I know I said the day after the last update would be this chapter, but guess what? Somebody forgot to mention MIDTERMS! There were, like, two whole weeks of reviewing and long testing and I completely focused on that and had no time to update! My humble apologies!

I hope you like this chapter - It's the second half of the previous one, so a nice continuation for those who wanted more :P

Enjoy!

The Countdown

Fred

They had been so close. So close! And those eyes! Fred was fuming inwardly at his twin's poor timing. In a second he and Jo would've kissed, but of course the perfect moment would be broken awkwardly. Jo grasped his hand and they meandered over to where the crowd was gathering.

'Hi Angelina,' Fred greeted his former classmate.

'Hi Fred!' Angelina replied. 'I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting.' Angelina gestured towards Jo with her free hand, the other one holding George's.

'This is Jo. Jo, this is my old classmate Angelina. She, George and I used to play on the same…Quidditch team. Jo's a Muggle, so if you want to explain what that is, feel free,' Fred added in a low voice to Angelina.

'I thought you would've by now, Fred! Well, I'd love to get to know you, especially if we're going to be seeing each other often,' Angelina said with a friendly smile.

'Yeah, absolutely! Where do want to go?' Jo asked, happily.

Jo grinned at the other girl and they let go of their respective twins to go walk and talk. Fred was happy that they were hitting it off – It would've been extremely awkward if his ex-girlfriend hated Jo. Fred walked along with his twin to the Three Broomsticks that had set up a tent. The combined scent of Firewhiskey and butterbeer made his mouth water. He ordered four of the latter and found a booth with George. The two sat across from each other in silence, each one spaced out and looking in a different direction. After a few minutes of quiet George took it upon himself to be the icebreaker by stating the obvious.

'So…' George began. 'I seem to have interrupted you and Jo in a…delicate moment.'

'You sure did. Some timing you have,' Fred said grumpily.

'I can't believe you two are so close already! You've only known each other since, what, a month ago? And even then, you only started seeing her regularly since Christmas!'

'Well, have you heard the expression "love at first sight"?' Fred retaliated.

'It may have been that for you, but was it for Jo?' George said.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Relax; I'm actually complimenting you on your womanizing skills.'

'How many times do I have to tell you; Jo is something else. She's different! I've never felt this way before about any other girl, and you know how many I've been around.'

'Okay, okay you dove. If she's really that important to you, then you should show her.'

'I was bloody going to until you broke into our moment!'

'Again, relax. I'm sure you'll have plenty of other opportunities in the near future.'

'You bet I will. And they will be George-free moments.'

'I understand what you're trying to say, so no need to get upset.'

'Whatever. So, what's going on with you and Ang?' Fred said curiously.

'I think we can be called an item. I officially asked her out and she said yes,' George said proudly.

'I'm happy for you, mate.'

'Thanks. If you and Jo end up officially dating, then I'll be pretty happy too.'

'Aw, thanks,' Fred said, faking gratitude.

'No, seriously, I will be.'

The two laughed and started discussing how the sales had gone with their store. George said that the sprays were sold out and the Skiving Snackboxes had vanished within ten minutes. The wizards in charge of the countdown celebration had bought nearly the whole stock of fireworks (something about the head of the group being drunk and setting off the ones they were supposed to use on a Muggle farm) and everything else eventually got sold after an hour and a half. Fred told the waiter to bring the drinks after the girls returned when he saw them walking outside.

'Oh, there are the girls. Let's go get them,' Fred said, eager to have Jo's company again.

Angelina and Jo were laughing about something as they walked towards the boys.

'Shall we go find some friends? I heard Lee was around here somewhere and Oliver's come with his team to celebrate last night's win,' Ang said.

'Sure, but after a nice drink of butterbeer,' Fred responded, walking over to Jo.

The four returned to the table where four steaming cups of butterbeer were waiting on the table.

'Ooh, that looks delectable,' Jo said, her eyes wide. Ang laughed and took a sip.

'It's the best drink you'll ever taste!'

'Well, it looks great but it'll be hard for anything to beat a nice bottle of Coke for me,' Jo replied, raising her glass to take a sip. 'Mmm, this is delicious!'

It took no time for them to finish their drinks and head out. Fred hooked his elbow with Jo's and they skipped around like little children before bursting into laughter.

'So who are those people that Angelina mentioned?' Jo asked.

'They're also some of our old friends from school. Lee was in our year and he was the third member of our trio. George, he and I used to be the reason for every form of mischief in the school,' Fred said proudly.

'And Oliver?'

'He was the captain of our Quidditch team. Did Angelina explain how it's played?'

'Yeah, she went on about it for a while; it seems really interesting. She said you and George were Beaters. Couldn't you have gotten concussions from that kind of position?' Jo asked.

'Er…a what?'

'It's a head injury that can be either mild or very dangerous. If you get enough, they add up and can create loads of problems for you.'

'I don't think so. Wizarding medicine is probably a lot more advanced than Muggle because we have the power of magic behind us. Most minor injuries like those can be healed in a matter of hours or less,' Fred said, trying not to sound too boastful. It wasn't like he was even trying to be, he just couldn't help it. I mean, isn't that the truth? That our type of medicine, or anything for that matter, is more developed than Muggles' will ever be?

'Fred! We found both of them!' George called. Standing next to him were two men; one tall and black with dreadlocks and a charming grin, and the other one lean and tall, with short brown hair.

'Oliver! Wow, long time, no see,' Fred said jovially.

'It's great to see you mate! I say, who's this now?' Oliver asked.

'This is my g-…my friend Jo,' he introduced.

'Pleasure to meet you,' the keeper said, flashing a grin at Jo. 'Where did you get her?' he added in a whisper to Fred.

Jo

Jo turned pink at the attention she was getting from the good-looking man.

'Nice to meet you too,' Jo replied, trying not to look too…red.

Fred grabbed her around her waist and wheeled her around to meet the other man standing there.

'So, this is your new bird?' he laughed.

'Must you, Lee?' Fred shook his head. 'This is Jo. Jo, Lee Jordan, my man since forever ago.'

Lee bowed with a smile and winked at her.

'So, where are we going?' Jo asked, putting her arm around Fred.

'Anywhere! We can do whatever you want to do,' he replied sweetly. Jo recalled the moment when they'd nearly kissed. Never would she admit it (although she saw no reason to be ashamed of it), but it would've been the first time Jo would've been kissed. The moment had been ideal until George burst into it.

The six had three hours to kill before the fireworks show began at nine. George, Angelina and Oliver were adamant about finding "the pitch" to play a volunteer game of Quidditch, but Fred insisted he stay with Jo in case she didn't want to be left out of the fun.

'Actually, I'd like to watch, if that's alright,' Jo said. 'I really want to learn how to play, but I doubt I'd be able to stay on a broom without magical qualities.'

'I don't know, Jo. You're pretty magical in my opinion,' Fred whispered with a grin. Jo nudged him and giggled. You really do like him, you know, the voice said.

Yeah, I already realized that, Jo replied.

Just reconfirming.

Thanks.

'So, can the others and I go play? Lee will get you a really good seat,' Fred promised. Jo nodded and wrapped her sweater tighter around her.

The group made their way to the Quidditch pitch and Fred, George, Angelina and Oliver went to the announcer's booth to join the game. Lee put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the bleachers to watch. A few minutes later the game started with the four players dressed in gear and flying on their brooms. Jo's jaw went slack as she saw the swiftness with which they flew and the stability of the brooms. The game began at the whistle of the referee and the balls were released. Half an hour later, Jo's voice was hoarse from cheering for Fred's team and her face was red from jumping up and down. Lee was sure to give her constant feedback on what was going on in the game, being a commentator himself in the past. Fred's team won by a hundred and sixty points their team's Seeker caught the snitch. To be honest, Jo was only really focusing on the beaters, not being able to see the difference between the two from such a distance. It was only when one of them paused in the middle of the game to look in her direction and smile that she could tell them apart. Fred nearly got hit by a bludger when he stopped and he had lean backwards until he was flat upside down to dodge it. He waved at her from that position and Jo laughed at the gesture although her heart pounded at his proximity to injury. After the players got down to pick up their prize of front row seats for the fireworks, they made their way to a restaurant to eat.

The next two hours passed quickly as everyone caught up and ate. Jo listened mostly until George pestered her into telling them about living as a Muggle. Fred cast him a warning look, but his twin missed it, so Jo forgot about it for the time being.

'…so I generally take walk around, since everything is fairly close to my place,' Jo said.

'What about wires and eclecticity?' George asked. Jo giggled.

'You mean electricity? Well, all the lights in my house are electrically powered and I have a few household things like a microwave and a television that-,' Jo started. She was cut off by Fred exclaiming and making frantic shushing motions.

'What?' Jo asked. Fred rolled his eyes to the side. Everyone at the table did the same and paled slightly. Jo looked at where their gazes were pointed and saw nothing but a harsh looking man wearing black clothes. His gaze swept around the tent and young adults, so Fred kept a hand on Jo's back, forcing her to look down. The man looked somewhat familiar and Jo was about to ask who he was when she was quickly whisked out of the tent by Fred.

'Thank God,' he sighed, wrapping a protective arm over Jo. 'What was he doing here?' he added in a whisper to George and Angelina.

'I dunno. Isn't he wanted or something?' Angelina shuddered.

'Usually he's only seen with that lot,' George whispered.

'Will someone tell me who that is?' Jo said impatiently.

'Remember those people who blew up the village?' George asked. 'He's one of those types of people. The…evil kind.'

'I was trying to warn you not to make it obvious that Jo's a Muggle because wherever you are, there are pure-blood fanatics who believe that any non-magical person is scum,' Fred said in an undertone to George, frowning.

'So that was…hang on…a Death Eater?' Jo asked, biting her lip.

'Sharp one you've got there,' Oliver muttered ducking out of the tent.

'Finally! Where were you?' Fred asked.

'Well someone has to pay the bill, you know,' Oliver said brushing down his robes.

'Thanks Oliver,' Fred, Jo, George, Angelina and Lee chorused. By the time they had finished their meal it had gotten dark. They made their way to the fireworks show where they sat at the front, admiring the decorations hung up around them. Soon enough, the show started. There were oohs and aahs from the crowd when the rockets exploded in the air, bursting into all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many of them were enchanted to fly around the audience and make loud noises. A cartwheel ran into a rocket and there was a loud explosion, the result being five small winged pigs flying around the sky. The people erupted into laughter, lighting Fred's face up.

'These are ours, right George?' Fred said leaning over to see his twin.

'They sure are,' George replied.

'I remember you letting these off last year when that toad was made Headmistress! That was one of the best days of my life,' Angelina said dreamily.

'Oh, don't forget the portable swamp! I still can't believe you two literally escaped from Hogwarts,' Lee said in awe.

'I feel like I've overused this expression today, but what are you talking about?' Jo said, looking apologetic but very curious.

'Well, Ms. Curiosity, as I told you before, George, Lee and I were the pranksters of our school. During our last year of school a toad of a hag took over as Headmistress – a real bitch if you'll excuse my language. So, George and I weren't about to put up with her…nastiness, so we decided to break out of school with a bang. We set off our whole stock of fireworks, like the ones you're watching now, and no one was able to get rid of them. If they tried vanishing some of them they'd multiply by ten,' Fred said, getting warmed up. He continued explaining the escapades he and his dorm mates had until last of the pre-dance fireworks went off.

'Wizards and witches from across all of England, are you ready to show us your moves?' shouted a voice. Jo looked around and saw a wild-looking man with long hair and tattered clothing. The crowd turned to find the source of the noise and erupted in cheers and screams.

'Oh my god! They got the Weird Sisters to perform!' Angelina shrieked, jumping up and down. It was by far the most girly thing that Jo had seen her do since the met. Jo looked more closely at the place where the man was standing and saw instruments set up behind him and three other strange looking men. Even Fred and George looked excited about the performers.

'Are the Weird Sisters all men?' Jo asked.

'Yes, and they're the best band EVER!' Angelina yelled excitedly. The band struck up a fast-paced song and people stood up to gather and dance in the large field where a dozen men were levitating launchers off. Fred grabbed her hand and ran over to get to the front. Jo watched the tens and hundreds of boys and girls around her age jumping around and partying and suddenly felt very shy.

'Come on, it'll be fun! Just to what everybody else is doing,' Fred shouted over the yells and music.

'Okay,' Jo said, willing herself to let go of her inhibitions. The air filled with the sound of people singing along to the music and screaming nonsense. Jo started slowly when someone grabbed her hand and pulled it up, forcing her to jump, otherwise her arm would've been pulled out of her socket. She complied, reaching her other hand into the air. The cold wind rushing from under her gave her a sense of freedom and soon enough she was partying like everyone else. Fred took a look at her and laughed loudly, but not meanly. Jo looked to see who was holding her hand and saw Lee. He winked and let go allowing her to make her way over to Fred.

The dancing went on for the next hour and fifty minutes until the countdown started. Jo and Fred had taken breaks in between every few dances to grab a drink or cool off. Apparently wizard drinking ages were different from…Muggles', so Jo hesitantly took a shot of what had looked like whiskey. As soon as it went down her throat a stinging, fiery sensation burned her throat and she coughed, holding Fred for support.

'Burns a little on the way down, eh? It's called Firewhiskey,' he said, quickly downing his and shaking his head.

There were ten minutes left to the New Year, and Jo was sure the alcohol was getting to her system. They had just finished a dance where everybody changed partners and Jo got a little closer than she had meant to with Oliver. Fred noticed this and quickly pulled her back, holding her a little tighter than before.

'Now it's time to see you really groove,' said the lead singer. A slow, jazzy number was struck up and Fred extended his hand. Jo took it with a small giggle.

Fred put his arms around her waist and Jo put hers around his neck, reaching up a bit considering their height difference. George and Angelina got comfortable a few yards away and soon couples everywhere were swaying to the music. A charmed clock was counting down the time until midnight. There were currently nine minutes and twenty seconds left.

Jo's feet were getting extremely sore so she pulled her shoes off and threw them where the chairs were. Fred smiled at her and Jo laughed freely.

'What? They were hurting me!' she said. They spent the next seven minutes in silence, steadily getting closer to each other. Fred's arms were completely around her holding her close and Jo's arms were wrapped around his neck.

'Do you ever wish you weren't magical?' Jo asked quietly.

'Do you ever wish you were?' Fred asked her with his eyes closed.

'I asked first.' Fred opened his eyes.

'If I couldn't be with you as a wizard, then yes.'

Jo looked down and Fred watched her closely. It was only when he saw a tear fall off her nose that he grabbed her chin and tilted her head up.

'What's the matter?' he asked.

'Nothing…It's just, that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me,' Jo said softly.

'Well if you're going to be around me you're sure to hear lots of nice things,' Fred said with a small smile. Jo blushed and laid her head on his chest. She could feel his heart beating steadily under his sweater. They swayed for another minute when the singer's voice rang through again.

'One minute left!' he yelled. The crowd responded as eagerly and moved to get closer to friends. Fred and Jo continued to dance.

'Hey Jo, you know the New Year is meant for resolutions, right?' Fred asked

'Yeah,' she replied into his shirt. She raised her head to look him in the eyes.

'Well I have a list to share with you, and you can share yours with me.'

'Okay.'

Fifty seconds.

'I want to learn to be less harsh to people I don't like.'

'I want to stop worrying about things that just pull me down.'

Forty seconds.

'I want to keep making people laugh.'

'I want to have more fun.'

Thirty seconds.

'I want to read a Muggle novel.'

'I want to learn more about magic.'

Twenty seconds.

'I want to do what I know is right.'

'I want to let myself go.' Fred looked at Jo.

Ten seconds.

'Jo, I really like you,' he said without hesitating. Jo widened her eyes before they softened.

'I like you too, Fred,' she said, cheeks a bit ruddy from the heat and alcohol.

Five.

'Any other resolutions?' she asked quietly.

Four.

'I always want you by my side,' Fred said.

Three.

'Your eyes,' Fred whispered, looking intently into them. 'Jo,' Fred started. She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Two.

'May I kiss you?' Fred asked.

One.

Jo responded by wrapping her hands tighter around him and pressing her lips to his. Fred let go of her for a second in shock, but after the ground exploded with people yelling "Happy New Year!" he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifter her off the ground. She reached one toe to the ground and found that she was too high up. Fred put one hand in her soft hair and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Jo put her hands on his face and let herself go.

YAY! I did it! Or...THEY DID IT! How did you like it? It's the first kiss I've ever written, not counting the one from my other drabble fic which has kinda been discontinued for the time being...(sheepish grin) Please give me feedback! You're comments are always welcome and looked forward to :)

Next update might not be for a few days - I'm almost done with the next chappie which will (unfortunately) be much shorter and probably back to the 2500-3000 range.

Thanks for reading! My alert story is the same as usual - I had three new alert adders who didn't review (*sob*), so please R&R! (You might be mentioned in the next chapter :P)

Sammy-U out