Alice Longbottom smiles at Hugo Weasley as she passes him in class to get to her seat by his cousin Lily Potter; and his heart flutters.
He doesn't know where, how or even when he first began to have feelings for her but he does and it scares so much.
He's worried that she won't feel the same way, and if she doesn't feel that way about him than he fears that their friendship will be broken beyond repair.
But even so one Friday during lunch he decides to take the risk that he has held back for two years and finally tell his best friend his feelings for her.
He's scared and worried and wants nothing more than to hide his feelings away from the whole world but he knows that he just can't anymore because he's a Gryffindor and a Weasley darn it and if there's anything that he knows its that Gryffindors don't hide from anything.
And so before their next class Hugo takes Alice away from her group of friends and he hesitates; because darn it being honest has never been this hard before, because he's not just being honest he's laying out all the cards on the table; and he doesn't want the cards to fall when he's spent so long and so much of his time building them up but if they fall he doesn't know what he'll do with himself if she doesn't feel the same way that he does.
Alice is smiling at him; completely oblivious to his feelings for her and his breath is shaky as he tells her that he has been in love with her for two long years.
He feels his heart-break as she looks at him with surprise and wonder; her mouth opening and closing silently.
But then she smiles; that smile that brings out the best of him and his heart flutters once again.
"This is certainly news to me Hugo; but it defiantly isn't bad news," she says with a bright smile.
Hugo grins at her widely and taps his left foot nervously in front of him before taking a deep breath and finally asking;
"We're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow as I'm sure that you know and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to Hogsmeade?"
Alice smiles once again and responds;
"I'd love to go with you Hugo,"
And Hugo has never been happier that he is a Gryffindor and that the cards on the table didn't fall and thinks to himself that this could be the beginning of something wonderful.
