"Even the Best Laid Plans"
Part Three
Though Angelina was unaware of exactly who was responsible, she was amazed at the changes in the disused classroom.
Lee and Alicia had hauled all the desks but one into a side storage room, and conjured up a white linen tablecloth. Alicia had transfigured a few dusty old quills and an empty inkpot into a vase and roses. Lee had gone to the kitchens and returned laden with what he considered to be appropriate fare. Alicia had charmed the dishes to keep the food to the right temperature, then they had gone to convince her cousin in Ravenclaw to draft the notes for them.
As Angelina stood admiring the set-up, Fred Weasley entered the room. No sooner than he put both feet into the classroom, than Fred and Angelina heard the distinctive sound of a timed locking charm clicking into effect. Both raced to the door, but it refused to budge.
"Now what?" Angelina asked Fred.
"Lets see how long its set for. " Fred pulled out his wand and began to check the charm. When it came to breaking into - or out of things - with magic or Muggle methods, the Weasley twins were the acknowledged experts. Fred muttered under his breathe and swore a bit when he burned his hand.
"It will only last an hour." Fred said, rubbing his palm.
"At least we won't miss the ball." Angelina said, relieved. "Did you...?" She waved her hand over the table.
Fred shook his head. "No I thought you were the one who sent the note."
"We've been had, haven't we?"
"Oh yes."
"You know what this means."
"Why don't we eat while we discuss how we are going to get back for his?" Fred asked. He pulled out a chair for Angelina.
"We'll make it good."
"Of course." Fred said with a wide grin. "My revenges always are."
* * *
Alicia felt a surge go through her body and her pulse quicken when she saw Lee standing by the fire. He looked so handsome in his midnight blue dress robes. When he smiled at her, Alicia thought she would faint.
"You look great!" Lee said enthusiastically. He leaned closer and Alicia had to fight hard to repress a shudder as he whispered in her ear. "I went to check on the lovebirds. The locking charm is active."
Alicia bit her lip. George and Katie, she found herself wishing it was her and Lee alone in that classroom. It did not strike her as being strange that she had never felt this way about Lee before. They had dated a bit in their fourth year, but it was over quickly and they ended up by becoming friends. Even when they had been dating, she had never felt this way about him. She had never felt this way about anyone.
* * *
Katie found George in the entrance hall.
"Have you seen Fred?" George asked at the same moment that Katie said "Have you seen Angelina?" They both laughed.
"You first." Katie said.
"No."
"Sorry."
"I guess that means they're together. Trust Fred to be fashionably late." George said as he shook his head in annoyance at his twin.
"I wonder if it has anything to do with that note." Katie mused. "Oh well, I can interrogate Angelina later."
"Fred always caves when I press him on a subject." George said.
"Too much togetherness lets you know what buttons to punch."
"Exactly."
"Champions over here, please!" Professor McGonagall announced.
"I feel kind of sorry for Harry." George mused as he watched Harry and Parvati move forward.
"Why?" Katie asked. "As I recall you and Fred tried to be champions yourselves."
"Yeah, but we wanted it. Harry doesn't." George explained. "Plus he has to deal with all the people who are mad at him for being the fourth champion and taking away from Cedric's glory."
Just then Katie burst into giggles.
"What's so funny?" George asked, a bit irritated. Here he was have a proper conversation with a girl he thought was sensible and she started giggling for no reason.
Katie pointed. "Roger Davies."
"The Ravenclaw team Captain." George turned to look. He immediately saw what amused Katie and started to laugh.
Roger was staring at Fleur Delcour with glazed eyes that followed her every move. If that was not enough, he had something of a stunned expression on his face, as though he could not believe his good fortune.
"He looks drugged." Katie said in between giggles.
"He is." George managed to say. "On Fleur."
People started to move forward in pairs and George and Katie suddenly sobered and starred at each other intently.
"Do you want to go to the ball with me?" They said at the same time and burst out laughing again. Both turned an impressive shade of crimson.
"I guess that's a yes." Katie said.
"I guess it is." George agreed. They joined hands and went forward.
* * *
Lee jabbed Alicia in the side and nodded in the direction of George and Katie, who were approaching them together, hand in hand, wearing identical expressions of embarrassed delight.
"I'd say our plan worked. Remember don't tell them it was us behind it, okay?" Lee hissed in her ear.
Alicia smiled rapturously up at him. "Of course."
George and Katie sat down across the table from the two. Before Lee could comment or tease them about their sudden togetherness, he recognized someone across the room.
"Percy!"
George spun around to face the same direction as Lee was staring gape jawed. "What is he doing here?"
"Maybe he stopped by to see Penelope." Lee suggested. Percy's girlfriend Penelope Clearwater was now in her seventh year.
"That would not be like him." George said. "I'll have to corner him after dinner."
"Speaking of dinner, what are you having?" Katie asked as she picked up and perused her menu.
George glanced at the menu for a second then stared at his plate. "Steak."
A perfectly done steak appeared on his plate.
Everyone else followed George's lead and were soon eating, though Katie noticed that Alicia's focus was less on her food than her escort. Katie turned around and frowned at Fleur and Roger. Alicia was acting quite a bit like Roger Davies, which was odd given the amount of time she had spent with Lee before this. She had even dated him once, but had never acted like she was now.
Katie kicked Alicia under the table. "What is so fascinating about Lee tonight?"
Alicia looked surprised, blushed and ducked her head while shoveling food into her mouth, though Katie noticed she kept sneaking glances at Lee.
* * *
The charm on the door finally expired allowing Angelina and Fred to go out into the hall.
"Remember, we got held up. Say nothing else." Fred reminded his girlfriend.
"I know." Angelina said.
They scurried to the ball and found the table where their friends were sitting.
"What did I tell you, fashionably late as ever." George laughed.
"What kept you?" Lee asked.
"We were...held up." Angelina replied airily. "I'm starving, how is the food."
"Its pretty good." Alicia said without looking at Angelina. She was still focused on Lee.
Angelina faced Katie who shrugged. "I don't know what is the matter with her tonight, she has been acting funny all evening." Katie tilted her head and Angelina knew Katie wanted her to elaborate on why she had been uncharacteristically late.
"Is that your brother Percy over there?" Angelina suddenly asked, changing the subject.
"It is." George answered, then seeing the look on his twin's face he continued. "We don't know what he's doing here. His social life can't be that bad that he'd return to Hogwarts."
"I don't know," Fred muttered. "His social life looked pretty bad to me."
"Look, dancing!" Angelina cried as she grabbed Fred by the hand and pulled him up and onto the floor. She lowered her voice so only he could hear. "Katie was about to start pressing me for information."
"So was George. What's up with Alicia? She seems a bit odd tonight."
"Maybe she's not feeling very well." Angelina suggested.
"If she sick, then she ought to go to the hospital wing."
"And miss the ball?" Angelina raised an eyebrow.
Fred laughed. "Let's dance!"
FIN
This was supposed to be a two part fic, then a three, but every time I sit down to write it out, it gets longer. Oh well. Hopefully the next chapter will be the conclusion. Expect Alicia to be completely embarrassed, and the canon stuff and the plots to come out.