just for me ⚘ a Fred Weasley Fanfiction

epilogue

Three years later...

Fred had it all set up. He'd double- no, triple-checked everything. He ran it past Bill and Charlie first, since they were older and actually gave solid advice, and Bill had already done this before. Then he went to George, who mostly just grinned joked about how whipped Fred would be for the rest of is life, as though he was whipped from day one. Arthur was misty-eyed as he told Fred how proud he was, and even Percy gave a nod of approval when Fred showed him the ring.
Oh, the ring.
A simple gold band with a modest diamond. Nothing too flashy, Juniper would hate that. (She'd never hear the end of it at work. The staff at the Prophet were snobs, apparently.) But nice enough that it was clear he had put in extra hours at the shop to pay or it. She'd roll her eyes at him if he owned up to it, but he knew she'd still love it.

Their house felt like a home now, despite taking a while to get there. Juniper's childhood blankets draped over the couches, Fred's clothes tangled with hers in the laundry basket, his coffee mugs slowly replacing the cracked ones that Esme had left behind. Fred knew every creaky floorboard off by heart, knew exactly where the spare pillows and linen were kept, where the dusty kitchen utensils that were never used were shoved, the secret compartments the Esme had carved out for her alcohol. Most importantly, he knew exactly how to set up their living room. Esme's thick faux fur blanket, the one Juniper always curled up in on particularly bad days, laid out in front of the fireplace, soft and familiar. 'Lady and the Tramp' waiting in the VCR, though it took Juniper a week to teach Fred how to turn it on, let alone how to play the damn movie.
He even managed to lure in some of the animals that had made themselves familiar. The gentle pitter-patter of the their paws filling the silence as he adjusted the set up for the hundredth time, lighting and relighting the candles with the snap of his fingers. The fire crackled in front of him, casting a golden glow across the room, making everything feel warm and safe and right. He was ready. All that was left was for Juniper to walk-

"Sorry! Sorry!" Juniper burst in through the front door, bag slung across her shoulder, wand sticking out of the bun on top of her head. She slumped against the door as it closed behind her, flustered and tired. "Work was so... ugh! Mallory was being a bitch as usual, and that new kid sent out last weeks paper twice and- what's this?"

Fred was standing in front of her with a glass of fire whiskey, handing it out for her to take.

"Hi." He grinned, kissing her on the forehead. He felt her relax, her shoulders decompressing and she dropped her bag to the floor, completely forgetting about her rant. "I got the paper and thought you'd need a treat night."

"Every night's a treat night with you." She grinned back, kissing him on the lips after a sip of her fire whiskey. She kicked off her shoes and followed him over to the blanket, taking in the scene with a hint of suspicion. "Were you waiting for me to start the movie, or are you still struggling to work it?"

"I was waiting for you." Fred lied, casting an evil glance at the VCR, cursing it under his breath. "But first, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh." Juniper sat on her knees, setting her glass further away than necessary, just in case. "I actually have something I want to tell you."

"You weren't ready, and I didn't want to rush you." Fred began, his voice softer than usual, his bravado stripped away by nerves. "But now... we have these great jobs, and this big house, which is technically yours but it feels like ours- anyway. Everyday I wake up next to you and think 'This is it. This is exactly where I want to be.'"

"I feel the same." Juniper interrupted with a smile, trying to get her words in before he finished, the two of them speaking over each other. "Which is why I think-."

"Will you marry me?"

"I'm ready to have kids."

"Oh." They both at the same time, both shocked and stunned by the other's statement. Juniper blinked twice, mouth gaping at the gold ring Fred was holding out to her, before she realised what had happened, and she flung herself across the blanket into his arms.

"Of course I will." She whispered into his ear, her arms tight around his middle. The two of them grinned as wide as they could as he slid the ring onto her finger, the two of them admiring it in the warm glow of the fireplace.

"So what's first on the list?" Fred eventually asked, Juniper laying on his chest as they watched the beginning of the movie. She turned her head to look up at him through her eyelashes, awe spilling out of her wide eyes. "Wedding planning or baby making?"

"We're pretty good at multitasking." Juniper shrugged with a playful smirk, pulling him in for another deep kiss.

⚘The end⚘