Novus Orbis | Fred Weasley x Insert | ON HIATUS

Chapter 27 - Extra, Extra

Y/n doesn't wake up until later the next morning, giddy to find a few presents by the end of her bed. Angelina and Alicia are already up, but they've been waiting for her, sitting on Alicia's bed and talking until their friend wakes up to open gifts together. She groggily gets out of bed, stretching her muscles and waving good morning to them as she goes to get the things from the foot of her four-poster.

The first gift she opens, of course, is from Molly and Arthur and consists of two parcels. The first contains her second-ever Weasley jumper, featuring horizontal stripes of red and gold, her house colours. The second package is hard and boxy and turns out to be her very own wizard radio from Mr. Weasley. There are three other gifts: one from Hermione, a book about the history of brewing potions, which she appreciates very much; one from Angelina, which is a very nice winter cap that matches several of her sweaters, and a leather-bound journal and quill from Alicia. She thanks her roommates vigorously, watching as they open her gifts–a gorgeous wristwatch for Alicia, and a new pair of Quidditch gloves for Angelina.

"I know you won't be able to use them this year," she says, "but I saw them in the sports shop and couldn't help myself."

"No, these are great! Thanks!" Angelina gushes.

They head down with their gifts for the boys to the common room around noon, which is full of quiet and exhausted students, many of whom are still coupled together with their partners from the night before. Y/n finds Hermione, thanking her for her gift, and then looks around to see Fred and George sitting by a window, each with a box in his hands. Both of them are wearing their brand-new Weasley jumpers.

"Merry Christmas," she says to them in greeting, and the three exchange their presents. George has gotten her a lovely package of socks, most likely from Gladrags, embroidered with little dragons flying about on them–a momento to their night with Charlie. Fred's package is larger, and when she opens it, she nearly boxes him on the side of the head: it's the sweater she wanted from the shop in Hogsmeade.

"You didn't," she exclaims, nearly wanting to cry.

"I did."

"When did you buy it?"

"I had George get it for me that same day in Hogsmeade," he says. "We didn't have no way of communicating, you know." He winks at her. Y/n folds the article of clothing and sets it to the side.

"Well, thank you," she says. "Now go on–open mine!"

The boys scoot over on the bench to make room for her to sit in between them, and then one, and then the other, opens his gift from her. For George, she got a lovely winter cap, with dark blue stripes and a blue-on-white snowflake pattern in the middle.

"Oh, this is great!" He says. He pulls another from the box and looks at her, confused.

"I got a matching one for Fred so people can't tell," Y/n says and the boys laugh and thank her.

For Fred, who watches closely her sheepish expression as he tears off the wrapping paper, she got a ring.

"Aw, are you proposing?" He teases, and her face goes bright red.

"No!" She says, glaring playfully. "It's–I don't really know. I saw it in a shop and thought that you'd really like it."

It's gold, to match any Gryffindor colours worn, and it has a simple design engraved in it featuring a triangle, with a circle inside of it, and a line going straight through from the tip of the first shape to its bottom line. "I don't really know what the symbol is. In all honesty, it was just cool."

"It is cool," he says, sliding it onto his right hand's ring finger. "Thank you."

At this moment, the portrait door comes flying open and Lee steps through, making a straight shot for the trio.