A/N: I discovered as a fifteen-year-old in keying class, thanks to a friend, & in that class I read my first Katie/Fred fic. I don't remember much of it, but I remember it was about Katie getting hit in the head with a bludger and temporarily losing her memory, & falling for Fred along the way. I think it even had Avril Lavigne lyrics in it. Ha ha. That was five years ago. Back then, Fred and George shared a character category and Katie didn't have her own, so to look for more Katie/Fred stories, you had to choose Fred/George & "Any Character". After that first fic hooked me, I spent hours wading through OCs, & twin/Hermione stories to find Fred/Katie. I just wanted to dedicate this short one-shot to whoever that girl was that took the time to write Katie/Fred & post it on a site where it was probably one of the only stories shipping that couple, & to the days before it exploded into popularity & before the seventh book soured my HP experience. This is for you, anonymous pioneer Fratie authoress…
Katie Bell hung upside down through one of the goal hoops at the far end of the quidditch pitch, waiting for Fred Weasley to finish packing equipment. Wood had given the task to Fred in punishment for dozing off through one of his pre-practice pep talks. It was heavy into quidditch season, and Wood was now running twice a day practices. Everyone was still exhausted from dawn practice that Wednesday afternoon, but only Fred had not managed to keep his eyes open and had snored loudly through Oliver's explanations of the plays they would run that day. Katie was waiting for him, as the recent attacks on students in the castle had caused Dumbledore to issue a partner-policy, where no student would be by themselves for any reason, and she was Fred's partner. He and George had been banned from being each other's partners after they had taken to enchanting several hallway rugs to bunch up underneath the feet of Slytherins, consequently tripping them. McGonagall had reassigned him to Katie, whose partner complained of her incessant quidditch chatter, making them the only boy-girl pair in the castle. Going to the bathroom was interesting.
"Oi!" Katie shouted from above. "Hurry it up, would you, Fred? They're getting ready to serve dinner and I need food!"
Fred paused to gaze up at her. "You're looking a little red, Kates!" he shouted. "All the blood's rushing to your face! And I don't think you need more food…"
Katie easily swung her body forward and caught hold of the sides of the goal hoop and pulled herself up. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Mature, Bell," he said, rolling his eyes and grinning. She grinned back, and shrugged, doing another flip through the hoop.
Katie returned back to her sitting position and watched Fred struggle to capture the snitch and put it back in its place. The little golden ball kept whizzing around his head, ruffling his shaggy red hair, and circling down through his legs. Katie could have easily grabbed her broom and flown down to catch it, but she enjoyed watching him try. It was a lesson for his slightly large ego, and endearing besides.
She pushed aside her own messy dark hair that was falling out of her ponytail and did another loop. She sighed as Fred finally managed to capture the snitch and slam the trunk shut, carrying it to the broom shed. She half-smiled at the way his hair was getting a little long so that it hit the back of his neck and curled up slightly, but she pushed it out of her mind. There were some days Katie thought Fred may return her feelings for him, but there was no need to dwell on it. They were best mates, and only fifteen besides. She had three more years at Hogwarts to make him hers. She was content now to dream and wonder.
Her stomach grumbled and she called out to him again.
"Move your arse, Weasley!" she shouted. "My stomach is eating itself!"
Katie ignored what sounded like another attack on her insatiable appetite. She pretended to groan as Fred hopped onto his broomstick and easily zoomed up to where she was sitting.
"Fred, I'm hungry," she moaned, wrinkling her freckled nose. In reality, however, this was all she had been hoping for.
He shrugged. "Sorry, Kates," he said. "Tradition's that we talk up here after practice."
"Dumbledore won't like it," she pointed out.
Fred laughed. "Since when have you cared about the rules?"
"Since I was hungry…" she trailed off.
"You're constantly hungry," he said easily. "Now chat with me, Kates."
Katie grinned and began to tell him about her day, and how she accidentally stepped on one of the puffskeins in Care of Magical Creatures, squashing it flat instantly. He returned with stories about how he and George had switched positions in Arithmancy that day and had taken turns winking at various members of the Slytherin quidditch team. Apparently one had grabbed George by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Katie and Fred laughed and chatted and talked and grinned until the sun was just barely peeking over the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest, Katie's empty stomach completely forgotten.
"Bell! Weasley!" Came a sharp voice from the ground. Madame Hooch was staring impatiently up at them. "You know it's not safe to be out on the grounds at night! And you've missed dinner!"
They looked at each other and laughed. Katie had completely forgotten curfew rules, as she did every night after practice with Fred.
"Well, come on then!" Madame Hooch shouted.
"Want to grab something from the kitchens?" Fred asked as he untangled himself from the goal hoop in which he was sitting.
"Yes, alright," Katie answered, reaching for her broom which was balanced on the next hoop next to Fred. Right as she was about to grab the Cleansweep 7, Fred kicked it out from out of her grasp, and it tumbled to the earth.
"Bully, Fred!" she shouted, gripping onto the goal hoop and swerving to punch him, but he caught her wrist and sat her down behind him on his own broomstick.
"Now you'll have to ride down with me," he grinned. Katie smiled as she slipped her arms around his waist and the wind whipped through their hair as they headed back down to the castle. Reality, so far from where she sat every night with her best friend.
"Thanks," he whispered into her ear.