"Katie, why was your shoe in my bed?"

I looked up from the essay I was struggling to finish to see Fred Weasley standing behind my chair. I glanced at the shoe in his hand. "That's not my shoe, Fred. I don't even want to know why there was a shoe in your bed."

"I thought it was yours." Fred frowned, glancing at my feet, presumably to be sure I wasn't missing my right trainer.

"No, my feet aren't nearly that big for one and I'm wearing my pair that looks like that." I turned back to my essay.

"You have huge feet, Kates. There isn't another girl whose feet are as big as yours in the whole house, probably even in the whole school. Plus, your feet stink and this shoe smells like your feet."

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to remind him that Angelina was the one with the gigantic stinking feet. "It isn't my bloody shoe. Now go away."

He sat down, obviously not taking the hint. "Maybe it's supposed to be like Cinderella? I'm supposed to try it on every girl who comes my way and see if they're my true love. It's a true love trainer!"

"Fred, stop being a bloody moron." I sighed as I rolled up my parchment. The essay was a half inch too short, but it would have to make do. I wasn't going to get anything accomplished now that Fred had shown up and decided to talk to me. I could never make myself end a conversation with Fred, although I had tried several times over the years. "The shoe isn't going to help you find your true love. It's Angelina's and you do not want to mess with Oliver. He might sit on you or something."

"But, Ange has tiny, pretty smelling feet." Fred looked confused.

"No, I have tiny, pretty smelling feet. Ange has the big, nasty, fetid feet." I showed him my small shoes.

"Merlin's beard!" Fred hissed, leaning closer, "You mean that Ange is my true love?"

"There's no such thing as a 'True Love Trainer'. There are two explanations; either you're a bloody moron or you're certifiably insane."

"But-"

"Nnn!" I waved my hand to cut him off. "There are only two options, Fred. Count them! One, two!"

"Katie, would you help me try this shoe on all the girls in the castle?" Fred asked, leaning close enough that I could feel his breath on my lips.

I scooted back. Not wanting to know that his close proximity affected me so much, I lied. "Ew, gross Fred. Your breath reeks!"

"Will you?" He demanded, not even batting an eye at my lie, even though I like to think he bought it.

"Fine, if you promise not to breathe in my face again." I made a face and scooped the rest of my belongings into my bag which I left sitting by the table. I found a mint in my bag and tossed it at him. "Eat this."

He popped it into his mouth and hopped up. "Katie, you aren't going to go dressed like that, are you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I demanded, looking down at my usual jeans and sweatshirt. "It isn't like you're a real prince."

"I'm looking for my true love!" Fred exclaimed. "You have to look as nice as her shoe."

"Fred, the bloody shoe is caked in mud and reeks of rotting onion." I looked at him in exasperation.

"Change." He pointed up the stairs. I grabbed my bag and stomped off; I would change, but I wouldn't be happy about it.

Five minutes later I came down wearing dark wash jeans and a purple baby-doll shirt. I had even put on the ballet flats my mother had sent me when I asked for new shoes, the ones that I had never worn before. My hair was down for the first time in probably at least two years; I had straightened it with the charm Alicia used on her hair every morning. "Are you happy Fred?" I demanded, "I'm even wearing makeup!"

He looked at me in astonishment, "I thought you'd change into sweats just to annoy me."

"Makeup!" I shrieked, pointing at my face.

"K-Katie, you look…" He trailed off.

"The shoe, Fred, the shoe." I gestured to the object he held in his hand. "I know I'm pretty, but didn't you want to do something crazy with that shoe?"

"Er, yeah, right." Fred shook his head once and then grabbed my hand to drag me out of the common room with him. "Look! Our first people!"

He dragged me over to the pair of pretty sixth years and then dropped my hand. "Hello ladies. I've found this True Love Trainer and am going to try it on all the girls in the castle until I find my true love. If the shoe fits-"

The girls both started laughing, and one slipped off her shoe. "It's like Cinderella!"

My mouth dropped open as both girls tried the shoe on their right foot and actually looked disappointed that it hadn't fit. Fred reached over and closed my mouth before they noticed.

"Tell all your friends!" Fred called after them down the hallway; then he turned to me. "Damn, did you get a good look at the blonde?"

"Is that why you're doing this?" I asked as it suddenly clicked in my head. "You want to check out all the girls in the castle? You Fred Weasley are despicable!"

He grinned, "Normally I would do this kind of thing with George, but he's too busy snogging Alicia. You're the next best option."

"You disgust me." I grabbed the shoe and threw it out the window. "I cannot believe you would sink so low. Why the hell did I have to get dressed up for you to scam on other girls?"

"I didn't think you would actually do it." Fred looked halfway angry. "Why the hell did you throw my shoe out the window?"

"Why the hell did you cook this whole damn thing up?" I narrowed my eyes. "I don't understand you, Fred. There are plenty of girls just lined up, waiting for you. They're pretty girls, nice girls, ones that you could probably fall in love with. Instead you parade around with a damn trainer, looking for you fucking 'true love'!"

"Katie, what is with you?" Fred demanded. "I thought you would find it funny. I know you were laughing at those girls who bought it."

"Maybe I don't want to laugh at the other girls today. Maybe today I'm just another one of those stupid girls that believed in fairy tales, only to have the knight in shining armor fall off his damn horse. I suggest you go after that shoe now, and I hope you land on your arse."

"Katie!" Fred shouted as I stalked off down the hall, trying to get away from him as fast as possible. "Katie Bell, don't walk away from me."

"Why shouldn't I?" I spun around. "You've left me plenty of times; I was bound to return the favor once. Damnit Fred, I'll just never be good enough, will I?"

"What are you talking about?" Fred took a tentative step closer.

"Just forget about it; that's what you're good at." I stalked around the corner, but hadn't made it halfway down the next hall before he grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty classroom.

"I'm not walking away from you today, Kates. I want to know what the hell is going on. Tell me what exactly it is you're accusing me of and then I'll leave you alone."

I jerked my arm out of his grasp. "No thanks."

"Katie? Are you… are you jealous?" Fred squinted at me. Then he started to laugh. I spun around and walked as quickly towards the door as I could. He slipped in between me and the doorhandle. "You don't fancy me, do you? No, of course not. That's a ridiculous question."

"You are so stupid and blind." I threw my hands up in the air and paced off in the opposite direction.

"What do you mean?" Fred frowned. "I'm not following you."

"You never have. I'm beginning to think that we're thinking of two totally separate wand types." I turned to look at him. "Fred, I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for a long time; you just haven't seen it."

"Haha?" Fred asked, looking completely stunned.

"Yeah, haha, the joke's on me." I walked over to the window and leaned against the wall to look out, but I wasn't actually seeing anything. My vision was too blurred by the tears threatening to fall. "My mistake; I thought you might actually return my feelings one day, especially after that last time. You know, when we slept together? Haha, stupid little Katie Bell, right? You and George spent years telling me I wasn't as smart as I looked; I guess you were right after all."

"Kates." Fred said quietly, laying one hand on my arm. I shrugged it off.

"Just go away Fred, please; just leave me alone."

I heard his footsteps head toward the door slowly, and then they stopped. I resisted the urge to look at him, standing in the doorway, knowing that he was watching me. Then, I heard the door click shut softly.

A week later, I was still avoiding Fred fairly successfully. I had only run into him in the hallway once, and obviously saw him at Quidditch practice, but there had been no awkward meetings in the common room and we had avoided eating at the same time. It was a little disappointing at first, because I kept thinking of things I wanted to tell him, but each day got easier as I slowly got angrier. Alicia and Angelina, who shockingly had not asked any questions, started to worry about the consequences of going around angry all the time.

"Hell Katie, just kick him in the balls and get it over with." Angelina suggested suddenly at breakfast one morning.

"Angelina!" Alicia exclaimed, "Actually, that's not such a bad idea. Katie, you have to let this out somehow. You can't just bottle it up or you're likely to explode."

"You can't physically explode from pent-up anger, Alicia." I rolled my eyes and stabbed my eggs rather forcefully with my fork.

"I didn't mean physically." Alicia muttered. "With you I'd much rather you blow up physically than bite Fred's head off. You can be pretty nasty."

"Yeah, well." I took a gulp of orange juice.

"Katie? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Fred's voice came from behind me. I sprayed orange juice all over Ange in my shock.

"Oops, sorry Ange." I said lightly. "I thought I heard someone."

Fred pushed some first year farther down the bench and sat next to me. "Don't blame me for this, Kates. You're the one who just dropped it in my lap."

"You're the one who-" I stopped myself just before I let the secret slip, not wanting to answer the countless questions Angelina and Alicia would be sure to ask. "You know what you did, Fred Weasley. You started it; you led me on."

"I didn't think!" Fred bellowed suddenly. "I get around you and I just do things without ever thinking about them!"

"Yeah, well, tell your mum she was right all these years. If you don't think before you act, then it's going to come back and bite you in the arse, Fred Weasley."

"I'll keep that in mind, Katie. For next time I decide to fuck you. Then I won't regret doing anything, because I won't have done it."

Angelina's head snapped up at the word 'fuck'. "What did you say? Katie, you didn't!"

I turned my head away, my cheeks burning with anger and my eyes burning with tears. I wanted to do something, anything, but my mind was completely blank except for Fred's last statement. Then I won't regret doing anything, because I won't have done it. His words echoed over and over in my head.

Alicia went pale, "I don't think you really want to be talking about this in front of everyone."

"Kate?" Fred asked softly, ignoring the other two. "Katie, you know I didn't mean that."

"Do I?" I whispered. "I don't think I do."

"Katie, please." Fred touched my cheek and I jerked away. "I haven't said anything the way I wanted to. Damnit, you just make me forget everything."

"I told you that you were good at it." I wiped my eyes and stood up. "I'm going to do something that you taught me how to do, Fred."

He looked at me, his eyes showing his confusion.

"I'm going to leave." And with that I turned and walked out of the Great Hall, feeling as if every eye in the school was watching me. Once out of the Great Hall, I sprinted for the Quidditch pitch and climbed the ladder from the locker rooms into the old storage loft. I was confident that nobody would be able to find me, so I curled up in the corner behind a crate and closed my eyes.

"Katie!" I heard a voice calling my name in the distance, but I didn't feel like answering so I closed my eyes tighter. "Kates, I know you're here somewhere."

I realized it was Fred, and everything came rushing back. I closed my eyes even tighter, hoping that if he found me he would think I was asleep.

"There you are. Katie, don't even bother pretending to be asleep. You might have been earlier, but you're a light sleeper. You probably woke up as soon as you heard me say your name." He sat down beside me. "Now, I'm going to say what I have to say and I'm going to say it properly this time."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Then say it and get the hell away from me."

"You know how you told me about those pretty girls that I could probably fall in love with? Well, I did fall in love with one. I'm going to tell her today."

"Then damnit Fred, go see her and leave me alone." I stood up and glared at him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Katie. I just got here." Fred jumped up off the floor as well, and stood staring at me as if waiting for me to understand something.

"Fuck you Fred. You think this is helping me? Just get the hell away from me."

"No, Katie. I've come to see my pretty girl and I'm not going anywhere unless she realizes that I'm in love with her and still tells me to sod off."

"I don't see why you're telling me all of this instead of her." I snapped.

"Katie Bell, you're so blind!" Fred closed his eyes for a second, trying to keep himself from laughing. "I'm with you right now and I'm not leaving. Kates, you're the one I'm in love with."

"What?" I frowned, sure that he was meaning something else than the obvious meaning with his words. "I'm not sure I-"

Fred leaned over and kissed me softly, lingeringly. When he pulled back slightly, one of his hands was gently cradling my face and the other had my own hand firmly entwined with it. "There, now do you understand?"

I put my free hand on his chest. All my anger had just evaporated with his kiss. "I think you mean that I'm the pretty girl you're in love with, but I may need another kiss to be sure."

"Yes ma'am!" Fred pulled my lips to meet his and for the first time, we weren't thinking about two completely different wand types. Nope, we were all oak, or possibly hickory.

"Oh, by the way, that was Ange's shoe." Fred grinned.

"I told you that."

"I know, but now I've got the real true love trainer." Fred paused for a second, "Only it isn't a trainer. The name wouldn't be nearly as catchy."

"You aren't making any sense and I much preferred when you weren't talking a couple seconds ago. I think you got your point across better that way. Words aren't exactly your strong suit."

Fred rolled his eyes. "You're so damn impatient. Hold on for a second. I'm trying to be romantic."

"I've been holding on for a week, Fred Weasley. Plus, I don't think romantic is exactly either of our strong suits so…"

"Katie, shut up." Fred pulled something out of his pocket. I recognized it to be my ballet flat that I had only worn the one time. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, see if it fits."

"You're a moron." I pulled off my own trainer and slid the shoe onto my foot. "There, my shoe fits on my foot."

He kissed me lightly, "You could at least pretend to humor me, but it doesn't matter. I would love you even if the shoe didn't fit."

"If the shoe fits." I muttered to myself before turning my attention back to him. "So."

"So?" He shifted slightly so that he was blocking my way towards the rest of the loft. As if I would want to leave him now. "Where were we?"