A Chance Encounter | Fred Weasley

Chapter 4

"Hey, you busy with anything tonight?" Fred asked Clara as they closed up shop for the day.

"Um...I had a few things to clean up at my house, but nothing really aside from that."

Fred nodded as he brought some boxes from the store room to stock shelves with for the next day. "Our mum invited us to dinner tonight. You fancy joining us?"

Clara raised her eyebrows slightly, which caused Fred to tense up in nervousness.

After some time, she answered, "The things I have at home...I really need to take care of."

She watched as the look of hope fell from Fred's face and immediately felt guilty.

"Oh, okay. Maybe next time then," he uttered, a smirk attempting to hide the disappointment.

As he walked away and began to restock one of the shelves, Clara called out, "Well...I won't take that long at home."

He looked up at her with a beaming smile. "So seven o'clock?"

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

After Clara had left the shop, Fred and George locked up and had apparated back to the Burrow. George had dropped them a little further away from the house than normal.

"Why so far tonight, mate?" Fred asked, starting to walk back to their home.

George pulled on his shoulder, causing Fred to look back at him with some annoyance.

"Can you be straight with me and tell me if you fancy Clara or not?" George asked with a smirk, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Shove off," Fred answered with a grin, pulling away from his brother's grip. "She's nice. I think she's going through a hard time right now."

"True, but inviting her to a family dinner? People will start to wonder."

The two began to walk back to the Burrow.

"I don't even know enough about her. And neither do you. Maybe we'll get to know her better if we treat her more like family."

"I suppose. She is our only worker."

"That's the spirit, Georgie," Fred laughed, opening the door and enjoying the smells of his mother's home cooking.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

A knock at the door came a little after 7:15.

Fred was the first to rush to the door, George and his mother exchanging looks as they continued to set the table.

Opening the door, he saw Clara staring out at the marsh. She was wearing a light brown cardigan with a white tank underneath, jeans, and brown boots. Her hair was still in its usual bun and she was carrying a black handbag along with a brown paper bag.

"Welcome to the Burrow," he greeted.

She turned to Fred, a small smile gracing her face. "It's wonderful out here," she greeted.

"It's home," he replied, moving out of the way.

"Clara!" George greeted, "We were wondering if you were going to come."

"Sorry, I got caught up with some stuff."

"Not to worry, dear, the food just finished cooking so you're right on time. I'm Mrs. Weasley," Molly introduced. She brought her into a warm hug, Clara being instantly reminded of the hugs her mother used to give.

"Mr. Weasley should be down momentarily, then we can start the meal."

"It looks fantastic. Oh, and here's the other reason I was a little tied up." Clara set the brown bag on the table and pulled out a round pan. "I made a little dessert for us. Didn't know what everyone liked so I made an apple pie."