The Girl who Survived (Fred Weasley)

CH 24. A Very Weasley Summer

~Fred's POV~

"Charlie put me down, I'm heavy!" Elodie said after Charlie and swam under her legs to lift her for a game of chicken. I would have wanted to be the one hoisting her up, but I couldn't do much while I rested on George's shoulders. Percy lifted Ginny because Bill was the only one brave enough to lift Ron.

"Who's telling you these lies? You're light as a feather. Anyone who says otherwise is a complete imbecile," Charlie told her. She held onto his hands for balance, but when she locked eyes with me, she pulled her hands away and reached for mine instead.

"You're going down Freddie," she told me, and she tried to push me back.

"Elodie potter, I'm appalled. Buy a bloke dinner first, before demanding such things" I said. She set herself up for that one.

Slightly embarrassed and highly distracted I pulled a hand free and poked her side where I knew she was ticklish. That's all it took for her to fall back off of Charlie's shoulders and into the water. George threw me, meaning we lost as well since there were still two teams standing.

"I got you, didn't I?" I said to her once she emerged.

"That's not fair, you distracted me, and poking shouldn't be allowed," She said, pouting her bottom lip a bit.

"I think my partner and I demand a rematch," Charlie said from George's side.

I reached over to pick a stray leaf off of her shoulder, and she looked at me with those beautiful bright green eyes. She didn't shy away from my touch, that was a bit new. And if I wasn't mistaken, it looked like she was appreciating my body as well. All those years of quidditch paid off in this moment.

"Oh, Fred. You're getting a bit too much sun," She said and ran her fingers over the back of my neck. "Come here, I think I have something in my bag," She said and slowly started treading through the water. I pulled her back by her waist and pulled her up sideways so I could carry her like a package under my arm.

"Where are you two running off to?" Ron called.

"Too much sun!" I yelled back at them and moved out of the water to the pier where Elodie had dropped her bag.

She motioned for me to drop down with her hand to which I obliged. The touch of her hand applying cool lotion to my warm skin sent shivers up my spine. But I didn't mind. I looked at my siblings and caught George, and Charlie glancing over at us, trying to be discreet but failing. George would probably fill them in on the rollercoaster that was mine and Elodie's nonexistent situation.

"Ginny's having a lot of fun. She missed you, while you were away," I said as I turned to look up at her.

"Ginny would miss me if I stepped into a room she wasn't in," She said sarcastically. "Not that I can complain, I'm the same way with her."

"Bill and Charlie seem to have taken a liking to you as well," I pushed further, looking back at the lake.

"They're kind, a bit of an overkill on Charlie's part, but you must have learned it from somewhere," She said and we both laughed. "You should be all set, without magic I'd wait a minute before getting back into the water though," She informed me.

She set the bottle back into her bag and then sat down next to me. She tilted her head back a bit so she could feel the sun on her face and front side, as she took in a deep breath of fresh summer air. I watched the water trickle off of her skin and form a wet spot on the wood beneath us. After a moment, she reached to wring some of the excess water out of her long auburn hair. The strap of her top had shifted slightly, showing that she had gotten a nice bit of sun today too, but instead of burning it gave her a soft glow.