Life After Death - An Erica Black Continuation (4)

Eighteen

"So the two of you will need to share the sofa I'm afraid but it's only for a week until Charlie come to get you" Dom explained whilst she poured tea.
"Charlie's coming?" Lottie tilted her head curiously.
"Oh, yeah! It turns out Vic told Charlie about you guys coming to visit and he wanted to see you too so he's going to take you for the second week" Teddy rolled his eyes playfully causing the younger twin to chuckle at his antics.
"Does Mum know?" Willow questioned, her concern evident on her face at the new information.
"Yes," the man smiled at his God-daughter "we made sure to notify your mother, Merlin knows she's probably had about 5 owls about it by now"
The girls giggled at that.
"Cheer up Poupée, you worry too much" Dom smiled at Willow, lifting her chin a little and smiling reassuringly.
"That's exactly what I've been telling her all term" smirked Charlotte, shooting a pointed look at her twin.
"Well then, you're wise beyond your years petit pétard" winked Dominique Weasley.
"What do those even mean Dom?" Laughed Teddy
"Poupée means babydoll and petit pétard means little firecracker" grinned Victoire, exchanging humorous glances with Teddy.

"Why don't the two of you get settled and then later on we can order in and watch a movie?" A muddled chorus of acknowledgement and agreement echoed back to Teddy's suggestion.
The girls watched as Dom pulled out the sofa bed, they each stuffed two pillows into cases whilst Victoire tackled the duvet cover and between the four of them, the twin's temporary bed was set up in no time.
The Weasley sisters then left Willow and Charlotte to unpack the few items they'd brought. The eldest of the two cringed at the sight of her twin's trunk, clothes stuffed in carelessly and not much else whereas her own trunk was filled with three neat stacks of clothes, each one containing 5/6 outfits separated by the ribbons tied around them, Willow had spent a few hours in her dorm pairing up clothes into outfits, down to the socks and underwear and tying them into small parcels coded by ribbon colour (yellow, red, blue: depending on whether the outfit was suitable for warm weather, cold weather or bed). The second half of her trunk was filled with a mixture of essentials and entertainment, she had carefully packed her toothbrush and paste on top that morning after using them below that was her hairbrush, shampoo and conditioner, her cloak, a pot of hair ribbons and Clips. Then a small selections books including her own notebook and stationary. And last but not least she had packed her quilt and a small stuffed dragon Charlie had given her when her sister and herself were tiny.
"Merlin Wills, you're ridiculous" muttered Charlotte Black, looking over her sister's shoulder as she unpacked her meticulous trunk, Willow scowled slightly at her sister,
"I am not ridiculous. What's ridiculous is that disaster you call a trunk, is mine a little over organised? Perhaps. But at least I know for certain that it contains everything I need." She replied a little haughtily. Rolling her eyes, Lottie shrugged "Chris, sorry if I upset you Will but my trunk has everything I could possibly need so what do you know."
The eldest twin raised an eyebrow at her younger counterpart and crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk..
"Everything...?" Willow smirked, eyeing her sisters luggage.
"Yes." She replied with an air of certainty and finality.
"A coat?" The first sister questioned
"Yes, my coat is in there." A smug smile creeping onto her lips.
"Underwear?"
"Yes"
"A new pair for everyday...?" She faltered, her confidence slipping for the first time.
"Well... probably, yea.. I mean who counts?" She shrugged.
"Toothbrush?"
"I- um..." Charlotte's eyes widen a little, instantly giving away her concern.
"Hairbrush? Shampoo? Socks?" she shrinks back, flushing scarlet as the list grew.
"Okay fine! Maybe not everything but it's nothing I can't have mum owl me or even buy a new one!" The younger of the Black twin's ranted indignantly.
"That's not the point Lottie" Willow sighed.

"Girls! knock it off, come on." called Teddy from the kitchen
"Edward Lupin! Don't you shout in my kitchen!" screamed Victoire from the back of the flat.
Dominique shouted back from her own bedroom "Vic! See the irony!" 
"Go to hell, the both of you" The eldest of the Weasley cousins laughed loudly through the walls
"Merlin Vic, harsh much?" Teddy wailed with a tone of mock hurt.

The five of them sat around the kitchen table with slices of pizza. Willow had to hand it to Victoire Weasley; she could make anything look sophisticated - a trait she more than likely inherited from her mother. Even a take away pizza, she had insisted on laying the table, placing slices on plates with a mixed salad, she had shrugged off her flatmates jokes.
"There's no point in behaving like Neanderthals, good manners will often take people where neither money nor education will." That was what she had said, her light French accent becoming slightly thicker as she emanated her mother more and more. Teddy snorted at her words, causing her to smack him over the head playfully with the empty pizza box she had been folding to put in the recycling. "Hey now" he laughed, putting his hands up in an attempt to block her assaults. The twins watched in amusement  as the two bickered and Dom made kissing faces at them. Victoire froze in place mid swing to look at her little sister;
"Dominique Ginevra Weasley! You know full well we are not dating!"
"Yes, but you were, you have and I have 5 Galleons on the fact that you will again" she smirked,
"It was for less than two years and more than 10 years ago!" she shrieked furiously, shooting a severing glare at her sister and her friend (and ex) who was close to wetting himself. it was enough to make Willow's palms sweat, make her shift uncomfortably in her seat, and rub her finger-tips together under the table. She had missed the smile that tugged at Victoire Weasley's lips, the one that gave away to everyone else in the room that her anger was merely a fasard for the sake of their shared joke.

She had wanted to run, to lock herself in the bathroom and wash all the panic away, she wanted to cocoon herself in a million blankets until everything else in the world was far away and muffled, she wanted to open her mouth and let out the sounds that were so desperate to escape, she knew how they felt after all. But most of all, Willow Black wanted to go home, to their quiet little cottage far away from prying eyes and loud people. Once everyone's plates had been cleared and she had helped Dom with the washing up, she headed to the bathroom to shower.