A/N: See, Beth? I told you I could update on time! So there! *dignified cough* Ahem. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to ernesdo, for hounding me through Pms and reviews to update. I hope you like it.

Aside from my birthday, Christmas is my favorite holiday. In fact, I may even like it better then my birthday. The twelve days before the twenty-fifth of December may have been some of the hardest days of my life. But I managed. My brother was leaving on Saturday, December seventeenth, ans would not be back until January first. I just so happened to know that Draco was going to our house in Arundel, West Sussex. I also happened to know that Megan lived in the same neighborhood.

Obtaining that information wasn't easy. I actually had to snatch an envelope from her sister Hannah in order to find out that they were moving to the house down the street from ours. It nearly cost me a study period to do it. McGonagall was willing to take away my free time after dinner and during Quidditch practice to make me serve detention. Luckily, Professor Snape talked her out of punishing me.

Lily knocked on the door of our dormitory. I opened it to find her standing there, already fully dressed and ready for anything.

"Come to breakfast," she urged me. "They leave in an hour and a half." There was no need for me to ask who 'they' were. Draco, Julie, and James were leaving on the ten o'clock train. I needed to be at breakfast so that I could say goodbye. This would be a particularly difficult Christmas for me to celebrate this year, because it would be the first that I would celebrate without Draco or Cathryn. They had always been there to irritate me, and I would almost miss that.

"Okay," I told her, smiling in what I hoped was an assuring manner. She looked skeptical, but shrugged and went over to the cupboard in her little area of the room. I got up and dressed while she rummaged for something. When she found whatever it was, she straightened up, took one look at my apparel, and laughed aloud. I glanced down at myself. There was nothing wrong with what I was wearing. My sweater was royal blue and was in good condition. My jeans weren't full of holes. Neither were my trainers. What could be wrong? "What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Oh, nothing," Lily giggled. "It's just that... you know that handsome Quidditch player you're always hanging out with? The Gryffindor?"

"Fred Weasley?"

"Yeah, him. You two are all matchy matchy today." Before I had a chance to get alarmed and go change, she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the Great Hall for breakfast. Was she trying to embarrass me? Knowing her like I do, she probably was.

We entered the Great Hall, managing to avoid any mishaps. Besides George's snickers, that is. He took a look at me, one at his twin, another at me, and started laughing. Then again, he's always laughing about something, so no one paid him any attention. I sat down next to Jesse. Lily sat on his other side.

"Lily's diabolical today," I whispered in Jesse's ear. He grinned and shook his head fondly.

"...And she freaked out when I told her!" Lily's voice penetrated my thoughts. Draco laughed loudly. Wonderful. She was already telling people about it. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Megan staring at my brother and Lily, a small frown on her face. That made me giggle, and then I joined in with the enthusiastic Quidditch talk.

-o-O-o-

It had been about seven hours. Julie was gone. James was gone. My brother was gone. Even Megan and all of her tiny friends had gone home. I was at Hogwarts alone with Jesse and Lily. Merlin help me get through this unscathed. I know that's probably impossible, but please!

The days flew by quickly. One day, I was outside for four hours having snowball fights and stuffing snow down George's shirt. The next, Jesse and I were taking a top secret mission to steal sugary snacks from the kitchens. Before I knew it, Christmas Eve had crept up on me. Lily and I were preparing for bed, casting forlorn looks at the empty bed that belonged to Julie, and the other that had previously belonged to Cathryn. I climbed into my own bed, crawling under the covers and laying on my back. Memories came rushing back to me from behind my closed eyelids. Draco and I, at age seven, having a mud fight. Playing cats with Cathryn at age five. Cathryn calling herself Katie-Cat, also at age five. Tears slipped unbidden down my cheeks, and I silently cried myself to sleep.

-o-O-o-

I think I slept through the night. I don't remember actually falling asleep, but I must have, because the next thing I knew, Lily was shaking me awake and wishing me a Happy Christmas. She pulled my covers to the floor, so I was forced to get out of bed and follow her downstairs to the "present pile." Lily and Jesse had dubbed it that a few days ago, because the presents kept accumulating. We dug into them with great enthusiasm.

When I had mostly finished, I sat back on my heels, observing my friends. Jesse had put a bow in his hair. It must have come from James, because I had one just like it. Lily spotted something in the lower branches of the tree. She pulled it out and handed it to me. It was a plain,, square envelope with my name written across the front in Fred's handwriting. I opened it carefully, not quite knowing what to expect. Inside was nothing but a silver locket. I took it out and examined it. On the front were the letters AFG. When I opened it, two pictures stared back at me. One was an action shot of Fred and I throwing snow at each other. It had probably been taken by George. The other was of the three of us, sitting a tree and grinning. One twin was behind me, the other next to me. They were identical, except for their eyes. The twin behind me had brown eyes, and the one next to me had blue eyes. It was just like my framed picture, except we were all much older.

"This fell out," Lily told me, handing me a small note that must have fallen out of the envelope when I opened it. I took it, turned it over, and read:

Dear Rosie,

I remembered. I woke up this morning, and remembered all of it. So I'm giving you this. It says Eternity on the back, because I want you to remember that the three of us are friends forever. Always and forever, Rosie, remember that.

Happy Christmas.

Love, Fred

I leaped up from the floor, clutching the note in my left hand.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked me, alarmed.

"Be back later," I told her over my shoulder as I sprinted out of the room. I had to find Fred.

I'd reached the Entrance Hall before I stopped running. A lone redheaded figure stood next to a window. He turned around and my heart skipped a beat. Fred Weasley stared back at me, his eyes haunted. His cheeks were hollow, and there were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days. There was no trace of his usual cheerfulness that followed him wherever he went.

"Rosie," he said flatly. His voice was hollow and defeated. What could have happened to my best friend to turn him into this poor, pathetic shell of a human being?

"Fred," I whispered. "What happened?" He just shook his head at me, turning back around and looking out the window. He was really scaring me now. Something was really wrong. I crossed the floor to his side, my heart pounding in my chest. Please let him be okay, I prayed. Please. I touched his arm softly. He jumped back, recoiling from my touch. "Please tell me?" I begged, almost afraid to hear his answer.

"Fine!" he exploded. "You want to know what's wrong? I've been bloody in love with a girl since we were young, and she doesn't-" there his voice broke, and he leaned his head against the cold glass of the windowpane, his eyes shut.

"Doesn't what?" I asked, terrified to hear the answer. Whoever had broken his heart would have to suffer. I'd make sure of it.

"She doesn't like me that way, okay?" he yelled. "Now leave me alone!" I nodded in assent and slipped quietly from the Hall.

Fred's POV

I watched her walk away, her blonde hair hiding her face. She had no idea how she tortured me. I knew her better then she could ever imagine. Every single one of her facial expressions and emotions were as familiar to me as my own. How could she not notice how much I liked, perhaps even loved her? Even her little Slytherin friends had noticed, and I barely knew them at all.

George teased me about her the other day. I was daydreaming, and he asked me a question. I told him I loved Rose. He called me a fool. He told me that I was wasting my time on her, when there's so many other candidates who would be just as great. Alicia Spinnet really likes you, he said. I told him I didn't want her. He suggested Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell next. I shot them down. He got exasperated.

"What about Leona?" George suggested exhaustedly.

"Her sister?" I asked incredulously.

"Rose doesn't even know she exists."

"I'm not going to date her sister! I don't want Leona! I want Rose." The last sentence was said in a very small voice. Now George doesn't even want to be around me. He says he'll hang around with Lee until I get over my obsession. It's not an obsession. It's an infatuation. I just need a plan now. A truly spectacular plan that will involve Rose becoming my girl in the end. I think I'll ask her older sister for help.