LATIBULE - F.WEASLEY

27

Maggie sighs in contentment as she feels Fred's finger tracing patterns on her arm. She looks up at the wizard who grins down at her. But their moment is broken when the door to Maggie's room flies open to reveal Remus and Sirius who slam the door behind them.

"What have you two done?" Maggie asks.

"Yeah, come right in," Fred grumbles. "Why do people assume our room is open for us to deal with their problems twenty-four-seven?"

"No," Sirius shakes his head. "Circe decided to cook her own meat for Christmas dinner"

"What did she make?" Maggie asks.

"Really tasty-looking chicken," Sirius says. "But that's not the point, Circe had some things to say-"

"Molly did not take it well," Remus adds.

"Oh- Oh no," Fred hurries over to the door and locks it.

"Nice boxers," Sirius snorts.

Fred glares at the older wizard before he climbs back into the bed. Maggie looks at him in confusion before looking at the two men.

"Why is this a bad thing?" Maggie asks. "Surely it just means more food right?"

"I love my mum's cooking," Fred begins. "However, her turkey is- It's not good. However, it's not something we talk about. We just drown it in gravy"

"Is Circe alright?" Maggie asks.

"That woman can hold her own," Sirius snorts. "But we're just waiting for it to die down. We wheeled Arthur into the kitchen and ran away"

"You left the man who's in a wheelchair as the sacrificial lamb?" Maggie asks. "That's low"

"Well, we thought he could use some entertainment," Remus says with a grin.

"He's perfectly fine, don't worry," Sirius adds. "We made sure he had a front-row seat for the chaos, just in case. Flopsy is also mediating,"

"Maybe you should go check on your mother," Maggie suggests, looking up at Fred.

"I'm not getting caught in the crossfire," Fred says, pulling Maggie closer. "We can have our own Christmas celebration right here."

"We'll all have to live in here," Remus nods.

"Forever," Sirius agrees.

"But what about presents?" Fred huffs. "The entire point of Christmas"

"Oh, Circe bought everyone presents as well," Sirius nods. "She's really working hard at this whole grandmother thing"

"She is," Maggie smiles.

"She's just stepping on the wrong woman's toes,"

In the blink of an eye, a small and agile creature resembling a weasel with a shiny, silver coat darts through the door and into the room. Then the voice of Arthur Weasley begins to emanate from the glowing, translucent creature.

"It's safe, they've both discovered they share the common hobby of knitting,"

"Oh thank Merlin!" Fred exclaims, going to throw the sheets off before remembering Sirius' teasing of his Quidditch boxers. "Will you two bugger off so I can get dressed?"

Sirius and Remus leave the room, laughing at Fred who gives them the middle finger before slamming the door.

Maggie climbs out of bed and quickly gets dressed. She pulls on a white sweater dress and a pair of black cycling shorts. The witch then wraps a belt around her waist to cinch the dress in slightly to make it more flattering on her.

"Oh!" Maggie exclaims, grabbing a box from under the bed. "Here"

"That's a big box," Fred comments, taking it from her.

As the wizard unwraps the box, the contents catch his eye. He remembered seeing the suit in Hogsmeade before they left for Christmas. The reddish-brown trousers and blazer were neatly folded, but what caught his attention were the other items that Maggie had thoughtfully included.

A vibrant yellow waistcoat, a deep orange tie, and a striking red and gold patterned shirt were carefully wrapped in tissue paper, waiting to be paired with the suit.

"I saw you eyeing the suit up when we went to Hogsmeade," Maggie says. "The rest was an educated guess. I thought you could wear it for the grand opening of the shop"

"MAGGIE! YOU BEAUTIFUL WITCH!"

"I also got George one, slightly different but similar enough that people have to keep guessing. I know you two love that," Maggie says. "But I got you this-"

Maggie holds out a small box towards Fred who eagerly accepts it, his fingers delicately prying apart the lid. As the lid opens, a gleaming watch comes into view, reflecting the light in an array of colours. Fred smiles when he notices the intricate engraving of a lion and a rose, entwined together in a beautiful pattern on the back of the watch which is also reflected in the watch face.

"Maggie, I can't accept this-"

"Shut up and put it on," Maggie says.

"Okay,"

Fred carefully puts on the watch, fastening the strap around his wrist. The lion and rose motif gleams in the watch face, and he can't help but admire the craftsmanship.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Maggie. I love it."