Essential Hope

The smell of fresh baked ham wafted up into my room, immediately awakening me. Ginny, sprawled across her comforter, sat up as well and grinned. Hermione stirred eventually, blinking slowly and looking around. As all our eyes met, I couldn’t help but grin as well.

Thanksgiving was here.

I could hear the sounds of Ron, Fred, George and Harry stampeding down the stairs towards the smell of food. I jumped out of bed and quickly ran a brush through my hair as the others struggled to follow me.

“We better hurry,” I said, yanking the door open. Ginny and Hermione stumbled out to the hall after me. The sounds of plates being attacked with forks made me run faster down the stairs, my stomach seeming to lead me where I wanted to go.

The table, to put it nicely, looked like a tornado swept through it. Plates were overturned, cups were knocked over, and forks were sticking up from the wood.

“Really, guys?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “Can’t you try to be civilized for a few minutes?”

“Nah,” Fred said, grinning at me. He had eggs dripping down his chin. “This is so much more fun!”

“Apparently,” Hermione muttered, squeezing into a seat next to Ron that wasn’t too toast-crumb coated. Ginny cautiously pulled up a chair and eyed the few strips of bacon that were left. I walked over to Harry, and he reached up and pulled me into the seat next to him. He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and then dove back into breakfast-which was a weird phrase to think of.

“Waffles!” Mrs. Weasley announced, bustling over to the table. Apparently, this was the first look she got of the table.

“Oh, for Merlins sake!” She exclaimed, stopping with the plate of waffles. All heads turned to look at her.

“What?” George asked, his voice muffled by the five pieces of bacon shoved in his mouth.

“Don’t you have any manners? Don’t eat like savages in front of young ladies!”

“Awe, mum, they’re used to it!” Fred laughed, grinning at me again. My stomach knotted up, but I answered,

“Well, I shouldn’t be!”

“There, exactly,” Mrs. Weasley scolded, frowning at the boys. “Now, please eat this a little more civilized.” She sat the plate of waffles in the middle of the table.

Trying to set a good example, I reached out with my fork and speared a waffle, taking it slowly back to my plate. Fred and George watched it like a hawk. I glared at them, and then delicately sat the waffle on the plate. I cut it into small pieces and then poured a little bit of syrup on top. I lifted one of the pieces to my mouth and took a bite. Mrs. Weasley beamed at me, and then walked back into the kitchen.

The second the door shut, the boys lunged for the food. Ginny dove in too, trying to get at least a little bit of food. She grabbed a waffle, then leaned back as fast as she could to get away with all her fingers in tact.

Fred was fighting with George for one of the bigger waffles, while Harry and Ron tried to pull back as many as they could. Hermione and I stayed on the outside of the skirmish, with Hermione nibbling on a slice of toast as I finished up my waffle.

As Harry sat back, letting Fred and George fight over the rest of them, he handed I another waffle. I beamed at him and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. He smiled as I pulled away, and we both began to munch on the waffles. As Fred and George finally pulled away from the virtually empty plate, they began to devour, literally devour, their waffles.

“Are you even chewing those?” I asked skeptically, eying the smothered remains of the waffles scattered over the table around them.

“Well of course, Kelso,” Fred said, rolling his eyes. “We’re not, like, savages or anything.”

“Oh, of course not…” you muttered, taking another bite of my waffle. Fred glanced over at me, and, before I could stop him, he lunged across the table and snatched my waffle.

“Hey!” I cried, lunging right back at him. He was already back in his seat, grinning at me as he stuffed my waffle in his mouth.

“Damnit, Fred!” I grumbled, sitting back and crossing my arms. Harry frowned at Fred, but Fred seemed oblivious.

“Waffles always taste better when they’re a bit sweeter than others.”

“Watch it,” I snapped, glaring more intently. Harry pretended not to notice.

“Say, Fred,” George said, leaning back and flashing a smile.

“Yes, George?”

“I think Kelso is a bit grumpy, don’t you?”

“I do agree. But what should we do about it?”

Fred reached for a handful of eggs.

“Fred Weasley,” I warned, standing up slowly. “Don’t you dare do what I think you’re gonna do.”

Fred’s grin grew even bigger and he pulled his arm back.

“Fred! I swear-“

The eggs splattered into my face. I stood there, shocked for a second. My eyes were closed, and my mouth was hanging open in shock. A few seconds later, I felt something land on my tongue. I closed my mouth, and chewed cautiously. It was a chunk of bacon. Well, at least they had good aim. Wait, I was still mad; no matter how crispy that bacon was, it didn’t excuse him.

“Damnit!” I snapped, grabbing up my glass of water. Fred’s grin froze in place. I took a step forward.

“Kelso, come on, I didn’t do it that bad!” He pleaded, holding his hands up. I grinned, and threw the cup of water onto him. He gasped in shock, and I, along with Harry, Ron, and George, burst out laughing.
“That’s it!” Fred laughed, grabbing a bowl of oatmeal. He flung it at me, but I grabbed Harry and pulled him into the line of fire. Harry was doused in a helping of oats, and while they were momentarily distracted, I snatched up a pancake coated in syrup and flung it at George.

Needless to say, twenty minutes later, the dining room was coated in food, along with all of us. Hermione had been caught in the crossfire, and was now picking the bits of toast she could reach out of her hair. Ginny had escaped when she could, only getting one handful of eggs tossed at her.

Fred and George were busy examining the damage as Harry, Ron, and I tried to clean ourselves off.

“You call this more civilized?” Mrs. Weasley shrieked, opening the door and gasping at the scene of destruction.

“It’s just a bit of fun, mum!” Fred defended, taking a step back from his mom. She was, after all, wielding a spatula.

“Clean this up right now!” She snapped, spinning on her heel to march back into the kitchen.

“Oops,” I whispered, grinning mischievously over at Fred and George. They grinned back, of course.

“Alright, let’s hurry up and get this mess taken care of before she comes back out with a knife,” George said, pulling out his wand. Harry and Ron moved to help Hermione tidy up the walls, while Fred wandered over to me.

“You’ve got egg all over you,” Fred said nonchalantly, wiping food off my shoulder.

“I’ve got it, thanks,” I replied, feeling my heart begin to race. This could only lead to trouble.

“No, I don’t think you do,” Fred whispered, leaning closer. I automatically glanced over to the others. Harry was standing on a chair, peeling bacon from the ceiling. Ron and Hermione were holding him steady, while George set to work tidying up the other side of the kitchen.

“Hey!” I hissed as Fred wrapped his arm around me and pressed his hand to the small of my back, pulling me closer. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest.

Fred leaned his face toward my neck, and I felt his warm breath on my skin. My body seemed to go numb. But I sure felt it when Fred pressed his lips against my collarbone. I drew in a surprised breath, and glanced back to Harry. He hadn’t noticed. Fred opened his mouth, and grabbed a piece of egg with his teeth. His lips lingered there for a second, and then he pulled away. He had a smug smile on his lips, and I felt like punching him.

No, better yet, I reached out and grabbed a plate of half-eaten tapioca. I locked my eyes on his as you reached up and smashed the food into his face. He took a few steps back, letting go of my waist. He let out a startled yelp, making everyone glance over at the two of us.

Harry and Ron were snickering, Hermione rolled her eyes, and George gave you thumbs up. As I reached around Fred to begin picking up the plates, I whispered,

“Nice try, but next time I can handle myself.”

“You weren’t the least bit seduced?” He whispered back, wiping his face off.

“Nope. Sorry, you’re not Harry.”

“Ouch, that one hurt.”

“Good. Now get over yourself and help me clean up.”

“I guess I’ll just have to try harder next time,” he said, his eyes glinting with humor. I chuckled and whispered,

“You’re really overestimating how attractive you are. I don’t think it’s possible for you to seduce me, Fred Weasley.”

“I know exactly how attractive I am to you, Kelsey,” he said, his words more of a warning than anything. “And that sounds like a challenge. I’ll prove you wrong, trust me on that. Prepare to be seduced, Kelsey Spence.”
********

Once the kitchen was clean, the afternoon really wasn’t that eventful. Harry, Ron, Fred and George disappeared outside to play a friendly game of Quidditch. Hermione, Ginny, and I agreed to help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen to prepare the big meal. By dinnertime, the rest of the guests began to arrive.

Bill and Charlie were first, with Fleur right along with them. A few of Arthur’s friends were stopping by, just for Mrs. Weasley’s wonderful cooking. About half an hour before dinner, Angelina arrived, and George was ecstatic to have her over. The game of Quidditch quickly ended as George disappeared to ‘catch up’ with Angie.

With the food all prepared, Hermione, Ginny, and I headed upstairs to change. Mrs. Weasley asked us to dress formal, and I had a feeling my sweats and tanktop wouldn’t cut it. I changed into an [url= http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=39687175 ]outfit[/url] I deemed acceptable, and then curled my hair. I pulled it into a half-up style, leaving curls to fall down around my shoulders and frame my face.

The three of us descended the stairs, and I saw Harry waiting for me. He was wearing a black button-up shirt tucked into a pair of nicer jeans. His hair was swept to the side, and lets just say he looked pretty damn good. He held out his arm and I took it, smiling up at him. He bent down and kissed me softly, whispering,

“You look beautiful.”

I blushed as he led me towards the dinner table. It was set up in the backyard, and I was glad it was a relatively nice night. As I walked out, my eyes immediately fell onto Fred. He was leaning up against the side of the house, his arms crossed. His white and black pinstriped formal shirt was half-buttoned, and not tucked into his pants. His pair of black jeans hung a little lower than usual, and the shirt just barely covered his boxers. His red hair was swept across his forehead, and it fell into his eyes.

Alright. Maybe he was a little seductive.

He gave me a half smile, and my heart fluttered. If Harry noticed, he didn’t seem to care as he lead me to the table. Fred followed the two of us and waited patiently as Harry pulled out my chair and helped me into my seat.

“If you don’t mind me saying,” Fred began, sitting down on my other side. “You do look gorgeous tonight, Kelso.”

My smile was tight, and I was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace.

“Thanks Fred.”

“What, you’re not gonna say I look good too?” He teased; I heard Harry sigh.

“I’m not a liar,” I told him pointedly, looking away.

“I’m pretty sure you just proved yourself wrong.”

I ignored that comment.

Dinner went nicely, and the food was excellent. I spent the majority of the meal ignoring suggestive comments from Fred as I focused on Harry. It was really annoying, to say the least.

As I finished up dinner, music began to play in the background. George led Angelina out to the grass, and began to sway in time with her. Fred was just reaching to take my hand so he could do the same, as Harry stood up and asked,

“Wanna dance, Kels?”

I took his hand, glaring at Fred as I stood up. He smirked.

Harry led me to the makeshift dance floor, and wrapped his arms around me. He began to sway to the beat, and I followed his lead. As the song switched to something more exciting, Harry took my hand and began to lead me around the dance floor. I smiled as he pulled me closer and kissed me more passionately than earlier. I loved the way he felt, holding me tight and kissing me just right.

As we spun again, I felt a hand come down on my shoulder.

“Mind if I cut in?”

“Actually, yeah I do,” I snapped, glaring at him for ruining the moment.

“I was talking to Harry.”

Being the gentleman he was, Harry shrugged and said,

“If she wants to.” Fred grinned, taking that as a yes.

“I’m pretty sure I-“

“Great, lets go.”

Harry kissed me again as Fred began to spin me away.

“You have some nerve, Fred.”

“Actually, I have a lot of nerve, thanks for noticing.”

“Harry’s being such a nice guy about your attitude, and you just keep pushing your luck.”

Fred feigned an innocent look and asked,

“Who? Me? Attitude?”

I rolled my eyes and said,

“You really need to watch yourself, Weasley.”

“Oh, you wont let Harry beat me up.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’d be perfectly fine with that. I’d watch and cheer him on.”

“Now, see, that’s where you’re wrong, Kelso,” he said, smiling down at me. “You wouldn’t be cheering for Harry. You’d cheer for me.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re mentally unstable,” I growled, letting go of him.

“I know you would. You find me pretty seductive, and it’s getting harder to resist my charm.”

“Alright,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Harry was next to me again, and you gladly went into his arms as he began to dance with me. I rested my head on his shoulder, and let the music flow around us as Harry held you close.

This just felt so right. Being here, dancing with Harry. Being held by Harry. Being kissed by Harry. Just being with Harry. It was perfect.

No matter how seductive Fred was.