Never Give Up

Chapter Twenty-Five

‘What? I know you have something to say so just say it,’ Fred said with his hands behind his head, watching as Hermione looked at him through the mirror as she tugged on a t-shirt after taking a quick shower.

‘Nothing... just Amelia,’ Hermione sighed as though it was ‘the usual’. Fred raised his eyebrows, sitting up a little in bed. She didn’t elaborate but only turned to face her husband, ‘merry Christmas, love.’

‘Merry Christmas,’ he leaned over the bed, taking half the sheets with him as he did so, and kissed Hermione who smiled against his lips and enjoyed the kiss for a couple of seconds before pulling back. Hermione smiled as she looked into his eyes and let her fingers tangle in his hair.

‘You should get changed,’ she sighed, running a hand through his too long hair. Fred closed his eyes at her touch and kissed her hand as Hermione roamed her eyes over his countless freckles, ‘the kids are all up. I heard them a couple of minutes ago so get up, Fred, and get changed so we can open our presents!’

‘Not so fast,’ Fred frowned, catching her hands as she tried to move away from him. He turned her around so that he could look into her eyes, searching for whatever it was that she wanted to say but wasn’t able to. Fred raised his eyebrows as she opened her mouth to object, ‘what’s wrong, Mia?’

‘I just... I...’ Hermione sighed and climbed onto the bed so that she was sitting in front of him. Fred moved back a little to give her some space, pooling the sheets around his waist to cover himself as he took her hand. Hermione looked down at their entwined hands, ‘we’ve fought so hard against everyone who said that we wouldn’t work out, that we couldn’t keep the child, who were against us from the very start and the ones who wouldn’t accept Amelia into the family.’

‘Like my father,’ Fred whispered and Hermione nodded a little, ‘well, forget about him, Mia. James and Amelia are best friends which is why Dominique is starting to warm up to Amelia too; she’s not alone in this family.’

‘But she is the odd one out. She doesn’t have the famous Weasley hair, she’s not like the others and we knew that from the start,’ Hermione sighed, shaking her head, ‘what I’m trying to say is that I hate this. I hate how she thinks she is in love with that Malfoy boy! I hate how she apparated away with him! I hate how I thought you were the one and only person she would listen to... but she disobeyed you. She never disobeys you, Fred, and I know it’s all because of that boy! The Malfoy’s are driving me crazy!’

‘I don’t want her to be with Malfoy either, Hermione. If it was up to me, I’d kill that boy if he even looked at Amelia. I’d hex Draco Malfoy into craziness if he dared to touch you but... I can’t do that,’ Fred sighed and took her face into her hands. Hermione looked up into his eyes and waited for him to say the thing that would make her feel better like he always did, ‘I don’t condone Amelia running off with Malfoy’s spawn but... if her own mother is against the relationship she’ll start to rebel against her family. As you said everyone was against our relationship and we rebelled against them all to get to where we are today... Amelia will do the same and I don’t want her to turn her back on us.’

‘So... what you’re saying is that I should let Amelia date that boy and potentially get heart broken and bear her crying over someone who will never love her?’ Hermione asked, frowning at him. Wasn’t Fred supposed to be on her side rather than trying to get this relationship to go on? She felt her chest tighten at the mere thought of a Malfoy being near her daughter.

‘No, what I’m saying... suggestingis that you shouldn’t turn your back on her. She’s a teenager which makes it so much worse since she’ll be angry at you for even suggesting the smallest of things; we’ve all been through that phase and it’s tough. I’m not telling you to cheer her on, I’m telling you to talk to her like you have through her whole life, helping her with every problem-’