An Affair to Remember (Fred Weasley)

33) Again

Trigger warnings: Very small mention of domestic abuse and an even smaller mention of light physical abuse, these are sensitive topics so please, please do not read if you are uncomfortable with it. Don't ever put up with any form of physical abuse.

When Adrienne and Noah went downstairs to the living room the next day, no one except Hermione and Ron sat there. Hermione was reading a book and Ron was half asleep on the couch, his head resting on Hermione's shoulder.

"Morning Hermione, where's everyone else?" Adrienne asked, sitting next to Noah on the loveseat.

"It's 7 AM, what do you expect? They're all asleep, Molly and Arthur are cleaning up the shed I presume" Hermione said, her eyes trained on the text in front of her. Noah glanced at her, a disgruntled expression on his face. He had made it perfectly clear that he loathed Hermione and Fred above the others. Adrienne wanted to punch him on the face for saying that about two people she loved but she stopped herself because nothing good could ever come out of being angry at Noah.

Ron suddenly snorted and awoke with a jerk, looking around him in confusion. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice deep and raspy from sleep. Adrienne noticed Hermione's eyes widen and a blush creep up on her cheeks before she coughed, "7 AM".

"Ron what are you doing up at this hour anyway? You're never awake before 9" Adrienne chuckled. "I know, I know, but 'Mione here wakes up at 6 every morning so I wanted to give her company, besides, I should probably get used to it anyway" he replied.

Hermione's face was well hidden behind the books but Adrienne could almost see right through it and she knew that she was blushing hard at Ron's words. "You can go back to sleep Ron, I don't want to keep you up" she said softly, a little smile on her face.

"No no, I want to stay here with you" he gave her a tired smile before looking into her book, "So tell me about this book you're reading"

Adrienne watched Ron and Hermione with a warm heart. She had noticed that in some ways, they had both changed from when she knew them. He still had irritable habits but Hermione learned to live with them, even love them. And Ron payed more attention to her, as if she was the most important thing in the world to him. Then Adrienne glanced at Noah who was sitting right next to her, a newspaper in hand.

The first few years of marriage were supposed to be fun, right? Then how did she never feel that way with Noah? Other pure-blood friends of Adrienne who had also had arranged marriages said that they fell in love with their husbands after, but that didn't seem to be the case with Adrienne, try as she might.

The door to the Burrow opened and in walked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, their faces flushed from the cold. "Oh good, you're up! Adrienne dear, do you mind helping me with tea?" she asked. Adrienne jumped up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley. Noah noticed that Arthur was free and so he went up to him to start his mission of 'buttering up the boss'.

"So, Adrienne. I don't know much about you but I do know that all my children love you" Molly smiled, magicking a saucepan on the stove. Adrienne pulled out the tea leaves, unscrewing the lid. "I love them all too, I had a great time with them at the cabin"

"You know, it's odd, when they all got back they seemed pretty glum. I tried to cheer them as much as I could but I don't know what was going on with them. And Fred, my son's changed completely" she frowned, letting the tea leaves steep in the water. Adrienne didn't make eye contact with her.

"I'm sure they were just missing the cabin" she said quietly, pulling out some cups from the cabinet. "And as for Fred, he's got a girlfriend now. I'm sure they're happy" it hurt her to even say those words.