrupts you sternly, his expression unreadable as he looks at you wide-eyed after he has stood up and his face is now hovering so much higher above you. You want to give him a teasing answer, some kind of scathing comment, but because he asked the question so genuinely, all you can think of is the truth.

“I always worry about you”, you reply shyly, but this time you do not avert your gaze. You look deep into his eyes, and you realize once again how beautiful they actually are. However, you did not expect that he would suddenly pull you into a tight hug, making you feel more secure and protected than you felt in a very long time.

“I knew it”, he finally murmurs after resting his face on your shoulder. You can almost feel his cheeky smile, so you reluctantly push him away, his body vibrating with laughter. Outraged, you start to counterattack, but he quickly puts his hand on your mouth to prevent you from cursing at him.

“Of course you are! They will love you, just like I do”, he smiles at you encouragingly, nudges your chin a little with his index finger and pecks your lips quickly. Despite his words, he has to take in a short deep breath as well before walking towards the front door with you. The lights in the house are turned on and you can hear vivid conversations from inside the closer you get.

Fred looks at you one last time, giving you another smile to calm you down before he finally knocks on the door, which opens with a swing within a few seconds.

“Fred!”, his younger brother Ron happily greets him, and Fred embraces him while you stay behind him, uncertain and your eyes on the ground. Ron already knows you from Hogwarts, as does Fred’s twin brother and little sister, and they all know that Fred and you have something going on for a while now, but Fred had not yet told anyone in his family about your official relationship. Not even George and he wants to make up for that today.

After the two red haired boys in front of you loosen their brotherly embrace, Ron’s gaze falls on you as Fred grabs your hand again and you force an uncertain smile on your lips as Ron greets you. Then, he steps aside to allow you both to enter and once you follow Fred inside, you are greeted with numerous curious eyes on you immediately.

“Fred, my darling! There.. you are?”, Mrs. Weasley calls across the room enthusiastically until she discovers you beside him and her words lose their enthusiasm right away. Your reputation probably precedes you, or rather the reputation of your family does. It is no secret that the Malfoy family has been mistrusted by many, especially by families like the Weasleys. But once they get to know you, they would know that you do not share your family’s views and opinions. Of course, your family values their pureblood status a lot, but you actually never cared about someone’s origin or about their blood status. Your brother and the rest of your family have always been very disappointed about your way of viewing things and there have been big arguments about it before, but by now you have learned not to care. There are more important things in this world than being a pureblood.

“And you brought someone with you!”, George happily says and almost knocks you over when he pulls you into a welcoming hug. “I am glad that you are finally here, Y/N!”

“Don’t you want to introduce us to your company, Fred darling?”, Molly Weasley clears her throat with her arms crossed over her chest and your gaze meets her suspicious one after you have freed yourself from George’s tight embrace. Only now do you notice that the entire Weasley family is sitting at the dining table and not just ‘a few’, as Fred told you. Apparently even his older brothers, who usually hang around somewhere else in the world, are present today, completing the family reunion.

“If I may ask for your attention”, Fred calls out to his family, so that even the last conversation in the room falls silent and he pulls you close to his side. “May I introduce: Y/N Malfoy. My girlfriend.”

An uncomfortable silence spreads throughout the room immediately when nobody dares to say a word, but their looks already tell you what is going on inside their heads.

“Wonderful!”, Mr. Weasley breaks the unbearable silence and gives you a smile that appears to be a real one. “Welcome to the family, Y/N! Sit down with us.”

“Thank you, Mr. Weasley”, you genuinely thank him, happy inside that at least one of his parents seems to accept you, and before you know it Fred and you already sit down at the table with the others. Neither George nor Ron or Ginny seem surprised by their brother's announcement, but actually seem happy about it. As soon as you have sat down, another tableware comes flying out of nowhere onto the tablecloth and places itself directly in front of you.

Slowly, they resume to their conversations, and you look around nervously, your leg bobbing under the table. Fred notices this and gently places one of his large hands on your thigh to keep your leg from shaking and causes you to look at him.

“Don’t worry, everything is going well so far”, he whispers in your ear, taking your hand and placing a light kiss on your ankles before grinning at you.

“I hope there will be enough food for all of us since I did not know we had another special guest today”, Mrs. Weasley announces when several pots and pans levitate onto the dining table, displaying the delicious smelling dishes.

“That looks really delicious, Mrs. Weasley”, the words slip out of your mouth before you can control them and your gaze shoots at her. Instead of thanking you for your compliment, she looks at you with narrowed eyes and finally sits down at the table as well. Quickly, you drop your gaze again.

She hates you, it is more than obvious.

The evening goes by faster than you thought and soon the first desserts are spread all over the table, making George and Ron grab one of each for themselves immediately. At least they do not seem to mind that you are here, after all they even start conversations with you as if you have been around forever, unlike the other half of the table, who just watches the whole situation suspiciously.

While everyone is enjoying their desserts, you notice Mrs. Weasley whispering and look in her direction, which turns out to be a huge mistake as soon as your eyes meet.

“Tell me, Y/N, is your father still part of Voldemort’s entourage?”

Not expecting such a straightforward question, you almost choke on your saliva, and it takes a moment for you to become aware of the extent of her question as they all stare at you.

“Because you welcomed me so warmly, I want to be honest with all of you. Yes, he is part of Voldemort’s entourage, but I honestly do not know what that has to do with me”, you answer her question with a little irony in your voice and achieve the exact effect you had hoped for. She is speechless.

“Arthur, I need to talk to you for a minute. Alone”, Mrs. Weasley immediately speaks to her husband and the two leave the room, but not without her throwing you a hostile look over the shoulder.

“I should have kept it to myself, shouldn't I?”, you ask your boyfriend uncertainly, your hands still intertwined under the table for support.

“Are you kidding me? I have not seen Ma so shocked in a long time”, he giggles and gives you a loving kiss on the cheek. Still, his words do not calm you down in the slightest and you look at the door through which Mr. and Mrs. Weasley disappeared earlier.

Making up your mind, you finally get up, causing all eyes to land on you again, and you bend down to Fred to ask him for the directions to the toilet. You make your way there quickly, but before you reach it, you can clearly hear the conversation of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley from your position in the hallway.

You feel bad for eavesdropping, but you cannot tear yourself away from it either. You will just wait for a moment and then interrupt so you can apologize to her.

“I do not want that girl in my house, Arthur!”, Mrs. Weasley complains loudly, not even bothering that anyone might hear her. “She will tell Voldemort all about us as soon as she gets the chance. We cannot trust her.”

“Molly, do you not think you are exaggerating a bit?”, Mr. Weasley tries to talk sense into her, but it does not seem to be of any use anymore.

“This is no joke, Arthur! Our son dragged a Malfoy into our house, our safe place. You know the calamity this family can bring upon us. In case you have forgotten, they detest wizards like you and me, like all of our family. I am sure she is only here to spy on us for her father”, Mrs. Weasley tells him angrily. “Her family is out for nothing but fame and fortune. They are dangerous. She is dangerous. She will destroy us as soon as she gets the chance, Arthur.”

“But if that is true, should we not try to befriend her rather than turning her into our enemy?”, Mr. Weasley replies, but you have heard enough and turn away from the conversation, tears welling up in your eyes. You cannot believe that you actually wanted to apologize for your words earlier. You know your family does not have the best reputation, but they have not even tried to get to know you as your own person, not as a Malfoy. Once they heard your last name, you had no chance.

With your gaze down, you go back to your boyfriend, who seems to be up to something with his brothers, and gently tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. As soon as he sees the tears in your eyes, the smile disappears from his lips, and he jumps up to pull you into a hug without a word.

“Can we leave?”, you whisper against his soft sweater as you try not to let any of your tears escape.

Before Fred can answer, however, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rejoin you, their eyes fixed on you. When you notice this, you turn your gaze away from them and clench your hands into fists unnoticed.

“Fred, Y/N, do you want some more dessert?”, Mrs. Weasley asks you kindly, as if she had not just been gossiping about you and your family a few seconds before. Fred throws his mother a hostile look and subtly nods at you to make her understand that she should not talk to you right now.

“What is wrong, Y/N?”, she asks with faked worry in her voice anyway and you have the feeling that you can no longer hold back the anger that is boiling up inside of you at this moment.

“Why are you suddenly acting so hypocritical, Mrs. Weasley? Did you decide on winning me as a friend rather than an enemy now, so I do not tell my family about the way you treated me?”, you burst out and the room falls silent in an instant. Judging by the shock on Mrs. Weasley’s face, she did not expect you have heard her.

“If my family is really as bad as you claim, why do you not just tell me in the face?!”, you continue and your voice is now much louder than before, laced with pure anger when you can no longer control yourself. Fred looks just as shocked at his mother as the rest of the family, but he keeps his arm around you.

“I know my family may not have the best reputation, but they are still my family, and I am not going to let you drag them into the mud and get away like that. You did not even give me the slightest chance to proof that I am not like them, that I think different than them. Instead, you preferred to judge me right away for being a Malfoy. But if that is the case, then I do not want to be here any longer. I was really happy to finally meet you because Fred always talked so well about his family, but it looks like you too have prejudices. I am sorry, Fred, but I do not think your parents will ever be able to accept us”, you explain, a little calmer this time, but your hands and knees are shaking like they never did before. With one last look at Mrs. Weasley, who does not seem to find the right words, you turn and leave.

As soon as you step out of the front door, you take a deep breath of the cool night air and close your eyes to calm yourself down. However, the front door is torn open again behind you loudly, making you flinch.

“Fred!”, Mrs. Weasley calls after him as he steps outside and stands at your side while Mrs. Weasley comes running towards you.

“Enough, Mom! You have already done enough damage for today”, he rolls his eyes in annoyance, but she does not seem to give up so easily and reaches out for his hand.

“I did not mean it, really! But what do you expect from me when you suddenly drag our enemy into our house?”

“She is not our enemy! Why do you not understand that?! I love her more than anything and if you do not want to accept that, fine. But then I do not know how I should ever be able to look you in the eyes again. And if you had only thought of me for one tiny moment, then you would have given her a chance and you would have noticed that she is not like the others”, Fred yells at his mother, which even scares you a little. He is usually not the type of person to yell, and you have never seen Fred this angry before.

Before Mrs. Weasley can say anything else, Fred grabs your hand and everything around you starts to blur as your disapparate together. Back in your dorm room, the both of you fall silent and decide to go to sleep right away. But your mind does not rest at all that night.

The next morning his owl brings him a letter, a renewed invitation to their home, with the difference that his time you have been addressed directly and asked to give them another chance. Since you love Fred with all of your heart and cannot see how miserable he is because of the argument with his family, you consent. Because you are able to give others a chance.

And again, you find yourself in front of the Burrow, but this time not as excited as last time.

“You really do not have to do this, Babe. I understand if you just want to go back and-“

“No. I want to know what your mother has to say”, you interrupt him and give him a loving kiss before knocking on the front door, which is opened with a swing again. Except this time, it is not Ron greeting you, but Mrs. Weasley herself.

A sad smile forms on her lips and she lets you in before telling everyone else that you have arrived. Fred and you do not even get to sit down when Mrs. Weasley starts speaking up.

“I am glad you accepted the invitation, despite everything that went wrong the last time”, she begins, and you notice that it takes her a little bit of effort and courage. “You were right, I behaved outrageous, and I have no excuse why I did so. All I can say is that I am sorry. Fred, I love you and I want you to be happy and if that is with Y/N then I am more than happy to welcome her into our family. And Y/N, I am sorry for what I said about you and your family. I did not have the right to, and you opened my eyes to the fact that I too have prejudices that should not exist. But after all I am still a caring mother and I do not want anything to happen to my children. I hope you understand that and can forgive me.”

After her statement, there is another silence, but a pleasant one, while Fred and you look at each other to see what the other thinks about this.

“Thank you, Mom. I appreciate that”, Fred thanks her and if you did not know better, you can even see tears in her eyes as her son hugs her. However, as soon as you stand in front of her, her whole body stiffens, and she gets all nervous again.

“I accept your apology. How about a new start?”, you smile at her and hold out your hand.

“I am Molly”, she smiles back at you, obviously relieved, and you can literally see the weight falling off her shoulders.