Granger Danger ⇗ Fred Weasley

Ch. 25: It's Official

(sorry for the long wait - I have a minor start of carpal tunnel in my left arm and I'm trying to relax on the use of it... - plus writer's block...lots and lots of writers block)

dedicated to Kookee_ for the beautiful cover on the side! 

Ch. 25: It's Official

 Song for this Chapter: Our Song - Matchbox Twenty (Lovely song for Elle & Fred - check it out)

    Loving someone else is easy. Loving who you are when you look in the mirror is not. Perhaps that is why I couldn't bare to glance at the windows as I walked past them on my way towards Weasley & Weasley. 

    The rain had started early this morning, and I wanted to catch a nice walk before the weather came back down from it's break. When I'd woken up today, Fred and George were gone. Molly reassured me that they were more than likely back at work - they didn't often stay at the Burrow for long these days. 

    I was glad they had adjusted into adult life so well, it suited them. 

    I reached the outside of Diagon Alley from my walk on London streets when the rain began to trickle once again, matting down my hair that I had messily tossed up in the early hours of the morning, dreamless anxiety making me careless about appearances. 

    There was a pit in my stomach, eating me alive. But, I wasn't sure what was causing it. Maybe it was the fact that the Hogwarts school year was quickly approaching, but there was something else, something in the back of my mind that I couldn't quite understand yet - or didn't want to understand. It almost felt like... fear.

    "Elle? What are you doing out here without an umbrella?" A light, airy voice called to me and I turned to glance behind me where Luna Lovegood was standing in the rain with what looked like a cucumber designed umbrella. "You'll catch Snifflebacks," Her brow crumpled in worry.

    "Snifflebacks," I nodded, a smile pulling at the corners of my cheeks, "Right," I walked under a nearby canopy and spared her a small smile, tugging at the cuffs of my jacket sleeves, "What are you doing out, Luna?" 

    "Oh, I was looking for some radish solution, a mysterious mold seems to have taken to my roots," Her blue eyes flickered with her far away gaze; I figured that instead of seeing the gloomy streets, Luna was seeing her garden at home and anxiously worrying about it.

    I watched her in admiration. Luna had always sparked a sense of... motherly nature, or whatever else it could have been, inside of me. She was someone that I couldn't help but love to bits. "Oh, well, good luck with them," I offered, not sure what to say since I didn't know the first thing about agriculture. "So, have you seen other people outside of school? Like, Neville, perhaps?" I changed the subject, prying a bit into Luna's business.

    The corner of Luna's lip pulled down into a lop-sided frown and she shook her head, "No, actually. I haven't seen anyone yet - but, I imagine that we will eventually." 

    The sound of a bell tinkling beside us caught my attention and I watched as a small group of children giggled and joked as they happily rushed out of the Twins's store. Their excitement practically coming off their bodies in waves. 

    "Well, I'll see you around, Elle," Luna waved briefly at me and turned on her heel, walking across the street towards a Herbologist shop.

    Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself as I walked through the front door of the Twins's shop, the bell ringing softly in my ear. As I looked around, a grin spread on my lips. The shop was busy with customers of all ages, sifting through the different assortments of products, chattering happily.