Challenges of love

Fred Weasley had never been a lady-killer, that was James' role. Fred liked to flirt, sure enough, and he loved the girls, but he had never had many girlfriends. James, who was Fred's best friend, changed his girlfriends like other people changed their underwear, sometimes it was very hard for Fred, even if he was his best friend, to keep up. And even Louis, Fred's other best friend, had many girlfriends, not so many as James, Louis kept them usually for two till four months and then dumped them, but he still had many girlfriends. But Fred Weasley did not. He flirted with girls, kissed them, made out with them, maybe took them on dates, but he never bonded with them. When Fred Weasley entered his seventh year in Hogwarts he hadn't had one single girlfriend, that was kind of embarrassing, he had to admit, even his two years younger sister Roxanne had had more girlfriends (three, to be exact), but there was a reason behind Fred's lack of girlfriends. The reason was that he was in love with one special girl: Lu Chang. She was part Asian and extraordinary beautiful, but she was also funny and loyal and intelligent and kind... Fred could go on and on marvelling her qualities. There was just one tiny problem with their relationship: She hated his guts and Fred was the one to blame.

It had really been just a little prank from little stupid boys during their first year, but Lu had been the unintended victim of it. In the end Lu Chang was covered in green colour that didn't fade for over a month and Lu Chang started to hate James Potter, Louis Weasley and especially Fred Weasley, who had had the idea for that prank. No matter, how often Fred tried to apologize and explain to Lu that it had been Professor Longbottom they had wanted to pull a prank on she never forgave him.

Now, this wouldn't have been a problem to Fred, there were plenty of people in Hogwarts, students and teachers alike, who hated him, if Fred hadn't fallen for Lu Chang in his fourth year. James, obviously, didn't stop teasing him about it. Louis was a bit kinder, but Fred still caught him snickering sometimes, when he stared at Lu again.

During his fourth year Fred tried to apologize to Lu and explain about the prank, she ignored him.

During his fifth year Fred tried to get Lu to talk to him about anything, she scolded at him.

During his sixth year Fred tried to asked Lu out, she yelled at him.

And now, during his seventh year Fred had given up. He accepted the fact, that Lu Chang would never be his and he would never be hers. He liked to stare at her from afar and he still smiled at her, when he saw her, but he had mostly given up.

"Okay, this has to stop", James said suddenly firmly during lunch.

"What?", Fred asked and snapped out of his daydream with Lu Chang.

"You and Lu, it has to stop", James told him.

"What about it?", Fred asked.

James rolled his eyes. "I can't keep watching my best friend staring at the only girl he has ever fancied and not do anything about it."

"I have done something about it", Fred told him offended, "I tried to ask her out loads of times."

"Yeah, but only in public. No girl says yes when she's asked her out on a public corridor", Louis said.

"He has a point", Roxanne, who sat next to Fred, implied suddenly.

"And what do you have to do with that?", Fred asked her.

Roxanne shrugged. "I'm your sister, plus I'm a girl, who's dating girls, so I'm practically an expert."

Fred rolled his eyes at her. "Go play with Rose or Albus."

"Okay, if you don't want my advice", Roxanne shrugged again and stood up.

The boys watched her go.

"So", Louis said, "we need a plan."

"For what?", Fred asked.

"Duh, for you to ask out Lu Chang, of course", James said.

"But I don't want to ask her out", Fred argued.

"Then you're a coward", James acknowledged.

"I'm not a coward", Fred said angrily, "I'm a Gryffindor."

"But you don't act like one", Louis pointed out.

"I'm tired of being turned down", Fred told him.

James rolled his eyes. "She'll say yes if you ask her in private."

Fred looked at his two best friends. "You really think so, don't you?"

"Yes", they both answered.

"If I try, will you drop it even if she says no?"

They shrugged and nodded.

"Okay", Fred said. "I'll try."

But as Fred realized, it was easier said than done. Suddenly Lu Chang always seemed to have company. What was it with girls that they never went anywhere alone? Even to the bathroom they went in groups. Fred realized that he really had never tried to ask her out in private. He had been calling out to her on corridors or in classrooms, but he had never tried to get her alone.

After a week he almost got his hopes up until he saw her coming from the Quidditch field on her own.

"Perfect, go", James said and shoved Fred in her direction.

Fred grimaced, but made his way slowly to Lu Chang. She looked beautiful even from so far away, her black her shining in the sun, while she was wandering back to the castle lost in thoughts. She was so absent-minded that she almost bumped into Fred.

"Oh, sorry", she said.

As she looked up she added: "Or not."

Fred smiled at her, suddenly his hands were shaking and, embarrassing as it was, he was sweating. He was Fred Weasley, he shouldn't be nervous.

"Hi, Lu", he mumbled.

"What do you want?", she asked, crossing her arms.

"Uhm", Fred stuttered, "I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Lu Chang stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly she dropped her arms. She hesitated and considered for a long, long time until she finally said: "Yeah, I'd like to",

"Oh, of course. I didn't think this would work anyway, it was James and Louis' idea. I told them you would say no, after all, why would you say yes only because I asked in private?", Fred rambled.

"Fred", Lu interrupted, "I said yes."

Fred stopped and stared at her. "You did?"

"I did and maybe you should listen to you're cousins more often, they're not as dump as they seem. See you on Saturday."

Lu smiled and waved, Fred stared after her, unable to move.

This was the story how Fred Weasley got his first and only girlfriend.