Conversations around the fire

The Gryffindor common room, an already considerably cosy looking area, was looking cosier still thanks to the festive decorations that had been put up lovingly by the house-elves the night before. Tinsel was wrapped around every armchair, glittering snowflakes covered the walls and little golden cherubs and angels flew happily around the heads of various seventh years who, having spent a long week of revising, did not seem to appreciate their short respite being filled with annoying little figurines flitting through their hair and dancing on their head. Since the ornamental fairies seemed to have an unexplained affinity to tired seventeen year old NEWT students alone, the rest of the Gryffindor students seemed very unconcerned about the decorations.

One group in particular looked as if nothing could disturb them from their conversation as Fred and George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson sat by the fire, sipping firewhisky with such blasé disregard for school rules that many of the younger students looked on in envy.

"Do you think" George was saying carelessly, lounging across the sofa "that if Sirius Black was caught over Christmas, our holiday would be extended in celebration?"

"Like when You Know Who died" Lee nodded slowly, blinking sluggishly and breaking off a large slab of Honeydukes chocolate "yeah, probably."

"Merlin, I don't even want to think of Sirius Black this close to Christmas" Alicia said fearfully in a change of mood, shaking her head and drawing her knees up closer to her chest. "Those dementors are bad enough in zapping the Christmas spirit"

There was a murmur of consent from Angelina and Lee but Fred was shaking his head.

"Nah- they'll be out soon. They'll catch Black any day now, I bet you anything, and the first thing old Dumbers'll do is kick the dementors out on their arses before Black's even halfway to Azkaban."

"Can we please change the subject" Alicia pleaded.

George sniggered and through an arm around her.

"Scaring you, are we? Think Black might be waiting in your bed tonight" he chortled, ruffling her hair in a patronisingly comforting way, earning him a glare and a swift jab to the ribs.

"I don't even care if Black's in my bed later" Lee said tiredly "I'm so beat I'd probably fall asleep next to him."

The twins laughed.

"Well you've got to at least finish your drink first, you sissy" Fred mocked, picking up Lee's half-empty bottle and shaking it so the group could hear the liquid sloshing about.

Lee groaned.

"Pansy"

"Puff"

"Total failure"

"You're both horrible bastards, you know that, right?" Lee muttered, glaring half heartedly at them "Someone's told you that, at least once, right?"

"Angelina's told me a million times how horrible I am, I'm sure" Fred beamed, winking at Angelina who, uncharacteristically, smiled weakly back and looked away. Fred's face fell slightly but Lee didn't notice.

"As long as someone has" he muttered, picking up the bottle and grimacing.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" the twins and Alicia began chanting.

Scowling at all three of them, Lee downed the firewhisky and gasped, clutching his throat where small fumes of smoke seemed to seep out of his nostrils.

As the three cheered- and a number of surrounding students laughed- Lee stuck up a middle finger.

"I'm officially beat now" he rasped "Merry Bloody Christmas".

"Merry Christmas, Lee" Alicia grinned back "sleep tight"

"Yeah, and have fun wrapping all your last minute presents Lee" Fred shouted

"Why don't you see if Black'll climb out of your bedsheets long enough to show off his wrapping expertise?" George smirked as Alicia hit him.

Lee, still unable to talk due to the firewhisky it would seem, turned around at the staircase to shake his (still smoking) head at his friends, blew a kiss and then jogged up the stairs out of sight.

Fred and George both started sniggering.

"We spiked his drink with pepper-up potion" Fred explained, smirking "No wonder he struggled to finish it, it must have had a hell of a kick".

"You're evil" Alicia murmured in feigned disapproval, deciding sensibly to pick up a butterbeer rather than a firewhisky.

Angelina smiled in agreement but, when Alicia shot her an exasperated and amused glance, the smile quickly faded.

"I need to be up early to send an owl to Mum" Angelina muttered, flicking her braids over her shoulder hastily and nervously tugging down her jumper as she stood up "So I'll probably follow Lee up to bed."

"Lee'll probably enjoy that" George snickered and Angelina looked momentarily flustered.

"No, I didn't mean-" she broke off as Fred, George and Alicia all started chortling "Oh shut up, I'm going to bed."

"Oh, Ang" Alicia said almost disapprovingly. Angelina shot her a meaningful look.

"Why don't you send it off now" Alicia pointed out "then you can have a nice lie-in with us!"

"It's past curfew" Angelina pointed out.

"Then I'll go with you" Fred offered chivalrously, grinning. "We can take the secret passage-ways. As long as we keep quiet we won't get caught."

Angelina's eyes bugged out, though no-one apart from Alicia saw.

"Oh no- that's fi-" she began to say as Alicia said loudly "Perfect!"

"Yeah, you and Ang can go deliver presents like wee little Santa's elves, and Leesh and I will go a-visiting Percy's room and decorate it ready for Christmas morning" George grinned, offering a high five to Alicia which she accepted with reluctance.

"How drunk are you?" she asked and George shrugged.

"Oh but I wanted to-" Fred began saying to George before shooting a glance at Angelina "Er, yeah, that sounds good."

-x-

"Are you alright?" Fred asked forty five minutes later, sitting back down on the sofa by the fire with Angelina who looked like a statue, frozen on her seat a good three feet from Fred.

"Hm? yeah, of course" she murmured.

"You barely said anything" Fred challenged, gesturing to the portrait door ambiguously. His voice was raising in volume slightly, as there were now only two students left in the common room and both appeared to be stoned drunk and out cold in the armchairs, and probably seventh years judging by the gold cherubs bouncing around their heads.

"I didn't want Filch to catch us" Angelina shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

"Well then, before then" Fred persisted, moving closer to her. He pretended not to notice Angelina tense and shrink back.

"Nothing, I'm just tired."

"No, I've done something. I've been a prat and I've done something and I'd wish you'd tell me what." Fred looked so troubled that Angelina almost- almost- hugged him.

"No, no, I'm fine" Angelina continued, trying to move.

Fred threw out a hand to stop her, catching her wrist and she flinched. Slowly, disbelievingly Fred pulled his hand back.

"Ang?" Fred asked slowly, his hand lowering to side.

"Look its late and it's Christmas Eve so I'm going to go to bed" Angelina muttered quickly.

"Ang, wait, c'mon"

Fred was sat on the edge of the sofa, his hand stretched out to grab Angelina's hand.

"Just- just sit down" he implored, his wide eyes- for once- innocent.

Angelina looked like she was going to cry but she complied, perching right on the very edge of the sofa by the arm. She leant on the arm, away from Fred and looked in sheer humiliation down to the floor.

"Don't do that, Ang" Fred continued "Christmas is going to suck if you're all quiet. I've been so bored these past few weeks."

Angelina didn't say anything, but- at Fred took it to be a good sign- she did slightly shift in her seat.

"I've really missed you Ang" Fred continued "Angel"

"Don't call me that" was the quick, natural reply.

Fred grinned.

There was a long pause.

"I didn't really get you a great present" Fred said, out of the blue.

"You didn't need to get me anything anyway" Angelina said, shrugging.

"Bullshit, ordinary Ang would be beating me up usually" Fred grinned. Angelina looked very uncomfortable at this use of the phrase 'ordinary Ang'.

"I got you a couple of okay presents" he continued.

"That's fine"

"But I have something else to give you, if you'd accept it." He carried on, eying Angelina carefully.

Behind him, the fire was crackling as it slowly died out. The clock on the wall was reading as quater to midnight.

"I was going to wait until tomorrow, but as it's practically Christmas anyway" he tailed off.

"Ang?"

"Hm?"

Angelina turned around slightly to look at him.

She couldn't exactly say it was without warning, as there had been a small part of her hoping for this throughout his conversation, but it took her pleasantly aback when the gap between their two bodies was suddenly closed. His lips pressed gently against hers. Drawing back, they locked eyes.

"Merry Christmas" Fred whispered in her ear and she smiled, as he leaned in again, their lips locking with more intensity than before. It was well into the Christmas morning when the two finally went up to their beds, the Christmas stockings had already been filled by the elves.

Intrigued, Angelina- still smiling- sleepily trudged over to her bed and delved into the small pile of presents to find one awkwardly wrapped present in bright orange paper. The card read 'To My Angel-Love from Fred.' My Angel. Love. Angelina put the present back in the pile unopened and fell into bed.

There was nothing in that stocking that could make her Christmas Eve night better now. Besides, if Fred had bought her a crap present, she'd need to have some serious hexes lined up. And that was the kind of thing you needed to sleep on.

-x-

MERRY CHRISTMAS!