Lemon Grass and Sleep

A MOOD DAMPENER

I woke to an empty bed, still warm in Fred's spot. George's bed was also empty, so I could only imagine they had to go do something or other and were kind enough to leave me sleep. That is, until I heard the door creak open and I peered over the edge of the blanket to see Fred.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," Fred spoke quietly, I watched him walk across the floor to give me a light peck on the cheek.

"Mm," I grumbled in response, taking in a deep breath as I rolled over to face him. He was still in his pajamas, bedhead making his hair point in all directions.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered, crouching down beside the bed to meet my eyes.

"Merry Christmas," I groggily replied, giving him a grin. "Is everyone already up?"

"No, just us and Mum so far. Don't go downstairs, she's upset."

"Oh no," I mumbled, eyebrows knitting together, "Is it your dad?"

"No," Fred sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Percy sent back his jumper, no note."

"What?" I asked, "What an asshole."

"Yeah," Fred rolled his eyes, "So we'll have to wait for her to calm down first."

For a moment Fred just looked at me silently, eyes darting all over my face. I want him to crawl in bed with me. To hold me and rest his chin on my head while I listen to his heartbeat.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked softly.

"You," I whispered.

He smiled, and I felt my heart leap out of my chest and scream to attempt to let any of the pressure escape me.

"Scoot over," he rolled his eyes playfully, and I eagerly moved over until my back pressed against the cold wallpaper.

Once we were settled, I nestled my nose against Fred's chest and wrapped my arms around him, feeling his hands snake around me and rest against my back. It didn't feel like Christmas, if that made sense.

"Do you think your mum will be okay?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, his chest vibrating against my face, "She's tough."

I pulled back a bit, my head feeling a little too hot wrapped up in his embrace like that. The pillow felt cool against my cheek as I strongly fought the urge to let my eyes slide shut.

Fred eyes lingered on my face, and I felt my cheeks blush at the thought that he was just staring at me for the sake of it. Until I felt his finger brush over my lip, and it dipped into a small dent.

My eyes widened as immediately panic set in, I pressed my lips together and felt my scar. My hand--it was covered in the spidersilk, and I almost flinched when Fred reached over to weave his fingers through mine.

"My-" I choked, "My wand, I need my wand."

"No you don't," he mumbled, kissing the back of my hand, "You look fine. Nobody else can see but me."

"But," I stammered, licking my lips nervously and feeling angry tears collect when my tongue passed over the tear in my lip. "But I need to-"

"Not yet," he wrapped his arms around me again, trapping me against his chest. I couldn't even escape if I wanted to.

My lips curled with frustration, only making the situation worse as I felt the dent in my skin as it brushed against my top lip. Not only did I probably look a mess, fresh from sleep, but my hex had also worn off sometime in the night. For some reason lately, I had had trouble keeping up with the cycle and when it would wear off.