Why is Everything so Confusing?

Hi there! I know I jumped four years from the first chapter, but I figured the story would be too slow if I left all that stuff in. If anyone wants to read more about what happens in- between their first and fifth year, let me know in a review, and I'll publish some one-shots and/or short stories. Please enjoy and review! :)

Four years had passed since the four jokesters had met on the train to Hogwarts, and they were closer than ever. During those four years, the team had successfully pranked half the school's population, won themselves more detentions than anyone else, found and learned how to use the Marauder's Map, and come up with their own system of communication that no teacher or prefect could ever crack. Fred and George had also both made the Quidditch team as beaters and become mini-heroes of Gryffindor house.

Karen and Lindsay never really minded that most of the attention went to Fred and George; as far as they were concerned, they were just there to help and were proud of the role they played. The girls had also won themselves the reputation of being the only two people in the world who could tell the boys what to do and actually have them listen. Even the professors acknowledged their power and frequently asked them to speak to the boys about their behavior and homework habits. Neither girl, of course, had the nerve to ever carry out their professors' wishes and simply continued to aid the boys in their insane plans.

Now, if you as the reader are currently thinking to yourself, "This is just too perfect to last; what's the catch?" your answer would be emotions. The key to any boy-girl friendship is to either not have feelings for each other or have feelings that match. Up until now, this particular issue had not been present in the "Fantastic Foursome", as it was called. However, the week surrounding Gryffindor's second Quidditch match brought all of that to an end.

One night, Karen and Lindsay were sitting together on Karen's bed having their nightly "twin talk" when Karen brought up the upcoming match. "Do you think they have a chance?" Karen asked. "I mean, after that last match, they have a lot of catching up to do."

"Of course they have a chance!" Lindsay replied, confidently. "This is the best team Gryffindor has seen in years! They are going to dominate Ravenclaw on Friday; just wait and see."

"I don't know…" Karen said, mischievously. "Maybe the boys on the team will be too distracted to play at their best."

"What d'you mean?" Lindsay asked.

"Well, I was simply referring to a certain Ms. Lindsay Bennett that a certain Mr. George Weasley can't seem to take his eyes off of. I heard that the last time she watched a practice, he actually almost fell off his broom because he was staring at her."

Lindsay went a brilliant shade of scarlet and whispered; "It's not funny," as Karen rocked with laughter at her sister's reaction. "Oh shut up, you!" she laughed and threw the pillow at her twin. Her laughter didn't last long, however, as a piece of paper suddenly floated down onto her lap. She picked it up curiously, and then grinned wickedly at her sister who was still laughing. "Well, well, well," she began slyly, "what do we have here?"

Karen stopped laughing and leaned in to see what her sister was looking at. When she realized what it was, her face drained of all color then turned beet red as she tried to snatch the paper from Lindsay. "Lin, that's mine; gimme it!"

"I know it's yours," Lindsay taunted. "That's you in the picture, but who's this with his arm around you? Oh!" she cried in fake shock. "Is that Fred Weasley? Now why would you be sleeping with this particular picture under your pillow? Does little Karen have a crush on a Weasley twin?"

"No I certainly do not!" Karen cried indignantly. "Now give my picture back!"

"Not until you tell me the truth," Lindsay said seriously. "Do you or do you not have a crush on Fred Weasley. Fess up."

Karen sat silent for a moment then exclaimed desperately, "Ok, ok I do, alright? I don't know how it happened, and I don't know when, I just know that I do. Can I have my picture back now, please?"

Lindsay nodded in satisfaction and handed the photo back. Karen carefully placed the picture back in its place then gently replaced the pillow on top. Turning to her sister she whispered, "Promise you won't say anything?"

"You didn't even need to ask," Lindsay assured. "We're twins; keeping secrets goes with the territory."

"Thanks, Linds," Karen said, hugging her sister. "I really was serious about George. He really does like you; I can tell."

Lindsay went slightly red again as she said, "I hope so. I really do care about him, and I want him to like me so much it hurts. Is that the way you feel about Fred?"

"Yeah it is," Karen admitted. "But I don't think he likes me; not like that anyway. He's the master of pranks and being loose…I'm just too much of a goody-goody for him. I mean, I help him with his pranks sometimes, but I don't think it's enough."

"I do," Lindsay said. "He'd be nuts not to like you. Maybe he just doesn't want to ruin your friendship, so he's trying to keep it under raps. Give it time, it'll happen."

"I hope so."

Two days later, Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw thoroughly at Quidditch and then proceeded to throw the loudest party ever back in the common room. Karen and Lindsay approached the portrait hole a bit late, having played Fred and George's lookouts as they snuck into Hogsmeade for drinks and sweets. The boys had already safely returned to the party, and the girls were very anxious to join them. As they opened the portrait hole, a deluge of noise engulfed them, and they quickly jumped in and closed the portrait behind them. They looked around for several minutes before spotting the twins in the center of attention, as usual. It was only an instant before the boys saw them and hurried over, beaming.

"Excellent job as always ladies!" George called to them when he got within earshot. "Now, how about we enjoy this party?"

Karen and Lindsay nodded eagerly, and Fred and George pulled them through the crowd to the middle of the room. For several minutes, they simply enjoyed themselves: eating, drinking, and chatting about the match. Suddenly, George looked down at Lindsay and nodded as though confirming a decision. He stood up on a nearby chair and called for the room to be quiet. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the greatest house in Hogwarts, I have an announcement. For some time now, I have been debating on whether or not to say this, and I have finally made my decision. As much as it will pain you ladies, I am about to no longer be single, I hope." Many people raised a curious eyebrow at this, and Karen felt Lindsay stiffen beside her. "For these past few years, I have been friends with a wonderful pair of young ladies, and as a result of that friendship, I am now honored to ask:" he gently took Lindsay's hand knelt down in front of her, "Lindsay, will you go out with me?"

Lindsay stood stunned for a moment gazing down at George before finally nodding. "Yes…yes, George; I will go out with you!"

George gave her a huge grin and stood up. Then, before Lindsay could say or do anything, he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her on the lips. The room erupted in wolf-whistles and cheers as the newly formed couple broke apart and beamed at each other. Karen couldn't be happier for her sister; she ran up and hugged her tightly, muffling Lindsay's squeals of delight into her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred thump George on the back in congratulations and closed her eyes, silently praying that she was next.

The party went along quite merrily after that, and Karen spent a good deal of her time watching as the boys entertained the entire room. As happy as she was for her sister, she couldn't help but notice how Fred's eyes seemed to be constantly darting over to Angelina Johnson just to make sure she was watching. A strange, burning feeling erupted in the pit of her stomach every time he did this, and she found herself fighting the inexplicable urge to punch Angelina in the face. At one point during the evening, Karen was talking and laughing with George and Lindsay near the fire when she suddenly heard more wolf-whistles and cheers akin to the ones she had heard when George kissed Lindsay. She and the couple, along with several curious others, got up and walked over to the large crowd that had formed around two people currently kissing each other senseless. Karen peered over other people's heads until she could get a good look at who it was. She felt her stomach plummet as she finally saw them. There was no mistaking that flaming red hair; Fred Weasley was kissing Angelina Johnson.

Karen backed away from the sight, feeling her heart break as she did so. Her brain didn't seem to be functioning properly as she moved slowly away from the group of people. Suddenly, she backed into someone that turned out to be her sister. "Hey, Karen! What's going-Karen…are you alright? Sis, what is it?"

Karen could not speak; she simply stared at her sister with a look of utter confusion and pain then, without warning, she turned on her heel and ran up to the girl's dormitory, shoving people aside as she ran. "Karen, wait!" Lindsay cried as George pushed the crowd aside to see what was going on. Upon seeing his twin with Angelina, he tapped Lindsay on the shoulder and pointed. Lindsay gaped at the pair then let out a low groan of understanding. "Oh no…" she breathed. "Poor Karen!"

"So she does like him?" George questioned. "I always wondered, you know. She just seemed so attached to him."

Lindsay nodded miserably. "Yes she likes him. We just talked about it the other night, and I told her that he liked her but was too afraid to show it. Oh, George: she's gonna hate me!"

"No she won't," George soothed. "She's just hurt right now; she won't be mad at you. You had every reason to tell her that; you thought he liked her, it's not a crime. I'm just worried about what this'll do to our quartet. How can we all hang out with that much tension in the area?" He looked sideways at Lindsay who shook her head in response. "You're not having second thoughts already, are you? I don't think you breaking up is going to make Karen any happier."

"Of course I'm not having second thoughts!" Lindsay cried, indignantly. "I've wanted this for-" she stopped suddenly and turned away, thoroughly embarrassed.

"What was that?" George teased. "How long have you wanted me, exactly? Come on, you can tell me."

"Since second year when you and Fred saved us from those spiders in the Forbidden Forest," Lindsay muttered. "I thought you were my hero from then on out."

"I try," George said, puffing out his chest, importantly.

"What are we gonna do about Fred?" Lindsay asked.

George thought for a moment before answering. "Nothing yet: we should wait until we see a problem so that we don't accidentally cause one. And speaking of problems, as much as I want you to stay with me, you should go check on Karen; she's been alone long enough."

Lindsay sighed and nodded, resigning herself to the rather unpleasant result she was sure to face. "I hate seeing her like this, but I know you're right. I'm sorry, George."

He leaned down and kissed her gently then said, lightly, "Don't worry about it. I have a twin, too, and I know the rule: twin above all. Get goin'."

Lindsay beamed at George then slowly made her way through the sea of people and up the stairs to the girl's dorms after her sister. She knocked gingerly on the door that bore the plaque "Fifth Years" and announced who she was. Despite receiving no reply, Lindsay opened the door and peered around for Karen, who was laying face-down on her bed, unmoving. At first, Lindsay was sure Karen was in tears, but her body was not shaking. "Merlin, what control she has!" Lindsay thought to herself. Quietly, she walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey," she whispered, touching Karen's shoulder gently. "You ok?" Stupid question, she knew, but she couldn't stop it coming out of her lips. Karen's only response was a violent shake of the head. "Wanna talk?" Lindsay asked; again, another violent refusal. "Ok, that's it! At least look at me, Karen. I know you're upset, but I really need you to talk to me about it."

Karen grudgingly sat up and looked at her sister from glassy eyes. "What?" she said, unemotionally.

"I wanna talk to you about what you saw downstairs."

Karen let out a small, mirthless laugh. "What is there to talk about, dear sister? He likes someone else: the end, goodbye, subject closed."

"So that's it; you're just gonna give up?" Lindsay asked, incredulously.

Karen simply shrugged. "What else can I do? I have nothing on that Quidditch-playing bimbo, and don't you dare tell me I do!" she added as Lindsay opened her mouth. "I'm happy for you and George, really I am, but please don't spend any time trying to get me hooked up! I'm not interested in anyone except Fred, but he's obviously not interested in me so that's that." Following the conclusion of her vent, her face softened, and she gently grasped her sister's shoulder. "Now, get back downstairs to your boyfriend, and quit worrying about me. I just need some time on my own, and I'll be fine. Go on: I know you want to be with him."

Lindsay hesitated but recognized the look in her twin's eye and nodded. She got off the bed and walked back to the door and turned back with her hand on the knob. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"I promise," Karen said with a half smile. "Just go: it'll make me feel better if you're enjoying yourself."

Lindsay smiled at her sister then started down the stairs, pulling the door gently closed behind her. As soon as she was gone, Karen pulled the curtains around her bed and curled up in the middle, staring at the picture she usually hid under her pillow. She had known Lindsay would be up to check on her and had resisted the urge to cry until after she was gone. Now, being alone in the dark dorm, she found the release for her broken heart and sobbed unrestrainedly into her sheets.

She hated crying more than anything in the world; she thought it was the ultimate sign of weakness. There were always better methods for keeping her emotions under raps, and she always found them. However, drastic times call for drastic measures, and the way her heart felt required drastic measures. How could Fred have done this to her? How could he not have seen how she felt, or had she hidden it too well? What was wrong with her; why didn't he like her? Was it her fault, or was Angelina just better than her? Why did all the good stuff happen to her sister? Why couldn't anything good happen to her for once?

"Oh, Fred…" she sobbed, staring at the moving portrait of the two of them from their first summer together. "WHY?" she screamed before burying her face in the pillow and crying until she fell asleep.

The next morning, Karen had regained her composure but had lost none of her pain. She spent the next several weeks ignoring Fred and Angelina every time she saw them, and spent most of her time either with George and Lindsay, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, or Ginny. She loved being with Ginny; despite her age, she was very wise and helpful.

Fred couldn't understand what was going on. He was happy with Angelina, but he felt like he had lost something very important in losing Karen. The worst part was, he couldn't figure out why she was all of a sudden ignoring him; what had he done wrong? Every time he went to ask Lindsay or George what was going on, they would just shake their heads and change the subject. Nothing was the way he was used to anymore, he hated it. He didn't want to hurt Angelina, and he wasn't sure that she was the problem. Why did girls have to be so confusing, anyway? What was he supposed to do?

The remainder of their fifth year passed in this manner; Fred and Karen not really speaking and George and Lindsay keeping their relationship as private as they could as to protect Karen's feelings. In an attempt to save their dying friendship, George asked his mum if Karen and Lindsay could come over that summer. Of course, Mrs. Weasley approved instantly and all the arrangements were made. Despite her attitude towards Fred, Karen was looking forward to her summer with her favorite family. One thing was for certain, this was going to be one heck of a summer.