"Even the Best Laid Plans"
Part Four
"How is this?" Fred asked as he twirled Angelina around on the dance floor. Angelina laughed and spun him around in return. They were dancing with so much enthusiasm that people feared accidental injury. There was a lot of empty space between them and the nearest dancers.
George and Katie had just finished interrogating Percy, when he noticed a familiar person in the room. He whispered something in his date's ear as the song ended and collected his twin.
"Bagman over there. Now." George hissed. Fred nodded and allowed his twin to lead him over to the Ministry official. Angelina had heard of the trouble getting their money from Bagman and watched the proceedings with interest and no small amount of amusement.
"Remember us?" Fred asked in his best tone of sarcasm and mock innocence. He was pleased to note the flash of annoyance on Bagman's face.
"You owe us." George chimed in.
"I can't pay you now." Bagman whispered, glancing fervently around the room as though other people would crawl out from under the tables to demand money off him.
"That was our savings." Fred said harshly. "We were going to use that to start up a joke shop after graduation."
"I know some people at Zonko's, you back off for a bit and I'll put you in contact with them." Bagman promised backing away, obviously eager to wash his hands of the pair.
"All right. We'll back off." George agreed.
"But only for a bit." Said Fred.
Bagman scowled at them. Then he scurried off towards Percy.
"I hope my brothers weren't bothering you, Mr. Bagman?" They heard Percy say as soon as Bagman came within range of easy conversation. He shot the twins irritated looks, to which they replied with wide grins.
"What? Oh not at all, not at all! No they were telling me a bit more about those fake wands of theirs. Wondering if I could advise them on the marketing. I've promised to put them in touch with a couple of contacts of mine at Zonko's Joke Shop..."
George watched Percy frown, then walked away from Bagman and Percy to find Katie. He found her with Angelina, talking and giggling madly.
"What's so funny?" Fred asked as he joined them a minute later. He put an arm around Angelina.
"Your brother." Angelina indicated Ron, who was watching Hermione Granger and Viktor Krum intently. Ron's date, Padma Patil, looked very put out that he was not interested in dancing with her. She finally left him for the Beauxbatons boys a few minutes later.
"I smell an incredible opportunity for embarrassing ickle Ronniekins." Fred said, making a show of sniffing the air loudly.
"You wouldn't embarrass him too much," George disagreed. "I don't think he even realizes that he likes Hermione. Better wait until he does something about it. Richer joke fodder."
"Sounds like another brother I have." Fred said as he and Angelina exchanged a knowing look.
George was about to demand that he explain that remark, when Lee and Alicia joined them. Lee appeared embarrassed and irritated by Alicia, who insisted on clinging to his arm and staring rapturously up at him. She loved like a lovesick deer.
"Looks like Jordan has a growth on his arm." Katie noted to George.
"I though that Alicia just considered him a friend." George commented. "Besides, aren't they both dating other people?"
"Supposedly. Alicia is seeing Bryce, and Lee is dating Tilda. I thought they were only going to the ball as friends. Apparently she has changed her mind overnight. Typical Alicia." Katie said as she watched Lee tried to pry Alicia off him.
"What is the matter with Alicia?" Angelina whispered to Katie. "I have never seen her act like that with any guy."
Katie shrugged. "She acts like she swallowed a bottle of love potion."
Angelina froze, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had just been thrown on her, but Katie was too busy watching Lee and Alicia to notice.
"I see you acquired the courage to ask George, did the potion help at all?" Angelina asked as casually as she could.
"I didn't need it. I am a Gryffindor after all. I gave it to Alicia."
Angelina bit her lip to keep herself from cursing. Then she grabbed Fred and dragged him into an alcove.
"Most folks are heading for the rosebushes." Fred teased, waggling an eyebrow in that way Angelina always thought was so adorable. She kissed him before she spoke.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. We have a problem." Angelina said in her most no-nonsense voice.
"What kind of problem?" Fred asked.
"Katie told me she gave the love potion to Alicia."
Understanding dawned on Fred's face and his eyes flicked to where Alicia was inching her way closer to Lee, watching his every move.
"I should have guessed." Fred muttered. "George didn't act like he took it, but I thought Katie did."
"George probably thought it was a joke. You do have a reputation, but we need to tell Lee. He probably thinks Alicia has gone completely insane."
Fred nodded. "I'll distract Alicia, you break the news to Lee?"
"Deal."
Fred walked across the dance floor to Alicia. "Hey Alicia, Angelina is a bit tired and wants to take a break, but I feel like dancing the night away. I know Lee is an terrible dancer, so how about a dance with me?"
Alicia opened her mouth to protest, but Fred was already whipping her along the dance floor. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Angelina easing Lee over to the alcove. Katie and George were too busy dancing with each other to pay attention to the antics of the others.
* * *
"What is so important you had to drag me over here?" Lee grumbled. His temper was already strained by Alicia's sudden attitude change toward him.
"Fred and I wanted to set up Katie and George. We gave them a love potion, but Alicia ended up with it." Angelina hurriedly explained.
"That explains the way she has been acting." Lee said. He watched Alicia try to break away from Fred.
"Alicia is going to be horrified when it wears off." Angelina said.
"When will it wear off?"
"It depends on how much she drank. Maybe later tonight, but definitely by tomorrow."
"Maybe we ought to just stun her and save her from any additional embarrassment ?" Lee suggested. "I could ask her to go back to the dorms, stun her there and let her sleep the potion off."
"Good idea." Angelina said after a moment.
Lee returned to his overly enthusiastic date and Angelina told Fred the plan. They quickly headed back to the Common Room. Lee had no trouble luring Alicia away from the ball. Fred and Angelina did a quick check of Gryffindor tower to make sure there was no one in the Common Room, then positioned themselves by the door. A few minutes later, Alicia and Lee climbed out of the portrait hole.
"Stupefy!" Angelina and Fred cried, wands pointed at Alicia.
Alicia crumbled to the floor, her dark red robes pooling about her.
"Mobilcorpus." Lee said, waving his wand over the stunned witch. Alicia's body rose off the floor, the skirts of her dark red robes just sweeping the ground.
Fred and Lee started to follow Angelina toward the girl's dormitory. Just as they were about to head up the stairs, an angry Ron Weasley stormed into the room. He skidded to a halt and watched his brother, Angelina, Lee and the unconscious Alicia with eyes wide and an mouth open.
"Don't say anything. You did not see anything." Fred insisted.
Ron brushed his brother's words off. "What are you doing?"
"Alicia got into some potions that didn't really agree with her. We're helping Angelina carry her to bed." Lee said brightly.
"Sure," Ron said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Its true." Angelina insisted, but Ron refused to back down. He crossed his arms over his chest with his wand out, obviously waiting for an explanation. Then Angelina had an idea. "You won't say anything to anyone about this. Not even your friend Harry."
"Or you'll knock me out or drug me too?" Ron asked.
Angelina grinned wickedly. "No, but I will tell everyone that you fancy your little friend Hermione."
Ron turned a very bright shade of red, as though he had just acquired a bad sunburn or smeared blush all over his face. "That's not true!" He squeaked in a rather unconvincing tone.
Angelina shrugged nonchalantly. "Does it matter if its true? Everyone will believe it."
Ron glared daggers at Angelina. "Fine. I won't tell anyone." Then he threw himself on a crouch to sulk.
"You are wonderful." Fred whispered to Angelina, who smiled. He started to lean over to kiss her when Lee cleared his throat.
"Let's get Alicia up before anyone else stumbles across us." Lee hissed. "You two can snog later."
Angelina blushed, but did not argue. She pointed out Alicia's bed and they deposited her there before slipping back down the stairs. Hermione had returned and was engaged in an argument with Ron. Neither noticed Angelina and Fred slipping back out or Lee heading for his own bed.
To be continued...
Next chapter will be the last, it was either cut it in two or drag the wait out even longer since the finale continues to be a bit too flat, though it improves with each draft.