The next morning, Alex woke up and was extremely nervous for what that day was going to bring. The Weasleys would be coming by around five o'clock, which gave her the whole day to mentally prepare to see Fred.

She distracted herself the entire day by reading, repacking her trunk about five separate times, each time placing the clothes in differently, whether it was according to style, color, season, or category of clothes, anything she could do to not let her mind wander the closer it got to five o'clock.

Hermione walked into Alex's room a quarter to five to find her about to open her trunk for the sixth time and immediately rushed over and closed it.

"You are going to drive me and yourself mad if you try to rearrange your clothes around again," Hermione told her.

Alex slumped back and looked at the time, feeling her heart pounding. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm just nervous because I keep telling myself it won't happen between us but there's that little part of me that is still hoping it will."

"Maybe it will if you actually talk to him," Hermione suggested but Alex shook her head.

"Maybe I will when we actually get to Hogwarts but not while we're at the Burrow," Alex sternly told her. "It's easier to avoid him at Hogwarts than the Burrow."

With an exasperated sigh, Hermione left the room to take her things down the stairs and wait for the Weasleys.  Alex remained in her room, watching the minutes tick by.

A familiar fluttering at her window caught her attention to see that Al had returned from delivering her letter to Cedric. She then decided she needed someone's advice, motherly advice when it came to this situation.  She pulled out some parchment and quill:

Dear Mum,

I hope you and Dad are doing well.  Hopefully, you both are safe wherever you were.  It must be wonderful judging by the last bird that delivered your most recent letter you wrote to me.  It had the most beautiful feathers, I even kept a couple it dropped!

Mum, don't let Dad read this next part, but I'm in desperate need of some motherly advice when it comes to... well, boys.

I know what you're thinking, but please don't freak out.  I just fancy this boy but I don't think he feels the same way and I desperately want to get over him.  Or maybe you could just shed light on what I should do regarding him.

He acted like he liked me last year and we flirted quite a bit.  He was even my first kiss.  DON'T TELL DAD THAT!  But after that kiss, he ignored me until we talked it out but he made it sound like he just wants to be my friend.

What should I do?  I know I'm probably too young to be worrying about boys but please just give me some idea of what I should do.

I'll be at Ron Weasley's house for the rest of the summer, so if you need to contact me, I'll be there.

I love you and tell Dad I love him as well.

Your angel,
Alex.

After giving the letter a once over and being satisfied, she sealed it and walked over to where Al was drinking from the cup of water in his cage.

"You're in for a long journey, take this to Mum and don't let Dad grab ahold of it," Alex told him as she handed him the letter.  "I'll be at Ron's whenever you get back, so just head there, okay?"  He nipped her finger affectionately in response before flying back out of the open window and into the sky.  Alex watched him fly for a second before slumping back.

She was overreacting.  It wasn't going to be awkward.  She was just psyching herself out. She would be able to talk to him and not think about how much flirting he had done toward her the previous school year. Or how his cologne smelled when she had worn his jumper. Or how good he looked when he whacked a Bludger away from her on the Quidditch Pitch.  Or how his hands felt on her waist in the alcove. Or how his lips felt moving against hers -

"Merlin's beard, I'm screwed," she mumbled, falling back onto her bed.

What didn't help was when she heard a clatter downstairs and she knew they had arrived, which caused her to sit up immediately in the bed.  She could hear Mr. Weasley's voice, and then Ron, then George.

Then she heard his laugh.

Her chest tightened at the sound.  She remembered it so distinctly from how much they had laughed together the previous school year.  She could hear them all conversing down the stairs but still, couldn't bring herself to walk down yet, her stomach doing somersaults.

"Where's Alex?" She heard Fred ask and someone responded before a couple of pairs of footsteps were heard walking up the stairs.

In a panic, she immediately stood and acted like she was finishing packing up her trunk when the door opened to reveal the infamous twins themselves.

"There she is!" George exclaimed as he crossed the room.

Alex smiled as she hugged him before noting just how much taller he and Fred had gotten, as well as the fact that they both didn't get their annual summer haircut for the second summer in a row.

"It's good to see you, Georgie," she greeted before looking at Fred, who was still standing by the door, smiling at her.  "Just going to gawk all day, are we?"

He laughed that wonderful sound before crossing the room wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her to spin her.  She squealed but accepted it as she wrapped her arms around his neck before he set her down, giving her one last squeeze and letting go.  It certainly didn't help the butterflies that had begun to flutter around in her lower stomach.

"Is it just me or did you two grow a foot?" She asked, now realizing that she was significantly shorter than them now.

"Or did you just shrink?" George teased.

She nudged him before the sound of their names being called was heard from down the stairs.  Alex sighed before closing her trunk and giving the room a once over to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything.

"I will take that," George told her, grabbing the trunk.

"And I will grab Al's cage," Fred finished as she grabbed her rucksack with most of her school supplies in it.

"Thanks, boys," she responded before following them out of the room and down the stairs.

"Where is Al anyway?" Fred asked, glancing at the empty cage.

"Out delivering a letter to-" She paused, catching herself almost slipping.

No one knew that Sirius and Alliana were innocent except for Alex, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Professor Dumbledore, and Remus Lupin.  But no one would believe what they had seen at the end of the previous school year, not without solid evidence.

"Kneazle got your tongue?" Fred teased, causing her to blush.

"Sorry," she gushed.  "Got lost in my thoughts.  He's out delivering a letter to -" she racked her brain before the first name came to mind "- Cedric!"

At the sound of the Hufflepuff Prefect and Quidditch Captain, Fred tensed. While he knew that both Alex and George had reassured him the previous year that Alex and Cedric were only friends, he still never forgot seeing them kiss in the library or how close they still were at the end of the school year, especially if Alex was writing to him.

"Oh, I didn't know you guys still talked," he responded, staring straight ahead as they walked into the living room where Mr. Weasley was talking to Hermione's parents excitedly while holding the television remote while Ron and Hermione were talking as well off to the side.

"Yeah, we've been writing all summer," Alex responded like it was an obvious fact, not seeing how Fred's smile dropped from his face as she walked over to greet his dad and Ron.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley," she greeted, hugging him.

"Alexandria, been having a nice summer?" He asked to which Alex nodded.

"Oh yes," she gushed. "Charlotte and William have been so welcoming of me and I've been learning so much about Muggle Society up close."

Mr. Weasley gasped excitedly. "You must tell me everything you've learned when we get back to the Burrow," he told her.

"Alright, if you insist," she laughed before walking over and hugging Ron, who had also gotten taller, as well as skip his annual summer haircut. "Merlin's beard, are you Weasley boys on a haircut strike or something?"

Ron laughed and hugged her back. "None of us just felt like getting haircuts this year," Ron informed her with a shrug.

Alex shook her head disapprovingly before Mr. Weasley declared it was time for them all to leave. After lighting the fireplace and throwing in some Floo Powder, one by one, they began to Floo back to the Burrow.

"Thank you again for allowing me to stay this summer," Alex gushed as she hugged both of Hermione's parents after the bushy-haired girl had said her goodbyes.

"Of course," Charlotte told her. "You are more than welcome to come back next summer if your living arrangement is the same."

Alex smiled before hugging Charlotte again.  "Thank you so much," she whispered before pulling away.

She walked over and took a handful of Floo Powder from Mr. Weasley.  Stepping into the green flames, she gave the couple one last wave before yelling, "The Burrow!" and disappearing into the green flames.

She stumbled into the living room of the Burrow, right into someone's arms, letting out a, "Whoa!" as she steadied herself on her feet before looking up to see that it was a somewhat familiar redhead who caught her.

"You alright there?" He asked with a smile.

Alex nodded and quickly straightened up.  "I always stumble when I travel by Floo Powder," she told him with a nervous smile.

"No shame in that," he teased before stretching his hand out to her.  "Charlie Weasley."

"Ah, so you're the dragon keeper," she put together, taking his hand and immediately noticing the burn marks covering them.  "The twins told me it was you who told Velkan and the others about my birthday last year."

"So you must be Alexandria Selwyn," he stated with a smile.  "The one that Fred never shuts up about."

Immediately, Alex felt a blush cover her face at his words.  "It-It's Alexandria Black actually," she told him as she gave a nervous laugh.

"Taking your dad's last name now, are you?" A new voice asked, walking into the living room.

Both Alex and Charlie turned to see Fred and George walking in with another redhead that Alex didn't recognize. Alex smiled as she extended her hand to him. "Hi, Alexandria Black, but call me Alex," she greeted, shaking the older boy's hand.

"Bill Weasley," he greeted, shaking her hand.

"The curse-breaker," Alex confirmed, which made him nod in response. "Very impressive and dangerous sounding."

Bill shrugged. "No more than usual," he teased with a wink.

Alex felt her face blush and looked over at the twins, who were watching the interaction. She made eye contact with Fred, who smiled softly at her, causing the blush to worsen, it felt like.

"Fred, she's far prettier than you described in your letters," Charlie stated, causing her eyes to widen.

Fred's eyes widened while Bill and George smirked over their brother's reaction.  Alex cleared her throat awkwardly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. 

"I'm gonna go and find Hermione and Ginny or someone else to say hi to."

Without waiting, she quickly left the room, not bothering to try and hear what they were talking about as soon as she left.  She didn't want to get her hopes up.  Just because he described her as pretty a year ago, it didn't mean he still thought the same thing a year later, especially after they had kissed and decided they were better as friends.

Walking down the hall to Ginny's room, she saw Mrs. Weasley exiting a room and looked up.  "Alexandria, hello!" She gushed, wrapping her arms around the younger girl.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley!" Alex greeted, inhaling the older woman's familiar scent.  "It's so good to see you."

"You as well," Mrs. Weasley told her.  "I'd have thought that Fred was going to go mad over how much he talked about you this summer."

Her chest tightened again.

"What?" Alex questioned.

"Well, it's been him and George talking about how close you got to them this past year, but he just always brings you up," Mrs. Weasley responded, giving her a knowing look.

"Oh, it's not - I mean, we're not -"

Mrs. Weasley just chuckled.  "I think Hermione and Ginny are in her room."

Puffing out a breath and trying to lessen the heat in her cheeks, she knocked on Ginny's bedroom door before it opened to reveal Hermione and Ginny, who were both sitting on her bed.  Alex walked in and immediately collapsed onto the bed.

"You alright, Alex?" Ginny asked.

"Things are so confusing right now, my head actually hurts," she responded, turning to look at the younger girl.

"Does this have to do with -" Hermione began but Alex shot up and covered her mouth.

"No, don't you dare say his name," Alex spoke, side-eying Ginny, who had an amused smile.

Hermione only smirked as she pulled from Alex's hand.  "As Cosette said, a heart full of love, dear Alex."

Alex shook her head with a smile.  "No, I think I'm more along the lines of Eponine, on my own."  That caused both girls to laugh and Ginny to be extremely confused. "It's a Muggle musical Hermione and I went to see this summer with her parents," Alex explained to Ginny.

The red-headed girl shook her head at their nerdiness before looking at Alex.  "You're talking about Fred, I'm assuming?" She commented nonchalantly.

That caused both Alex and Hermione to turn their heads and look at the red-headed girl, who just continued to casually flip through her copy of Witch Weekly.

"What makes you say that?" Alex asked, adjusting to sit next to her.

Ginny looked at her with a smirk.  "You know, I wasn't completely blind to what was going on last year," she informed Alex.  "Plus, I may or may not have heard him and George talking about a kiss that happened between you two." Immediately, Alex's face flushed in embarrassment. "Don't worry, I only noticed because I'm more observant than people give me credit for."

Alex smiled weakly. "Well, it doesn't matter because it is not going to happen between us," she told them. "He pretty much said we're better off as friends."

"Interesting," Ginny commented, setting the magazine down. "Because he has not shut up about you this entire summer, though I'm sure that everyone else in this house can vouch for that fact."

Again, Alex's face flushed but she shook her head. "Please don't give me a false hope, Gin," she mumbled. "It's the last thing I need right now and I just want to enjoy the rest of the holiday and forget about this crush that isn't going to go anywhere."

Ginny and Hermione shared a look that said 'Time to interfere.'

⊰ ⁜ ⊱

Later that night, after everybody had eaten a delicious dinner made by Mrs. Weasley, everyone hung around outside by a campfire Bill had set up for them to enjoy. Alex had seen Percy come out for dinner and he had greeted her but then it was back to his room where he was working on important things. Or so he claimed.

As they settled around the fire, Alex was sitting by Ron and Hermione, talking about how excited they were for Harry to be coming the next day. Partway through the conversation, she had caught Fred glancing at her from where he sat with George across the fire.

"So Alex," Mr. Weasley spoke up, causing her to break eye contact with Fred, "what was it like living with Muggles for the summer?"

Alex smiled. "It was definitely an adjustment," she admitted. "Just watching them do everything by hand when it could've been done with a simple flick of the wand."

"Fascinating," Mr. Weasley gushed.

After asking quite a few more questions, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley retired to bed, leaving all the Weasley kids (minus Percy,) Hermione, and Alex outside to hang out. Alex went and sat by Charlie as they began to talk about the different people who were still working at the dragon sanctuary and could potentially remember her.

"Wait, so you're saying that old man Vlad still works there?" She laughed.

Charlie laughed and nodded. "And he's still as strong as ever," he told her, which made her laugh even harder.

"I swear that he was close to kicking the bucket when my mum and I left the sanctuary all those years ago," she told him.

"Who was close to kicking the bucket?" A new voice asked.

Alex and Charlie looked up to see Fred and George walking over, sitting on the other side of her with George closest to her.

"Oh, just this decrepit old man who is still working at the dragon sanctuary and has been there since my mum worked there all those years ago," she informed them.

"Oh, Alex," Charlie spoke up, "Velkan wanted me to tell you that he will be at the Quidditch World Cup as well."

"Really?" Alex gushed excitedly.  "Oh, it'll be so nice to see him.  The last time was just under a year ago."

"Interesting," George mumbled, glancing at Fred's reaction to the news.  "Well, we actually wanted to show you something, Alex."

"What's that?"

Charlie then took this as his opportunity to go and sit by Ginny and Bill.  Alex turned her attention to the twins, who pulled out small candy wrappers from their pocket and showed them to her.

"What exactly am I looking at?" She asked, taking one and examining it up close.

"The first of mine and Georgie's products in our soon to be joke shop!" Fred told her excitedly.  "Ton-Tongue Toffees, guaranteed to leave people tongue-tied."

Alex furrowed her brow.  "What exactly does it do?"

"Well, we need someone to test them out on," George told her.

Now she raised an eyebrow.  "You better not be trying to make me your test niffler because I refuse -"

"No, we're not!" Fred quickly told her, claiming the spot on the other side of her.  "But you might have an idea of who we could test it out on?"

She thought for a second before smirking.  "Well, we are going to retrieve Harry from his aunt and uncle's tomorrow, aren't we?"

They both nodded.

"And we've all heard stories about how much of a prat his cousin, Dudley is, right?" Alex continued.  "He even wrote to Hermione and I how he's being forced to be on a stupid diet because his cousin has gotten too fat, meaning he'll be desperate for any sweets he can get his hands on."

"Oh, you are a genius!" Fred exclaimed before kissing the side of her head.

Immediately, Alex's face flushed at the action, causing her to quickly excuse herself and walk over to sit by Ron and Hermione, leaving the twins there to plan whatever they needed to plan.

"Alex, you okay?" Ron asked.

She simply faked a smile and did her best to slow down her beating heart.  "I'm just fine."

⊰ ⁜ ⊱

My oldest and I have been sick Influenza A this past week and y'all, it freaking sucks!  Send good vibes please!

What'd we think of this chapter?  Hopefully, I'm not torturing anyone too much lol

Please vote and comment!

-Squid♡