Hey everyone! Sorry about the lack of updates - things have been crazy and I also lost a bit of motivation, but I'm going to try and update regularly again!

If you read my other story (Let's Live It Up) you're in for a bit of a treat next chapter, just thought I'd give you that small info in exchange for leaving this one on a cliffhanger.

In response to the reviews:

ForeverTeamEdward13: Thank you for your review :) I agree Fred is a million times better, and every chapter we're getting closer to Vicki and Fred action. I've decided to accelerate it a little as well, from here on in I think I'm going to write longer chapters to try and make it happen within the next few chapters.

Guest (I'll refer to you as Guest A as there are 2 guest reviewers): Your comment made me so happy when I read it. I've tried to make Vicki and Cedric's friendship nice, and strictly platonic. So I'm glad the message is being received.

Guest B: Not gonna lie, pretty damn jealous you're moving to NYC, I've always wanted to live there! Are you moving from the West Coast? How's the change? Have you gotten your exam results back yet? I just got mine back, I passed woooo! Wedding planning is annoying, I can't wait to be married - I want the marriage more than the wedding, I'm regretting not having a quick and easy backyard wedding haha. Thanks for the kind words as always - means sooo much to me. Especially as I got a review saying pretty much the opposite on the other story...

grueneHimbeere: Thank you so much! I also appreciate your commentary on my characters and for sharing your thoughts. As stated above I'm going to accelerate things a little to get things moving, I might have to write a few longer chapters but I think it's starting to get a bit boring how slow it's moving.

"Hello Vicki, how are you going?" Graham Montague asked Victoria as he took a seat at the Ravenclaw table, forcing Steph to shoot him a dirty look as he sat between her and Vicki, forcing her to scoot over.

"Hey Graham, I feel like I never see you anymore. How are you? Got any plans for Hogsmeade today?" Vicki asked politely, munching on her cereal and trying to keep her mouth closed as she chewed to not make Graham feel uncomfortable. She didn't want milk dribbling down her chin as they spoke.

"I'm seeing my nan actually. We're going for a drink at the Hogs Head. I'd invite you to come by but I suppose you'll be spending the time with Davies?" Graham asked, trying to not look too hopeful that Vicki would not be seeing Roger today. Quite a few students had now noticed the rift growing between Vicki and Roger, including the very keen Graham Montague.

Vicki smiled towards one of her oldest school friends. She thought it spoke volumes about his character. He was willing to give up one of the precious few Hogsmeade trips they got each year to spend time with his grandmother. She thought it was very sweet.

"Aw! Well uh, yeah I am seeing Roger. He wants to attempt to patch things up between us. However if um, well if for any reason it gets cut short, whether we fix things easily or um, things deteriorate, I'll come find you." Vicki responded sounding a little awkward about sharing this with Montague.

Graham sent her a bittersweet smile back towards her. He was happy she was considering spending time with him today. Like some of the boys (and a few girls for Roger's sake) in the school he was excited that there was a very real possibility that Vicki and Roger would soon be no more. But he didn't like to think there was still a small shimmer of hope between the two.

"Well I hope to see you. I better head down to see nan, we're meant to be meeting at quarter to eleven but now it's already ten and you know what old people are like, they're always so early and chastise you for being late even if you're five minutes early. See you." Graham stated as he rolled his eyes but sent her a smirk as he jumped up and strode out of the Great Hall.

Stephanie slid back over back to where she was seated before Graham squeezed his way in between her and Vicki. She said nothing to Vicki but just wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, shut up." Vicki stated in an annoyed voice.

"Seriously I'd think about it if I were you. That boy has had the hots for you for years, and lo' and behold he has gotten quite hot himself." Steph responded in a sing-song voice.

Vicki just shook her head and got up, excusing herself to go finish getting ready for her date with Roger. Roger Davies. She was still attached to him and didn't want to think about other guys yet. Not until their relationship had completely run its course, even though it was very close to the end.

After running to the dormitory fixing her hair and makeup she made her way down to the common room where she found Roger speaking with some of his friends. They all went quiet as Vicki came down, all except one.

"Oh, look at her all dolled up. Trying to stop her man's wandering eye." Phillip Bridge said loudly with a large smirk on his face.

"Hey, even if I have a boyfriend that's not quite as interested as he once was, at least I have one. Tell me Phillip, how many girls have you kissed? Unfortunately for you, your mum doesn't count." Vicki hissed towards Phillip, his words upsetting her as Phillip was vocalising the hurtful truth that she knew deep inside that she wasn't quite ready to admit. A few of the people in the common room let out loud calls as the argument broke out

"Wait let me get this straight. You think having a boyfriend who doesn't think you're that attractive anymore is better than not having one? That's a bit pathetic." Phillip laughed.

Vicki whipped her head around to see who was observing. A lot of people present in the common room pretended they weren't listening in but she could see from their body language that they had heard every word and were hanging to hear more.

Unfortunately for her she had run out of witty comebacks – partly because Phillip's words cut her very deeply as she knew he spoke a truth she did not want to hear. So therefore she had lost her edge as she replied.

"At least I don't need to keep repeating myself. You think I'm pathetic, we get it." Vicki stated, her choice of words were strong but her voice quivered as she said it, showing she wasn't quite sure of herself.

"Once again, you think having a boyfriend who no longer loves you is better than being alone. Whatever you have to say is not valid, you are clearly crazy." Phillip slowly responded, using a condescending tone towards his adversary.

The next thing that came out of Vicki's mouth would haunt her for weeks to come. She would spend lots of time cringing about her awful response and she would also come up with ten beautiful responses that would hit the spot.

However at the time all she could come up with was…

"Well, as I said previously, at least I don't have to repeat myself," Vicki smugly stated but then moments later it dawned on her "Oh, crap…"

"Need I just point out you just did. But I'm off to Hogsmeade. Hopefully we might be able to catch up for a boys drink later at the Three Broomsticks?" Phillip laughed heartily before presenting his fist for Roger to do a fist-bump.

Roger gave a nervous side glance towards his girlfriend who Phillip had just insulted, but then lightly pressed his fist to his best friend's. Phillip said nothing as he made his way to the stairs that descended outside of the Ravenclaw common room but made sure to send one last egotistical grin towards Vicki as he did so.

"I like you Vicki, you know I always have. You won about fifty points with the mum kiss joke, but then lost them all and then some more by letting him back you into that corner. You might want to work on that." Greg, one of the other sixth year Ravenclaw boys said to Vicki with a pat on her shoulder as he followed the rest of his group out.

Roger and Vicki could only make small talk as they left the common room and made their way outside of the castle and down to the path that would lead them to Hogsmeade. There was an awkward tension between them. Roger was nervous his girlfriend was mad at him for his best friend's actions. Vicki on the other hand wasn't sure why she felt uneasy, she was trying to not think about it and pretend everything was okay when she secretly knew that things definitely were not.

The two continued their idle chit chat, mostly talking about how cold the weather had turned and the daunting amount of course work their teachers were throwing at them. After struggling to converse for the walk down to Hogsmeade they found themselves both standing outside a place that Vicki loathed.

"Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop? Really? You know I hate this place." Vicki pouted as she loudly protested.

"You said you wanted to have a serious talk, right? It's the best place for us to talk." Roger firmly replied.

Vicki studied her boyfriend's face for a few moments. She knew if there was any chance of repairing their relationship she couldn't be throwing a tantrum about the choice of venue. Besides, she figured that where they spoke didn't really matter, it was the conversation to be had that was important.

She held her tongue as they entered, stifling her laughter as she watched the stereotypical teenage couples – they all either seemed so nervous they could barely speak, or had their tongues down their partner's throats. There did not seem to be any medium between all of the couples present.

Watching them in irony would be an enjoyable activity if she was with someone else, but alas she was here with her boyfriend who wasn't a fan of people-watching.

Vicki took off her coat and put it on the back of the chair, nearly hitting two younger Slytherins who had long forgotten their warm drinks and were kissing wildly.

"Hey! Don't be so careless!" The boy hissed at Vicki as his girlfriend stopped kissing him after nearly being hit.

"Whatever. You're like, five years old. You'll break up in two days and by next Hogsmeade visit you'll be here snogging someone else." Vicki argued towards the younger Slytherin boy sounding very condescending, turning her back on him to face Roger again.

She expected to see Roger chuckle but instead she was faced with him scowling at her, very stone faced.

"That was incredibly mean, Victoria. They're just kids probably on their first Hogsmeade trip, this is exciting for them. Don't ruin their fun." Roger scolded her in a very harsh manner.

"Ah, I see. Using my full name for added effect to show how unimpressed you are. I was just opening up those younger students up to the truth – that love does not conquer all, school relationships don't last and they'll just end up with someone else soon enough." Vicki sarcastically responded as she defensively leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms.

She expected Roger to shoot back an insult back – as the two of them were clever Ravenclaws their arguments were always quite complex and heated. But instead he was silent and looked at her with dismay all over his face.

"What? What did I say?" Vicki asked Roger after he was silent for a while.

"Is that how you really feel? School relationships don't last?" Roger quietly asked Vicki.

Silence grew between her and Roger once more – with Vicki muttering a 'thanks' when Madam Puddifoot bought over the coffee she had ordered. She was deep in thought and as Roger understood this he decided not to push her into answering.

"I…well, statistically school relationships don't work. But uh, it's not exactly sunshine and roses between us right now is it?" Vicki weakly grinned.

Roger did not mirror her grin, in fact his face was the opposite. He looked very solemn.

"But is that how you actually feel? Love doesn't conquer all? School relationships don't last and people move on to the next person in no time?" Roger asked her flatly.

Vicki could easily shoot back good arguments as long as she could keep calm and think rationally. Unfortunately in this situation she was becoming quite emotional as the stakes were becoming quite high. This was her dying relationship she was holding onto but the topic had shifted to breaking up and surprisingly, it was inadvertently her.

Therefore her emotions took over and she would go down the road of unreasonableness.

"You seemed to have moved on before we have even broken up, so I don't know why you're being so titchy. Lining up a certain beautiful champion from Beauxbatons to rebound onto before we officially go to splitsville?" Vicki sarcastically asked as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms in defence.

Roger thought about what Vicki was insinuating for a moment. He knew there were two ways he could respond – he could be on the defence and assure his girlfriend their relationship was just as strong as ever and he felt no attraction to Fleur. But Roger sadly knew this was not the truth and instead he went on the offense.

"That's rich coming from you. You've lined up three guys at least, perhaps more." Roger shot back suddenly.

"Who?!" Vicki asked Roger, earning the attention of others around them.

"Cedric Diggory, definitely Graham Montague and one of those Weasley twins – Fred I think is the one obsessed with you?" Roger quickly responded.

Vicki felt herself get fired up as she prepared an angry retort. But out of nowhere a sense of serenity washed over her. It was not her character to calm down in a heated argument. For some reason however she was suddenly able to think clearly, even though what Roger had said to her she found very insulting.

"That's the thing, Roger. I can honestly sit here and tell you those three people you named are just friends. But you couldn't do that when I mentioned Fleur, could you? Instead you had to attack my friendship with Diggory, Montague and Weasley." Vicki responded.

Roger blinked in confusion. He was expecting her to get angry and storm out but instead she was thinking with logic. He felt scared for a moment as he would now have his work cut out for him. But just as Vicki's serene feelings hit her suddenly, the same happened to Roger. What was the point in fighting? He still held so much respect for Vicki, he didn't want to hurt her by getting angry.

"Alright. I'll ask you a question now. How do you feel about me?" Roger asked Vicki curiously, a sly smile appearing over his boyish face as he suddenly realised hearing anything less than 'love' would not cut him deep anymore.

Like many other students, the Weasley twins were spending their Hogsmeade weekend sitting in the Three Broomsticks. They had briefly visited Zonko's with Lee but determined it was too cold to do anything but sip butterbeers in the cosy pub and had found a table in the middle.

Their younger brother Ron had intercepted them on their way inside as he wanted to sit with them, he was still in a heated drama with Harry Potter. Lee had no problem with this arrangement but the twins made a few comments before pulling up a chair for him.

They had all been there for a while and had stopped noticing the many students coming in and out of the pub. However there was one person who walked in who would always be able to grab Fred's attention.

"Vicki Hartwell is here." George stated in a sing-song voice as he nudged his twin in the side, which was lost on Fred as he already had his sights on her.

"Interesting – Davies isn't with her. He told me himself that he was going to take her to that tea shop to try and fix their relationship." Lee mentioned to the twins, growing silent when he remembered Ron was in their company.

Ron looked deep in thought as he processed what he had overheard George and Lee say to Fred. Sometimes not the most observant person, Ron thought back over the past couple of months and remembered the interactions he had seen between Fred and Victoria – namely the high amount of time they'd been spending with one another. It was very rare to see the twins apart and the only times he had seen it this year was when Fred was with Victoria. The answer hit Ron very quickly.

"You fancy her!" Ron piped up loudly, a loud grin appearing over his face as he finally had something he could tease his older brother about.

"Do not." Fred shot back quickly.

"Even if he did, none of your business you nosey git." George added on.

Ron looked at Fred and George in a sceptical manner. Based on his conclusion and their guilty faces he knew for a fact they were both lying through their teeth. He usually wasn't one to dish out jokes at his brother's expense but that was because the opportunity rarely presented itself. He wasn't going to let this one go.

"Oi, Vicki!" Ron yelled loudly. It was hard for him to get her attention over the loud pub so he stood up highly and began to wave his hands madly, earning lots of hisses from Fred.

It took Vicki a few moments to see Ron calling out for her, but when she did she made a beeline to the table. George got up and offered his seat to Vicki and went off to find a spare one somewhere in the busy pub.

"Hello Ronald, how is the school year treating you this year?" Vicki asked Ron politely, only sending small smiles to Lee and Fred as a greeting.

"Its fine, thanks." Ron mumbled, feeling caught off-guard at the attention and not wanting to answer truthfully about how miserable he was feeling.

"Hello Ronald." Fred mocked Vicki loudly. He was a little annoyed she had come to the table and had spoken to his youngest brother rather than himself and thus used her statement to poke fun at both his brother for his name, and Vicki for asking that question.

"Watch it, Fredrick. I was about to go buy everyone a round of butterbeers, but maybe I won't get one for you." Vicki teased.

Fred jumped up at this revelation and offered to help her carry them to their table. She thanked him and they both made their way to stand in the busy queue at the bar.

"So uh…have you had a nice day out at Hogsmeade so far?" Fred awkwardly asked as he scratched the back of his neck. He was dying to ask her about what happened with Roger but he had no way of bringing it up directly without showing his curiousity.

Luckily for him his indirect way of bringing up the conversation would work. Vicki was dying to tell someone about the dramatic event that had just occurred, and she knew Fred was exactly the person she needed right now.

"Can you keep a secret?" Vicki asked Fred leaning in closer to him and lowering her voice.

Fred would usually joke around or respond sarcastically. However in this instance he found he was unable to do anything but send a swift nod. From this distance he could see every fine detail on her face and smell her sweet perfume. It was paralysing him.

"I'm serious Fred, please don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. We've decided to keep it a secret until after the first task ends, for reasons I'll tell you soon." Vicki warned Fred.

"I promise." Fred responded, crossing an 'x' over his heart with his index finger.