A/N: Hello dear reader, once again I would like to apologize for the long wait. To be honest, I have been very busy with life. Buying a house, planning a wedding, work.. Adulting in general. But please do not let that get in the way of enjoying my stories. I hope you like this new chapter! And please remember: Reviews make any author's day a little bit brighter! Love!

Chapter 13

A week had passed since that awful article in the daily prophet, meaning they were allowed to visit Hogsmeade. Amelia had opted to depart early in the morning, deciding that she would see her friends somewhere in the village or during supper. She was walking at a brisk pace, just leaving the grounds, when she heard her name being called. She smiled, not slowing down. She knew who was following her and that he would catch up to her in no time. Soon Fred was walking next to her, measuring the speed of his steps to hers. They walked in a comfortable silence, having spent a lot of time together in the week prior. Somehow every single one of their friends was always busy during the evenings. George and Lee had been spending quite a few nights in detention with Snape, for stealing some potion ingredients. How the suckers had managed to get caught was never answered, seeing as both George and Lee refused to talk about it. Katie, Angelina and Alicia had been spending every waking hour studying, going for runs to make sure they would stay in shape and god knows what else. Amelia tried not to let herself get too distracted by Fred's presence. Being here with him, the trees surrounding the path they were walking on, brought her back to the summer and the moment they shared at the tree house. As much as she would like to forget it, in fear of developing feelings for the red-head next to her, she couldn't forget about that kiss. If you'd ask her, point blank, she'd deny ever having these thoughts. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she concentrated back on the road in front of them, stopping just in time to avoid walking into the large black dog that had made its way to the middle of the road. They started walking around the dog, but stopped dead in their tracks when the dog jumped in front of Amelia once again. She frowned at the dog, which was looking at her with its big brown eyes. Eyes that held a story. A story of loneliness and worry. Eyes that, Amelia now realized, looked familiar. Without uttering a word to Fred, Amelia dropped to her knees, looking into the dog's eyes.

"Dad? Is that you?" The dog barked in answer, wagging his tail. Laughing, Amelia threw her arms around him, burying her face in the black fur, ignoring the wet dog smell. When she looked up, she noticed Fred standing to the side awkwardly. She grinned at him, before turning back to the animagus in front of her. "Do you have anywhere we can talk? I'd like to introduce the two of you." With another bark, Sirius started to lead them away from the path.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia stared at the appearance of her father, eyes wide and mouth gaping. He was even thinner than he had been when she had last seen him.

"Why didn't you warn me you'd come to see me? I would have brought food. And clothes." Sirius gave a weak smile, before turning his attention to Fred, looking him up and down.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Amelia?"

"Oh , right. Dad, this is Fred. Fred, my dad. Sirius Black." Getting over his initial shock at seeing the dark haired man, Fred held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

"Sir? What am I? Your dad? Just call me Sirius."

"Okay then, Sirius."

"So you are one half of the twins, I assume." Fred looked at Amelia, who was still looking at her dad, worry etched all over her face.

"That I am." Sirius' eyes twinkled.

"I hear you and your brother are quite the troublemakers." For a moment there, Fred thought he was in trouble, but then he noticed the smile on the older man's face. Just when he was about to respond, Amelia started talking.

"Dad, I am going to take Fred with me into the village and we'll buy you some food and clothes. And no negotiating." Without saying another word, she marched out of the cave.

"Women, am I right?" Fred said jokingly. His words were met by an eye roll of the dark haired man on the floor, before he too was shooed out of the cave.

X- Harry Potter –X

They had bought some food and clothes for Sirius and were just enjoying a drink at the three broomsticks, before heading back up to the cave. They had found a booth somewhere in the back, away from the bright November light that shone through the windows. Their table was tucked in the corner, dimly lit by a candle in the corner.

"Thank you madam Rosmerta." Amelia said with a sweet smile, as the older witch put down two butterbeers in front of them.

"You're welcome, dear. It's good to see you again." The two women had always liked each other, often taking a little time to talk about anything and everything. Madam Rosmerta went back to the bar and left the two students alone.

"So, you met my dad." Amelia broke the silence, before taking a sip from the warming liquid in front of her.

"Yes, I did."

"And you didn't freak out."

"A little bit. But I couldn't let your old man know that, could I?" Amelia grinned at him, enjoying the way he joked about the situation. Not a lot of people would meet someone sentenced to jail for a murder, even though he was innocent, and then go on to make jokes about it. As she thought about this, she took another sip from the glass in front of her, relishing in the creamy taste. She enjoyed the warmth of the pub and felt her muscles relax. She leant against Fred, happy that she had the chance to get her mind off of the oncoming tournament and the danger her nephew had been placed in. Fred put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer. He liked the fact that they had grown even closer over the past few weeks. Sure, with Oliver away and too busy to write, he and George were Amelia's best friends, but it was nice to be just that little bit extra close to her. They both had been afraid that the kiss they had shared in the tree house was the one thing that would ruin their friendship, but thankfully it hadn't. Now, as they sat there, in that corner booth, both teenagers enjoyed the comfort they found in just being at ease with each other. After they both finished their drinks they decided to head back to the cave Sirius was hiding in. When leaving the pub they spotted Harry and Hermione talk to professor Moody and Hagrid. Amelia decided not to call out to Harry, figuring that her dad would have his reasons to keep away from Harry for now.

X- Harry Potter –X

Amelia smiled as she watched her dad eat the food they brought, while talking to Fred about anything and everything. She focused on her friend, who was laughing at something Sirius had said. As she saw him throw his head back and laugh, like he had heard the funniest thing in the world, she realized how happy she was to not only have her father back, but have such great friends as well. She also realized that it was about time to start their walk back to the school. She stood and told the men that it was time to depart, before hugging her father and walking out of the cave. It took Fred a minute or two to follow, which made Amelia wonder what he had been doing in the cave. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the loosened rock in front of her. She let out a sharp scream when she felt the ground move under her feet. With a loud smack she landed on her knees, hands forward to protect herself from the sharp rocks.

"Lia! Are you alright?" Within seconds Fred was kneeled beside her, taking her hands in his to study them for any damage.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Freddie." She kept her own eyes trained on his face as he studied her hands, before he looked up and into her eyes. Immediately the tension in the air was palpable. Amelia felt her heart beat loudly en her breath speed up. They slowly moved towards each other, hearts beating fast and eyes slowly closing. Amelia could feel his breath on her lips, making her nervous. Somewhere she knew this moment, this kiss could change everything between the two of them. And she wasn't sure if she minded a change, at all. They were only moments away from touching, when suddenly Fred's feet slipped from under him, making him topple over, pulling Amelia with him. They stopped breathing for a second, trying to figure out what exactly had happened to them, before bursting out in laughter. When they calmed down, Amelia realized that she had landed on top of him and the tension came right back, now even more so. She was so close to him, the warmth of his body seeping through both of their coats, and she noticed him immediately checking if she was okay, yet again. He really was an amazing person. Always thinking of others first, sweet and caring. There, in that moment, Amelia decided that whatever would happen, she would regret not giving this starting feeling a shot.

"Lia, I-"

"Shut up and kiss me." He didn't need to be told twice, pulling her face towards his and pressing his lips against her. The kiss started out soft and sweet, both of them getting used to the situation. Soon they loosened up a little bit, their kiss getting a little more playful. After a while they pulled apart, looking at each other with uncertainty, waiting for the other to speak. Fred was the one to break the silence.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Does this mean we-" Amelia knew what he was asking. Were they together now?

"No." She noticed the hurt forming in his eyes. "Not yet. I want to take things slow, Fred. I don't want to ruin this- whatever this is – by going too fast."

"I understand. So… does this mean I can kiss you more often?" She noticed his ears going red, despite the playful tone he used, and grinned.

"When we're alone, yes."

"So, we're not telling anyone about this?" Amelia shook her head.

"Are you okay with that, Fred?" He nodded, knowing he didn't really have a choice. Amelia smiled at him, before glancing at her watch and gasping. "We have to get back to the school!" She jumped up, holding her hand out to him. They started walking the path that lead back to Hogwarts, both feeling a lot lighter than they had since that day in the tree house.

X- Harry Potter –X

"Where have you been all day?" Katie looked at Amelia with a frown.

"Hogsmeade, why?" Amelia couldn't help but glance at Fred, who was sitting straight across from her at the table, grinning.

"We didn't see you all day. And we've been literally everywhere. The only reason we knew you didn't die was because of madam Rosmerta. Who told us that you were at the pub with, and I quote: 'one of those handsome twins'." George laughed, as Fred's face turned sour for a second. Good, he realized that she wasn't the only one being forced to talk.

"We were just walking around for a while. And visiting an old friend." Amelia and Fred shot a meaningful glance at George, knowing that he would get it. George's frown told them that he, indeed, had gotten the hint.

"Leave them alone, Kates. They probably wanted to take a walk. You know those two loons love the outdoors." Katie shot a glance at George, who raised his shoulders, and sighed.

"Fine. I'll believe you. But you owe us a girls' night tomorrow." Amelia grinned, promising Katie that she would provide the snacks and drinks. They all turned to their food, enjoying all their favorite dishes and the company of their friends. They all decided to spend some time in the common room that night, finally finding the time to do something as a group again. They all made their way up to their dorms to change into something comfortable and agreed to meet up in the common room. Amelia changed into a pair of grey, knee high, knitted socks, a pair of black shorts with a warming spell on them and an old quidditch jersey she had stole from Fred over the summer. She was the first to be done and made her way downstairs, where the twins and Lee were already waiting. George and Lee had taken up the two comfortable chairs next to the fire and Fred had draped himself across the couch, lifting his head, so Amelia could sit down and function as his pillow. Amelia smiled down at him, not missing the wink and the way his gaze moved to her lips. A blush crept up on her cheeks, making her pray that the other two boys didn't notice. She was lucky to go unnoticed, as the rest of the girls made their way downstairs, finding spots near them.

"So, what has everyone been up to?" Angelina asked. Amelia did not miss the look her friend shot at George. Everyone had really been off doing their own thing, barely having the time for each other. Angelina's question prompted a fun-filled conversation, full of stories about detention and runs during the rainy morning they'd had. It was good to spend time with her friends again.