Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, HBP wouldn't have been as good as it was.
SPOILER FREE ZONE!
A/N: I did warn you that you wouldn't get a refund for unfulfilled promises. I couldn't post in time because the chapter was too short and I still have a lot to get through. Anyhow, I did my best to make sure there are no spoilers in this chapter. Half of it was written pre-HBP anyway. I'm not sure yet, but the next chapter might contain HBP spoilers so if you haven't read it yet, stop wasting your time here and go finish it.
Thanks to my beautiful reviewers! You guys keep me going! Oh, chapter title courtesy of Alice in Wonderland. Credit where credit's due.
Chapter 46
Angelina slammed her book down on the table. "Quidditch Captains shouldn't have to do homework."
Alicia looked up briefly from her Transfiguration essay. "Yesterday you said they shouldn't have to attend lessons at all."
"You also think they should have their own table in the Great Hall and be referred to as sir or ma'am," Katie added lightly.
"Well, a lot is expected of us," Angelina said, tossing her braids over her shoulder. "How can I be expected to finish a boring essay on defensive magic and find a player to replace the best Keeper Gryffindor has ever had?"
"You should have done Umbridge's essay yesterday like I did," Alicia said, dipping her quill in her inkpot.
"You've done it? Could I look at it?" Angelina asked hopefully.
Alicia predictably shook her head. "No way. Do it yourself. It's boring but it's really easy."
"But I was busy planning the tryouts yesterday so it's not technically my fault that I couldn't do it."
"I hate to sound like McGonagall, but you need to prioritise, Miss Johnson."
"You fancy being dropped to the reserves?"
Alicia smiled at her friend and shrugged nonchalantly. "If it means you pass your NEWTs then I don't mind being a reserve."
"Unfortunately we can't afford to lose you," Angelina muttered darkly. "We're going to be lucky to win a game as it is. If Potter doesn't get his act together we might as well right the season off now."
"That's the spirit! It's very important for the captain to be optimistic."
"You wanna be our new Keeper, Katiekins?"
"No, ma'am."
Alicia threw down her quill and stretched, arching her back like a cat. "Someone should go upstairs to make sure those boys are doing their homework."
"I'll do it!" Angelina volunteered immediately.
Alicia sighed wearily. "Look, most of the information you need is in chapter two, which starts on page twenty three. There are also helpful bits and pieces on page fifty-two and seventy-seven."
"You're so pretty," Angelina said, opening her book to page twenty-three.
"Don't even bother sucking up. I'm doing it for my own sanity."
Leaving Angelina and Katie to their work, Alicia trudged up the boys' staircase. The twins and Lee were even worse with homework than Angelina. It was as if they didn't care if they got no NEWTs at all. She knocked on their door crisply.
There was a sudden flurry of movement inside the room then the door opened just enough for Lee to poke his head out. He smiled politely and said, "So wonderful to see you, Alicia. I'd invite you in but we're a little busy at the moment. See you later."
Alicia stuck her foot in front of the door to stop him closing it. "Not so fast. What are you three up to in there?"
"Nothing, you just can't come in," Lee said quickly. "Yes. You need to stay out here because…because Fred's naked. Yep. Naked as the day he was born."
Alicia tried to peek over Lee's head but he'd had a growth spurt recently so it was useless. "Why, may I ask, is Fred naked?"
"Because it's naked Thursday, of course. We take it in turns. It's my go next week – feel free to drop by then."
Alicia put on her prefect face (which Fred claimed was no different to her normal face) and firmly said, "Let me in, Lee."
"But Fred-"
"I promise I won't laugh at any of his inadequacies."
"Hey!" came the indignant exclamation from inside the room. "I'll have you know that I am very adequate. Overly adequate, in fact!"
"Just let her in," George said, his voice oddly muffled. "Maybe she can help me."
Lee gratefully stepped back and Alicia charged into the room. Thankfully nobody was naked. Unfortunately they had obviously been breaking some rules because George was covered in blood. He had his hand pressed to his nose but blood kept seeping through his fingers and trickling down the front of his school shirt. Alicia almost fainted. It was everywhere. On the floor, in his hair, on Fred…
"What did you do to him?" she screeched at Fred.
"I didn't do anything!"
"Then why is he bleeding so badly? I swear, if you did something to him I'm going straight to McGonagall!"
"It's not his fault," George said, spraying blood as he spoke. "It was an accident."
Alicia glared at Fred to let him know that he wasn't off the hook and took her wand out of her pocket. She conjured a towel and pressed it to George's face to staunch the bleeding. "There's too much blood. I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey."
"You can't do that," Fred said. "Madam Pomfrey will want to know how it started."
"And how exactly did it start?"
"It was just part of an experiment," Lee answered hesitantly.
"Magic caused this?" Alicia demanded. That would make it ten times worse.
"New product," George provided from behind the increasingly blood soaked towel.
Alicia closed her eyes to compose herself. Her natural instinct was to scream at them and give them a fifteen-minute lecture about proper behaviour. This time she didn't yell or pontificate because in the back of her mind she was wondering if it was her fault. If she'd done her job as a prefect and stopped the boys making joke items then George wouldn't currently be bleeding all over the place.
"Why would you make a product that causes severe nosebleeds?" she asked calmly.
Lee slowly removed his hands from his ears. "You aren't going to yell at us?"
"I'm too worried about George at the moment. Tell me exactly what you did."
After a little prodding, Fred explained all about the Skiving Snackboxes. Apparently they thought they had the antidote so they moved onto the next phase, which involved adjusting the dosage to a safe level. Obviously the amount George took was too much so they gave him the antidote.
"We can't understand why it didn't work," Lee said, looking at George. "Hey, he doesn't look so good."
"I feel dizzy," he managed to say just before his knees buckled and he stumbled forward into Alicia.
"Oh no." She steadied him as Fred hurried over to help. "Let's get him over to his bed."
"He'd probably be better off with a bucket rather than a towel," Fred suggested after they had slowly walked George over to his bed and sat him down on the edge.
"Good idea. Let me take a closer look." Alicia gently removed the towel from George's hand and dropped it into the bucket that Fred had just conjured. She tilted his head back slightly and watched the two streams of blood trickle out of his nose, slip down his chin and slide the length of his neck to stain the collar of his shirt.
"Can you stop it, Alicia?" Fred asked worriedly.
"Of course," she said confidently, brushing George's hair out of his eyes. "You're going to be fine. Just relax and lean over the bucket."
"Will he need a blood replenishing potion?" Lee asked.
Alicia put her hand on George's back comfortingly. "I don't know. I'd give him one just to be certain, but they take two weeks to brew."
"There's a vial in the Quidditch first aid kit," Fred interrupted suddenly. "It's on the top shelf of the cabinet in the Captain's office."
Lee – as the only one not covered in blood – was dispatched to retrieve the potion. Whilst he was gone Alicia and Fred got to work on the antidote. Together they checked and double-checked all the ingredients. Nothing jumped out at them. George groaned and Alicia grabbed his warm, blood-slicked hand.
"Ok. We're going to have to go through ingredient by ingredient again. This time we have to look deeper."
Working together quickly, Alicia and Fred checked the properties of every ingredient in the antidote. Just as George was getting worse, they discovered that two of the ingredients were cancelling each other out. Individually they were both meant to coagulate blood. When used together, however, they did the opposite and thinned the blood.
Fred set to work making the new antidote just as Lee returned with the blood replenishing potion. Fred and Lee worked furiously as Alicia kept talking to George to keep him calm. He was as pale as Nearly Headless Nick by this point.
"It's done, Alicia!" Fred shouted. He hurried across the room with the antidote in the palm of his hand. There wasn't time to let it harden so it was the approximate consistency of molasses.
Alicia had a little trouble getting it into George's mouth. He bit her twice and her hand was soon coated in his still-warm blood. Eventually he had swallowed all of it.
"Did it work?" Lee asked anxiously.
"There's too much blood to tell," Fred answered.
Alicia wiped some of the remaining blood away to get a better look. The stream of blood was definitely losing momentum. Soon it was nothing more than a slight drip.
"It worked. Time for the potion."
Lee threw it to Fred and he poured it down his brother's throat as Alicia held his head back. George coughed and grimaced at the taste, but he dutifully swallowed all of it.
"Now he has to lie completely still for two minutes," Lee said.
George flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes. Alicia lay down beside him and Fred sighed in relief. He fell face down on the bed on the other side of Alicia.
"Is he all right now?"
Alicia turned her head to glance at Fred. She hadn't properly noticed it before, but he did look very concerned. "He's fine. I hear Weasleys are pretty resilient."
"We are. George in particular."
Alicia stared up at the canopy of George's bed and told herself that he was fine. No lasting damage had been done. Nor would it have mattered if she had told them not to make anymore joke items. They'd still have done it and they would have then hidden it from her, which could have proved disastrous for George.
Feeling a yawn coming on, Alicia brought her hand up to her mouth. Her yawn caught in her throat and she coughed at the sight of all the blood.
"You all right?" Fred asked.
"Yeah. I'm just going to get rid of all this blood before it makes me sick." Alicia sat up slowly and looked down at her stained uniform. In the heat of the moment she hadn't paid much attention but now it made her want to throw up.
"Lee and I will make sure George stays still. Go and get cleaned up," Fred said.
Alicia slid off the bed and hurried to the adjoining bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and almost smiled. She looked like the lead character in a horror film. The fact that it was her boyfriend's blood made her feel sick again and she began to scrub furiously at her hands and face. It was under her fingernails and cuticles and it wouldn't come out. She rubbed harder.
"It's all gone," a voice said.
Alicia jumped slightly and turned around. She hadn't even heard Fred come into the room. She looked back down at her clean hands and blushed, realising she'd just had a Lady MacBeth moment.
"May I?"
"Sure." Alicia stepped side and let Fred wash his own hands. She grabbed a towel and dried off, watching him curiously.
"Thanks for helping," he said, speaking to her reflection in the mirror.
"As if I'd let my boyfriend bleed to death."
"Well, you could have let us fix it ourselves just to teach us a lesson."
"Do you think I'm that horrible? Do you really think I'm capable of doing something like that?"
Without offering an answer, Fred turned off the water and shook his hands. Alicia threw him the towel and eyed him expectantly. "We worked pretty well together in there," he eventually said.
"Yeah, you even referred to me by my first name," Alicia said. "It's nice to know that we can put our differences behind us when George needs us."
"You think we'll ever need to do it again?"
Alicia shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know. I think the more important question is whether or not we'll even be able to do it again."
At the moment it was unclear to both. The very next day, however, things would get so bad that neither would be able to see their friendship being salvaged. It would happen one day though. Under the worst possible circumstances.
"You can't leave all that mess for the House Elves to clean up. I'll write down some spells for you to use," Alicia offered.
"No need," Fred said, brushing past her on his way out. "I know how to get rid of blood. This isn't the first time one of us has been hurt by a prank items."
"Will it be the last?" Alicia asked, despite already knowing the answer.
Grinning widely, Fred said, "You better clean your clothes before you go back to your room."
Alicia sighed wearily. "Just be careful in the future. I won't always be around to save your arses."
Ignoring her warning, Fred shut the door and Alicia took off her clothes. She performed a few cleaning spells just so that the stain couldn't be identified as blood. It was difficult to completely get rid of blood and she was too tired to bother with it. Slowly she re-dressed and wet a hand towel. When she left the bathroom George was still lying on his bed even though it had obviously been longer than two minutes.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, leaning over him.
"Tired and a little light-headed," he answered softly.
"You're not to get out of this bed till tomorrow morning. Close your eyes," Alicia ordered. He did so and she began to wipe his face and neck with the wet towel. "I was really worried about you, George. You scared me half to death. Please don't do anything like this ever again."
George opened his eyes and held out his hands so she could wipe them clean as well. "Are you worried enough about me to stay here tonight?"
"I can't. The girls will be wondering about me as it is."
"Please. I'd recover a lot better if you were with me."
"Sorry, but you know that I shouldn't even be here in the first place." Alicia straightened up and dropped the towel into the blood bucket. "I'll be up to check on you first thing in the morning."
"Fine," George conceded, too tired to argue anymore. "Thanks for helping and not getting angry."
"I'm glad you're all right," she whispered, giving him a quick kiss.
"You won't tell Angelina about this will you?" Fred asked. "I mean, she's a lovely girl and all that, she just gets a little crazy when it comes to Quidditch. If she knew we were doing this sort of stuff the day before the tryouts she'd kill us."
"Don't worry, I won't say a word," Alicia promised.
"Thanks, Spi – Alicia."
Alicia fought a smile as she said goodnight and left their room. Fred was actually being civil to her! Unfortunately, it wouldn't even last a day.
After shooing a few straggling students out of the common room Alicia went upstairs. Angelina and Katie were already in bed so she changed into her pyjamas in the dark.
"What took you so long?" Katie asked.
"You gave them answers to the homework, didn't you?" Angelina accused. "You gave them answers, but not me. George flashes those pretty eyes of his at you and you tell him everything. Some friend you are."
"Be quiet, Captain," Katie said. "Look, we all know you didn't give them answers, so why were you up there for so long?"
Alicia smiled to herself and crawled into bed. "Because it's naked Thursday, of course."
xxxxx
Angelina spent all of Friday preparing for the Keeper tryouts. She spent the last lesson of the day drawing up plays to use to test the potential Keepers. Professor Trelawney simply thought she was working on her complete horoscope so she got away with it. As soon as the bell rang Angelina snatched up her parchments and dragged George and Katie back to the common room.
Lee and Fred were already there, but they were without their other Muggle Studies classmate.
"Where the hell is Alicia?" Angelina demanded.
"Dunno. She disappeared as soon as class ended."
"Did she say where she was going?"
Lee shook his head. "No, but she was acting weird during the entire lesson."
"She'll turn up soon," George said promptly, calming Angelina down so that she wouldn't slip into one of her Quidditch induced rages.
Angelina slammed her parchments down on the nearest table. "She had better. Now, come over here and let me show you the flying drills you and Fred are going to put the potentials through. Hurry up!"
By four o'clock Angelina was no longer the only person annoyed at the absentees, Alicia and Harry. Fred was particularly miffed that Alicia had managed to miss Angelina's latest rant. Trust her to weasel her way out of it and not get in trouble.
"Did Alicia know that Angelina was going to call this impromptu Quidditch meeting?" Fred asked quietly as Angelina stalked around the common room asking random students if they had seen the missing Chaser.
"I didn't know about it so I doubt she did," Katie answered.
"If she did know about it she'd have warned us," George added. "She probably just got caught up with some prefect thing."
"Lucky swot," Fred muttered, still not quite believing that the timing was an accident.
"Well, what about Harry? He saves the world a few times and he's suddenly exempt from torturous meetings and boring tryouts."
Katie reached across Fred and slapped George on the forearm. "You leave Harry alone. It's not his fault that the evil woman gave him detention."
"You're only saying that because you fancy him," Fred teased.
"I do not."
"Katie and Harry sitting in a – ow! That was my ankle!"
"Learn to shut up. Lee knows very well that I don't fancy Harry." Katie turned to her boyfriend for support, but the seat beside her was vacant. "Hey, where'd he go? Did either of you see him leave?"
"No." George looked around the common room but couldn't see his friend anywhere. "How'd he disappear so quietly?"
"He's been right creepy lately," Fred commented.
"I know," Katie said softly, still looking around. "He won't talk to me about it and we normally tell each other everything. Has he told you guys what's going on?"
"As a matter of fact he did mention something," Fred said slyly. "He said he could no longer put up with you being so in love with Harry. He can't stand being second to – ah! My other ankle!"
"Serves you right. I'm going to find him and get to the bottom of this," Katie said fiercely, jumping to her feet just as Angelina returned.
"Where do you think you're going, Bell?"
"To find Lee."
Angelina grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away. "Forget about him. We need to find Alicia. No one has seen her anywhere and I don't want anyone turning up late. It's unprofessional and the new Keeper will think I'm a pushover."
Fred couldn't imagine anyone thinking of Angelina Johnson as a pushover. A Quidditch tyrant maybe, but never a pushover. "I'll help you find the skiving little prefect," he offered.
"Good. You can go search the grounds. Make sure you check the Quidditch pitch first in case she decided to turn up early," Angelina said briskly.
Fred saluted. "Your wish is my command."
"Katie, George and I will split up and search this castle from top to bottom."
"I'll go to the library first," George said.
Fred rolled his eyes. She probably was at the library. Oh well, he'd be able to take a break from Angelina with a calming walk around the school grounds. He waved goodbye to his teammates and ducked out of the portrait hole. Confident that Alicia would be found with her head in a book, Fred took his time making his way out of the castle.
Outside, Fred's shoes crunched along the pathway to the Quidditch stadium as he admired the autumn landscape. The leaves were just beginning to turn varying shades of bronze and gold. Everyone once in a while a gust of wind would sweep by, sending leaves spiralling to the ground.
The scenery would have been a lot more effective if he'd been with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Angelina had gone temporarily insane. Sure, Quidditch had always been important to her, but not to the extent that it consumed her life. At the moment she was making Oliver look easygoing.
It was partly Oliver's fault, Fred thought as he approached the stadium. Only a week ago he'd sent her a letter. Well, the length actually made it more like a novella than a letter. Apparently Oliver had recommended to McGonagall that Angelina be captain and he had decided to pass on some of his infinite wisdom to her. He sent her page after page of drills, plays and tips. He even had detailed notes on all the opposition players he had faced during his time at Hogwarts.
Everyone referred to the letter as the 'Wood File' and Angelina carried it with her everywhere and constantly quoted from it. Fred hid it from her once and she almost had a nervous breakdown.
Fred rattled the gate of the Quidditch stadium. It was locked and he couldn't see why Alicia would go in then seal the gate behind herself. Satisfied that he'd done his job, Fred moved on to pick some wild flowers for Angelina. Perhaps they would help her relax.
Few flowers bloomed in autumn and those that did were growing near the wall that surrounded the school grounds. Fred set off around the perimeter of Hogwarts, stooping occasionally to pick what he thought was a nice flower.
It might or might not have been fate, but Fred's shoelace came undone just as he reached the entry gate. Placing the bunch of flowers by his feet, he knelt down and re-tied his laces. He was about to move on when he heard a voice coming from the other side of the brick wall. It was the last voice he expected to hear.
Another voice floated by on the wind and Fred looked up in amazement. Outside Hogwarts, by the side of the pathway that led to Hogsmeade, stood Alicia Spinnet. She had her back to the school, but Fred knew it was her immediately. She was talking animatedly to a tall young man. A flurry of emotions hit Fred all at once. The sudden onslaught of elation, anger and curiosity almost made him call out to her.
That would have ruined the fun prematurely. Leaving Angelina's flowers on the ground, Fred hurried to hide himself. He pressed his back to the dirty brick wall and ducked his head around to peer through the sturdy iron bars of the gate. Alicia and her companion talked on, oblivious to anyone watching them.
The first thing that hit Fred was the fact that Alicia had broken a serious rule by leaving school grounds without permission. Secondly, she wasn't wearing her uniform anymore. In fact, she looked rather dressed up for a quick trip into Hogsmeade. The black skirt and pale pink shirt were too flashy to wear if she were simply running an errand for a teacher.
The third and final thing that hit Fred as he watched was the worst yet. The man that Alicia was talking to was definitely someone he didn't recognise. He was too old to attend Hogwarts for starters. Alicia had male friends who were Muggles, but it obviously couldn't be one of them. This tall, good-looking wizard was an unknown entity.
Why keep him a secret from everybody? The answer leapt into Fred's brain without much deep thought. He'd suspected something for a while, but he hadn't mentioned it to George because he had no proof. Now the proof was standing right in front of him. Now he could finally make his brother see that Alicia wasn't what she seemed.
Little-miss-perfect was about to be dethroned.
As the illicit conversation appeared to be drawing to a close, Fred continued to plot the downfall of his childhood friend. The mystery guy handed Alicia a small piece of paper, which she carefully folded and placed in her pocket. The pair hugged and parted. Fred jumped back out of view just as Alicia turned and headed back towards the front gate.
The gate made an awful creaking sound as Alicia opened it. She slipped inside, her back to Fred, then slid the lock into place. Fred was no more than five feet away from her now. He stayed absolutely still, biding his time till he saw the perfect opportunity to spring the trap. He thought he was definitely going to be discovered when Alicia stopped to pick up the flowers that he had discarded, but she merely dropped a few purple bell-shaped flowers then left with the rest.
Instead of heading for the castle, she surprised Fred by hurrying off in the direction of the Quidditch pitch. Things were only getting stranger. Fred waited till she was a fair distance off before following in her footsteps. He was going to corner her in the change room where she wouldn't be able to escape. He was determined to get a confession out of her this time.
From his hiding spot behind a large tree, Fred saw Alicia enter the Quidditch stadium. He counted to sixty then went in after her. It wasn't hard to find out where she had gone because she left a trail of flower petals. Fred's suspicion proved right as he followed the petals to the change room. Alicia was planning to get changed back into her uniform and return to the castle as if nothing happened.
The door was ajar slightly, allowing Fred to peer inside. Alicia glanced at her watch and grimaced. She quickly opened her locker and pulled out her uniform, which she neatly laid out on the bench behind her. When she began to pull her shirt over her head Fred realised that had to show himself before he saw anything that might traumatise him further.
When Alicia's shirt was over her face and she couldn't see, Fred kicked the door open. He kicked it so hard to it flew open and hit the wall with an almighty crack. Alicia gave an ear-piercing scream and panicked. She simultaneously tried to take her shirt off and pull it back down to cover herself. All she managed to was get tangled up and hit her head on her locker as she stumbled back.
Fred waited patiently in the doorway as she turned her back on him and struggled with her clothing. In the end she had to take it off completely. As she tried to turn it in the right way she looked back over her shoulder. She gasped and dropped her shirt when she saw who it was. "George?" she shrieked.
"Nope." Fred frowned at her. "That's interesting. You haven't mixed up the two of us since we were seven. Could your guilty conscience be speaking for you?"
Alicia let out a string of expletives (many of which rhymed with duck poo) and snatched her school blouse off the bench without turning around. "You're a dirty pervert and I'm going to hit you with a well-aimed Severing charm as soon as I'm dressed!"
Fred stepped into the change room. "I wasn't perving on you. Believe me, you have nothing I would want to see." He closed the door behind himself and locked it, sealing off her only escape route.
Alicia finished buttoning her blouse and turned around. Her face was bright red and her hair was a mess. "You just wait till I tell George what you did."
Fred smiled and shook his head. "Wait till I tell him what you did. That ought to be an explosive moment."
"Me? I was innocently getting changed when you barged in here!"
"And why exactly were you getting changed?" Fred asked.
Alicia brushed her hair out of her face angrily. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was trying on some new clothes."
"You're trying new clothes on half an hour before the Keeper tryouts start?"
"Again it's none of your business, but yes. I got here early precisely so that I could try my new clothes on."
"Ok," Fred said calmly. He folded his arms and took a few steps towards her. "What I don't understand is why you would wear your new clothes to Hogsmeade. A road test, perhaps?"
Alicia's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish's. She was seething so much that she was actually shaking. "How dare you spy on me?" she shrieked.
"I wasn't spying on you. Angelina sent me out here to find you and it was pure luck that I spotted you. What were you doing in Hogsmeade?"
"I don't have to stand here and listen to this!" She snatched up her Hogwarts skirt and headed for the door, staying on the other side of the bench that was between the lockers.
In a second Fred had leapt over the bench and grabbed Alicia's arm. "Where's the note he gave you?" he demanded.
She naturally tried to push him away. "You were spying on me! Those flowers I found were yours!"
"Yep. I was picking them for Angelina when I happened to see you."
"I should have known," Alicia berated herself. "Only you would be so stupid as to pick foxglove and heather. Those flowers I left behind were foxglove. You were going to give your girlfriend a poisonous flower."
"Oh, well I'm terribly sorry that my knowledge of Scottish wildflowers is not as extensive as yours."
"Try paying attention in Herbology sometime."
"Just give me the note," Fred snapped, trying to reach into her pocket.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Get your hands off me!"
Alicia struggled harder so he was forced to shove her back against the lockers. She impacted hard and began to cry as she fought him off. Fred yanked at her skirt in frustration and it ripped, making the split up the side much higher than it was meant to be. Alicia gasped. For a second he stopped trying to get the note and she took the opportunity to slap him very hard across the face.
Fred swore and reeled back, clutching his red cheek. Alicia held her skirt together with one hand and wiped her tear-stained face with the other. "I hate you," she hissed.
"There's a lot of that going around at the moment." Fred took his wand out of his pocket. "We can do it the hard way if you want, but I'm not leaving here without evidence that you're cheating on George."
"I'm not cheating on him! I'd never do that!"
"Then who were you with? Why'd you hug him? Why didn't you tell anyone that you were meeting him?" Fred pointed his wand at Alicia and she looked genuinely frightened for the first time. "And don't say that it's none of my business because everything that concerns George is definitely my business."
"I'm not cheating on him!" she repeated loudly.
Just as Fred narrowed his eyes, the door to the change room flew open. Both turned to see who it was. Alicia sobbed in relief.
"What the hell's going on?" George asked, taking in the scene quickly.
"Your girlfriend and I are just having a chat."
George strode across the room. "Then why's she crying? For God's sake, get your bloody wand out of her face," he said, knocking Fred's arm aside.
Fred lowered his wand but he didn't back off. "Ask her about it. Ask her where she's been all this time."
"What?"
"Ask her what she was doing in Hogsmeade. Ask her who she was there with."
"Hogsmeade?" George echoed. "What's going on, Alicia?"
"Nothing," she replied, wiping her eyes and sniffling.
Fred shook his head at her. "We all know that's not true. Take the note out of her pocket and you'll get some answers. The guy she was with gave it to her. Go on, George, it's in her right pocket."
George turned to his girlfriend. "Is there a note in your pocket?"
Alicia nodded and slipped her hand into her pocket. She pulled out the piece of paper and handed it wordlessly to George. Fred looked over his shoulder as he unfolded it and read it. All it said was:
I owe you a lot, Alicia. You didn't have to help me, but you did and you put yourself at risk in the process. I won't forget it and any time you need a favour you only have to ask. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Thanks again.
Anthony.
"Gotcha now!" Fred exclaimed. "Who's Anthony, huh? Your boyfriend? Your shag buddy?"
"Be quiet," George snapped. "Alicia, would you care to explain?"
"If you must know," she said, glaring contemptuously at Fred, "Anthony is my cousin. I had special permission from McGonagall to spend a few hours in Hogsmeade with him."
Fred snorted dubiously. "Your cousin. That's convenient. If he's only your cousin then why didn't you tell us that you were meeting him?"
"I have to tell you everything?"
"You kept it a secret because he isn't your cousin at all," Fred insisted.
Alicia put the hand that wasn't holding her skirt on her hip. "Tell him, George. Tell your imbecilic brother that I have a cousin named Anthony."
"She really does have a cousin named Anthony," he confirmed.
Fred deflated, his anger evaporated and he was left feeling empty. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Positive," George replied. "Perhaps you ought to apologise to Alicia then leave. Someone needs to tell Angelina that we found her."
Fred returned his wand to his pocket. "I'll leave, but I'm not going to apologise. This whole thing is still too weird."
"What do you mean you won't apologise?" Alicia demanded. "You spied on me, threw me against a locker, ripped my skirt, pointed your wand at me and accused me of cheating on my boyfriend!"
"So? You slapped me."
"And I'll gladly do it again!"
George caught Alicia around the waist before she had taken more than two steps. "Calm the hell down. You're both as bad as each other. Fred, just go and find Angelina because I won't stop Alicia the next time she tries to go at you."
"Let her come. I can take her in a fair fight."
"Just go!"
Fred left, sulking like a naughty puppy that had been smacked with a rolled up newspaper. As soon as he was gone, Alicia's body sagged in relief. Somehow she'd managed to talk her way out of it. She hadn't expected to be caught so she didn't have any stories prepared. Everything she'd said to Fred had been straight off the top of her head.
She gave George a wan smile then retrieved her school skirt from the floor. "I must look horrid," she said, stepping over the bench and opening her locker.
"Oh, this isn't over at all, Alicia." George joined her on the other side of the bench. "I got rid of Fred so you could tell me the truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes. I want the whole bloody truth right now." He reached over and slammed her locker shut forcefully, causing her to jump back in fright. "I want to know who you were really with. You were telling the truth about having a cousin named Anthony, but I know that he wasn't the person you met this afternoon. You probably assumed I'd forgotten. I haven't. Your real cousin Anthony is seven years old and he lives in Brussels."
"I didn't mean to lie to you," Alicia said nervously, backtracking as George advanced on her. "Oh God. I just didn't want Fred to know."
George seized her by the forearm. "Stop walking away from me like that. I'm not going to hurt you. I simply think I deserve to know if you're seeing someone else."
"I'm not!" she vowed, grabbing his arm in return. "Anthony is just a friend. Hardly a friend actually. This was only the third time I've ever seen him."
"How did you meet him and why haven't you mentioned him before?"
Alicia hesitated. She chewed on her bottom lip, considering her options. Things had become very complicated and it was all Fred's fault. Her carefully scheduled plan was falling apart before her eyes and she wasn't sure how much of it she could salvage.
"Look, Alicia, you either start talking or I walk out that door. Whatever we have here will be over. I refuse to be in a relationship where you keep secrets from me."
Hypocrite! The word was on the tip of her tongue. He was keeping a huge secret from her, but he had the nerve to give her an ultimatum. Alicia saw red for a moment. She very nearly spoke her mind. At the last second she caught herself and took a deep breath. The entire plan was designed to make George happy. He deserved it after everything he'd been through.
"Fine. You want to know everything?"
"That would be nice for a change."
Alicia bit her tongue again. It was all for George's benefit she reminded herself. "About seven months ago the chief Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet retired."
"John Huntly?"
"Yes. The Prophet subsequently reshuffled their sports writers. Two junior positions as Quidditch reporters became available. I was one of the people who sent an application letter."
"You did?" George said incredulously. Most of the tension had left his body and Alicia found it easier to talk to him.
"Thousands of people under twenty five applied along with me. I ended up being one of the youngest. I also ended up being one of the hundred chosen to go further and write a sample article about corruption in the League. I was told about the article at a meeting during the summer holidays. That was the first time that I met Anthony."
"Why were you with him today?" George interrupted.
"Ssh. I'm getting to that. Anyway, Anthony and I got to talking and he mentioned that he had trouble with his grammar and punctuation. He really knows a lot about Quidditch and I didn't think it was fair that something trivial should hold him back. I offered to proofread his article for him, which is why he was thanking me in that note."
"Generous of you to help him like that."
Alicia recognised the cynicism in George's voice immediately. "Honestly, he's twenty one and he already has a beautiful girlfriend. I met her when I went to Diagon Alley to edit his article. I helped him out and we both managed to be amongst the dozen who were selected to go on. Today all twelve of us had to meet Mr Huntly and the sports editor in Hogsmeade. We had to pretend that Mr Huntly was a Quidditch player so they could evaluate our interviewing skills."
"That's what you were doing this afternoon?" George asked. "All this crying and fighting is over a fake interview?"
"No, the crying and fighting was all your brother's fault. I would never cheat on you and I don't like being accused of doing it."
"But isn't all of this good news? Aren't you excited about the job?"
"Of course I am! It's a wonderful opportunity," Alicia said.
George sat down on the bench glumly. "You could have told me about it. You should have told me about it."
"They made the final dozen sign confidentiality agreements. The Prophet is planning to make a big announcement and they don't want any names leaked prematurely. I told McGonagall only because she needed to give me permission to leave the school. My family doesn't even know."
"But they'll be ecstatic, especially your dad."
Alicia nodded in agreement. "That's why I didn't tell them. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. Including yours."
George reached out and took her hand. "You're definitely going to get the job. You were destined to do this."
Alicia gave a sad sort of smile. If only he knew the rest. If only he knew what was looming just over the horizon. It would shatter him and that's why Alicia had to keep it to herself for now. "What are you going to tell Fred?"
George shrugged. "For starters I'm going to tell him to leave you alone."
"That won't be necessary. He and I won't be on speaking terms for a very long time. Any chance of us being friends again has disappeared after today. We don't trust each other at all."
"That won't make things very easy for me. Being stuck between the two of you is horribly uncomfortable."
Alicia smiled sympathetically at him. She put her school skirt on then pulled her torn skirt out from underneath it. The rip had occurred right up the seam so a simple Reparo charm would fix it.
"Are we going to stick with the cousin story?" George asked her.
"For now it will have to do." Alicia sat down on the bench beside him. "You know, it's a relief to be able to talk to someone about all of this."
George turned his head and kissed her. Alicia kissed him back, glad to have averted a crisis. They couldn't start fighting now, not when they were so close to facing an unavoidable disaster. It was so important that they stuck together.
As they were kissing, the door to the change room flew open for the third time.
"Alicia, take your mouth off that Weasley and get over here!" Angelina shouted.
For the most part, the Keeper tryouts went off without a hitch. Angelina had everyone running to a strict schedule and her players all did their jobs. It was Fred who made the first mistake. As Angelina was talking to the hopefuls he came up beside her and slapped her on the bottom. Everyone except Angelina and Ron found this quite funny. Ron looked disgusted. Angelina was furious.
They were supposed to join the others to vote on who the new Keeper should be, but Angelina pulled Fred in a different direction. She stopped about fifty metres from the nervous but curious youngsters.
"You can't do that in front of potential new team mates!" she scolded him.
"Do what?" Fred asked innocently.
"Grope me like that!"
"That could hardly be classified as a grope," he argued.
"You grabbed my arse!" Angelina shouted, her voice carrying to the waiting group. The stifled laughter drew her attention momentarily. "Go wait in the stands, you lot!"
The group shuffled off reluctantly and Fred smiled soothingly. "Look, it was more of a pat than a grab. I was merely being appreciative."
"I don't care why you did it, just never do it again. You can't undermine my authority in front of the new Keeper. They need to respect and fear me."
"Sounds like a quote from the 'Wood File'."
"Well, Oliver was respected and feared and he ended being one of the best we've ever had," Angelina said icily.
"Only because he was a crazy bugger," Fred said. "With all due respect, you're doing quite an impersonation of him at the moment. If you put on a Scottish accent there'd be no telling you apart."
"The bottom line," Angelina said firmly, "is that you must treat me like your Captain in front of the Keeper. When we're training I'm not your girlfriend, or even your friend. You do as I say without question."
Fred laughed. "Yeah right. Oliver couldn't keep me in line, so what makes you think you'll do any better?"
She shrugged and simply said, "If you can't behave yourself then we'll have to break up."
"What?" Fred yelled.
"You heard me. Oliver never had a proper relationship with Alicia because it would have been too distracting to the team. I'm perfectly willing to make the same sacrifice."
Fred lowered his voice and tried to remain calm. "Look, I know this Quidditch thing is important to you, but you're overreacting and making stupid decisions. Calm down and think about it."
"I have thought about it!" Angelina insisted vehemently. "I only have a year left at Hogwarts!"
"So?"
"So, I only have a year left to make my mark. I need to become memorable and Quidditch is my only hope!"
Fred pressed his hand to her forehead. "I think you must have had too much sun. Or not enough. I'm not sure which it is, but you're definitely not right in the head."
"My head is fine, Fred," she snapped, pushing his hand away. "If I don't get us the Quidditch Cup then I'll be forgotten by everyone! Forgotten like Eddie Marsden!"
"Who?"
"Exactly!"
"You made that name up," Fred said. "All right. I think it's time you relaxed. All of this Quidditch business is getting to be too much for you."
Angelina appeared not to have heard him. Either that or she completely ignored him. "You haven't thought about it because you've already created your own legacy. You've made such a mark on this school that no one will forget about you and George. In a hundred years time, teachers will still be talking about the redheaded twins who caused so much trouble."
"This is all about being remembered?"
"No. I want to be remembered for something!" she said. "Alicia's the smart one and Katie's the people-person. Everyone will remember Lee for being an extrovert and you and George are the class clowns. I'm a nobody at the moment."
"You're really pretty. People will remember you for that," Fred said helpfully. At least he thought he was being helpful.
Angelina made a gagging sort of noise. "Being remembered for your looks is useless. It's like being remembered for your neat handwriting or your impeccable table manners. Only boring and talent-less people are remembered for their looks. I want to be remembered for a talent, not simply my lucky genes."
"Oh."
"Don't oh me like that! It's not ridiculous or trivial."
Fred put his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "I never said it was. I think it's cute that you want to leave your mark. It also explains why you've been obsessing so much about Quidditch."
"I know I've been overdoing it," Angelina said, looking at the ground. "I just really need to win the Cup this year. It's all I've got left."
"We'll win because you're a great Captain. I'll try my best to be supportive and I'll kick the new Keeper's arse if they don't do what you tell them to. I'll also still be your boyfriend. If you wouldn't mind of course."
She gave a small smile. "I guess I don't mind. At least then I've got a chance of being remembered as 'Fred-Weasley's-girlfriend'."
"I'll tell you what, if we don't win the Cup you can do a nude run through the Great Hall. That'd be unforgettable."
"A nude run?" Angelina repeated thoughtfully. "Hmm. That might work. I'd be remembered for being daring. Or I could even carry a sign saying 'Save the Unicorns' and be remembered for being an extreme animal rights activist. Thanks, Fred, you've given me a lot of great ideas."
She walked off and Fred stared at her retreating back. "I was only kidding, you know," he called after her. "I don't really think you should run around the school naked. Keep your clothes on at all times. Angelina? Did you hear me? No nudity!"
xxxxx
Angelina's Quidditch legacy began to look even further out of reach. After their first disastrous training session she stayed behind in the changing room to do some push-ups and stomach crunches. Alicia re-joined her fresh from the showers.
"Why are you doing that?" Alicia asked, after watching her friend huff and puff for a moment.
"Need to get in better shape if the entire school is going to see me run naked through the Great Hall," Angelina panted in reply.
"What are you talking about?"
"Never mind." She sat up and wiped her face with a towel. "It's bad, isn't it?"
"The season hasn't even begun," Alicia said, holding out her hand and helping Angelina to her feet. "Ron has plenty of time to improve. Katie and I will do extra training with him."
"I think I should be the one to do that."
"Er, it might be better if you didn't. I think Ron's a little frightened of you. Maybe if you took it easier around him he'd be able to relax," Alicia suggested lightly.
"If he can't handle me then he's got no chance against Slytherin," Angelina said morosely. "I hate to say it, but those guys will tear him apart."
"Poor Ron. There's nothing in the 'Wood File' on how to build confidence?"
"Not anything specific. Do you think we could get away with giving Ron a shot of Firewhiskey before the match?"
Alicia tapped her prefect badge. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Angelina sighed and rummaged through her locker. "I guess I should just face the fact that we haven't got a chance in hell this season."
"Come on, Angelina…"
"I'm going to take a shower. Will you go and check on Katie?"
"Of course. Everything will be fine, you know. We'll only need a short adjustment period and the team will be back to its best," Alicia said, her voice sounding more confident than she felt.
Looking unconvinced, Angelina turned and walked away. Alicia rolled her eyes. She was getting a strong sense of déjà vu. Some two years ago she'd had to calm down another melancholic Captain. Unfortunately, she couldn't distract Angelina the same way that she had Oliver. That would have to be left up to Fred.
Alicia slowly made her way back to the castle. She took her time taking a good look at her surroundings. Hogwarts truly was a beautiful place and it was a pity that it was taken for granted by most students. After graduation they were thrown into the real world, which was a lot grittier and unfriendly. Alicia didn't want to end up feeling like she had missed out on truly appreciating her school. Perhaps she would have to organise a late night walk with George.
It would be the most poignant setting for the moment she told him the whole truth. Alicia would take him to the lake where they'd sit down and look at the stars. George would know something was going on; he wasn't stupid. She wouldn't wait very long to tell because it would torture him and she didn't want to do that at all.
Alicia was accosted as soon as she entered Gryffindor Tower.
"Alicia! I was about to come and find you. Quick, get over here!"
George and Fred were sitting on a sofa in front of the fireplace. Katie sat between them in her bloodstained Quidditch robes. Alicia gasped when she saw that her friend was sobbing wretchedly into her hands.
"What's wrong?" she asked, hurrying over.
"She's being weird," Fred answered, leaning away from Katie.
George was acting a little more compassionately. His hand was resting uncertainly on Katie's shaking shoulder. "I'm not sure really. We gave her the antidote and her nose stopped bleeding so we left her with Lee and went to talk to some first years. When we returned Lee had left and Katie was crying. She won't tell us what's wrong."
"It isn't our fault," Fred added firmly.
"Shut up and get out of the way," Alicia snapped, shoving Fred out of his seat. She put her arm around Katie. "What happened, love?"
Katie just shook her head and cried louder. People were beginning to take notice so Alicia decided she was going to have to take Katie up to their room. "Come on, let's go upstairs so we can have some privacy."
Katie jumped to her feet and ran off towards the stairs before Alicia could even stand up. "Will she be all right?" George asked.
"I don't know. It looks bad, whatever it is. Thanks for being sweet and looking out for her, Georgie." Alicia gave George a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up.
"Oh, don't thank me or anything," Fred muttered darkly.
"I wasn't going to," she returned waspishly. "You, Fred Weasley, are an insensitive arse."
With that parting insult, Alicia turned and stomped away. She followed in Katie's distraught footsteps. Upon entering the dorm room, she found Katie lying face down on her bed, crying into her pillow. Alicia quietly joined her on the bed and put her hand on her back comfortingly.
"Are you ready to talk about it?"
Katie rolled onto her back and gulped in large gasping breaths. Alicia brushed her hair out of her face and waited for her to speak. When she eventually did, Alicia could only understand about every second word. "I knew…should…Trelawney said…it…stop…was right…I can't!"
Alicia grabbed the box of tissues from the nightstand and handed some to Katie. "Honey, you're going to stop crying and start from the beginning. Catch your breath and tell me slowly."
It took Katie a few minutes to sufficiently gather herself. She dabbed at her eyes a few times and sniffled. "I'm breaking up with Lee. I have to."
She began to cry again and Alicia's eyes widened. "Break up with him. Why? Does Trelawney have something to do with it?"
"She saw it coming. Since the beginning of term she's been telling me that when I graduate from school I won't have a boyfriend," Katie answered between hiccups. "She keeps seeing it everywhere. In my tea leaves, my horoscope, my dreams, the crystal ball… it's like destiny."
"So you're going to break up with Lee because crazy Trelawney told you to?" Alicia asked, placing her hand to Katie's forehead in case she had a fever. She wouldn't be very surprised if a Weasley Wizard Wheeze had scrambled her brain.
"No, I'm going to break up with him because he's going to break up with me. I'm going to do it first."
"Lee wouldn't break up with you. He loves you!" Alicia said.
"He doesn't love me. He's had plenty of opportunities to tell me, but he hasn't. Has George told you that he loves you?"
"A few times," Alicia answered shyly.
"A few times?" Katie repeated, her voice high and shaky.
"Oh no," Alicia said quickly as she noticed tears forming in Katie's blue eyes. "It doesn't really matter. It's not a big deal."
"You don't think it's a big deal because you already know that there's someone in the world who loves you. He's even told you more than once. What exactly do you mean by a few times? Three? Twenty? One hundred?" Katie asked.
"I'm not keeping count. Around fifteen I suppose," Alicia said awkwardly, wanting to change the subject. "Saying the words is only a part of it, Katie. I can tell Lee loves you just by watching him when he's with you."
Katie sat up, suddenly looking more angry than sad. "If that's true then why is he going to break up with me? Why doesn't he want to be with me anymore?"
"How do you know he's going to break up with you?"
"Because he's been keeping something from me lately. I've asked him what it is, but he won't tell me anything. He's writing mysterious letters that he won't show me. Does that sound like the behaviour of someone who loves me?"
"It's probably nothing, Katie, just something ridiculous. You know what boys are like."
"Lee just told me he wants to talk to me tomorrow. Talk! Since when do boys want to talk? It can only be something bad."
Alicia smiled and nudged Katie with her elbow. "That's it! He's going to tell you he loves you! I bet that's what he means by 'talk'."
"No, Leesh. You didn't see his face. It's all over," Katie groaned, clutching her stomach and doubling over. "I think I need help. I feel so sick and I can't catch my breath or even think straight."
"That's because you love Lee. If you go and tell him I know he'll say it back."
Katie straightened up, looking alarmed. "You think I should tell Lee that I love him? You want me to say it first?"
"Yes!"
"But then he'll know I love him!"
Alicia frowned, resisting the temptation to feel Katie's forehead again. "Er, isn't that the point of telling him in the first place?"
Katie shook her head fiercely, causing her blonde hair to flick in Alicia's eye. "I can't do that! I if I say it, my love will just hang there in the air like…like one of those hanging pot plants. Lee will just scoff and laugh at my pot plant before he knocks it down and steps on it. He'll crush and mangle it beyond recognition. I'll be left to cry over the remains of my dead plant. Do you want that to happen to me? Do you, Alicia?"
"Did you eat something that Fred and George touched?"
"NO! Pay attention! I'm telling you what will happen if I'm the first one to say I love you."
"That won't happen. Lee will accept your pot plant. He'll cherish it and care for it so it grows into something beautiful. He'll water it everyday and…and this analogy is starting to hurt my brain."
Katie sat up straight, rearranging her features into a determined look. "The point is that I can't just throw my pot pla…my love…out there like that. I'm not brave enough."
"So you're just going to break up with him?"
"Yes. When he takes me somewhere to talk I'll do it before he gets a chance to humiliate me. I'm going to leave the relationship with my dignity intact."
"Katie, you should really think about this some more. Maybe he-"
"No, I'm done thinking! People are always telling me that I should be more assertive and think for myself. I'm making my own decisions now and no longer following the lead you and Angelina give me. I'm Katie Patricia Bell and I'm in charge of my own life!"
"That's very admirable. Hooray for you and all that," Alicia said half-heartedly. "I just wish you would humour me and listen to what Lee has to say. If it sounds like he's breaking up with you then you can do it first. Don't throw a good relationship away on a suspicion."
"The relationship is dying anyway. Lee won't be honest with me anymore. If he feels he has to keep something from me then it's obvious that he doesn't really want to be with me. I'm nothing but a hindrance in his life."
Alicia blanched at the mention of honesty. Was she doing the same thing with George? Was she treating him like a hindrance? Furthermore, did George feel the same way that Katie felt? Seeing George as hurt as Katie was now would almost break Alicia's resolve.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Katie demanded.
"What?"
"I said that I'm going to do what you suggested. I'll hear Lee out first then make my decision."
"Superb idea."
"Well, I'm only doing it for you. I personally couldn't care less about Lee anymore. You know, he was so preoccupied with one of his stupid letters that he didn't even notice I was covered in blood. I went to him for comfort and he ignored me."
Tears began to leak out of the corners of Katie's eyes again and Alicia hugged her tightly. "Angelina and I will look after you now. Nobody really needs boys anyway. Nuns survive without them and they seem quite happy. They sing on mountains and fly and stuff."
"Nuns can fly?"
"It's a Muggle thing."
"Being a nun wouldn't be so bad actually," Katie said, pulling back and giving Alicia a weak smile. "If I wore one of those habits I wouldn't have to brush my hair everyday or wear makeup ever again. That would be nice."
"That's my girl."
For the rest of the day, Alicia gave little thought to Katie's problem. She wasn't at all convinced that Lee was going to break up with her. She spent her time contemplating her own situation. Every angle that she examined it from made it look worse. There was little she could do to make it easier.
Angelina took Katie's side in what they now referred to as 'The Great Lee-is-a-bastard Debate'. It took little convincing for her to condemn Lee. When she returned from the Quidditch pitch to find Katie crying, she immediately offered to go and punch Lee in the head. Katie thought it might help. Alicia thought it would get Angelina into trouble. In the end Angelina decided to save up her punch for another time.
Katie was a wreck by the time Lee asked her to accompany him to an empty room the next afternoon. She silently followed him through the corridors and into their vacant Charms classroom. Katie went and sat behind her normal desk and waited patiently for the axe to fall. Lee didn't seem very eager to speak, so Katie began.
"What was in the package you got this morning?" she asked casually.
"Huh?"
Katie rolled her eyes. He was about to break her heart and he was still ignoring her. "Wake up, Jordan. Your owl delivered you a small package this morning at breakfast. What was in it?"
"Just something from home. It's not important," Lee said quickly, which of course told Katie that it was in fact important.
"Why won't you tell me what it is?"
"Why are you so desperate to know?"
"You can't answer a question with a question!"
"I believe I just did."
"Why did you bring me here?" Katie demanded shrilly. "I have things to do so get it over with."
"It's not something I can do when you're angry," Lee said, pacing the floor nervously.
Katie felt all the blood rush to her face. Tears stung at the back of her eyes, threatening to burst forth. She ducked her head and let her hair fall in front of her face like a curtain. "I'm absolutely calm," she lied.
"You have to promise to hear me out, ok? I've thought about this a lot and I think it's for the best."
"Go ahead," Katie said, blinking rapidly at the tabletop.
"I completely respect you, Katie, you're the nicest girl I know. I'd never do anything to hurt you, but I can't go on like this. The world's changing and people inevitably begin to move in different directions."
Katie felt as if her ribs were shrinking. Alicia had been wrong. He was breaking up with her. There was no other explanation for what he was saying. She drew in a rattling breath and prepared to interrupt him.
Lee continued, still pacing as he spoke. "This may be completely the wrong thing to do. Lots of people are going to think it's wrong. You might even be one of them. I'm trying to do what's best for both of us. I'm not happy with the way things are anymore."
"I'm sorry, Lee, but there's something I have to tell you."
Lee stopped and stared at her. "Can't it wait?"
"It's over."
"What is?"
"I don't want to go out with you anymore. I want out."
"Out?" Lee echoed, looking stunned beyond belief.
"I've been thinking about it for a while now. I don't love you so it seems rather pointless to continue. We can go our separate ways in an amicable split," Katie said, repeating the speech that she had practiced in her head all day.
"But I was just about-"
"I already know what you were about to do. I worked it out pretty easily."
"You did?" Lee asked, looking ashamed and affronted.
"Yes. I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore." With all the poise she possessed, Katie stood up and pushed the chair back under the desk. "It'll be weird for awhile, but we might be friends again one day."
"You're really breaking up with me?"
"It was fun while it lasted, right? Anyway, I'll see you around."
Katie walked out of the classroom on shaky legs. In the corridor she broke into a sprint and ran all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. When she burst into the seventh year girls' room, Alicia and Angelina looked up expectantly from their homework. Katie found herself unable to speak so she simply shook her head as tears streamed down her face.
Alicia jumped up and ran to hug her. Angelina made a fist with her right hand and narrowed her eyes. "I can punch him now, right? It won't matter if I mess up his face?"
Katie shook her head. "Leave him alone. It's not really his fault."
"Are you going to be all right?" Alicia asked worriedly.
"I just want to forget about him. I want to forget about the whole thing," she replied, knowing even as she said it that forgetting was not an option.
She'd heard someone once say that you can never forget your first true love.
A/N: Sorry to leave it on such a sad note. You know, Trelawney has been known to be right sometimes. That's all I shall say about that. Also, don't be too hard on Alicia and Fred. They're idiots sometimes, but they both think they're doing what's best for George. It's just a shame this puts them in conflict with each other. The rest of the story is going to be an emotion roller coaster, so prepare yourselves. The next chapter will probably be called 'When it Comes Crashing Down'. But now
…The Countdown Gathers Speed…
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