[MIRA'S POV]

"Know what? I kinda liked it!". Mira was at dinner with the others and was looking at the twins. They had just returned from the hospital wing after they failed to put their name in the Goblet. Lee and Mira had mocked all the way there, as they had sprouted long, white beards. Fooling Dumbledore's Age Line with Ageing Potion didn't work - no surprise there. "The beard was a big improvement for you two, you should've taken it into consideration as a permanent solution". Everybody laughed. Fred smirked. "Well, I have to say, I was rocking the Merlin style. You do have to admit, I looked better than Georgie". "Hey!", George protested. Mira rolled her eyes and chuckled. Fred often teased her and flirted with her as a joke, but for some reason, he never took it seriously. It's so frustrating, she thought.

The Great Hall was silent as Dumbledore announced the champions' names. "Viktor Krum". People applauded. "Fleur Delacour". She sure was pretty. "Cedric Diggory". Ugh, thought Mira. So he made it… Hope he can keep up. She sighed. Then she heard Harry's name and she froze. This whole thing didn't look promising at all. In the following days, Mira tried to keep an eye on Harry, especially because he didn't have Ron to look out for him this time. She knew he didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire, it wasn't like him. But since it had probably been someone from the school, he was in danger. The Death Eaters at the World Cup, the Black Mark, and then this… What's going on?

The day of the First Task she was worried. Seeing the dragons didn't help one bit. But when Harry brilliantly managed to get past the Horntail, she relaxed. Also, Charlie went to greet her and made her get close to one of the dragons. "As I promised you before, a dragon in the flesh!". She couldn't help but smile at the glorious sight. Sure, dragons were deadly, but they were gorgeous beasts, too.

When she entered the Common Room that evening, Ron was laughing at Harry's side. Finally, she smiled and joined the celebration. Fred rushed to her side, smiling. He handed her a cup of chocolate custard (her favourite), which he had nicked from the kitchens. He was about to speak, but he heard a scream as Neville was turning into a large canary. Mira laughed and watched the twins announce their latest inventions, the Canary Creams. They were more talented than they cared to admit.

A week later, at the end of the lesson, Professor McGonagall had announced the approaching Yule Ball. There had been lots of different reactions. Basically, all the girls were really looking forward to it, while the boys…not so much. Mira had wondered whether Fred was going to ask her or not. A few days passed. In the Common Room, Fred and George were chatting with Lee, Harry, and Ron. Mira was reading. "So, how are the preparations for the Ball going?". George had sit next to her on the couch. "Oh, buzz off!", she snapped. She didn't intend to sound so harsh, so she turned to him to apologize. But he flashed her a sympathetic smile. "If it's of any consolation, all those guys asking you to the dance are driving him mad".

Mira glanced at Fred and sighed. It was true that she couldn't even walk in the corridor without some guy inviting her. Some people might have found it flattering. But not Mira. She had inherited her mother's beauty. Her blue doe eyes, her full lips, her soft fair skin, even her beautiful figure. She had often been told she was beautiful, but it wasn't something she was proud of. Quite the contrary. Her appearance always made difficult for her to be taken seriously. People didn't care about what she did as they cared about how she looked. But she perfectly knew that there is no credit in beauty. She preferred to be complimented on her abilities because those were something she could be proud of.

George interrupted her thoughts. "Want me to tell Lee to invite you? We can make Fred jealous so that he buckles". Mira raised her brow and spoke in a cold voice. "I'm not that childish, nor that desperate". She was now gazing at Fred with a provocative demeanour. In the meantime, Angelina and Alicia had joined them on the couch. "I think we should bug him", smirked Angelina. She smiled in a mysterious way at their puzzled expressions. "Leave it to me".

The next morning they were having breakfast, the girls sit in front of the boys. "Is it true that Cedric Diggory invited you to the Ball?", asked Angelina with an innocent smile. Mira frowned at the question. So that's her strategy? Eventually, she nodded. "Yes, but I heard he's now going with Cho Chang". Alicia giggled. "How many invitations did you get til now, Mira? Yesterday I was with you for a few hours and, like, six boys asked you… everybody wants a piece". "All the Durmstrang guys have already asked her. Well, except for Krum", insisted Angelina. Mira shrugged. She appreciated their efforts, but that wasn't her style. She was far too frank to play jealousy games. She met her friends' eyes: they were all smirking in amusement. Fred, on the other hand, was staring at his plate. Angelina decided to finish him off. "I really don't get why you didn't say yes to Cedric. He's so handsome, and one of the champions. You two would look great together!". Mira sighed. Since they were already there, she thought, she'd better play along. "Don't doubt that, but I don't fancy Pretty-Boy Diggory nor anyone who've invited me. I have a guy on my mind and I was waiting for him to ask, but he still hasn't. Maybe he doesn't like me back", she answered nonchalantly.

[FRED'S POV]

CLUNG. Fred had dropped his fork on the plate and was staring at Mira. "What? Who is he?", he asked at once. Then he made a big effort and cracked a smile. "Well, there's no way he doesn't like you. He's going to invite you, otherwise, he's an idiot". Fred felt physical pain while forcing those words out. His natural instinct was to keep her all to himself.

What happened next was totally unexpected. Mira was looking at him with a strange face. It was half-pissed, half-playful. "Couldn't have said that better myself, Freddie. You are an idiot". Fred was confused and searched for George's eyes. His twin brother was radiant. Mira chuckled and went on. "God, you're slow… It's you. It's always been you. I've been sending you all sort of signals, but you never made a move. What, are you scared of me or something?". She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Everyone can tell that I'm in love with Fred Weasley, except him. That's a bad joke for a prankster like yourself, don't you reckon?". Mira's voice hadn't quivered once. She looked calm and collected as if she was saying something perfectly normal.

It took him a few seconds, then Fred broke into a mischievous smile. Then he leapt towards her, dropping stuff across the table, and took her face in his hands. He kissed her. At first slowly and gently. But when she grabbed his tie and pulled him near, his kiss became more fierce. As he sunk his hands into her hair, the air filled with laughter and cheers. Their friends were even clapping. Fred stopped to look at Mira and they both burst into laughter. "FINALLY", roared George. The two brothers looked at each other. "I'm sorry, Georgie. She's definitely the smart one in the couple", grinned Fred. Then he jumped on the table, smirking.