Finally. Freedom. 

It was all I could think about on the way over. The way the air whipped through my hair, my clothes, the way my broom felt underneath me as the ground moved at top speeds further underneath me, the way I laughed with abandon with my friends as we raced, side-by-side, in the sky far from Umbridge's dictatorship. 

"I can't believe this is finally happening!" I yelled over the winds as we dived through a raincloud. We all shrieked with laughter as we got soaked instantly, the rain drenching our school robes and hair. 

We appeared out the other side, panting and laughing breathily. 

"This is intense as fuck!" Terry cried. 

"I was going to ask you guys why we're taking our brooms the whole way instead of just Apparating, but I think I understand now!" I screamed at Fred and George, and the twins grinned at me; before guarding their faces from the spray from a second raincloud. 

And I did indeed understand. Obviously we had to take the brooms out of Hogwarts, because of the Anti-Apparition wards, but taking them all the way to Diagon Alley was more freeing. I felt more alive than I'd done in ages, and I'd bet that the others felt the same, especially the twins, who'd been unable to fly this whole time. 

I screamed as Fred dived towards me, and ducked out from under him, giggling. I sped up towards George, diving in front of him, causing him to go off course and attempt to swipe Terry off his broom. We were all laughing, fucking around, and within a few hours, we had reached London. The city glowed with millions of lights below us, the dark night somehow more bright than daytime, and I gazed down in awe. The London Eye was lit up, where I had once pushed the twins out, and the Thames was glittering in the reflection of the yellow, white, and blue lights along the winding river. It was breathtaking. 

Or maybe I was just too high up in the air. 

We landed outside the Leaky Cauldron, confident no one had seen us, and entered through to Diagon Alley. Fred and George led Terry and I down the deserted street to a shop on the corner of a crossroads. 

"I thought it had an apartment above it." I said. 

The twins glanced at each other as Terry craned his neck, looking for the apartment. 

"Here." George said, giving me a slip of paper. 

'This is Apartment 1A at number ninety-three, Diagon Alley.' 

"Um, okay?" I said, then looked up. All of a sudden, a little flat was growing from the top of the shop's roof, sprouting windows and a small weathervane. 

"Red wanted it hidden because... well..." George said as I handed the note to a confused Terry. "He thought that this way, Riddle or Floppy couldn't find you." 

"Aww, so this is all to protect Softpaw?" Terry cooed as he looked up from the note. 

Fred scuffed his shoes against a cobble on the pavement. "Whatever. It's no big deal." He said gruffly. 

My heart fluttered. Ugh, what was that? A heart murmur or something? 

"A Fidelius Charm is indeed a big deal, Red." Terry said, awed. "It's been described in Charms for Chumps as 'an extremely difficult, multifaceted, and potent charm.'" 

Fred went red. I sniggered. 

"How do you remember that, Hopper?" George shook his head. 

Terry smirked. "Ravenclaw brain." He said, tapping his temple. 

"Shut up, being a Rottenclaw has nothing to do with it." I said. "It's everything to do with being a fucking nerd." 

George and I high-fived as Terry jokingly glared at me. 

Fred was still bright red and avoiding my eye. "We going in or what?" 

George unlocked the door and we all stepped inside, crowding the little entranceway. I stepped further into the shop as Fred flicked his wand, turning on the lights, then I gasped. 

"Wow..." 

Looks can be deceiving. The interior was huge, with a spiral staircase leading to a small landing, then up to a second floor. Shelves towered up to the ceiling, and the oak desk at the back stretched along the whole wall, with a little entranceway at the end, a purple curtain hiding what was behind. The bay window next to us was huge, and was bound to let in a lot of extra natural daylight when it was bright. Sure, it was hella dusty, and I could see the particles floating up through the lights every time someone made movement with their feet on the floor, and sure, every surface looked slightly grimy and the paint was peeling; but I could really see our future here. 

"I LOVE it." I breathed quietly. 

Fred smiled. I glanced at him, a little smile on my face too. His warm brown eyes twinkled at me, a slight spark of happiness within. 

"I'm glad you do." He said softly. 

My smile got wider, and broke out into a toothy grin. A fond look washed across Fred's face, and he stepped closer. 

"You're adorable when you smile, you know that?" He said, his eyebrows relaxing. "You're so cute, Softpaw." 

My heart fluttered again. Damn it, I think I have a heart problem. 

"Er -" 

Fred and I jumped. Terry was pointedly staring at a smudge on the wall next to him, and George was smirking at us. 

"If you two are done having a moment, I think we'd all like to get past the doorway." Fred's brother said lazily, sliding past me. I shuddered as his skin brushed against mine, then mentally slapped myself. 

Oh my Godric. I seriously need to stop. My hormones need to stop. Making me have all these feelings for people not my girlfriend, and instead focus on all the feelings I am currently having FOR my girlfriend. Even thinking about her gets me going... 

Ugh, Floppy's right. I AM a slut. But honestly? That's okay. 

We decided to head up to the apartment, up the spiral staircase to the second floor, and up another rickety staircase through the back. We arrived into a cozy living room, a room just big enough for the four of us, with a fluffy red rug, a squashy sofa and two armchairs, a tall floor lamp which sent a homely glow across the room, a flat screen tv mounted on a wooden unit with a PlayStation and Nintendo Wii, and a big wooden cabinet in the corner. Wizarding photos were mounted along the walls and set up above the fireplace, showing each of us laughing together, posing, grinning. There were photos of the Weasley family, Terry's parents, Sirius and Emily, Harry and Dudley, and one of my parents, all on the little table beside the lamp. Everything was mismatched and clashed dramatically; it was so weirdly thrown-together and so us. 

"This is so cute." I said, beaming, then I involuntarily yawned. "Sorry. It's just so cozy in here." 

"You need sleep." Fred said immediately. "It's been a long day for all of us, what with getting no sleep last night, using all day to plan our attack, pranking Umbitch, then flying here. No wonder you're exhausted." 

I smiled up at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous grin on his face. 

"I'm beat, too." George yawned. 

"You wanna 'beat' your meat, you mean?" Terry shot at him. 

George sniggered as I rolled my eyes. 

"Godric, why are guys like this?" 

Terry smirked at me. "C'mon. We're roomies." 

"ARE we, now?" I grinned as Fred pointed us sadly into the room closest to us. I looked around as Terry crossed over to the window, pulling the curtains. There were two dressers, with more photos on top (including ones of me and Kylie and Terry and Draco this time), two rickety chairs facing each other in front of the window, a small desk, two blue lamps, a bookshelf stuffed full with multicoloured volumes, a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor banner criss-crossing from corner to corner, a set of bunk beds with squashy pillows, and a golden Snitch was whizzing around the room. 

"Sweet." I said. 

"I claim the bottom bunk." Terry said quickly. 

"Um, why? Usually it's the top bunk people wanna claim." 

"I have bad knees." Terry said. "What? Early-onset arthritis, I swear." 

I rolled my eyes again, a smirk pulling at my lips. "Are you sure it's nothing to do with Draco?" 

Terry narrowed his eyes at me. 

"Has the dragon been putting you through your paces, Hopper?" 

He opened a drawer in his dresser, rifling through it. 

"Does the bleach-blondie like being on top?" 

Terry pulled out a pair of silky blue pyjamas, complete with a little hat with a bobble on top. 

"Do you guys like it when you're on your hands and knees -" 

"Oh my GOD, Softpaw, shut UP!" 

~~~ 

After a night of sniggering, whispering, and messing around in the bunks, Terry and I got up, well-rested, and joined the twins in the kitchen in the morning. I couldn't help smiling as I sat at the rickety little table beside the window, sunlight streaming in on us, lighting up the lacy floral tablecloth and the kettle that was steaming on the cooker. Terry rested his ass on the radiator and sighed, and I snickered as I sent him a pointed look. The curly-haired boy shook his head as he looked away, but I could see the unwilling smirk unfolding on his face. 

Fred and George waved their wands and sent a plate full of toast, a plate heaped with bacon, a butter dish, and four sets of knives and forks towards the table. They joined us with four steaming cups of tea, and I hurriedly cupped my hands around mine. 

"It's a bit chilly, isn't it?" Fred acknowledged as I shivered. "But it'll heat up lots later; trust me." 

"Oh, I know." I said. "Those exams were hell in the heat." 

"Man, fuck education." Fred said. "Exams are so pointless. Bunch of nothing to get so stressed about." 

Terry and George hummed their agreement, their mouths full of toast and bacon. I took a long sip of tea. 

"Thought we might clean up the shop a bit, sort through some boxes, set up shop today." Fred said, raising his own cup to his lips. I watched as he sipped slowly, his eyes on mine. 

"Sounds good." I said, raising my cup again as Fred set his back onto his saucer, his eyes not moving from mine. 

And so the bright, sunny day was spent with every window open, letting in the fresh summer air from outside, the sunny rays streaming in and lighting up the shop, and the four of us scrubbed hard at every surface, spraying and wiping, disinfecting, getting grime and stains out of the shelves and walls, making the floor shine and the desk reflect our faces as we stared down at it. The windows were gleaming by the time we were done, and the walls were freshly painted in bold, cheerful colours. Several Doxys were removed and stuffed in a cage in the back, beside our boxes, which we started unpacking after the cleaning was done. 

"What's in here?" Terry staggered under the weight of a large box as he carried it over to the desk. 

I wiped my forehead with a cloth, sweating even though my hair had been pulled back by a bandana. I watched as Terry slit open the box with a box-cutter. 

"Ah, the Skiving Snackboxes." He said, pulling out one. 

"Dare you to eat a Puking Pastille right now." I said, lounging against the desk. 

"Don't you dare." Fred said. "We've just spent the past six hours making this place shine. I'll kill you if you get vomit all over it." 

Terry took out a Pastille, grinning as he waved it teasingly at Fred. Fred sprung up from where he was sitting on the staircase, striding towards Terry, and the Ravenclaw danced around the desk, cackling. Fred leapt over the desk towards him, his hand outstretched as Terry shrieked, his arms in the air. George and I watched them with amusement. 

"Get him, Red!" 

"Run, Hopper!" 

But soon, despite messing around so much, we had managed to get most of our merchandise onto the shelves and priced, with the help of magic, of course. Without our wands and my Grace, the merch wouldn't have been flown up to all the high shelves in bulk, and the price tickets wouldn't have been printed and slotted in underneath each item. 

"Phew." George wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "That was the hardest I've worked in a long time. I need a bath." 

"Me too." I said, smoothing my hands over my wildly frizzy hair. "This much manual labour makes me sweat, and this much sweat makes my already out-of-control hair go POOF." 

Terry laughed at me; I playfully punched him in the arm. 

"I think you look gorgeous, as always." Fred said. 

Another heart flutter. I looked sideways at him, my mouth pulling into an unwilling beam. 

I caught George miming puking out of the corner of my eye, and glared at him as Terry smirked. 

And after George, Terry, and I had had our baths, we were relaxing under a fluffy blanket in the living room, scrolling through Netflix to find a cheesy movie to watch. George smelled so good; I wondered what kind of body wash he used as I snuggled in closer to the two boys. The scent got stronger and I forced myself to hold back a shudder. How can one person just smell so good, and set off my hormones like that? 

Just then the bathroom door opened. I tugged my damp hair back from my face, and glanced to the door as steam billowed through it. Then my jaw dropped. 

Fred stepped out, in just his towel, wrapped around his waist. I had seen Fred shirtless before, but he really was something else when I hadn't seen it in a while and when the water from the bath was still dripping down him in droplets, rolling down his skin, emphasising his fit and toned body, his Quidditch training very, VERY obvious... 

Terry coughed beside me. I shut my mouth, whipping my head around. I stared at the picture of Ron and Ginny on the table, the two waving with friendly smiles through the frame at me as I tried to forget the wet, tousled, flaming hair, the strong arms and faint abs with droplets of water rolling down them, the towel hanging low on his waist and what was underneath it - 

"Hope you guys didn't pick without me." The sexy voice said close by, and I jumped. A towel-dried Fred slid in between George and I, tugging the blanket over him. His scent was just as, if not more, attractive than George's, and I sighed internally, my eyes wide. 

FUCK. 

"I thought this stupid movie about a haunted snowman would be good." Terry said. 

"Yes, let's watch that random shit." I said hurriedly, raising my hand. I made my Grace click on the movie without the remote, and it started playing. 

But soon, I forgot all about sexual tension as the movie went on, as Terry pointed out all the plotholes and the stupidity of the characters' decisions, Fred made fun of the characters' looks, George made dumb jokes about weird scenes, and I laughed loudly every time a character died. 

Because I had never felt so at home.