Chapter Six: Mistletoe and Other Complications
"I can't believe you actually gave it to him," said Angelina, her eyes wide with shock.
She and Fred were wandering aimlessly through Hogsmeade Village, thoroughly enjoying their pre-Christmas visit, despite the cold.
"Yeah, well, George and I didn't need it anymore," said Fred non-chalantly. "I mean, we memorized that thing. And anyway, you and I both know the poor kid needs a break. After all his stuff with the Dementors..."
"No kidding," said Angelina. "I thought Wood was going to hurt himself after that first match. But Harry seems to be coming round pretty well."
"I'll say," said Fred heartily. "I think Wood is right, Angie. The cup really IS in the bag this year."
"It had better be," said Angelina, "or Wood will off himself and Harry will be scarred for life." She shivered. "I'm freezing. Let's get a drink, yeah?"
"Three Broomsticks?" said Fred.
"Nah," said Angelina. "A butterbeer'll put me to sleep at this point. How 'bout coffee at Madam Puddifoot's?"
"Oh, Angie, THAT place?" said Fred, groaning. "It's just so...frilly."
"I know," said Angelina, rolling her eyes. "But it's the only place to get decent coffee. Come ON, Fred."
"I am way, way too good to you, Angie."
The two of them trooped over to Madam Puddifoot's.
It was, indeed, a frilly sort of place. Bows and buntings were strewn everywhere, wrapped round chairs and tables. Over each little table (which each only sat two) was a fat cherub wearing a Santa Claus hat and throwing red and green confetti on everyone and everything.
The place was full to bursting with couples, most of them canoodling rather enthusiastically over their tables.
"You owe me for this," said Fred. "This place is ghastly."
"Isn't it?" said Angelina, grinning. "Let's go over there. Puddifoot forgot to get a cherub for that table."
"Thank god for small favors," said Fred dryly, and they sat down in a corner of the shop. The place was warm and snug, even if it did look like a lurid, gaudy gingerbread house. A short, fat witch waddled over.
"Happy Christmas, dears!" she said, her pink jowls shaking as she spoke. "What'll it be?"
"A coffee, a hot chocolate, and," Angelina said, grinning at Fred, "two pieces of chocolate cake."
"Excellent," said Fred gratefully. "You're the best, Ange."
"Very good, dears," said the witch, and she waddled away.
"So Fred, what are your plans this year?" said Angelina. "For Christmas."
"We're staying here again," said Fred. "Percy is bringing Penelope home for Christmas to meet Mum and Dad 'formally' and I don't think I can stomach being in the company of those two--Percy and Penelope, I mean--for more than about two seconds before I feel the overwhelming urge to puke."
"They are a bit nauseating," Angelina agreed. "Think they'll get married?"
"Are you kidding?" said Fred. "Head Boy and Head Girl? It's practically written in the stars. And you know what that means. More Percys to pollute the world."
"Here you are, dears," said the fat witch, as she laid out their hot drinks and warm chocolate cake. "Enjoy."
Angelina handed the witch some money before Fred could even reach into his robes for anything. The witch took it and gave a coolly appraising look at Fred. Fred blushed to the roots of his hair as the witch waddled off.
"Uh," he said, feeling very stupid, "sorry. I'll, uh, pay you back."
"Forget it," said Angelina, holding up her hands. "We're mates, yeah?"
"I know," said Fred glumly. "I just...hate...you know."
Angelina nodded and took a sip of her coffee. Fred sat motionless, feeling very foolish. He hated being poor!
"Uh, Fred, your hot chocolate'll get cold if you don't drink it," said Angelina gently.
Fred grinned up at her weakly and took a sip of the cocoa.
"Good stuff," he said, forcing himself to smile.
Angelina grinned and started to take another sip of her coffee.
"Damn!" she said angrily, and she looked up.
"What?" Fred looked up as well. A cherub was hovering above them, dangling a fat sprig of mistletoe over them.
"So much for my coffee," said Angelina sourly, picking a piece of the plant from her drink.
"You can still drink that, can't you?" said Fred.
"No," said Angelina, glumly. "Mistletoe's poisonous. Who knows what leeched out of that leaf when it hit my coffee. Guess I'll have to get another one."
"Don't do that," said Fred. "We can share." He slid his hot cocoa over to her. She smiled.
"Thanks," she said. "How romantic."
Fred rolled his eyes. "What are you on about now, girl?"
"Here I am sharing hot chocolate with a handsome boy and we're sitting under mistletoe," said Angelina, batting her eyes dramatically. "Isn't it just...ROMANTIC?"
Fred blushed. "You think I'm handsome?"
Angelina giggled. "Sure you are. Why, don't you think I'm pretty?"
"Are you kidding?" said Fred. "You're gorgeous."
"Why, thank you," said Angelina, in a very modest sort of voice.
Fred took a sip of the hot chocolate. He was feeling very warm now, and he was guessing it had little to do with the drink or the warmth of the tea shop. He and Angelina had become very close friends since last year, when she'd been there for him during that horrible ordeal with Ginny. Over the summer they'd written one another frequently--much to the shock of everyone in the family, as Fred never wrote anything unless he absolutely had to. But now that they were in their fifth year, Fred had noticed just how flirtatious his friendship with Angelina had become.
Fred wouldn't lie to himself. He was attracted to Angelina. He didn't quite see how any bloke COULDN'T be attracted to her. She was, indeed gorgeous. Smart. Tough. Funny. A genius Quidditch player. Who could resist her?
I can, thought Fred. And he had. This wasn't to say that he hadn't often gone to sleep with visions of her beautiful coffee and cream skin and her luscious, full mouth dancing in his brain. It wasn't to say he had on several occasions been tempted to cross that seemingly invisible line of friendship that they'd always had between them. But he never gave in to temptation.
As his best girl mate in the world, he'd never dream of pursuing her. That would be the downfall of the great thing they had. Angelina seemed to feel the same way. As it was, they both flirted with one another to let off steam, but actively sought attention from the opposite sex in other people.
Fred grinned wickedly at Angelina.
"You want romantic," he said, "why aren't you running round with Roger Davies?"
Angelina blushed and looked away. "Honestly, Fred."
"Come on, Angie, you've only blabbered about him to me, what, a hundred times," said Fred, giving her arm a playful punch.
"He's barely even looked at me," said Angelina, taking a sip of cocoa.
"Then he's blind AND stupid," said Fred.
"Thanks, I think," said Angelina. "And what about you? Any luck with what's her name? That blonde Ravenclaw? Marina Edgecombe?"
"Marietta," said Fred, drawing out her name like a chant. "Lovely Marietta. You know, I don't think Miss Edgecombe has quite caught on to my charms yet."
"Then SHE'S blind and stupid," said Angelina, grinning.
"How is it, Angie, that two such fabulous people as ourselves go so...unnoticed?"
"Unloved," said Angelina, taking up the theme and adding a dramatic note to it, even as she cut herself a small bite of cake with a flourish.
"Unappreciated," said Fred, shaking his head and taking his own bite of cake. "Damn, that's good cake."
"Mmm," said Angelina, taking a bite of the cake and chewing it decadently. "Heaven."
"Knock it off, Angie," said Fred, swatting her playfully. "Eating your cake like that."
"Is it turning you on?" said Angelina, smiling wickedly.
"Of course," said Fred.
"Pig," said Angelina.
"Tease," said Fred.
At this another piece of mistletoe floated gently down and landed on the table. Fred looked up in exasperation.
"Dammit," he said. "That cherub is STILL here? Oi, you! Fat little baby! Go away!"
The cherub smiled beatifically and waved the mistletoe.
"Go on, then!" said Angelina, waving a hand at him.
"He won't go, dears!" the fat witch called. "Not unless you kiss first!"
"What?" said Fred.
"You mean--" Angelina began.
"I'm afraid so, dears," said the witch, smiling. "It's the rule. Under the mistletoe and all."
"Bloody hell," said Angelina under her breath.
"Damn," said Fred.
"Maybe we should just go," said Angelina.
"No way," said Fred. "I want to have my cake and eat it, too, thank you."
"So, what?" said Angelina. "We just kiss and this stupid infant goes away?"
"I guess," said Fred.
"Won't that be weird, you and me...kissing?"
"You're not planning on sticking your tongue in my mouth are you, Johnson?" said Fred, grinning mischievously.
"You wish, Weasley," countered Angelina.
They looked at each other for a moment, and another piece of mistletoe floated down and landed on Fred's hair.
"Bloody hell," said Fred.
"Let's get this over with," said Angelina.
Fred nodded, and the two of them leaned over their table and kissed.
It was over in a split second. Just the briefest touch of the lips. A peck. Nothing behind it but purely platonic intentions. But as Fred sat down again his lips were tingling. Wow. He'd never felt that when kissing a girl before. And he'd kissed...a few.
"All right, then," said Angelina. They looked up to see that the stupid cherub was still there.
"Hey, idiot!" Fred called to the cherub. "We kissed. You can go now."
"Oh, he won't go over THAT," said a girl at the table next to them. Fred and Angelina turned to see a boy and a girl sitting very close together at the table. The girl was unfamiliar but the boy was Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff.
"What do you mean?" said Angelina.
"You have to REALLY kiss," said Cedric, grinning. "Like this."
And he leaned over and demonstrated a Real Kiss. Fred swallowed. That was definitely more than a friendly sort of kiss.
"Let's just go," he said to Angelina under his breath.
"Right." They started to get up, but the cherub began flying in circles round them, loosening more mistletoe as he went. They sat down again.
"You'd better do it," said Cedric. "Or that little bugger'll never leave you alone."
"Bloody hell," said Angelina and Fred together.
"Look, it's just a kiss," said Angelina after a moment.
"Right," said Fred.
"We've both kissed other people, yeah?" said Angelina. "So it's not like this is our first kiss ever or something."
"Who have you kissed?" said Fred.
She gave him The Look.
"Oh," said Fred. "Right. You'll tell me later."
"So," said Angelina. "Do you...want to...you know."
"I guess," said Fred. "I mean, that is, if you don't think it'll be...weird."
"I think we can handle it," said Angelina. "Can't we?"
"Yeah," said Fred, not entirely believing it.
Fred and Angelina looked at one another, then Angelina gave a sort of shrug. Fred shrugged back. They leaned close together, and just before Fred kissed her, Angelina licked her lips. Fred felt something stir in his...lower regions, but before he could process that completely, Angelina's lips were against his.
The tingle that he'd felt in his lips from that first quick peck was nothing compared to the tingle he felt now, a tingle that was spreading through his whole body. For a brief moment neither one of them moved, but then Angelina seemed to lean in a bit more and shift her head, just slightly, and Fred seemed to forget he was kissing his best girl mate ever and that he shouldn't be kissing her, and he kissed her. Their mouths opened of their own accord and Fred felt a surge in his trousers as their tongues brushed together. Her lips were as soft as...he didn't know what, but they were damn soft. Her mouth tasted like chocolate. Suddenly he was no longer in a tacky tea shop full of people. He was Somewhere Else, alone with Angelina, kissing. Like he'd never kissed anyone before.
She broke away abruptly.
"That...seemed to work," she said quickly. Her face was flushed and her lips were slightly pink. Fred blinked at looked up. The cherub was gone. Fred's eyes wandered over to the table next to theirs. Cedric Diggory was grinning at them triumphantly.
"See what I mean?" he said.
"Yeah," said Fred, feeling his face get hot. His trousers were pinching him rather badly. "Right."
He stood up, grateful that his robes hid certain things. Angelina didn't look at him but said, "Let's go, yeah?" And she hurried out of the tea shop, bumping into more than a few tables on the way out.
Fred hurried after her, in a bit of a daze. He was grateful to get outside, to feel the sting of the sharp cold air hit him like a reviving sort of slap. His brain was spinning.
He looked up and saw Angelina over by a tree, facing away from him. She looked very tense.
"Uh, Angie?" He approached her tentatively. "You okay?"
She turned to him. "Fine," she said, but her voice was tight.
"Look, uh, about what happened in there--"
"It's okay, Fred," she said.
"No, I shouldn't have--"
"I was there, too--"
"We're mates--"
"Best mates--"
"I just got a bit carried away--"
"Me, too," said Angie.
"Uh, does this...I mean, this isn't going to be weird now, is it?" said Fred. "I mean, with you and me?"
Angelina looked at him. "I...I dunno. I don't want things to be weird."
"Me, neither," Fred said fervently. He hated himself at that moment. He'd really, REALLY liked kissing her. But not if it was going to cost him their friendship.
"Look, Fred," said Angelina slowly. "You and me are best mates and, well, I'm not going to lie and say I haven't thought about you in...in a different way. You know."
"Yeah," said Fred. "I mean, uh, I've thought about that...about you...too. In a different way."
"Well, I mean, we're growing up, right?" said Angelina. "Hormones and all that?" She laughed nervously.
"Damn those silly hormones," said Fred, laughing as well--but it was just as forced.
"I just don't want to risk losing--"
"Our friendship," said Fred. "Me, neither."
"Okay," said Angelina. "So, uh, are we okay?"
"Yeah," said Fred. "You know, I think...I think we are."
Except that Fred didn't feel all that okay. He felt as though the rug of his very existence had been yanked out from under him. How many times had he stepped away from crossing the line with Angelina? Had he not just been thinking of that very thing only minutes before that stupid cherub got in the way? And here he had let himself kiss her--REALLY kiss her--over that same stupid cherub?
"Are you sure?" said Angelina anxiously, clearly reading his uncertain expression.
"I'm sure," said Fred firmly, forcing himself to believe it. In a way, he did.
"So, uh, no more kissing then?" said Angelina. "I mean, between you and me."
"Right," said Fred. "But as far as snogging other people, that's good."
"Absolutely," said Angelina.
"Great," said Fred, feeling a bit better about things. Okay, they'd crossed that unexpected hurdle. They'd kissed--a REAL kiss--and had survived it with their friendship intact. They could handle it.
As if to prove it to himself, Fred reverted to his old flirtatiousness.
"So, was I any good?" he asked, grinning, and without realizing it they started walking back toward the center of town.
"Good?" said Angelina absently. "At what? Kissing?"
"No, Potions," said Fred. "Yes, kissing."
"Not bad," said Angelina. "Pretty good, actually."
Fred grinned.
"Well?" said Angelina. "What about me?"
"Oh, right," said Fred, grinning even more broadly. Angelina swatted him on the back of the head.
He laughed. "You're great," said Fred. "Honest. Davies won't know what hit him."
"Thanks," said Angelina. "Now if only Roger Davies would get a clue and see how marvelous I am."
"And if only Marietta would see how fantastic I am," said Fred wistfully.
They walked on in companionable silence for a moment, when Fred remembered something.
"Hey," he said. "You told me you'd kissed someone before. Who?"
Angelina blushed. "Oh," she said. "Well, it was, uh...Lee Jordan. Actually."
Fred stopped in his tracks. Her words hit him like a ton of bricks to the gut.
"You...snogged Lee?"
Angelina looked away. She was blushing and looked horribly embarrassed.
"Once," said Angelina. "After, uh, after that first Quidditch match. With Hufflepuff. The one we lost."
"I don't want details, Angie!" said Fred, suddenly angry and not quite understanding why.
"Well, you asked!" said Angelina defensively.
"I didn't expect your answer to be my best mate!" said Fred, feeling sick even thinking about it. She could kiss any bloke in the school. Except Lee. Fred didn't know why this bothered him so much. He just knew that it did.
"What's it to you?" said Angelina hotly.
"He's my best mate!" Fred repeated.
"I'm your best mate, too!" said Angelina.
"That's different!" said Fred.
"Oh, for fuck's SAKE, Fred, it didn't mean anything, okay?" said Angelina, lapsing into one of her characteristic swears when she lost her temper.
"So why'd you do it, then?"
"Because I was bloody miserable after that match, okay?" said Angelina angrily. "As I recall you were busy yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"You think I didn't see you go off into the bleachers with Priscilla Parkinson?" said Angelina accusingly. "A bloody SLYTHERIN girl, Fred. I ask you!"
"Hey!" said Fred. "Priscilla is a perfectly nice girl!"
"For a Slytherin," said Angelina.
"At least she's not your best mate," said Fred.
"Why would I care if you snogged my best mate?" said Angelina. "Better Alicia than a SLYTHERIN."
"George would do his nut if I snogged Alicia and you know it," said Fred. "And...and...wait a minute! We're talking about you, not me! Why'd you do it, Angie? Why Lee?"
"Why not?" said Angelina. "I told you, it didn't MEAN anything! My god, Fred. We'd just lost the stupid match and Harry was all messed up and I was feeling horrible and Lee was just...there. Okay? It just happened. It's not like I have a crush on him and it's not like we're going out. I think I might have even broke his heart, all right? It's not like I even feel good about kissing him."
Fred opened his mouth to argue some more, but then gave up. It was ridiculous, he knew, to be yelling at her about this. Lee had had a crush on Angelina for ages. And here Angelina was feeling guilty about not returning Lee's affections.
Fred suddenly felt very stupid.
"You're right," he said. "I'm sorry, Angie. I dunno why I got so wound up about that. It was just...weird. Hearing about you and Lee. Sort of like it would be weird if you kissed my brother."
"Now THAT would be weird," said Angelina, grinning.
"You forgive me?" said Fred.
"You're forgiven," said Angelina. "Although I'm not sure I should. You and Parkinson. Ugh!"
"Hey, I'll have you know Priscilla Parkinson's damn good at snogging," said Fred. "Even if she is a Slytherin."
"I can't believe your lips touched a Slytherin," said Angelina. "And then-- ew!--you kissed me! I'll have to wash my mouth out for a week!"
"Thanks a lot," said Fred. "You're a real pal, Angie."
Angelina laughed. "Just kidding!"
And once again, things were okay between them. Fred was relieved. The whole day had been rather bizarre and disconcerting. They had crossed a line, twice. First with that kiss and then with Fred's...jealousy. But they seemed to have overcome those things, and were back to normal.
Fred and Angelina continued through town toward the school, when Fred realized he couldn't resist asking her one last teasing question.
"So, is Lee as good a kisser as I am?"
Angelina's response was to swat him on the back of the head.
"I can't believe you actually gave it to him," said Angelina, her eyes wide with shock.
She and Fred were wandering aimlessly through Hogsmeade Village, thoroughly enjoying their pre-Christmas visit, despite the cold.
"Yeah, well, George and I didn't need it anymore," said Fred non-chalantly. "I mean, we memorized that thing. And anyway, you and I both know the poor kid needs a break. After all his stuff with the Dementors..."
"No kidding," said Angelina. "I thought Wood was going to hurt himself after that first match. But Harry seems to be coming round pretty well."
"I'll say," said Fred heartily. "I think Wood is right, Angie. The cup really IS in the bag this year."
"It had better be," said Angelina, "or Wood will off himself and Harry will be scarred for life." She shivered. "I'm freezing. Let's get a drink, yeah?"
"Three Broomsticks?" said Fred.
"Nah," said Angelina. "A butterbeer'll put me to sleep at this point. How 'bout coffee at Madam Puddifoot's?"
"Oh, Angie, THAT place?" said Fred, groaning. "It's just so...frilly."
"I know," said Angelina, rolling her eyes. "But it's the only place to get decent coffee. Come ON, Fred."
"I am way, way too good to you, Angie."
The two of them trooped over to Madam Puddifoot's.
It was, indeed, a frilly sort of place. Bows and buntings were strewn everywhere, wrapped round chairs and tables. Over each little table (which each only sat two) was a fat cherub wearing a Santa Claus hat and throwing red and green confetti on everyone and everything.
The place was full to bursting with couples, most of them canoodling rather enthusiastically over their tables.
"You owe me for this," said Fred. "This place is ghastly."
"Isn't it?" said Angelina, grinning. "Let's go over there. Puddifoot forgot to get a cherub for that table."
"Thank god for small favors," said Fred dryly, and they sat down in a corner of the shop. The place was warm and snug, even if it did look like a lurid, gaudy gingerbread house. A short, fat witch waddled over.
"Happy Christmas, dears!" she said, her pink jowls shaking as she spoke. "What'll it be?"
"A coffee, a hot chocolate, and," Angelina said, grinning at Fred, "two pieces of chocolate cake."
"Excellent," said Fred gratefully. "You're the best, Ange."
"Very good, dears," said the witch, and she waddled away.
"So Fred, what are your plans this year?" said Angelina. "For Christmas."
"We're staying here again," said Fred. "Percy is bringing Penelope home for Christmas to meet Mum and Dad 'formally' and I don't think I can stomach being in the company of those two--Percy and Penelope, I mean--for more than about two seconds before I feel the overwhelming urge to puke."
"They are a bit nauseating," Angelina agreed. "Think they'll get married?"
"Are you kidding?" said Fred. "Head Boy and Head Girl? It's practically written in the stars. And you know what that means. More Percys to pollute the world."
"Here you are, dears," said the fat witch, as she laid out their hot drinks and warm chocolate cake. "Enjoy."
Angelina handed the witch some money before Fred could even reach into his robes for anything. The witch took it and gave a coolly appraising look at Fred. Fred blushed to the roots of his hair as the witch waddled off.
"Uh," he said, feeling very stupid, "sorry. I'll, uh, pay you back."
"Forget it," said Angelina, holding up her hands. "We're mates, yeah?"
"I know," said Fred glumly. "I just...hate...you know."
Angelina nodded and took a sip of her coffee. Fred sat motionless, feeling very foolish. He hated being poor!
"Uh, Fred, your hot chocolate'll get cold if you don't drink it," said Angelina gently.
Fred grinned up at her weakly and took a sip of the cocoa.
"Good stuff," he said, forcing himself to smile.
Angelina grinned and started to take another sip of her coffee.
"Damn!" she said angrily, and she looked up.
"What?" Fred looked up as well. A cherub was hovering above them, dangling a fat sprig of mistletoe over them.
"So much for my coffee," said Angelina sourly, picking a piece of the plant from her drink.
"You can still drink that, can't you?" said Fred.
"No," said Angelina, glumly. "Mistletoe's poisonous. Who knows what leeched out of that leaf when it hit my coffee. Guess I'll have to get another one."
"Don't do that," said Fred. "We can share." He slid his hot cocoa over to her. She smiled.
"Thanks," she said. "How romantic."
Fred rolled his eyes. "What are you on about now, girl?"
"Here I am sharing hot chocolate with a handsome boy and we're sitting under mistletoe," said Angelina, batting her eyes dramatically. "Isn't it just...ROMANTIC?"
Fred blushed. "You think I'm handsome?"
Angelina giggled. "Sure you are. Why, don't you think I'm pretty?"
"Are you kidding?" said Fred. "You're gorgeous."
"Why, thank you," said Angelina, in a very modest sort of voice.
Fred took a sip of the hot chocolate. He was feeling very warm now, and he was guessing it had little to do with the drink or the warmth of the tea shop. He and Angelina had become very close friends since last year, when she'd been there for him during that horrible ordeal with Ginny. Over the summer they'd written one another frequently--much to the shock of everyone in the family, as Fred never wrote anything unless he absolutely had to. But now that they were in their fifth year, Fred had noticed just how flirtatious his friendship with Angelina had become.
Fred wouldn't lie to himself. He was attracted to Angelina. He didn't quite see how any bloke COULDN'T be attracted to her. She was, indeed gorgeous. Smart. Tough. Funny. A genius Quidditch player. Who could resist her?
I can, thought Fred. And he had. This wasn't to say that he hadn't often gone to sleep with visions of her beautiful coffee and cream skin and her luscious, full mouth dancing in his brain. It wasn't to say he had on several occasions been tempted to cross that seemingly invisible line of friendship that they'd always had between them. But he never gave in to temptation.
As his best girl mate in the world, he'd never dream of pursuing her. That would be the downfall of the great thing they had. Angelina seemed to feel the same way. As it was, they both flirted with one another to let off steam, but actively sought attention from the opposite sex in other people.
Fred grinned wickedly at Angelina.
"You want romantic," he said, "why aren't you running round with Roger Davies?"
Angelina blushed and looked away. "Honestly, Fred."
"Come on, Angie, you've only blabbered about him to me, what, a hundred times," said Fred, giving her arm a playful punch.
"He's barely even looked at me," said Angelina, taking a sip of cocoa.
"Then he's blind AND stupid," said Fred.
"Thanks, I think," said Angelina. "And what about you? Any luck with what's her name? That blonde Ravenclaw? Marina Edgecombe?"
"Marietta," said Fred, drawing out her name like a chant. "Lovely Marietta. You know, I don't think Miss Edgecombe has quite caught on to my charms yet."
"Then SHE'S blind and stupid," said Angelina, grinning.
"How is it, Angie, that two such fabulous people as ourselves go so...unnoticed?"
"Unloved," said Angelina, taking up the theme and adding a dramatic note to it, even as she cut herself a small bite of cake with a flourish.
"Unappreciated," said Fred, shaking his head and taking his own bite of cake. "Damn, that's good cake."
"Mmm," said Angelina, taking a bite of the cake and chewing it decadently. "Heaven."
"Knock it off, Angie," said Fred, swatting her playfully. "Eating your cake like that."
"Is it turning you on?" said Angelina, smiling wickedly.
"Of course," said Fred.
"Pig," said Angelina.
"Tease," said Fred.
At this another piece of mistletoe floated gently down and landed on the table. Fred looked up in exasperation.
"Dammit," he said. "That cherub is STILL here? Oi, you! Fat little baby! Go away!"
The cherub smiled beatifically and waved the mistletoe.
"Go on, then!" said Angelina, waving a hand at him.
"He won't go, dears!" the fat witch called. "Not unless you kiss first!"
"What?" said Fred.
"You mean--" Angelina began.
"I'm afraid so, dears," said the witch, smiling. "It's the rule. Under the mistletoe and all."
"Bloody hell," said Angelina under her breath.
"Damn," said Fred.
"Maybe we should just go," said Angelina.
"No way," said Fred. "I want to have my cake and eat it, too, thank you."
"So, what?" said Angelina. "We just kiss and this stupid infant goes away?"
"I guess," said Fred.
"Won't that be weird, you and me...kissing?"
"You're not planning on sticking your tongue in my mouth are you, Johnson?" said Fred, grinning mischievously.
"You wish, Weasley," countered Angelina.
They looked at each other for a moment, and another piece of mistletoe floated down and landed on Fred's hair.
"Bloody hell," said Fred.
"Let's get this over with," said Angelina.
Fred nodded, and the two of them leaned over their table and kissed.
It was over in a split second. Just the briefest touch of the lips. A peck. Nothing behind it but purely platonic intentions. But as Fred sat down again his lips were tingling. Wow. He'd never felt that when kissing a girl before. And he'd kissed...a few.
"All right, then," said Angelina. They looked up to see that the stupid cherub was still there.
"Hey, idiot!" Fred called to the cherub. "We kissed. You can go now."
"Oh, he won't go over THAT," said a girl at the table next to them. Fred and Angelina turned to see a boy and a girl sitting very close together at the table. The girl was unfamiliar but the boy was Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff.
"What do you mean?" said Angelina.
"You have to REALLY kiss," said Cedric, grinning. "Like this."
And he leaned over and demonstrated a Real Kiss. Fred swallowed. That was definitely more than a friendly sort of kiss.
"Let's just go," he said to Angelina under his breath.
"Right." They started to get up, but the cherub began flying in circles round them, loosening more mistletoe as he went. They sat down again.
"You'd better do it," said Cedric. "Or that little bugger'll never leave you alone."
"Bloody hell," said Angelina and Fred together.
"Look, it's just a kiss," said Angelina after a moment.
"Right," said Fred.
"We've both kissed other people, yeah?" said Angelina. "So it's not like this is our first kiss ever or something."
"Who have you kissed?" said Fred.
She gave him The Look.
"Oh," said Fred. "Right. You'll tell me later."
"So," said Angelina. "Do you...want to...you know."
"I guess," said Fred. "I mean, that is, if you don't think it'll be...weird."
"I think we can handle it," said Angelina. "Can't we?"
"Yeah," said Fred, not entirely believing it.
Fred and Angelina looked at one another, then Angelina gave a sort of shrug. Fred shrugged back. They leaned close together, and just before Fred kissed her, Angelina licked her lips. Fred felt something stir in his...lower regions, but before he could process that completely, Angelina's lips were against his.
The tingle that he'd felt in his lips from that first quick peck was nothing compared to the tingle he felt now, a tingle that was spreading through his whole body. For a brief moment neither one of them moved, but then Angelina seemed to lean in a bit more and shift her head, just slightly, and Fred seemed to forget he was kissing his best girl mate ever and that he shouldn't be kissing her, and he kissed her. Their mouths opened of their own accord and Fred felt a surge in his trousers as their tongues brushed together. Her lips were as soft as...he didn't know what, but they were damn soft. Her mouth tasted like chocolate. Suddenly he was no longer in a tacky tea shop full of people. He was Somewhere Else, alone with Angelina, kissing. Like he'd never kissed anyone before.
She broke away abruptly.
"That...seemed to work," she said quickly. Her face was flushed and her lips were slightly pink. Fred blinked at looked up. The cherub was gone. Fred's eyes wandered over to the table next to theirs. Cedric Diggory was grinning at them triumphantly.
"See what I mean?" he said.
"Yeah," said Fred, feeling his face get hot. His trousers were pinching him rather badly. "Right."
He stood up, grateful that his robes hid certain things. Angelina didn't look at him but said, "Let's go, yeah?" And she hurried out of the tea shop, bumping into more than a few tables on the way out.
Fred hurried after her, in a bit of a daze. He was grateful to get outside, to feel the sting of the sharp cold air hit him like a reviving sort of slap. His brain was spinning.
He looked up and saw Angelina over by a tree, facing away from him. She looked very tense.
"Uh, Angie?" He approached her tentatively. "You okay?"
She turned to him. "Fine," she said, but her voice was tight.
"Look, uh, about what happened in there--"
"It's okay, Fred," she said.
"No, I shouldn't have--"
"I was there, too--"
"We're mates--"
"Best mates--"
"I just got a bit carried away--"
"Me, too," said Angie.
"Uh, does this...I mean, this isn't going to be weird now, is it?" said Fred. "I mean, with you and me?"
Angelina looked at him. "I...I dunno. I don't want things to be weird."
"Me, neither," Fred said fervently. He hated himself at that moment. He'd really, REALLY liked kissing her. But not if it was going to cost him their friendship.
"Look, Fred," said Angelina slowly. "You and me are best mates and, well, I'm not going to lie and say I haven't thought about you in...in a different way. You know."
"Yeah," said Fred. "I mean, uh, I've thought about that...about you...too. In a different way."
"Well, I mean, we're growing up, right?" said Angelina. "Hormones and all that?" She laughed nervously.
"Damn those silly hormones," said Fred, laughing as well--but it was just as forced.
"I just don't want to risk losing--"
"Our friendship," said Fred. "Me, neither."
"Okay," said Angelina. "So, uh, are we okay?"
"Yeah," said Fred. "You know, I think...I think we are."
Except that Fred didn't feel all that okay. He felt as though the rug of his very existence had been yanked out from under him. How many times had he stepped away from crossing the line with Angelina? Had he not just been thinking of that very thing only minutes before that stupid cherub got in the way? And here he had let himself kiss her--REALLY kiss her--over that same stupid cherub?
"Are you sure?" said Angelina anxiously, clearly reading his uncertain expression.
"I'm sure," said Fred firmly, forcing himself to believe it. In a way, he did.
"So, uh, no more kissing then?" said Angelina. "I mean, between you and me."
"Right," said Fred. "But as far as snogging other people, that's good."
"Absolutely," said Angelina.
"Great," said Fred, feeling a bit better about things. Okay, they'd crossed that unexpected hurdle. They'd kissed--a REAL kiss--and had survived it with their friendship intact. They could handle it.
As if to prove it to himself, Fred reverted to his old flirtatiousness.
"So, was I any good?" he asked, grinning, and without realizing it they started walking back toward the center of town.
"Good?" said Angelina absently. "At what? Kissing?"
"No, Potions," said Fred. "Yes, kissing."
"Not bad," said Angelina. "Pretty good, actually."
Fred grinned.
"Well?" said Angelina. "What about me?"
"Oh, right," said Fred, grinning even more broadly. Angelina swatted him on the back of the head.
He laughed. "You're great," said Fred. "Honest. Davies won't know what hit him."
"Thanks," said Angelina. "Now if only Roger Davies would get a clue and see how marvelous I am."
"And if only Marietta would see how fantastic I am," said Fred wistfully.
They walked on in companionable silence for a moment, when Fred remembered something.
"Hey," he said. "You told me you'd kissed someone before. Who?"
Angelina blushed. "Oh," she said. "Well, it was, uh...Lee Jordan. Actually."
Fred stopped in his tracks. Her words hit him like a ton of bricks to the gut.
"You...snogged Lee?"
Angelina looked away. She was blushing and looked horribly embarrassed.
"Once," said Angelina. "After, uh, after that first Quidditch match. With Hufflepuff. The one we lost."
"I don't want details, Angie!" said Fred, suddenly angry and not quite understanding why.
"Well, you asked!" said Angelina defensively.
"I didn't expect your answer to be my best mate!" said Fred, feeling sick even thinking about it. She could kiss any bloke in the school. Except Lee. Fred didn't know why this bothered him so much. He just knew that it did.
"What's it to you?" said Angelina hotly.
"He's my best mate!" Fred repeated.
"I'm your best mate, too!" said Angelina.
"That's different!" said Fred.
"Oh, for fuck's SAKE, Fred, it didn't mean anything, okay?" said Angelina, lapsing into one of her characteristic swears when she lost her temper.
"So why'd you do it, then?"
"Because I was bloody miserable after that match, okay?" said Angelina angrily. "As I recall you were busy yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"You think I didn't see you go off into the bleachers with Priscilla Parkinson?" said Angelina accusingly. "A bloody SLYTHERIN girl, Fred. I ask you!"
"Hey!" said Fred. "Priscilla is a perfectly nice girl!"
"For a Slytherin," said Angelina.
"At least she's not your best mate," said Fred.
"Why would I care if you snogged my best mate?" said Angelina. "Better Alicia than a SLYTHERIN."
"George would do his nut if I snogged Alicia and you know it," said Fred. "And...and...wait a minute! We're talking about you, not me! Why'd you do it, Angie? Why Lee?"
"Why not?" said Angelina. "I told you, it didn't MEAN anything! My god, Fred. We'd just lost the stupid match and Harry was all messed up and I was feeling horrible and Lee was just...there. Okay? It just happened. It's not like I have a crush on him and it's not like we're going out. I think I might have even broke his heart, all right? It's not like I even feel good about kissing him."
Fred opened his mouth to argue some more, but then gave up. It was ridiculous, he knew, to be yelling at her about this. Lee had had a crush on Angelina for ages. And here Angelina was feeling guilty about not returning Lee's affections.
Fred suddenly felt very stupid.
"You're right," he said. "I'm sorry, Angie. I dunno why I got so wound up about that. It was just...weird. Hearing about you and Lee. Sort of like it would be weird if you kissed my brother."
"Now THAT would be weird," said Angelina, grinning.
"You forgive me?" said Fred.
"You're forgiven," said Angelina. "Although I'm not sure I should. You and Parkinson. Ugh!"
"Hey, I'll have you know Priscilla Parkinson's damn good at snogging," said Fred. "Even if she is a Slytherin."
"I can't believe your lips touched a Slytherin," said Angelina. "And then-- ew!--you kissed me! I'll have to wash my mouth out for a week!"
"Thanks a lot," said Fred. "You're a real pal, Angie."
Angelina laughed. "Just kidding!"
And once again, things were okay between them. Fred was relieved. The whole day had been rather bizarre and disconcerting. They had crossed a line, twice. First with that kiss and then with Fred's...jealousy. But they seemed to have overcome those things, and were back to normal.
Fred and Angelina continued through town toward the school, when Fred realized he couldn't resist asking her one last teasing question.
"So, is Lee as good a kisser as I am?"
Angelina's response was to swat him on the back of the head.