#ronmione

“Y-Yeah?” You nodded, helping him stand. “I am so sorry. I should have been watching where you were going.”

He chuckled, wiping the snow from the back of his legs. “That makes two of us.”

Despite the man’s kind smile and light laughter, you still felt incredibly guilty. “I really am sorry.”

“No need,” he shook his head. “Call it a happy accident. It’s not everyday I get knocked down by a beautiful woman.”

You chuckled, not fully hearing him. “No, I guess…what?” Was…was he…was he flirting? Was that flirting?

Sticking out his hand, he smiled. “I’m Fred. Fred Weasley.”

Eyeing him a little cautiously, you shook his hand. “Y/n. Are-are you sure you’re alright?”

Again, he chuckled. “I’ve got brothers. I’ve survived through worse, believe me.”

“Oh,” you nodded, finally understanding something about the stranger in front of you. Only, as you finally did, the clock tower rang through the square. Shit. “I’m gonna be late. I-I really have to run. Again, I’m…terribly sorry.”

Rushing off before he could say another word, you tried your best to focus on not crashing into any more handsome strangers in the street before finally sliding across a small bridge and (not so) gracefully gliding yourself into the local post office. 

“Morning Sam!” you called out. 

From around the desk, a woman came rushing over. “It’s about bloody time. The van will be here any minute.”

From your bag, you pulled out the two care packages. “First class to Hogwarts, please.”

Sam gave a short sigh, but smiled anyway. “How are the kids enjoying it?”

You smiled. “They’re loving it. I wanted to get these to them before Christmas. Since it’s their first, they decided they want to stay up there.”

“Cutting it a little close to the wire, don’t you think?”

“I would have been here sooner if only I maybe, kinda, accidentally ran into someone. Knocked them flat on their arse.”

Sam sighed. “Of course you did.”

“It wasn’t intentional. Really. I wasn’t watching where I was going then there was a sheet of ice and wham! Just…straight into him.”

“Him?” 

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, wipe that look off your face. He’s probably married, or with someone.”

“Might not be.”

“Sam.”

“Y/n.”

“No.”

Sam scoffed. “Urgh, fine. Anything else you want to send?”

You shook your head. “Not today. And I, uh, I might not be back for a while.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve,” you cleared your throat. “I’ve got a new job.”

“I thought you had a job.” Sam said. “Teaching.”

You nodded. “I’m still teaching but I had a letter the other day. From Hogwarts, actually.”

“What on earth can you teach at a magical school?”

“That was my first thought, too.” You told Sam. “But apparently they’re in dire need of an actual Muggle Studies teacher. And the kids volunteered, well, me.”

Sam nodded. “Well, it should be an adventure.”

You nodded. “Teaching magical students, without magic. It should be fun.”

Sam scoffed again. “You’ll do great. Oh-” Spotting the delivery van outside, Sam quickly turned around and threw the two boxes on top of the ‘rush’ pile before the driver noticed. 

“Thanks again, Sam.”

“No problem. And good luck with the new job.”

“When do you start?”

“After Christmas.”

Sam smiled. “They kids will love it.”

“One can only hope.”

Despite starting after Christmas, you were moved into the school just before. Which, although completely terrifying, was…an adventure. 

“Y/n!” 

You were hanging a couple of posters on the door to your classroom when you heard the voices of your nephew and niece. Twins who couldn’t have been more polar opposites if they tried. 

Your nephew, Zak, placed in Hufflepuff. He was usually a quiet and shy lad, before people got to know him. 

Then there was your niece, Rosie, placed in Gryffindor. When she had to be quiet, she was. But most of the time she was a dare-devil filled with energy. 

Both of them running to you at full speed, you just managed to keep your balance as they collided against you, wrapping you in an air-tight hug. 

“You’re here! I can’t believe you’re actually here. At Hogwarts!”

“Neither can I,” you smiled. “Though it would have been nice to know you’d offered me up for a job before I got the acceptance letter.”

Rosie just stood back. “Yeah, sorry about that. But I knew you were the right fit! Didn’t I, Zak?”

Zak nodded. “She did.”

“I hope you two have been keeping out of trouble.”

“We have. I swear.” Rosie dramatically laid her hand over her chest. 

You chuckled. “Good.”

In the two hours that followed, Rosie told you all about her first term at school, all the friends she’d made and the lessons she loved the most. Zak told you about his Herbology and Charms lessons and the few friends he’d made with the help of Rosie. 

But the consensus from them both was that they loved the school completely. 

“Oh, you must go to Diagon Alley!” Rosie smiled. “There’s a bookstore there that sells all kinds of magical books. They might be able to catch you up on our world.”

So, after being pestered for a further three hours about going to Diagon Alley, you finally agreed to go. 

“Have fun!” Rosie smiled. 

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

She shook her head. “We’ve got our lessons today. But I want to know all about it when you get back. So does Zak.”

Zak smiled. “Yes.”

Little did any of you know, you’d have a much longer story to be telling them by the time you got back. 

Rosie had been right. The bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, sold a book on practically everything. So, after explaining your predicament about what you needed to learn, you were finally situated in the correct section of the store. 

“Hogwarts: A History,” a mysterious but oddly familiar voice said from beside you. “I hear it’s a good read.”

Looking at the tall man leaning against a rather precarious bookshelf, your jaw dropped. “You?”

“And you,” he beamed. “I thought I recognised you. Madam V told me you’re one of the new teachers up at the school. How come I’ve never seen you here before?”

You raised your brow a little confused. “Should you have seen me before?”

Fred smiled. “There is only one magical school in all of the UK. I’ve got a lot of siblings and you don’t seem that much younger than me. So, yes. I should have. But I haven’t.”

You nodded. “I’m not…magical. My niece and nephew, they’re attending the school which is apparently in dire need of a Muggle teacher who knows what they’re doing.”

“And that is you,” Fred finished. 

You nodded, again. “That is me.”

“Well,” Fred motioned to the book. “That is actually a decent read from what I hear. But, you might want to also look at…” Fred slipped past you before scouring the randomly set out shelves. Eventually he pulled out a set of four books he was looking for. “They explain a little more about the history of magic and how the school started.”

“Great, thanks.”

He smiled. “Anytime. Oh, and, uh, if you need any more help. You know, maybe from a dashing red head. Just, uhh, pop across the square. I’m usually at the store.”

“Which one?”

Fred smiled once more. “The one with the top hat. Have a nice day, Professor.”

You smiled back, thankful he was too far to spot the flush in your cheeks. 

“Top hat?” Zak asked before gasping. “Weasley? As in Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes?”

You were utterly confused. “I-I guess so?”

“Oh, my god!” 

“What?”

Running over to the bookshelves, Rosie pulled out one of the newer books compared to the rest that accompanied it on the shelves. With a heavy thud, it landed on the table and you watched as her and Zak flipped through the pages. 

“They helped stop The Dark Lord.”

“What? Who?”

Rosie scoffed loudly. “I thought you read!”

“Not about wizards!” Turning the book around, you let your eyes skim the pages. “How the hell is this school still open?” 

“It’s alright,” Zak told you. “He’s really gone now. Harry Potter stopped him.”

“With the help of a few friends. Including,” Rosie pointed out. “The Weasley Twins.”

“There’s two of them?”

Zak beamed. “Like me and Rosie.”

“Two peas in a pod,” Rosie smiled and she pulled her brother into her side. 

You smiled at your niece and nephew. You were glad, after everything that had happened, they still had each other. 

“I can’t believe you’ve met him. Twice.”

That night you read up on everything you could. From the history of Magic, to the first Great Wizarding War and beyond. By the time morning came around, the only thing left to study was the Castle itself. 

Which, surprisingly, there was a solution to. 

“There used to be a map,” Neville, the Herbology Professor, told you. “I think that’s still with Harry. But I know a couple of people who might be able to make another one.”

“Really?” You asked. “Aren’t there…blueprints?”

Neville shook his head. “The magical world is pretty advanced but-”

“But you still use quills and parchment.”

Neville nodded with a polite smile. “Exactly.”

“Who is the cartographer then?”

Neville was already heading towards the door. “Give me a couple hours, I’ll find someone.”

“Okay, well…thank you!” You shouted after him as he left. 

There was one week left before lessons started again, and you were still getting your classroom ready. You were kneeling on a rather high table, trying to ensure the posters you were hanging up were all level, when you heard a voice. 

“You know, I’m sure if you were to ask, someone with a wand might be able to help.” You turned around to see Fred standing by your classroom door. “Magic does make a lot of things quicker.”

You smiled, turning back to the movie poster. “Yes, but I think there’s something fun about still being able to do the normal things. What are you doing here?”

“I heard you were in need of a map.”

Trying to make your way safely down to the ground, you looked at Fred, tucking your hair behind your ears. “You’re a cartographer?"

He chuckled a little. “No. Not exactly. But my brother and I had an enchanted map in our possession for a while. Showed us every place we needed to go.”

Fred held out his hand to help you down the unbalanced wooden steps. You took it gently, thanking him quietly once your feet hit the ground. “This one isn’t enchanted, is it?”

Fred laughed. “No. You don’t have to worry about that.”

You smiled. “Okay, good.”

Opening up the map, you were greeted with every different level to Hogwarts and the surrounding grounds. 

“Wow.” It almost took your breath away. You knew Hogwarts was big. It took nearly twenty minutes to walk from your cottage on the grounds of the school, to your classroom itself. You just didn’t realise how big. “This is amazing, Fred. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

That was when you both heard giggling outside of your classroom. “That’ll be Rosie and Zak.”

“Niece and nephew, right?”

You nodded with a quietly proud smile. “You’re somewhat of a celebrity to them. They’ve told me…practically everything about you.”

Fred smiled. “Glad to see I have fans.”

With a smile, you called out to the two behind the door. “I thought you two were busy all day?”

Pushing open the door a little, Rosie and Zak stepped inside. “We were- are. Are too busy. Far too busy to help.”

“But not too busy to spy on your aunt?” 

The two nodded at Fred. “I just think you’re, like, one of the coolest wizards ever!” 

“Rosie.”

Fred just smiled. “It’s alright. Well, that’s lovely to hear. Thank you, Rosie. And you must be Zak?”

The young boy nodded. 

Fred sat and talked with them directly for ten minutes, giving them his undivided attention. He answered all their random questions about his joke shop and his creations and even his other, slightly more, famous siblings. 

“I want to be just like her one day,” Rosie explained as Fred agreed that she was the best Quidditch player ever. 

“Okay,” you chuckled. “I think that’s enough interrogation for one day. Go play before I make you help me set up here.”

Both kids gasped before making a direct exit for the door, but not before turning around and thanking Fred and waving goodbye. 

“They’re cute kids.”

You smiled. “Sorry about all the questions.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to see that kids know only joy while they’re here.”

You nodded. “I read the books you told me about…did all of that really happen? You- sorry. You don’t have to answer-”

“No, it’s okay.” Fred said. “It was…tough to say the least. We lost a lot of people. Good people. We also had our fair share of just terrible, terrible teachers.” Fred went on to explain to you one of his final teachers he ever witnessed at Hogwarts. 

You shook your head. “I still don’t know how the school didn’t get shut down because of that.”

“George and I might have had a couple of things to do with that.” Fred shrugged. “It might also have been when we started our business.”

“You didn’t.”

Fred couldn’t hold back his laughter or his smile. “During exams no less.”

“Oh, my god.” You chuckled before turning back to look at the photo collage you were creating on the wall. The room was starting to look less like old castle walls, and more or less the inside of the average muggle school. 

“So, how did you get into teaching?” Fred asked you as he helped. 

“I, uhh, well, I was pushed a lot. Academically. As a kid. Mostly by my family. They wanted nothing less than excellence. And, it was okay, for a while.” You said. “Until the stress started mounting up. Disappointed looks for getting anything less than an A. My parents used to host weekly parties. They pretended I didn’t exist for an entire month because I got a D.”

“What?”

You nodded. “But,” you smiled. “I had this really amazing teacher at school. Mrs Bane. She was there for me when I struggled, and when I succeeded. And, when I told my family that I wanted to be a teacher just like her…she was the one who was at my graduation.” 

“Not your parents?”

You shook your head. “No. And, if we’re divulging secrets, I hadn’t spoken to them since the day I left school for University.”

“What changed?”

Despite the sadness behind it, you still smiled and Fred could see the happiness in your eyes. “Rosie and Zak got accepted here. I got a call from my parents that I needed to come and pick them up right away. My sister and her husband were too freaked out at the fact their children weren’t ‘normal’ to make the ‘sane’ decision. So, they dropped them off at my parents. But letters kept coming.”

“So…they called you?”

“When you’re about to cast out two young kids, but it’s not legal to do so, where do they go?”

“So what did you do?”

“Got there as quick as I could, picked up their letters, told them to pack everything they could and brought them home with me. They both cried for a week straight thinking that something was wrong with them.”

“But there isn’t! There isn’t!” Fred exclaimed. “There’s nothing wrong with being a witch or a wizard.”

You nodded. “I know that. And, eventually, that message got through to them. Especially when McGonnagall turned up one evening. I’ve never seen them look happier than when she told them about Hogwarts. Because of my job, I couldn’t take them to get their things but McGonnagall said she had everything sorted out for them.”

Fred smiled. “I’m glad they have you. I think they’ll really excel here.”

You smiled. “So do I.”

Fred helped you set everything else up around your classroom, which was how you came to find out his dad continuously worked with enchanted muggle artifacts, some of which he was yet to identify the true meaning of. 

“If he ever wants some help, I’m always here.” You told Fred. “I might not have any magical capabilities, but I am a muggle.”

Fred looked around the room. “I don’t know about that. I’d say this place looks pretty magical.”

Looking around, you took in everything. From the photo collage wall filled with pictures of different muggle items and what they all do, to the large movie posters that remained still, along with the matching DVDs underneath the cabinets below them. There were muggle fairylights strung across the ceiling (placed up with a little help from Fred and his magical capabilities). 

There was even an old stereo which surprisingly got decent signal for being in the Scottish Highlands. 

Even more surprisingly, you started to see more and more of Fred Weasley at Hogwarts, despite his shop being in London. 

In the week before lessons started, he offered to show you around Hogwarts as well as the surrounding smaller villages. Then, during the first match of term, you met him and his brother inside the teacher’s box during Quidditch. 

“Bloody hell,” George exclaimed. “That niece of yours could give Ginny a run for her money.”

You chuckled, but beamed proudly as you watched your niece – the youngest girl to ever join a Quidditch team – zip around on her broom. You had to admit, it did make you nervous, seeing her and knowing she could have fallen off at any given moment. 

But thankfully she didn’t. 

And when she got out of the changing rooms, she came running over to you waving a letter in the air like she’s just won the lottery. 

“It’s a letter! I got a letter!”

“I can see that,” you smiled. 

“Not just any letter. It’s from Ginny Potter!” Rosie showed you. “Look. She wrote to me.”

“Did you know about this?” You asked, quietly to Fred. But he just shook his head and looked at his brother. 

“This is amazing, Rosie.”

Rosie held the letter like the last golden ticket. “This is so cool!”

It wasn’t until during the feast in the Great Hall that you found out McGonnagall had written to Ginny to tell her husband that his record for being the youngest on the team had finally been beaten. 

Rosie was buzzing with excitement for at least a month after it. And, every once in a while, she would bring it back up during Sunday dinner. And each time you would smile, happy that her and Zak were finally happy, too. 

Eventually, those Sunday dinners began to include a certain red-headed Weasley. At first, it was by accident. He was in Hogsmeade on business – potentially expanding to be closer to the school – when he thought he’d drop by and see if you were in. 

It didn’t feel awkward, inviting him to stay. And, after seeing both yourself and Fred interact some more, both your niece and nephew didn’t feel it was awkward in the slightest to invite him the following week. 

It wasn’t long before whispers started filling the halls. Whispers that very quickly turned into rumours when a small bouquet of very normal flowers found their way onto your desk one afternoon without you having any idea of how or why. 

You’d asked Neville, but with a shy, very knowing smile, he asked you if you’d checked the note before bidding you a good day. 

Nearing the end of term, your not so secret admirer turned up just as your final lesson of the day was wrapping up. 

You smiled, seeing his face again despite having seen him barely three days ago for Sunday dinner. 

“Ooh,” some of your students sang. “Your boyfriend is here, Professor.”

You smiled, trying not to show your excitement or slightly proud embarrassment too much. “Yes, thank you, Lena. I’m sure you’ve all got better things to be doing with your time.”

Ushering the rest of your students out of the classroom before closing the door behind them, you turned back to Fred. 

“For dinner,” he smiled. 

“You brought some on Sunday.”

Fred nodded. “Yes. They’re not for that dinner. These are for a dinner I haven’t asked you about yet.”

“Fred?”

“Look, I don’t know if you’re going to say yes, but I wanted to ask anyway. I’d like to take you on a proper date. This Saturday. Neville mentioned they’re holding an end of year feast, so all the kids will be busy so you don’t have to worry. Would you like to go…with me? On a real date?”

You felt your heart swell with excitement as you nodded. “I’d love to.”

A sigh of relief fell from Fred’s chest. “Great. That’s really…really great. You have no idea how many times I rehearsed that coming up here.”

You chuckled before leaning up and pressing a light kiss to his cheek before watching him blush heavily. 

“Well, um,” he spluttered, nervous as a school boy asking his crush out. “I-I’ll pick you up. One o’clock.”

“Okay,” you smiled, chuckling a little as he awkwardly made his way out of the classroom. 

Unbeknownst to the pair of you, both Rosie and Zak had been waiting around the corner of the hallway, watching as Fred left your classroom with a huge smile on his face. 

“Yes,” they quietly yelled before high fiving. 

Your first official date with Fred Weasley was unlike any other you’d been on before. And not because it was some huge adventure, or at some fancy restaurant. But because he quietly showed you the parts of himself you had a feeling not a lot of people got to see. 

Newspaper articles, old school log books – any piece of writing about Fred Weasley portrayed him to be exactly who he showed them. A sometimes boisterous but always kind man that, at heart, loved his family and his friends fiercely. 

But during your date, you got to see the quiet sides of him. The ones that took in the world around him, the ones that soaked up every moment he talked to someone, the ones that – when sitting on the edge of a hill, overlooking the Castle – didn’t have to forcibly fill the silence between you both. 

Fred Weasley, despite having seen all of the bad the world had to offer, lived long enough to see the beauty of it again. 

“Thank you for showing me this.”

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me.”

It was on that quiet hill’s edge that you and Fred shared your first kiss. It was also on that hill’s edge that you sealed your fate to forever being intertwined with Fred Weasley. 

And you wouldn’t have changed it for the world. 

It was a few months later, during the summer, that you met the rest of Fred’s family. 

It started off with George and his wife, Angelina. They came for Sunday dinner at the cottage. Rosie asked Angelina every question under the sun about Quidditch. 

During the week, you’d received a very urgent note from the Ministry of Magic asking for your presence at a meeting. Taking Rosie and Zak along with you, you eventually found the office you were looking for. 

“Can I help you?” A receptionist asked. 

“Yes. I- we’re,” you corrected, holding both children in front of you. “We’re looking for Arthur Weasley’s office.”

Finally given the correct directions, you stood outside the office door. You raised your hand to knock, only for it to be torn open and for you to meet Fred’s father in a rather unconventional manner. 

“I am sorry about sending it so urgently, but it seems the Muggle world has been updated and– hello, children-” Rosie and Zak waved and smiled a little shyly. “But Fred mentioned you taught at Hogwarts and-”

“Mr Weasley, it’s alright. What do you need my help with?”

It was during that same day you met one of Mr Weasley’s daughters-in-law: Hermione Granger. 

Zak was in complete awe of her. 

“Brightest witch of her age, that one,” Arthur smiled. “Hermione, this is Fred’s girlfriend and her delightful niece and nephew.”

Hermione smiled politely and introduced herself, to which Rosie boldly introduced both herself and her brother, before mentioning Zak was also a massive book nerd. 

Hermione chuckled before asking Zak about his schooling. Zak was typically quiet, but if someone got him talking about school, it was like he was a whole other kid. 

By the end of the day, both Rosie and Zak were exhausted and falling asleep on Arthur’s sofa. More than likely, they were in the deepest sleep of their lives just as Fred came through the door, kissing you on the cheek. 

“Sorry, love. Ron just told me Hermione saw you here. Is everything alright?”

You nodded with a smile as you folded the final box shut. “Everything is perfect. Your dad needed some Muggle help.”

“Hopefully it’s not been too traumatic. My family…I love them dearly but they can be, well, a lot.”

You just shook your head, holding your boyfriend steady before quickly kissing him. “Everything went smoothly. How was work?”

“Packed. Apparently everyone decided today was the best day to get their school supplies before September.”

You chuckled softly. 

Bidding Arthur good evening, you and Fred lightly woke up your niece and nephew. Within seconds, all four of you were transported back into your cottage through the floo network. 

You shook your head as you stepped out. “I have no idea how you get used to that.”

“Do it a couple hundred times and your head stops spinning.”

“Whoa,” you muttered, the room finally slowing down. 

As Rosie and Zak headed towards their bedroom, collapsing onto their beds for a well deserved nap, you collapsed onto the sofa. 

“How do you feel about some tea?”

“Later,” you told him as he sat down beside you, pulling you inside his side. “Right now, I just wanna nap.”

Fred chuckled, “I won’t argue with that.”

Around two hours later, you woke up to spot Fred moving around in your kitchen, humming a light tune as he cooked. When he eventually stood still at the stove, you quietly walked up behind him, wrapping your arms around his middle before ducking under his arm. 

“Whatcha making?”

“Pancakes?”

“For tea?”

Fred chuckled. “It’s the best thing I can make, besides a cup of tea.”

“You’re an inventor, surely you know how to cook?”

“Explotions, yes. Edible food, no. Although, Professor Sprout did once tell me that I might have a career in baking.”

You smiled, leaning into Fred. “The kid’ll love them.”

Fred smiled back, pressing a kiss to your head just before he flipped the pancake over. 

Two weeks later, you met the rest of his family. 

Fred had been pacing up and down the top of the path, leading to your cottage for twenty minutes. Rosie and Zak had gone to visit Hagrid for the day, learning about all the magical creatures that lay on the ground. 

And, instead of prepping slides for your classes next term, you were watching your boyfriend psyche himself up. 

“What is he-” From behind you, you heard a quiet screech before something slammed into the window. 

An owl. 

“Oh, good lord.” Rushing to the window, you helped the owl stand before taking the letter it handed you. Usually, owls tend to wait for a reply, but this bird just looked to your front door before flying off. 

You had just enough time to read your letter before Fred knocked on your door. 

“Okay, we- we need to talk. And not the muggle ‘we need to talk’,” Fred was trying to hold his nerve, but he was about to ask you to come to dinner to meet all of his family. Every sibling, every niece and nephew, every in-law. 

“Your mother’s inviting me to dinner.”

Fred didn’t hear you. “My mother wants to invite you to dinner.” Then it clicked. “Wait.”

You smiled, holding up the letter. “She sent an owl. I do hope he’s okay, though. He kinda just…crashed into the glass.”

Fred nodded. “He’ll be fine. He’s odd, but he’s always been like that. So…so you know?”

You nodded. “She sent a list of everyone’s names. You’ve got a big family.”

“If you don’t want to go, I can make up an excuse and we can hang out here just the four of us. I can make sure you meet them individually-”

You shrugged. “I’ve already met three members of your family, I think I’d like to meet the rest.”

Fred tried to contain his smile before you took another look at the long list of names and changed your mind. “R-really?”

You nodded, certain of your decision. “Really. It’ll be fun.”

“Fun,” Fred chuckled. “Is an understatement.”

He couldn’t have been more right. 

Molly had insisted that you brought Rosie and Zak, so making sure they were dressed tidily but practically, Fred apparated outside your home, pulling both yourself, Rose and Zak through the tunnel with him. 

Within seconds, you were standing outside of Fred’s family home. And, just as you stopped spinning, you were suddenly engulfed in a warm, motherly bear hug by Molly Weasley. 

“And you must be-”

“I’m Rosie,” she smiled, sticking out her hand to shake Molly’s. “And this is my younger brother, Zak.”

“Only by three minutes,” Zak mumbled. 

But Molly couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fred and George were just the same.”

Fred barely had time to introduce you to the family members that filed out of the Burrow to come and greet you before Molly was ushering you and the kids inside to show you around. 

Hermione asked about Zak’s studies and if Neville had given him the new Herbology addition she had sent him. Zak nodded politely and thanked her for doing so. But, as Zak started coming out of her shell, you watched Rosie go into hers. 

She was in complete awe of meeting Ginny. And, it took a little time, but she eventually started opening up, talking more about school and Quidditch. 

Before you knew it, you were watching Rosie zip through the air with the rest of Molly’s grandkids. As she took a dip in the air, but still completely in control, you had to turn away for a moment. 

“God, Molly, how do you do it?” You asked her. 

She just chuckled and patted your arm. “Have enough kids fall off their brooms when they’re little, you get used to it.”

“You’ve got one hell of a flyer, Y/n.” Ginny smiled as she came to your side. You smiled, proudly. 

“Is Zak not interested? Hufflepuff has a great team.”

You shook your head, watching him across the field as he sat with Hermione in the allotment, identifying different plants. “Rosie’s tried, I’ve tried, even Fred has. Just to see if he’d enjoy a game or two but…” You smiled, watching him happier than ever. “He prefers his feet on the ground.”

As the day went on, you answered more questions than even Rosie and Zak had asked you when they noticed you had feelings for Fred. 

How did you first meet? 

“She crashed into me.”

“What?!”

You panicked. “Not on purpose! It was a pure accident-”

“Happy accident,” Fred smiled. 

You chuckled, softly. “Happy accident. I was running to the post office to send Rosie and Zak their Christmas presents when I…well, I slipped on a sheet of ice and-”

“Crashed into me.”

“Crashed into Fred.” 

More questions followed. 

When did you meet again? What was the school like on your first day? Neville told me Fred sent you flowers? 

But, the more people talked, the more stories you got to hear. About Fred’s childhood, and days in school. 

After dinner, when everyone was sitting out in the backgarden, you leaned against Fred as you watched your niece and nephew teach a few muggle school yard games to the rest of the kids. Mostly, it consisted of ‘stuck-in-the-mud’ and ‘tag’. 

“If you don’t mind me saying, Y/n,” Arthur said to you long after he, and some of the others, joined you on the grass. “I don’t know what happened for those children to-”

“Dad,” Fred warned. But, holding onto Fred’s leg, you looked at him with a soft smile. 

“It’s okay. Go on, Mr Weasley.”

Arthur smiled. “They’re lucky to have you, Y/n. Harry was in a similar predicament when he was young. Terrible family he had. Ron once stole a car with the twins to go and break him out of his aunt and uncle’s house.”

You gasped. “You stole a car?!”

Fred just shrugged. “He needed a getaway driver.”

Arthur chuckled. “Harry came here, and thankfully, he’s still here now. What I’m trying to say is, there’s someone out there, grateful that those kids are with you. They love you dearly.”

You smiled, tearing up a little. “I love them dearly, too.”

“They really are wonderful kids,” Hermione smiled. 

“I’d say ‘thank you’, but…it’s all them,” you admitted. “Rosie’s always been a firecracker, and Zak’s always been bright.”

Leaning down from behind you, Fred whispered quietly. “I can see you in them.”

Leaning into him a little more, you smiled constantly. You’d had a ‘normal’ family when you were young. But it had never been warm; physically or emotionally.

Not in the way the Burrow was. Inviting and nurturing, no matter your age. And certainly not in the way Molly, Arthur or even Fred was. And not just with you, but with everyone else, too. 

When Molly had hugged you, it had been a shock to your system. But a nice one. 

When you found yourself being dragged away by the girls, you felt yourself laugh like you’d found people you could hopefully one day call sisters. 

And, later that night, as you felt Fred wrap his arms around you for the nth time, you felt yourself feeling like you were finally home.