Ok, this is written for HermioneWeasleyFan's 100 stories challenge, and its the first challenge I've ever done. I chose Katie/Fred cos its not a hugely popular painring and I only discovered it a few months ago, but I'm now fully converted! I just want to explain the title- it's from Acidentally in love by Counting Crows ("these lines of lightning mean we're never alone, never alone") and it might change if anyone gives me a better suggestion... now, are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter etc etc etc.

I cannot find a way to describe it/ It's there, inside/ All I do is hide/ I wish that it would just go away/ What would you do, you do if you knew? What would you do?/ All the pain I thought I knew/ All the thought lead back to you/ Back to what was never said/ Back and forth, inside my head/ I can't handle this confusion/ I'm unable/ Come and take me away- "Take Me Away" Avril Lavigne.

Fred Weasley slipped into a seat next to a sleeping Katie Bell and poked her with a quill.

"Ouch! I'm working, I'm-oh, it's you." She yawned and stretched. "I thought that you were Rachel for a moment...she's trying to force me to write this stupid potions essay. She's such a Nazi when it comes to homework."

"What's a Nazi?" asked Fred curiously.

"From the Second World War...like muggle death eaters? No?"

Fred looked blank.

"Doesn't matter." Her eyes lit up. "Hey, I don't suppose you know anything about moonstone do you?" she asked hopefully.

"I know it's not spelt mooMstone" he pointed out unhelpfully.

"Oh damn." As Katie scribbled out half of the 'M' a good looking blonde boy walked over to their table.

"Excuse-moi." He said to Katie. "I was wondering...what is your name?"

There was a pause as both boys looked expectantly at her.

"Oh, were you talking to me?" she asked in surprise. "I'm Katie, Katie Bell."

"Katie Bell." He repeated, smiling. "And belle you are."

Fred almost gagged. "Oh, that is lame." He snorted under his breath, but either Katie didn't hear him or she was ignoring him, because she smiled back and flushed slightly.

"I am Jacques Dupont." He continued. "And I was wondering also...would you accompany me to ze ball?"

"Hell yeah!" burst out Katie. Then she cleared her throat. "I mean, yeah, that sounds great."

Jacques smiled in what seemed a very smug way to Fred and sauntered off. Katie sat still for a moment or two gazing at his back, then swivelled around and gaped at Fred.

"Wow." She said. "He's...that's...just wow."

She jumped to her feet. "I have to tell Rachel and Leanne about this!" she beamed. "Who cares about potions?"

And with that she shoved her things in her bag and dashed out of the library, leaving behind a very disgruntled looking Fred.

*

"You're going with a French boy?" exclaimed Hazel, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "What does he look like?"

"A Greek god." sighed Katie happily.

"Oh, god I wish I was with a sexy French boy." moaned Hazel enviously. "I'm going with Cormac sodding McLaggen who kisses like a whelk."

"Hazel!" remonstrated Rachel as Katie laughed. "He's your boyfriend!"

Hazel shrugged. "Not for much longer." She said firmly.

Rachel rolled her eyes, but Leanne frowned and turned back to Katie.

"Kate, it's great that your date is so much hotter than all of ours and everything, but what about-"she glanced around and mouthed "Fred?"

"What about him?" replied Katie defensively.

"Well, I thought you liked him! And here you are, accepting a date with some French guy you've never even seen before right in front of Fred!"

"Shh!" said Rachel frantically.

Katie leaned forward. "Ok, I do like Fred. A lot, actually. But he's never going to notice me in that way- especially if I'm available- so why shouldn't I have a bit of fun? And-"

She was cut short by Fred himself hollering across the common room at Angelina.

"He's asking ANGE?" demanded Katie, thunderstruck, turning to gape at her friends who all winced at her expression.

"Erm...looks like it." quivered Rachel.

"But he doesn't fancy her, surely!"

"Yeah, but that's not important is it?" asked Leanne, bored. "You don't fancy Jack-"

"Jacques." corrected Katie. "And that's different."

Leanne raised her eyebrows. "Oh, screw you Leanne." She snarled, stomping up the stairs behind an equally irate Hermione Granger.

*

Katie missed Quiddich. A lot. For one thing, she loved flying. For another it gave her a legitimate reason to talk to Fred without being accused of flirting by her so called best friends.

It was the day of the Yule Ball. For the past few days- well since they'd both got dates- Fred and Katie had been attempting to act normally but ended up being bizarrely polite to each other.

She sighed as she thought of the formal way in which they had been speaking to each other. It was her fault really, for agreeing to go to the ball with Jacques. She couldn't help feeling that this stupid ball was much more hassle than it was worth, and was looking forward to it being over so she could be friends with Fred, properly, again.

She yelped as a snowball hit her on the back of the head, jolting her out of her (rather depressed) thoughts. She turned to see two identical faces with matching grins. She could tell instantly which one was Fred-he was the one on the right. As usual.

"Hey!" she yelled. "What was that for, you gits?"

"Alright Katie?" grinned George. The twins bounded forward and simultaneously put their arms around her.

"So, Katie." said Fred. "Fancy joining us on a little ambush? Me, you , George, Angie, Alicia and Lee?"

"Who are you ambushing?" asked Katie warily. "It better not be Snape like last year, we were in detention for a fortnight."

"Katie, Katie, Katie." said George, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "Would we do the same thing twice?"

"It's like you don't know us at all." chimed in Fred.

"No, this year we have a very special treat planned for that lovely boy Draco Malfoy."

"And his cronies." added Fred.

George removed his arm from around Katie and jumped round to face her. He grabbed her hands earnestly, but all Katie could think of was Fred's warm arm still curled around her shoulder. Weakly, she nodded, instantly regretting it.

They met up with the others who were dressed all in black. Alicia, who Katie had always been close to, grinned and mouthed "George asked me out!"

The second Katie was next to Alicia she commanded her to tell everything.

"Well," whispered Alicia "The other day he came up to me and complimented me on something, I think he'd thrown something and I caught it, and anyway I smiled and said 'what do you want?'. And then he was like can I copy the charms essay and just as I was looking for it he came out with it! And when I said yes he looked all cute and relieved and started to walk off. And then I was like 'what about the essay?' and he told me that he'd already written it he just needed an excuse to talk to me!"

Katie smiled secretly to herself, and decided not to tell Alicia that a few weeks back she'd accidentally let Fred know that Alicia fancied George.

"Alicia, Kate, shut up!" hissed lee. "How are we supposed to sneak up on them with you two gossiping?"

The group hid behind the bush. Katie was glad to see that going into sixth year hadn't made her friends grow up at all. The scooped together handfuls of snow while Lee set to work charming the snow into missiles and the twins hastily put together a catapult.

"On the count of three." Fred whispered.

"One-"

"-Two-"

"-Three-"

"FIRE!" the twins bellowed together and Katie began lobbing snowballs at the gang of Slytherin fourth years.

Halfway through the battle Katie found herself stranded in the open. She could sense rather than see a snowball heading straight towards her, but she was helpless to stop it from hitting her.

"Protego!"

The shield seemed to have come from a tree, until Fred rolled over the ground and next to her. They didn't speak, but in the air there was something, tangible, uncertain, unspoken.