Katie sat in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, alone with her thoughts. Today was Valentine's Day, which didn't really mean that much to her. She forlornly glanced up at the tall Quidditch hoops, which were reflecting the pink and gold lights coming from up the castle.
Hogwarts had had a stroke of very Muggle-ish inspiration and decided to host a Valentine's Dance. For weeks, all Katie had listened to was the prattle of girls talking about their dress robes, giggling about who asked who to be their date, and the like. Even Angelina and Alicia had eventually succumbed to the planning, as Angie was dating Lee Jordan and George had very suavely asked Alicia to the dance. Even Fred was going, so Katie didn't even have someone to not go to the dance with.
Therefore, while Alicia and Angie donned dress robes and high heels, Katie had pulled on Fred's old Quidditch jacket that he had lent her and a pair of sneakers.
"Katie, you sure you're not going to the dance? You even have your dress robes here," Alicia had wheedled.
"What's the big deal?" Katie had shrugged, secretly wishing she would be descending the staircase with her friends, meeting a date and the door, and having a blast.
Angie and Alicia had hugged her goodbye and departed for the dance, while Katie strolled off down the corridor in the other direction, taking a back door down to the Quidditch field, where she now sat cross-legged.
She was trying hard not to wallow in self-pity when she heard a voice.
"Oi."
Katie whipped around. Fred stood there, equally underdressed in ripped jeans and a Gryffindor sweatshirt.
"Mind if I sit?" he gestured to the patch of grass beside her.
Katie smiled at him. "Not at all." Fred sat down beside her.
"Why aren't you at the dance?" she questioned.
"Didn't feel like going," he responded, in a faraway tone that didn't really sound much like the happy, joking Weasley that was her best friend.
Fred fell back onto the grass, knees propped up in the air. Katie looked at him, slightly alarmed by his swift movement. Then, after a moment, she lay back as well, moving close to him for warmth and resting her head on his shoulder.
They had cuddled like this countless times before, but it was different now. It wasn't the same snuggling that occurred during the summer when she, Angie, Alicia, Lee, and the twins stayed up for hours watching Muggle picture shows called 'films' until the wee hours of the morning. Katie could feel it was more, and for some reason, she liked it.
"What are you thinking about?" Fred suddenly asked lightly.
"You," Katie said, absentmindedly. She flushed as she realized what she had said, then rolled away from him to try to make a clean recovery. "Wait, no, I just-"
"Me too," Fred cut her off mid-apology.
"You too what?" Katie asked, rolling back to him uncertainly.
"I was thinking about you," Fred grinned.
"You were?" She asked, surprised.
"I think about you a lot, actually," Fred said, to no one in particular. Katie was fairly sure he hadn't meant to say it aloud, and she wasn't quite ready to admit that those words were making her feel so much happier than they should have been. Subconsciously, her hand found Fred's, and when he entwined his fingers in hers, it sent a jolt of pleasant numbness up her arm.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Katie," Fred said, though Katie could trace a hint of amusement in his voice. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what he could possibly find funny, when he leaned forward a bit and captured her lips with his. Katie broke the kiss after a few seconds. Fred looked at her, searching desperately for a reaction. Katie suddenly grinned and rolled on top of him, kissing him hard, running her fingers through his wild red hair. Fred kissed her back with equal vigor, his strong arms around her waist. Finally, both needed air.
She couldn't think. The only thought whizzing through her head was, "Fred." He leaned up and kissed the tip of her nose. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Fred grinned at her.
Katie had a sudden thought. She stood up, still slightly winded from her liplock with Fred, and turned to him. "I'll be right back," she grinned. Fred smiled after her, and once she was out of his sight, he put two fingers to his lips and breathed, "Sweet Merlin."
Twenty minutes had passed, by Fred's watch. He was starting to wonder what had happened to her, and whether he should go to find her when he heard a noise in the distance. He jumped to his feet, knowing that it was either Katie or a professor, and he definitely knew which one he hoped it to be.
The girl that stepped onto the Quidditch pitch was so striking that it took Fred a moment to recognize her as Katie Bell. Her blonde hair, in a simple ponytail twenty minutes ago, was now twisted elegantly on top of her head and crowned with a lavender flower, which matched her flowing lilac dress robes perfectly.
She extended one white-gloved arm to him. "Fred Weasley, will you go to the Valentine's Day dance with me?"
"Yes," Fred exhaled. "Yes, I will. For you, Katie Bell, I will."
They looked at each other for a moment, and then both burst out laughing.
"That was the single cheesiest thing I have ever done," choked Katie when she was finally able to breathe.
Fred grinned at her and Summoned dress robes from his dormitory, then ducked into the team changing rooms quickly before emerging, dashing and Weasley-looking as always, and the pair of them made their way up to the dance.
Upon their belated entrance into the Great Hall, Katie clutching Fred's arm, the pair of them looked around for a sign of George, Lee, Alicia, or Angelina. Katie spotted George and Alicia among the throng of people at the exact same time Fred found Lee and Angelina, sitting at a pink-clad table. They made their way over to Lee and Angie.
Angelina squealed and ran to greet Katie. "You came! And you got Fred to go with you!" Katie merely grinned and winked. Lee and Fred exchanged a look, which Lee took to mean, 'yes, something happened, but I won't tell you now.'
"Let's hit the dance floor!" Katie giggled.
Bah. I'm cute. Yay for shameless Fred/Katie!