VIOLET'S POV:

The meeting went well. It was fun, even. Harry taught us some spells and then let us practice on our own. While everyone else was practicing spells, (I had already gotten most of them down) Harry pulled me to the side and said, "Anyone can fight with magic. The people we will be fighting wont be expecting someone who can fight hand-to-hand. I want you to practice sparring with people."

I had smiled eagerly and nodded. Being a violent person and given the excuse to knock a few people on their butts was a dream-come-true.

I fought a tall boy who seemed younger than me named Dean Thomas and won easily. His height hindered him.

Then came the young Irish pyrotechnic, Seamus.

"Don't hold back okay?" I said, winking.

He nodded and came up to the mat Harry had laid out for us. He rushed forward, aiming a blow at my face, but, at the last minute, I dodged and he was sent sprawling.

By now, a crowd had gathered and they were laughing heartily. I noticed Fred with his eyes trained on me and blushed a bit.

Seamus got back up and tried to throw a punch. This time, instead of dodging, I grabbed his fist and twisted until his arm was behind his back, then I kicked the back of his knee which put him down onto the ground.

He gave a pained grunt and, twisting his arm a bit further, I said sweetly, "Say uncle."

The crowd laughed and I let Seamus up.

He walked up to me smiling with his hand outstretched. I shook it and he walked past me.

Just as he stepped behind me, I heard a whistling sound in the air. Sensing that someone's fist was about to connect with my back, I rolled forward and hopped up into a spin as I turned to face Seamus again.

"Just checking. You really stick by that whole 'don't let your guard down' thing, huh?" he said, holding up his hands in defeat and smiling good-naturedly.

I laughed with everyone else and walked to grab the towel that Harry had found somewhere to wipe my face off. I was pouring sweat, having practiced magic and then fought a bunch of boys.

"You're a real menace, you know?" I heard a familiar voice whisper close to my ear.

I turned around grinning and said, "You better watch out. Next I'll be giving you a super wedgie and stealing your lunch money."

Fred smiled and gave me a hug.

"Careful, I'm sweaty."

He laughed and said, "Would it be inappropriate to comment on how well sweat suits you?"

I laughed and play-punched him in the gut.

Harry announced that the meeting was over and we should all head to the great hall for dinner.

GEORGE'S POV:

I looked across the room and saw the girl I had noticed only a few moments ago. How was it I had never noticed her before?

She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes and was currently laughing and talking among a group of 4 or 5 girls. She looked up and saw me staring and I shook my head, looking down.

I could feel my face heat up.

I looked up to see if she was still looking and, sure enough, she was. The look in her eyes said she was confused and probably thought I was crazy. But there was something else there, too. An interest I almost overlooked. Almost.

Regaining my confidence, I walked to her. She saw and started walking, too, meeting me halfway.

"Hi." I said, after a long and awkward pause.

"So what was up with the staring?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Umm… I'm sorry." I said, not sure why staring at her wouldn't have been a compliment to her looks. "So anyways, I don't remember ever having seen you around. What's your name?"

She took a second to look me over before glaring coldly at me and stating simply, "Zoë. What about you?"

"George." I said.

She nodded and said, "So, I'm going to go back over there," she gestured to her group of friends. "and you just stay right there or go away or whatever it is you do."

Her sarcasm was wearing on me. But it made her all the more intriguing.

FRED'S POV:

I caught a glimpse of George trying to talk to a pretty blond girl and I saw him get shut down.

His face dropped only a little bit, and his eyes kept wandering back to her, but every now and then when I looked up, I could see her looking at him, too. She just timed it to where he wouldn't catch her. Maybe I could help poor old George.

Violet and I walked away from the room of requirement and made our way to the great hall. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat with us tonight, talking about the way Seamus was spreading rumors about how he "let Violet win".

For some reason, I just couldn't get into the conversation. I didn't know exactly what made me feel so lousy, but I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that I was all alone, even in this giant room filled with hundreds of people.

Violet noticed. "What's the matter?" she asked, her brows drawing together in worry.

I shook my head and faked a smile. "Nothing. I just don't feel too good."

She reached for my hand under the table and squeezed gently and didn't let go.

When we finally went back to the common room, I sat on the couch and she followed my lead.

"I think we need to talk." she said, after a long and slightly awkward pause.

I don't know why but my cheeks turned red and my pulse quickened. "About what?"

She looked around at the crowd that was now talking very loudly and said, "Not here."

I nodded and leapt for the door. I took her back up to the astronomy tower and the whole way I wondered if it was going to be about where we stood in our relationship. She took a few slow steps into the room and I leaned back against the closed door, waiting for her to say something.

"I don't really know how to word this… What are we doing?" she asked finally, turning to face me with her hands palm to palm and her fingers splayed out.

I gave her a confused look. What did she mean exactly?

"I mean… What are WE doing? Like… Are we in a relationship, or are we just best friends?" She squeezed her eyes shut, saying the last part in a rush.

I walked further into the room and grabbed hold of her. I hugged her to me, not knowing what to say other than "I don't know."

She stood still as a statue. "Any ideas then?" she said, her voice quiet.

I knew she probably didn't want to rush into things (I wouldn't have either if I hadn't found the perfect girl to rush into things with) and she would want to get to know me a little better. "What if we just stayed best friends for a while until we get to know each other better? Then, if we think we should, we can be together then."

She pulled back, smiling. It was another unguarded one. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

I nodded and said, "Yeah, really."

She smiled wider and hugged me tight, surprising me.

I smiled into her hair.

"I love that idea." she said, still not pulling back.