Chapter 2
Rebecca stayed with Hermione for a while longer. They hadn't sat and chatted since the celebration the week after the battle, and they had missed each more than they had known. For years, they had been roommates more often than not, and the comfort both girls found in the company of the other soothed the heart-troubles Hermione was struggling to come to terms with.
When Rebecca finally knew that she had to be going, that the day was well-passed the midpoint and there were things to do, she gave her final hugs and apparated to the shop front. The door was locked, as it had stayed since they had yet to reopen, and the lights were all off. Since she had already apparated to forgo stairs once that day, Rebecca climbed up them slowly with her shoes already off and in hand.
She couldn't hear the noises she expected for the evening, the clattering of kitchenware and singing along with whatever someone had playing. The flat was completely silent.
And the door was ajar, with no lights shining through the opening
"Fred?" Rebecca called softly, hoping that he was just tucked behind a corner to try and scare her. "George?"
Rebecca held her wand higher in front of her her and set her shoes down silently. The flat was dark and no signs of struggle or fighting were obvious. "Lumos." The dim light at the end of her wand reflected off the tile of the kitchen and showed nobody within. Rebecca kept her back to the wall and slowly made her way down the hall, only after checking every opening the kitchen led to.
Carefully and methodically, Rebecca opened and checked each room she passed.
With no sign of anyone inside, enemies or those who should have been, Rebecca's heart began to race faster than the sprint it had been steadily climbing towards. Across the flat, coming from her and Fred's room, Rebecca heard the telltale sounds of a stifled sneeze.
She turned and crept down the hall as slow as she had been, turning the knob to their room the same way. When she had steeled herself the best she could as the panic threatened to take over completely, she threw the door open and jumped in wand first.
"NO!" Fred shouted, launching himself forward and knocking her arm up to the ceiling just as the jinx left her wand, leaving a scorch mark on the ceiling. "It's us!"
"What the fuck is going on?!" Rebecca demanded, holding on to both sides of the doorframe for stability. George and Cedric stood behind Fred, nervously looking between each other and then back to Rebecca. "Do you-I'm gonna have a bloody heart attack."
Seeing all three of them standing there was almost worse than them not having been in the flat at all. The fear, the thoughts of losing them, the anxiety and terror tearing through her, it was all too reminiscent of the darkest periods of the war they had hardly left.
Rebecca put her back to the door and held her hand up to keep Fred from getting any closer than he was. She felt like the room was growing smaller, that there wasn't enough air inside it or her. George watched, paralysed, as he realised that she was going through the bouts of panic he himself had been regularly subjected to through the thickest parts of the war. The bouts of panic where Cedric had to bring him back from the edge of hysteria.
Cedric, not unaccustomed to keeping calm during a panic attack, and crouched down next to her. "It's okay, everything's fine. Look, breathe." He guided her fully to the floor, showing her how to sit with her knees bent and holding herself. "Slow breaths. Close your eyes. Count to thirty with your breaths. Slower, listen to how I am. There. One, two..."
Fred was on his knees behind Cedric, listening to what he was saying and seeing how it helped, memorising should Fred ever be able to help as he was. His hands were clenched so tightly into fists that his knuckles were white and he could feel his nails leaving indentations on his palms.
Rebecca could feel her heart slowing down, though her mind still felt like it was being pushed too far. "Why?" She asked after a moment.
"Well, it was supposed to be a bit of a joke." George scratched the back of his neck. "Payback for-"
Cedric sat back and Fred moved forward to take his spot, within arm's reach of Rebecca and waiting for her to make the indication that she wanted him closer. When she nodded, Fred pulled her into his arms and she let herself be enveloped by him. The side of her head lay against his chest and the sound of his heart helped smother some of the ringing in her ears.
"Payback for what?"
Fred kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't matter, not in the slightest. We didn't think about...we just didn't think it through."
They sat there quietly until Cedric and George made their way out of the room around them and Fred lifted her onto the bed where she lay in his arms. They stayed like that until every trace, every shadow of the fear that something had happened to them was chased away by Fred's presence.
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"I'm sorry about earlier." Rebecca was the first to speak as they awkwardly sat around the dinner table, pushing the meal Cedric had made around her plate. "I didn't mean to-"
"The hell are you apologising for? It was my idea." George stabbed at his food. "Can't believe I didn't think about how stupid it was, how it could have come across."
Rebecca put her hand across the table on his wrist, shaking her head. "Maybe we could just make a little sign for next time. 'Haven't been tragically murdered, just taking the piss.' Yeah?"
George raised an eyebrow and gave her a long look.
"Worth a shot." Rebecca pulled her hand back and took a bite of dinner. "I'm still back on the payback thing, you know. I've been going over everything I did before I went to Hermione's-"
"How is she?" Fred interrupted. "Was everything okay?" He couldn't believe that he hadn't asked yet.
"She's fine, just needed a friend. Don't change the subject." Rebecca looked around at all of them, wondering--not for the first time--if she had done something and not known it wouldn't have been right. It had happened over the years, especially at the beginning of her time in the Burrow. "What did I do that could have deserved payback?"
The three boys all looked at each other, then at the table, wall, or at their hands. None wanting to look directly at Rebecca. George finally cleared his throat. "You...erm, left. In a hurry, yeah?"
"Yeah, a bit. What's that got to do with anything?"
"Well, you see...you-Well, what did you do before running out the door?"
Rebecca retraced her steps. "I grabbed my shoes?"
"No, before that. You kissed the person working at the counter, didn't you?"
"I kissed Fred who was behind the counter."
George gave her a sheepish smile. "Fred was in the back. You were in such a rush you didn't notic-"
"No!" Rebecca gasped, leaning back in her chair. "I kissed you?!" She buried her face into her hands, trying to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks as she burnt with shame. "That's awful! That's horrible!"
Cedric patted her shoulder, trying to console her while Fred failed to stifle his laughter. "It could be worse," Cedric offered. "I can't think of how right this second, but surely it could have been."
Rebecca tried to finish her dinner, but eventually left the table with a quiet excusing of herself. The dishes were magicked clean when the boys were through, the routine of Fred and Rebecca washing and drying them interrupted. Not ready to turn in for the night, but also not wanting to retire to their rooms, the three sat on the couch. The only sound that filled the flat was the distant running of the shower and then the quiet closing of her and Fred's door.
"How did a prank end up like this?" George murmured, his hands behind his head as he moved from the couch to lounge on the rug. "Really? How the hell did it end up like this?"
"I've seen Rebecca a lot of things." Cedric sighed. "But I've never seen her embarrassed."
"It's definitely rare." Fred stood up quickly. "Come with me, Ced. I know how we're going to fix this."
George narrowed his eyes but followed without complaint. As much as he hated feeling left out, he also wanted things back to usual.
Fred knocked on the bedroom door and waited a moment before opening it. Rebecca was sat on the edge of the bed with her book open in her lap. "Love?" Fred asked. "We know that you're...stuck...on what happened earlier, and I've figured out how to fix it."
"Fred, I don't really know how you can-" Rebecca's words trickled away as George and Cedric poked their heads in the door.
Fred laid his hand on Cedric's should and turned so that they were facing each other. Fred gave his brother's boyfriend a big smile.
"This was your plan?" Cedric whispered.
"Yeah, you don't mind, do you?"
Cedric shook his head and Fred leaned forward, pressing their lips together while both boys winced like they were being tortured. When they stepped apart, Rebecca and George had faces of equal horror. Cedric ran across the room and jumped onto their bed, George and Fred right behind and then clambering for any open space.
Fred lifted his head and pulled Rebecca closer to him in their pile. "There, fixed."
"You didn't need to do that."
He gave her a crooked smile, the one she loved especially. "But did it make you feel better?"
"I didn't feel badly!" Rebecca tried to defend, garnering knowing looks from George and Cedric. "I just, obviously it was awkward and..."
"And?" Fred prompted when she didn't continue.
"I figured you were cross."
Fred's jaw dropped. "Why would I be cross? It was an accident, a mistake as you ran out the door to our friend who needed you."
Rebecca gave Fred a hard look. "Fred, you were going to fight Nigel when he was twelve because you were jealous."
Cedric laughed loudly, never having heard this story. George shoved Ced's face into a pillow, motioning for Fred and Rebecca to keep talking.
"That was different."
"How was-"
"And I'm different, too." Fred finished. "Get out of here, you two."
George and Cedric groaned at missing the end, but they didn't drag their exit out too long. When the room was theirs again, Fred climbed up the bed and put his arms on either side of her, his chest against her stomach.
"We're a lot older now, Rebecca. I'd like to think a little wiser, too."
"What do you mean?"
Fred lowered his head and left a trail of quick kisses from her navel to the bottom of her neck, scooting over so that he was against her side and not balancing over her. "I used to get so jealous, if that's what we must call it, because I was always afraid that you would find someone better."
"But you don't know?" Rebecca asked, curious. Of course, she would never find anyone better, that didn't exist. But for Fred to agree was new.
Fred laid his head against her shoulder. "You mastered Death to bring me back to you. I'm pretty sure I don't have anything to ever be jealous of again, you've proved you're not letting me go easily."
"Well, you didn't have to worry about that then and you most certainly don't know." Rebecca moved down and turned so that she was facing him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I really thought you would be upset."
"I'm not." Fred kissed her forehead. "But we do have to talk about the other thing earlier."
"Do we though?"
"Yes, love." Fred chuckled, but was quickly serious. "Ced said he and George have dealt with their fair share of panic attacks in the worst times, but I need to know what to do for you if it happens again. Did you like sitting on the floor? Would you rather have been sat on the bed? Do you want anything? A glass of water? Hugged or not hugged? That sort of thing."
Rebecca let her forehead rest against his chest. "I just need you to be you. The sweet, kind, caring person who has bewitched me, mind and soul."
"Wouldn't I bewizard you?"
Rebecca laughed and pushed him onto his back, bringing her face closer to his. "Shut up and kiss me."
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"A tie."
Rebecca sighed and looked at Fred through the mirror. His shirt was still unbuttoned and the tie was in his hands as if he had never seen one before.
"You don't have to wear it, Fred. You said, and I quote, 'just throw what you think I should wear on the bed and I'll wear it.'"
"Ah, yes. I do remember saying that now."
Rebecca turned away from the mirror and ran her hands down the front of her, smoothing out her shirt. "I would hope so, you said it ten minutes ago."
Fred slipped the tie around his collar and stood up, no longer giving her a hard time. "Why do you seem so tense, love?" He put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing the knots underneath.
"I just-I want this to go well. Petunia was someone else, at the end. When they were leaving, she had never seem so human. I don't expect them to ever like me." Fred frowned. "It's true, darling. And it's okay. They've made their opinion on me clear, but Harry spent eleven years with them, not to mention the summers in between, too. He deserves every chance for a relationship with them. I certainly won't be the reason he doesn't have one."
Fred pursed his lips and brought his hands up to her cheeks, tilting her head so that she was looking up. "I don't give a damn what they think about you. The fact that you're putting so much effort and worry into this for Harry only proves everything anyone could ever need to know."
"What's that?" Rebecca gave him a little smile.
"That you are wholly and entirely perfect." Fred left a kiss on the end of her nose.
Rebecca turned around and wrapped her arms around him, laughing softly into his chest. "Okay, okay. You're nearly right, I guess." She pulled the tie out from under his collar and tossed it back onto the bed. "No bells and whistles needed."
Fred smirked. "RJ, you'd get whistles in a paper bag!"
"You're an animal!" Rebecca turned her back to him and left for the door, slapping his hand away from where he was trying to 'straighten' her trousers.
"Only for you, love."
George and Cedric grinned at each other over the papers they were reading over at the table, always happy to see their flatmates as happy as they were. "Oi!" George warned. "You're going to be late!"
"No, it's only-damn it!" Rebecca grabbed her wand and put her arm through Fred's quickly. "Harry's going to be furious! I told him I would be on time!"
Fred waved to the others as Rebecca apparated them to the address Harry had begged her to get to on time.
Ginny laughed and stopped rubbing circles on Harry's back. "It's Rebecca, Hare. You know she's permanently behind schedule."
"It's bloody absurd!" Harry grumbled. "She runs a business! How do they manage with this-"
"Here!" Rebecca ran out from the alley behind the tea room Petunia had offered as a place for them all to meet. "I'm here, I'm so, so sorry! I-"
"Lost track of time?" Harry finished for her, knowing the answer after hearing it the countless number of times he had. Ginny pinched him sharply, and Harry retraced his steps. "It's alright." He looked them over for the first time, noting how well she and Fred were dressed. "You look nice, I didn't realise we were-"
Fred stepped forward and put his arm around Harry, walking the two of them ahead of the girls. "Not a word more. She looks nice, you look nice, we all look nice. Full stop, end of story."
Ginny giggled and bumped Rebecca with her elbow, bringing her away from whatever she had been thinking about. "You alright?"
"I'm alright." Rebecca didn't sound it, and she didn't feel alright. She was thinking of how happy Vernon had been when the Dursleys had left Harry and Rebecca at Privet drive, how he expected to never see them again. "Just ready to see how this goes."
Ginny smiled. "Let's get to it then. That's her, right? Over in the corner?"
Rebecca nodded.
"She's not as ugly as I had imagined."
"Nice, Ginny."
Rebecca and Ginny fell silent as Fred and Harry took their respective partner's hands, stopping at the large corner table where only two were seated: Dudley and Petunia. Petunia looked at them all and a small smile crossed her face, the absence of her historic, blatant hatred making her far prettier than she had ever been before.
Dudley stood as they approached, holding his hand out to shake the newcomers hands. "Harry, Rebecca, it's good to see you."
Harry shook Dudley's hand as he held it out to him, confused. "You...too? Where's Vernon?"
Petunia shook her head. "Not here." She didn't offer any more information on the subject, not at that moment. Petunia turned her head to Ginny and Fred, looking them both over quickly. "And you two are?" She shook her head, remembering something. "Are you the boy from the phone?"
Fred's jaw rippled at the memory of their swiftly ended phone calls from summers before, but he held his hand out politely. "Yes, Fred Weasley."
Petunia glanced at the back of his hand he took it back, her eyes flitting to Rebecca at the band on Fred's finger. Fred tilted his head slightly as Petunia looked back to him, daring her to say something.
"And you?" Petunia left the elephant in the room to wander, putting her attention to Ginny.
"Ginny, Ginny Weasley."
"So you two are brother and sister?" Petunia asked. "As if the hair didn't say."
The faces on all at the table fell flat at her attempt at a joke, unimpressed.
"I'm sorry." Petunia said quickly. "That's not how I meant to start this. Would you all care to sit? Tea isn't exactly tea, without tea."
Rebecca reached back to pull her chair out and found Fred's hand already holding the back of it. He pulled it out for her and took the seat beside, catching her hand under the table and holding it tightly.
Dudley cleared his throat. "The news has been rather dull, and then you called. You're done then? Whatever you had to do?"
"The news, Dudley?" Harry asked bewildered. "What're you watching the news for?"
Dudley became very interested in the paisley patterns of the table cloth. "Mum and I were worried. It had been a long time. We didn't-we weren't even sure if you were ever going to call."
Rebecca glanced at Petunia and found something strangely human in her eyes, something guilty and yet also freed. "We were busy, to say the least. It's quite a story and not one to be had out and about."
"Understood." Dudley leaned back in his chair slightly. "I won't say anything else on it until you two want to share." He caught Harry's eye. "I am glad to see you again, both of you. Things have changed quite a bit."
"I told Vernon about the envelope, my invitation for when you finished what you set out to do. He disagreed." Petunia said tactfully, while Dudley glowered next to her. It was the first time Harry had ever seen such rage cross Dudley's face and not have it directed at him. "I've taken my family's name again, finalised weeks ago."
"Evans." Harry said. "Like our mother."
"Yes." Petunia paused as the tea was brought, waiting for the waiter to be gone to continue. "My life has many regrets, but Lily...Lily has to do with most of them. I thought it fitting, returning to the name we shared as girls. Like my life has come full circle."
Dudley poured his mother some tea and held the pot higher, asking if Rebecca or Ginny would have him pour theirs. Fred looked Dudley over and said nothing, waiting for him to take his hand off the pot. Fred poured Rebecca's, then his own, and then Harry did the same for he and Ginny.
Dudley didn't take the slight as an insult, if anything, he saw an invitation. Get Harry and Rebecca's partners, get Harry and Rebecca. That would prove to his cousins more than anything else. "Rebecca mentioned something about a shop you owned, Fred." Dudley was the first to break the awkward silence that coated the air around their table after Petunia's soliloquy. "With the sweets like you dropped in our house after the...living room...got destroyed." His voice petered out near the end, thinking that they might not appreciate the mentioning of such an angry encounter, remembering how Vernon had shouted and insulted.
"A shop?" Petunia asked. "What do you sell?"
Fred nodded, finding comfort in Rebecca's hand as every eye at the table landed on him. "We do own a shop, Rebecca, my brother, and I. We manufacture and sell prank goods of the magical variety."
Petunia nodded, impressed. "And has this proven lucrative? Are you able to suppor-"
"Petunia!" Rebecca gasped. "What on earth? Lucrative?"
Fred grit his teeth. "No, it's alright, love. She just wants to make sure the niece she's always taken such good care of is okay, right?"
"I didn't-"
"She wants to make sure you're not being mistreated, right?!" Fred's voice raised toa level that caught the attention of most of the shop. "Well, Miss Evans, I think you'll find both Harry and Rebecca to be surrounded by people who love them, who care for them, and who would never in a million years even dream of treating them as you have. Both of you have, at that."
Rebecca turned in her chair, pleading with Fred. "Please, I wanted this to go-"
"You wanted this to go well for Harry." Fred returned his volume to one that let the rest of the tearoom resume their chatter, but Harry turned at his name.
Rebecca looked at Fred and, although she could see how angry he was, she could see that none of it was directed at her. "Yes, I do."
"Why do you want his to go well for me?" Harry asked. "This was for both of us." Ginny sipped from her tea, watching the drama unfold.
Rebecca sighed and spoke to Petunia, instead of answering Harry directly. "As nice as it was to see my name on the envelope too, you've made it quite clear you never wanted me in Little Whinging. Bloody hell, you nearly trembled just being in the same room as me."
Petunia clasped her hands together tightly. "It's your eye-"
"Petunia, I swear to Merlin above, you are trying my-" Fred had worked constantly to ensure Rebecca had no qualms about the scar around her eye. He wasn't going to let his hard work, all the progress Rebecca had made, be wiped away over tea.
Especially not when her scar proved to the world what he already knew--nothing could stop her.
"They're just like hers." Petunia said. "And your hair...there's never been hair as dark as his." Petunia looked down at hands. "I never-I couldn't look at you and not see Lily. Not when you are so similar to her. Harry is different, more like James with his mannerisms. You emulate Lily in ways I cannot even explain."
There was a long pause at the table.
"I am so, so sorry that I have made you feel like only Harry is wanted here. I invited you both, I wanted to see both of you."
Harry sat up straighter. "Why would you want to see us when you were finally free of us?"
Ginny laid her hand on Harry's knee.
"They never wanted me in the first place!" Harry scowled. "Not for a single second and you made sure I knew it. Now, why are we here? What could you have hoped would happen?"
"Hope?" Petunia breathed with a little laugh. "I only hoped you would reach out! I didn't expect you to at all, not after you left."
"Well we did." Harry glanced at Rebecca, her and Fred still whispering back and forth at the other.
Dudley leaned forward in his seat, sensing the impasse they had met. "No one can change the past." He thought for a moment and clarified. "Right? You can't do that."
Rebecca couldn't keep the smile wholly off her face. "No, not exactly."
"Well, besides the point really. We cannot change the past." Dudley looked to Petunia. "We only want the opportunity to change for the future."
The table was quiet again. Fred silently sipped his tea and sat straight in his chair.
Petunia gestured to Rebecca's ring as she lifted her cup. "Are you two married?" Fred's jaw rippled as he grit his teeth, prompting Petunia on. "So I know how to address letters for the future."
"Potter-Weasley." Rebecca toyed with her ring. "Thank you for asking."
Fred tightened his grip on Rebecca's knee at the sound of her, of their name.
"Are you hungry?" Petunia asked. I wasn't sure what any of you liked, or if you had eaten before coming."
Harry looked to Ginny, then Rebecca and Fred. "We could eat." He was willing to take the olive branch Petunia was offering, giving his aunt and cousin the second chance they had offered Draco.
The second chance Harry would want afforded to him.
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"Are you sure you won't take more?" Petunia asked, hours later as she tried to put more sandwiches into the box she had insisted each of the pairs take. She smiled at Fred, "You said you had a brother! He'll eat some!"
"I have six brothers, actually. But I only live with my twin and his boyfriend."
Petunia packed in even more of the leftovers on the table, thinking to herself just how relieving it was to be freed of the fear that that sentence would have left her had she been out with Vernon. She had been an outlet for his anger, too, and the overwhelming I-was-right-to-leave filled her with a mixed sense of loss and peace that she hoped none of the young adults at the table would ever feel.
Fred sealed the box after it was filled to the brim, glancing at Rebecca who was smiling and talking with Dudley. Fred had restrained himself through the rest of tea, offering up polite conversation and finding Dudley's interest in the shop an excellent opening to finding himself enjoying the afternoon. There was precious little he enjoyed talking about more, almost nothing, in fact, besides Rebecca. He knew she wouldn't appreciate the conversation taking that turn, though.
"Petunia, Dudley," Fred began, checking discreetly with Harry and Rebecca before continuing. Rebecca beamed up at him, knowing what he was going to offer. "We're planning a celebration towards the end of summer, July 31st, to be exact."
Rebecca and Harry had insisted, demanded, that their birthday not be focused on them. They only wanted an evening with their loved ones before those returning to Hogwarts left.
"We would be happy to see you there, if you'd like to come." Fred finished.
Dudley nodded instantly, all the encouragement Petunia needed. "We would love to come."
Ginny stared at Dudley with a blank look on her face as Petunia, Fred, and Rebecca stepped to the side to try and explain directions to the Burrow. Realising that both of them had little to no experience with Muggle public transport, Harry stepped in to make sure they didn't end up with directions to Peru.
"So," Ginny said. "You're the cousin."
"That's me." Dudley managed a weak smile, perturbed by the look Ginny was still giving him. "You're the girlfriend?"
"Yeah, that would be me. It's funny, you don't seem like a terrorising arsehole." Dudley paled, suddenly afraid that Harry wasn't besides his girlfriend. "You do know some of the things we can do, right? With magic?" Ginny waited for Dudley to nod. "Well, that's nothing compared to what I can do without it. Keep that in mind."
"I will." Dudley swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm not going to be that person, not any more."
"That's good." Ginny looked over Dudley's shoulder where Harry was headed back to them, his eyes curiously flitting between Ginny and a pale Dudley. "Make sure it stays that way."
"Everything good?" Harry asked, taking the box from Ginny's arm and taking her hand. "Dudley?"
"Everything's great." Dudley stepped back with Petunia. "Really, really great. We'll be there on the 31st."
Petunia smiled. "Yes, we will."
They walked down the pavement to where Dudley and Petunia had parked. Once the two had driven off, Rebecca patted Fred's back from where she had her arm around him. "Thank you. I think this went well."
Harry sighed. "It could have gone worse, that's for sure." He cleared his throat. "I'm glad she's tossed Vernon. She seemed...different."
Ginny nodded. "Probably for the best. Would have hated to see Fred have more people to shout at."
"Shut it!" Fred rolled his eyes and pulled Rebecca closer. "Ready to go home?"
"We could get some more work done in the shop." Rebecca suggested.
Fred threw his head back and groaned, following along behind her with dragging feet.
Harry and Ginny waved goodbye from the alley behind the shop, in privacy enough to side-along apparate back to Grimmauld Place.
"What else could you possibly have to do?" Rebecca sighed.
Fred looked at her a long moment.
"You do know we can't do that every moment of every day."
"We could try though."
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"Darling?" Rebecca called from her finished shelf. The flat had been empty when they arrived, a note on the fridge saying Ced and George had gone out for groceries. She and Fred hung back up their nice outfits and had been sorting the shop since.
Every shelf had its contents organised, every aisle was swept, every task that had been left to do was completed. At last, they were ready.
"Yes, love?" Fred popped his head into the aisle, the last empty box in hand. "Just bringing this to the back and then I'm done, too."
"Should we get Darcy ready to send the announcement to the Prophet?"
Fred tossed the box up onto their pile of empty ones, closing the storage door behind him. "Hmmm, perhaps we should wait one more day."
Rebecca put her hands on his hips and laughed as he walked backwards, steering her until her back bumped the counter. He picked her up and set her on the countertop, pursing his lips as he thought about it more. "Yeah, we should definitely wait another day."
"Why would you want to wait?"
Fred put hooked his hands behind her neck and smirked as she locked her legs around his waist. "Well, we should leave that to Ced and George, shouldn't we? They'll feel important with such a hefty task."
"Oh, that's your only reason?" Rebecca let her head rest against his chest. "There's no other reason you don't want to get back to work bright and early tomorrow?"
"It's one of my reasons." Fred held her tighter and gave her a cheeky wink before apparating the two of them up the stairs. "I thought we might want to sleep in tomorrow."
"You think?" Rebecca whispered, leaving a trail of kisses from his shirt collar to his ear.
"I-" Fred cleared his throat. "I know."
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