Falling For

George had forced me out of The Burrow three days before Christmas. It was a struggle to get me out of the door, but considering our last battle at the shop, I suppose he had every right to worry.

“They know who you are, now.” He argued with me as he threw my stuff into the trunk I had haphazardly packed only a week ago. Molly watched us from the doorway, our bickering only making her face stonier. “If anything, they know more about you.”

“Like that means anything.” I snapped at him, using my wand to pull everything he had packed out of the trunk and back into our drawers. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to stay here? I’m safer at the heart of it, and I’m sure Noël wouldn’t be very happy for me to turn up on his doorstep the week before Christmas.”

“I’ve already talked to him about it.” George huffed at me. “He said it was okay. The further you are away from conflict, the better for my mental health.”

“It’s so selfish of you to assume that this is the best for me.” I stomped my foot. “I am not a child, George Weasley. I can hold my own. You are not my guardian and I’m sick of being treated like I can’t do anything.”

“Maybe you’re being selfish.” He straightened himself, hands on his hips in a bout full of sass. I glanced at the doorway to see Molly had left, probably sensing the argument that was about to erupt. “What if something happened and they caught you? What if you got killed, or tortured for information you know nothing about? It would all be in vain to assume your safety right now.”

“Remember what happened last time you broke up with me for ‘safety reasons’? It was like wandering around in a snowstorm with no jacket on.”

“Oh, don’t be so overdramatic, Mignon.” He snapped. “I appreciate the metaphor but I can assure you that Noël will take care of you. I will visit when I can, which will be everyday.” He clarified, watching my face fall. “And I am not breaking up with you.”

“It really does feel like it.” I mumbled, turning away from him and walking out into the hallway. Fleeing to the bathroom, I found my way to the sink to lean on and stared at myself in the dirty mirror. With Christmas approaching, nearly all the Weasley’s were home for one of the most sombre events of the year. The only people missing were the Golden Trio, of who were somewhere in England doing things I had no idea about.

I looked over my pale face, red cheeks from the boiling furiousness and frown lines forming above my brow. My naivety about the situation was unknown to me, and I seriously believed that staying would be a good thing.

The door unlocked itself and George sighed at me, his brown eyes taking in my slumped form.

“I don’t want to leave.” I told him and he wrenched my hand from the sink and placed it on his neck. My face found its place in his chest and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my head.

“You can come back for Christmas, Min. I just want this all sorted before anything happens. It’s not a matter of hiding you away from the world, it’s more of a ‘what if?’ thing. What if something did happen and you got hurt? That’d kill me, you know. It’d kill all of us. It will also keep your mum safe as well, and all your friends. This isn’t all about you, or how much I supposedly want to get rid of you, but simply a precaution we have to take.”

I breathed in his berry scent, my lips soft against the wool of his sweater, and I finally sighed. My grip tightened around the back of his neck and he sighed at me, pulling my face up to kiss me.

“Please don’t hate me.”

“I don’t.”

“Good. Because I love you,” his eyes scanned over my face tiredly “and when this mess is sorted out we are getting married. I promise you that.” He ran his hands through my hair, kissing me again on the forehead. “And we’ll get to the light at the end of this tunnel and it will be safe again. Have faith in my brother and his friends, Min. We can get through this.”

My face softened and he smiled softly back. It almost hurts to write, but unfortunately his figurative light at the end of the tunnel was only the light of a fast approaching train.




Noël greeted me with open arms, flittering around his new house with a very cheerful aura. The old-style cottage felt lighter, more hopeful than The Burrow. Fred and George seemed to notice this too, both relaxing the instant we rolled through the fireplace. Fred came for ‘moral support’, whatever that meant – I just think he wanted to sneak a look at Noël’s new house. It wasn’t often that a young person could get his hands on a house – especially one as nice as Noël’s.

Then again, he was a healer.

“Nice place.” Fred sniffed, looking over the new couches with easy eyes.

“Thank you.” Noël perked up in the doorway to what seemed to be the kitchen. “My father bought it for me. I’ve always liked this area, it’s a lovely place to raise a family in.”

“Your father bought it for you?” I asked, watching George put down my trunk.

“I make weekly payments back to him, don’t worry.” He smiled. “Tea anyone?”

“No thanks.” Fred sighed. “We have to be off, anyway. Orders to fill, owls to feed. You know.” George’s eyes flickered to his brother, taking in the blank look with one of weariness, finally caving to the redheaded twin’s ideas.

“We’ll let Mignon settle in by herself. Release her to the wild.” George gave me a quick arm hug, kissing me on top of the head. “Come over for dinner tomorrow night, okay? Love you.” I looked up at him, startled, before letting him kiss me quickly on the lips before disapparating out of the room. Noël looked at me for a second while my face scrunched up.

“That was painfully quick.” I winced and his face softened. It wasn’t often that George quickly dismissed himself. It also wasn’t often that George left my side. The fact that I was to be without him at the night-time was a little off-putting. I had no idea how I was to sleep without him.

“Like a muggle bandaid – short and fast so the pain’s over and done with quickly, rather than drawing it out.”

“Right.” I pursed my lips together. “Okay. Well.”

“Want me to show you around? It’s a lovely house, so much room.” Noël tugged off his sweater, folding it and placing it gently on a carved wooden table. He smiled at me.

“I bet it get’s lonely.” I sort of felt sorry for him in a way. It was a large house, filled with beautiful furniture and coated with almost luxurious wallpaper. I felt at home in Godric’s Hollow, like it would be a quaint place to be forever.

“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind, though. I work far too much to be concerned with socialising.” He broke into another smile. “But it would be nice to have you around.”

“Of course.” I beamed “I’ve missed you.” I watched him levitate my trunk up the stairs. His wand lowered about 10 seconds later, scratching his bare arm.

“I’ve missed you too. It’s been a while since we’ve been together properly, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, a long while.” I sighed and we sat in an odd silence while I thought about our times at school when he would touch my hair and make me honey tea – how soft his blue eyes were and how bad I felt when he left.

I woke up after he cleared his throat. “How about that tour?”