Chapter 42: New Picture, Stronger Bonds

"Hi," Fred said.

Zoey froze and just watched him awkwardly run his right hand through his hair and rubbing it against the back of his neck. His left hand stayed in his pocket. Zoey bit her lip and dunked the brush and the rag into the bucket making some drops of water splash out. She looked down to the floor and focused her gaze on the droplets. She heard Fred shuffle. She made kept her lips in a firm line as she furrowed her eyebrows. She did not know what would happen next. She wished she had her fortune teller right now.

"So…cleaning the floor are you?" Fred began awkwardly.

"Err – yeah," Zoey replied as she removed her glasses to clean the lenses, "Filch's detention"

"For the… prank –"

"That I apparently told you and George to do," Zoey laughed awkwardly and so did Fred.

The laughter died to with a half sigh and laugh. They returned to silence.

Zoey licked her lips and stood up. Fred stepped forward looking like he was about to help her but he went back to his original place when Zoey began to dust of her robes. She then looked back at him and gave him a small smile. She hated the tension, the awkwardness but she really didn't know what to do about it. She waited for Fred to begin the conversation but it didn't look like he was going to say something any time soon. Zoey thought about starting the conversation but she didn't know what to say. She racked her brains for any tips that she could have gotten from the books she had read but nothing. The books basically described what was happening to her right now. Zoey felt her hand twitch. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest.

She wanted to get his over and done with.

"Fred –"

"Zoe –"

They stopped and went back to the silence.

Fred licked his lips and held out his hand. "You go first"

"No you," Zoey said.

"No, you," Fred argued, "Ladies first"

"Don't use that on me. You should go first"

"And why's that?"

"Because I really didn't have anything to say," Zoey said sheepishly. She felt an embarrassed blush appear on her cheeks. She saw Fred give a lopsided smile at what she said. Her heart began to beat faster. She really missed him. She felt pathetic but it was true. She truly missed him and felt broken when he left.

Fred shifted from one foot to the other as he thought about what he should say. Should he begin with an apology? After all, Zoey did deserve on. How about a joke? To lighten up the mood? Fred racked his brain and for the first time he could not think of anything funny to say. He felt his eyes widen at that realization and his mouth hanging a bit open. The Fred Weasley speechless? Can't think of anything to say? What has the world come to?

Zoey looked at Fred curiously. He had been shifting awkwardly a while ago but now he was staring into space with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. She looked back and saw nothing shocking behind her. She then returned to Fred and saw his eyes widening even more. It looked likes something was going on in his head. Zoey felt her heart beating again. Something was going on with Fred.

She cleared her throat.

Fred came back to earth.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Fred shook his head a bit before refocusing his gaze on her. He seemed to have realized that the tension as still there. He coughed into his hand.

"I'm fine," he said, "What about you?"

"It depends," Zoey said with a small shrug

"Depends on what?"

"Where this conversation will go," Zoey said and cursed in her head. She made the tension even thicker.

Zoey knelt back to the ground and took out the dripping brush. She began to ferociously scrub the floor. She was trying to distract herself. As she was scrubbing she recalled all the moments she'd spent with Fred. All those times he tried to get her to tell him what had been happening to her, her secrets and her past. Zoey felt her hands shake a bit and she almost lost her balance for her was putting all her weight on her arms as she was scrubbing. Suddenly, she heard something land on the floor and looked up to see another floor brush. She saw Fred plop down on the floor as well and began to scrub the floor too.

"What…?"

"It wasn't your prank," Fred said as he scrubbed the floor, "So this isn't your detention"

"Well I did lie to a school official," Zoey said as she continued to scrub.

"Lying doesn't exactly get you landed in detention," Fred paused, "Well it depends on the lie and the teacher… what I'm trying to say is lying to Filch doesn't count"

Zoey laughed, "Is that so?"

"Yes," Fred grinned, "I should know"

"From experience I'm guessing?"

"Bull's eye," Fred winked.

Zoey grinned as her shoulders shook from laughter. She then brought her hand to her mouth as she tried to calm her laughter. She didn't exactly know why she was laughing. Sure, Fred was funny but the joke didn't really require a very long laugh. She then closed her eyes and snorted a bit. She blushed when she realized what she had done.

"Hey, you snort when you laugh," Fred tilted his head and smiled.

"Not all the time," Zoey hid her blush by ducking her head and letting her bangs and the hair that fell lose from her tie fall.

Fred reached towards her and tilted her head up. He pushed her hair away. Zoey gave a rather confused smile, the red still evident on her cheeks. "No need to be embarrassed. I like it. It's cute," Fred grinned.

"Just get back to scrubbing," Zoey said with a grin and a shake of her head.

"I thought this wasn't my detention?" Fred asked.

"You already scrubbed. It's yours now… besides this could be your detention for the next prank you pull," Zoey said as she scrubbed harder.

"That hurts Zoe," Zoey looked up, "Right here," Fred then pointed to his chest.

Zoey laughed, "That's your right chest Fred. Your heart's on you left"

Fred looked down and quickly placed his pointer finger to his left, "I knew that. It's just –"

"You don't know the difference from your left and your right?"

"I'm not an idiot!" Fred blushed.

"I didn't say you were!" Zoey laughed again, "But that was the second time you confused the placement of your heart"

Fred laughed at his own mistake and took the brush. He then threw it in the air causing droplets of water to spray out. Zoey made a face as she moved her head away from the water. She then made a disgusted sound. Fred laughed at her. "It's just water!" he said

"From the floor!" Zoey wiped her face with the sleeve of her robe.

"Like you haven't been touching it," Fred said.

Zoey gave him a bemused look before placing her hand in the bucket and removing it only to sprinkle Fred with the water on her hands. Fred made a sound of surprise before falling back to avoid the water. His leg kicked the bucket when he fell causing it to topple over. Zoey yelped and moved far away from the liquid crawling on the floor. She watched as it spread across the floor and towards different directions. It seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Sorry about that," Fred apologized as he sat back up.

"It's okay," Zoey brushed her bangs back, "At least the floor's clean… I guess"

"No, not about that but I guess I'm sorry about that too. When I was apologizing for was about everything," Fred struggled with his words. It looked like he didn't know how to put his apology into words.

Zoey looked at him and studied his face. He was telling the truth. She bit her lip and looked back at the puddle of floor water. It had stopped moving and just reflected the ceiling. She vaguely wondered if that was what Mrs. Norris saw the previous year before being petrified. Zoey shivered slightly. She didn't want to remember her fourth year. It was truly horrifying for her. After a few more seconds she looked at Fred and smiled softly "It's okay," she said in a voice almost like a whisper.

Fred's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock. Zoey looked like she was slightly lost in her own world but Fred realized that what she always looked like. Zoey almost always seemed like she was thinking. Thinking of millions of things yet at the same time nothing. She always seemed at peace. Fred mentally shook his head. He was staring at her.

"What?" he asked.

"It's okay," Zoey repeated.

"It's okay," Fred said slowly, "Just like that. You forgive me."

"What else do you want me to say?" Zoey asked with confusion.

"I don't know. It just seemed like… Well, remember that fight George and I had with Bridgit and well, you wouldn't forgive me for the longest time," Fred licked his leaps as he scratched his head, "I just figured why did you forgive me so easily now? This… this fi – err – misunderstanding was bigger than last time"

"So you don't want me to forgive you?" Zoey tilted her head.

"What? No! That's not what I meant. I mean, why? I was an arse – Zoey don't wince at that word ("I can't help it!" Zoey whined) – and I didn't even give you a chance to explain why you hid your… identity from us. I also showed them your diary without your permission," Fred confessed

Zoey bit her inner cheeks as she tried to think of something to say. With Echo, it had been a calm conversation when they made up but with Fred, it seemed a little more complicated. Like her secret affected him more than the others. Zoey momentarily wondered how she would be with George. Would it this be awkward or this hard to communicate? Unlikely. These things only ever happened with Fred. Only with Fred.

"Well, with Bridgit it was entirely your fault… well not entirely but it was your fault but now… it was my fault," Zoey said slowly.

"I was the one who took your diary and showed it to them," Fred pointed out.

"But I was the one who dropped it wasn't I? That and I was also the one who didn't tell you lot who I really was – am. No, Fred, don't argue. You know everything will just trace back to me," Zoey said, "Let's just leave it at that okay? So… Friends?"

Fred studied Zoey's held out hand. "You know I don't want to leave it at that, Zoe"

"I know," Zoey said as she wiggled her fingers impatiently, "But let's leave it at that for today"

"Sure," Fred said as he grabbed hold of her hand.

Zoey moved her hand to shake his but yelped in surprise when Fred pulled her towards him and enveloped her in a hug. Zoey blushed as she felt Fred's body heat warm her and smiled slightly when she felt his arms hold her tightly against him. She had missed this contact. The innocent gesture amongst friends. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent.

She felt his chest rumble as he laughed.

"Are you smelling me?" he asked.

"Is it wrong?" Zoey asked in return, "You smell nice. The unique Weasley scent"

His chest rumbled again. "I didn't know we Weasleys had a scent"

"Of course you do," Zoey said as she listened to Fred's heartbeat, "Everyone does"

"Oh yeah? What about Echo"

"Mint and Raspberries"

"Bridgit?"

"Strawberries"

"What about you?"

"Hmm? I don't know. How do I smell like?" Zoey asked as she readjusted her position. She wondered what time it was.

She felt Fred press his face in her hair and laughed when he exaggerated his inhaling. Fred lifted his head and made a gasp for breath. "You smell awful!" he exclaimed.

Zoey smacked his arm.

"Just kidding," he laughed, "You smell like coconut milk. That's odd why do your friends smell like berries yet you smell like a coconut? What's wrong with you?"

Zoey smacked his arm again. "For your information. A strawberry is not a berry!"

Fred loosened his grip on the Emeraude and looked at her with wide eyes. Zoey tilted her head curiously at him. "You're lying," he said.

"I'm not. A strawberry is not a berry but a banana is," she said, "oh and a tomato is a fruit.

"Stop it! You just ruined my favorite desert toppings!" Fred whined

Zoey made a face, "You put tomatoes on your ice-cream?"

"What? No! Strawberries and Banana's I can never look at them the same way again!"

"And how is that my fault?"

"You told me that berry trivia," Fred said in a 'matter of fact' voice, "Now I know my food has been lying to me"

Zoey laughed and placed her head on his shoulder trying to control her laughter. Fred was acting like a child but it made her laugh. How could she possible ruin his desert by telling him a berry trivia? And how could food even lie? They can't even speak! Zoey laughed harder with the thought. Her shoulders shook and she snorted again. Fred laughed as well.

In a matter of minutes all laughter died down and silence once again hung in the air. Zoey shifted and faced the wall. She casted her eyes down and looked at the puddle. She was suppose to be cleaning the floor but couldn't see why anymore. She had most of her friends back and couldn't care less what Filch would do when he found out she was slacking. Zoey sighed in content. She then felt Fred shift.

"I don't want to ruin the moment but… when are you going to tell me?" Fred said in a soft voice.

Zoey turned her head towards him and blushed when she realized how close their faces where. "Tell you what?" she whispered.

"Everything," Fred breathed.

"All in due time," Zoey replied as she closed her eyes. She wanted to keep this peaceful picture. She didn't want to ruin it. She felt happy. Like nothing could go wrong. Everything was right.

Suddenly, there was a yell. Zoey jumped a bit and Fred tensed. She turned around and the yelling became louder and sounded frantic. In a distance she could see someone running towards them at top speed. Behind that person was another person, except this one was holding a rather large pocket book. Zoey felt her eyes widen when she realized that George was running away from Echo.

"YOU BLOODY BURK!" Echo exclaimed as she swung her pocket book at George.

George ducked and picked up his pace. When he caught sight of his twins and Zoey he said, "Save yourselves! Run from the crazed Veela!"

Zoey raised her eyebrows at George and quickly gasped when George slipped on the puddle. She watched him stumble, fall and glide across the floor. Though George looked utterly terrified at Echo, Zoey couldn't help but laugh. It was truly comical. Echo then came running and, not noticing the puddle, slipped as well. She glided across the floor and somehow landed on George. Zoey had a slight bemused smile on her face when she saw their slightly embarrassed faces. Fred laughed.

"Way to have a moment you guys!" Fred yelled over at his twin.

"Oh belt up, Fred," George groaned.

Fred simply laughed and looked back at Zoey. "We'll continue this later?"

Zoey was about to respond but she heard another set of fast footsteps. She looked back and saw Bridgit coming around the corner. She looked slightly out of breath and looked at both sides of the corridor. When she caught side of Zoey in Fred's arms, Echo on top of George she, Bridgit, seemed to have forgotten what she was doing and a mischievous smile crept on her lips.

"Look what we have here, A couple's festival!" Bridgit said, making George and Echo take notice to her.

"What are you doing here?" Fred asked ignoring her last comment.

"Uhm, let's just say Filch caught me at the same time the Slytherin common room erupted with red and gold sparks and confetti," Bridgit answered, approaching the four of them.

George and Echo had gotten up and went towards Fred and Zoey as well. Zoey smiled at all of them. The picture, though she could not fix it she had gotten something to replace it. A better one. A picture that shows that they all stayed strong no matter what had happened. She visualized the picture being placed in a frame a frame that would not harm the picture when it falls. Zoey broke into a grin. She felt so happy, very light hearted. Like nothing could go wrong.

There was a yell.

A yell that made the five of them look towards the corner Bridgit emerged from. Filch came running out. He heaved angrily as he was decorated with red and gold confetti. He turned towards the five fifth years and glared. He opened his mouth to yell again but then caught sight of the puddle.

"My floor," he began, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY FLOOR!"

"Err – cleaned it?" Zoey sheepishly said.


And here's chapter 42!

A moment purely dedicated to the ZED couple though there was a little GECHO and Bridgit appeared as well!

Thank you Hayley Pradox and ZoomSkater14 for helping me out!

Thank you all for reviewing and the like as well!

This chapter was rather short and at the beginning I kinda had a hard time but I had fun none the less!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!

Don't forget to review and the like!

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