Sky full of stars {Harry Potter Fanfiction}

31. Too bright, way too bright

I was woken on Christmas morning with a kiss to the cheek. Sleepily, I opened my eyes to see Fred already awake with his ginger hair messy and a sweet smile on his face.

"Merry Christmas, golden girl."

"Merry Christmas, pumpkin."

Fred whacked me with one of my pillows. "That is not a cute nickname."

"You called me potato pie the other day."

"Potatoes are cute. You're my little potato."

In return, I whacked him back. Both still giggly, we decided to exchange gifts quickly before joining everybody else downstairs. Fred was absolutely thrilled with the bracelet I'd made for him: it was woven with magic and had tiny wooden charms: a lion and badger holding hands: a beater bat and keeper glove, a brown bead and a golden one.

"You're so thoughtful." Fred said, nuzzling his head against the crook of my neck. "You managed to put the two of us on this tiny bracelet."

"Mum helped," I confessed. "She knows more fiddly charms. I thought you deserved some nice jewelry too."

"Open mine." Fred said, passing me a tiny package, about the size of a coin.

Very confused, I opened it, and gasped. It was a tiny magically charmed circle of gold, with tiny writing inscribed on it: 15th July 1993, something amazing started it said, with a tiny heart underneath it. That was the date we got together. I looked at Fred, lost for words.

"It can fit on your pendant—see?" Fred said, and gently he attached the charm to the pendant he'd gotten me so long ago. The cool gold sat on my chest, and despite that, made me feel warm inside.

"Thank you, Fred—so much." My eyes watered again, and I was threatening to be a human water fountain. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lyra." Fred grinned. Then he handed me another parcel. "Open this."

I frowned. "I thought we were only getting each other one present?"

Fred gave me a pointed look. "Ron sent it—it's from Harry."

Eagerly, I ripped open the paper. Inside I found a silver photo frame, with a collage of photos of the two of us in. There we were on Harry's first Quidditch match—him in his shiny uniform and me with a nervous smile—and at Christmas with Weasley jumpers on. There we were with our friends after first year exams, and stupid photos we'd taken together in the hospital wing after the disastrous Quidditch match with our smiles playing on a loop.

My eyes watered again as I read the note that surprisingly Ron had written.

Lyra,

Harry's still angry, but he's angrier at your Dad than you—you're just somebody he can actually yell at. He didn't want to send you your Christmas present, but I stole it and sent it anyway haha. He does really care, but he just needs time.

Just wait.

Merry Christmas, Ron.

Folding the note up, I placed the photo frame on my bed-side table. There I could see Harry and I immortalized in good times. While Harry was still angry, he was rightfully so. He thought I'd lied to him. But to see how much effort he'd put into that present....

There was hope that everything could be okay again.

**

The rest of our house was already up, tearing into presents. Sasha had put on her favourite Christmas movie ever—Elf—and was in high spirits, telling a rumpled looking Cedric trivia about the film.