A Chance Encounter | Fred Weasley

Chapter 21

Clara had been quiet all day once Michael and Ginny had left the house. She had this nagging feeling that no matter what kinds of scenarios played in her head about how Michael's school year would be, they would be nothing compared to the real thing. She was scared. She was worried. And now that Roman had to go fight his own battles already in Romania, she was even more on edge.

She was sitting in her room flipping through a book that Hermione had given her to read. It was a collection of muggle fairy tales, similar to the stories her father would read from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. There were stories of princesses being saved, knights fighting off dragons, and true love. The only thing that Clara didn't enjoy about the stories was that it seemed like magic was always used by the evil characters.

Looking up, she saw that the sun was already starting to set for that day. She hadn't even remembered eating lunch.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she called, tossing her book on a table near her bed.

"Good evening, madam," George greeted, standing in the doorway. He was standing up straight, dressed in his usual work suit, a smirk on his face. "A Mr. Frederick Weasley requests your presence at dinner this evening. 7 o'clock sharp."

Clara felt the corners of her mouth pull up into a smile as she stood up. "And what should I wear to this dinner?"

"He requested your finest attire." As he looked over Clara's features, his mouth formed a small 'o'. He reached into his pocket and tossed Clara a small vial. "He also requested that your hair...not be a rainbow."

She laughed as she took in the antidote. "Can you let Mr. Weasley know that I shall be in attendance this evening." She curtsied to George. "Thank you, good sir."

He half bowed with a grin as he pulled the door shut.

Taking a deep breath, Clara looked at her trunk across the room. It looked as if it had thrown up her clothes on the floor. She started to throw clothes all over the place as she looked for something decent to wear.

All the while, she never thought of her brothers. She didn't think of the craziness that lay just outside the Burrow's secure doors. She never thought about the what ifs of Fred and George's plans.

The only thing that mattered was the time she was going to spend with Fred.

About half an hour later, and one scattered trunk later, Clara heard another knock at the door.

She walked over and opened it to be greeted by Molly.

"Hello, dearie," she greeted. She walked past Clara holding a dress. "Let's get you fitted."

"Mrs. Weasley...how did you–where did this–when did you–"

"Never you mind. Now come on, arms up. I want to make sure this fits you."

Clara held up her arms as instructed as Molly placed the dress on her bed, then wrapped the measuring tape around her waist, chest, and hips.

"It might be a little loose, but it'll let you breathe," Molly informed with a smile. "Fred asked if you could wear this if you didn't have anything better."

Molly held up the dress once more for Clara to inspect. It was a simple black dress with no sleeves and a round collar near her neck. From the top of her chest to the collar, there was a sheer fabric that allowed her skin to peek through. The dress reached the floor, but had a slit near her right leg that would reach her mid-thigh when she wore it.

"It's nothing special, but you can always dress it up a bit," Molly added.

"It's wonderful, Mrs. Weasley." Clara smile appreciatively as she hugged Molly in thanks.