Sorry for the delay in updating! My life has kind of been a shit storm, and it probably will be for a bit. The next month or two will probably be really unpredictable, but I will try my hardest to get at least one chapter out a week! I am also writing and publishing another story alongside this one, so there's that element too. I haven't published it on Wattpad yet as I'm seeing how it does on AO3. Thanks for all the patience, love, and support.

"I feel like there's more to Fred and George than you're letting on," claimed Cedric.

"Um, why?" you were trying to act normal, but it was difficult to stop your heart from beating out of your chest. What was he insinuating? What did he know?

"They always look so damn cheeky after they leave you," he said.

"They're like that with everyone. They're just big jokesters. Always in a good mood."

Cedric's eyebrow raised ever so slightly, but he conceded.

"Anyway," he said, trying to change the subject. Something was telling you that the twins were a sore spot for him. "I put my name in the goblet this morning."

"Cedric! That's awesome! How do you feel?"

"Brilliant. I mean, the chances of me being picked are probably slim. But I feel good."

"Is it bad that I'm kind of hoping your name isn't chosen?"

"Worried about me?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Of course!" you blurted. Cedric snorted a little at your zeal. You bit back the anxious bile that was gurgling in your belly. "You're my friend. I'm always going to worry about you. But I know you can hold your own."

You swore you saw Cedric recoil a bit when you said "friend". You were still at a loss for his recent quirky behavior. He had never given you a second glance before. Never had he questioned your friendship, and neither had you.

You shoved your conflicting feelings down as far as you could, hoping that they would just dissolve.

"Your support means everything to me," he whispered. His eyes bore into you deeply, and you couldn't hold his gaze. You smiled to yourself a bit and looked back down at your textbook.

Some time passed as you both studied in silence. Cedric cleared his throat, making you look up at him.

"So, I know it's far off, but have you found a date to the ball yet?" he asked.

Your heart started to thump a little harder, a little faster. Was he about to ask you to the ball? Even more importantly, would you say yes if he asked? Your initial thought was yes, but you couldn't help but feel the twin sized pounding that was breaking down your door.

"No. No one's asked."

"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Can't really believe that. I figured you'd have every guy kneeling at your feet for a chance to ask."

"Stop it!" you giggled. You looked down at the table once again to try and hide the furious blush creeping on your face.

"Never."

You looked at him, and it seemed that he had more to say. You opened your mouth to ask, but you couldn't find the spark to say something.

Shit. You didn't want this moment to pass, but you couldn't form any words to come out of your throat. Luckily, Cedric did start to speak again.

"Well-" Unluckily, he was cut off by none other than Cho Chang.

"Hi guys," she said meekly. She did that thing where she tucked her hair behind her ear and looked downward a bit. You saw through it. She was popular. Playing the innocent and nervous card around Cedric made you bite back a laugh.

You did your best to avert your eyes from her, and you could see Cedric shooting you an apologetic look.

"Sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if we could talk, Cedric? It's really important."

Cedric continued to look at you. "I-um. Sure. Give me a minute? I had something I wanted to say here first."

Cho shot you a look. You couldn't quite make it out. Disappointment? Annoyance? You breathed in shakily. You didn't want to come between anything or be a part of any drama. You wished in that moment that you chose to speak up. To defend Cedric.

But you didn't.

"I'm sorry. It's just really important. And I have somewhere to be soon," she said. She was trying really hard to tear Cedric away, and he was combating with this more than he let on. You decided to bail him out, but not in the way either of you hoped.

"It's fine, Cedric. I'll be here a while."

He nodded at you a little ruefully and got up to leave with Cho.

The minutes seemed to pass as hours before Cedric returned. His face was flustered, and he looked like he was carrying some mix of guilt and elation. What happened?

"Sorry about that," he said as he sat down.

"No worries. She seemed to really want to talk to you."

"Yeah..."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah."

"Okay...Um, so you were saying something before all that. Did you want to finish?"

Cedric's face warped into horror, but he quickly masked it.

"Cedric, you're being weird. What's up?"

"Nothing. Uh," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I was just going to say..." He looked into your eyes as if searching for something. You had no idea what. "Just going to say that anyone would be lucky to take you."

His voice dropped off towards the end, and you had this sinking feeling that it wasn't what he initially intended to say. You were a little disappointed. Was he going to ask before his talk with Cho? Or were you reading too much into it?

You swallowed hard. The tension became too overwhelming. You slammed your book closed a little too roughly, and Cedric's eyes were now glued to your every move. You started to pack your things and stood up.

"Wh-where are you going?" he asked.

"To find this miraculously lucky person," you hissed. You didn't give him a chance to reply before you stomped out of the hall.

You needed some fresh air. What better place than the courtyard?

Not to your surprise, there was a large crowd of enthusiastic first years and doe-eyed girls surrounding Fred and George. You couldn't help but be amused at the sight of their flagrant charm that bustled around them.

You hung around the outskirts of the courtyard and leaned against a column. It was hard not to admire them.

One of the twins looked in your direction and caught your eye. From a distance, you couldn't tell which one it was. He shot you an over dramatic wink, and you had an inkling that it was probably Fred.

He broke free from the crowd and strode over to you. You tore your eyes away from him just for a moment to see George cast a downward look at the ground. He picked his expression back up in just a moments time, but you knew what you saw. Once again, you tucked the mental note away.

"Hey love."

"Hi Fred."

"Listen. I want to take you out. Today. Well, tonight rather. I have something brilliant planned."

"Okay."

"No questions huh?" he said while leaning against the column with you. "Guess you can't resist my charms."

"Close your mouth before I change my mind," you teased.

"Save that feistiness for the bedroom princess."

You licked your bottom lip imagining another sensual night with Fred. Your thoughts raced and bounced through your skull.

"You're thinking about me naked, aren't you?" he chuckled.

"Stop it! No. Maybe. God, you're going to be the death of me Fred Weasley."

"Meet me at dinner time," he said while planting a chaste kiss on your cheek. He jogged back over to his brother, and you turned on your heel to head towards your room.

After showering and changing into your favorite dress, you finished it all off by detailing your hair and makeup. You tapped your foot on the ground nervously. What did Fred have planned?

After finishing getting ready, you all but skipped down to the Great Hall to meet with him.

He was dressed casually but still done up. Dark wash jeans, dark brown leather boots, and a brown, red, and yellow checkered shirt that was tucked in. He sucked in all the air around him when he caught eye of you.

"Merlin. Never get tired of that face," he muttered when you approached.

You bowed your head sheepishly. You weren't sure if you would ever get used to his compliments. "So, where to?" you asked.

Fred wordlessly led you out of the castle and onto the school grounds. There were a few people here and there about, but it was getting quite dark, and most people were inside for dinner. When he found a perfectly deserted clearing, he stopped you and pulled out his wand.

"What are you-" you started. But you were cut off by your surprise of the colorful sparks leaking out of the end of his wand. The sparks traveled up into the sky and burst into streaks of gold, purple, red, and blue. You gazed up in awe at the fireworks display. After each burst dissipated, it magically turned into a new form.

You looked at Fred with your mouth open, and all he could do was smile at your amazement. He took your hand in his and laced his fingers with yours, and you felt so content.

You plopped down onto the grass and pulled Fred down with you. He draped his arm over your shoulder, and you snuggled into his chest. No words were needed for this moment.

The display went on for a good hour before it ended, and you sighed dreamily.

"Galleon for your thoughts?" he asked.

"This was nice."

"I was worried it would be too plain and boring."

"It was perfect. Amidst all the craziness that's been happening lately, it was nice to just enjoy the simpler things."

Fred kissed the top of your head in gratitude. You lifted your head from his chest and scanned the surrounding area. There was no one around.

"Fred..."

"Yes love?"

"Lay down."

"Why?"

"Don't question it."

"But-" you pressed your finger to his lips to shush him.

"Don't question it, or you might miss out on something spectacular."

Fred gave you a quizzical look but almost immediately masked it with interest. He laid down into the grass while you straddled him. His perked his head up at the sight.

"I like seeing you like this," he grinned.

"I think you'll like seeing me even more in a second." You moved down his body to undo his jeans and pulled them down slightly. His cock was already throbbing in his underwear, and you smiled at the sight. "You're already hard for me."

"How could I not be?" he laughed.

You pulled down his boxers to free his erection, and you took the half-stiff length into your hand. He immediately hardened more under your touch, and you pumped your hand up and down while he sighed out. You shifted your positioning to allow easy access to your mouth. You brought your lips to his head and surrounded it completely. You flicked your tongue around in circles and back and forth underneath it. Fred's hips bucked up and pushed his cock a bit further into your mouth, and you matched him by going down on him deeper.

Your other hand still worked tightly on his shaft to bring as much sensation as possible.

"Fuck," he gritted.

You freed your mouth and used your hand to continue distributing your saliva all over him.

"Who are you this hard for?" you asked.

"You princess," he mumbled breathlessly.

You brought your mouth back to his tip and bobbed up and down with deep craving until Fred's breath started to hitch, and then you quickened your pace even further. You consumed his cock down into your throat, and it was the breaking point for him. He groaned out as his length twitched against you, and you happily swallowed the warm load unfurling down your throat.

You carefully licked his slit to capture the remains, and he put his clothes back on right after. You scanned the area once again to make sure you weren't caught.

You grinned to yourself slyly.

"What's that smile for?" he asked.

"You're not the only one who can be spontaneous it seems." You were quite proud of yourself. Letting go of your inhibitions and safety nets. Because you always knew that Fred and George were right there with you.

"I'm liking this wilder side to you," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah? What else do you like about me?" you asked as you moved from on top of him. You laid on your stomach and propped your head into both of your hands. You kicked your feet into the air and swung them back and forth giddily waiting for his answer.

"Your face is obviously beautiful," he whispered. "But I think my favorite is your mind. Not a lot of people can keep up with us."

"Someone's conceited," you teased.

"You know what I mean!" he laughed. "George and I are always moving on to the next thing. People get lost or tired of it. No one can match our energy or our wit."

"You're so full of yourself!" you joked. "Deflate the ego, deflate the ego!"

"That's another thing I love about you," he started. But you couldn't quite listen to the rest as your brain clung onto the word "love". "My head's in the clouds a lot, but you know how to ground me." He still rambled on about it, but you still couldn't concentrate. "You okay?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"You were spacing out..."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing." You tried your best to plaster on a grin, but he wasn't convinced.

"Was it something I said? I didn't mean to be too forward. I just wanted you to know how much I like you."

"It's silly."

"Try me," he whispered while turning onto his side to face you.

"You said 'that's another thing you loved about me'. I don't know. The word just got stuck in my head."

"What word?"

"Love..."

Fred's smile dropped a touch, but he recovered quickly. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"Nope."

"I plead the fifth," he laughed.

"Fred!" you squealed.

"What?"

"Do you love me?" You weren't sure where the dash of bravery came from that made you blurt it out. Something about these boys ignited so much in you. Things you were still discovering and becoming acquainted with.

Fred sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before dropping onto his back again.

"Fred..." you cooed. "It's okay. Just talk to me."

"Maybe. I don't know. I've never loved someone before, so I'm not sure what it's like. But it might be love."

"Fred, thank you for opening up to me."

"I take it you don't feel the same way?" His voice faltered a bit as he spoke.

"It's all really confusing right now with you and George and-" you bit down on your tongue as you almost said Cedric.

"Me, George, and what?"

"School stuff. Quidditch, O.W.L.S., and all that. My focus is always shifting it feels like."

He seemed to believe you, and it wasn't a lie. Those things were a big cause of stress.

"I get it," he said. "I don't blame you for not feeling the exact same way I do at the exact same time. Though I suppose, I don't even fully understand my own feelings."

"You'll figure it out. You always do." You nudged his ribs with your elbow playfully.

"It's nice to talk about these things," he sighed. "I tell George everything, but I only tell George everything. It's nice to have someone else to talk things out with."

"I'm glad I can be there for you, Fred."

"Me too princess."

You curled yourself up into him as he wrapped his arms around you. It wasn't the most extravagant date you'd ever been on, but it was so perfectly Fred Weasley and exactly what you needed right now.

Even if you didn't feel it now, you definitely felt that one day you could say that you loved Fred.