Note: Nothing in this story is originally mine. The characters were all made by JK Rowling.
"What do you want?" she asked with a threatened tone. "I suppose you're here to laugh at me, too, aren't you? Well let me tell you something, I've had enough of that from Twiddle-dumb down there, and I certainly don't need more from Twiddle-dumber!" Her eyes narrowed on him, then she swiftly turned to face the fire again.
Fred didn't say anything. He stood there for a moment just staring at her. Then, without realizing what he was doing, he walked over and sat next to her on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. "I didn't come up here to laugh at you," he said, not daring to look at her. He felt her eyes fall upon him, but didn't risk looking up.
"Well, then what are you here for?"
That's a good question, he thought to himself. What was he here for? He couldn't remember. Why had he come here in the first place? Why had he followed her when she ran up here crying for the crack that George had made about her? Was it to tell her how he really felt about her, and that he didn't mean a word that he had said about her in the past, or had he indeed intended to laugh and joke about her? He couldn't remember.
"Well?" she asked, sounding impatient.
"I…uh…I was looking for…" He looked around the dimly lit room for something, anything to make up an excuse for. He spotted a oval shaped object on the floor and picked it up in a hurry. Then, he held it in front of the growling fireplace for her to see. "This." She looked at him suspiciously.
"You were looking for….that?" she asked skeptically.
"Yep, I don't know where I'd be without it."
She giggled and took the mystery object from him. He felt her tender fingers touch his palm slightly, and it sent shivers up and down his spine. "Do you know what this is?"
"Do I know what that is?" he asked. "Of course I know what this is! It's a…a…"
"It's an owl treat, Fred," she laughed, tossing it back to him.
Fred gulped and felt himself blushing. He forced a smile and said, "Right you are, Licia, ma dear. Right you are." He rotated it around in his hand, feeling stupid while Alicia Spinnet sat laughing in her seat. "It's my lucky owl treat. Carry it around all the time, I do."
"Is that so?" she asked, trying to stifle her laughing. She crossed her arms, and grinned. "That's curious, Fred. Extremely curious." She laughed and said, "Now, tell me why you're really here, if not to laugh at me, nor to find that owl treat."
He laughed and tossed the owl treat back onto the floor. "You're clever, you know that?" She nodded. "Well, to be perfectly honest with you…I don't know why I'm here…exactly."
"Uhhuh…" she said, standing up and walking towards the stairs. "I'm going to bed. I'm not in the mood to put up with another one of your practical jokes."
"W-wait…" he said, standing up. She stopped and looked at him. "Maybe I just wanted to call a truce?"
"A truce?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Uh…yes…because…you see…ever since George and I accidentally poured that hair dye into your hair last month…you've been awfully mean to us." He met eyes with her for the first time. She has beautiful eyes, he thought. Standing in the fire, he could make out the light gold speaks that mixed perfectly with the deep chocolate brown. But they weren't the happy eyes that he was used to her wearing…
"My hair was green for weeks," she said, walking towards him. "And all you and George could do was ask me if someone had sneezed in my hair. How nice."
Fred gulped and stepped backwards and she came closer. His back was up against the wall. "About that…I'm…er…I'm sorry…"
"You're sorry?" she asked. She laughed sarcastically. "Now you're sorry. You weren't sorry when everyone called my boogie head, but you're sorry now." She sneered. "And what about the time you 'accidentally' knocked me off my broom by blasting one of your bloody bludgers towards me? Humm? Are you sorry about that too?"
"Of course…but-…"
"Oh!" she said, pushing him in the chest. "What about the time that you 'accidentally' put polyjuice potion into my tea? Are you sorry about that too? I was a bloody cat for two days! Lemme guess…sorry?" Her voice was raising, and she was getting red in the face.
"Alicia…" he said, grabbing her arms and trying to calm her down.
She pulled away and started walking towards the stairs again, but then changed her mind and faced him again. He met eyes with her, but they were different now; they were glassy and hurt.
"Do you remember that time you asked me to the Yule Ball?" she asked, looking away and softening her voice. "I was so surprised that you, Fred Weasley…who all the girls are after and everyone wants to date…you asked me. I got my hair done, got a nice dress…and you danced the night away with Fleur Delacour." She was silent for a minute. Fred stepped forward. He wanted to hold her and comfort her and tell her everything, but she stepped backwards with every step he made forward.
She doesn't even want to be near me anymore, he thought, stopping.
"I fell for you that night, Fred," she said meeting eyes with him again, and still walking backwards toward the stairs. "I fell for you hard…but you left me alone the whole night…and I suppose that you're sorry for that, too." She laughed a little. "Well, sorry just isn't enough sometimes." A tear ran down her cheek and she ran up the stairs.
"Alicia! Wait!" he called after her, standing at the bottom of the stairs. But she didn't. He heard the door click softly behind her just as George and Lee came walking in.
"Oi! Fred!" George said. He noticed the look on his face and asked, "What's a-matter?"
"It's a girl, isn't it?" Lee asked. "Can tell by his face."
"Ah, don't worry 'bout her, Fred," George said, slapping a hand on his brother's back. "'Cause we've other things to worry 'bout…like how to switch this fake wand 'ere with Snape's, and not get caught."
Lee snickered. "Come'n mates, let's go."