Disclaimer: You know the drill.

A/N: Finally! Hurrah! I know I sound repetitive, but sorry for the delay. I have plenty of excuses…I doubt you want to hear them. When I was planning this chapter in my head it was nothing like what you're about to read. This is what came out when I sat down at the computer. I also said that Oliver would be in this chapter. He isn't. Sorry. I screwed up my timeline – the Hogsmeade visit isn't till after Christmas. I ended up adding an extra week to December as it is. December now has 5 weeks thanks to me.

Anyhow, I also wasn't planning for this chapter to be so pivotal and angsty. You may have inferred from the title that someone reaches their breaking point. It should be obvious who it is.

This chapter is dedicated to my 500th reviewer. The problem is I'm not sure exactly who that is. It's either droplets of hope, Marblez or Lenka. My review numbers are confusingly inconsistent. I also want to thank my anonymous reviewer 'READER'. When you said it had been 65 days since an update it really woke me up. Thank you.

Chapter 39

Alicia,

How have you been? I heard there is no Quidditch tournament this year. I'm glad I graduated last year. I definitely wouldn't have been able to cope. How is everyone? Are Fred and Angelina back together yet?

In case you're wondering, professional Quidditch is treating me well. I'm learning a lot and my game is already improving. Puddlemere is a great club and I'm having heaps of fun.

I miss everyone. That's why I'm writing to you. I was hoping we could all have a few Butterbeers at The Three Broomsticks during your next Hogsmeade visit. When you find out when it is, let me know. I'm going to bring one of my teammates. She really wants to meet you all.

Hope to see you soon,

Oliver.

Alicia re-read it. She was hoping she might have mis-read it. Nope. There it was in dark blue ink. She really wants to meet you all. She? Oliver was bringing a she?

Alicia shoved the letter into her pocket and scrambled up off the grass. She threw the rest of her sandwich into the lake for the giant squid. Barely suppressing the urge to sprint, Alicia hurried back to the castle and through the front doors. As if getting a date for the Yule Ball wasn't bad enough, now she had to worry about…

"Ow!" Alicia yelped as she collided heavily with someone coming around the corner.

This someone grabbed her arm to stop her falling. "You all right?"

Alicia shrugged away angrily. "Can't you watch where you're going?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry."

Alicia blushed when she realised she had run into a tall, good-looking boy. He ran a hand through his dark hair and looked her up and down. "You're Alicia Spinnet."

Alicia gave him a surprised look. Crap. Was she supposed to know his name? She might have seen him around but she didn't think she knew his name. He noticed her discomfort and smiled easily. "Don't worry, we've never formally met. I've seen you play Quidditch. You're very good."

"Oh…thanks."

"My name's Daniel Ridley." He held out his hand and Alicia shook it hesitantly. "I'm a seventh year Ravenclaw."

"Nice to meet you," she said carefully. The way he was looking at her was making her feel a little awkward.

"This might sound forward, but do you have a date for the Yule Ball?"

Alicia's heart began to pound. A cute guy was actually asking her to the Ball! "Er, no, I don't have a date."

"Would you like to accompany me to the Ball?" Daniel asked.

Alicia's mind struggled to catch up. She hardly knew this guy! Then again, he was pretty cute. What the hell. It wasn't like she had a lot of options. "Sure, I'd love to go to the Ball with you."

"Great! I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall at eight."

Alicia finally managed to smile. "Sure. See you then."

In a daze, she made it back to Gryffindor tower. She was just in time to grab her bag and run to Potions. She was so preoccupied with her newfound luck that she forgot to add an ingredient to her potion. Snape yelled at her and took ten points from Gryffindor, but she hardly noticed.

She had a date! Wait till the others found out. George would be so happy for her!

Unfortunately, she didn't get to talk to George at dinner or even after it. He and Fred were busy with some secret project. She decided she'd rather not know what they were up to. Later that night, she did get a chance to talk to Angelina.

"What's up with Katie?" Angelina asked as they sat in a pair of armchairs in front of the fire.

Alicia shrugged. "I think it has something to do with Lee. He asked another girl to the Yule Ball yesterday. I think she's faking an illness so she doesn't have to face him."

"Poor girl," Angelina said solemnly.

"What about you?" Alicia inquired with a grin. "Has Fred asked you yet?"

Angelina shook her head and stared at her hands. "No, but it doesn't matter," she lied. "What about you?"

Alicia gave a shy little giggle. "A Ravenclaw asked me earlier today and I said yes."

Angelina gasped. "That's great! Is he cute?"

"Yeah. He seems really nice. He told me I was a good Quidditch player."

"You're the first of the Gryffindor Chasers to get a date," Angelina pointed out.

Alicia hadn't even considered that. She never would have thought she'd get a date before Angelina and Katie.

"But other guys must have already asked you," Alicia said.

"Well, I was asked four times yesterday," Angelina admitted. Alicia gaped at her and she laughed. "Relax. The same weird guy asked me four times. He just wouldn't let up. It was creepy."

"It sounds horrible," Alicia said sympathetically. "Don't worry, I'm sure Fred is going to ask you any day now."

"If he doesn't do it soon I'm not going at all. I don't think I could stand watching him dance with another girl."

Alicia gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. "You and Katie can have your own little pity party on Christmas night. I'll be dancing up a storm with-"

"Oi! Angelina!"

Both turned to see Fred and George sitting at a table with Harry, Ron and Hermione. George gave Alicia a clandestine wink. She grinned back, knowing immediately what it signalled.

"What?" Angelina called back. Alicia noticed that she was twisting her hands in her lap.

"Want to come to the Ball with me?" Fred asked without a hint of embarrassment, even though dozens of people were watching him curiously.

Angelina pretended to think it over. "All right, then."

Fred turned back to Harry and Ron. Angelina turned back to Alicia. The grin on her face said it all. Alicia would never forget that look of relief and joy.

"I told you so."

"Looks like I'll be going to the Ball after all," Angelina said, the grin never leaving her face. "Mind you, I wasn't worried for a minute. I knew he'd ask me eventually."

Alicia raised her eyebrows dubiously. Angelina dissolved into a fit of giggles and Alicia quickly followed.

Alicia did not get a chance to talk to George for the rest of the week. He was still working on that top-secret project and Snape had given them an essay that was due on the last day of term. Alicia kept trying to spot Daniel at mealtime but he never seemed to be there.

On Sunday evening she was in the common room writing a reply to Oliver's letter. She was almost finished the letter when George joined her. He stood across the table from her and waited expectantly for her look up. She signed her name with a flourish and smiled up at him.

"All right, Leesh?" he asked.

"Great," she answered cheerfully as she rolled up her letter and tied a red ribbon around it.

"That's good. Mind if I sit down?"

Alicia frowned. Since when did George bother to ask if he could sit down? "Of course you can."

"Thanks," he said stiffly. He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. "So who's the letter for?"

"Oliver."

"Oh. What does he want?"

Even Alicia didn't miss the icy tone of his voice. "I got a letter from him on Tuesday. He says he wants to meet up with all of us during the next Hogsmeade visit. He's going to bring one of his teammates. A woman."

"His new girlfriend?" George wondered.

Alicia shrugged. "Maybe. He didn't specify in the letter."

George eyed her curiously. "You actually agreed to meet this woman?"

"At first I didn't want to…now it doesn't seem to matter if he has a girlfriend or not. He's moved on and so have I," Alicia said proudly.

"Moved on?" George repeated slowly. "What does that mean?"

She leant across the table and whispered, "I've got a date for the Yule Ball."

There was no reply of "That's great!" or "Congratulations!" from George. His nostrils flared and his ears turned red. "What?"

"I've got a date," she repeated, the confusion evident in her voice. "His name is Daniel and he's in Ravenclaw. He asked me on Tuesday. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" George yelled. "Everything's wrong! It's not fair!"

"George, keep it down, everyone is staring," Alicia hissed.

This only served to make him yell louder. "I don't care! I really don't! Let everyone know how utterly stupid you are!"

Alicia's mouth fell open comically. She was stupid now? Talk about a dramatic mood swing. Something was really bothering George.

"Oh, don't give me that blank look," he sneered. He stood up and glared down at her. "Open your eyes, Alicia! Put all the pieces together in that pretty little head of yours!"

"I don't appreciate being yelled at," Alicia said under her breath, still conscious that everyone was staring at her.

"Well, I don't appreciate being ignored and taken for granted!" He kicked a chair out of his way, sending it clattering across the silent common room. "I hope you know what you're doing because I won't be there to help you pick up the pieces anymore."

George stormed off towards the boys' stairs. Alicia felt like hiding under the table. She was about to flee to her room when she was accosted by an angry Fred.

"What did you do to him?" Fred demanded.

"Nothing!" Alicia exclaimed.

Fred narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You said no, didn't you?"

"No to what?"

Fred sighed impatiently. "No to going to the Yule Ball with him!"

"This is crazy," Alicia groaned. She stood up and clutched Oliver's letter tightly in her hand. "George never asked me to the Ball. I told him I had a date and he just lost it. It's not my fault!"

"How could you do that to him?"

Alicia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, Angelina was making her way over. "Look, I have no idea what's going on here. If someone would tell me, I'd be grateful."

Fred just shook his head. "Like George said, put the pieces together in that pretty little head of yours."

"All right, that's enough," Angelina interrupted. She grabbed Alicia's arm and looked around at the wide-eyed Gryffindors. "Show's over, people. Go back to your business."

"Thanks," Alicia said as she followed Angelina upstairs.

"No problem. Are you all right?"

"No. I've no idea what's going on. Do you?"

Angelina hesitated before opening the door. "Maybe you should do what Fred and George suggest. Just think it over."

The trouble was that Alicia had no idea what it was. She lay down on her bed fully clothed and pulled the curtain closed. She began to sift through what had just occurred.

George had wanted to go with her to the Yule Ball for some reason. Perhaps he was having trouble getting a date. No. That didn't make much sense. George wouldn't have trouble with that sort of thing.

Perhaps he figured she wouldn't be able to get a date. That had to be it. George was offering her a sympathy date. But why did he get angry? That piece of the puzzle didn't fit, no matter how hard she tried to squish it in.

Another explanation flashed through her mind. What if George wanted to go with her as…more than friends? It seemed unlikely, but it did explain a lot. George's nervousness for instance. Not to mention his anger once she mentioned Daniel.

The more she considered it the more it made sense. George had a little crush on her. Deep down she probably had a crush on him as well. It was inconsequential, however. They were best friends and Alicia was definitely not prepared to risk that on a silly crush that wouldn't last more than a few months.

If she avoided George he would get over it eventually. George could have any number of girls. There was no way he could have his heart set on her.

xxxxx

George had never felt worse in his life. The very next morning, Alicia had given him an odd look during breakfast. As soon as he caught her eye she blushed and looked down at her toast.

Could she have finally figured it out? Did she know he had wanted her for years? It hardly seemed to matter. He had yelled at her, embarrassed her in front of dozens of people. He cringed as he recalled calling her stupid.

It most certainly was not the way he had planned to make her aware of his feelings. As soon as she mentioned that Ravenclaw bloke…well, something just snapped. Oliver had just left and George thought he was finally in with a chance. When he heard that someone else had jumped ahead, all of his anger erupted like a volcano.

Aside from worrying about Alicia, he still didn't have a date to the Yule Ball. Not that he wanted to go with anyone else. He'd tried to wriggle out of it but Fred insisted he go because Bagman was supposed to attend. If he had to go he didn't want to go alone.

Just three days before the Ball George snuck up the girls' staircase. He knocked on the door of the sixth year girls'. He knew Angelina and Alicia were in the library gossiping with some friends from other houses. As he expected, Katie opened the door.

"Hi, Katie."

She scowled. "Alicia isn't here. Go away."

"I didn't come to see Alicia. I want to ask you a question."

Katie rolled her eyes and let him come in. "This had better be good, George. I'm not in the mood for visitors."

George nodded sympathetically. "I heard what happened with Lee."

Katie went back to her bed and sat down with a forlorn sigh. "And I heard what happened with Alicia. I assumed you were here to apologise to her."

"Not likely," George said. "Besides, I don't have anything to apologise for."

Katie obviously didn't think this was true but for the sake of peace she let it go. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Will you come to the Yule Ball with me?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Katie laughed darkly. "If I can't even face Lee how am I going to handle seeing him with her?"

"It won't exactly be enjoyable for me either. I just think we need to show Lee and Alicia that we're coping without them."

"Coping?" Katie repeated incredulously. "I've barely left my room since the incident in the library! You call that coping?"

George gave her the puppy dog eyes. "Please, Katie. It won't be that bad. I'll be there to help you get through it."

"I don't know…"

"Hey, I bet you look great in your dress robes," George said coyly.

"That's true." Katie twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger. Her new dress robes were rather beautiful. Not to mention the fact that she had spent a small fortune on them. "Fine. I'll go to the Ball with you."

"Splendid!"

"I hope I don't end up regretting this."

George blew her a kiss then left. He was feeling a little better now that he had date. He wouldn't look like a loser who couldn't get a date and, if he was lucky, he might even manage to make Alicia jealous.

George was still in a pretty good mood that night at dinner. As they were leaving the Great Hall, he was even considering giving Alicia a little smile. That was until she suddenly spotted her Yule Ball date in the Entrance Hall.

"There he is!" she announced excitedly. Before anyone could say anything she had run off.

George watched her approach a tall dark-haired Ravenclaw. George didn't see what was so special about him. His hair was too long and his eyes were too close together to begin with. Didn't that mean he was a criminal or something?

Angelina suddenly appeared at George's side. She clutched his arm and asked, "Is that her date?"

"Yes. Now, if you wouldn't mind letting go of-"

"I know him!" Angelina exclaimed, tightening her grip.

"Congratulations. Please let go of me."

"You don't understand!" Angelina pulled him away from the crowd urgently. "That's the same guy who asked me to the Ball four times in one day!"

"So?" George said, quickly getting annoyed at having to think about Alicia's date at all. "Maybe he has a thing for Chasers. He wouldn't be the first."

"No. I don't think that's it. He seemed really weird."

"Weird in what way?"

Angelina looked around and lowered her voice. "Well, I might be paranoid but I think he was following me. He would appear in the oddest places. Plus, he wouldn't take no for an answer. In the end I had to threaten to hex him."

George watched the pair over Angelina's shoulder. They were talking, happily oblivious to everyone else. They looked like a perfectly normal couple. "Honestly, I don't see the problem, Angelina. He's not the first guy to fancy you."

"I know, but this is different! He has a bad vibe."

"Look, I don't why you're telling me this."

"I'm worried about Alicia. You should be, too. Don't give me that look, George Weasley! Silly argument or not, you care about her. She trusts this guy and she could get hurt because of it. I know you don't want that to happen."

"I refuse to be dragged into this," George said adamantly. "I've officially hung up my shining armour."

Angelina's eyes flashed and she grabbed the front of George's robes. "Listen up, Weasley. Whether you like it or not, you're going to find out what this guy's deal is. Follow him, talk to his friends. Whatever."

"Then what? Alicia isn't going to appreciate it if I tell her that her precious date is a psycho."

Angelina released his robes and smoothed them back down apologetically. "I'll be the one to tell her. You just get me some dirt on him."

George let out a resigned sigh. "I don't know why I'm doing this."

Angelina gave him a gentle smile. "Oh, I think you do know. It's why you've looked out for her in the past. It's also why you'll always look out for her in the future."

George didn't want to admit it at the moment, but she was right. The two of them walked back to Gryffindor Tower. George had absolutely no idea how he was going to get the dirt Angelina wanted.

xxxxx

George Weasley could do a lot of things. He could hit a Bludger from one end of the Quidditch pitch to the other. He could strategically plan pranks and execute them perfectly. He could also burp the alphabet.

One thing he couldn't do was spy on Alicia's Yule Ball date. Finding him had proven to be the first problem. The day after Angelina set him the task, George spotted his target in the crowd that was exiting the Great Hall after lunch. George followed him through the castle and into the library.

"Typical Ravenclaw," George muttered under his breath.

Angelina had informed him that Alicia's date was named Daniel Ridley and he was a seventh year. George pretended to look for a book as he watched Ridley out of the corner of his eye. The Ravenclaw had a pile of books in front of him. It looked as if he was planning to stay for a while.

George grabbed some random books and selected a table within earshot of Daniel. He had to admit that Daniel seemed normal enough – even if he was working in the library during the Christmas holidays.

Two hours later George had almost fallen asleep on several occasions. Fred would be wondering where he was by now. This dirt-finding mission was getting stupider with every passing minute. The guy was cleaner than the Burrow after one of his mother's cleaning sprees.

George was about to give up and find Angelina when a girl approached Daniel.

"Hi, Mark!" the girl said enthusiastically.

To George's surprise Daniel looked up and smiled. He said, "Hi, Mel."

George stared at Daniel. It wasn't even Daniel! He'd been following the wrong person. Now that he looked closely he realised this guy's hair was too light and he was too short. He'd just wasted two hours watching the wrong person!

"Bugger it all."

After that horrible false start, George decided he was going to tell Angelina he couldn't do it. They were just going to have to keep an eye on Alicia during the Ball. Not that she deserved it, of course. It would be her own fault if Daniel turned out to be a nutter.

George was on his way back to Gryffindor Tower when he was presented with a golden opportunity. Up ahead was a group of four or five male students. George didn't pay much attention to them until he caught a snippet of their conversation.

"So, who are you taking to the Yule Ball, Daniel?"

"Yeah, Ridley, I hear you didn't keep your promise."

George stopped in his tracks. It was him! The real Daniel Ridley! He was even discussing the Yule Ball. Talk about a lucky break. George sped up to keep the group in view as they rounded a corner.

He peered carefully around the corner. Three members of the group had split off and were entering the boys' bathroom. Daniel happened to be one of them. A perfect opportunity to eavesdrop had been handed to George on a silver platter.

He counted to fifty then followed the Ravenclaws into the bathroom. Two Sytherins were washing their hands and complaining about the Triwizard Tournament. Three cubicles were occupied and George slipped into the fourth. He locked the door and tried not to breathe too loudly.

"Potter was lucky to get around that dragon. It was pure luck, I tell you."

"I would have done a much better job. Here's hoping the second task will finally finish him off."

George rolled his eyes. The door creaked open and their voices faded away. A chorus of flushing toilets made George cross his fingers. Please let them divulge something useful.

"Who're you taking to the Ball, Rick?"

"Cara Templeton. What about you, Dan? I hear you owe us all a Galleon."

"No. I said that I would snog her before graduation. I've still got plenty of time."

"It's not gonna happen, mate. I heard Angelina Johnson was going with one of those Weasley twins."

"Which one?"

"Is there even a difference between them?"

There was much laughter at this. George gritted his teeth and continued to listen.

"If Johnson is going with a Weasley then who are you taking?"

"Alicia Spinnet."

"The redhead?"

"Yeah. I might even get to find out if she's a natural redhead."

A lot of indistinguishable male grunting followed this comment. George almost burst out of the cubicle with his wand drawn. He wanted to hear more, though. The conversation was getting more and more intriguing.

"Why take Spinnet if you really want Johnson?"

"Are you sure you're a Ravenclaw? Think about it, if I date Alicia I'll be closer to Angelina. She's going to see I'm a great boyfriend and fall into my arms. She'll regret turning me down and be dying to make it up to me. I'll dump Alicia and you guys will owe me a Galleon each."

George's stomach dropped to his toes. This guy didn't care about Alicia at all. He was simply going to use her to get to Angelina. Then he was going to use Angelina to win a bet. George couldn't wait to see her reaction when he told her this.

xxxxx

"A BET!" Angelina exploded.

"Yep."

"He has a bet involving me?"

"Yep."

"Ooh. Wait till I see him," she growled.

"Perhaps you should tell Alicia first," George suggested. "I have a feeling she won't be pleased if you give her Yule Ball date a black eye."

"I plan to give him more than a black eye, but you're right. She's upstairs trying out hairstyles so I'll go talk to her now. George, what ever you do, don't tell Fred about this. The last thing I want is to see him expelled."

"My lips are sealed."

Angelina stood up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for doing this. I'm sure Alicia will appreciate it."

George could only hope so.

Alicia was not in a good mood. She looked at the picture in the book then back at her reflection. Her hair looked nothing like the girl's in the picture. She couldn't understand where she'd gone wrong. She'd done exactly what the book instructed.

Alicia was just about to try it again when Angelina entered looking very sombre. Alicia dropped her wand and ran to her friend. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

"Everyone's fine," Angelina quickly assured her. "I actually need to tell you something."

"All right," Alicia said hesitantly. She allowed Angelina to lead her back to her bed. "It better not be about what happened with George because I've told-"

"No. It's about Daniel."

Alicia frowned. "What about him?"

"Do you remember me telling you about the guy who asked me to the Ball four times in one day?" Angelina asked. Alicia nodded, feeling more than a little confused. "The guy was Daniel. I didn't realise till I saw you talking to him yesterday."

"But – I don't understand."

"There's more…"

Alicia increasingly confused as Angelina informed her of the bet. She refused to believe it. "That's ridiculous," she told Angelina over and over again.

"I promise it's true."

Alicia shook her head. "If he's so obsessed with you then how did you manage to hear him say all of this? Surely he would have noticed you at some point."

"Well, he didn't."

"I also doubt he's going to talk about something like that in a public. I'm sorry, but I just don't believe it."

Angelina was silent for a moment. Then she took a deep breath. "I thought this might happen. Look, I wasn't the one who heard Daniel say this. George heard it all in the boys' bathroom. Daniel didn't know he was there."

A slow smile crept across Alicia's face. "Ah, I see what's going on here. I expect this sort of thing from George, not you."

"It's true!" Angelina persisted.

Alicia nodded patronisingly. "Right, so George just happens to be in the bathroom at the same time that Daniel decides to tell his friends about us. That's one hell of a coincidence."

"It wasn't a coincidence, Alicia. George was following Daniel."

Alicia jumped to her feet in outrage. "Why was he following my date!?"

"He was just trying to help you."

"I don't remember ever asking for his help!"

Angelina stood up as well. She tried to grab hold of Alicia to calm her down. Alicia jumped away and marched for the door.

"Alicia! He was doing you a favour by warning you!"

"It's a horrible lie! Daniel never said those things!" Alicia stomped down the stairs with Angelina right behind her. "It's obvious that George still wants to go to the Ball with me and he's willing to discredit Daniel to get what he wants."

At the bottom of the stairs, Alicia scanned the common room. George was nowhere in sight so she made her way towards the other staircase. Angelina tried to pull her to a stop. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to tell George he's wasting his time. Let me go!"

"Alicia, you're being stupid about this."

Alicia pushed her away and ran up the stairs. Without bothering to knock, she burst in to George's room. He was sitting in the middle of the floor with his brother and Lee. They were evidently doing something against the rules because Lee threw himself on the pile of parchments that were spread between them.

"George, stay out of my business!"

Fred was the first to jump up. "Hey, you can't just barge in here and tell my-"

Angelina silenced Fred with a look over Alicia's shoulder. George didn't appear to be very surprised by the intrusion and this made Alicia even angrier. He calmly stood up and walked towards Alicia.

"I thought I would be doing you a favour by letting you know your wonderful date was a complete prat."

Alicia put her hands on her hips and laughed sardonically. "I know it's all a lie. You want me to go to the Ball with you instead. It's not going to happen. Even if you were the last guy left at Hogwarts."

George didn't visibly react to the insult. "Is that so? If I'm so desperate to go with you then why am I going with Katie instead?"

"Katie?" Alicia and Lee exclaimed at the same time.

"Yeah. Didn't she mention it to you? Must have slipped her mind."

Alicia was still reeling from the revelation that he was going with Katie. She recovered quickly and remained defiant. "I still don't believe it. You want to get back at me for going with someone else."

"Do you really think I'm that petty?"

"I wouldn't put anything past you. I just came to let you know that your plan didn't work. I'm still going with Daniel and we're going to have a great time."

George shrugged half-heartedly. "Great. Don't let me stop you."

"I could become Daniel's girlfriend after the Ball so you had better get over this silly little crush," Alicia said icily.

"That's what you think this is? A silly little crush?"

Alicia was startled for a moment. "What else could it possibly be?"

George didn't answer. "Do you really trust Daniel more than me? Someone you've known for days over someone who's been your best friend for years? I think you have a decision to make."

Alicia stared at George for a heartbeat then turned and ran from the room. Tears stung at her eyes as she flew across the common room. In the safety of her room she slumped against the wall and let out a choking sob.

She had gone to yell at George, but she was the one who ended crying and confused. Life wasn't fair.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. For once Fred and Angelina aren't the bickering couple. I know it's summer in the N. Hemisphere and a lot of you are bored and stuff. Sadly, it's winter down here is Australia. I will try to get the next chapter out quickly, though.

The next chapter will be the Yule Ball obviously. I might have to split it into two chapters, however. Will Alicia trust what George says? What about F/A and poor Katie? You'll have to wait to find out. Oooh! I almost forgot! The next chapter will also (probably) feature a flashback to the day Alicia first met the twins. How exciting!

Unfortunately, I can't do replies to reviewers anymore. There's just too many of you now! will get angry with me. I love you all, though!