Chapter 1:

A/N: this and the rest of the story starts from about 6 months before the prologue. sorry if thats a bit confusing xxx

Disclaimer: all characters etc. are not mine, yadayadayada

"Fred!"

"Mmm?"

"You're still not listening, are you?"

"What?"

"Ugh!" Angelina stamped her foot in frustration. "You're hopeless!"

For the first time in the conversation, Fred actually seemed to hear what she was saying. He looked rather annoyed, in fact.

Now Angelina knew he was listening, she ploughed on,

"You don't actually take me seriously, do you? You're happy to take me with you on the odd Hogsmeade weekend, and any balls that come up, but what about the rest of the time? You avoid me as much as you can, and … well, we are dating aren't we…?"

Angelina trailed off, biting her lip nervously. She realised that she'd probably been a bit obvious, which was not good – She'd probably scare Fred away. It was so unfair! She had fancied Fred for ages, but he seemed to neither know nor care.

Fred was unsure of what to say next. How could he explain what he really felt for Angelina? He had certainly been avoiding her – but not for the reasons she seemed to have come up with.

The last time he had been out with a girl properly, they'd dumped him after 6 months for someone "more sophisticated and mature." He'd been heartbroken, as he'd really fancied her, perhaps even loved her a bit at the time.

There was no way he was ever gonna let that happen to him again. Regardless of his feelings for Angelina, which were definitely positive, he was going to have to shut her out.

"Seriously?" he finally answered. "What d'you mean? We're not dating. We go out together sometimes because we're really good friends and we have a laugh together. There's nothing else there. How could there be? I don't actually fancy you, y' know.

Angelina looked floored. He saw her eyes darken with the tears she was holding back.

"So," she said angrily, "it was all just another laugh to you. You never cared about the fact that I might think you were serious. Hell, Fred, you could have at least told me."

"Yeah, well. I didn't think of it at the time. I never realised you were so bothered."

"You're bothered too," his brain reminded him, but Fred pushed the thought away.

Angelina glared at him before turning and almost running up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

Alicia and Katie looked up from their homework as Angelina rushed past them and up to the dormitories. Catching a glimpse of her face as she passed, they noticed that it was streaked with tears. Jumping up, they rushed after her, leaving a rather guilty-looking Fred behind them.

When they reached their dormitory door, however, they found it was locked.

"Ange," Katie called persuasively through the door, "Let us in".

"Yeah, come on, it's only us." Added Alicia.

They heard shuffling, a few seconds later, someone muttered a spell and the door swung open. Alicia and Katie hurried in, re-sealing the door behind them. Angelina looked at them defensively.

"What?"

"Don't be silly Angelina - we do know what you were doing, remember. What did Fred say?"

Angelina's face crumpled and she sat down on the bed again as she explained the whole mess to her two best friends.

"I can't believe I actually thought he might be serious about me," she whispered a few minutes later. "Everything else is just a joke to him – why would I be any different?"

"Ignore him – he's such a loser. Trust us, you could do sooo much better, honey." Katie said.

"Yeah – he obviously doesn't deserve you. Just forget about it."

Angelina smiled weakly. However much of a prick Fred was, at least Alicia and Katie would always be there for her.

Fred watched Angelina go, guilt settling in the pit of his stomach. It appeared that he'd shut her out a little too effectively. He hadn't meant to upset her that much. He just wanted her to leave him alone. At least, he was fairly sure he wanted her to leave him alone. Fred sighed. Now Alicia and Katie had run off to comfort her, and soon they'd all be mad a t him. Not that he didn't deserve it.

He suddenly noticed just how quiet the common room had gone. Everyone was staring at him. Some interestedly, some amused, some accusing, but his closest friends looked shocked and incredulous.

George walked over to him shaking his head, presumably at Fred's stupidity and new-found lack of tact. As he sat down, the rest of the common room diplomatically returned to their own business, but not without many sidelong glances at the pair of them.

"What was that for?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Eh?" replied Fred self-consciously.

"You know what I mean. I thought you fancied Angelina. What did you say all that to her for? "

Fred frowned. He wasn't about to explain all his extremely complicated feelings to George, since he didn't even understand them himself.

George sighed. He recognised that look on his twin's face – the one that meant that, for once, he wasn't going to tell him anything.

"OK, well, I just hope you know what you're doing. Don't push her too far away – she's your friend as well, remember,"

"Yeah, I know. Though I doubt she's actually gonna want to be my friend now. But whatever. Let's just go outside. I think Parvati and Lavender are getting ready to come and interview me for their gossip circles."

George nodded, and the pair of them, followed closely by Lee, got up and disappeared through the portrait hole - much to the disappointment of Parvati and Lavender, who knew they would never be able to find them now.

A/N: please tell me what you think,and if you have any ideas for stuff you want to happen, then please review and tell me. : ) xxxxx