FRED'S POV:
"Oh boys!" I heard two very familiar voices call from behind us.
George and I both turned to see two very beautiful girls in dresses. Violet in a black strapless number and Jane in a reddish dress. Both dresses accented the girls' features well, but Violet would always be the most beautiful girl in the world to me.
I felt a slow smile begin to creep onto my face and she kept her face down and smiled crookedly, walking up to us.
But she wasn't looking at me, she was looking at George, gauging his reaction, maybe? I looked up, expecting him to be looking at Jane, but he, too, was looking at Violet with the same wondrous expression I was.
He looked at me and smiled apologetically, blushing.
Then I looked up to see Jane staring at me, a hopeful look on her face.
I nudged Fred with my arm, signaling our announcement to the girls.
He nodded and started talking. "Fred and I have something-"
"-both of us wanted to ask you." I finished.
I looked Violet straight in the eye so she would know I was talking to her and George did the same to Jane.
We both spoke after a short few seconds of silence. "Will you go to the ball with me?"
Both girls looked confused.
"Umm…" Jane said, starting to say something.
"Give us just a second." Violet said, giving us apologetic looks.
They walked to the wall opposite our little group and began whispering.
I hoped with everything in me that they said yes.
VIOLET'S POV:
"What are we going to do?" Jane squeaked, looking a little annoyed.
"Well, I guess we could just say yes. What could the harm be? I mean, if we decide we want to dance with each other's partner, its not like there's a law against it." I said, feeling my heart accelerate at the thought of dancing with Fred.
FRED? No.
It was the thought of George that did strange things to my heart.
Not Fred.
"Well," she said, reluctantly. And then she looked back at the boys who looked rather nervous. "Okay." She said, smiling.
We walked back up to the boys and said at the same time. "We accept."
Fred held his arm out for me and let me put my arm on his bicep. He was rather strong. His muscles were fairly large, but then that was probably what happened when you were a beater on the quidditch team. They weren't huge; you couldn't see them through his suit or any other shirts I had seen him in, but they were there.
The room the ball was held in was decent temperature, a little cold for me, but for most of the guys, I could guess that it felt normal.
We sat at a table and waited until the small group of people that weren't already there got there.
Then the music started. It was a slow song.
"Would you like to dance?" Fred asked me, a gleam in his eyes, his hand held out.
I nodded and put my hand in his.
We stood and joined the other dancers in the area designated for dancing.
I saw George take Jane's hand and pull her onto the dance floor out of the corner of my eye.
Fred placed his hand lightly on my waist and I put on his shoulder. Then our free hands joined.
I felt something when his palm pressed against mine. It was odd. Like an electric shock, but pleasant.
I smiled at him, wondering if he had felt it, too.
He smiled back.
Our bodies began to move slowly to the beat of the music.
Our eyes stayed locked, but we didn't say anything.
I was wondering at the bright blue of his eyes and the brilliance of his bright red hair and the beauty of his bright personality.
"You're a bright person." I said, not meaning to have actually said that out loud.
He looked confused. "Have you seen my grades? Sure I'm smart but I'm no Hermione."
I shook my head. "That's not what I meant. You. Your hair, your eyes, everything about you."
He looked like he was trying to figure out what it was I meant. "I'm just going to assume that was a compliment and not a cheap shot at gingers." he said, still confused.
I laughed and shook my head to assure him it was nothing against his hair or eye or skin color. They were all good things. Things I had grown to love.
In a brotherly way! I had always loved Fred like a brother or a puppy I had had for a long time.
But did I love him the way he loved me? I didn't think I did, but I didn't want to dash his hopes so fast.
At least that's what I kept telling myself.
GEORGE'S POV:
Violet had liked me for years, and I had never liked her back. I loved her like a sister, but I always liked Jane.
So why couldn't I keep my eyes off Violet?
I tried convincing myself that it was just because she was very beautiful in that dress.
Of course, Jane had always been beautiful. She was even more beautiful tonight.
I tried to focus my mind back onto Jane. I forced myself not to look up, knowing that if I did, my eyes would wander back to Violet. I concentrated on Jane's face.
But she didn't notice, she was too busy watching Violet and Fred stare at each other like they were seeing the sun for the first time.
JANE'S POV:
What was she doing? She knew I liked him! And she was smiling at him. And she knew he liked her, (or at least she did if she wasn't a complete idiot) why was she leading him on? She was in love with George.
Speaking of George, he could probably tell I was watching Fred and Violet.
I looked back to him to see him looking at me worriedly.
"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.
"You look sad." he said softly, still moving to the music. "And you cant take your eyes off Fred." He almost sounded sad.
"Yeah. I guess you probably already know that I like Fred. But it makes me mad that Violet loves you and she is flirting with Fred when she knows he likes her!" I realized my mistake too late.
"She loves me?" he said, his voice still soft.
I nodded and sighed. "Don't tell her I told you that."
"I already kind of thought she might like me… I had no idea it went as far as love." I nodded.
"Ever since our first year, she's been completely infatuated with you."
"That doesn't sound much like love." He said puzzled.
I laughed humorlessly. "You haven't heard the way she talks about you."
He blushed at that.
The rest of our dance was silent.
GEORGE'S POV:
So she loved me did she?
I wondered if Fred knew about that. I hoped he didn't; it would hurt him so badly.
But surely she hadn't kept it from him, they were the best friends of the group, the most inseparable. She wouldn't not tell him.
Jane had turned her attention back to Violet and Fred.
I turned to look at them, too.
That beautiful girl loved me? It was hard to believe.
But if that was so hard to believe, then why did I still wish for Jane to love me?
I had deep feelings for her, that much was clear.
But as to exactly HOW deep they were, I was unsure.
Only time could tell.
