Traitor : Fred Weasley, Draco Malfoy & OC Fanfic

Chapter 24 - New Year's Eve

My mother had been prepping the house over the last 24 hours and had spared no expense. Candles hung delicately from the ceiling in the dining room, mimicking the Hogwart's own Great Hall decor and she had cast an enhancement that ensured sparkles would fall from the ceiling at midnight. She had thought of everything and arranging it all had certainly taken her mind off of Colin.

Knowing that Fred & George had expertise with bewitched fireworks she'd asked them to arrive earlier in the day to set up a magnificent display in our garden that would be triggered at midnight too. I stayed firmly shut away in my room while they'd visited.

Though I was excited for the night ahead, a pressure burrowed deep into my chest whenever I thought about about seeing Fred again. The situation had been left on a rather uncomfortable note and nobody had written to me either. I deluded myself that they were preoccupied with their parents' return but I knew it more logical that they just didn't know what to say.

It was time to get ready and my dress hung lifelessly, enclosed in it's garment bag, on the back of my bathroom door. It was an elegant, black embellished dress and when rays of light struck the beads it twinkled gently. Molly had visited yesterday to help take it in so it was tailored precisely to my frame. Everything about it was perfect but I couldn't bring myself to put it on. I'd had a boiling hot shower to try and distract myself but after getting out I hadn't been able to get much further in the dressing process.

"Chop chop, you're not even dressed!" my mother called, entering my room to see me laying in my dressing gown on the bed. I rolled my eyes and pulled myself up.

"What's the matter? You love our New Year's Eve party. All your friends will be here" she said, sitting next to me on the bed.

"That's the problem" I muttered.

"What's happened? You didn't come down once when Fred and George were here" she asked, stroking my hair.

"It's complicated" I mumbled, getting up and taking the dress from its bag.

"Ah I see, well if it's complicated you better put that dress on and make sure you look marvellous tonight, that'll show him" she said with a wink, as she left my room.

I was sure she had no idea who the boy in question was but mothers always seem to have a way of knowing. I slipped the dress over my figure and zipped it up. It was spectacular and hugged my body in all the places I'd hoped it would.

The clock sounded downstairs and I knew guests would be arriving shortly. I promptly finished my make up and subtly curling my hair with a new charm I'd learnt, as I heard the chatter of people arriving downstairs.

I stepped down on to the staircase and greeted every witch and wizard I recognised on the way to the kitchen to pour myself any sort of strong drink.

"Please pace yourself tonight, darling" my dad laughed, patting my back, "we don't want a repeat of last year"

The previous year's party had involved me and The Weasley children challenging each other to see how many drinks we could swipe from other guests through out the night. The mixture of different alcohols and tonics had sent our stomachs into disarray and resulted in most of us missing the stroke of midnight because we were throwing up in the garden. We thought we'd gotten away with it until my mother found her roses covered in a bright green substance the next morning.

I sipped down my firewhiskey and mixer slowly, reminiscing on Fred holding my hair back while feeling equally queasy himself this time last year and prayed he would never see me like that again.

My heart skipped several beats as the sound of Molly's cheerful tones floated through the door, followed by five more polite greetings. Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny came through into the dining room and scattered immediately to greet old friends. I watched from the corner as I waited for one of them to say hello.