"If you are going to let every little thing bother you, it's going to be a long night."

-Prince Naveen (The Princess and the Frog)

"That was brilliant," George said, slipping through the front doors and leaning against the wall. "I mean, the way she took off running for the hospital wing was great."

"She looked ridiculous," Fred agreed with a laugh.

Scarlett smiled faintly and just stood in the doorway. Pulling the prank on Umbridge had been fun and a great distraction from her fight with Justin, but now that it was over, her mind had gone right back to being occupied with the argument.

Fred and George both turned to look at her. "Are you going to come inside or stand in the doorway all night?" George asked.

Before Scarlett could answer, Fred leaned forward. "Walk with me?" he asked.

Without hesitation, Scarlett nodded. She knew that Fred was going to press her for information about what was wrong and she didn't know if she wanted to talk about it. On the other hand, she didn't want to go back to the Hufflepuff common room just yet and risk running into Justin or even Erica, who would want to ask questions.

"We're going for a walk," Fred told George. "I'll meet you back in the common room."

George nodded and headed for the staircase. Fred and Scarlett watched him go. Once he was gone, Fred smiled at Scarlett and headed back down the front steps.

"Where are you going?" Scarlett asked, following him.

"For a walk," Fred answered. "Have you forgotten already?"

"No, but I meant where exactly are we walking?"

Fred shrugged. "You'll see."

They walked in silence until they reached the Quidditch pitch. Fred climbed into the stands and took a seat, staring out at the goalposts.

"So, how're practices going?" Scarlett asked, taking a seat next to him. "Angelina still working the team like mad?"

"Mm," Fred nodded.

"You must not mind that much, though. It's more time you get to spend with her."

"Not really. We're practicing and she'd kill me if I lost focus even for a second."

"Sounds like she's a different person on the Quidditch pitch. More business-like."

"Mm" Fred nodded again. "Did I tell you she's considering going into playing professional Quidditch once we leave school?"

"No," Scarlett answered, "you didn't. That'll be hard, won't it? I mean, if it does happen, which I'm sure it will. She's a fantastic player."

"Why will it be hard?" Fred asked, looking at her.

"Well, she'll be away a lot," Scarlett shrugged.

"Scar," Fred said slowly. "It won't matter. I'll be with you."

"I know I've asked you this before, but you really don't want to stay friends with her?"

"I told you, I don't know if it'll happen."

"You think she'll be so angry she'll never want to speak to you again?" Scarlett asked.

Fred shrugged. "Either that or with her being away a lot we won't be able to talk about it and stay friends."

"Isn't your friendship strong enough where you can rekindle it?"

"I'd like to think so, but I just don't know."

"She's going to claw my eyes out," Scarlett sighed.

"No, she won't. If she tries, I won't let her." Fred half-smiled. "It's not your fault that this happened."

"It partly is."

Fred shook his head. "It's not enough to justify any anger that Angelina will throw your way."

"How much anger would that be? You know, if you had to estimate."

Fred laughed. "I don't know. But why does it matter? You're not best friends with her or anything."

"More like just friendly acquaintances. But that still doesn't mean I want her to hate me for the rest of her life."

"Maybe it'll work out for the better. Maybe it'll free her up to go travel and play Quidditch professionally without anyone or anything tying her down."

"Are you implying that even if this vow wasn't in place, you wouldn't stay with Angelina?"

Fred shrugged. "If the vow wasn't in place and she was still off traveling all the time…well, long distance relationships are difficult. They require a lot of work to keep up."

"But they're worth it if you really love the person."

"Even still, they don't always work out. Sometimes, they just fail."

"How do you know?"

"I'm just…I'm thinking realistically. If you and I had never made this vow and Angelina was constantly away...well, I'd want to give it a shot and see how it goes, but I'd be prepared for it to end."

"Wow," Scarlett said with a tiny smile.

"What?" Fred asked, looking at her and returning the half-smile.

"Fred Weasley, thinking realistically," Scarlett said, her smile widening. "Fred Weasley prepared to face consequences. Be thankful your mother's not here. She'd probably throw a party right in the middle of the Quidditch pitch."

Fred laughed. "Agreed."

Scarlett had the sudden urge to ask Fred if he loved Angelina, but she also found herself not wanting to know, which shocked her. Why should his answer affect her? It shouldn't. Her relationship with Fred had been pretty open and honest so far. She should have been fine with asking, but yet she couldn't get the words to leave her mouth. Instead, she asked him another question, completely unrelated.

"You have a match coming up against Slytherin. Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, a bit," Fred said, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm in the cold January air. "They can play pretty dirty, but I think we're prepared." He glanced at Scarlett. "You cold?"

"No," she answered. Truthfully, she was a bit cold; she hadn't expected to be spending time outside and hadn't brought a coat, a scarf, or even gloves, but she knew what would happen if she told Fred the truth.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Scar, you're shivering."

"No, I'm not."

Fred sighed. "Why are you so difficult? Come here." He slid closer and put his arm around her shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down along her arm to keep her warm.

"So, forgetting about your possible future with Angelina, how is she right now? You know, when she's not bossing you around on the pitch." She smirked and tried her best to prevent her body from tensing up at Fred's touch.

Fred raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you bringing her up again to remind me that I'm taken so that I'll let go of you?"

"No, I was just asking. You know, to make conversation."

"So you don't want me to let go," Fred laughed, smirking wider.

Scarlett scowled at him. "Shove it, Weasley."

"Ooh, touchy," Fred answered.

Scarlett just looked out at the field, keeping her expression flat.

"Scar." Fred moved away from her and grabbed both of her shoulders, turning her to face him. "What's wrong? Don't say 'nothing' or I'll rip my hair out." When Scarlett looked at him thoughtfully, he half smiled and shook his head. "Never mind, but please tell me. Did you and the Finch get into a fight?"

"You're a very good guesser," Scarlett half-laughed.

"So you did get into a fight?" Fred's face fell slightly and he let go of Scarlett's shoulders.

"Yeah," she nodded. "When I went to drop off my things. Why do you look so upset about it?"

"Was it because of me?" Fred asked quietly, staring out at the goalposts again.

"Sort of," Scarlett answered. "He didn't want me to get caught out again and then Erica accidentally let it slip about how I was with you the night I went to get the murtlap. Needless to say, Justin wasn't happy. I can't really blame him, but I was angry that he wasn't trusting me enough where I was comfortable telling him the truth. I didn't like that he was telling me who to hang out with, so I yelled right back at him."

"So you still didn't tell him about the vow?"

"No, yelling it out in the middle of a fight isn't the way I want to tell him."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Not tonight, but eventually, yes, I have to. I don't know when. Everything keeps snowballing out of control. The longer I wait, the harder it is to say something, but somehow, I can't bring myself to say anything when I should."

"If he broke up with you, it would save you a lot of trouble with having to tell him," Fred smirked.

"He's not going to break up with me," Scarlett answered.

"We're digging ourselves into a pretty deep hole, aren't we?" Fred asked, sighing.

Scarlett nodded. "We're going to have to tell Justin and Angelina sometime, but neither of us has done it yet."

"Why haven't you told Justin yet? You're always so on the fence about it and saying how you should tell him."

"Well, like I said, it's hard. Harder than I thought. And I know telling him is the right thing to do, but I guess now that I've been dating him, I understand what you were saying about wanting to enjoy the relationship first. Although…."

"Although, what?" Fred asked, looking at her.

"Although, I'm not sure I'm enjoying it as much as I could be."

"Why? Is kissing a beaked creature harder than you thought?"

Scarlett smacked him upside the head. "Leave him alone. He doesn't have a beak."

"Well, his nose is slightly pointy…."

"His nose is fine," Scarlett argued. "And it's just that I'm worried about having to tell him about the vow, and on top of that, Ginny and Erica seem to think you and I should be trying to fall in love. Throw in our NEWTs and Umbridge and I'm a nervous wreck. Everything just stresses me out."

"Don't let it," Fred smirked.

"Easier said than done."

"But not impossible."

Scarlett smiled as Fred spoke the same words George had not too long ago. "I suppose you're right," she replied. "Besides, it seems to work for you. You aren't stressed at all."

"I am," Fred answered. "I just hide it well."

"I'll say," Scarlett snorted. She glanced at him. "So you really are stressed?"

Fred smiled. "Not as much as you are, but yeah, this school year, Umbridge, the vow…things have been hard for me as well."

"Can I ask you something?" Scarlett turned so that she was straddling the bench she was sitting on and facing Fred.

"You just did," Fred pointed out with a smirk.

Scarlett smiled. "Another thing, then."

Fred nodded and turned so he was straddling the bench and facing her. "Ask away."

"Why didn't you tell Justin the truth about the fortune cookies?"

"I did. I did know you collected them from when we were younger."

"But you didn't tell him about the talk we had by the lake or your Christmas gift….And you didn't rub it in his face that you knew something he didn't."

"Well," Fred began, "I didn't rub it in his face because I wanted you to be in a good enough mood so that when George and I asked you to prank Umbridge, you'd agree. I figured I'd hold back on some of the teasing."

"You sneaky prat!" Scarlett cried with a tiny laugh.

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Fred shrugged, laughing. "Anyway, I didn't tell him about Christmas or the lake because first of all, I didn't think you wanted me to."

"I didn't—don't, actually," Scarlett said. "I can deal with that myself."

Fred nodded. "I figured. Secondly, I didn't want to start a fight between you two. You obviously like each other a lot and after saying I wanted to enjoy my relationship with Angelina, why would I mess up the opportunity for you?"

"We fought anyway, so it may actually be messed up," Scarlett sighed.

"It's not," Fred answered. "You said yourself that Justin won't break up with you. By tomorrow morning, he'll have calmed down and he'll be ready to talk like a normal person. And besides," he grinned, "I know you end up with me in the end, so there's no need for me to try to break up the two lovebirds." He winked cheekily at her.

"Git," Scarlett muttered, shoving his shoulder. Fred just laughed. "Alright, another question," she added suddenly. "Why did you defend me about the whole collecting the fortunes when Justin said they were a load of rubbish? You said the same thing yourself over the holidays."

Fred sighed and shrugged. "No matter what I think about the actual fortunes, I still think you should collect them if it makes you happy. If it means something to you, then you should do it and not let anyone tell you otherwise. I know I joked about them, but that's just it. I was joking. The Finch was making it seem stupid."

Scarlett nodded. "Well, thanks." She paused. "One more question. Actually, no, I have two more."

Fred laughed. "You're certainly on a roll tonight."

"Why did you ask me to prank Umbridge with you? Why didn't you just go with George?"

"I figured you'd want to help after she locked you in a classroom and gave you an eight hour detention. Don't even say you weren't itching to get her back."

"Okay, okay, you're right," Scarlett asked. "Is that the only reason?"

Fred was quiet for a moment. "I like being around you. Like I said over the holidays, ever since we've started talking again, I've remembered how much I missed you. I got used to being away from you, which really should never have happened. So, I guess you could say it's like we're making up for lost time."

"I like being around you, too," Scarlett whispered. "It feels the same as it did before, which I'm thankful for. It's like we never grew apart, you know?"

"Yeah," Fred whispered, nodding. He glanced at her. "So, what's your second question? You said that you had two."

"Why do you make fun of Justin so much? George wouldn't tell me." Scarlett wasted no time in getting right to the point.

"You talked to George?" Fred asked, surprised.

Scarlett nodded. "He told me…well, he told me why you were upset about the bracelet in Herbology and how you don't know how your business is going to turn out…and with Angelina now and us getting married later…." She wasn't making much sense, but Fred obviously knew what she was talking about because he looked up at the sky almost in frustration.

"It's true," he said, "but that's not why I tease the Finch. How much money I have is my problem. I wouldn't tease him because of that."

"Then why do you?"

Fred looked at her. "Maybe Erica and Ginny are wrong. Maybe you are better suited for the Finch."

"Why do you say that? Because he has a lot of money?"

Fred shrugged.

"Fred, I like Justin because he's nice and we've been friends for a while. There are rich people out there that are total jerks. Like the Malfoys. I wouldn't date Malfoy in a million years. I'm sure when you and I get married we'll be just fine. Your joke shop will be brilliant and even if it isn't, I'm not going to hold it against you or anything."

Fred didn't say anything for a moment. "Thanks," he finally said with a smile. "I appreciate that."

Scarlett returned the smile. "So, you never answered my question. If you don't tease Justin because of how much money he has, then why do you?"

"I like watching the two of you get defensive," Fred said.

"I don't think that's completely true. What's the real reason?"

Fred looked at her. "Ask me in a few years," he smirked.

"That's what George said," Scarlett groaned.

Fred laughed. "I think it's best if I keep a few secrets. It'll keep you interested so our marriage isn't a complete bore."

Scarlett just laughed. "Fine."

"I have a question for you now," Fred said after a few seconds.

"Okay, what is it?"

"How exactly did you become friends with the Finch? I knew he's in your house, but he's two years younger. You don't have classes together or anything."

"Why do you care?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just curious."

"Well, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Justin was one of the people who were petrified, as I'm sure you remember. That year was also the year I was helping Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing. I want to be a Healer—I think I've mentioned that to you—so it really helped me out, being around someone in the medical field. Anyway, once Justin was revived, I was the one who had to help catch him up on what had happened and make sure he was okay and fit to leave the hospital wing. We kind of hit it off while we were talking and we've been friends ever since."

"You went to the Yule Ball with him," Fred stated.

"You remember that?"

"It was a ball—the first Hogwarts has had in years. Everyone was really observant that night. Even the guys, but you didn't hear it from me. I'm breaking the guy code by even telling you."

"So all the guys were observant or just you? Because I'm pretty sure Ron and Harry were anything but observant that night. They looked bored to tears." Scarlett smirked and nudged Fred as she teased him.

"Why does it have to be all or just me?" Fred asked, laughing. "Maybe it was really only ninety eight percent of the guys. How should I know? I'm no good at statistics."

"You're just trying to cover up the fact that you didn't like another boy dancing with your future wife," she teased.

Fred scowled and turned a light shade of pink. "You're good at this teasing thing," he commented.

"I grew up with you and George. It's good to know I haven't lost my touch. You were right, though, joking about this situation does make it a little more bearable."

Fred grinned. "See, I told you."

"Fred?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think Erica's right about us flirting? It's another thing that's been bothering me."

"You need to stop worrying so much or else your hair will be grey by the time we're married and we can't have that."

Scarlett smiled and then looked up at him, waiting for an answer.

"How I act around you," Fred began slowly, "is completely natural. I tease you and you tease me back, which I suppose can be taken as flirting, but it depends on the person. It's easy to be around you and easy to talk to you. Words just come out of my mouth without me even having to try. I don't know, maybe it is flirting, but whatever it is, I'm not trying to do it. I don't have to. Everything just-,"

"Flows," Scarlett finished.

"Exactly," Fred nodded.

"I feel the same way."

Fred grinned. "Feel better now?"

Scarlett nodded and fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. "So much better thanks to you."

"Oh, piss off," Fred muttered. He grinned to show he wasn't serious.

"Now that's no way to talk to a lady," Scarlett scolded as Fred stood up and stretched.

"You're completely right," he answered. "My apologies." He held out his hand to help her up.

"Much better," Scarlett said, taking his hand and standing. "You're not going to get us in trouble again, are you?" she asked as they headed back to the castle. "You know, with your no-fail plan to use the secret passageways?"

"My, aren't we on a roll with the jokes tonight," Fred grinned.

Scarlett shrugged. "Like we discussed, it's easy to talk and joke with you."

"You aren't upset about your fight with bird-brain?"

Scarlett sighed. "Bird-brain. That's certainly a new one. How do you ever think of these insulting names on the spot like that?"

"Oh it's not on the spot," Fred said. "I lie awake all night just thinking of new insults to throw at your feathered friend."

Scarlett glared at him. "Anyway, no I'm not all that upset anymore. Talking to you helped."

"Glad I could be of assistance," Fred smirked, pushing open the castle's front doors. "Coast is clear. Umbridge should still be in the hospital wing and Filch doesn't seem to be around, so go ahead and make a mad dash for your common room."

Scarlett darted across the entrance hall to a door on the far side of the room that led to the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room. She pushed the door open and just before slipping through it, she turned to Fred, who was watching her leave. "Thanks," she said, "for everything."

"You're welcome," he answered, grinning. "Oh, and Scar?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sure things between you and the Finch will be fine." He half-smiled, but Scarlett thought it looked more like a grimace.

"I hope so," she whispered. With that she slipped through the open door closing it quietly behind her.

A/N: For some reason this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I loved it the way it was at first, but then I kept trying to change things around and ended up not happy with the changes so I took them out. I do have a lot of fun writing Fred and Scarlett's conversations though and hopefully they aren't boring anybody.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the positive feedback! :)