I don't own Harry Potter.

For the Shipping Shuffle Competition on HPFC

Song: Let It Be by The Beatles

Pairing: Harry/Fred

Harry glanced across the Room of Requirement and instantly wished he hadn't. He – Fred – was flirting with some random girl, and quite obviously too. Harry cut his eyes away, willing the ache in his chest to just go back to whatever pit of hell it had decided to come and plague him from. "It doesn't help, you know." A voice said from behind him.

Harry turned. Hermione was standing there, a mournful look on her face. "Watching, I mean." She added, trying to be helpful. Her face turned the odd mournful and wistful combination again. "It's best to just let it be."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would be the one telling me to go for it." He replied.

Hermione shook her head, the look more prominent than ever. "No," She said, "I know better than that. Sometimes it just will never work." She sighed.

"You sound like you speak from experience." He commented.

Hermione turned so that she was fully facing him, he elbow leaning on one of the few tables that occupied the space. "Maybe," She replied, giving no hint as to the actual answer.

"Only maybe?" He asked her, not suspicious, but not quite curious either.

"In a world like this, it's better to have plausible deniability." She evaded the question, "Especially when it's someone like you and someone like him." She cut her eyes back to where Fred was still shamelessly flirting with the girl, Susan maybe. Harry couldn't tell at this distance.

Harry got what Hermione was saying. This society, their society now, was stuck in the Victorian ages. Even in the muggle world liking someone who wasn't of the opposite gender was greatly frowned upon, dangerous in the wrong places; dangerous in a lot of places, actually. Harry could only imagine what it would be like in this world, where things were dangerously old-fashioned. The fact that he was a celebrity made it a thousand times worse.

"They seem to have women's rights down. Who knows, maybe they've got this as well." His own voice sounded both hollow and desperate at the same time.

Hermione looked at him disbelievingly. "Just let it be Harry. It's better that way." She said this with an air of finality. She turned, and walked over to where Ron and Neville were practicing, and in a few second they were doing it three-way, though it was obvious that the real competition was between Ron and Hermione.

Harry turned back to where Fred was still flirting with that girl. Hermione's words echoed in his ears. Just let it be. The aching in his chest started again, spreading out all the way through him. Just let it be.

The bell struck ten o'clock. It would be dangerous to stay out any later. Then again, what difference would it make for him? Just being Harry Potter meant everything was dangerous: school, friends, love. "Alright everybody," He called out to the room. "That's enough for the night."

Slowly the members of the D.A. trickled out of the room in groups of two or three, so not as to raise the suspicions of less supportive people, until it was only Hermione and the twins, Ron having insisted on chaperoning Ginny and Michael Corner's walk back to their respective towers.

Hermione glanced over at Harry. It was clear she knew what he was planning. She sent him a disapproving glance, but Harry knew it was the fact that he was going through with doing it, not what he was actually doing, that had earned her disapproval. Harry sent back a determined gaze of his own.

"George," Hermione said suddenly, "There's something I need to show you." She grabbed George's wrist and dragged him along pausing once they were far enough away that they would not be able to hear anything Harry or Fred said. Fred wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at their retreating backs.

Harry strained to hear their conversation. "Why are you dragging me away to parts unknown?" George must've asked. His voice was slightly deeper than Fred's.

Harry felt Hermione turn a meaningful gaze toward him. "Oh, that," George said in realization. Harry knew Hermione was rolling her eyes at the boy.

"Yes, that." Hermione answered, "What else would I be dragging you off for?" She then proceeded to continue to drag him away, leaving his suggestions of what she could've been dragging him off for to fall on deaf ears.

"Well, then," Fred said after watching Hermione continuing to drag his twin away. He was continually fidgeting, even at seventeen. "I guess I'll be off then." Fred tipped an imaginary hat at him. Harry heartbeat rose.

"Uh, wait," Harry said, grabbing his arm. He looked into Fred's eyes and steeled his nerves.

Harry mentally counted to ten to gather his courage. He could hear the little Ron voice in his head mental jeering at him. What, it said, you can take down a full grown basilisk with only a sword at twelve years-old, but you can't work up the courage to talk to my brother? Harry silenced the mental Ron voice.

"What's it you want to talk to me about, Harry?" Fred asked with a silly grin. He was always grinning, Harry thought. It looked good on him. "Harry, are you alright there?" Fred said as he waved his hand in front of Harry's face.

Harry shook his head, and jumped slightly as his musings were interrupted. "Yeah, 'm fine," Harry answered.

"Then what's it you want to talk about?" Fred asked again.

"Well," Harry stuttered, "You see, umm" Harry decided to throw caution to the wind, something Hermione was constantly reminding him that he often did. He closed his eyes, and he kissed Fred. He kissed Fred. He kissed Fred.

Harry pulled back from the kiss, and looked at Fred. He was shocked, sure, but there was no sign whatsoever that he had enjoyed the kiss. Harry stepped back.

"I'm sorry about that." Harry apologized, sincerely hoping that Fred would not break out of his shock before he could flee. "I should have listened to Hermione and let it be. I'm sorry." After completing his apology he fled, leaving Fred standing there in the middle of the Room of Requirement.