Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable character or phrases (i.e. spells) they belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.

Chapter Ten – Fighting With You

Holly and George didn't speak for weeks. They avoided each other, or rather – Holly avoided George for weeks. She didn't return his owls and refused to talk about it with Fred and Roxy, it got to the stage that she would just know.

"Not today Mr Weasley." She said one afternoon when Fred looked her way. Roxy too got the same reaction. She barely looked at them, mostly Fred, because she would see George every time she looked at him. Freddie's brown eyes would fill with silent tears when she didn't look at him or accept his hand going up to answer questions. He knew the answers but she no longer asked him to answer them. It hurt that their Aunt had shut herself off from them, for just a simple argument with their father. They had nothing to do with it. If it as their choice they'd welcome her moving in with them.

January and in the wind up to the Quidditch finals teams played dirty. None more dirty than Slytherin but dirty none the less. Holly had opted to stay inside while the school went down to the pitch; of course her plans were thwarted.

"Aunt Holly?" Startled by the small voice she looked up, she was met by three people she did not expect to see. Their first 'visit' to Hogwarts for the Quidditch game no doubt. Lily Luna, Ginerva Molly and Harry James Potter all stood before her.

"You had to ruin my day didn't you?" She said, but she spared a small smile for Lily.

"Ruin your day? Don't be stupid, Holly. We're taking you down to the Quidditch game. Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor. Come on, Ron and Hermione are here too. George as well," Harry said.

"Daddy…" Lily whined, tugging at her father's robes, "she's fighting with Uncle George remember his owl?" Lily got a glance from her father and fell silent. Ginny set Holly with a look that made the 38-year-old put her quill down, the papers back in the desk drawer and stand up.

"Fine. I'm coming." Holly growled and got up. She grabbed her scarf and gloves, it was winter after all. Quidditch started in October and was played every Saturday until the end of March when the Quidditch Final was held.

"Hey Holly! You made it!" Holly noticed George stiffen when Hermione said her name. Holly settled down in a seat beside, to her disgust, George. She ignored him and said a pleasant hello to Hugo and ruffled his flaming hair as he grinned back at her from under his long fringe.

"Hufflepuff or Gryffindor?" A voice came from beside making her jump. She looked up and locked eyes with Draco Malfoy and his wife, Astoria Greengrass, smiling down at her and her friends. Hermione stiffened two seats down.

"Gryffindor by 70 points." Holly replied confidently.

"Hufflepuff by 20 but Weasley gets the snitch." Draco drawled holding out a handful of Galleons along with his free hand for her to shake. Holly eyed the galleons for a while, there was probably in total 25 or 30 in his large hand. She grinned.

"You're on Malfoy." She shook his hand.

"Are you insane?" George hissed in her ear, forgetting their fight, "he's rich as his is dumb!" Holly smiled at her red-haired friend.

"That's why I'll win." Holly replied. George sat back and gave her a worried look.

Holly watched with delight as Gryffindor streaked ahead; thanks much to James with his beater abilities and the Gryffindor Chasers; Alana Boot, Daniel Carmichael and Rebecca Crawley's fantastic passing and scoring. Freddie hovered a few feet above the playing field, the Hufflepuff Seeker, was hovering close to his hoping to beat him to the snitch. Everyone knew it wouldn't happen. Fred's broom was brilliant. Suddenly the crowd was on their feet, Fred had spotted the snitch, it was down by the ground, and he dived – followed closely by the Hufflepuff Seeker. Holly got to her feet, if Fred caught the snitch the game was over, and Gryffindor won by 60 points. However, even if Fred and his opponent hadn't dived for the snitch. Gryffindor scored again, they would win by 70 points. Holly closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.

"The Gryffindor seeker, Fred Weasley…" Holly waited as the rest of the crowd fell silent, she watched as Fred missed the snitch and Hufflepuff caught it winning by a mere 30 points. 190 to 160. Gryffindor would have won, but the Gryffindors didn't care anymore, George and Holly ran down to the pitch, Fred had come off his broom, and had been hit blindly by a bludger. They were the first to reach him aside from his team. Holly knelt down and ran her hand over his ginger curls.

"Freddie? Freddie…can you hear me?" Roxy was suddenly beside her and James was on his knees on Fred's other side. George on Holly's other side.

"Professor?" Freddie blinked slowly.

"Where does it hurt Freddie?" She asked, he groaned.

"My arm and my ribs." He said, she nodding, she gently poked his ribs. He cried out.

"Ok…I think you might have a few broken ribs, come on, James get him up." James gripped Fred's good arm and pulled him to his feet, James walked with him to the hospital wing. George and Holly looked at each other for a minute…the crowd was still silent and watching the two adults.

"Holly, I should never push you to do anything you're not ready to or not going to do. I just want someone to help me out…someone to be like a mother to my kids and be like a partner to me." George said, Holly smiled softly.

"I'll always be your friend George. But I'm not ready to be like that with you." She said.

"I understand. Well, now I do anyway." He said, she smiled.

"I'm not going to fight with you George. Not anymore." Holly said, she ended they conversation with a kiss to his cheek and a wink before making her way back to the castle, to make sure Freddie was alright.